Chapter Five - 62 Days left
"Happy birthday dear Robin, happy birthday to you!" Regina covered the singular candle embedded into the chocolate cupcake as to prevent the summer gust from blowing it out.
Emma, Regina and Killian all sat around the grinning man as they sang praises to his 27th birthday. God, Emma hated to sing this stupid song but the way Robin was grinning at them didn't make it the worse experience of her life. The one thing that slightly irked her was the melodious sound of the Englishman to her left. Of fucking course he had a beautiful voice too. His large, tanned hand scratched at his inky black hair, as he looked somewhat embarrassed.
The summer sun had tanned his pale European skin into a nice golden hue, lightening the dark hairs around his hairline. His crystal clear eyes seeming even deeper in the setting light.
It was a Saturday, the girls' day off after a long workweek, but somehow they still found themselves by the Plaza pool.
It had been about a month since the girls arrived in California and Emma would be the first to admit that it wasn't so bad. Ruby had turned into a genuine friend and even Mr. Gold wasn't as much of a hardass as he liked to think, though he still had no helpful information about Jones and Locksley.
They had also been spending a lot of quality time with Killian and Robin. At first, the girls kept their distance as to gain their trust. They did not want to come off as crazed fangirls or gold diggers. They needed the friendship to grow naturally before they could really commence Operation Boy Toy. But both Robin and Killian were intrigued by the girls and could not keep away. Like clockwork, the boys would show up poolside at 11am, join the girls for their lunch break at noon at a nearby café or in the empty bar and then stayed another 30 minutes afterwards.
Emma didn't know what to think of the daily routine but Regina was soaking it in. It was painfully obvious that there was something going on between her cousin and the Locksley heir but Emma had yet to gather much proof. Fleeting glances and chaste brushes of skin were the extent of their relationship. As far as she knew, it was just a mutual crush. She could read Regina better than anyone else and she could always tell when there were feelings for a new man in her life. But she could also tell when she…acted on those feelings and that indicator had yet to present itself, thank god. The last thing they needed was Regina getting attached. She was a serial heartbreaker and when Robin found out who she actually was, the less attached he got the more intact his heart would be.
"So what do you want to do tonight?" Regina sat crisscross at the end of his chair, his bare feet barely grazing her golden skin. Emma lay on the chair next to them as Killian spread out on the ground between the chairs. They had spent most of the morning and into the afternoon at the beach playing volleyball, swimming in the ocean and just sun bathing. It had really been relaxing. Now they were back at the Plaza's pool and the sun was slowly setting behind the tall palm trees.
With a yawn from Robin, Emma feared that her and Regina's plan for tonight would go astray.
"Nap first, Jolly Roger later." The answer was simple as Robin stretched his long, lean body on the chair, playfully pushing Regina with his feet to where she almost fell off the end. As the darker girl giggled and shoved him back Emma couldn't help but smile at her cousin's flirty banter with the attractive man. But that was as far as Emma would like their relationship to go.
"So are we clear about the plan?" Emma asked, concern knitted her blonde brows.
Regina only rolled her chocolate eyes dramatically, "Do I look like an idiot Em? We get Robin rip roaring drunk, me and Killian take care of him back in their suite and you snoop through their stuff for any dirt. Simple."
Emma could only hope so. Instead of thinking of all the possible outcomes tonight could bring—Killian catching her, awkwardness, calling security, embarrassing her family—Emma tried to focus on getting ready.
Having washed off all the sand and sunscreen that lingered from their beach day, Emma stood in front of the small closet surveying her outfit choices. She settled for a white silk Theory sleeveless top that hung flatteringly off of her slim frame. Tucking the hem into a cardinal red Diane von Furstenburg mini skirt that hugged her form snugly, she finished the look with a 7 For All Mankind light washed, denim jacket. The jacket was worn and comfortable having more of a classic leather jacket cut.
Deciding to wear her long blonde tresses straight down her back, she finger combed the large amount of fringe covering her forehead from her side part. Her face was a flawless shade of warm beige as she perfected the black liner around her emerald gems. Classically beautiful and satisfied with her appearance she turned to her cousin who was just stepping out of their bathroom.
Regina wore an adorable cotton spandex dress. The top, black and white stripped portion was tight and off the shoulders, flashing the world her perfectly golden collarbones. At her natural waist the dress flowed out delicacy in solid black giving her an air of France in the 1970s.
Her long dark brown hair sat in an artfully messy bun at the back of her head, pulled away from her face. Her deep chocolate eyes seemed almost auburn thanks to her darkening tan and the hints of dark maroons and golds that lined her lids.
As the brunette dabbed a spot of perfume on the sides of her neck and insides of her wrist she smiled wickedly at Emma, "Ready, love?"
"Oh bite me."
Making their way to the elevator and down into the lobby, Emma could hear the shallow breaths of her cousin. Her tanned fingers wrung at her black skirt nervously. As the thick metal doors opened they reveal the backs of two figures standing in the middle of the marble floor. When the audible 'ding' from above them sounded that they had arrived on the ground level, Emma heard Regina's breath catch. Following her cousin's gaze to the lighter haired man, Emma eyed his form appraisingly.
A simple white cotton, Henley shirt could be seen under his stone washed, gray blazer. The top two bottoms left open to expose the slightest bit of tanned chest. Navy Dockers covered his thick legs, congac loafers covering his feet. The outfit was completed by a powder blue pocket square hanging perfectly out of his breast pocket. Regina visibly relaxed, Emma giving credit to the bright white smile that graced the rugged face of Robin.
God she was royally screwed.
Inwardly tensing at the thought of Regina actually falling for the Locksley boy, she moved her eyes to the second figure, he was hanging back waiting for her to approach him.
His athletic legs were adorned by dark washed Citizens for Humanity straight-legged jeans, a soft blue Calvin Klein dress shirt tucked into them. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows, flexing over the taut muscles. Over top of the shirt was a fitted taupe suit vest that perfected the attire. His ebony hair was pushed to the side, small stands falling over his forehead and into his eyes. His stupidly blue eyes. She cursed him silently.
"Milady," he greeted with a formal bow.
"Jones." She returned, "Really? With the gentlemanly act?"
Standing upright again, Killian ventured a step towards her, "Miss Swan I must assure you I am always a gentleman." he paused as he examined her form unapologetically, "Except when I'm not."
The implication sent sharp needles down her back. Goosebumps covered her legs as she felt the heat radiating off of his form. Why was it so damn hot in here all of the sudden?
Even after a month of these flirtatious gabs, Emma was still affected as if she were sixteen again. But she wasn't sixteen, she was a woman. A woman with control…and…needs.
Fuck. No.
She was pathetic. Here she was worrying about Regina and Robin when she had bigger things to concern herself with. Like the dashing man in front of her that electrified her skin. How could he do that without even touching her? She blamed her damned hormones. It had been years since she had that itch…scratched. And Neal Cassidy was not the most…attentive lover. But she was young and naïve and didn't know any better. Like the tale tell signs of being cheated on.
But now…
No.
Not thinking clearly enough to retort his brazen comment, Emma only turned to the couple conversing lowly behind her. Catching Regina fingering Robin's pocket square just before she dropped her hand quickly in guilt.
"Shall we?"
"Swiiiiing looooow, sweeeet chaaar-ri-ot!" Standing around a tall table, the four looked like absolute bafoons. And not a single one of them cared. The men had introduced an old English drinking game to them and they were in the process of finding the next loser. It consisted of singing this ridiculous song while matching the words with obscene hand gestures. Regina couldn't even sing the words anymore she was laughing so hard but her hands continued to move, matching those around her. Next round was on whoever couldn't keep up.
"Oh bullocks!" Robin cried as his hands went up as everyone else's went down. His three companions cheered and high fived in celebration as he continued to curse his way to the bar for more pitchers. The four were sticking with beer tonight, besides of course the two or three shots of Jager they insisted Robin take for his birthday.
After another hour of more random drinking games the four were piling into an Uber and making their way back to the Plaza. Just as planned, Robin was dispersing his weight between both Regina and Killian. Emma was entrusted with the room key.
"Come on ya bloody tosser." Killian's voice was thick with his native accent, he himself slurring his words.
"Sssod off ya wanker." Was the slow response from the inebriated birthday boy hanging off of him.
After a few more British insults the four were inside the suite. Not having the time to look around and appreciate the architecture of the room Emma deliberately hung back from the other three as they sloppily made their way towards Robin's room. Now was her chance. She didn't know how much time she had but she had faith in Regina to keep Killian busy.
She didn't know where to start. She guessed Killian's room would be as good a place as any. Silently pushing open the thick double doors, she decided against flicking on the bedroom lights, using the flashlight app on her phone instead. Although the small light gave her little visibility, her senses were in overdrive. She could still feel the alcohol coursing through her veins, agitating her paranoia. The initial gust of air that hit her face cooled her roasting body. It smelled of sandalwood and pine with the slightest hint of sea salt, a scent she had caught whiffs of before on a certain blue-eyed devil.
The sound of Robin laughing jolted her back to her task at hand. She needed to move. Stepping slowly through the room Emma couldn't help but notice how neat it was. Nothing was cluttered or out of place. As she continued farther into the large quarters, a laptop caught her eye. It was shut closed on the sizeable desk in the corner of the room.
As she lifted the top to reveal the screen she prayed there wouldn't be a password.
Damn it.
Who was she kidding? Why wouldn't Killian have a password on his laptop? She had no idea what to do now.
Password123
Unsurprised by the 'incorrect password' box that popped up on the screen Emma rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. Well it was worth a shot. Closing the laptop back to its original position she decided to snoop through the rest of the desk.
Nothing. Nothing. Bible. Noth-hey!
A small black box the size of a deck of cards sat at the back of the bottom drawer. Examining it, she realized it was an external hard drive. Searching her mind she tried to come up with the high-end brands of hard drives that had password prompts on their start up menu. This one didn't match any of the known brands in her head but she was no tech genius. It was obvious Killian could afford the best of the best so there was only one way to find out if it was password protected. Jotting down a mental note in the back of her head, she put the hard drive back, closed the drawer and moved to the rest of the room.
It felt oddly personal going through Killian's belongings. She didn't know much about the man but this was like seeing the messy studio of where a masterpiece was created. From the quick peruse through his closet and bathroom the only information she gathered was he had impeccable taste and healthy hygiene habits, nothing that would help her or Regina. The computer and hard drive were her best bets.
Venturing back into the shared living area, Emma tried to imagine where the suite's safe was kept. She knew each room had one but Killian's closet was void of it. She feared it might be in the bottom of Robin's closet because that was out the question.
That's when she noticed a particular piece of artwork hanging from the west wall. It was large and elegant, matching the room's décor perfectly. But it was the frame that caught her eye. Why was it so…thick? Walking towards the painting, Emma instinctively looked over her shoulder to ensure she was still alone. Low voices could still be heard across the hall in Robin's room.
Reaching out for the frame, Emma tried to move it side to side to see if it was indeed hanging freely on the wall. When it strongly staying in place she knew she had it. Instead of side to side, she pulled the bottom corners toward herself. The right side gave way and the painting folded off the wall like a book cover. Behind the thick frame was a black metal safe about two feet wide. It was essentially the same as the safe in her and Regina's room, which was a good sign.
Knowing she wasn't going to be cracking any codes tonight, Emma stealthily returned the frame to its original position and made her way to the gourmet kitchen. The white marble courter tops were a nice touch but, honestly, how many penthouse guests were cooking for themselves?
Letting her mind wander aimlessly, Emma slowly sipped the glass of water she had gathered for herself. After a few moments Emma hears Regina sneeze twice in a row—the signal that someone was coming out of Robin's room. Relaxing because she had completed her mission with time to spare, the blonde just reclined further against the fancy counter.
"Swan." She had become accustomed to him calling her that. "Jones." She returned warily.
"What are you doing out here, lass?" his accent was still abnormally thick but she could tell it was now from sleepiness and not from inebriation.
"Just waiting for Regina to be done with the birthday boy."
Killian gave her a tired smirk and scratch his chest. His taupe vest was unbuttoned long ago along with the top few buttons of his blue dress shirt. His hair was messily mused and hanging more into his eyes. "You might be a while then. Those two…" he trailed off, giving Emma a sinking feeling.
"What?" She swore if those two were having drunken sex in that room she would burst in and stop them herself.
Catching her venomous tone, Killian's eyebrows shot up and he lifted his hands in defense, "No, no, no. Not that. Those two sods couldn't stop laughing at each other and my head couldn't take it anymore."
Watching as Emma visibly settled her distressed shoulders, he spoke again, this time softer, "But you shouldn't be worried. Robin is a git but he is a gentleman. Your cousin has stirred something inside of him and he is utterly bewitched by her."
That's what she was afraid of.
Still silent, Killian continued, "It seems you have an issue with trust Swan." The slightest twitch in her cheek gave Killian the answer he already knew to be true. This time he stayed quiet to give her time to respond.
She could have held her silence a little longer if his fiery gaze wasn't boring into her soul. "What do you know about it Jones?" her voice held far more bitterness than she had hoped for.
"You're afraid. Afraid to talk, to reveal yourself, to trust people. Life will be a lot smoother if you do."
"Not use to people not trusting you Jones?"
"Its fine, I don't need you to share. You're something of an open book."
"Please." Searching his eyes for what he meant, Emma turned away when he ventured farther into the kitchen.
"Let's see, you clearly have a good relationship with Regina and even Miss Lucas downstairs. She was a stranger at first so your issue is not with women." He paused thoughtfully, "But you watch Robin like a hawk whenever he is near Regina. That look in your eyes, you don't want her to get hurt…like you once were."
Sighing, Emma crossed her denim clad arms over her chest, "Awfully perceptive aren't we?"
"Like I said, an open book." His piercing gaze soften into a sweet azure and Emma no longer felt like he was trying to read her mind. "We all have our demons Swan, but if you let them win you won't ever find what you're looking for."
"And what, pray tell, is that?"
"Isn't it obvious? What we are all looking for—a happy ending." The simple words held so much meaning as once again his blue eyes burned hot on her face.
Her heart leapt into her throat as she felt frozen on her spot.
At that instant, a giggling Regina emerged from behind Robin's bedroom door. Turning her hazed attention to her cousin she heard his low voice as he retreated, "Goodnight Emma." Just as she registered what he said, this bedroom door was already closing.
"Goodnight Killian."
AN: If you want to see a poor quality video of the song they were singing follow the link. The video is not mine and the changing orientation may give you a headache.
Swing Low Sweet Chariot watch?v=fu2oAKBBn9k