Thank you so much for all the positive reviews, it really means a lot to me that you like this story whether it's angsty or fluffy.
Emma spends the rest of her vacation at Killian's house in order to avoid Neal and play with Daisy. It snows again and after initial apprehension, the puppy grows to like playing in the snow and Killian makes sure to describe all Daisy's antics to Emma in detail, and in one memorable occasion they have a snowball fight while Daisy huddles on the porch.
On New Year's Eve they fall asleep on the couch before midnight and wake up around 2 a.m., hungry for each other and desperate for release, but Emma insists they go to bed because it feels awkward with Daisy watching, at which Killian chuckles and throws her over his shoulder, carrying her off while she clings to his shirt for dear life.
"Do you want me to sleep over and drive you to work tomorrow?" Killian asks on Sunday evening, his hand cupping her cheek and tilting her face up to his, and even though she absolutely doesn't want to take the chance of running into Neal alone, she knows that she's going to have to face him sooner or later before that part of her past is finally laid to rest.
"I'll be fine", Emma tells him but she doesn't sound very convincing, and Killian keeps standing in front of her, smoothing his thumb over her cheek and quietly waiting to see if she's going to change her mind. "Make sure you bring Daisy to the shop with you tomorrow."
"We'll see you around four, then", Killian says and brushes his lips against hers, then kisses her firmer before he shrugs on his jacket and whistles for Daisy. "Time to go, little rascal."
Daisy pads from the living room and nudges Emma's leg, begging to be petted, and Emma obliges her before seeing them both out and giving Killian one more goodbye kiss.
She doesn't sleep well that night, used to the warmth of Killian's body curled around hers, and it's a little scary how easy it was to get used to it; they've spent an entire week together and it was more pleasant than Emma ever could have imagined it would be.
All the way to work Emma is apprehensive, bracing herself for the sound of Neal's voice, but she reaches Killian's shop without any unpleasant surprises along the way, gives him a kiss and continues on to work, breathing a sigh of relief when she walks into the City Hall.
Since Elsa is on vacation, Emma has the office all to herself and nothing much to do, so she spends the day texting Killian and chatting to her mother on the phone, who asks her almost timidly if she would mind her and David moving to the city permanently.
"You would really do that?" Emma asks, completely thrown because she had expected her parents to return back East in a few weeks at most.
"It doesn't matter where we live, Emma, as long as it's near you", Mary Margaret says and Emma blinks furiously, squeezing the phone tightly in her hand.
"Okay", Emma says softly and quickly finishes the call, wiping at her eyes and taking a deep, calming breath.
She feels so loved, but at the same time she hurts because she could've had this from the start if only the circumstances were different.
Emma is still thinking about her parents and the fact that they are willing to uproot their life for her as she walks home, so it takes her a while to register Neal's voice when he calls her name, running to catch up.
"Emma, wait! We need to talk!"
"I'm not interested", she says and lengthens her steps a little because Killian's shop is just around the corner and she can't reach it soon enough.
"Please", Neal says and Emma feels herself slowing down, the pull of his voice still strong despite everything that has happened.
"What do you want?" She asks sharply, prepared to scoff at big declarations of love and pleads to take him back.
"My fiancée thought that I should apologize to you so we can start our marriage unburdened by the crap from the past", Neal tells her and Emma can't believe her ears.
"Crap from the past?!" She exclaims and fights the very acute urge to attempt slapping him even though she might miss his face. "You ruined my life and now you want to apologize and ease your guilty conscience?"
"Hey! If I had known you were pregnant I would've stuck around!"
"You're disgusting", Emma says, her voice like ice, and starts walking away, but she doesn't go far before his hand wraps around her arm and halts her progress.
"I was young and I got scared, so I ran."
"I was young too. You were a coward who never took any responsibility for your actions", Emma tells him and it feels good to be able to finally say it.
"Well I'm taking responsibility now."
"It's too little and too late", Emma says and wrenches her arm from his hold. "Stop stalking me and have a nice life."
To her surprise, Neal doesn't follow her and she walks away with her head held high, slightly shaky but glad that it's all over.
As soon as she opens the door of the flower shop Killian is by her side, telling her that she looks pale and leading her into the back room where he makes her coffee, and she takes the first sip before she realizes that he didn't have a coffee machine when she was here the last time.
"You like coffee", he tells her when she asks him about it, as if the simple fact that she enjoys coffee more than tea is enough explanation for him getting a coffee machine into this already over-crowded room. "Did Neal bother you again?"
"He apologized and we're done for good now", Emma says, reaching out her hand and finding Killian's fake one after a little fumbling, but she doesn't let go even when he covers hers with his real one.
"I should've waited for you after work."
"You can't protect me from everything, Killian", Emma tells him mildly and stands up to give him a kiss, inhaling the scent of his skin and feeling herself relax into his embrace.
"I can bloody well try", he says and she smiles against his mouth, then kisses him once more, her fingertips whispering against the scruff on his cheeks.
Killian's phone rings when he's just about to tie a ribbon around the bouquet that's supposed to be done in fifteen minutes, but when he sees it's Emma calling he doesn't even hesitate dropping everything and picking up.
"Hello, love."
"Mom wants us to have dinner with her and dad because he's leaving again tomorrow", Emma says without preamble and Killian closes his eyes to avoid looking at the list of all the arrangements he's supposed to have ready by Saturday. "We should pick them up at their hotel around 7 o'clock so-"
"Swan, I can't go with you", Killian cuts her off and rests his forehead against the edge of the table, feeling awful for letting her down like this.
"You can't?"
"I'm behind for Saturday. I was going to persuade you to stay and help me after work, and even then I don't know if I'll be able to finish in time."
"Oh", Emma says in a small voice, then clears her throat and assures him that it's alright.
"You know I would love to come, but I really need to do this", Killian tells her and even though it appears she understands, he feels unsettled.
And quite a lot guilty.
Still, Emma pops in after work to assure him that she's not mad, standing up on tiptoes and giving him a sweet but quick kiss before she pets Daisy and takes herself off because she wants to have a bath and curl her hair for tonight.
It's mighty difficult concentrating on work after that, and he's so distracted that he doesn't even notice Will coming in until Daisy starts yipping at him.
"Shhh, he's not going to hurt you."
"Emma told Elsa that you need help with the order and Elsa said I had to be the one to rescue you", Will says and Killian arches a brow, biting back the urge to tease him because he really does need help. "If you say she's got me wrapped around her finger, I'm walking out."
"I didn't say anything", Killian tells him and points at the big arrangement on the spare table. "I need to make ten more like that."
"We'll be done before you know it", Will assures him but half an hour later he's cursing to himself and rolling his eyes heavenward because he's much better at growing flowers and delivering them than making arrangements.
"You're rubbish at this", Killian tells him and grins when Will glares daggers at him, then hastens to tell him that he appreciates the help. "Such as it is."
"You are an awful friend", Will tells him and triumphantly ties off the ribbon he'd been wrestling with for the last ten minutes.
"You are a great one, so it all evens out in the middle."
"I'm not sure that's how it works, but I owe you for getting me back into Elsa's good graces, so I shall forgive you."
"How magnanimous of you", Killian chuckles and ducks when Will throws a rose at him. "Hey!"
"That'll teach you", Will says and they continue working for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, and after it's done Killian buys him a few rounds in pub so it's nearing midnight when he finally manages to reach Emma's door.
"Who is it?" She asks after he had almost given up hope that she would open and he thinks to himself that they should devise some way of him ringing the bell that would let her know it's him without needing to ask.
"Killian."
"I didn't think you'd come over tonight. Glad that you did, though", Emma says once she opens the door and kneels to pet Daisy, then holds out her hand for the flower she knows Killian had brought her. "Ooh, it's a pot."
She's wearing her pajamas and she looks absolutely delectable.
"White and pink petunias", Killian tells her and closes the door, watching Emma touch the petals and starting to shrug out of his jacket before he remembers that he can't spend the night because he needs to go home and get some flowers from the hothouse for tomorrow.
"This place must look like a jungle by now", Emma tells him and picks up the pot, then walks ahead of him carefully so as not to trip over Daisy.
"How was dinner?" Killian asks and doesn't even attempt to carry the flowers because he knows Emma would insist on finding a place for them on her own.
Fiercely independent whenever possible, his lass is.
"Mom wants to have the wedding back East", Emma announces and sets the pot down in the corner, then turns around and hesitates, listening intently because she doesn't know where he is anymore. "Marco."
"Polo. Your parents' friends are all there", he says and she walks into his arms, then frowns when she realizes that he's still wearing his jacket.
"You're not sleeping over?"
"I need to bring orchids tomorrow morning", Killian says and sighs when Emma slides her fingers under the hem of his shirt and pulls him closer.
"You could go get them in the morning before work", she tells him and slowly licks her lips, her green eyes flashing with mischief.
"Swan…"
"You know you want to stay", Emma tells him and kisses his jaw, then slowly slides the jacket off his shoulders. "You missed dinner and I missed you."
"You are a siren", Killian says and kisses her, then allows her to lead him to her bedroom where she takes out pajama bottoms she'd bought him and a t-shirt he'd left the last time he'd slept over.
"Don't be long", Emma tells him and gives him a gentle shove toward the bathroom before getting under the covers on the side of the bed he'd come to consider hers.
By the time he returns, Emma is already asleep, but Killian doesn't regret his decision of staying over even though he feels so tired he knows he won't be able to keep his eyes opened for more than a few minutes.
"Good night, love", he says and slides his bad arm underneath Emma, smiling when she rolls over and buries her face against his chest.
Who cares about getting eight hours of sleep when you can wake up with Emma Swan sleeping on top of you after just six?
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