Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. And for the reviews, the follows and the nice messages. You guys are awesome. Hopefully I'll be able to get around to some of the prompts this week. It's crazy at work. Which is also the reason for the below chapter being so short. Hope you still enjoy it.
Stockings
Mary Margaret and Henry had picked up stockings and stocking decorating supplies at the store, and the whole Charming family, along with Killian, sat down after dinner one night to decorate. Obviously no one in this family truly thought Santa would be delivering gifts, but they'd all picked up little stocking stuffers for each other, and needed someplace to put them.
Emma had a lot of talents in life. Crafting was not one of them. She looked at the felt, pom poms, glitter glue and was at a loss of what to do. She'd managed to write her name in block letters across the top with the glitter glue, but figured maybe a minimalist stocking really would represent who she was. She sat and observed while her family laughed, chatted, and decorated.
Mary Margaret did have 28 years of teaching experience, and handily whipped up a cute stocking for herself, as well as one for baby Neal. David just decided it would be fun to play with abstract designs, covering his stocking in red, green, and gold glitter. At least it was festive he figured.
Killian and Henry on the other hand, were taking this very seriously. If Henry had gotten any skill at drawing, it was definitely coming from Neal's gene pool. His had a realistic Rudolph, complete with glittery red nose. Henry smiled, thinking that using this stocking in future years would remind him of his first Christmas with his mom, and 'Operation Rudolph.' Killian's stocking had a sailboat, decorated with bulbs and lights, sailing on a glittering blue sea. Emma was truly impressed with the amount of detail Killian had been able to get with one hand and glitter glue pens.
When Killian noticed Emma checking out his stocking, he leaned over her shoulder to take stock of her work and immediately took her stocking away from her.
"We can't have that sad looking thing hung up at the mantle year after year. Give it over and go away. You can see it when it's done."
Emma went into the kitchen to start the dishes, figuring she'd at least be useful. She loved listening to the rest of them talking, laughing and just being a family, and she loved how Killian fit right in.
Finally she was called over to see Killian's creation. Again, displaying special skills that one would never have expected from the pirate, the stocking was a masterpiece. Killian had drawn a cartoon (but not THE cartoon version, never THE cartoon version) of himself, along with a cartoon Emma kissing under a sprig of mistletoe. Off to the side behind them was a Christmas tree.
Emma pulled Killian over to the mistletoe and put her arms around his neck to kiss him. She loved the stocking.
"I love it. Thank you," she said, kissing him again as Henry and David both rolled their eyes and groaned.
Emma, with her arms still around Killian's neck, turned to her father. "Enjoy it while it lasts, Dad. Soon enough we'll be out of your hair, and you're going to miss being able to play the annoyed father."
"But I'm still going to have to see it," Henry interjected.
"Yeah, get used to it, kid. I like kissing your step-father. You can always just spend more time at Regina's," she joked.
It was the first time she'd referred to Killian as Henry's stepfather, and she marveled at how natural it sounded.
"Nevermind," was Henry's dismissive response. I'll stick with you guys. She and Robin are way worse."
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As Emma turned off the lights to go to bed that night, she took another look at the family's stockings. She hadn't before noticed it, but there was a tiny white swan swimming in the water by Killian's boat. She loved her pirate, and it was all the little things like this that let her know he loved her too.