"When is the party?" Emma asked, pulling up the calendar app on her phone as she waited for Mary Margaret to answer.
"A week from Saturday. We're calling it a Baby Celebration Party, and we'll hopefully be able to reveal the gender to all of you. The appointment when we should find out ourselves is next Monday, as long as the baby cooperates," she giggled.
"Do you need any help getting ready for it? The party I mean, not the appointment!"
Mary Margaret laughed again. "I do have a favor to ask. I ordered an ice cream cake, but David and I can't figure out how we're going to pick it up with everything else we need to get done."
"I can definitely do that. Where will I need to go?"
"The Corner Grocery. They have someone there who makes amazing cakes."
"Why didn't you just get a regular cake, instead of one made from ice cream?"
"Cra-vings!" Mary Margaret singsonged.
"Of course!" Emma chuckled. "What time do you want me to pick it up?"
"Well, the party starts at seven o'clock and they said the cake would be ready anytime after three, so maybe around six?"
"Not a problem," her friend replied, as she added a note to her calendar reminder. "So, who else are you inviting?"
"Just a few close friends," Mary Margaret answered vaguely. "We're planning to reveal the gender to our families when we have them over for dinner on Wednesday. Oh, and by the way, we're going to have more than cake at the party. We'll provide snacks, soft drinks and alcohol too, although I won't be drinking any of that, of course!"
"All of this isn't going to be too much for you, is it?"
"Absolutely not! You know how much I love to plan things like this!"
Emma laughed. "Yes I do! Okay, I'll see you at the party."
"Thank you Emma. See you then!"
Mary Margaret ended the call, then immediately made another one.
"Hello Ruby? Everything is set. I just talked to Emma, and David is calling later to invite Killian. Emma is going to pick up the cake, so she'll be here early. That way we don't have to worry about them running into each other before the party starts."
Ruby couldn't help the wide grin that spread across her face. "That's fantastic, Mary Margaret! Now, we just have to figure out how to get the two of them together once they're there."
"I have some ideas about that. Leave it to me."
"You're the best! Oh, I really hope this works!"
"I do too. We had already planned on having a reveal party. It will be even better if Emma and Killian end up getting together because of it. I could see how well they got along when they had dinner with us, and I was hoping that the car ride home would lead to something. I love Emma, but she's too stubborn for her own good! If she would just quit making excuses and take a chance on dating someone again…" She trailed off.
Ruby picked up where she left off. "She might find the happiness and love she deserves."
"Exactly! We'll do what we can and hope it's enough."
"Thanks for everything, Mary Margaret! Let me know if you need anything."
"I will. Talk to you soon, Ruby."
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Killian was tugging at his hair in frustration over a particularly challenging calculus problem, when his phone began to ring. Glad to have a distraction, he slid the bar across to answer.
"Hello?"
"Hey Killian, it's David Nolan."
"Oh hey, Dave! What's going on? How's Mary Margaret doing?"
"She's doing great! We're supposed to find out the gender of the baby on Monday! We're going to have a small party to reveal it to some of our friends the Saturday after next, and we were hoping that you'd be able to come."
"I'd be honored! What time is it?"
"Seven o'clock at our house. We'll have snacks and drinks, and you don't have to bring anything but yourself."
"That sounds good. It'll be nice to get away from the base and have a little fun for a while."
"Absolutely! Which reminds me, Mary Margaret and I want to have you over for dinner again. With her school year winding down, it's been pretty busy, but now that it's over, she has more time available."
"That would be great, as long as it's not too much trouble."
"Don't worry, it's a team effort for us and we like to do it. We miss seeing you, man!"
"I miss the two of you, or should I say, the three of you, as well! But I guess I'll see you in a few days."
"Don't say you guess, make sure you're here!" David admonished.
Killian let out a laugh. "I will. See you at the party, then!"
David laid down his phone and looked at his wife, who stood smiling at him.
"I'm still not sure that you should be setting them up, Sweetheart. You might only succeed in making them both angry with you."
"It's not a setup, it's a party with some of our friends, and it just so happens that Emma and Killian are two of those friends. If they end up together, well, that's just a bonus!"
Her husband sighed, then smiled despite himself at her excitement, and kissed her on the forehead.
Mary Margaret's eyes sparkled. Step two of the plan was done.
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Emma checked her appearance in the mirror. She had chosen a coral colored sundress with a floral print, since the weather was so nice and temperatures were warm. She'd pulled her hair up on the sides, but left it down in the back. It was a change of pace from the ponytail or braid that she usually wore at work. Her makeup was light, but she decided to apply another coat of mascara before turning away from the mirror.
She slid her feet into some comfortable sandals, as she snapped the leash on Evie to take her out one more time before she left. Once the puppy had done her business, Emma took her back inside, gave her a treat, kissed her fluffy head, and put her in her pen.
"Now be good for Mommy," she crooned. "I'll be back soon."
She grabbed a cooler bag that she used to bring home frozen foods after grocery shopping, and went out the door.
When she picked up the cake, it was a little larger than she had expected. Mary Margaret had said 'a few close friends' but this cake looked like it was enough for a fairly large group of people. Maybe Mary Margaret hopes she has plenty of cake leftover to satisfy her cravings, she thought with a grin.
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Killian pulled up in front of David and Mary Margaret's house a few minutes before the scheduled start time. He could tell that he was one of the first to arrive, but he did recognize the person getting out of the car in front of him.
"Hi Belle," he greeted as she made her way toward the sidewalk.
"Oh hi, Killian! I had no idea that you were friends with the Nolans!"
"Aye. Dave and I went through basic training together, and I just met Mary Margaret recently. How do you know them?"
"Mary Margaret frequently comes into the library to get books for her students, and David is usually with her. We've been friends for several years now, and she and I have even gone to a couple of literacy conferences together. It really is a small world, isn't it?"
Killian chuckled as he rang the doorbell. "It definitely is!"
The door swung open and David greeted both of his friends. "Hey, welcome! Come on in!"
Killian extended his arm as he said, "After you" and waited for Belle to cross the threshold, then followed her in. He didn't notice Emma, who was in the kitchen and had a clear view of the front door.
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Emma had arrived before any of the other guests to help Mary Margaret and David with last minute preparations. After placing the cake in the freezer, she chatted with her friends while pouring snacks into bowls. When it was close to 7:00, she heard the doorbell ring, and glanced up through the swinging door that David had propped open. She froze at what she saw.
A petite brunette was walking in the door, closely followed by Killian Jones. They were talking and laughing with David, and Emma's heart sank. She had wondered if (and a part of her hoped) he would be invited to the party.
What she'd secretly wished for had come true, but he arrived with a date.
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Killian was standing on the back patio talking to David and Belle, when he saw Emma bringing out bowls of chips. He noticed that her hair was down, and she was dressed in a simple knee-length sundress. She looked absolutely beautiful. He tried to catch her eye in order to say hello, but as soon as she set the bowls on the table, she immediately whirled around and went back inside.
Killian was puzzled at her lack of acknowledgement. Hadn't she seen him? But how could she not have? There were only three people standing out there and the table was right beside him. It didn't seem typical of her to act like that. Had he done something to upset her? He didn't see how he could have when he hadn't even seen her since...
"Isn't that right, Killian?" David's question broke into Killian's thoughts.
"Huh? Oh yeah. Right," he replied distractedly, even though he had no idea what his friend had been talking about.
David wondered for a second what had drawn Killian's attention away, until he saw that his eyes were fixed on the door where Emma had disappeared.
Just then, Mary Margaret emerged from that doorway. She moved over to Killian, giving him a hug while she greeted him. Then she turned to Belle and repeated her actions.
"I haven't seen you in the library for a while," Belle commented.
"You will soon! I'm reading to the baby in utero and I've just about depleted the supply of books that we have here at home."
"I can get some pulled for you if you send me a list."
"I'll do that! And feel free to add any of your favorites to it."
She turned to her husband and quietly said something. He excused himself and headed into the house, while Mary Margaret engaged both guests in conversation.
David went into the kitchen and found Emma standing by the window overlooking the patio with her arms crossed and a frown on her face.
"Why are you hiding out here?" he asked. "And why didn't you say hello to Killian when you brought the chips out?"
"I'm not 'hiding out'," she said, punctuating it with air quotes. "I'm uh, putting out the napkins." She quickly grabbed the package of purple napkins and ripped it open. "I see you went with a 'neutral' color."
"Mary Margaret's thinking was that blue and pink make purple. You didn't answer my other question yet. I'm sure you saw Killian out there, but you…"
The doorbell rang.
David sighed. "I have to get that."
He opened the door to find several more guests. As he led them through the house to the backyard, Emma saw that one of the new arrivals was Ruby, so she ducked behind the pantry door. She didn't think she could deal with her friend hounding her about Killian just yet.
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After answering the door several more times and having some brief conversations with their ever-increasing number of guests, David looked around for his wife. She somehow sensed his eyes on her and mouthed "Emma?" to him while raising her eyebrows. David just shrugged his shoulders and inclined his head toward the kitchen. Mary Margaret pursed her lips and frowned. Then she searched for Killian, whom she found talking to Ruby.
"Killian, will you do me a favor?" she asked sweetly, giving a pointed look to Ruby.
"Of course."
"We have an ice cream cake and it's a little hard to cut, but David is busy entertaining. Would you please go in and help Emma with iit? I think most of the guests have arrived now, and I was planning on eating it first thing, before people start eating and drinking everything else."
Killian hesitated, glancing down at his prosthesis.
Ruby spoke up, "You know, that job would be good practice for you."
He nodded, though he still seemed unsure. "I'd be glad to help," he finally affirmed.
As he walked toward the patio doors, he saw Emma looking out the window. He raised his hand to wave, but she turned around before he had a chance to do so.
When he got into the kitchen, she was leaning over the island with her forearms resting on it.
"Mary Margaret asked me to help you cut the cake," he informed her.
Emma went to the freezer and got out the cake. After she'd set it down on the counter, she turned to the butcher block and pulled out a long, sharp knife.
"Why would she ask you to do that? Shouldn't you be out there with your date?"
Killian's eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. "My date?"
"You know, the pretty, dark-haired girl you brought?"
"I brought?"
Frustrated and annoyed, Emma squeezed her eyes shut in an effort to hold onto her patience. She laid the knife down firmly and spun around. "I hated that mimicking game when August used to play it on me, and I still hate it now! Just answer the question!"
His eyes widened even more. "I'm sorry, Swan. I'm just trying to figure out why you think I'm here with a date." He paused and thought for a moment. Then it dawned on him who she must be talking about. "Do you mean Belle?"
She picked the knife back up. "Is that her name?" she asked, deliberately sounding nonchalant as she started cutting into the cake.
"Belle isn't my date. We just happened to pull up in front of the house at the same time, so we came in together. She works at the public library, and I've been going there a lot to study since there are fewer distractions, so I've gotten to know her. She also dates a guy from my unit, Will Scarlett. He was on duty until early this evening, but he's going to call for a Lyft when he gets off, so he can join Belle at the party."
Emma felt oddly relieved, and a little embarrassed.
Killian held plates for Emma as she sliced pieces of the cake. They worked in silence for several minutes, and she thought that he had decided not to say any more on the subject of Belle.
When he spoke again, he did it so softly that she could hardly hear him. "Is that why you didn't say hello to me outside? Because you thought I was with a date?"
"I...I just didn't see you, that's all."
He looked at her, but she continued with her task. He could tell that she was intentionally trying to avert her eyes from him.
"I don't believe that."
She finally looked up and he saw a spark of fire in her eyes.
"Oh really? What DO you believe?"
"Well, I would say that perhaps you're jealous, but since you've made it clear that you don't want to be more than friends, that can't be it."
"I...we, uh," she shifted her eyes back to the cake. "We have to finish cutting this. Mary Margaret will want to serve it soon."
Killian blew out a sigh. "Swan, are you avoiding me?"
"No, I...there's just a lot of stuff to do right now. Maybe we can talk later."
"Why don't you go talk now? I'll put these pieces of cake on a tray and take them outside," Ruby said. Neither Emma nor Killian had heard her come into the room.
She took the knife out of Emma's hand and pushed her toward the door. "Go into the living room. Nobody will interrupt you there." Emma tried to protest, but Ruby ignored her and continued to move her forward until she was out of the kitchen. Then she gestured for Killian to follow and removed the prop so that the swinging door closed behind them.
Realizing that she didn't have much of a choice, Emma led the way to the living room. She sat down on one end of the couch, and Killian took a seat on the edge of the recliner closest to her.
There was a long awkward silence, until Emma finally spoke.
"You were right, Killian. I did see you out on the patio, but I didn't want to interrupt your conversation, and…"
"Are you embarrassed for people to know that I'm your friend? Am I even that? Why are you making excuses, Emma?" he asked, and she could hear the sadness in his voice."
"You are my friend and I'm not embarrassed! But you haven't tried to contact me since we had lunch together."
"You didn't call me either," he shot back.
"I told you that I'm not comfortable making personal calls to patients…"
"I'm not your patient any more, Emma. I haven't been for some time now, so you can't really use that as a reason any more."
She didn't respond, so he continued. "I'm getting mixed signals here, Swan. You say you're my friend, but you completely ignored me earlier. Then you were upset when you thought I'd brought a date, but you won't tell me why. I thought we had a nice lunch together, and I'd like to have more times like that with you, but you seem to be uncomfortable with that idea. Am I...am I hoping for something that has no possibility of ever happening?" When she still didn't answer, he gestured toward the left side of his face and his prosthesis and asked, "Is it because...of this?"
"That's not it at all!" she exclaimed.
"Then why do you keep pulling away from me?" Now she could hear anger starting to creep into his voice.
Emma stood up and started to pace around the room. Killian gave her some time, as he could tell that she was trying to collect her thoughts.
Finally, she sat back down on the couch and made eye contact with him. "My birth parents left me at the entrance doors of a hospital when I was just a few days old. I spent the first ten years of my life being passed from home to home, staying just long enough to start getting attached to the foster parents and the other kids living there, before I'd get sent away again. When my parents adopted me, my mother and I formed a really close bond, but we only had a few years together before she died. I was just beginning to open my heart up to Neal when he was killed. So you see, I have trouble letting people get close to me because I'm afraid of getting hurt again."
Killian took a minute to absorb all that she had said, before he replied. "Believe it or not, I can empathize with you, Emma. My heart has taken a lot of hits too, with losing my parents, Liam and...other people that I loved. I know that it may be risky allowing people to get close, but I'm willing to take that chance if it means having you in my life."
Emma could see the sincerity in his eyes, and she wanted so badly to admit that she'd like the same thing, but she couldn't find the words. She stood up, crossed the room, took hold of his hand, and pulled him to his feet. They looked at each other for a few long moments, then finally she closed the gap between them, pushed herself up on her toes, and kissed him.
Killian's eyes widened in shock, before he relaxed, wrapped his arm around her waist, and let himself enjoy the feeling of having Emma Swan's lips sliding over his. It wasn't a deep kiss, just something soft and sweet, and it was over much too quickly for his liking.
She stepped away from him, licked her lips, and said simply, "Be patient."
"I've all the time in the world," he answered, still in slight disbelief.
"I think we'd better get back to the party."
"Aye."
He realized that she was still holding his hand and waited for her to pull it away, but she gripped it more tightly and started moving toward the kitchen with him in tow.
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Ruby had taken the cake out to the patio and helped Mary Margaret and David distribute it, before taking her own piece back into the kitchen to eat it. She was dying to know what was happening in the living room, but she couldn't hear anything over the music that was playing outside. She also didn't want to disrespect her friend's privacy.
After several minutes had passed, and unable to stand it any longer, she carefully pushed the door open a crack and saw Emma and Killian sharing a kiss. Slapping a hand over her mouth so she wouldn't squeal out loud, she hurried outside to find Mary Margaret. She had to tell her friend that Operation Help Emma Get Her Man was headed in the right direction.
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Emma and Killian found a note that Ruby had left on the kitchen counter telling them that their pieces of cake were in the freezer. She'd drawn two little hearts at the bottom of it, causing Emma to roll her eyes.
While she went to the freezer, Killian reached over to pick up two spoons and napkins. Then they carried their plates out to the patio.
Before they had time to find a seat, David came over to them. "Oh good! You're just in time. Mary Margaret is getting ready to read everyone a story."
"Right now?" Emma questioned. "But we were just about to sit down and eat our cake."
"This is a pretty important story," David emphasized.
"But…"
"Sh, sh, shush. It's storytime," Killian chuckled, catching onto the fact that they were about to find out the gender of the baby in Mary Margaret and David's own special way.
"Everyone gather around," they could hear the hostess say in her 'teacher voice'. "David and I have a book that we want to share with you."
She went to sit in a rocking chair on the edge of the concrete. When she saw Emma and Killian walking over together, she smiled, and turned to wink at Ruby.
The guests all brought chairs over or stood around on the soft grass in front of Mary Margaret. Emma found a spot on the picnic table bench, Killian sat down beside her, and they both started eating their cake while everyone else was getting settled. Seeing them sitting so close to each other put a huge grin on Ruby's face.
David stood behind his wife and reached around to hand her a rather thick, obviously homemade book. She showed everyone the title, which was Girl or Boy?" Opening the front cover, she began to read.
"Once upon a time…"
Killian looked at Emma and smiled softly. He liked the way this story was beginning...and the one Mary Margaret was reading too.
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