-K-

"Oh, my boys!"

"Hi, Ma." Will embraces his mother while Killian slides the bag from her shoulders, grunting a little when his hand dips, having grossly misjudged how heavy her tote is. He heaves it onto her carry-on suitcase before he's swept into her arms.

"Mrs. Scarlet." He says warmly. Somehow, she still smells the same even after an overseas flight- of lavender, sharp herbs and freshly baked bread. "How was your flight?"

"Oh, as long as expected and crowded; I don't know why everyone seems to insist on pushing each other around- we're all stuck there together, may as well be nice to your neighbor while you're at it."

"Ma, what's in here? This weighs a ton." Will complains, tugging the ancient suitcase behind him as Killian leads the way down to the baggage claim with the tote slung over his shoulder.

"Mrs. Scarlet, you really shouldn't be carrying such heavy things by yourself." Killian frowns.

"Well then, maybe you two shouldn't have moved so far away from home."

They collect two more suitcases at the baggage claim ("Ma are you moving here?") and soon, Killian has them on the road with the promise of a good dinner once they get back to Storybrooke.

"Here, Killian brought you tea, just the way you like it." Will leans forward in his seat to offer the thermos to his mother who is sitting shotgun.

"Oh, I only take almond milk in my tea now. You know, it's a habit we should have switched to ages ago. I'm really just trying to go dairy-free these days, after reading all those articles. You two should try it. It does wonders once you stop using it in your cooking and baking and start using alternatives."

Will blanches and shrinks back into the backseat.

"We can stop by a Starbucks and get you new tea…?" Killian suggests meekly, his eyes fixed on the road.

"Oh boys, I'm just messing with you. I'm not a hip youngster, give me that thermos."

Will hands it back to his mother, muttering under his breath and she reaches over to tug lightly on Killian's ear. "Sweet Killy, preparing tea for little old me."

"Right, about that nickname… can we not let that one get out? Doesn't go too well with 'lieutenant.'"

Mrs. Scarlet only hums, blowing lightly on her tea. "Now is one of you going to tell me how Will got that awful bruise on his face? Honestly, I thought you stopped rough housing when you were thirteen."

"We only rough house with other people now." Will mutters, earning him a sharp look from his mother. "Just a joke, Ma." He says hastily.

"It was… There was… A girl." Killian explains slowly.

"A girl you say." Mrs. Scarlet repeats archly.

"No, it's not- She's married." Will clarifies and Killian closes his eyes briefly cursing WIll inside his head.

"Married? Oh boys-,"

"We were helping her. In a purely platonic way. She got in a fight with her husband, I was trying to get her to come home with me,"

"Killian,"

"No, not like that, she wanted to get away from her husband for the night, I offered my and Emma's couch,"

"Her husband threw the first punch..."

It take almost the entire car ride back to Storybrooke to explain this to Mrs. Scarlet, both of them reverting to a spectacular show of ineloquence not unlike how they used to speak when confronted in the face of clear misbehavior.

-/-

Emma and Mary Margaret are sitting in the firemen's booth when they walk through the door's of the firehouse diner. Both women stand to greet Mrs. Scarlet; hugs are exchanged and while Mary Margaret and Mrs. Scarlet acquaint themselves, Killian pulls Emma in for a quick kiss, her cheeks growing pink at his bold move and emerald eyes shining in excitement to finally be able to meet the woman who raised both him and Will. He's left to join Emma and her mother in their booth when Mrs. Scarlet deliberately sits on the edge of the booth she's sharing with Will and he slides in happily next to Emma.

The mothers get on like a house on fire and it's not long until they're making plans together for the next few days, Mary Margaret eagerly reimagining her Christmas dinner menu to accommodate recipes of Mrs. Scarlet's. Will's mother seems utterly charmed by Emma, who hangs onto her every word, alternating between watching her and looking over fondly at Killian when Will's mother recounts stories from when the boys were very young. When they finish their entrees, Killian leans back, allowing Ariel to clear away the dishes and he drapes an arm over the back of the booth, twisting a golden curl between his fingers. Emma leans back into his arm, laughing at something Will just said. It's a very natural move for him, something he's done dozens of times before but when Mrs. Scarlet catches his eye, he smiles back a little bashfully, but doesn't remove his arm.

Slices of Emma's cherry pie and Elsa's vanilla ice cream are served per Will's request and when their dessert plates are scraped clean, promises are exchanged to see each other again soon and they all part ways. Mary Margaret remains at the diner, Emma drives back to their apartment first and Will and Killian bring Mrs. Scarlet to the inn. He can tell she's starting to get tired, so they get her settled in quickly, Will making plans to pick her up for breakfast tomorrow before they bid her goodnight.

He comes home to a dark apartment, much to his confusion. Emma had said she was coming straight home, and he usually finds her lounging on the couch or sitting at the kitchen table when she's at home.

"Emma?" He calls as he sheds his jacket. It's too early for her to be sleeping. Still, he wanders over to the bedroom and sees that the bathroom door is cracked open, faint light spilling through the gap. "Love?"

"In here." She calls and he thinks he hears the sound of water sloshing. Slowly, he cracks the door open and his mouth goes dry at the sight in front of him.

Emma's reclining in the tub, bubbles up to her chin, her skin gently flushed from her cheeks to her decolletage and hair piled up into a messy bun at the top of her head, escaped strands damply framing her face. There are candles flickering and two glasses of wine sitting on the short shelf by the foot of the tub.

Killian has to pinch himself because he's had fantasies about this. Many very detailed fantasies that he's imagined while in the shower adjacent to the tub that he's sure hasn't ever been used.

"Well? Are you going to pick your jaw up off the floor and join me?" She reaches out to him, causing the bubbles to slide down her chest, revealing the enticing swell of her breast.

"Bloody hell," He croaks, swiftly pulling his shirt over his head, fumbling with the button on his jeans before his shirt even hits the ground.

"Wait!"

Killian looks up in confusion, thumbs hooked in the waistband of his jeans.

"Can you go get the potato chips from the pantry, please?" Emma bats her lashes at him, puppy dog eyes fully engaged.

As if he could ever deny her anything.

"'Course, love." He walks as fast as he can (albeit a little awkwardly) to her junk food shelf in the pantry. Never before has he ever stocked up on Pop Tarts, chips and chocolate, but since Emma's come into his life, he always makes sure to have her favorites on hand. Kilian nudges aside the Milk Duds and popcorn and pulls out the bag of chips she bought at their last visit to the grocery store.

Her eyes light up when he returns with a plastic bowl of her chips ("They're not crisps, I am the primary consumer of them, therefore, I get to decide what we call them." "Alright, darling.")

"Now you may get in." She pronounces cheekily and his cock twitches in anticipation. His pants are off in an instant and she slides forward so he can slip in behind her. He can't help the groan that escapes his lips as she relaxes back against him, her skin slippery against his as she settles between his legs, tucking her head between his neck and shoulder. The bath salts and candles work together to produce a calming aroma and Emma draws his arms around to rest on her midsection as she happily munches on her chips.

This must be what heaven feels like.

"I bet you never imagined you would be using this tub when you first rented this apartment." She murmurs, nuzzling into his neck. She really knows him too well.

"When I first moved in? Never in my wildest dreams. After I met you? Constantly."

Emma laughs softly, her abs shaking under his hands. "Is that so?"

"Mm, perhaps we should christen it now." He dips down to nose along her jaw, tasting the skin on her neck, his hand traveling up to cup the soft weight of her breast.

"Not yet. Let's just sit here a while." Emma shifts, her backside rubbing against his erection and Killian's hands involuntarily tighten on her as he moans into her neck. "Oops, sorry. That was completely unintentional. You can keep feeling me up though, if you want." She offers in a conciliatory tone.

"You're making this very difficult for me, love." Killian grumbles, but he accepts the wineglass from Emma when she hands it to him after she's had a sip and he sits back, resolving to let her enjoy her bath a little longer. But as soon as he places the glass securely on the ledge, his hands return to her cream white mounds under the water. Emma just laughs, leaning her temple against his jaw.

She starts feeding him chips between bites of her own, "We should do this more often." She muses and he hums his agreement.

"You'll hear no complaints from me." This is a tranquility that he doesn't think he's ever felt before, even when he was out sailing with Liam. After a while, Emma turns the faucet on to infuse the tub with more hot water, leaning back against when she's done. But this time, she angles her shoulders a little so she can face him.

"You're working Christmas Eve, right?"

"Unfortunately so, darling." He and Robin drew sticks for the holiday shifts and Robin got Christmas Day's 24 hour shift, leaving Killian to cover New Year's Eve and the 12 hour shifts the days before and after Christmas.

"I was thinking… Usually, I visit my dad on Christmas Eve, but if you are willing, maybe you'd like to go with me on the 23rd, instead?"

Killian brings a hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, his finger tracing along her neck as he stares at her in awe. "Truly?"

"Only if you want." She says quickly, insecurity flashing in her eyes.

"Emma, I'd be honored to join you." He tells her, eyes unwavering as he watches a smile creep across her lips.

"Really?'

"Yes, love." He assures her, pulling her close to lay a kiss on her forehead, emotion surging up within him. Emma's hands curl around the back of his heck, pulling him down for a proper kiss.

"Okay," She says, against his lips, "Now stop thinking about my father for a second because I think I'm ready to christen this tub."

Killian miraculously manages to move the wineglass and chips off the ledge to a safe distance away from the tub, his lips peppering kisses down her face to her neck while Emma lets out something that sounds suspiciously like a giggle.

"How do you want me?" She purrs and Killian growls, surging up to place a bruising kiss on her perfect pink lips. He draws her back against his chest again and she adjusts until his cock is sandwiched deliciously between her ass and his stomach, making him groan. Emma grinds torturously against him and his hands come around to grab at her breasts again, tweaking her nipples and earning him a mewl from her that only makes him grow harder.

"Oh, God." She moans when his hand drifts down to play with her folds and she arches into his touch, her ass pressing more insistently against his throbbing member. A similar moan rumbles in his chest and Killian cranes his neck to find her lips again. He's been aroused for so long and all he knows in his mind is that he needs to be inside her now.

"Bloody fuck," He whispers when his fingers find her more than ready for him. Emma shifts up, her tongue tracing the lobe of his ear until she bites gently down and sucks, making Killian's hips jerk up, searching for her friction again, cursing heavily. Instead, her hand grasps his cock and she begins to move the tip teasingly against her center with less than steady movements that tell him she's just at the edge of control as well.

"Wait, Emma-," The rational side of him breaks through the haze of lust just long enough to prevent himself from thrusting home without protection.

She seems to read his mind, still not stopping as she pumps his length in her hand, "It's okay, I'm on the pill, remember?'

"Are- are you sure?" He grits his teeth in a last ditch effort to restrain himself.

"Yes, Killian. Please." Her breathy voice does it for him and his hands clamp down on her hips and he's driving himself home in one smooth thrust, their moans echoing around the bathroom walls. Emma's hands grip the sides of the tub to brace herself as Killian begins thrusting up, using her hips to pull her down against him at the same time. He finally understands why someone would need a bathtub this big. It seemed like a weird concept to him when he first moved in but now, he's thankful for the architect's ingenuity.

It's frenzied and sloppy, water splashing over the side of the tub, the sound intermingling with Emma's cries of pleasure and his primal grunts. He sits up suddenly, needing to taste her skin, one hand leaving her hip to fondle her breasts.

"Killian," She moans as his lips latch onto her neck, nipping and sucking until there will surely be a mark there in the morning. Her walls begin fluttering around him and she starts bouncing vigorously in his lap. His release hits without a warning, hips stuttering against hers as he comes with a shout, arms tightening around her. He would feel guilty about coming without her if he wasn't so dazed, breathing heavily with his forehead resting on her shoulder. Her walls tighten around him after he uses his last ounce of energy to reach down and start circling her clit the way he knows drives her crazy. She moves faster, that much closer to the edge, riding him while he's still hard before she finally falls, walls convulsing around him before she goes boneless in his arms.

"That was bloody magnificent, love." He says when he finally catches his breath, leaning them carefully back against the tub. Emma nods, still panting heavily.

"Yeah, we really need to start taking more baths together."

-/-

Killian is sipping coffee at the counter the next morning when Will and Mrs. Scarlet walk into the diner, the former blinking blearily with the latter bushy-tailed and bright-eyed, looking curiously around the place her son spends a large majority of his time off.

"Good morning. Shall we get a table?" He starts to get up, but Mrs. Scarlet holds up a hand.

"No, if you normally sit here, then I want the full experience."

Will moves down one spot from his usual seat so his mother can sit between them and Emma appears from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

"Good morning!" She chirps, "Did you sleep well last night, Mrs. Scarlet?"

"Please, dear. Call me Georgina. Only Killian calls me Mrs. Scarlet."

"And that's only because he's old and set in his ways." Will adds, lifting the cup of coffee Emma just filled for him to his lips gratefully.

"I think the word you're looking for is 'gentleman.' C'mon, back me up here, love."

Emma just laughs coyly and takes their orders.

When their food arrives, Mrs. Scarlet takes half her toast and fruit and piles it onto Will's plate, in exchange for some of his pancakes and she pushes the orange juice that came with her order at Killian after carefully scrutinizing his order of eggs, sausage and hash browns. Will just ducks his head in resignation and spears a cube of cantaloupe with his fork so he misses when Killian winks at Emma. She rolls her eyes because she was there when he had the foresight to scarf down a cinnamon apple muffin earlier to satiate his sweet tooth.

It's busy today so Emma doesn't have time to linger, but Ruby pops by to say hello and introduce herself, dodging Will's glares when she makes snide remarks about his eating habits, a particularly specific revenge for when Will tattled to Granny about Ruby's drinking back in October.

Will picks up the check and they bid Emma goodbye before bundling up and heading back out into the cold. Mrs. Scarlet has a secret sort of smile on her face ever since she watched Killian kiss Emma on the cheek on his way out the door.

She falls into step with him as they walk down Main Street and since the sidewalk is only wide enough for two people, Will walks a couple paces ahead of them, whistling something that's not quite a Christmas carol and sounds more made-up the longer he keeps it up. Killian offers the woman who is basically his surrogate mother his arm as they pick through an icy patch by the intersection.

"Are you happy, Killy?" She asks, though Killian is sure she already has her own answer to that question.

"I am." He responds evenly and it should be surprising how truthful his tone is or how easily the answer slips out but it isn't. It's a revelation that's been sitting in the back of his mind for a while.

"I'm glad. It seems this move was good for you." She says, patting his arm.

"Infinitely so." Killian agrees, "Thank you" He tells her, but Mrs. Scarlet waves it away with motherly exasperation.

Will cranes his neck back, grinning impishly, "You can thank us by treating lunch."

"Oh, Will." His mother slaps his shoulder and he flinches though her hit is light. They stop inside one of the small shops so Mrs. Scarlet can look around and buy some gifts to bring back to England. They browse for a bit before Will drags them to the next shop where some of Marco's handcrafted pieces are displayed. Mrs. Scarlet is enchanted by his handiwork and has to be talked out of buying an oversized cuckoo clock on the spot. They do leave with several other smaller items, though and nearly bump into someone when they exit the shop, trying to evenly distribute the bags of her purchases between Killian and Will.

"Will!"

Killian recognizes the bright color of Elsa's coat, her hair plaited neatly over her shoulder in her usual style. "Hello, Elsa." He says a little more pointedly than necessary.

She turns to him, her eyes growing even wider as if only just now noticing him, "Hi Killian."

"Uh Ma, this is Elsa. Elsa, my mum- Georgina."

"Hello, Mrs. Scarlet. Welcome to our town." Elsa gives her hand an elegant shake.

"Georgina, dear."

"Georgina." Elsa repeats shyly, cheeks tinged pink that Killian knows has nothing to do with the cold.

"Elsa owns the ice cream parlor next door to Emma's Misthaven." Will supplies helpfully. Elsa shifts the reusable grocery bag cradled in her arm and nods.

"Please stop by if you have time. First cone is on the house!"

Mrs. Scarlet chuckles, "Well, it seems all my worrying about Will having food to eat was for naught, with all you lovely women in town making a living off of feeding him."

Elsa's blush deepens and she clutches the bag a little tighter in her arms.

"Will, for goodness sakes, help the dear with her groceries." His mother scolds and Will instantly reaches for the bag, pushing the bag he's already holding higher up his arm. Elsa is so taken aback by his sudden obedience that she lets him take it from her without protest.

"Thank you" She stammers after a beat. "Um, so what are you up to today?"

"Well, we're going to finish shopping I suppose, then head down to the marina for lunch. Then it's a special tour of the firehouse for Mrs. Scarlet." Killian explains.

"Oh, that sounds like fun."

"You could join us." Will blurts.

"Oh," Elsa says awkwardly, "Oh, uh, I have to open." She reminds him, jerking her thumb back in the direction of her shop.

Will nods forcefully, "Right. Right, I forgot."

"Hm," Mrs. Scarlet slides Killian a look and he coughs behind his hand to hide his laughter.

Elsa extracts her groceries from Will's grip and leaves them with a promise to see them later.

"So what do you think, Ma? Do you like our town?" Will asks, leading them further down Main Street.

Mrs. Scarlet nods contemplatively, "Yes, it's a nice change. And it seems you two have established wonderful roots here."

"Maybe you'll come visit more often then." Killian suggests, knowing how reluctant she can be to leave their hometown but how much she misses them at the same time.

"Maybe I'll come more often if I have a place to stay, hm? Will you save a room for me when you buy a house, Killy?"

Killian's stomach swoops at the thought of permanently laying down his roots here and his mind inevitably wanders to a future with a house- a home- golden curls and blue eyes, a swing set in the backyard, little voices echoing around the walls and mornings curled up with Emma, the scent of vanilla and cinnamon constantly permeating the air.

"Of course. Your very own room, just for you when you visit." Killian promises, unable to hold back the smile his wandering thoughts conjure.

"Oi, what about me?"

Mrs. Scarlet smiles endearingly at her son, "I think we all know Killian is a lot closer to purchasing a house than you are, Will. Don't fret, my dear. Love is not a competition." She pats his arm consolingly and walks past him into the next store. Will wrinkles his nose at Killian.

Love? He mouths and Killian just shakes his head but deep down, it feels as though something has fallen into place.