A/N: Hey all! So after an age and a day I am back with an update of 'Some Call It Magic,' and I could not be more excited. Just to warn you though, this chapter is going to be noticeably shorter than some past ones have been (think of it more as a half chapter) because I vastly underestimated just how little time I would have to write in this program. Nevertheless I couldn't pass up the chance to write some solid Christmas fluff post-engagement for CS and the whole gang in this story. Let me know what you all think, and as always thanks for reading!

The funny thing about being in love was that time seemed to fly so much faster. For years Emma felt that way, constantly musing about how Henry was growing at far too fast a pace, but this was all together different. It was like she blinked and suddenly it was Christmas Eve. Two weeks had come and gone since that lovely night when Killian proposed to her, but the days were slipping by so quickly and Emma could do nothing to slow it down. She was just along for the ride now, and despite how fast it was going, she had no regrets at all, not when each day she got to be with her kid and the man that she loved, taking the world on together.

It also didn't hurt that Emma was engaged to a man who brought thoughtful to the next level. Killian was so tuned in and always anticipating what might come next. The effect was a noticeable difference in Emma's quality of life. There was so much less stress, so many fewer burdens, and so many more smiles than there had been before. This was what true happiness felt like, and right at this moment it was made even more tantalizing by the fact that she and Killian were tucked away upstairs, lost in each other while the world went on without them downstairs.

Sneaking small spells of time away from the fray of the festivities was hardly a new thing for Emma and Killian. In truth, they always managed to find some time together no matter what the situation. Even on the most hectic of days, in the most chaotic of celebrations, a moment always came, and then usually another and another. Honestly Killian was really good at finding those quiet interludes, and Emma was pretty much helpless to do anything but soak them all in, lingering in the perfect little blips of bliss as long as she could.

And what bliss it was, being here, wrapped up in his arms, tasting him and the spike of that eggnog that he'd sipped only moments ago at the party downstairs. It was heady embrace; a rush fueled all the more by roaming hands, a heated hold, and the breathlessness of needing him and needing more. One second Emma had been stable and content, and the next she was revved up and keenly aware that this man was the key to so much pleasure and joy in her life. Killian was his own kind of magic, and Emma loved him for that more than she could say.

One touch was enough to spark that ever-present need, and in a flash Emma wanted to partake in all that they could share between them now given their location in the corner of their bedroom just inches away from that big, comfortable bed. But Emma was torn. Her baser urges told her to keep going and never stop until they were both sated and satisfied, but her heart told her patience was key. No matter how hard it might be to muster it in the haze of this kiss, she needed to summon the will power to wait so as not to miss any part of this perfect Christmas. Killian was a constant now, a part of her life that wasn't going anywhere, and she could be patient for the pay off later as long as she remembered that.

"Killian," Emma sighed before getting distracted as his kisses moved down to her neck, finding that spot that made her almost dizzy just below her ear. Her system was already wired in the direction of full blown lusting, but now her veins pulsed with added heat and she knew that Killian was fully aware of the total command he had over her body.

"Aye, love?" he asked, grinning against her skin as he did and making Emma's heart thrum a little faster with his self assured charm.

"We have guests, remember?" she croaked out, sounding like she'd been through the ringer thanks to all the sensations Killian was causing right now.

"Oh I remember," Killian acquiesced as he came back up to look at her, brushing her hair behind her ear as he took her in, tracing her every feature with this brilliant blue eyes of his. "But I'm only so strong, Swan, and you knew that the moment you chose this particular dress."

Emma smirked at that, knowing that he wasn't wrong. She had been a little bit wicked in selecting the crimson red getup this evening, and she'd even gone so far as to hold off on changing until right before people made their way here just to have that all too satisfactory moment of watching Killian's reaction. One moment he'd been with Henry arranging the last of the tinsel on the tree, and the next he was staring at her with a look caught between hunger and complete awe. It took everything in her not to blush at that longing stare, but she was no doubt rosy cheeked now as Killian continued to run his hands along her body in that electrifying way he was so good at.

"I didn't think twice when you said you'd change at the last minute. I assumed this was another of your brilliant insights: preserving the formalwear from a misplaced meatball or a runaway bit of ham," Killian said, making Emma laugh at his strange turns of phrase about dirtying an outfit. "But the second you came down those stairs I realized there was a very different intent at play in that beautiful brain of yours, Swan."

"You know some men would consider this a pretty decent present from their fiancé," Emma whispered and Killian growled low at that, the sound bringing goose bumps to Emma's skin as she shivered and bit her lip to keep from smiling.

"Aye, and I promise you I am even more susceptible to your gorgeous figure than all the rest, love. But the point of presents is to unwrap them…"

"This is one of those presents you have to wait to open," Emma said with a bit of breathiness in her tone that stood out with stark contrast from the guttural sound that slipped past Killian's lips as he kissed her again, distracting her fully from any type of resistance at all. Only when he pulled back and rested his forehead against hers did Emma stop to catch her breath or remember that they had other things to do.

"Just as long as I'm the one doing that unwrapping," Killian said and Emma shook her head as she laughed, promising this man who she loved that he was indeed the only one who had that privilege, and also that he was the only man who had her heart.

A few minutes later they made their way back downstairs, and the party was just as it had been, filled with all of their friends, their family, and the laughter and joy that made this time of year special. For years Emma dreamed of Christmases like this, and now she could say she was enjoying her best one yet. There was nothing she could wish for, nothing missing from this charmed kind of life she was living, and in her heart there was only an unyielding sense that she was finally where she'd dreamed of being for so long.

Emma wasn't alone in experiencing that joy either. It was clear to see on the faces of every person here tonight that this was a happy occasion, and that didn't just extend to people who called Storybrooke home. For tonight they had a special guest, a long time friend of Killian's named Will Scarlett who had taken the bus in all the way from New York to enjoy the holiday with Killian. It was a tradition for them, it seemed, with Liam being away so often and Killian having no other family to speak of, and as soon as Emma heard that she had done everything she could to make sure Will would be here and a part of this special night.

"And here I was worrying that my mate might have a rough go of it," Killian said at one point, whispering the observation in Emma's ear as they spied on Will across the dining room where he was currently talking to Belle with a look in his eyes that he was thoroughly and completely bewitched.

"Didn't think he could handle Storybrooke after all those years in the big bad city?" Emma joked and Killian turned his gaze to her and raised a brow as he replied.

"You joke, love, but the man is rather set in his ways. I once heard Will say he would rather be cast into the dark void of space than 'rough it' in the country."

Emma laughed at that, easily believing that Will would be capable of such an over-the-top statement. She had only known him a short time, but the personality he brought with him was loud and readily on display even as it was pleasing. It was also apparent from the very first second that Will had turned up in town that he and Killian were truly good friends. Their teasing and their jokes were dry, but there was a love there and an almost brotherhood that Emma could sense from the start.

"Technically this is the coast and not really the country per se," Emma offered, as she looked back at Will and Belle, delighting in the fact that the interest on display wasn't one sided. Will Scarlet might be a little more obvious in his initial affection, but Emma knew her friend well and that shy smile and the bit of air in Belle's voice was a dead giveaway that she was interested too.

"Perhaps, Swan, though I think we both know it doesn't matter where you are. When you find the right person, things find a way of working out."

Emma agreed with that whole heartedly, and she went to kiss Killian as a show of that agreement when their tiny bit of quiet was intruded on once more.

"You know how much I hate to break you two love birds up," Ruby said by way of introduction to the conversation, pulling an eye roll from Emma even as she smiled. "But I think the current situation calls for some commentary, I mean, Killian where have you been hiding this guy? We had to wait for Christmas to get Belle matched up? That hardly seems fair."

"My apologies, Ruby. I would have had him here sooner, but how was I to know the key to Storybrooke's matchmaking woes was me all this time?"

Killian's joke had Emma laughing hard. She had to hand it to him, Killian could always hold his own even with Ruby, and Emma could see from the spark in Ruby's eyes that she was amused too even as she huffed out a breath and leaned back into Graham who watched her with nothing but amusement.

"Well that should have been obvious. I mean you managed to woo the most cynical among us. If you could do that, you can do anything," Ruby said jokingly.

"She does have a point," Emma whispered and Killian grinned and pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

"Oh who cares how it happened?" Mary Margaret exclaimed with a dreamy sigh and happy tears in her eyes as she held tight to David's hand. "I'm just glad it finally did. The last one of us found their love."

"Okay, I'm sorry to cut in like this, but it's been all of an hour. You really think he's the one after so little time? How can you possibly know that?" Kristoff asked as Anna wacked at her husband's arm, like he was the crazy one to question instantly falling in love. Emma couldn't blame her either, especially after the way Kristoff had been so obvious about his crush on Anna from the very first moment they met.

"That's how it happens in this group, mate," Killian responded with a chuckle. "Or so I've been told. Then again perhaps Dave was just trying to make me feel better about my own swift fall."

"Nope, he was right," Elsa pronounced with a giggle as Liam pulled her back into her, murmuring his own words of love to her like it was the most natural thing in the world. "That's just how we are."

"All things considered I think it's a good way to be," Emma said resolutely, and they all agreed, nodding together before looking back at the couple before them who were completely oblivious that they were the subject of study for the entire party. Yet that quiet, thoughtful moment broke at the sound of Henry's voice.

"Uh oh, we've got trouble."

The words from her son, who had popped up just beside them all, pulled Emma out of her thoughts about how great things were progressing for Will and Belle, but when Emma's eyes followed Henry's line of sight, the problem before them clicked. It seemed that with this newfound spark there were some magical implications, and above Will and Belle right now there was a whole bushel of mistletoe appearing where none had been at all. It was also growing and growing at a rate that couldn't be explained away by anything, meaning that Will would notice and have questions as the sole person in the house right now who didn't know of magic.

"Not for long," Mary Margaret said, rolling up the sleeves of her blue sweater dress with purpose. "Ruby?"

"Right behind you boss," Emma's friend said before walking across the way with Mary Margaret to handle the situation. The two of them were fantastic too, thoroughly distracting Will and Belle from the outburst while getting in and out of there so quickly that there wasn't even a real interruption to the connection being formed. Instead Belle and Will managed to stay like that, chatting away and learning the tiny details of each other until the dinner was ready and everyone congregated around the big table set with the traditional fare.

Dinner was amazing, as Emma had come to expect all their holiday gatherings would be this year, and more than once she felt herself thanking whatever forces in the Universe had made this possible. Be it magic, or fate, or anything else, Emma was grateful that this was her life, that these were her friends, and that her family was together making new memories and reminiscing on the old. She was so pleased, in fact, that she didn't even mind when the dinner ended and Elsa and Anna pulled their usual routine of begging and pleading with the others to sing Christmas carols together. In the past, Emma had hesitated, but this year she didn't fight it. She sang the songs and kept on smiling all the while, until someone pointed out that a whole Christmas Eve had largely come and gone and there was no cocoa to be found. In the Swan household this was basically sacrilege, and as soon as Emma was reminded she popped up from her spot on the couch with Killian and Henry and went in search of their last missing piece of the evening. There was only one problem: it appeared that all of the cocoa in the house was completely gone, and even her back ups, and the back ups of her back ups had all run dry over the course of the past few weeks.

"I don't understand how this could have happened," Emma said, her brow furrowing as she ran through her mind how she could have been so foolish. Cocoa was practically her life source at this point, and here she was on the day when she could finally get everyone to partake with her and she was running low. It was a massive oversight and the first risk this night had in not turning out as wonderfully as she wanted it to for her kid. By this time all the stores would be closed, and Emma began to wonder if maybe her luck had run out for the day.

"Not to worry, Swan. I've reinforcements next door. Easily enough to handle the crew we have gathered here. Dave and I will go procure it and no one will go wanting."

Emma smiled at Killian, feeling that wave of relief he was so talented at bestowing as his words washed over her. She pulled him close and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, conscious of the fact that there were people all around, including her son, but knowing she couldn't resist just the smallest show of thanks.

"I love you," Emma whispered and Killian's eyes went molten, warming through and spreading all that warmth through her as well.

"And I you, Emma," he promised before turning towards David and nodding towards his house, departing to go save the day and bring back chocolatey goodness no one should go without during this time of year.

"I did pretty good, didn't I?" Henry asked from across the kitchen, drawing Emma's attention back to the room where now only she, Liam, and Henry remained. Liam laughed in surprise at Henry's decree, his brow rising in a way that reminded Emma immediately of Killian.

"Ah this was your doing, was it Henry? You're the orchestrator of this love story?"

"Well sure. They never would have gotten together if not for me," Henry said sounding so convinced Emma couldn't understand it. Maybe he really thought that rescuing Luna had set this all in motion, and it did, but there felt like there was more to the story, and more driving her son to feel so confident and self-impressed.

"I don't know about that, kid," Emma said as she put her hand on Henry's shoulder. "I like to think that I would have opened up. You know… eventually."

"Sure you would have, but I got him here, and if Killian never came to Storybrooke then none of this would have happened." Henry said causing only more confusion. Got him here? How had Henry possibly gotten Killian here?

"Henry, what are you saying?" Emma asked and Henry smiled, offering the intricate and wholly unexpected story to Emma without any thought of consequence.

The tale that came forth over the next few minutes stunned and astounded Emma. From what she understood Henry was in fact right. He was the reason Killian was here. A dream Henry had one night had started it all, setting a whole relationship into motion, and the mention of dreams reminded Emma of the ones she'd been having for months before Killian got here. It seemed for Henry though, the dreams were less romantic and more domestic. They were blurry at first like Emma's had been, but Henry said he'd wake up and know that the dream was good because they had found a missing piece in the puzzle of their family. That tid bit made Emma's heart clutch, and her smile turn upwards because she felt the same way, but the worry still lingered. This was so unexpected, and it was so unusual, Emma simply didn't know what to think.

"So what, you woke up one morning and you realized he'd be coming?" Emma asked and Henry shook his head.

"No. I woke up with a name and an address. So I wrote him and I told him to come. I figured that would be better than hopping on a bus and bringing him here. You probably wouldn't have liked that much, and I didn't really know what to say to someone who was technically a stranger but would one day be my stepdad."

Emma was flabbergasted and she didn't know what to say. Why hadn't Killian ever told her about how any of this? He'd gotten a letter from Henry and that was why he was here? Was there more to it? Was he under some kind of forgetting curse or something? Crap, did their magic even allow for things like forgetting curses? A thousand ridiculous questions swam through her mind and then she was reminded of the fact that she and her son weren't actually alone when Liam spoke up.

"You sent the postcard," Liam filled in with a smile and a shake of his head, like that was supposed to mean something to any of them. "Makes sense. My brother did wonder at the handwriting. No offense, lad."

"None taken," Henry said with a grin before looking back at Emma and taking on a look of concern. "Mom? Are you okay? You look a little pale."

"You sent a postcard?" she asked, her voice a little stilted and sounding like someone else had said it and not her.

"Yeah. One of the ones that Belle sells in her shop with a view of the ocean and the town all in one," Henry filled in, still clearly concerned for her.

"And this postcard… what exactly did it say?" Emma asked.

"Just the truth. I told Killian he'd find what he was looking for here in Storybrooke. Because he was, Mom. Killian was looking for us, even if he didn't know it."

"Indeed I was," Killian said, appearing in the doorway at that moment and Emma flicked her gaze to him, expecting that maybe he would be upset at having heard all of this, but he was the opposite. Instead he was looking at Henry with all the warmth he always had for her son, and then he turned to her and the look was charged, filled with the love and the intensity they always had packed into one beautiful, freeing feeling. "And words can't say how glad I am to have found you both. Or perhaps to have been found as it were."

Words escaped Emma in this moment, and she felt like a vice was closing on her throat. Seconds ago there was so much worry and a rush of the old fears she'd carried around before, but they couldn't last, not when they were up against a look of love from Killian that eradicated all shadow of a doubt. She had no choice but to smile back at him and let the warmth he embodied seep into her, and then her heart melted all the more as Killian's attention turned back to Henry and he moved down to look her son in the eyes on his level.

"I knew from the start that you were something special, lad, but I'll never have the means to thank you enough for what you've done. Bringing me here… it's the best gift anyone could have given me. Everything I have I owe to finding you and your Mum."

Henry's response was to launch himself at Killian for a big hug and that was it. Emma would bet there wasn't a dry eye in that room, but she herself was blinking back tears so as not to lose sight of the two most important people in her world. Then the two of them looked over at her and both grinned, assuring Emma that this was real and that everything was still as good as she'd grown accustomed to since finding love.

"Hey look at that! You fixed Mom. She's not so pale anymore," Henry said as he moved over to Emma and she ruffled her son's hair affectionately as she coughed out a laugh at his teasing.

"There was nothing needing fixing," Killian said as he came to take Emma's hand in his, using his other hand to pat Henry's shoulder. "She's always been perfect just as she is."

"I love you," Emma said as she kept Killian's gaze and then turned to her son. "I love both of you, so much."

"And we love you too, Mom. We're a family, remember?"

"Yeah, kid," Emma said softly as she squeezed Killian's hand. "I remember."

"Okay, I know I say this every time, but they're just so cute," Mary Margaret said with a weepy tone from across the room that made Emma, Killian, and Henry all laugh. The commentary proved a good reminder that there was still a party going on and Henry broke off then to get in the assembly line with Elsa and Liam for making everyone their cocoa. Meanwhile Emma stayed back with Killian, tarrying a little while longer in these happy feelings, and looking back up at him to find his eyes had been on her all the while.

"How is it that nothing ever shakes you?" Emma whispered then, asking a question she already knew the answer to, but longing to hear it all the same.

"It's just as I said, love," Killian replied as he brought her hand up to kiss with the slightest of brushes. "When you find the right person, things have a way of working out."

And with that final promise, another stolen kiss, and a round of 'awws' and 'get a rooms' from their friends and family around them, the night continued on. The cocoa was consumed, the merriment continued, and a perfect Christmas was had by all with no more secrets left between them and no worries anywhere in sight on the horizon ahead.

Post-Note: So a lot of you lovely readers guessed even in the first few chapters that Henry had been the mastermind behind this introduction. I mean it was kind of obvious, right? But I always knew that reveal had to come, and that when it did there would be worry on Emma's part but not real panic. After all, the story is past that point, what with all the happiness and true love and Christmas cheer I've packed into it. Anyway, I really hope that you guys enjoyed, and to those of you who have reached out or commented in the months that I've had this on the back burner I thank you! I am so happy at the continued excitement for this story and all the fun it's brought me. We're largely at the end of the story at this point too, but no worries I have some epilogues thought up (including a wedding of course) that I am hoping I can get written during my winter break. But in the mean time I hope you are all doing well, I hope you're enjoying the holiday season, and thank you all again for being so fantastic!