Emma and Killian spent the rest of the day indoors. Stepping outside in the public is equivalent to offering themselves as food to wolves. The paparazzi no longer made their presence secretive. They were on everybody's tail that associated with the couple, especially Graham. By the time Graham left, his picture was taken endlessly all the way up to the point he managed to catch a cab.
It wasn't entirely too punishing to remain inside for Emma and Killian. Her place was filled with music while the two spent most of their time cuddled in bed, sharing stories of their past and interest, and eating the best meals both of them excelled at.
Just like old times, Emma took her turn to make dinner. She hoped Killian did not notice but she has been avoiding to eat too much. Her lack of sleep combined with feeding herself as little as possible was what she always done when she was going through something unforgivably difficult. Meeting Milah and having everything out in the open mentally drained Emma that she felt that she needed to punish herself this way.
For how could she be comfortable and allow her body to sleep when a woman, who struggled to be a good mother and failed to remain faithful to a horrible man, is crying and in pain of having her man stolen away? How could you eat food to replenish herself after failing to do the one job that she excelled in for so many years?
Today was the beginning of developing hope and positivity. However, Emma was chained to subconsciously remain deep in the darkness.
For tonight, she chose to make a simple lasagna and a garden salad on the side. While she prepared all the ingredients in the kitchen, Killian poured the only red wine Emma had for himself and for her as well. He was not much of a cook, so he sat himself down near her, sipping his wine and listening to the music.
Emma busied herself by prepping the ingredients. She was so lost in her own work she did not notice Killian looking at her intently. In his eyes, he proudly admired how beautiful she was.
He loved every inch of her. The short strand of curl that fell near her cheek brought more attention to her hazel green eyes. She coyly chose to wear one of his button-down shirt that left Killian with only his undershirt. It still drove him wild to see the bareness of her legs. His mind is in awe of how easily he could have her in his arms and reveal the beauty of what is contained under that thin shirt. But after today, he certainly exhausted her of all their activities shared on her bed.
After preparing the ingredients separately, the tedious work was over and next was just putting everything together. In a tin pan, Emma carefully crafted the lasagna noodles with the meat filling, marinara sauce, and ricotta cheese. Once pleased with how they were stacked, she popped the pan in the oven. When she shut the door of the oven closed, the music changed to something familiar. Emma smiled and slowly turned around.
The song "Slow Dance" by John Legend started to play.
Killian closed his eyes and nodded his head over and over again to the beat of the song. Emma went over to him with a chuckle. He slowly opened his eyes and extended one of his hands out to her.
"May I have this dance?"
"I'm sorry. I only dance to this song if my partner wears a skirt."
"Well," he deviously smirked as he eyed to her shirt. "You could always lend me that shirt for me to wrap around my waist."
Emma's grin widened and took his hand. "I'll make it an exception tonight."
"Suit yourself."
Killian pulled Emma forward, wrapping his other arm around her waist. Slowly, in their own corner, they waltzed together in one place. She took one of his shoulders and leaned her cheek on the other.
"Still not bad of a dancer, partner. You sure you aren't secretly a dancer?"
Emma shook her head. "I should be the one asking you that. You were the one who choreographed all those crazy dance moves when we were in Ireland. Did Mrs. Pan put you in dancing classes against your will?"
"I have you know I went to a boarding school for a short period in my life where my mother paid way too much than she needed. One of the many unnecessary things they taught us was how to waltz. I tell you it gave my mother the greatest joy to see her son dance. My graduation from university and becoming a director have not compared to that exact joy she felt then."
Emma laughed aloud. Knowing Mrs. Pan, any other odd things about his family she no longer questioned as eerie.
"Oh, I love your mother."
"She does to. But to be frank, I believe the tables ought to be reversed. You are oddly good at almost everything. For fuck sakes, you speak Irish. What are the odds of me meeting someone who knows how to act, speaks two languages – or more if you're not telling me, a superwoman in planning, and the ultimate prankster?"
"My job is demanding to do the impossible so I became the impossible. And I am not an ultimate prankster, you are insulting real pranksters saying that."
"Well, you humiliating me by that small white lie I don't recall even saying really did put me in my place. That horrible interview continues to haunt me. However, I will accept a thank you after this dance that I did not annihilate you back then. The Killian in the past was a dangerous one."
Emma snorted a laugh. She lifted her cheek off her shoulder and looked up into her beloved's eyes.
"Oh I'm so scared. You basically read off my resume as invincible. Don't be so confident. I spared you by accepting your love for me. You just had to fall in love with me because you couldn't handle me taking you down."
Killian deviously smirked at her. That one smirk spoke a million languages on its own.
"Are you threatening me with more of your schemes? I tell you, Emma, I was serious about taking you down. I give no mercy when I let myself."
"Let the best win."
Emma raised herself up to her tiptoes and planted a chaste kiss on his lips. "My first win for today is that lasagna is going to be one hell of a meal. Better than your baked beans and sausages."
"Oh you are not comparing a classic English necessity with your lasagna. You better hope it hasn't burned."
"I've fed you well, Irish Boy. And I've not heard any complaints but compliments from your mouth."
He released her hand and gathered her in his embrace, pulling her abruptly close to his chest. She playfully squealed. She challenged him with her gaze as his lips inched closer to hers.
"May God give many blessings to my stomach for there is a strong chance I will not digesting burned char. All those ingredients have been through enough. Spare them of your poor way of cooking."
"They ought to be blessed, thrilled to be used for food by me than you. God forbid you make one catastrophe of a meal."
Killian could not contain himself of her use of the word "ought" in her horrible British ascent. But he sealed his lips and was still willing to play along.
"I made breakfast today. And I've not heard any complaints but compliments from your mouth."
Killian leaned forward and kissed Emma. She accepted the kiss with a wide grin.
Their sweet moment was suddenly interrupted by a buzz from the intercom. Emma pulled away from Killian and went over to the door. She pressed the button of the intercom and spoke into the mike.
"Who is it?"
"Hey, beautiful, mind letting me in? Got something to show you – both of you," Graham spoke aloud from the other line.
Emma was confused. Graham was just with them the other day. It was odd of him to stop by so soon. But she instantly had a bad feeling, with all this going on in the media, there must have been something Neal did once again that got the press all wild. She pressed the button of the intercom once again and pressed the button that let him in from the entrance.
"Come right up."
Emma unlocked the door and immediately moved to Killian. He held her back in her arms.
"Killian…" She whimpered.
He hushed her and soothingly rubbed circles around her back. "It's alright. We don't know what it is yet. Graham might be pranking us, you never know. The bastard likes to make a fool of himself if that's what is takes to get a little smile out of you."
Hearing these words did not persuade either one of them. Graham could present them with the most horrible news. For the entire day, Emma and Killian decided to turn off their phones and avoid the news completely. But in a matter of seconds, what they have been avoiding for a few hours might be delivered any time soon.
The door opened and Graham entered. He was dressed very casually that Emma and Killian were not used to.
Graham proudly always wore his best. The closest to a casual attire he wore was torn gardening clothes the costume designers had him wear during filming. But due to the paparazzi watchfully following him, he had to rely on disguises to get around the city. Tonight, he was wearing an unbranded gray joggers with a large hoodie to match.
Emma stepped outside of Killian's arms and looked at Graham from across the room. Strangely, he had no worry written in his face. She saw the same playful Graham who always got in her nerves, but always managed to save her from her troubles.
"Hey. Love the new outfit. Are you two sharing clothes now? Can't wait to see you in Emma's dress the next time I stop by, mate."
The joke went past the couple's heads. They both were painfully nervous on what Graham had to deliver so desperately that he couldn't just text or call one of them.
"Graham, what is it? Tell me. You wouldn't come all this way for nothing. What happened?" Emma asked.
Graham went over to her living room. His eyes fell to the television. He grabbed the remote from Emma's coffee table and changed the station of the screen to the YouTube app. Emma and Killian blankly stared at Graham as he scrolled to the search option and typed down a title of a video.
"Surprised to see you have a tele, love. Bit of a dying breed nowadays."
Graham clicked the search button and pressed the first video that popped up from the search. He went over to the kitchen and let the two watch the video without him there. Emma and Killian's attention changed to the screen.
In the video, it was a short clip of a reporter interviewing with no other than Ellie King.
The whole purpose of the video was to promote a perfume line Ellie was endorsing. But the interview immediately transitioned to Ellie's relationship with Killian.
The reporter by now had little interest in her perfume line and went straight to the questions regarding the relationship.
"This is the first time we are hearing this. Are you confirming that you had more than a professional relationship with Killian Jones?"
Ellie dully looked at her nails before raising her head back at the reporter. "Well, yeah, we dated a few years when we were young. He stuck me around when I helped him make a name for himself as a director."
Ellie spared no detail of what she had to say. When she told the story of how Killian and her grew close back in college, the screen showed old pictures of her and Killian posing together back when they were in their early twenties. As she was sharing her story, her normal bossy mannerism change to well behaved and proper that even took the reporter by surprise.
She began to cry when she told the reporter how she knew Killian only stuck by her when she got involved with well-known directors. She confessed she truly loved Killian, and even after all these years, she still cared for him in an unhealthily sick way.
Killian was not the only Ellie was putting on blast. She finalized her story with her last encounter with Mrs. Pan.
Emma shook her head. She wanted to yell at the screen as if she was talking to Ellie herself. She knew fully well what Ellie was about to expose and this was not the time to do it, not to the public.
"..Wendy Moira Angela Pan. I don't have much nice things to say about her either. You know when your son is marrying an older woman; it is understandable that you are afraid she can't possibly pop out little grandchildren you can spoil for the last years of your life. But I just don't think it was fair to turn to your son's ex and persuade her you are on her side, so you could drop the bomb on her. For God's sake, the woman asked me to be her son's surrogate. Quote me on that. I'm sure my lawyer will be on it with hers. But I speak words that God Himself heard the same time as me."
Graham stood from the kitchen, he hit pause on the video and fixed himself a plate of Emma's garden salad. With his plate on his hand, he started eating the freshly made salad. Leaning against the kitchen table, he glared at a distressed Emma then at a guilty looking Killian.
"Well. You have not been entirely honest with us, mate. Come clean now."
Killian did not have the courage to look in Emma's eyes. According to his knowledge, he had not told her anything about his relations with Ellie. However, he also did not know she already did before this all aired.
"E-Emma…"
Killian took a deep breath and tried again. He gently reached out for her, taking her by the arm and turning her around. She froze in place as he took both her arms, laying his head low that his hair almost shielded his eyes.
"This..this is all true. It's all true."
He lifted his head and desperately looked at her eyes. "Understand that I was young and really wanted to succeed in filming. Back then, I saw that I made myself the way I am now. But I admit she provided the resources for me to be the man that I am today. I honestly don't know if what she said about my mother was true. But..everything else is sadly truly and..it was cruel of me. It was cruel."
"The odds of me ever feeling bad for Ellie King was one in infinity. How in the fuck did I lose by an infinity?" Graham said, taking another bite of his salad as he was lost in thought.
Emma bit her lower lip. She had to come clean to him one way or another.
"Killian. I found about you and Ellie when we were in London."
Killian's eyes widened. Before he could register another reaction of shock, Emma confessed to him Neal slipped a phone in her pocket and contacted her that way. She told him Neal brought her to Ellie and she told her everything Killian had done to her past. As for Mrs. Pan's poor decision to use Ellie, Emma was hoping for Mrs. Pan to be in the position to tell her son, but now that it was out in the open, she had no choice but confirm it to be true.
"M-My own mother really went to Ellie a-and asked her to be a surrogate? My surrogate? That's fucking bollocks. Fuck. Fuck!"
Killian's hands lefts her. He took hold of both sides of his head and took a step back. He was in complete disbelief that not only did Emma knew everything all along, but that his own mother took such a low blow to simply aid her fear of possibly never having grandkids.
"I didn't know when was the right time to confront you about all of this. I thought I might have more time but..but this all happened."
It took many years for Killian to repair his relationship with his mother. After husband after husband, Killian and Liam grew exhausted calling the third replacement "father." They stopped completely by the fourth one. But with his brother now gone, Killian distracted himself with his passion for film to make a name for himself and be known for something other than the son of the endless marrying woman.
He was unsure how this incident was something he could forgive. He never respected Ellie since their relationship officially ended. But he was torn to see her heartbroken and in tears when she told the story of their broken relationship and the disgust she felt to be deceived by his mother, convincing her that she was on her side when all she wanted was for the poor girl to be a surrogate to his future child.
Emma stepped forward. She wanted so desperately touch him but she stopped herself. This next question she had in mind will determine the future of their relationship if he was going to answer it in a way she so feared.
"I have to admit, I was really turned off how you never went to her and apologized. Ellie was part of your life for years. You even agreed she helped you greatly in your career. She brought more attention to your early films because she made a name for herself before you did. She even watched you fall in love with somebody else. Just..why? Why didn't you go to her at some point to apologize? Do you..do you not think you even need to apologize?"
The room fell quiet. All eyes were on Killian. How Killian would answer this, Emma really didn't know. This was her opportunity to either see him as the man she fell in love with, or the monster that Neal and Ellie tried to persuade her he was.
"I never went to her to apologize, Emma."
Emma bit her tongue hard. Her eyes began to water. Her nightmare was nearly coming true.
"I carried so much animosity towards her. I had too much pride to see from my faults. But when I met Milah, she wouldn't leave me alone. She still stuck around. I knew part of her was to be closer to me but I kept around because it was a good source of income for her than her modeling career. There was a part of me that thought giving her jobs and help maintain her reputation was a way of me redeeming myself."
"How about now? Are you just going to leave this alone?"
Killian shook his head. At that moment, Emma was able to breathe. At this very moment, she gratefully declared there was good in him.
"I was an asshole to her, especially with what my mother did. I understand it's not a good look to finally come to terms with my faults after it's all been aired on television. My goal with her was to move past it. Let me live my life and let her live hers."
"She deserves an apology, Killian. You saw it too. She cried during that interview. You can see how much it hurt her to share that story. Even though it was done for ill reasons, the woman can't act, that was all real."
Killian nodded. Emma took him in her arms and he wrapped his arms around her neck.
"I know she doesn't want to see you. But I know you're a good person and we all make mistakes. We all need to own up to what we did wrong. That's the way to move on. Not ditch our problems and expect to never confront them. They always come back to us. Always."
Killian nodded again and his eyes closed as he held her.
Graham reached over for Killian's glass of wine and took a small sip. He smacked his lips and took another sip. He placed his plate down on the table and went over to the couple, twirling the glass clockwise for the content of the wine to swirl in a mix from the movement. Killian's back is turned from him, so he was unable to see that he was moving closer to him.
Emma watched her friend take another long swig of his wine. With a smack of his lips, he playfully leaned forward to the point she could feel the warmth of his face radiate.
"I knew you be smart enough to avoid the news. Smart move."
Killian released Emma for both of them to face Graham. He protectively claimed one of her waist as Graham finished what was left of his glass.
"And you also knew I wasn't alone tonight. You didn't have to come all this way for us? I know it was just as hard for you to wear this poor outfit than hiding from all those reporters," Emma said.
Graham shook his head. "You know very well I am here for you, specifically, my lady. And you're right, I could have just called or allow you to find out on your own the next day. But I know you needed a supporter in this huge mess, both of you do. With every shit that falls the media eats up, know that I am here to proclaim you two are not half bad. I would cheer to that but my glass is empty."
Emma smiled. She slipped away from Killian's hold of her and approached Graham. She took both Graham's cheeks, went up on her toes and pecked his cheek.
"Thank you, friend. That means a lot to me."
He coyly took the opportunity to look down at her outfit. Emma quickly took his chin and lifted it for his eyes to look back at hers.
"And my thank you ends there, pervert."
"You know I rescued you after one disaster after another. You are a true magnet to trouble. But after all my efforts, you have never – I quote NEVER – invited me over for dinner."
Emma let out a sigh and beamed with a smile. "Well, good thing I made something that's enough for three people. Sit down. I'll fix you a plate."
"Mark this night as the most memorable of them all, Killian. The woman has taken the courtesy to be generous to me. My memory is not enough. Take a picture. Paint a portrait for God's sake, man."
Emma slapped his arm and moved to the kitchen. "One more word, Graham, I will be courteous enough to guide you to the door."
