Chapter 2: Walking in a Winter Wonderland

"Looks like your boyfriend learned about Christmas," David said dryly as he pushed open the sheriff's station door.

Emma elbowed her way past her father to have a look and then barked out a laugh. A veritable forest of mistletoe hung above her desk and chair. David was right; it couldn't be the work of anyone but her adorable idiot of a pirate.

"Although if he really wanted to get you to kiss him," David continued, draping his winter coat over the back of his own chair, "he would have hung it inside one of the jail cells. We left the station locked when we went on rounds, so I'm pretty sure this qualifies as breaking and entering."

Emma grinned. "Cut him some slack, Dad. There are far, far worse things he could have done, don't you think?"

"That depends," David replied with a frown.

"Yeah? On what?"

"Whether or not he makes use of the mistletoe when I'm around."

Emma laughed again, still amazed at the happiness that was her life at the moment. Seriously, who would have thought that Emma Swan, the unloved, unwanted orphan would one day have to deal with an overzealous pirate boyfriend and an overprotective father?

"I'll make him behave," Emma promised. "At least while you're around."

David grimaced. "You had to tack on that last part?"

"Yep," Emma replied, taking a seat. "Deal with it Dad; your little girl's dating a pirate. Bound to be some…um…misbehavior. Probably on both our parts."

David groaned.

Her dad put up a good show, but Emma knew that's all it was—a show. The bromance was strong with these two. Emma didn't know who was happier that her relationship with Killian was still going strong, her or her dad.

A month had passed since Gold's sorcerer's hat stunt, and they were all still reeling from it to various extents. She'd had nightmares about it every night for a solid two weeks following the incident. Nightmares where they didn't make it in time. Nightmares where she, her mom and Belle arrived at the clock tower a moment after Gold had finished crushing Killian's heart into a fine powder. She'd woken up shaking and bathed in sweat.

If Gold had succeeded…she couldn't even bring herself to finish the sentence. The very thought scared her more than anything in her life had ever scared her.

It was in that moment when she was frozen in place, helpless to protect Killian, that she gave up the last bit of pretense. She loved him; there was no denying it. Just the sight of him was enough to make the butterflies to start tap dancing in her stomach.

"What do you think of my first attempt at decorating for the season?"

Speak of the devil.

Killian strode in with the confidence (and looks) of a fashion model. He leaned down, brushed a kiss against her cheek and then straightened with the grin she'd come to learn meant trouble.

"Not bad," she said, "but you know people usually just hang one sprig of mistletoe, not a whole garden."

He tsked, and frowned at her playfully. "And where would be the fun in that? I'd prefer to increase my chances of finding myself under it with a fetching lass rather than limit them."

He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her. "Speaking of which, it appears you and I are currently standing beneath a particularly hearty specimen. Holiday traditions must be observed, darling. Good form and all."

She grinned and looped her arms around his neck. "So what are you waiting for?"

His smile turned distinctly wicked. "Not a thing in the world, love."

A wildfire raged between them at the first touch of his lips to hers. It was always like this between them; like someone had tossed a lit match on a mountain of dry kindling. Emma tilted her head, instantly deepening the kiss, reveling in the feel of his hand in her hair anchoring her to him, his hook at her back urging her closer.

David cleared his throat. Loudly. Whatever adjectives could be used to describe her father, "subtle" was not one of them. Emma pulled away with an apologetic look at her boyfriend, then turned to face her dad. Killian reached down and laced his fingers with hers.

"You guys mind?" David asked with a hint of exasperation. "This is a place of business after all."

"Funny," Killian said with a smirk, "you seemed to be singing an entirely different tune that night last week when I walked in to find you and your lovely wife similarly expressing your affection."

David spluttered. "That's…that's different!"

"Aye? How so?"

"It's different because…because…well, because it just is."

Killian laughed with such good humor that soon even David joined in. "Look," her father finally said, "I'm glad you two are happy together, I really am, but could you keep the PDA to a minimum while I'm around? Please?"

Killian sketched a bow. "I shall endeavor to control myself, but confronted with your daughter's ravishing beauty, I am, more often than not, unable to express my admiration any other way."

Emma laughed and swatted him playfully. "You are so full of it."

"Aye," he returned with a flirtatious wink, "but I noticed you failed to put up a protest at my 'PDA' a moment ago."

"I'll admit," she returned, placing her free hand over his heart, a gesture she found herself making more and more frequently since his ordeal with Gold, "kissing you is kind of addicting. So, what's up? We weren't supposed to meet for lunch for another hour or so."

"I've come to steal you away, love," He said, giving her hand a squeeze. "The snow has bathed the woods in a blanket of loveliness, and I wish to share it with my favorite lass."

"I can't just go take a stroll in the woods," Emma said. "For one thing, it's cold. For another, I've got work to do. And did I mention, it's cold?"

The look on his face was two parts puppy and one part wicked. "If we don't go, I'll be forced to hang around and, no doubt, nauseate your father. We wouldn't want that, now would we? Besides, I'm…more than capable of keeping you warm."

"Ugh," David said. "Emma just go with him. I'll cover for you."

"Well," Emma said, grabbing her coat and hat, "if you both insist…"

"We do," David and Killian said in unison.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Emma had to admit it was beautiful and peaceful out here. And with Killian's arm draped around her, surprisingly warm as well. On impulse, she reached up and pecked him on the cheek.

"And what was that delightful gesture for, Swan?"

She shrugged. "No reason. Just…thank you. You were right. It's nice to get away from the craziness of the town for a while."

He smiled, making the crow's feet stand at attention at the edges of his eyes. "Darling, when are you going to finally realize that I'm always right?"

Emma rolled her eyes but couldn't keep the grin from her face. "Don't hold your breath, pirate."

"Thought as much," Killian muttered under his breath.

Emma had never been a big fan of winter. She hated the cold, and the snow drove her crazy—especially now that she was the sheriff and was called to every fender bender and slide-off in the whole damn town. Killian, however, seemed to have an entirely different opinion on the matter. His face was lit up with the wonder and awe of a child as he trudged through the ankle-deep snow and watched the flurries continue to drift down.

"You seem to be enjoying this weather," she observed, reaching up to feather her fingers through his hair and dislodge the stubborn snowflakes that had evidently decided to take up residence there.

"Aye," he said, looking down at her with a delighted grin. "Always reminds me of a day I spent with Liam many, many years ago."

Emma perked up at the mention of Killian's brother. "You never talk about him. I always assumed the memories were too painful for you."

Killian smiled tenderly. "Aye, some memories are. It seems no matter how many centuries go by, the sting of his passing will never truly fade. I do, however, have many, many pleasant memories of him, and the day we spent in the snow is certainly one of those."

"Would you tell me about it?"

"Of course," he complied without hesitation. "It was one of the last good memories I had of my family. My mum died the following year, and my father was never the same after her passing. At any rate, I was but a wee lad at the time, five, maybe six years old. Liam was a good ten years my senior and I nearly worshiped him. He'd just informed me that he would be leaving in less than a fortnight upon his first ship; I no longer recall her name. He was to be a cabin boy and I've rarely seen a lad so excited. I was, of course, devastated that my brother, my hero, would be leaving me in a matter of days."

"I can only imagine," Emma soothed. Killian felt things so deeply; his entire heart and soul were invested when he loved. Liam's departure must have hit him hard.

"Aye," he said with a grimace. "Anyway, on the day in question, Liam woke me, excited about the newly fallen snow. We two spent the entire day reveling in it—making snowmen and snow fortifications. Engaging in a rather ruthless snowball fight. It was a day I wouldn't trade for all the rum in the Enchanted Forest."

"It sounds great."

"Aye, that it was."

They lapsed into silence for a time. Emma rested her head against his shoulder, and she felt him brush a kiss against the crown of her head.

"So how was your breakfast with Henry?" Emma asked.

"Informative," Killian said, and Emma could hear the smile in his voice. "The lad is a wealth of information. He seems quite excited for this Christmas holiday."

Emma sighed. "Yeah. Seems like it's all he can talk about."

Killian looked over at her. "From your tone, I take it you don't share his sentiments?"

"No." The word was definitive, emphatic.

"The lad told me as much," Killian admitted. "He was concerned that you seem unwilling to participate in this realms Christmas traditions."

Emma grimaced. "I was hoping it would be enough for him to get all the Christmas crap at Regina's or my mom and dad's."

Killian stopped walking and turned her toward him. "The lad didn't come to me because he needs more Christmas; he came to me because he's worried about you."

Henry was worried about her? Because of Christmas? "He doesn't need to be. I'm fine."

Killian looked at her skeptically. "Swan, I've seen you 'fine'. I've seen you happy. I've seen you content. You are feeling none of those emotions. This 'Christmas' is obviously a source of pain for you. Please, tell me why that is."

Emma sighed. There really was no point trying to hide anything from this man. "It's just…I don't know. Christmas is all about family and happiness and being together and stuff."

"And these are bad things?" At some point, Killian brought his good hand up to cup her face, and he was gently caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"No…" Emma drew out the syllable. "Not in general, but for an unwanted little girl in the group homes it was torture. I mean, everywhere you turned you'd get assaulted with images of happy little families doing happy little family things. Every time you turned on the TV you'd see commercials and movies and everything else where everyone was perfectly happy and enjoying each other's company. The songs talk about it being the happiest time of the year, or about how people love going home for the holidays or the love of family. You know what it was for me? It was a slap in the face. It was yet another reminder that I'd never had that and probably never would."

The compassion in Killian's eyes nearly broke her. He dropped his hand from her face and gathered her into his arms, holding her tight. She clung to him, drinking in the love he offered her.

"Emma," he whispered., "there are so many, many people who love you. So many, many people who would do anything to make you happy."

The tears rushed to her eyes. "I know, and it means everything in the world to me. It's just—I don't know. Childhood memories die hard. I don't know if I can even do all the 'happy family Christmas' stuff."

"But you said it yourself, love," Killian reasoned, stroking her hair. "Christmas isn't about perfectly fulfilling the traditions you're accustomed to. It's not about living up to the standards you believe the 'perfect' families attained. It's not about fulfilling a checklist of Christmas items. It's about being with the ones you love; showing them how much you care."

Killian pulled away. "Let us love you," he said simply. "Let us show you how much you mean to all of us. Let us build our own traditions, our own memories. Perhaps they won't erase the pain of the past, but trust me love, the good memories, the beautiful moments—they shine as brightly as the star Leroy attempted to force me to place on the top of Granny's tree—if you but let them. They are like the sun that blots out the light of the stars. Losing Liam to dreamshade—it was one of the darkest days of my life. The pain of losing my brother, the man who was captain and brother and hero to me, was such that words cannot describe. Even so, traumatic as that day was, it cannot hold a candle to the simple joy of that day spent playing in the snow. "

"I wish I'd met Liam," Emma said with a wistful smile.

"As do I love," Killian said. "He would have liked you—and would have thanked his lucky stars that I'd finally found myself a beautiful blonde savior to point me back to the man I wish to be."

Emma stroked his face. "He'd be proud of you, Killian. You're a good man; one of the best and most honorable I know."

Killian turned his head and brushed a kiss against her palm. "You can have no idea how sweet those words sound coming from your lips. I have but one bit of advice for you, love: don't run from the love of family and the joys of Christmas all around you. Make new memories, good memories. I can promise you; you won't regret it."

Emma reached up and brushed a soft kiss against his lips. "Maybe you're right."

"Again with the skepticism, darling? Didn't we just establish I'm always right?"

Emma chuckled. "Whatever. I'm hungry. Are you going to take me to lunch or not?"

Killian sketched a bow. "My lady's wish is my command."

Notes:

-Christmas is a time of great joy and excitement—a time of anticipation and wish fulfillment. For those suffering heartache of any kind, however, this time of year can be nothing short of torture. The happiness of those they see around them almost seems to mock their pain. I kind of wanted to play that concept up in this chapter. With the difficult childhood she had, it must have been difficult for Emma to see happy families observing all the traditional Christmas rituals. It must have made her feel her own loneliness that much stronger. I think Killian makes some good points, though. We can't undo the pains of the past; all we can hope to do (as Charming mentioned to Emma in 3x10) is live and savor the good moments.

-Up next, Emma and Killian return to her apartment after the town's Christmas Eve party.