The Wedding Date—pt. 2

CS Genre: Fake Dating AU

"We need to get our story straight, Swan," Killian observed, looking over at the woman in the driver's seat who was resolutely not looking at him.

"Hm?" she asked idly, keeping her eyes trained on the highway as it sped past. "What was that?"

"Our story," Killian said, "you know, how we met; when we started dating; what we like to do on an evening out…or in."

She looked over at him, irritated scowl firmly in place. "Killian, we have no story. This is just a fake relationship, remember?"

Killian looked aside. Aye; he remembered. He remembered all too well. He'd best be careful to keep that fact firmly planted in his mind throughout the coming weekend. It would be all too easy to pretend it was real, that Emma Swan really and truly was his girlfriend, that they had a story, that they were in love

But as she said, it was all a ruse. He'd do best to remember it before he got his heart broken.

"Aye Swan, so you've said," he answered, his tone determinedly light, flirtatious, "but if you don't wish your family, and particularly your sister-in-law to learn the truth, we best plan. Suppose we're asked about our relationship and we each respond differently. The jig would be up in one fell swoop."

She nodded, and returned her eyes to the road. "Yeah, I suppose that makes sense. So any big ideas?"

"The secret to a successful con, love, is sticking as closely to the truth as possible," Killian said. "The less fabrication involved the less likely we are to slip up."

She rolled her eyes. "Figures you'd be an expert in con-man tactics."

He shrugged, one eyebrow raising in amusement. "It's a gift."

She grinned. "Okay, so we stick close to the truth. Let me see….we met when I arrested you for one of your bouts of criminal stupidity."

"Come now, Swan, don't exaggerate," he said. "To the present, my bouts of stupidity have only risen to the level of misdemeanor."

She chuckled, shaking her head at him. "Fine. We met when I was arresting you for a bout of misdemeaner stupidity. Better?"

He laughed. He enjoyed this banter with her far more than was good for him. "Aye, and I subsequently admitted that my criminal tendencies were merely an attempt to get your attention."

She laughed at that, clearly having no clue how close to the truth his statement was.

"And after you asked me out about fifty times, I finally said yes just to shut you up."

Killian clutched his chest dramatically. "You really know how to wound a man, Swan."

"And don't you forget it."

"Very well," he said. "My persistence finally paid off and you agreed to a date. I swept you off your feet with my dashing rapscallion romancing, and the rest, as they say, is history."

She looked over at him and grinned. "It's as good a cover story as any, I suppose. So are we ready for our big debut into the world of pulling cons?"

"Nearly."

"Only nearly?"

"Aye, love," Killian said with a decisive nod. "There is still the matter of our level of intimacy."

She shot him a startled look that turned decidedly suspicious in the blink of an eye. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"Merely that you currently look at me as though I have the word 'idiot' tattooed across my forehead," Killian said. "Hardly girlfriendly behavior. If we are to be believed as a couple in love, we must attempt to portray tender feelings for each other."

"I guess you do have a point."

"To wit, we must smile at each other, invade each other's space, hold hands. For that matter, the occasional stolen kiss or two wouldn't be amiss."

"I'm not going to make out with you in public!" she said in a voice as scandalized as though he'd suggested she attend the wedding in the nude.

He shrugged, giving her the grin he knew riled her up the most. "Very well, Swan. We can confine our make out sessions to our moments of privacy."

She growled and hit her turn signal with a fair amount more force than was strictly necessary. "Keep dreaming, buddy."

He sighed. "Look, Swan, I may tease, but I truly have no nefarious intentions. The fact is, couples in love give each other little signs of affection. A quick peck on the lips is hardly remarkable between a boyfriend and girlfriend. It might, in fact, be remarkable if we didn't behave in such a fashion."

She shot him a quick glance before turning away and heaving a quick sigh. "I guess that makes sense."

He wondered just how far he could push his luck. "Perhaps we'd best practice, love. After all, it might be best if our first attempt wasn't with an audience. We need to look like we know what we're doing."

She didn't answer, which Killian took to be all the answer he needed. Long moments passed in silence before Swan put on her blinker and eased off the highway and into the parking area of a rest stop. She came to a stop in a remote parking space far from any other vehicles and then turned to him.

"Fine," she said, steely determination in her voice. "Let's practice."

Killian coughed, and only narrowly avoided spewing the sip of soda he'd taken all over her dashboard. His heart hammered as he turned startled eyes in her direction. Was this truly happening? Was she truly about to let him kiss her?

"So what are you waiting for?" she gritted out. "Let's get this over with."

He nodded, inching closer. He brought a hand up to cup her cheek, and then slide into her silky hair as he moved his mouth ever closer to hers. Her breath hitched, her eyes fluttered softly closed, and she began moving toward him.

"Emma," he breathed on a sigh as his lips ghosted across hers.

Abruptly she stiffened, and then jerked away before the kiss could truly get under way.

"Okay," she said, her voice suspiciously breathless, as she turned the key once more in the ignition and pulled back onto the freeway. "Looks like we can pull that off if need be."

Killian gave his head a quick shake. For a moment, for one quick moment he'd forgotten it was all a con, he'd let himself drown in her and that quick, almost-kiss. For that one moment there had been only him and her and the need that churned always just below the surface.

Killian had always prided himself on his cat-like ability to adapt to any situation in which he found himself, but this time he was beginning to realize he might be in way over his head.

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Emma had to remind herself to breathe as she finished the drive to David and Mary Margaret's place. What the hell had just happened? That…wasn't in the plan. Kisses hadn't figured into her plans for the weekend. At all. And even if they had…kisses shouldn't be like that. Good grief, it hadn't even been a kiss, not really. He'd merely brushed his lips against hers, but it had been enough to make her feel as though fireworks were exploding, bright lights shooting beneath her closed eyelids, the explosion nearly deafening.

What would have happened if she'd let him actually kiss her? You'd never have been able to stop, her subconscious helpfully supplied.

She was starting to realize she hadn't remotely thought this plan out. How was she going to make it through a whole weekend with Killian when he made her feel like that?

It should have been simple. They'd just share a stage kiss when called on to do so; nothing more. He was, after all, the bane of her existence. She didn't even like him; not at all. True, he did seem to be on his best behavior today, but anyone could have a good day, right? No doubt he'd wake up tomorrow and be his normal cocky, insufferable self.

This was all a sham; she had to remember that. No matter how electrifying their "practice kiss" might have been, he was her fake boyfriend. She couldn't forget that. As much as he flirted and threw around the innuendos, he was probably the worst of players. True, she'd never seen him with a woman; not in any serious romantic capacity anyway, but that didn't matter. If she were stupid enough to develop feelings for him…well that could only end in heartbreak.

She'd had enough heartbreak to last her lifetime, thank you very much. No, it didn't matter how physically attracted to him she might be, and there was no use denying it to herself after that kiss, it simply couldn't go beyond him flirting and her rolling her eyes at him.

They arrived at the Nolans' as the sun was beginning to set. Their cute little single-story home shown to its greatest advantage set against the sunset

"Your brother and sister-in-law have a lovely home, Swan," Killian commented after stepping from the car and taking a good look. "Must be quite peaceful this far into the country."

"Yeah," Emma said, closing her own door. "David's always thought if he wasn't a deputy he'd like to be a shepherd. This home kind of gives him the best of both worlds."

Killian reached out and took her hand, deftly lacing their fingers together, and Emma shot him a startled look as the butterflies started dancing in her stomach at his touch.

"Come now love," Killian said with a teasing grin. "We're dating. Holding hands is rather a requirement."

She wanted to remind him once again of the fake nature of their relationship, but somehow she doubted she could form coherent sentences. She had to get it together and fast.

She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and then nodded, pasting on a serene smile. "Yeah, you're right. Ready to meet the family?"

"Absolutely," he said, returning her smile and gesturing toward the door with his free hand. "Shall we?"

She nodded and began walking down the flower-lined path, but they hadn't made it ten steps before Mary Margaret burst from the door and enveloped Emma in a hug, David not far behind.

"Oh Emma! You made it! Perfect timing, I've got a pot of soup on the stove and the bread's about to come out of the oven," Mary Margaret said without taking a breath. "And you must be Killian! You have no idea how happy I am to meet you!"

"Likewise," Killian said nodding and offering her a hand, which she enveloped in both of hers.

David had been slightly less effusive in his greeting, giving Killian an assessing big-brotherly look. Emma sincerely hoped her brother wasn't about to launch into one of his patented "if you hurt my sister I will make your life a living hell" speeches.

As it turned out, she needn't have worried. David shot Killian one, quick suspicious look, and then gave him the nod of approval and a hearty handshake. "Here, let me give you a hand with your bags."

"Much appreciated mate."

Mary Margaret pulled Emma into her kitchen while the men saw to the luggage. As soon as they were alone she pounced. "Oh, Emma, he's so handsome. Why didn't you tell me how hot he is? And such a gentleman too."

Emma grinned. "Careful, don't let my brother hear you drooling over another man like that."

Mary Margaret chuckled. "I'm not drooling. Just stating a fact. And you are going to have to tell me absolutely everything about you guys! You know, after you told me about him, I could have sworn the name 'Killian' rang a bell, and then it came to me! Isn't Killian the man you used to always complain about? The one you said you were always arresting?"

Oh…She'd forgotten about how much she used to vent to Mary Margaret about her "boyfriend". Well this could get really awkward really fast.

"Yeah; that's Killian alright," Emma said, forcing a laugh.

"How on earth did you ever get together?" Mary Margaret asked, taking a seat on a barstool and evidently settling in for a serious round of girl talk.

"She was finally able to see my merits beneath my rough exterior," Killian supplied, stopping to place a quick kiss against Emma's cheek as he settled into the chair beside her. Instinctively, Emma reached up to touch the place his lips had landed. "Some men might have taken her silence and disapproval as off-putting, but I love a challenge."

"Must be why you insisted on being such a big pain in the ass when we first met," Emma said with a smirk. "You just wanted to give me a challenge too?"

Killian laughed. "I admit, I was a bit of a prat; acting out in such outrageous ways to begin, but it did work out quite well for me in the end."

"Sounds like quite the story," David said settling into a chair beside Killian. "How exactly did you win her over?"

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

The evening went surprisingly well. Within an hour of their arrival Killian and David seemed to adopt each other as best mates and honorary brothers, and the four of them talked and laughed long into the night.

Things didn't get…sticky…until it came time to retire for the evening.

"I've put the two of you in the guest room," Mary Margaret said turning on the hall light and gesturing forward. "I hope that's not a problem. I'd planned to offer Killian the study if you two weren't, well, at that point in your relationship yet, butl we're in the process of painting it, and trust me; no one would want to spend the night in there."

Emma's mouth went dry. Why hadn't she thought of the sleeping arrangements?

Killian cleared his throat, looking only marginally less uncomfortable than she felt. "That will suffice quite nicely, Mrs. Nolan. Thank you for your hospitality."

After a round of muttered good nights, David and Mary Margaret disappeared into their own bedroom leaving Emma alone in the room she always used with the man she definitely was not in a relationship with.

"Well, Swan," he said, scratching behind his ear. "This is awkward, aye?"

"Yeah," she said with a decisive nod. "You could say that again. Sorry to put you in this position; I totally had no idea they'd do this. I mean David is textbook protective big brother. Him having no problem with his little sister sharing a bedroom with her 'boyfriend' just down the hall from where he sleeps with his wife? Never would have seen that coming."

Killian chuckled, grabbing the decorative pillow shams and tossing them to the floor. "Your brother did take the opportunity while we were gathering our luggage to inquire as to my intentions where you are concerned."

"And you told him."

"They were honorable, of course."

"He must have bought it," Emma said, gathering up her t-shirt and pajama pants and looking anywhere but at the bed. "He's more or less welcomed you with open arms."

Killian was silent for long moments, and Emma looked up to find his eyes on her, serious expression in place. "Swan, ruse or not, I spoke the truth. My intentions are honorable. You've no need to feel awkward about this or any other situation; I'll not attempt to take advantage of you."

"Well…that's good to hear," Emma said, feeling rather off-balance by the aching sincerity in his tone.

"Aye, well," he said, once again scratching his ear, "perhaps you'd best head to the bathroom and ready yourself for bed. If you'll do me the liberty to point me in the direction of a linen closet where I might find an extra blanket, I'll prepare as well."

"An extra blanket?" Emma asked, frown of confusion wrinkling her brow. "Why would you need that?"

"Well, love," he said with a quick grin. "If I'm to take the floor, I'd at least prefer a blanket and a pillow."

"Take the floor? You intend to sleep on the floor?"

"Of course," he said with a small bow in her direction. "I'm not bloody well going to force a lady to sleep on the floor while I indulge in the luxury of a bed."

"So now you're going to be a gentleman?"

He leaned toward her, teasing smirk firmly in place. "I believe in good form, my lady, and I'm always a gentleman."

She smiled at him and then eyed the cold, hard-wood floors in the Nolan's guest bedroom. "While I appreciate the gesture, Killian, there's…well, there's no reason for either of us to take the floor. I mean, that's a king-sized bed. There's plenty of room for both of us…and a nice big neutral area in the middle besides. I…don't mind if you don't."

His grin turned decidedly wicked. "Do I mind sharing a bed with you? That I most certainly do not, darling."

She swatted at him as she headed to the bathroom to change. "Don't get any big ideas buddy. All we're doing in that bed is sleeping. You stick to your side and I stick to mine."

Eight-and-a-half hours later Emma woke to bright sunlight filtering through the curtains, the smell of coffee and frying bacon coming from the kitchen…and Killian's warmth surrounding her like a blanket.

She stilled, trying to orient herself. Her head lay cushioned on Killian's chest, the steady thump of his heart beneath her ear. Springy chest hair peeked from his v-necked sleep t-shirt and tickled her cheek, their arms and legs hopelessly entwined.

They lay squarely in the middle of the big bed, the covers settled snuggly over both of them. It would seem that neither of them had followed her "you stick to your side of the bed and I stick to mine" rule. Sometime through the night they'd obviously sought each other out, finding comfort and rest in each-other's arms.

Emma didn't even want to begin to think about the implications of that. The fact that it felt so completely right to spend the night in his arms, that she'd just had the best night's sleep she'd had in ages, scared the hell out of her.

Slowly, gently, Emma began to extricate herself, praying he didn't wake up to find them like this. He'd never let her live it down. The innuendos would be never-ending.

Or maybe not.

It had been a touching gesture, him offering to sleep on the floor if it would make her more comfortable. Maybe there really was a good and honorable heart beating in that ridiculously hairy chest of his.

A sudden swell of tenderness coming over her, she looked down at his face, so peaceful and almost boyish in sleep. Reaching up, she let herself cup his cheek, her thumb caressing the tiny scar under his eye. Maybe she'd misjudged him. Maybe there was more to Killian Jones than met the eye.

Notes:

-We've made it to another Friday!

-I couldn't quite finish this story in 2 parts like I'd hoped! I'll need one more part to get to the actual wedding and reception, but as next week is Halloween, I think I'll take a tiny detour. Next week I'll insert a Halloween-themed one-shot taking place sometime after this whole Dark Swan arc is wrapped up, and then the following week I'll finish up "The Wedding Date."

-With regard to this portion of the story…I totally feel you, Emma! There's no way in any realm I'd be remotely able to function after that "practice kiss"—or the hand holding or cheek kiss for that matter. Having Killian Jones even pretend to be head or heels for me would be distinctly hazardous to my health, lol.