AN: Well hey, there fam squad! It's been a minute, I hope everyone is doing alright and is safe from the year that is 2020. It's a joy to be back and participate in one of my favorite fandom events, CS Secret Santa. My giftee this year was theblacksiren, and I hope you enjoy your gift! Massive thank you to kymbersmith-90 for being the beta of the gods on this one! Also thank you to let-it-raines and wellhellotragic for rooting me on and getting me to the light at the end of the tunnel. Please enjoy everyone, and come say hi on tumblr ( resident-of-storybrooke).
ALL THE LOVE
As Killian sat in his apartment, he thought about how crazy the year had been for him, how crazy the last decade had been honestly. He'd left England in a drunken rage after losing his brother. He had decided to roam around the States until he found something, some sign that he was where he was supposed to be - it had taken a few months of searching, but eventually, he'd found that something in the place he'd least expected.
Killian's car had broken down in a little town not even on the map - Storybrooke, Maine. Luckily, there was a diner close by where he could warm up until he had figured out his next move. As he sat at the bar top looking down at his phone, he searched for towns in the area where he could attempt to settle down. At least until he found some issue with it and hit the road once again.
And then he saw her.
She was beautiful, stunning, really. Killian couldn't help but stop and stare. Her hair was tied up but still fell well past her shoulders; her black thick-rimmed glasses framed her face making her appear younger than she probably was. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her as she poured coffee at the table to his right. Killian didn't mean to keep staring at her; he had just never been so enamored by someone at first glance. It wasn't until she said something that he'd realized he'd been staring a bit too long. He quickly apologized, tried to get his bearings, and asked for a coffee refill to save face.
Emma. Her name was Emma, at least that's what her name tag said. And that was how he found his home.
Home.
He never thought this tiny town would be home, but fate had other plans in mind. His car wouldn't be ready for a week; a week soon became two. With every day that passed, he found that the town was growing on him. Before he knew it, Killian had landed himself a job down at the harbor and seemed to dine frequently at Granny's Diner - it had nothing to do with Emma (that's what he told himself, at least).
Now, seven years later, Killian finds himself dining at Granny's with Emma instead of having her wait on him, along with her son Henry. It turned out that Emma was four months pregnant when they met. Her ex-boyfriend had skipped town the moment he'd found out. Killian was there every step of the way, forging a bond between them unlike either had ever had before.
He'd been there through all the tears (not just Henry's), Henry's first steps, Emma finishing her degree, and plenty of new jobs. Throughout it all, Emma and Killian had been inseparable.
Ding ding
Killian's trip down memory lane was interrupted by a text from Emma.
ES: Hey, can you come over earlier? I need to go to the station before the storm :/ don't wanna leave Henry alone!
Three years ago, Emma was appointed as Sheriff of Storybrooke. She was too shy to admit it, but earning her degree and working her way up in the ranks was one of her proudest accomplishments - aside from Henry.
He had grown into such an amazing lad. Killian knew he was biased, but he still thought Henry was the best kid. Killian loved spending time with the boy. Given the amount of time they spent together, Killian had come to think of him as if the lad were his own.
KJ: Of course, love, give me 15 and I'll be right there!
ES: Thank you, I should be back around dinner time! xx
KJ: My pleasure, love. Be safe please!
Killian made it over in ten. He'd been planning to join them both for dinner so all he needed to do was grab his keys. Emma was walking out the door as Killian was pulling in. She knew him well enough to know that he was always early and eager to spend time with Henry.
"Hello, Swan. Everything okay?"
"Hey, yeah. The storm coming in looks to be a bit stronger than we anticipated, so I'm just double-checking we have everything ready."
Killian chuckled, "I'm sure you and the rest of the team will be fine. Are you -"
"No, I'm not on patrol, but I have to keep my phone close just in case. Henry crashed on the couch after lunch. Seems as though someone is enjoying their winter break."
Killian walked over to Emma's car to open up the yellow bug's driver door. The world's weirdest cop car, but it was Emma's. "Alright, I'll wake the boy soon so he can sleep tonight. Dinner will be waiting for you when you get back." Killian leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on Emma's cheek, something he'd done a million times before, but something that still made his stomach flutter.
Emma gave him a shy smile and got into the bug before Killian could embarrass himself any further.
When he walked into the house, he found Henry on the sofa, sprawled out. The boy was growing like a weed, Henry would be as tall as him before he knew it. As much as Killian wanted to let him sleep, he knew he'd rather deal with a grumpy Henry than one who was up way past his bedtime.
"Hey, Henry? Wake up, lad." After a few moments of gently shaking his shoulder, Henry's eyes finally opened, and he gave a disgruntled moan. Just like his mother did whenever she was woken up. "Come on, lad, wake up. It's snowing! We can go outside and play for a bit, if you want?"
That promise had Henry off the couch in no time.
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By the time Emma could finally leave, it was only a little past her original goal, something she should have anticipated at this point. Everything was set for the storm heading their way, which was already making an appearance. Emma looked out the window to see a fresh sheet of snow covering the ground.
Before the snow became too much for her bug, Emma cleaned up and double-checked that the next few shifts were covered. She knew she was lucky to be getting out of snow patrol, but she had worked the last storm, so she didn't feel too bad.
Emma drove up Main Street and appreciated the beauty that was Storybrooke in the snow. Sometimes she missed being on the main strip, but after Henry was born and she'd been promoted, Emma could afford an actual house just off the beaten path of town. Her commute was only fifteen minutes, but it felt nice having a yard and space for Henry to grow. Plus, it didn't hurt Killian lived just two streets over.
When he'd first blown into town, Emma didn't think much of him. That's not exactly true; she'd been immediately taken by those baby blue eyes and ink-black hair that looked like he had just rolled out of bed. But now? Seven years later, he was her best friend, biggest supporter, and favorite person - well, aside from her son, of course.
Somewhere along the line, Emma's feelings started to surpass just friendship, probably the moment Killian had stepped into the delivery room to cheer her on, even though she was crushing his hand. Or maybe it was when he helped teach Henry how to walk. Emma had caught it on her phone. There was a chance Killian was even more excited than she was for his first steps. Perhaps, it was one of the many nights they sat on the couch cuddled up watching a god awful rerun of House Hunters, and talking about their dream homes and how they would make sure the other approved.
Emma didn't mean to fall in love with him, but she could not bring herself to regret her feelings - even if her affections would never be returned. She had accepted long ago that his friendship was too important to ruin and would push her feelings aside if that meant he could stay in their lives. However, it was hard to hide those emotions, especially when she came upon the scene greeting her as she pulled into the driveway.
Henry and Killian looked as though they'd been playing in the snow for hours now. They had even built a snowman; it sorta resembled Olaf more than Frosty, but she's sure that was Killian's goal. Emma couldn't help but stop and stare at the scene playing out in front of her. Henry was chasing Killian with a snowball. Killian was barely jogging but still managed to convince her son that he was scared and running for his life.
This never helped Emma's feelings, but what really did her in was when Killian finally spoke.
"Henry, my boy, why don't we get your mother?"
Emma completely missed the plan to attack her after Killian called Henry his boy. He practically was Henry's father, in every way that mattered. Then, when she saw the two running towards her, Emma finally realized what was about to happen.
She tried to run away, but it was hard with all the snow piled up from where Killian had plowed the driveway. She was only able to get a few steps in before she felt the first snowball hit.
"Bad form to attack when someone's back is turned, Henry."
Emma spun on her heels to see a sympathetic Henry, and then she caught sight of Killian's face.
"You need to wait until she's facing you!" Then Killian threw the ball of snow in his hand and it hit her right in the face, some of it falling down her jacket.
"Killian Jones! You are going to pay for that!" The three ran around, taking turns attacking each other. The two boys had decided it was Emma's turn to be their target and as Emma ran towards Killian to stop the attack, she tripped over her feet and landed right on Killian.
The two plopped down, tried to catch their breaths, and then they locked eyes. The snow be damned, Emma was burning up being in Killian's arms. Killian moved a sliver of hair behind her ear, gently caressing her cheek in the process. Emma didn't mean to react to his touch; however, she found herself leaning into his touch and closing her eyes for a moment. It was never enough, but she often longed for the moments just like this.
When Emma opened her eyes again she could see the storm brewing behind his. Emma had seen many looks from Killian over the years, but this one seemed new. He looked as if he was in pain, maybe from the fall, and yet, still clung to her tightly as if he didn't want to let her go. For a brief moment, Emma swore she saw him lick his lips as he looked at her own. Before she could move her head down any further, Henry ran over to check on them.
"Are you guys okay? Looks like you fell hard, Mom."
You could say that again, she thought. Then Emma remembered she was still on top of Killian and quickly detached herself from him to get up.
"Sorry, Killian. I didn't mean to use you as a landing pad like that!"
Killian brushed the snow off himself, shaking off Emma's apology. "Think nothing of it, Swan. Just next time don't lay in ceremony, aye?"
Emma let out a huff, thankful he wasn't weird after whatever that moment was between them.
"Come on, kid. We need to get cleaned up for dinner. Speaking of, what is for dinner, Chef?"
Henry's face lit up; unlike his mother, he was an excellent cook and loved to help in the kitchen. He was always thinking of new creative meals for the three of them to try, and most of them were actually really good.
"We decided to go with home-made pizzas! We made the dough earlier, it should be ready to go now actually. Right, Killian?"
"Should be soon! Let's get cleaned up real quick, and then we can worry about toppings."
The three of them went in through the garage, so as not to track any snow inside the house. They removed their layers; the boys had more than Emma, which she was definitely jealous of now that she was starting to shiver, so she darted into the house ahead of them.
She tried to distance herself from Killian when they were inside, not knowing what the hell had just happened between the two of them and trying to get a grip on her emotions. It turned out the dough still needed some more time to rise before they could make their pizzas, which worked perfectly for her.
"Killian, why don't you go get the first shower so you and Chef Henry can work on this together?"
When Emma looked over at Killian, he seemed almost hurt, almost as if he knew she was trying to push him away. He merely nodded and headed towards the guest bathroom; he didn't push her on what was bothering her, thankfully.
Emma helped Henry gather up the rest of his snowy clothes and pajamas when she heard the water shut off. As she walked by the bathroom to bring the clothes over to the washer, she was surprised to see the bathroom door open ever so slightly.
However, that was not what made Emma drop the clothes. It was a shirtless Killian with a towel wrapped indecently low on his hips that stopped her. She'd seen him shirtless before, in the summertime, but she'd had time to prepare for those moments. However, seeing him fresh out of the shower like this was almost too much. He didn't seem to realize he had an audience now and Emma felt guilty, but she couldn't stop herself from staring. He was devilishly handsome, after all!
Emma thought she would get away with it until Henry called for her, and Killian looked out to see her staring right back at him. The idiot had the nerve to give her a smolder and wink that made her knees go weak as he closed the door.
"Yeah, sorry coming, kid."
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Killian had no idea what had possessed him to tease Emma like that, but she had been standing there and staring for a while. He was going to pretend that he hadn't seen her, so as to not embarrass her. After the odd reaction she'd had when they were playing in the snow, Killian didn't want anything else to spook her that evening. But then he saw the way she was looking at him.
Killian was no idiot; he knows he is handsome - he may have used his looks in the past to help him a time or two - but he'd never tried anything on Emma. The way that she was staring at him, made him feel for a moment as though, his feelings weren't so one-sided.
But it was once again short-lived as Henry called for his mother. Killian continued to put on an old hoodie and shorts so he could help finish dinner.
Thankfully, dinner went without another incident, and then Henry wanted to cap off the night with a movie. Usually, this wouldn't have been a problem, but Henry decided he wanted to lay on the couch, leaving Killian and Emma the loveseat. They'd shared the seat before, but tonight there was an awkward tension between the two of them.
The three decided to watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas. They'd seen it twice already this holiday season, but it was one of their favorites.
Emma came over with their hot cocoa and popcorn with milk duds, and then tried unsuccessfully to get situated. Killian noticed how stiff she was. He hadn't meant for this awkwardness to exist between them. Without overthinking it, he moved his arm around to drape over Emma's shoulder. He'd done it a million times before, and he hoped this would help the two get back on track. Without missing a beat, Emma leaned into him as she usually did.
Killian looked over halfway through the movie and saw Henry was out like a light, but he couldn't bring himself to end their night. Throughout the film, Emma had moved closer to him to share the blanket better, she said - he didn't care about the excuse. He relished having her so close.
He played with a strand of her hair and rubbed her shoulder absentmindedly while the arm she had slung over his stomach traced nonsensical patterns into his side. Killian could feel her breathing evening out, and for a moment, he thought of falling asleep with her in his arms. Before he could make his mind up, the Whos on TV enjoyed their feast, and the movie was over.
Disappointment rang through Killian, but he felt Emma squeeze him tight for a brief moment, and all his concerns washed away. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead; he wanted to look at her and talk about what had happened earlier that day, but he was too scared to ruin the peaceful bubble they'd fallen into during the movie. Emma seemed to be on the same page; without speaking, the two got up to go to bed.
Emma was the first to break the silence. "I should probably get him up to bed, but he won't be happy if I wake him up."
"Aye, let me take care of that. That is, if you don't mind picking up the hot cocoa?" Killian walked over to Henry. "Looks like the lad only had a sip of his. Must've been more tired than we imagined, love."
Killian looked over to her, and found that she was staring again, except this time, her attention was focused on Henry.
"Sorry. Sometimes I look at him and all I see is the baby I brought home from the hospital. And then it hits me - he'll be a teenager before we know it."
A soft smile graced Killian's face. He loved many things about Emma, but her love for her son was something unmatched. The pair of them had survived without parents for most of their lives, and Emma did everything in her power to make sure her son felt loved and cherished every single day.
"I know, love. It surprises me sometimes. I can still remember the car ride back from the hospital. You wouldn't let me go more than five miles per hour." Emma had walked over to the two men in her life and gave Killian a soft punch at his teasing.
"He was just so small. I wanted to make sure he was okay."
"Emma, I think he's been more than okay with you as a mother. You've done everything for him; you've done more for Henry than I've ever seen of two parents, let alone a single mother. He's so lucky to have you." Killian was sure that would be the end of their conversation; Emma wasn't famous for her love of emotional discussions.
Before he knew it, she had closed the space between him and held him tight. Killian only took a moment before wrapping his arms around her. The two stood there in silence, holding onto each other like they never wanted to let go. Killian began to lean down to press a kiss on Emma's forehead, but he saw her pulling back, so he quickly stopped himself.
"We're lucky to have you too, Killian. You've been a part of this family for years now, and I don't think either of us would know what to do if we didn't have you."
"Well, you'll never have to worry about that, love. If there's one thing I'm good at, it's surviving. There's no shaking me now, Swan."
With another squeeze, the two detached so Killian could get Henry to bed and so Emma could clean up their movie night mess. It only took a moment to rouse Henry awake, and although he was getting bigger, Killian could still carry him up the stairs to his room.
As Killian tucked him in, still half asleep, Henry pulled him down for a hug. "Love you, Dad."
Frozen, Killian had no idea how to respond. Henry had never called him that before. He wasn't sure where it had come from. They'd never talked about Henry calling him dad. Did Emma tell him it was okay? He could see the boy asking Emma for permission first. But he wasn't sure he could see Emma agreeing to it. Would she have? Not wanting another moment to pass and give a half-asleep Henry any doubt, Killian replied, "I love you too, Henry. So much. Good night, my boy."
He carefully detached Henry from himself and let the boy sleep as he continued to question where that had come from. Killian made his way back downstairs to see if Emma needed any help cleaning up.
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Emma hadn't intended to overhear their goodnight; she'd just wanted to grab her charger from upstairs as her phone was almost dead. That was when she'd heard it.
"Love you, Dad."
Emma had never heard Henry call Killian anything but his name before. Killian would have come to her first if he'd wanted a new title, right?
For all intents and purposes, he was Henry's father, but still. What if it was too much for Killian? What if he realized he'd never signed up to be her son's father? What if he finally had enough of playing house with Emma when he could do it with someone else?
She tried to use their previous conversation to help her reason that everything would be okay, but it wasn't working. It was one thing to be close, but another to take on a child as his own. All her doubts swarmed around in her mind; unable to gain control of her fears, Emma ran back downstairs with the charger.
Her panic continued as she pretended to busy herself with cleaning out the mugs when she heard Killian come back downstairs.
"Hey, Swan? Can we talk real quick?"
Oh my god, he was doing it right now. Although he wouldn't get far with the snowstorm, he was still going to leave them.
"Emma? Are you okay?"
She quickly shook herself out of the spiral. "Yeah, sorry. What's up?"
"Um, I wanted to let you know that...Henry just called me dad. And I know I'm not his real father, but I do love your boy as if he was my own. I don't want to cross a line or confuse him about us and -"
"Right, we're just friends. He needs to understand we're just friends and we're not together, and you're not his dad. I'll make sure to talk to him about it tomorrow. Sorry about that."
Emma finally met his eyes, and Killian looked as though she had just kicked a puppy. He looked upset - why was he upset? Did he want Henry to call him dad? Was it the friend thing? No, it couldn't be that. They were friends, just friends.
She couldn't stand the look on his face anymore and turned back around to the sink to keep working on the dishes. She could still feel him there. Why wasn't he going to bed? Today had been a lot of back and forths and mixed emotions. She needed to lay down so she could forget the way he had just looked at her.
"Right, well, I know when I've been dismissed. Good night."
Emma couldn't even face him as she whispered a quiet good night into the sink. She knew she'd messed up, but she couldn't stand to see the hurt right then.
Once she was done with the dishes, Emma grabbed her phone and charger and made her way to bed. As she walked past Killian's room, she could hear him watching videos. She wanted to stop by and apologize, but she'd done enough for one night.
Emma made her way to bed and hoped that tomorrow would be a better day.
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Killian played on his phone until the early hours in an attempt to forget the awkwardness of how the night ended. He thought they were making progress, finally, but then Emma had to go and remind him of the truth. He was not Henry's father and they were just friends. That's all they'd ever be. He knew that, but it didn't make it any easier to accept.
He finally fell asleep around three, and only because his phone was dead. As he slept, he dreamt of a fantasy world. Emma was a princess, he was a pirate, and they went on an adventure together to another land. It was outrageous but he longed for the idea of a life with Emma, holding her close, not just during a movie, but for life.
When he woke the next morning, it took him a little while for the dream to come back to him but as it did, he couldn't stop himself from lingering over the thoughts of Emma in a princess gown. It was only when someone knocked on his door that he finally let them go. "Come in," he mumbled. He wasn't sure who was there, he hoped it was Emma; however, Henry was the one that came crashing into the room.
"Killian!" The lad jumped onto the bed and fell on top of him. "Have you looked outside yet? There's so much snow! Can we go play outside? We might need to make a new snowman, I don't know if Olaf made it, he -"
"Henry, Henry, haha! Slow down, lad. I just woke up and I'm sure your mum is still asleep." Henry nodded, and Killian was confused why the boy had decided to grace him with the wake-up call instead of his mother. Regardless, Killian needed to keep him entertained in the meantime.
The boys headed downstairs and decided a hearty breakfast was needed before going out to play. It looked as if it had just stopped snowing moments ago; there was at least a foot and a half outside. Even if it didn't snow on Christmas Day, it would still be a white Christmas.
The boys headed into the kitchen and decided to make stuffed french toast, hash browns, and with some cut up the fresh fruit. Killian forgot about the previous night and enjoyed his time with Henry. The two made a mess, but Killian couldn't bring himself to care at that moment. He could clean it up later, when Henry was napping. They were finally putting everything on to their plates when Emma made her way into the kitchen.
"Something smells good."
Killian quickly looked up and saw her standing in the doorframe. He loved her like this, freshly woken with no makeup on, perfectly Emma.
"Well, thank you, Swan. I'll have you know it's not from a box. Chef's orders, everything made to order." The two turned back to the boy settling the table for them, in awe of the young man he had already become.
Killian looked over at Emma; he wanted to make amends for how he had behaved last night. She was obviously going through something, and his reaction was to act out and walk away from her. That was not the man he wanted to be. However, before he could get a word out, Henry called them over to the table so they could eat.
The three talked of their plans for the day as they devoured their food. Henry mostly spoke of their plans, the two adults sat and listened to his endless list of activities. When he finally took a bite of his food, Emma could speak for the first time in minutes. "Well, kid, sounds like a full day for us. But I think we should spread the love. I have a feeling the snow isn't going away anytime soon. Why don't we pick like two things off your list for today?"
For a minute, Henry sat there and contemplated what he wanted to do. He made faces just like his mother did when she was concentrating. Killian couldn't help but chuckle at his antics. At that moment, he saw the familial resemblance, which didn't happen often. The boy took after his father, or that's what Emma had told him. But he couldn't see it right now, not with his two favorite people in the world right in front of him.
"Killian, are you okay?" Emma's voice shook him from his thoughts.
Killian hadn't realized it but he had let his emotions get the best of him at that moment, and teared up at the table.
"Oh, I'm fine, the strawberry went down the wrong pipe. All good, love!"
"Well, I think we should go ice skating today! The pond should be frozen by now. Can we guys?"
"Henry, I don't know why you're giving me the puppy dog eyes. It's your mother who hates skating, not me, lad."
Emma swatted his arm jokingly in disgust. "Hey! Like it's so weird to hate falling on ice!"
"You wouldn't fall if you actually tried, haha. You need to give it more than a minute before stopping, mom."
Killian laughed at Henry's rebuttal. The boy wasn't wrong. Emma usually only tried for a solid fifteen minutes before giving up and sitting on the bench. Henry fixed his puppy dog eyes back on to convince Emma to give it a fair go for the day.
"Fine, but after I fall three times, I'm going to my bench!" There was a bench right on the edge of the pond. Emma typically ended up there during their adventures so they'd christened it as her bench, which she had no problem accepting.
"Awesome, let the family snow day begin!"
Henry ran away to go get dressed, but Killian and Emma froze where they were sitting.
Family snow day.
"Right, we're just friends. He needs to understand we're just friends and we're not together, and you're not his dad."
Last night's conversation hung over their heads; neither of them knew how to proceed.
"Killian, I, ugh, I'm sorry. I haven't had a chance to talk to him. I'm... I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable."
He sat there for a minute as he tried to find the words to explain how he wanted nothing more than to be a real family, forever. Killian realized he must have been silent for too long as Emma suddenly stood from her seat. Without a second thought, he reached out and grabbed her arm.
"I don't mind, Emma." He could hear her gasp, but he wasn't sure if it was because of his words or his touch. "In fact, if I'm honest, I quite like the sound of a family day." Killian's eyes bored into hers as he prayed for her to understand what he really meant.
When she slid out of his grasp, he feared he had gone too far. But then she did something unexpected - she brought her hand up to rest against his cheek. "Good."
The moment was over too soon for his liking. He wanted to tell her more. He wanted her to show how much he cared for her. But he knew now wasn't the right time, not before they left for the day.
Besides, Killian didn't need her to say anything more. He finally had what he'd been looking for - hope.
As long as he had hope, he believed everything would work out. He stood and followed her to the kitchen to help rinse off the dishes before they all got dressed to head out.
Luckily, the pond was only ten minutes from Emma's house. They had discovered it one day in the summer during one of their many walks to help tire Henry out when he had all that toddler energy. It was only a few feet deep and wasn't anything massive, but it gave them plenty of space to race around. A few other folks knew of the hidden spot, but it seemed everyone had decided to stay in for the moment. Killian would have to thank them later, he wanted to spend as much time with Emma and Henry as he could.
Henry was a natural on skates. They'd talked about signing him up for hockey, but Emma wasn't sure if she was ready to watch her little boy get checked into the boards. Killian understood her hesitation, he wasn't fond of the idea either. Henry never brought up joining the team, they assumed he would if he was really interested. Instead, he'd asked his mom to try out for soccer and tee-ball.
After a few minutes, they all seemed to get the hang of being back on the ice after being off it for nearly a year. Killian was impressed with Emma's efforts, obviously, she was trying her hardest to stay on the ice as long as possible for her son.
However, once she took a rather nasty fall, she decided it was best to rest for a few minutes. The boys then opted to play tag with one another. Killian soon found himself out of breath; Henry had gotten a lot faster - or Killian had gotten a lot slower.
"Alright, lad, you win! I need to rest for a moment. Why don't you see how fast you can go around, eh?"
Henry didn't reply but instead raced off to the other side of the pond and started doing laps around the perimeter.
"He's gotten really good. Have you been taking him skating without me?"
Killian sat down next to Emma. "No, love, he's just a natural. Also, he has a never-ending amount of energy." The two laughed. That was one thing Henry always had an abundance of - until he was passed out in one of their arms, tired from his adventures.
They watched him in silence for a few minutes, watched as he attempted to skate backward and jump. Killian turned to look at Emma, who seemed to be attempting to pull her sleeves down over her hands.
"Where are your gloves, love?"
"Oh, I must've left them in the garage yesterday. I thought they were in my jacket and only realized halfway here that they were missing."
Without a second thought, Killian took off his gloves and handed them to her. She usually refused any chivalrous act of his, but she must've been cold because she took them without any arguments.
"Here, give me your hands. I don't want you complaining of frostbite later. I might need your talented fingers."
Emma realized the tone of her words after they left her mouth. "I meant for dinner. You help Henry with dinner. You're going to need your fingers. For dinner! With Henry!"
Killian merely laughed as he didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable. He held his hands out and Emma quickly grabbed them. It was as they were sitting there, holding each other's hands, that he spotted her gloves under the bench. He was about to speak up until he realized something. Emma wanted to hold his hands.
She'd done this on purpose. He suspected that she realized she'd been caught, as the flush rose in her cheeks, but she didn't let go of his hands. They sat there together for a while longer, keeping each other warm.
"Swan? I was wondering if, perhaps, that is if you'd like, when the snow melts maybe I could -"
Emma's phone began to ring before Killian could finish his question. He knew it was the station from the ringtone because I Fought the Law rang out and ruined their serenity.
"Sheriff Swan. Hey, David, what's up? Oh, that's not good. Can everyone still get in?"
Killian was worried that Emma would get called in even though she was technically off for the weekend.
"Oh, well, alright, as long as everyone can still get in. I'll have my phone on me, obviously. Let me know if you guys need anything in the meantime." Emma hung up the phone, and Killian thanked the gods it didn't seem like she needed to leave.
"Everything alright, Swan?"
"Yeah, there are a few trees down on Shadow Ave, but some people already volunteered to help move them. Everyone still seems to have power and the roads are okay, for the most part."
"Well, good, I'm happy everything is alright. I was worried you were getting called in."
"Nope, can't get rid of me that easily." She winked at him and took one of his hands back into hers. "Oh, what were you saying before he called? You were asking me something, sorry!"
"Oh, uh. We can talk about it later. It's no big deal."
Emma turned to face him, still holding onto his hand tightly. "Are you sure? It seemed important, and maybe I had a question of my own?"
Killian's head shot up. He was speechless. Did she...? Could this actually be happening?
But of course, because fate is cruel, that was the same time Henry came over and explained he was tired. They both knew they only had thirty minutes to get him home and showered before he was passed out.
As they walked back, Killian carried Henry with one arm because Emma was still holding tightly to his other, and he didn't dare break that contact.
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Emma didn't know where the nerve came from, but she refused to let go of Killian's hand. She was so relieved he hadn't pulled away from her. She'd caught him staring a few times and whenever she did, he'd look over and give her a shy smile.
This felt right. They'd held hands before, of course, but this felt like a step in the right direction.
Finally.
Killian helped get Henry ready for his shower while Emma collected their snow-covered clothes to wash. She knew they'd need them tomorrow and wanted to make sure everything was ready when Henry inevitably woke them up early.
"Hey, Swan. Why don't you go take the next shower? I'll finish cleaning up the kitchen from breakfast."
"You sure you don't mind?"
"Positive. It was my mess - well, Henry and mine, but the lad is knocked out so I guess I'll cover for him this once."
Emma reached up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Emma walked past him to her room before he could say anything.
Emma had no idea where this bravery had come from today, but it seemed like Killian didn't mind it one bit. Before she entered her room, she flicked a glance over her shoulder towards him; Killian was still standing there with his hand over the place where she'd kissed him. Then she noticed the sweet smile that overtook his face.
She decided to go in and shower before anything happened further in the hallway outside her son's room. Emma didn't mean for her shower to be so long but the hot water relaxed her muscles which were tight from the falls she'd taken earlier.
When she left her room, she expected to see Killian outside in the hallway, but it seemed he had just jumped in the shower after her. Emma was disappointed for some reason, she didn't know what she had expected, but she still wished he was there.
Emma went downstairs and to her surprise, the snow had picked back up. She didn't feel like watching TV so she decided to make her favorite drink, hot chocolate, to sip on as she sat and watched the snowfall. Unsure if Killian would want any hot chocolate, she made extra just in case; if not, she wouldn't let it go to waste.
Emma moved over to possibly her favorite part of the house, the window that overlooked their backyard. There was a nook for her to sit and watch, but for now, she simply stood. She could hear Killian coming down the stairs, however, she still jumped slightly when he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Hello - wait a tick - is that my shirt, Swan?"
She looked down and realized she had grabbed one of the old henley shirts he'd left ages ago.
"Well, I must say, it does look better on you than it ever did me. I guess I'll let you keep it...for now." He gave her another wink, and Emma could feel the blush rising in her cheeks.
"I made some hot cocoa. Would you like some?"
"Aye, I'll go grab it. Be right back, darling." And he was back in just a moment, but this time, he stood beside Emma with an arm wrapped around her waist.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Emma asked, staring out the window. She enjoyed these little moments between them.
"Stunning, love. Absolutely perfect." Emma turned her head to face Killian and found that he was watching her, instead of the snow falling outside the window. Her mind began to race as she tried to find a way to respond. All she needed was words - any words - but he had left her speechless once more.
They let the silence sit between them. It wasn't awkward - it was never uncomfortable between them. Finally, after a few minutes of watching the snow, Emma spoke up.
"Killian, you had a question earlier? You promised you would ask once we got home."
"Did I?" He stepped away from her and placed his mug down on the windowsill.
"Yes, and aren't you a man of your word? Good form and all that."
"Aye." He took a deep breath. Emma had never seen him this nervous before. "I was wondering if perhaps you'd want to get dinner?"
Emma instantly deflated. Dinner? They'd had dinner a million times together. Hell, they had plans to have dinner together that evening. Killian must have seen the disappointment in her eyes because he quickly spoke up once more.
"Swan. Emma, that is, I know we have dinner often, but I mean...what I really mean is….Would you like to go on a date? With me?"
"You want to go on a date?" Emma was stunned. She was surprised she was able to get any words out. She realized that it wasn't an answer to his question, but she couldn't believe he wanted to date her.
"I don't just want to go on a date with you, darling. I need to say something before another phone call interrupts us." Killian reached down and grabbed her hands. "I love you, Emma Swan. I've been madly in love with you for nearly a decade now. When Henry called me his father yesterday, it was one of the greatest moments of my life. I love him like he was my own. He is one of my favorite people in this world. Only after you, my love. I have resigned myself to being your friend for so long, but after last night, I knew I needed to tell you the truth."
"A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets."
Killian brought his hands to her cheeks. "Aye, and I'm fighting for you. I want you more than anything else in this life or the next. But only if that's what you want. I would never pressure you into a date or anything you're not ready for. I just had to tell you how I fell."
Emma raised her hands to his face. She couldn't look away from the man of her dreams. He had just declared his love for her, something she had only dreamed of. "Killian?" He nodded his head; she could see the uncertainty creep back into his eyes. She was never a woman of words, he was the poet between the two of them, so she pulled him closer and kissed the holy hell out of him.
Killian didn't miss a beat. Most first kisses were awkward, and theirs was just for a moment, until they found their rhythm. The two battled for dominance but Emma found she didn't mind Killian taking the lead this one time.
She didn't feel them moving until the back of her legs hit the couch, and she giggled when Killian fell on top of her.
"You do wonders for a man's ego, my love."
She was used to hearing him call her love, but the possessiveness of it now made her stomach flutter. "No, haha, it's just I remember us being in a similar position yesterday."
He placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Aye, but I think I like this version a lot more, darling." Killian pulled back and he looked at her like she was the most important person in the world. Emma couldn't help but smile, finally in the arms of the man she loved. "What is it, Swan?"
"Nothing, I'm just happy."
"Aye, love, me too." Before they could continue their exploration of the new side of their relationship they heard a noise from upstairs. Suddenly, Henry ran down the stairs and the two were frozen in place.
"Hey, do you - what are you guys doing?"
"We.. uh...um -" Emma stuttered, unsure of how to tell Henry of the latest development in their relationship - without scaring him.
"What your mother is failing to say is that she tripped and grabbed me as she fell. You know her, graceful as her name."
Emma swatted him on the chest as Henry laughed at the explanation.
"Well, can we have dinner? I'm starving!"
The two adults finally detached themselves from one another and stood up.
"Of course, Chef! We'll be right there." Killian reached for her hand and Emma took it without a second thought. She finally put one foot in front of the other and made her way through the kitchen looking forward to whatever came next.