I'll Miss This One This Year
Christmas Magic
"What a strange coincidence," Mary Margaret mused. She took a sip of her drink as she turned to Ruby. "Didn't it come out in the end that Liam's party was cancelled because he ended up in hospital?"
"Yes, he was on crutches for weeks in the end," Ruby confirmed with a nod. "He broke something. It sounded bad, from what he said when he finally made an appearance again at work. Apparently, the bone was sticking out of his leg!"
Mary Margaret pulled a face, her own head most likely conjuring up the same image as Emma's from Ruby's words.
"That is a little weird," Emma admitted in response to that new information.
She had gotten her update from Killian in the end. After initial concerns of a broken neck or spine, his brother had somehow walked away – or rather was wheeled away – with a broken leg. It had sounded horrible. Killian had gone into great, unnecessary detail about the bone sticking out through the skin and had even offered to send her a picture which Emma had immediately, and hastily, turned down. Especially given she had been sat eating her lunch at the time he offered to send it.
"Killian's brother did practically the same thing," Emma told them both.
"Emma…" Mary Margaret drew out slowly, cocking her head to one side and proceeding to fall deep into thought.
"What?" Emma prompted as Mary Margaret's thoughts left her hanging.
"Killian said his brother lives in Maine, right?" Mary Margaret checked.
"Yeah," Emma answered. "So?"
"Well surely that is too much of a coincidence. Are you sure Liam isn't his brother?" Mary Margaret asked her.
Emma laughed, "No! No way! His brother's named Robin. He was at the ski resort with Killian when I first met them."
"Who cares about his brother?" Ruby interrupted the theorizing. "You can't stop there. You've got us on the edge of our seats! What else has happened between you and Killian?
Ruby was prompting her to continue, eager for more details.
Emma didn't have them.
"That's it," Emma shrugged, popping Ruby's bubble. "We've text and called a bit since but nothing's come together. It's December now. December's crazy hectic. Everyone's busy in December."
"You mean to say that you established that his brother lives in the same state as you and you didn't find time for a first date whilst he was visiting him?" Ruby questioned.
"They both work on the cruise ships together," Emma explained. "Robin's a magician. He's part of the entertainment team. I doubt they spend much time in Maine. Like I've said countless times, the opportunity never arose."
"So you first met him almost a year ago and you still haven't had a first date?" Mary Margaret summed up the basis of the entire tale in one sentence.
Emma had warned them both that there wasn't much to tell. It wasn't her fault they hadn't taken her word for it.
"I've given up!" Emma declared, setting down her empty mug and slouching back into the booth.
"You can't give up! He's perfect for you," Ruby protested. "And it's obvious from the way that you've been talking about him that you like him. Like really like him."
"It's not perfect if we can't even get to the dating stage, is it?" Emma countered. "I'm not wasting another year chasing a guy for the universe to continually throw obstacles in our way. If this year has taught me anything, it's that long-distance relationships are not the way forward for me."
"In that case, maybe you should try asking August on a date?" Mary Margaret suggested.
It was a proposal that came much to the obvious horror of Ruby who turned to stared at Mary Margaret like she had just stabbed her in the back. It was clear to see that Ruby was fully invested in Emma and Killian whilst Mary Margaret just wanted to see her with someone.
"He likes you, you know?" Mary Margaret continued to coax her towards August.
"We're just friends," Emma insisted but the mention of his name reminded her that she still had to pick Henry's present up from him. A glance at the clock sent her into a minor panic. It was gone five already! She had no idea where all that time had gone. "And I'm really late to meet him."
She gathered her belongings in a hurry, throwing on her coat and her hat. A glance outside at the Christmas light lit-up street greeted her with the unexpected sight of snow falling from the sky. She didn't know how long ago it had started, too caught up in her storytelling to notice, but the snow-covered floor was a telltale sign that it had been going for a while.
"Ooh, snow!" Ruby exclaimed upon spotting the scene outside.
Her comment drew Mary Margaret's attention to the wintery scene developing outside the warmth of Granny's.
"Oh, Emma! Since you're going to August's, could you get some cranberries for tomorrow from the store on your way past?" Mary Margaret asked. "It would save me walking the long way home in this and I'd really appreciate it."
"Of course," Emma agreed.
Mary Margaret tried to give her some money for the cranberries before she left but Emma waved it away, refusing to take it, and telling her to stop being silly. After all, she had bought all the other food she was so kindly sharing with Emma tomorrow. Emma was just grateful to be able to contribute something. She would feel terrible were she to turn up empty-handed.
Emma left Ruby and Mary Margaret behind in Granny's, practically running to get to August's. She didn't actually need Henry's present until the evening after Christmas since he was with Neal until then. August, however, was going out of town for the holidays. Whilst Emma knew he was too nice to leave before she got there, she felt terrible about holding him up.
August, of course, was all smiles when she got there about an hour late and dismissed all her apologies. The hand-carved Chewbacca was impressive and just perfect for Henry, and Emma managed to slip a little bit more than they had initially agreed into her payment. It didn't make up for her being so late but it made her feel slightly better.
She set off around town, the snow making it feel extra Christmassy as she delivered her last-minute Christmas cards. They were another thing she was late with. She had been so busy with work that Christmas had totally snuck up on her. Regardless, as far as she was concerned, a Christmas card on Christmas Eve was still in time for Christmas. She argued they weren't late.
By the time she had delivered the cars and returned home, she was exhausted. She didn't feel like cooking so she grabbed a ready meal from the freezer and tossed it in the microwave. It was ready within minutes and steaming hot, perfect for warming her up after all the time she had spent out in the snow. She settled down in the couch, flicking through Christmassy options until she settled on a good Christmas movie.
Die Hard was a Christmas movie. And the best one at that. She didn't care what anyone else thought.
Two hours passed by easily as the movie played out. Let it Snow erupted from her sound system as the credits began to roll by.
Emma sat bolt up-right, her eyes going wide in realisation.
She had forgotten the cranberries!
She couldn't turn up without the cranberries!
She knew Mary Margaret would be lovely about it if she did, but Emma was not going to allow herself to do so.
All the stores in Storybrooke were shut for the next two days and, with the amount of snow that had fallen, driving out of town for a store in the morning looked like it would be one hell of a task. As cosy as she was in her nice, warm apartment, she had no choice but to venture back out into the snow.
She had to be fast about it as well. The store would be shut in just under thirty minutes and then she would be screwed.
She pulled her boots, coat and hat back on, grabbed her door key and her wallet, and set out again. Luckily, it wasn't a horrendously long walk to the store. Each step she took, her entire boat would almost completely disappear into the white blanket which covered the ground. The snow was still coming down and it had picked up since she had last been out in it. It was thick and heavy, almost blinding as she tried to navigate the streets, to the point where she was glad she knew them like the back of her hand.
By the time she made it to the store, her face felt completely numb after being repeatedly attacked by wind and snow. She had never been so glad to hear that little ding of the doorbell as the store door swung open. The inside of the store was toasty and warm, overcoming her in an instant, which was lovely but also made her dread having to step back out into the Baltic weather conditions awaiting her.
Emma pulled off her gloves, shoving the freezing cold things into her pocket. Like the street, she knew the layout of the store like the back of her hand. She knew exactly where she was going to find the fruit aisle. She drifted around the store, heading straight for the back right. Once there, she was met by the sight of shelves of different fruits, an entire rainbow of colors in front of her.
It took her a while to find where the cranberries should have been, not only because she never usually bought them but because they were none left. The cranberry section of the shelf was empty! Her run of bad luck was clearly never-ending.
"No, no, no, no, no," Emma muttered to herself as she stared at the shelf in dismay.
She refused to be beaten by a packet of damn cranberries.
"Who even likes cranberries?" she exclaimed in frustration.
Everyone in Storybrooke, apparently.
She double-checked the shelf just to be completely sure that they were sold out. Her eyes fell on the strawberries to the left of the vacant space, noticing that one of the packets looked out of place. She reached for it to inspect further and almost erupted out into a loud cheer.
Cranberries!
Someone must have knocked them into the strawberries.
She clutched the packet extra tight in her two hands, just to be safe. The store had been empty when she stepped in, except for the employee behind the check-out desk, but she was taking no chances. It was ridiculous, but then so had been her year.
This particular mission, at least, was a success!
Perhaps her luck was finally changing.
She was ready for home. Ready for her bed. Ready for Christmas in the morning. Now that she had some plans for the day with Mary Margaret, David and Leo, she was actually starting to feel excited about it.
It was an excitement she didn't share towards going back out in that snow to get home.
Emma turned away from the shelf in the direction which would lead her to the check-out desk. She walked straight into another person, bashing her head against theirs and dropping the cranberries in her surprise.
She groaned as her head pounded, rubbing her head with her eyes closed.
A laugh came from the other person. A guy, from the sound of his laugh. At least someone found it amusing. She had just found it painful.
"Bloody hell, Swan, we have to stop meeting like this!"
Wait. Was that…? No! It couldn't be.
"Of course, it would be you!"
It was definitely his voice. It was, in hindsight, his laugh.
She dropped her hand from her head and opened her eyes.
It was him.
Killian stood in front of her, his hair covered in snow just as it had been the moment they first met. He had the same big smile on his face as their first encounter, the one which met his eyes and made them sparkle.
No way.
It wasn't happening.
It couldn't be.
How hard had she hit her head?
She was hallucinating.
That was it. It had to be.
In all the small towns across the whole of America, there was no way Killian happened to be in hers on Christmas Eve.
"Emma. Are you okay?" Killian asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. He was staring at her expectantly, slightly put off, she imagined, from her reaction to his presence.
"I'm fine," Emma laughed at the bizarre situation. Of all the places to bump into him, the small-town store just a short walk from her apartment was right down the bottom of the list. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Yeah, I gathered so much," Killian admitted with a grin, "else you wouldn't have walked right into me."
"I mean in Storybrooke," Emma clarified. "What are you doing in Storybrooke?"
"I'm here for Christmas. I'm staying with my brother," Killian explained then quickly added, like it was the first time it had crossed his mind, "What are you doing here?"
"I live here," Emma told him.
"Last time I checked, this wasn't Portland," Killian retorted.
"No one's ever heard of Storybrooke!" Emma defended herself.
"I have!" Killian responded indignantly.
"Clearly!" Emma shot back at him. "I just didn't know that at the time, did I?"
"Swan, you do realise this means that all those times I was visiting my brother this year, we were in the same bloody town," Killian pointed out to her.
"Wait, are you telling me that your brother lives here? In Storybrooke?" Emma searched for clarification.
"Aye, that's what I've been saying all along, love," Killian responded, a picture of amusement. "What are the chances?"
"Robin lives in Storybrooke?" Emma questioned.
Storybrooke wasn't a massive town and Emma was pretty certain she knew all the people in it. No Robin sprang to mind.
"Robin?" Killian repeated, an eyebrow raised.
"Yeah, your brother," Emma replied with a nod.
Killian laughed. "Robin's a good mate but he's certainly not my brother."
Emma frowned, utterly confused.
"Then who…" she trailed off, Mary Margaret's earlier theory springing to the forefront of her brain and prompting all the pieces to fall together. "Liam's your brother."
"Aye, you know him?" Killian asked.
"I know of him, and I've passed him in the street a few times," Emma explained.
Something caught Killian's eyes, for he suddenly looked past her towards the floor. Emma followed his movements as he took a few steps past her and picked whatever had distracted him up. As he straightened again and turned back to her, Emma saw that he held her packet of cranberries in his hand.
She hadn't even realised she'd dropped them.
Killian was looking at her weirdly, "These are yours, right?"
"They are," Emma confirmed, holding her hand out to take them back. He let out a light scoff at the confirmation, only adding to her confusion as to why he was making a big deal out of buying cranberries. "What are you? The cranberry police?"
"Is that all you came here for?" Killian ignored her question, continuing with his own, as he handed them back to her.
"Yes. I forgot them earlier," Emma told him.
He started laughing again. Emma stared at him, failing to see the joke.
"Do you have something against cranberries?" she asked him.
"No. It's just… I forgot them earlier too. I'm only here because my brother keeps insisting we need them for tomorrow," Killian explained his amusement.
"There's no way. You're messing with me," Emma refused to believe that.
There were far too many coincidences going on. It was all too weird.
Their luck wasn't that good. All year, they'd been missing each other, or accidents had happened causing them to cancel their plans. Suddenly, they had to believe that luck had led to them bumping into each other? That luck was responsible for them both forgetting cranberries and both turning up at almost the exact same time to get them?
It was unbelievable. It was insanely lucky. It just didn't happen to them.
"I swear to you, love, cranberries are my sole reason for coming," Killian insisted through his laughter.
"In that case, we have a minor problem," Emma informed him, moving the cranberries towards her own chest once more.
Killian frowned, "What problem could we possibly have now?"
"These are the last of the cranberries," Emma admitted.
"Now you're the one who's messing with me." Killian didn't believe her.
Emma grabbed his arm and took a step back, prompting him to take a step forward. She pointed to the empty section of the shelf, positioned right in front of him, accompanied by a label which read 'cranberries'.
"I'm afraid you were too slow," Emma told him.
"Well, Liam's not going to be happy about that," Killian remarked. It was the first time Emma had heard him refer to his brother by name. If only he had done that sooner! "The man is obsessed with cranberries."
"Tell him to take it up with Mary Margaret," Emma shrugged. "He'll know who she is."
She wasn't relinquishing her claim of the cranberries any time soon. Mary Margaret had entrusted her with one job and she was going to complete it.
"Or, alternatively, I could wrestle them from you," Killian suggested with a smirk. "You've yet to pay for them. Technically, they are not yours."
Emma laughed at the mere thought, "You would do no such thing!"
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," Killian told her warningly.
He took a step towards her, closing the gap between them. His eyes were fixated on hers, staring right at her, drawing her in.
"You've been nothing but a gentleman this whole time I've known you," Emma pointed out to him, calling his bluff.
She stood her ground. She remained in place, holding the packet in her hands.
"I could have a hidden side," Killian countered.
She felt the warmth of his hand brush against her left hand, a stark contrast to the cold of the glove-covered prosthetic which brushed against her right. She continued to lock onto his unmoving eyes, searching for any clue as to what he was up to, whilst the plastic of the packet remained firmly between her fingers.
"Like a dark side?" Emma retorted.
"Like a magician side," he corrected.
Killian took a step back and broke the eye contact between them as he looked down, a smug smile on his face. There in his hands was the packet of cranberries.
Emma's jaw dropped. There was no way. He was holding her packet of cranberries but she had it in her hand, she could still feel her fingers touching the plastic. Her head dropped down, looking to see what she was holding. She was met by the sight of a packet of brussels sprouts.
Where those had come from, she had absolutely no idea.
Regardless, she launched them at him, the packet hitting him square in his smug chest.
"How did you do that?" Emma asked, genuinely impressed.
"Christmas magic." His response was vague. "There's a lot of that going around today," he commented. That smug smile was still present on his face and he shot at her, "Maybe you should tell Mary Margaret to take it up with Liam."
She could tell, from his eyes and his tone, that he was joking. And she knew him. She'd learned a lot about him over the year, even if they'd only spent a couple of minutes together in person. He had lifted her mood when she was struggling with Henry's pneumonia, he had encouraged her to have fun when he was having an horrendous day, and his first reaction was she had gone flying into him on that ski slope wasn't to shout or get angry, but to show concern for her.
No, he wasn't actually planning on stealing those cranberries from her. He would give them back at some point, no doubt after some more teasing and smug smirks.
Emma could get them back herself, however.
"You're not the only magician around here," she told him matter-of-factly.
"Oh yeah?" Killian responded, a hint of mockery in his tone.
He was challenging her, teasing her, daring her to try something.
She'd show him.
Emma stalked right up to him, placed her hand on his neck and pressed her lips against his. His face was just as cold as hers was but the small, surprised breath he released against her lips was filled with warmth. A similar warmth filled her chest as he overcame his initial surprise and started kissing her back.
As suspected, the unexpected advance from her loosened his grip on the packet of cranberries and Emma didn't hesitate in taking them from him.
It was only intended to be a short, small kiss as she reclaimed her cranberries but suddenly his hand was on her neck and she was pushed back against the shelves. A year's worth of longing poured out of them both at once. He was just as good a kisser as she had imagined him to be and her heart was pounding, threatening to burst out of her chest.
When she broke away, she did so reluctantly and only because she needed to catch her breath. She'd never resented breathing so much in her life.
Killian took a step back, his eyes falling on the cranberries in her hand. A knowing smile crossed his lips.
"Fair play," he told her in a reluctance acceptance of defeat. "Though, if I do recall correctly, love, you still owe me that date."
The snow had calmed by the time Emma and Killian got to the docks. It was still falling, but it did so gently as Killian led the way up the gangplank onto an impressive brig which towered over many of the other boats in the harbor.
Its deck was covered in beautiful untouched snow, glistening and sparkling against the few strands of streetlight which reached so far. Killian retrieved a blanket, from the bag filled with items he had bought at the store, and set to work placing it down on the snowy ground, the steady breeze working against him.
Emma smiled as she watched him battle with the blanket. She had never gotten the chance to see him on the cruise ships he captained and, whilst the boat they stood on was a very different kind of boat in comparison, he looked right at home.
"Is this your boat?" Emma broke the silence they had fallen into.
It was an abrupt thought which had hit her out of nowhere. He had never before mentioned to her that he owned a boat and yet she suddenly found herself standing on one with him. She thought, given all his talk of his work and the ocean, he would have mentioned having his own boat.
He froze, halfway through laying out the blanket. He turned to her, a small smirk on his face, "Are you off duty, Deputy Swan?"
She laughed, "There's no such thing."
"In which case," Killian stood up, releasing his hold of the blanket, allowing it to get blown in the breeze, destroying what little progress he had made, "I shall resort to your method of distraction."
He was across to her in an instant and, before she knew what was happening, they were kissing again. Her concerns regarding ownership of the boat disappeared as she was swept up by the passion of the kiss, Killian becoming the sole focus of her thoughts.
There was a flaw in Killian's plan. One which Emma picked up on only after his lips left hers; the distraction lasted only as long as the kiss. Her concerns flooded back the second she was able to collect her thoughts.
"I can't squat on some stranger's boat, Killian!" Emma protested as the man returned to fixing the blanket. "I work in law enforcement. This wouldn't look good."
"We're not squatting, we're momentarily borrowing for a picnic," Killian reasoned, taking her hand once more and guiding her to sit on the laid-out blanket. "So relax, Swan, and have a drink."
He pulled out a bottle of rum from the bag of newly acquired items, taking a swig for himself before handing it out for her to take. She looked at it dubiously.
"There's no one around, Swan," Killian pointed out to her, gesturing at the empty docks around them. There wasn't a soul in sight. "And if someone did come, feel free to jump in and swim for it! I'd cover for you."
"Oh, what the hell! It's Christmas," Emma agreed, promptly snatching the bottle from his hand and taking a long swig.
"That's the spirit, love!" Killian grinned at her.
He made a move to take the bottle back from her but she pulled it away from his reach before proceeding to take another long swig.
"I need the alcohol to warm me up!" Emma told him, all the while trying to stop herself from shivering. It was freezing! "As lovely as it is to finally be spending time with you, it's not really the right weather conditions for an outdoor date."
"In case you haven't realised, I was limited on options," Killian reminded her. "It's the night before Christmas. Everything's either fully booked or shut!"
He was successful in taking the bottle from her on his second attempt, taking a swig himself before setting it down in the snow.
"Come here," Killian encouraged after lying down on the blanket.
He lay flat on his back, his left arm under his head to lift it a little, his right arm out to his side gesturing for her to follow suit.
"What are you planning? Stargazing?" Emma questioned.
"I was actually suggesting that we huddled together for warmth since you insisted on complaining about being cold," Killian explained, beckoning her once more, "but nothing's stopping us from doing both at the same time."
Emma had to concede it was clever on his part, both as a method of getting warm but also of subtly encouraging more intimacy. She placed her packet of cranberries down in the snow beside his bottle of rum, the red of the berries standing out against the white of the snow. She lay down beside him, resting her head on his chest, and felt his arm wrap around her side. She had to admit that she was taken aback by the speed at which he had agreed with her stargazing comment, which had been far from serious on her part. Killian Jones didn't really strike her as a stargazing person but he had shown an immediate interest in it.
She craned her head to look at him, "Are you into stargazing?"
Killian chuckled lightly, "You sound surprised."
"It just doesn't seem like it would be your kind of thing," Emma shrugged in response. "You're all adventure sports and boats. Stargazing doesn't seem to fit."
"On the contrary, there was once a time when navigating via the stars was the most reliable way to sail the oceans," Killian told her.
Emma really should have realised it would come down to sailing.
"Not anymore though, surely," Emma replied.
She knew next to nothing about boats, but she doubted that Killian was ever expected to steer a cruise ship to their destination relying solely on the stars to navigate.
"No, not for a long time," Killian confirmed. "It doesn't hurt to have an insurance plan to fall on, mind. You never know what could happen out there."
"So if the GPS navigating system went down in the middle of the night, you'd know how to use the stars to stay on course?" Emma asked as she turned her attention to the sky.
Amongst the gray snow clouds, the stars seemed to shine brighter in the winter sky. To her, they all looked the same, perhaps varying slightly in size and potentially a little in brightness. The difference seemed minute, barely aiding with identification. She never could understand all the talk about constellations. To her, finding a constellation in the night sky was like completing a dot-to-dot with no numbers to guide her and with a load of dummy dots thrown in for good measure.
"To stay roughly on course, aye," Killian replied. He lifted her right arm up, running his hand down to her hand and gently stretching out her index finger, pointing it up towards the stars. She could feel his warm breath against her cold ear as he murmured in it, "You see that one? That's the North Star."
"Oh, that's the brightest one!" Emma exclaimed confidently. She was sure she'd heard that before.
Killian sucked air in through his teeth.
"Rookie mistake, Swan," he laughed. He proceeded to guide her finger across the night sky, picking out one of the brighter stars amongst the bunch. "This is Sirius. That one is the brightest. It's in an entirely different constellation to the North Star."
"Well then, what's all the fuss about the North Star?" Emma asked because she had definitely heard a lot about that one before.
"The North Star is one of the most reliable stars for navigation," Killian explained, guiding her hand back to where said star twinkled in the sky. "The stars in the northern hemisphere appear to rotate around the north pole. The North Star is located almost directly above that pole making its position remain all-but fixed. If you find the North Star, you find true north. You can always count on it to be there.
As he finished explaining, Emma's attention was grasped by the sight of a shooting star, drawing her eyes away from the North Star as she tracked its movement across the night sky.
"I found a shooting star," Emma proclaimed, pointing it out herself. She could, at least, name that correctly. "Do I get anything for that."
"Make a wish, love, quick!" Killian encouraged her.
In her panic, the very first thing that popped into Emma's head rushed out of her mouth, "I wish we could pause this moment right here."
Crap.
Way too soppy.
Where the hell had that come?
"Really?" Killian sounded surprised.
"I only mean it took us a year to get here," Emma reminded him. "You're only here until after Christmas and then you'll be back on a cruise ship. For all we know, it could be Christmas again before date number two."
Unlike the North Star, Killian could not be counted on to be found in the same place every night.
"Aha! That's when you know it's going well. Date number two secured before the end of the first one!" Killian remarked.
Emma couldn't even see him but she could just tell he had that smug smirk on his face.
She punched him in the leg, playfully hard.
"I'm being serious here!" Emma told him, though the light chuckle she failed to hold back at his comment didn't help her case. She craned her head once more to look at him. "I want to make this work, but can it work? Are we just wasting our time?"
"I'll make it work, Emma," Killian assured her, adding a light kiss to the side of her temple for good measure. "For now, don't stress. Enjoy the moment. Take in the view."
Emma tried her best to follow his advice, pushing her concerns to the back of her mind. She knew they were only there because she was so desperate for it to work and so anxious that it would all fall apart on her. Things had a habit of doing that to her when she wanted it badly.
She did her best to focus on the stars, to enjoy the moment whilst they had it, and tried to find the North Star again which seemed virtually impossible without Killian pointing it out to her. There were so many stars, the sky was littered with them, but she knew it was only a miniscule of what space had to offer.
"Would you ever go up there? If space travel became more readily accessible?" Emma asked him but didn't give him a chance to respond before answering for him, "Actually, knowing you, you'd be the one piloting the rocket ships! Navigating the stars from space!"
"Who needs space, love?" Killian replied as he returned to wrapping his arm around her once more. "I've got everything I need right here."
Emma was glad they were both staring up at the stars. The last thing she needed him to see were the massive grin on her and the small blush on her cheeks.
"Really?" Emma feigned surprise, doing her upmost to cover her actual surprise. "Because I'd totally drop everything here for a Martian."
The next thing Emma knew, a ball of snow hit her square in the neck. Killian had spotted the only piece of exposed skin and heartlessly targeted it. She shuddered as the cold melting snow ran under her shirt and coat.
"Oh, game on!" Emma exclaimed with a laugh.
She jumped up from the blanket, scooping up a massive handful of snow as she went and launched it at Killian. By complete and utter luck, or misfortune on his behalf, the flurry of snow hit him straight in the face. Emma considered it instant karma for his sneaky attack on her. At least he was expecting snow to be coming at him!
A competitive snowball fight broke out from there, both Emma and Killian taking it entirely seriously and pulling no punches with their aim and the force at which the balls were thrown. Killian, in a frustratingly clever move, claimed himself the high ground, positioning himself at the wheel of the ship. Emma was forced to resort to taking up hiding places on deck and gathering ammunition from behind them prior to launching her full-on attacks to budge him from the high ground.
Killian never budged.
Emma was crouched behind a large crate containing completely unknown items when she heard heavy footsteps on the gangplank.
"What do you think you're doing?" A voice, which Emma didn't immediately recognize, called out.
Emma immediately froze in place behind the crate. She couldn't see the newcomer; there was no way that he had seen her. He had, however, most definitely spotted Killian, for he had to be shouting at someone and she knew, from the ease at which she'd pelted snowballs at Killian, there was no hiding spot for him up there.
Emma poked her head round from her cover to spot the dockmaster on his way up the steps to the helm of the ship, therein joining Killian on the high ground. Killian looked in no way panicked, leaning casually on the wheel, a friendly smile plastered over his face, as he watched the other man approach him.
"Hey, mate," Killian greeted the man, maintaining a friendly nonchalant demeanour. "I can assure you, this is all easily explainable."
Killian subtly caught Emma's eye and, in a hast movement, flicked his eyes towards the gangplank. He was telling her to go and whilst she didn't want to abandon him, or let their first date end in such an abrupt way, she knew the uproar she could risk generating among the townspeople if she stayed. At the very least, Graham certainly wouldn't be impressed.
With the dockmaster's attention fixed entirely on Killian, Emma made a hasty move to the gangplank and vacated the docks as quickly as she could. On the trek back to her apartment she couldn't help but feel a little bit guilty. Killian may have even suggested it earlier in the night, and gestured for her to go, but it still didn't quite feel right leaving him.
By the time she got home and checked her phone, she found a text from him, reassuring her immediately.
All sorted! There's nothing I can't talk my way out of!
Merry Christmas, Emma!
Your friendly, neighborhood Stargazer.
It wasn't until Emma got to Mary Margaret's the following morning that she realized she was turning up empty-handed. She had forgotten the cranberries. In her hast to get off the boat the previous night, she'd left them on the deck.
Rookie mistake, she thought, leaving evidence at the scene of the crime.
She had no doubt, however, that Killian had picked them up upon leaving the ship. After all that, Liam had gotten his cranberries in the end! Perhaps luck was more on Killian's side than her own.
Mary Margaret, as expected, didn't care at all. She waved off all of Emma's apologies with a huge smile on her face, telling her to stop with all the nonsense and thrusting a glass of wine into her hand. It wasn't even noon but it was Christmas so Emma drank it.
Leo excitedly thrusted all of his new toys into her face, particularly proud of the huge dinosaur – an Argentinosaurus, he told her – he had received to add to his ridiculously large collection of dinosaurs. Graham seemed genuinely interested in the young boy's showcase, after overcoming his initial surprise at Leo's expertise, which was both amusing yet slightly endearing at the same time. Mary Margaret had actively taken it upon herself to let Emma know that she had no plans to set her up with Graham, and also took that opportunity to encourage her that she should, perhaps, try and stick it out with Killian.
"I know it hasn't worked so far," Mary Margaret had said. "But you never know, it may suddenly just click."
Emma had hummed in response, not giving anything away, and guided the conversation onto Leo. The best and quickest way to distract Mary Margaret was to talk about her son. Emma knew that it had probably been the time that she should have updated Mary Margaret on the latest going-ons regarding Killian nut she hadn't felt like it. Emma wasn't entirely sure she had even had the time to process the events of the previous night herself and, when combined with the excitement of Christmas, she decided to leave it a day or two.
They were in the middle of a game of Pictionary, Nolans against non-Nolans (the numerical advantage of the Nolans doing everything but work in their favor), when they heard a knock on the door.
David, who was in the middle of drawing what looked like a cat but wasn't a cat because that had been guessed five times already, turned to Mary Margaret, a clear frown on his brow. "Were you expecting anyone else?"
Mary Margaret shook her head in response, looking as lost as David as she got up off the couch. She ventured over to the door, pulling it open and greeting their visitor. The open door blocked Emma's view, stopping her from being nosy as to the caller's identity.
"You must be Mary Margaret?"
Oh man!
Emma recognized that voice instantly. The accent was unmistakably Killian.
If Mary Margaret looked confused before, she was even more so when the stranger she met at the door knew her name.
"Err, yes, that's me," she confirmed.
"Then I believe these are yours," Killian responded and, from her position on the couch, Emma sat Mary Margaret hesitantly receive a packet of cranberries. "Emma left them with me last night."
Emma's eyes went wide, knowing exactly the assumptions that Mary Margaret was going to make from what she knew was a purposely vague statement from Killian. She couldn't see him but she could just imagine him raising his eyebrows suggestively. Mary Margaret's head shot in Emma's direction, her own eyes wide and complete with a look which screamed you failed to mention this and you will be giving me all the details.
Emma, meanwhile, was in complete shock that, instead of giving the cranberries to Liam, Killian had decided to show up unannounced right in the middle of Christmas Day!
Didn't he have his family to celebrate with?
Cranberries weren't that important.
"Thank you, err…" Mary Margaret trailed off, uncertain of his name.
"Killian," he filled in for her. "Killian Jones."
Emma didn't think Mary Margaret's eyes could possibly go any wider than they had the previous time. They did.
"It is great to meet you, Killian," Mary Margaret grinned at him, turning into the Cheshire Cat "Would you like to come in?"
No.
Emma could not imagine spending Christmas Day in the same room as Mary Margaret and Killian after the assumptions she had no doubt made from his earlier choice of words.
Surely not.
Killian did have a brother to get back to, after all.
"Actually, I can't stay," Killian told her, "but I was wondering if it were possible to borrow Emma for a few minutes."
"Of course!" Mary Margaret agreed. "I'll go fetch her for you."
With that, Mary Margaret pushed the door shut on him, tossed the cranberries dismissively onto the kitchen counter, and went rushing over to Emma, pulling her up from the couch.
"Last night?" Mary Margaret exclaimed. "You didn't tell me about last night!"
"Nothing happened!" Emma insisted, to which she received an incredulous look from her friend. "Well, we went on a date and we kissed. Twice. It was all very spontaneous."
"Whatever it was, he's back for more," Mary Margaret pointed out to her, practically ushering her towards the door.
"Sure, invite me 'round for Christmas dinner then shove me out the door the first chance you get," Emma retorted teasingly.
"Oh hush! You're not going to pass up on Killian. I've heard the way you talk about him," Mary Margaret reminded her. "Now, I expect all the details for both today and yesterday when I see you later. Dinner will be ready in two hours. Have fun!"
With that, the door was pulled open and Emma was bundled out of it, very nearly stumbling straight into Killian's arms. She caught herself, however, managing to prevent looking like a drunken fool before noon on Christmas Day. Her eyes fell on Killian who stood before her wearing all black, complete with a black overcoat. He had a small, she'd almost say apprehensive, smile on his face.
She eyed him suspiciously, "What are you up to?"
"Wouldn't you like to know? He shot back at her with a smirk. Any slight apprehension she may have spotted was gone, making her question if she had seen it.
"Yes I would, because I hate surprises," Emma responded to him immediately. "What are you doing here? It's Christmas Day."
"Exactly," Killian said with a nod, "and I have your Christmas present."
Emma stared at him. Sometimes she really couldn't tell if he was joking or not. Christmas present? She didn't realise they were doing Christmas presents. Were they doing Christmas presents? She hoped he was messing with her for she had nothing for him.
"I… oh, let me guess," Emma folded her arms and rolled her eyes, catching on to him. It was clear there was no gift in his hands. "You're my Christmas present?"
Killian laughed. "If only I'd thought of that. That would have been much cheaper!"
"Wait, you actually got me something?" Emma realised, instantly feeling terrible. "Since when were we doing that? I'll be completely honest; I haven't got you anything.
"Don't worry, love, your presence alone is more than enough for me," Killian assured her. "This was very much a last-minute thing but I hope you'll love it all the same."
He offered her his arm which Emma took and, like the previous night, she allowed him to lead her through the streets of Storybrooke. This time, she picked up sooner that they were heading towards the docks, just as she was picking up that the docks seemed to be Killian's favorite location in Storybrooke.
She recalled his words from Florida: the ocean became my home. Has been ever since.
The docks weren't quite the ocean, but it was the closest thing Storybrooke had.
She wondered how many times she could have bumped into him had she visited the docks more frequently in the past. Maybe they'd actually be a few dates in by now.
Killian stopped only once they stood at the foot of the gangplank of the same boat as the previous night. He let go of her arm, gesturing grandly towards the boat.
Emma crossed her arms, not following, "What are we doing here?"
"We're getting on the boat again," Killian answered like it was obvious.
"No way. I'm not doing that again," Emma protested, shaking her head.
There were more people walking around the docks in the daylight. Emma assumed most of them were families on their traditional Christmas Day walk.
"Look at all the witnesses," Emma gestured around them.
"Witnesses to what?" Killian challenged her, apparently opting to play dumb, as he stepped onto the gangplank and ventured up it.
"Killian!" Emma exclaimed, hurrying up the gangplank after him. She could hardly shout out the answer to his question with all the people around and he knew that, successfully luring her onto the deck. "We're trespassing!"
Killian cocked his head to one side, shooting her a smile. "How can we be trespassing when it's my property?"
Emma blinked. "What?"
"Welcome to the Jolly Roger," he grinned at her.
"The Jolly Roger…"
"I couldn't name it anything but," Killian shrugged, "unless I dared to face the wrath of Roland."
He was saying words but they weren't really sinking in. Emma was still lost over 'my property'.
"What?" she repeated.
"This very ship," he stated, placing his hand affectionately onto one of the beams, "is where we finally had our first date, a year in the making. It's where we shared our second kiss. It's where you opened up about your concerns about how we could work."
Emma was just so grateful for the reminder of the vulnerability she had showed him that night. She blamed the rum.
"I always wanted my own ship," Killian told her. "And you were right, last night. This won't work if it's anything like the last year. I'll still have to work my job, I'll still be on the cruise ships but in between work, I'll be right here, fixing up the ship stationed just a short walk from you."
Emma stared at him, not quite believing what she was hearing. Most people in her life had run in the opposite direction. He was running straight at her. In a rare occurrence, she felt utterly speechless.
"You're… you're moving in… here?" Emma stumbled over her words.
"The ocean's been the closest thing I've had to a home for a long time now," Killian replied. "Storybrooke seems to be the right place to put a change to that. With Liam moving here, and you being here, it feels like it was meant to be."
"Killian, are you sure about this?" Emma asked. "I mean… it's fast."
"It's about time we started moving fast, wouldn't you say, love?" Killian responded. "I told you yesterday that I would make it work. This is me, doing just that, because I have travelled all over the world, Emma, and I've never met anyone like you. You swept me off my feet the very moment we met and, as I told you that same day, I wouldn't have it any other way."
Emma was speechless before. All words had left the vicinity of her head after that. All she knew was that she felt the same. She hadn't travelled anywhere near as much as him, but she had never met anyone like him.
And she wanted him.
"Does this ship have a captain's quarter?" Emma questioned suggestively.
Killian smiled, "I'll give you the grand tour."