Hey, thanks so much to everyone who so enthusiastically dived back into this story again - means a lot! Hope the joy of the season is already upon you! :)


She wraps her arms tighter around herself and jumps in place to get the blood flowing or whatever people hope for when they do that. Perhaps they hope to jump high enough that they never come back down and just orbit the cold earth from then on. Sounded plausible enough.

But, looking out at the Storybrooke harbor, Emma has to admit that she kinda gets what Killian sees in the place. When it's not trying to turn you into an icicle that is.

This is ridiculous. She knows enough about Storybrooke to find some hot cocoa, warm food and well, just warmth in general. So with one last semi-mournful, semi-accusatory look at Killian's house, she gets back in her bug and asks Henry how he feels about some grilled cheese.

/

Emma knows next to nothing about Storybrooke. Usually it's her complaining to Killian about the hustle and bustle of New York City and he either doesn't have a bad word to say about the sleepy town he spends most of his time in or he is way less of a whiner than Emma.

(It's probably the latter but she likes to reassure herself with the former.)

She knows nothing until the day of "The Big Skype Hijacking" as her son had dubbed it. Why? He had a lengthy explanation about the importance of title-picking for a budding author. She… does not entirely get it. Then again, maybe she is a bit prejudiced ever since "The Horrific Waffle Fiasco". The nerve on that kid, she swears.

It all starts with her getting home early and hearing Henry's laugher. The pros of having an 11-year-old include the fact that you are still not completely banned from the perimeter of their room but at the same time you have been made aware of what a privilege that is. And how soon it will be taken from you.

As it stands Henry's door is thrown wide open, probably thanks to the sneaker that is jammed half under it. A definite sign of the haste with which he threw himself on his bed. And the voice drifting from his laptop explains it all.

"Well, that is quite the fascinating story, lad. So now he is stuck with this little bird?"

"Yes, but he has no idea what to do with it. He says the thing is nocturnal and won't let him sleep!" Henry's merriment makes her mouth tick up in seconds.

Killian's deep laughter doesn't hurt either.

"And has your teacher actually been to see the poor creature? Or its poor besotted owner?"

"That's the thing – I don't knoooow! His "bird-induced insomnia" was the last we heard from David. You know, when he came by the school to drop off some textbooks we had left behind. I've never seen anyone look so happy about kids leaving their stuff all over."

"Hmmm. Well, this just won't do now, will it? We need more intel before we can proceed with any confidence."

"Well, I was thinking…"

Uh-oh. She knows that tone. Last time he heard that tone, they spent 3 hours in The Belle of Bookstores and came out carring so much shit Emma didn't have to workout for a week.

"Mhmmm…"

It seems like Killian has a sixth sense about "the tone" as well.

"Maybe you could convince mom that a pet is a good thing for a kid to have around. You know, a pre-teen thing. She is really into those recently."

"Right. And me, with all my expertise on pre-teens..."

"You write children's slash young adults slash anyone who has good taste books!"

"Flattery will get you nowhere, young man!"

"But it might get me a puppy!"

"I'm glad to see you think your mother so easily bought, kid," she finally joins in, leaning a hip on the doorjam and crossing her arms in her favourite 'I'm a single mom who takes no bullshit' pose.

"Oh. Hey, mom," Henry, on the other hand, has his own favourite 'I'm your little angel and you'll forgive me anything' face.

"Nonsense, Swan, the lad thinks your defenses so insurmountable that he felt the need to contract a professional tale spinner."

The laptop is angled so that she can't see Killian's face but Emma finds herself perfectly capable of envisioning his 'I'm so charming and suave, how can you resist me' grin.

Because it's 5pm and the universe is probably napping and so unable to conspire against her, Henry's phone rings not 10 minutes later and Emma has no qualms about settling herself on the floor beside his bed and dragging his laptop into her lap.

Hijack #1: Emma Swan taking over for Henry Swan

"Fancy seeing your face, love."

"Wish I could say the same but that light is really not doing you any favours."

She teases him because she can. Because they've established that "they definitely did not break up" three weeks ago and have talked every day since. She teases him because they are good. If she wasn't afraid that it might wake up the universe and jinx them all to hell, Emma would say that they are very good.

"Oy! No need to take me down quite so many notches, Swan. I believe this place was designed to flatter Ruby's pale complexion and no one else's."

It is so obvious that he is in a public place, a diner of sorts, with a vibe that's even familiar-ish. Which is why the slight note of irritation? warning? jealousy? in her tone is absolutely ridiculous and yet-

"Who's Ruby?"

"Oh. Have I not told you this?"

"Mmm, don't think so."

Yup, definitely irritated now.

"Remember where I had my signing in your fair New York?"

"Yeah, I seem to recall that place and event. I believe Henry made me check it on Google maps 4 times. 4 times. A bookshop that we had been to before! I'm surprised he didn't make me do a test drive before the signing to see how fast we get there."

"Right," he probably deserves some credit for swallowing his laughter but she sure isn't going to give it to him. "And you know Granny? From the diner across the bookstore?"

"I've only been addicted to her grilled cheese for like 2 years. 'Course I know Granny, Killian, would you get to the point already?"

"Bloody hell. Fine. Long story short – and trust me that's no small sacrifice for a writer – Granny used to run a diner in Storybrooke with her granddaughter Ruby. They were doing real well but then Ruby went off to model in New York so they decided to open a… a branch there. But then, one Christmas-"

"Wait, wait. I'm sorry, hold up and take in some air, I didn't mean get to the point that fast."

Killian, bless him, actually does need to suck in some air and she shakes her head in fond exasperation.

"So, let me see, if I'm getting this right. Granny, the same Granny who has been feeding me and Henry almost every weekend for years now, used to live in Storybrooke? You used to know each other?"

"That is correct. Is why I chose the bookstore across her charming establishment. And why she was the one keeping everyone there hydrated and nourished."

Emma snorts. She's hard pressed to define Granny's hot chocolate as hydrating. You can eat the thing with a spoon, it's so thick and creamy… Some days Emma thinks she'd rather part with a kidney than Granny's cocoa.

"Alright. Let's ignore how absolutely bizzare that coincidence is-"

"As I told you, lass, no coincidence at all. I very purposefully chose-"

"Right, right. I got it. But still. You know Granny! Our Granny!"

"Well, to be fair, Swan, she was my Granny first."

His grin is infuriating. And so is the way his hair falls across his forehead. And the light circling under his eyes. And the long eyelashes that swipe over it whenever he blinks at her. How can someone look so innocent and infuriating at the same time?

She knows Killian Jones is far far from innocent. And maybe it's because she knows his story that sometimes she just wants to reach through her laptop (or Henry's as the case may be) and brush his hair and wrap her arms around him and smother him with kisses. And that's just plain ridiculous so-

"Whatever. Why is she here and her granddaughter is in Storybrooke, if she was the one working in New York?"

The granddaughter is still… a question mark. An ex-model question mark.

"As I was just saying, one Christmas Ruby came back and after one too many holiday run-ins with a certain deputy, she never left. But the place in New York was literally ready to open and, if you know Granny, you know that woman never turns down a challenge, so… Granny is there, making sure you don't starve on your stakeouts and Ruby is here, bugging me closer and closer to an early grave. One mediocre cup of coffee at a time."

"I heard that, Jones!"

And Emma heard that.

"Granny's is a chain… Huh. I guess wonders do never cease…"

"Sorry, love, Regina seems to be calling me on here. I'll just give her a call instead and be right back."

And that's how it happens.

Hijack #2: Ruby Lucas taking over for Killian Jones

"Freaking finally! I thought I'd never get my chance."

Suddenly Emma's screen is filled with a whole lot of what she will soon know is Ruby Lucas.

"Hey?"

"Hi! I'm Ruby. And you must be the magical Emma!"

Emma sputters. It's not graceful and it's not pretty but at least she's not drinking anything.

The hell? What kind of things has Killian been saying about her?

"Excuse me?"

"Hmmm?"

"Magical Emma?"

"Oh. Sorry. That's just what I've been calling you in my head. Not like to Killian's face or anything."

The Ruby girl gets a thoughtful, borderline fiendish look on her face.

"Maybe I should. Can someone die from blushing?"

"Umm… I don't think so. Can we go back to how we've never met but you have like… a nickname for me?"

Eyes darting away just for a second, probably to check that Killian is still occupied with his manager, and Ruby fixes her with a serious look. It's like watching all the bubble exit a champagne bottle until all that's left is concentrated alcohol that can really do a number on your head.

"He's been back in Storybrooke for a few years now. But he's only been back for a couple of months."

"Oh."

"I don't know what kinda magic," Ruby scrunches up her unnecessary perfect nose and waves her hand in what Emma supposes illustrates magic. "you've been doing but just keep doing it, yeah?"

"I-"

"And that's how Jones ended with a drawn mustache and a perm!"

"Bloody hell, woman!"

"She needs to be warned."

"Get off. Off. Stay away from my computer and my- Off."

"Looovely to finally meet you, Emma!"

Ruby leaves with a wink and a wave and a generous view of her retreating back. Killian reemerges with the most sheepish look on his face and she smiles.

She doesn't call him her boyfriend either. The word feels so… foreign. She is not sure her mouth would know how to form the syllables.

But other parts of her anatomy are definitely beating out the rhythm.

"Bloody hell, why does Regina insist on skyping me?!"

Hijack #3: Roland Hood stealing the whole show

/

He can tell she is up to something. He knows his mom pretty well – has known her all his life, you might say.

She is great at fooling all her "targets" and depositing their asses in jail before they even realized what the hell is going on. She is not too bad at faking it with his teachers and the other parents at his school either. Expect her smile is always like… extra tight and fake-y around the other moms, especially the ones with such long nails that Henry is always a bit apprehensive about shaking hands with them – except they usually prefer to pat him on the head and squeeze him up with something like "poor sweetheart" which makes his mom look even more like an arrow drawn up and ready to fly off. Honestly, sometimes he doesn't get adults at all.

But he gets his mom and he knows she is up to something. It's just that… he is as well so he'll let it slide this one time.

Henry figured (and Killian reluctantly agreed) that just because they are not getting a pet, doesn't mean that Killian possibly can't. There is, of course, the small matter of him being in another state but somehow David doesn't think to ask after any whereabouts when Henry tells him he is picking a cat for his mom's boyfriend.

Killian asked for more intel before he agrees to tackle the Teacher-Pet case. He also vehemently protested naming it that but, for the life of him, Henry doesn't understand why – it is all about getting his teacher together with the pet shelter's owner. It is perfect and Killian is being silly.

It is fun really. To find out that Killian can be silly as well and get cranky when his coffee is "bollocks" (whatever that is, he isn't supposed to use it). He never really considered the fact that Killian Jones might be genius and talented and super awesome but also… silly. It's nice.

And because he has seen Killian in action – his mom told him all about Roland hijacking Regina's Skype and calling Killian non-stop for a full two hours before he was discovered – he knows that his matchmaking skills are the best money could buy – or, you know, puppy eyes since it's not like he has any money. He feels like he might be getting a bit old for that trick but it seems to work just as well on Killian as it always does on his mom and desperate times…

/

The idea pops into her head about an hour after "meeting" Ruby for the first time. And once there it's like that little piece of popcorn that's stuck to the roof of your mouth and keeps annoying you and you just can't get it off.

And then she goes to Granny's a couple of days later and the woman looks at her over her glasses and says she heard her granddaughter made her acquaintance. Says she heard someone else has been making her acquaintance as well. Emma is pretty sure that's not how you use that phrase but she is also too busy dumping half the cinnamon shaker in her cocoa and fleeing as if Granny had turned into a pack of wolves.

And then Ruby adds her on Facebook. And Emma eyes the request suspicious all Thursday and then she does the one thing Emma from like 4 months ago would probably gag at her doing. She asks Killian what he thinks. And frankly? Emma from like 4 months ago can suck it. Because she has someone whose opinion she values and respects and actually wants and she is OK with telling him that the brunette freaked her out a bit and eventually, after a couple of hours on the phone, she even tells him she was a bit "on the fence about this Ruby chic" when he first mentioned her and if his smirk is anything to go by, he knows exactly what that means but just shakes his head and says "Lucas is a pest. The big, fangy kind, not the kind you can swap away". And really in the end, Killian just tells her to go with her gut – Ruby is cool in his books, her grandmother probably saved him from being homeless both times he rolled into Storybrooke with nothing but the clothes on his back, an unfinished manuscript and a spectacular hangover. In the end, it's not about Killian telling her what to do at all, it's about her having someone to talk it out with and make up her mind. It's new. It's kinda wonderful.

And then Henry asks if he can invite Killian to his birthday. His birthday. In August. 5 months away.

And then because being his girlfriend or whatever (she still cannot say the thing with adding "whatever" after, she has tried) doesn't mean that she is not still a fan or whatever (that one is just a bit embarrassing – being a fan of your boyfriend… or whatever). So, yeah, she checks Killian Jones' blog, which he updates only every month or so but, yeah, she follows him on Instagram and she follows his blog and whatever, he follows her as well and once said something ridiculous along the lines of him being a fan of her, like every part of her or whatever, so yeah. It's fine.

But then she opens his blog, while on a ridiculously unproductive stakeout and she sees his last post from a couple of hours ago.

The wonder isn't that love find us, as strange and magical and mystical and wonderful and unbelievable as that feels.

The wonder is that even when we never find it, even when love waits in the wings of dream for too long, even when it doesn't knock on the door we've been staring as for years, or leave messages in bottles or on answering machines or on Facebook walls or in the bloody sand to be washed away by the waves of time, even when love doesn't put flowers in our hands or tears of incomparable joy or unimaginable heartbreak in our eyes… even then… so many of us never stop believing in love.

Imagine how lucky we are. To have such hope, such faith. And then, occasionally, when we are so very very lucky… such love.

She is doing it.