Canon Universe-sometime in the future
Prompt: in-spirational asked for "Daddy!Killian and lots of fluff" and this was my take on it.
"Daddy, tell me about Santa again!" Leia squealed, running into the living room in her pajamas to climb on to Killian's lap.
Emma smiled from the kitchen as he launched into what had to be the third explanation about the legend of Santa in the past twelve hours. It was the first year they were going to do Santa because this would be the first year she would remember it and her four year old mind was enthralled by the idea. Henry and Liam had agreed that they would play along for her sake, even though they were too old to believe in him anymore.
It had been a rocky transition from finding out Liam was in Storybrooke and bringing him into their home. He still resented Killian for the first few weeks he had lived with them, but he had come around eventually. He was also fiercely protective of Leia which meant a lot, particularly to Emma.
Killian finished the story just as Emma walked out of the kitchen with the plate of cookies they had all prepared earlier.
"Movie time guys, come on," she yelled, and Henry and Liam's footsteps were heard thundering on the stairs. She set the plate down on the coffee table and settled on the couch next to her husband just as the boys rushed in, taking a cookie each.
"I can't believe Killian is relenting to A Christmas Story when he likes Christmas Vacation better," Henry teased.
"I don't think your sister would appreciate the scene with the cat," Emma scolded. It had been five years and Henry still wouldn't let Killian and her father live down their argument over which movie was better.
Killian turned on the TV and Leia settled into his lap. She had always looked up to her father, and he had been wrapped around her finger from the moment she was born. Killian claimed it was because of the pirate in her and she knew she would get what she wanted if she asked him. Emma didn't mind it too often.
By the time the credits rolled the cookies were gone and everyone was yawning. Leia had fallen asleep on Killian's shoulder shortly after Ralphie and Randy visited Santa. She stirred when Killian moved to stand and take her up to bed.
"Did Santa come yet? We gotta leave his cookies, remember," she asked sleepily, rubbing her eyes.
"He's not been here yet, little love. It is bedtime though, and the sooner you're asleep the sooner he'll get here," he said, smoothing her little blonde curls out of her face as Emma leaned over to kiss her daughter goodnight and set out a new plate of cookies and some carrots beside the plate (Leia had insisted they leave something for the reindeer too).
After Killian had settled her into bed (after yet another retelling of the Santa story), Emma met him outside her room. "Okay, help me carry the presents downstairs," Emma she, moving toward their room just down the hall from Leia's.
Killian cocked his head, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Why do we get them, you told Leia that Santa brought them?"
Emma gaped at him and she realized that of course he would have believed in a man that delivered presents in a single night. He grew up in a world with magic so it wasn't that much of a stretch to believe one man could travel around the world to every single house.
"Oh, Killian, Santa actually isn't real, he's a story that parents tell their kids," she said slowly, noticing he looked slightly disappointed.
"Why would parents lie to their children though?" he asked.
She understood "Some people say it's so that the kids will behave but I always thought of it as a way that kids will believe in magic. This world is harsh sometimes and kids need to believe there's something good out there, right?"
"I'm not particularly fond of lying to Leia, but you're right," he sighed. Then, he looked at her once more in confusion. "How will we get on the roof though? And will your red coat work just like Santa's would?"
Her eyebrows shot up towards her hairline. "Killian, we don't actually have to climb down the chimney, that's dangerous and you could hurt yourself. We just carry them downstairs very quietly and then we go to sleep," she explained in hushed tones. They were still fairly close to Leia's room and she didn't want her daughter to overhear their discussion.
"Oh. Right of course," he said, following her towards their room. The presents from Santa had been stashed secretly, and Emma handed him a couple boxes from where she had stashed them in the back of their closet. She grabbed the remaining few for herself, sneaking a small green box into her own stack.
With Killian's help, the two of them quickly stashed the gifts from Santa under the tree and sneaking the small box into the branches where he couldn't see it. When they finished, she took his hand and started leading him back towards their room. She caught the slightly guilty look he made at Leia's door as they passed and leaned in to whisper in his ear.
"Wait until you see her face tomorrow morning. It'll be worth it, I promise."
Leia was thrilled.
She woke her parents before seven in the morning by jumping on their bed, squealing about how Santa had visited and they had to come downstairs right now. Killian sat up and stared after her after she left skipping down the hall, a content smile stretching across his face. He looked down at Emma and said "Yeah, it was worth it," before getting up to go downstairs.
Leia spent all of breakfast talking about how she could have sworn she heard Santa on the roof last night and how she had pretended to be asleep and how he had even taken the carrots for his reindeer. After they finally got her to eat something, she rushed them all into the living room so they could open presents.
Killian made them all go one by one so they could get pictures of everyone opening every gift. It was actually a great idea, because knowing their kids, they would tear into everything in their excitement. After everything was opened (except for the secret box Emma had hidden) and the mess of paper thrown away, Liam and Henry disappeared upstairs to play with the new video game that Liam had gotten while Leia insisted that Killian teach her how to sword fight with the wooden sword Santa had brought her.
She had wanted a real one, but Emma told her it was against Santa's rules until she was a big girl.
They ended up watching A Christmas Story two more times before the day was over. Killian got Leia to chant "You'll shoot your eye out" by the end of the first re-watch and they were all quoting it by the end of the second.
Emma passed by Leia's room right as Killian was settling her into bed.
"Daddy, what was your favorite part of Christmas?" she asked sleepily as Killian pulled her blanket up to her chin.
"I don't know if I have a favorite, little love," he said softly, handing her the stuffed duck Liam and Henry had given her. "I just loved getting to be with my family."
"My favorite part was sword fighting. Can you teach me more tomorrow?" she asked, fixing him with her best puppy eyes that worked on him every single time.
He leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Aye, little one. Now go to sleep," he whispered. She turned over and her quiet snores filled the room almost instantly.
When he pulled the door shut as he left, Emma stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss. "Come on. There's one more present that needs to be opened," she said, taking his hand and leading him down the stairs to sit on the couch. She walked to the tree and pulled out the small box she had hid in the branches. She sat next to him, placing it on his knee.
"I don't understand, love, we agreed we wouldn't get presents for each other," he said, perplexed.
Emma could feel excitement building in her stomach. "Just open it," she urged.
He shook his head at her, tearing off the wrapping paper and lifting the lid from the small white box underneath. She could tell the instant he recognized what lay inside.
"Love, this is one of those tests you showed me when you were pregnant with Leia," he stated, staring blankly at the stick in his hands.
"I know. What does it say?" she urged.
He stared a few moments longer before looking at her, wild excitement in his eyes. "It's positive," he breathed. "You're pregnant?" he asked, an elated and purely joyful smile spreading across his face.
"I'm pregnant," she repeated, allowing him to pull her into his arms and pepper kisses across her cheeks, nose, and lips.
"So I take it you don't mind this gift?" she asked after he eventually pulled away to run his hand through her hair, over her waist, and across her still flat stomach.
"I don't mind at all. I love you so much, Emma. This is everything I ever wanted for us," he said, looking at her in astonishment as if after everything he still couldn't quite believe that she had chosen him. "I hope this one has your eyes since Leia has mine," he said, almost as an afterthought. Emma chuckled and leaned in to kiss him again.
