#cs secret santa gift fic

[snowbellewells]

CS Secret Santa 2024 Gift Fic: "Christmas Getaway With You" for @stevebcks

I am sorry that it is so late on Christmas night for your present @stevebcks! But yes, I have been your Santa this year. I have really enjoyed chatting with you and getting to know someone I hadn't ever met or gotten to talk with yet in this fandom. I hope you will still enjoy this, even though it is later than I had hoped. I also hope that this Christmas has been a great one for you and that you've truly enjoyed the warmth and joy of the holiday.

You gave me so many great ideas in your answers to my asks, and I tried to work in several of them - giving Emma and Killian more time together in their happily married everyday life, giving a glimpse of them raising their daughter, getting to see them celebrate the holiday, and to visit New York again together. I even attempted to sneak Merlin into the story (at least a playful nod to him!)

Without further hesitating, here's your story!!

“Christmas Getaway With You”

By: @snowbellewells

“Emma, for the last time, Love, you’ve checked everything twice! We’re all ready to set sail.” Killian’s gentle tone of affectionate exasperation finally served to snap Emma from ducking back into the kitchen to be absolutely certain that the door into the mudroom and their backyard beyond was secure and that the coffeemaker was indeed unplugged from the wall for what was at least the third time. Shaking her head at her own anxious dithering, she leaned into his side when he wrapped his arm around her, bringing her to a standstill in the entryway. Killian’s steadying presence soothed her frazzled nerves, just as he always did - no matter what the problem, and she thrilled at the sensation of the smooth curve of his hook rubbing back and forth lightly over her hip, the simple gesture somehow lulling in its familiarity.

“You’re right, Babe,” Emma breathed out as she looked up at him with a grateful smile. “I’m acting crazy and I’m not even sure why.”

“Nonsense, I wouldn’t necessarily call you crazy. Any pirate worth his - or her - “ here he waggled an eyebrow and gave his wife a knowing wink, “salt, knows well enough to properly safeguard the treasure.”

Emma snickered at that and pulled away, but this time she finally moved toward the door, as had been her original intention. Reaching to the coat rack whether her favorite leather jacket and beanie hung waiting, Emma grinned at her own worried expense before speaking to him over her shoulder, “Still, enough’s enough. We’re only going to be gone a few short days. Henry comes in on Friday, plus he’ll have Hope here then, and probably Violet too once she gets back to town, and we’ll be back on Monday.”

Killian’s eyebrows both rose up to disappear under the dark fringe of hair hanging over his forehead as he feigned shocked surprise. “You’re allowing the lad and his lady love to cohabitate under your roof when we aren’t here to chaperone?”

Her husband’s playful pretense of being scandalized had Emma putting her hands on her hips in equally mock consternation. “Oh, don’t pretend your delicate sensibilities are overcome. If you think I don’t know you gave him some tips on successful wooing of said lady love along the way, you’d better think again, buddy.”

Killian chuckled in return at that, dipping his head in a slight bob of agreement to show that he knew she had him there. Taking his own jacket from the peg next to his Swan’s, Killian swung his own outerwear over his shoulders and then waited at the door for Emma as she patted her pockets and made certain she had her keys, phone, badge, and cards before following her out onto the porch and locking the door behind them.

“There,” Emma said, pleased to feel the weight of everyday concerns falling from her shoulders with the closed door. Taking Killian’s offered hand, she added, “Let the holiday adventure begin.”

~~~~**

The next afternoon found them snuggled in a corner booth at the charming Serendipity’s in the Upper East Side of New York City itself. Not only was the frozen hot chocolate heaped with whipped cream and toppings decadent enough to induce guilt all on its own, but sitting there cozily tucked into Killian’s side had Emma almost feeling selfish for escaping from her family and friends in Storybrooke, not to mention her little girl to steal a few days - and nights - alone with her pirate husband. Nevermind that Hope had her Grandpa David completely wrapped around her tiny fingers and would be dragging him around with the dogs, goats and sheep on the farm until dark and then she and Grandma Snow would probably create the most intricate and icing-frosting gingerbread castle known to man; suffice it to say Hope was in little girl heaven being spoiled by her grandparents at present, and would get to spend a whole day with her adored big brother right before Emma and Killian returned; she was hardly pining away feeling left out. Maybe she should feel ashamed of herself for counting it almost a luxury to canoodle with her handsome husband in public without interruptions from well-meaning neighbors (or parents), Ruby winking at her knowingly from behind the counter at Granny’s, or one of the dwarves bursting into the middle of the date to proclaim some new emergency, but she felt incredibly spoiled and pleased at pulling it off all the same.

A pleasant rumbling chuckle from Killian’s chest vibrated through her as he licked the last of his own dessert from the spoon, making Emma’s heart rate triple and her cheeks heat at the image of his lips enveloping the utensil and thinking of how deliciously they felt sampling her bare skin as well when they were behind closed door. “You seemed pensive, Darling,” he murmured low in her ear, voice sounding mild and innocent, though Emma could clearly see otherwise when she shot a sideways glance at his twinkling eyes and mischievous expression.

“As if you don’t know exactly what you’re doing,” she countered with a huff, pushing away slightly to sit upright, sip the last dregs of her melty treat, and rise to stand before him determinedly. “Enough stalling, Captain,” she added with tart certainty. “You aren’t going to get me addled enough to forget what you promised. I may drag you back to our room, but…”

As she paused for a shaky breath, Killian ran his tongue salaciously over his lower lip, eyeing her intently and taking her internal temperature up another few notches. Still, Emma arched her brow right back at him in return and leaned in to meet his teasing look with one of her own. “But not before you take me ice skating, as planned,” she finished.

Shaking his head at her antics, Killian rose to his feet as well, leaving a generous tip for their server - with dollar bills, not doubloons, as Emma had reiterated he must do to blend in properly in the Land Without Magic - and offered her his arm as gallantly as ever while they made their way back out into the frosty night. Once they were back on the sidewalk, shoulders hunched against the chill air as they turned their steps toward Central Park, Killian spoke up again with resigned knowing, “Though I suspect you largely wish to see me at disadvantage and looking foolish, you wish is - as always - my command, Emma.”

The wide, dazzling grin she gave him in return sent any hesitance Killian had felt at the strange activity fleeing to the furthest back corner of his mind. His lovely wife beaming so open and joyously was still entirely too rare in his opinion, and it made any upcoming embarrassment well worth it. Emma, for her part, could see that decision in his adoring gaze, and blinked back the tears that beaded her eyelashes, loving him all the more for his dedication to her happiness.

~~~**

Upon reaching the crowded space sent aside as an ice-skating rink within the acreage of Central Park, not only did Emma gain a bit of an eager spring to her step, her shining golden hair swinging mesmerizingly over her shoulders, but Killian felt himself charmed too, in spite of his reluctance. The borders around the frozen surface were looped and festooned by a wealth of twinkle lights glowing cheerily, and at some point during their stop for dessert at Serendipity’s, snow had begun to fall lightly, giving the entire scene just the sort of pretty white dusting that added the perfect festive look to the atmosphere. People were scattered all around the busy clearing - as they were all throughout this major city, Killian was coming to understand, almost packed atop each other really. There were couples skating hand-in-hand and parents helping their children put on skates interspersed with teenagers weaving in and out of the slower skaters on the ice and laughing over their cocoa in clumps at the picnics tables; humanity of all ages and races converging here in holiday cheer. It truly was something to witness.

Emma led the way to the rental stall with confidence, causing Killian to wonder with blatant curiosity if she and Henry had come here often in that lost year when they were separated and her lad was still just a youngster yet. That time had dragged and tormented her unendingly, thinking Emma was lost to him forever, just when she had begun to see him for the man he wished to be, the man she had restored in him. All the same, for his Swan, it must have been such a sweet, simple respite in many ways. She didn’t remember the family, or the pirate, she had lost. Henry was hers alone, and had always been so. Returning to the constant battles and demands, to sharing her son with the woman who would have gladly seen her dead - or in a cursed sleep forever - could not have been the easy choice. Killian knew that - and yet, it struck him anew in moments he least expected it. 

Turning to see the slightly pained expression on his face, Emma’s brow puckered in confusion. “What’s wrong, Babe?” she asked worriedly, tugging the hand she held to get his attention fully. “You know I’m mostly kidding you, right? If we skate a couple rounds and you hate it, we don’t have to keep going.”

Killian shook his head with a light scoff at that, waving off her concern before bending to press a kiss to her forehead in reassurance. “Don’t you worry, Love,” he soothed. “I was only lost in thought for a moment.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, leaning in to rest a hand over his heart as she often did, ever since his time in the Underworld, it having become a bit of a habit to assure herself his heart was beating with life once again.

“Aye,” he nodded decisively, without a moment’s pause, not about to keep her guessing or make her feel he wouldn’t wish to join her in whatever she truly wished to do.

By this time, they had reached the front of the line and turned from conversation with each other to face the attendant renting skates to all the bravely bundled up visitors of the outdoor rink. To Emma’s surprise, the young man smiling back at them had an oddly familiar glimmer in his deep chocolate-brown eyes and soft affection to his smile. It was completely at odds with her certainty that she’d never met him before, nor could she begin to guess his name, but the way he greeted them with such friendliness and - she could have sworn - a playful wink, made it seem as if he somehow knew them. He was a handsome and eye-catching guy, his close-cropped black hair, mocha latte skin, and lean height made him hard not to notice, all the more reason Emma suspiciously felt she ought to know him, though her mind offered no further clues. “How can I help you fine folks?” he spoke then, bright and completely innocuous right words. “A couple pair of skates?”

“Right you are,” Killian answered, giving Emma a curious look to show he found this effusive welcome strange as well, but carrying on normally. “Two pair for an hour’s rental, if you please.”

With a nod, the attendant turned to reach behind him to the shelves and retrieve the skates in their sizes which Killian had requested. Emma offered him the rental fee money, as Killian had taken both pairs of skates in his good hand and didn’t often choose to extend his false wooden hand to strangers, even if he did concede to wear it when they ventured outside Storybrooke. However, when her gloved hand touched his to give him the money, a shivering flash ran through her, nearly knocking Emma back on her heels. 

Glancing up at the man sharply, Emma drew in a quick gasp of surprise, even as she felt Killian’s touch at the small of her back in silent support. All she got in return was a subtle bow of the head, acknowledging what she had felt, and the lowly murmured, “It’s lovely to see you happy for the holidays at long last, Savior.”

“What - ? Wait, who are you?” she sputtered, floundering for a response. “How did you - ?”

“Emma, Love, maybe now is not the time,” Killian whispered at her ear, nodding subtly toward the line of people behind them, beginning to shuffle and grow impatient when they didn’t move on with their skates and make way for the next customers.

“To answer your question, I’m Melvin Emrys, skate shop employee extraordinaire,” the enigmatic young man broke in with a smile. “Though I doubt that helps you, as I am sure even now you are thinking that name does not quite fit.” He winked again. “Both of you enjoy your time on the ice. It truly can be magical this time of year. But I’m afraid that now I must see to the rest of my customers.”

Killian ushered Emma over to a bench nearby, she still looking back over her shoulder uneasily, trying to understand what had just happened. Her pirate was hovering a bit more protectively than usual, but nothing overtly threatening had actually happened, and so they soon attempted to shrug off the odd encounter, see to their skates, and were soon gingerly stepping out onto the ice.

To her utter delight, Emma found that the gliding movement came back to her easily, her feet moving almost as if on auto pilot, her muscle memory seeming to sustain her, even if it had been years since she’d last been on skates. Swirling around she faced Killian, who was still on solid ground, looking dubiously at the frozen surface and then her as if again trying to gauge if she only wanted to see him land on his arse. 

Holding out her hand, Emma cocked her head to the side and gave him a playful pout before wheedling, “Come on now, Pirate, don’t tell me the scourge of the high seas is afraid of a little frozen water. Don’t you trust me?”

Resolve seemed to crystallize in Killian’s bright blue eyes, the determined bob of his chin seeming to solidify his decision. “That’s hardly fair, Sweetheart. You know I trust you as I would no one else.”  He took first one, then another cautious step forward, until he was, wavering only slightly, standing fully on the icy surface. “I simply wonder if you might also wish to see me looking as ridiculously uncoordinated as you sometimes do.”

“Hey!” Emma blurted out, almost jerking her hand back to cross her arms over her chest in feigned affront. 

He had hold of her already, and rather than slipping and losing his balance, he pulled her into his unexpectedly solid embrace, grinning down at her with a face so full of mischief that she knew immediately she’d been had. 

“You already know how to ice skate just fine, don’t you?” she asked, the answer having already dawned on her without much of a doubt.

Waggling both eyebrows at her in a way that made her want to both giggle and smack him simultaneously, Killian nodded in confirmation of her words, not willing to string her along any further. 

“Why didn’t you say so?” she asked curiously.

“All that time on the seas, traveling to so many different lands and times, I would have had to have picked it up somewhere. There are parts of the sea that turn so cold, even that much water can freeze solid,” he offered simply. “But you seemed to eager to show me something from your world, to teach me something that you loved to do, that I hated to spoil it for you. And I wasn’t completely sure that after so long in Neverland, I would still remember how…”

“Hmm…” Emma grumbled a bit, but it was half-hearted, seeing that his heart had been in the right place, and also eager to skate with him, to feel the breeze in her hair and the snowflakes on her face and enjoy the feeling of almost flying with him at her side.

“Now, now, Darling,” Killian crooned, taking her hand and pushing off gracefully, both of them setting off in a smooth glide that curved gently when they reached the end of the rink. “Don’t pout, just because you won’t be getting to see this arse you love bumped and bruised and frozen from landing on the ice.”

“Yeah, yeah, we’ll see about how much I love it once you probably show me up at this,” she said, but her cheeks were heating pleasantly just watching how smoothly he moved beside her. He was as graceful in this as he was everything else he tried.

~~~**

By the time their few days in the city drew to a close, it was Christmas Eve. As they packed up the Bug for the trek back to Storybrooke, Emma couldn’t help reflecting on what a difference a few days away could make. She and Killian hadn’t had this much time to themselves since they were married, quite possibly even since their inadvertent trip to the Enchanted Forest of the past. She couldn’t claim to read her pirate’s mind, but they did understand each other, just as they always had. It was clear enough that he felt as renewed as she did, and anxious to get home again to their loved ones, especially their little girl.

She knew Killian was also thrilled to have found gifts fit for his pirate princess at FAO Schwarz and couldn’t wait to give them to Hope the next day. He’d found a huge, ostentatious, feathered pirate hat worthy of his showy old nemesis Blackbeard, but he knew his daughter would love it. Along with that, he’d purchased a shining miniature toy cutlass which looked as much like his as he could have possibly imagined without being an actual weapon. Emma found herself grinning even more at the thought of the large, squishy-soft stuffed octopus she’d found herself to add to the haul. After being spoiled by her grandparents and then her older brother the last several days, Hope would be on a sugar high and bouncing off the walls with excitement already. Seeing all her presents from the big city would have her beside herself.

And Emma wouldn’t want it any other way. There was something incredibly healing about seeing her own child get to have the sort of Christ mas she herself had always dreamed of - surrounded by belongings and love - and getting to be a part of it herself at long last.

So when they drove past the Storybrooke sign some hours later, snowflakes still sparkling in the chill air and Killian’s solid warmth at her side, nearing the rest of their family and a Christmas celebration sure to be of royal proportions at her mother and father’s farmhouse that night, Emma smiled at her True Love and let herself savor that extra little thrill of Christmas magic.

[midnight-mourning]

What to Expect Next

Hello! Hoping this will be one of the last of these kind of posts I have to make for awhile. As classes wind down & I get ready to defend my proposal I figured I'd queue y'all in on things as I don't know how 'active' I'll be beyond posting fics & such. SO, having said all that, here's what's happening, feel free to skim this as much or as little as you'd like ^-^

Below the cut bc this was a big update lmao

Confused Spirit

Will be back to regular posting over the next few weeks. May not be every week starting out, but I'll be back to it. Should have ch. 35 posted later today, so if you're not on the tag list be on the lookout for that ^_^

I will be trying to keep a consistent schedule as (hopefully) I'll be getting my sinus infection fixed up and won't have that dragging me down but if I go off schedule for any reason, you know why

Trick or Treaters

Working on having everyone done over the next week or so, I know I am super duper late, but similar to CS I just haven't felt well or had motivation/been busy and even though they're silly little sketches I want them to at least be good

I do genuinely apologize to the people in my ask box though, I promise I haven't forgotten about you!

Secret Santa

I'm participating in Secret Santa this year and will (very likely) being doing a written gift, so you'll have that to look forward to towards the end of the month!

Remaining CS Refs

I'm going to be honest, I've been working on the refs for the cast on and off for a few months now and I'm just not super happy with them, like they're on the cusp of being the quality I want but they're just not there yet, so for the time being I'll be post-poning sharing them until I've improved my art a bit more and can say I'm happy with them

Will be sharing updated versions of the boys refs though! Mainly just trying to improve the quality and such so perhaps not as exciting to y'all as it is to me haha, potentially some others may be fixed up too 👀👀

????????

I got a little idea I've been cooking up, and if you're reading this that means I've gotten ahead enough to a point where I feel comfortable attempting to execute it, be on the lookout for another post from me later today after the chapter release :)

That's all for now, like I said, with classes, my proposal, and fighting off this sinus infection I'm going to be on and off with tumblr, but I'll still be making and sharing things with you all to (hopefully) enjoy <3

Thanks for sticking with me through all the ups and downs these past few months! Been very much appreciated and I hope to end the year with a bang :)

[killiansprincss]

Nobody gets me like you - a CS Secret Santa gift

Merry Christmas @captainodonoghue , I am your @cssecretsanta2020 2024! It's been great getting to know you and I hope you enjoy your fic! It’s filled with sad angsty killian!

Thanks to @brucethegirl for being an incredible beta, for your intense editing on Christmas Eve night and also being there to listen to my rambles about my ideas and what would make most sense!

Summary: Emma Swan is single again for the holiday. Sick of her brother trying to set her up she enlists the help of best friend Killian Jones to be her fake boyfriend. What happens when the liens between friendship begin to blur and Emma begins questioning their relationship

Rated E for smut

Link to AO3

Emma turned 30 two months ago. She was in no rush to be married by now. So why did it bother her so much when she opened up her Instagram and saw yet another girl she went to high school with announcing her engagement, ‘Best christmas present santa ever got me’ ugh. The holidays were going to be a nightmare for cringey announcements like this.

“So I had a really great time, you uh wanna come back to mine?” Emma forgot for a second she was meant to be on a first date, this one from another app she spent far too much time on.

From his profile, he was nice, he had a good job, and nice hair. No holding a fish which was always a bonus. But he was just so, well, boring. He talked about his job non stop, something to do with either finance or consulting or business management. He worked at one of the largest firms in Manhattan as if that was meant to mean anything to her. But in the hour they’d been having drinks, he’d not asked a single thing about her or her life, and Emma doubts it’s because he knows everything about her already considering she keeps her dating profile pretty basic.

“Sorry I would but I have an early shift tomorrow. I’ll text you.” She has no intention of texting him, he’ll probably have forgotten her name by the time he gets home.

She opens her uber app once she’s outside the bar and of course there are no drivers nearby for 40 minutes. Great. As she’s about to go down the subway her phone lights up and her plans for the night change.

‘How fast can you get to O’Malleys?’

‘Give me 15 minutes. Make sure there's a martini with my name on it.

Killian. Her best friend since she was 14. The two of them both moved to the city after high school, Kilian went to NYU and is a high school history teacher, Emma tried college for a semester but dropped out, and now works in bail bonds. They’ve kept up their friendship for so long and Emma can’t imagine her life without him. Tonight was one of the many times they’d meet up after a horrible first date, they were both extremely unlucky in the romance department.

“Swan.” Emma gets to the bar in less than 15 minutes and sees Killian sitting at their usual spot with her drink waiting for her.

“So, what was wrong with her tonight? Vegan?” She guesses, “No gotta be a catfish, her profile said she was a scandinavian model but her photos were taken from some random instagram model?”

Killian smirks at her guesses. “She wasn’t…” He pauses to take a sip of his beer, “She was nice, but something was missing, I don’t know. And she was funny about my hand I guess.” Killian lost his hand a few years ago when he was in an accident with his brother, Killian was lucky to get away with just a missing hand.

“Well she’s a jackass. She might have gotten on with my date he was shallow as fuck too. I should’ve gone home and binged the rest of Love Island, given that Austin seemed only interested in talking about himself.”

Killian shakes his head, “rookie mistake, letting a beautiful girl sit there whilst you talk about yourself incessantly.”

Killian was a notorious flirt, he could get any girl he wanted. Dark hair, blue eyes and a hot accent, Emma never understood why he had such trouble with dating.

They chat about their failed dates some more, and talk about work. It was nice that she didn't need to be anyone uber successful around Killian, she could just be her normal broke self with a crappy apartment and a junk food addiction.

“So I got my invite to your brother's annual Christmas party the other day.”

Emma groans, “Don’t remind me of that please.” Emma’s older brother David was the epitome of perfect white picket fence life. He married his childhood sweetheart in an adorable backyard wedding and is sheriff of their small town. She loved her brother dearly, but hated how much his life was perfect and that he expected the same of her. Every year he throws a huge Christmas party and invites all their friends and family, which is a large percentage of their small town. But every year except one she has turned up single, and her brother would ask why and try and set her up which she always turns down.

“At least you still have a brother.” Killian mumbles under his breath. Killian had never really been the same since the accident, they’d had a huge fight with their alcoholic father and the roads were icy. Liam shouldn’t have been driving, he was in no state to drive and unfortunately they got hit.

“Well if you need me to help you fight your dad, I can do that.” Emma offers with a smile, she saw first hand how broken Killian was when Liam died. Liam practically raised Killian with their dad being an alcoholic who resented Killian, Liam was the perfect son and for some reason when their father would get drunk, he’d take his anger out on Killian.

“Thanks Swan, but I don’t know if I’m going to come this year.” Christmas was hard for Killian, especially given Liam died on Christmas Eve.

“No. Killian you have to come.” She grabs his arm and gives him her best puppy dog eyes. “I can’t survive the holidays alone with my brother trying to set me up.” Emma pauses for a second debating if she should share her sudden thought.

Unfortunately Kilian could read her like an open book, “Swan. I know that look.”

‘Hear me out.” She says and Killian groans at whatever this new idea was. “You be my fake boyfriend for the holidays. Think about it, it means my brother won’t be setting me up with anyone, and people will leave you alone and not ask you the dreaded ‘how are you feeling’ questions because you’re obviously happily moved on with your girlfriend.”

“Swan, you’re a bloody lunatic.”

“It’s only until New Years. It can work in both our favour. Think about it.” Emma had a way about her that made it so difficult for Killian to say no to her.

“I’ll think about it.” He promises and Emma smiles knowing she’d won.

____________

Emma’s in her apartment a couple days later, she’s just finished work and has changed into her comfiest pair of sweatpants that may or may not have a stain on them from when she was eating Chinese food last week. It’s been a long day and she was in no mood for drinks after work. She’s about to open up doordash when she hears a knock on her door.

She opens the door to find Killian on the other side, a massive box of pizza. “I’ll do it. I’ll be your fake boyfriend.”

Emma smiles brightly as she takes the pizza from his hands. She knew he would do this for her.

“We need some ground rules.” Killian tells her.

“I agree. We also need a story of how this happened. I’m thinking we ran into each other after we both had a bad first date, got talking and drinking and one thing led to another-“

Killian interrupts before she says any more “I’m gonna stop you there Swan. I’m not letting your brother believe I got you drunk and slept with you to trick you into going out with me. He’ll come for my head.”

Emma rolls her eyes, taking a sip of wine as Killian continues. “How about we simply decided we hated being single and went on a date and realised we’d been missing out by just being friends all these years.”

“You’re brilliant and I hate it.” She says. Her stubbornness couldn’t fault his idea. Her phone rings and she realises it’s her brother facetiming her. “Speak of the devil, now’s your chance to fake it, Jones.”

“Hey Emma, how’s my baby sister?” David says as she answers, she hated that he called her that.

“Your little sister is doing just fine.” She corrects, “I have food.” She holds up her slice of pizza. Her brother was a bit of a health nut, he and his wife were trying and failing to get pregnant so they were both trying all the remedies under the sun.

“Pizza? Really? I knew living in New York was rotting your brain.” He teases.

“Hey don’t blame Emma, mate.” Killian says from beside her and he pulls Emma’s phone to face him, “I’m the enabler. She’s had a shitty week at work and pizza is a comfort food, it’s healthy when you think about it.” For whatever reason her brother always liked Killian, saying he was a good influence on her.

“Killian! How are you man? Keeping my baby sister out of trouble?” It’s not unusual for Killian to be at her apartment, or for her to be as his, so David doesn’t question it at first. They catch up for a while, Killian tells David about his job and the kids he teaches, David’s wife is an elementary school teacher so they chat about the holidays and how some kids are off the rails this time of year.

“Is there any way I can convince you to come back for the holidays?” David asks and suddenly Emma is ready to spring back into action.

“Already convinced him. We’re coming home so you can expect a great Christmas Eve Party.” Emma snatches her phone back and puts her head on Killians shoulder for effect.

David doesn’t realise the implication at first and starts going on about how great it’ll be to see Killian again and how he can prepare the other guest bedroom. “No mate, Emma and I are together, so we’re coming together to your place.”

David is slow once again, “I heard. It’ll be so great. Oh Emma, I know you say you don’t want to but there’s this teacher Mary Margaret works with and he seems like a really great guy.”

“No. David, Killian and I are together, so we’ll be coming together.” She says once more.

“I heard you. I think it’s great you’re both coming.”

“Mate, she’s my girlfriend is what we’re trying to say.” Killian eventually interrupts, putting them both out of their misery.

“You’re serious? This isn’t a prank?” Her brother asks.

They both shake their heads, “I wouldn’t joke about dating your sister, mate.

Emma is worried about what he’s going to say, but eventually he’s gushing with happiness, “I’m so happy. I always thought you two would be so great together, but it never happened and I’d given up hope.”

Emma wasn’t shocked by his reaction. He would always pester her about why she and Killian were never together during high school, and when they went off to college together the pestering questions began again. Part of her wondered if this was a mistake. If her brother was so invested in their relationship, what would happen once they broke it off in the new year?

_________

Their flight from JFK into Maine gets them in at just after 3pm, they’d spent the hour flight going over ground rules on their relationship.

PDA - Emma was never a huge engager in PDA but they would also get suspicious if they barely touched one another. So small cheek or forehead kisses were okay. They weren’t horny teenagers.

No need to share a bed. Emma was always hosted in the large guest room, it was her room until she moved out and David would never dream of anyone else sleeping there when Emma was in town. In the room was a sofa by the window, they would alternate who gets the bed and who gets the sofa each night.

Keep the relationship casual. They haven’t been dating for too long so they don’t have plans to move in, get engaged or have kids. They’re having fun being together and that’s all it needs to be.

“You need to put your arm around me.” Emma whispers just as they’re about to go through the arrivals gate. “We need to look like a couple or else he’ll see right through the lie.”

Kilian wraps his arm around her waist and uses his free hand to carry both their suitcases as a good boyfriend would and Emma looks at her fake boyfriend with a smile. They had to get this right.

They walk through the gate like this, smiling at one another so they don’t even see David at first.

“Emma, how is my baby sister?” He asks, wrapping her a hug , “Killian, I’m glad you decided to come.”

“Hey mate, thanks for the invite. I couldn’t really say no to this one.” He says wrapping his arm around Emma once again.

“So, how long has this been going on? And why is now the first I’m hearing about it?” David asks as they walk out towards the car.

Emma glances a look at her fake boyfriend, he’s taken the bait. “It’s still kinda new. I thought you’d be happy. You keep asking me when I’m gonna meet someone and you like Killian.” She tries to keep it casual, she doesn’t want to make out like Kilian is the love of her life and break her family's hearts when she tells them they broke up.

“I am happy Emma. I’m thrilled actually! You two together, gosh it’s perfect. Mary Margaret was so excited when I told her.” Part of her wanted to believe her brother was happy about this relationship because she’d found someone, but part of her knew it was because it was Killian.

The drive from the airport to Storybrooke takes just over an hour, David asks questions about their new relationship, but he seems happy with the few details they provide. His main concerns are with Emma and how her job is going, if she’s eating well and her rent, he’d always been her big brother but a lot of the time he acted like a father. But Emma didn’t really mind. Soon enough they’re parked up in front of the house that Emma first felt at home in.

Walking through the doors into the familiar scent of Mary Margaret's cinnamon cookies baking in the oven, she’s reminded of the first day she walked through these halls, 14 years old, gangly and skinny with greasy hair and hungry. She’d never had a home that lasted more than a few months so as much as she wanted it to feel like home, she wasn’t going to get her hopes up. But then a few weeks turned into months and months into years and she was adopted when she turned 16. But Ruth and David loved her from the moment she turned up and she owed everything to them.

“Emma! There you are, come here I missed you” a voice from the kitchen says and out walks Mary Margaret with her pixie cut and warm heart that would make anyone feel calm. Mary Margaret and David were childhood sweethearts, so when Emma was around so was she. She was like a big sister, teaching her how to do makeup and helping braid her hair and was also a listening ear when she got a crush on a guy in her class, and then when Ruth got sick, she became like a mother.

“I missed you too.” Emma says as she hugs her, and she means it. This small town she grew up in was always going to be home.

Mary Margaret’s eyes land on Killian and she gives him a soft smile, her own mother died on Christmas when she was only 7, so she understands how difficult the holidays are for him. “I hear you’re joining our family at last.”

Killian looks like a deer in headlights, “I- uh- It’s still new with Emma. It’s not like I’ve proposed marriage.” He stumbles, “Not that marrying Emma would be a bad thing, she’s a great girl and I care about her.” He was struggling and Emma kind of enjoyed watching him suffer.

“I’m just teasing you, don't worry.” Mary Margaret says as her husband comes in the door. “You’re always welcome here and always a part of the family, whether you’re dating Emma or not. This one has a special knack for picking up strays.” She puts her hand on her husband’s chest, it was obvious to anyone the two were in love, had been since they were kids. Mary Margaret spent most of her time at David’s, especially when her father married a 20 something year old after her mother’s death.

Mary Margaret shows them to the guest room. Emma knew the two had been renovating the house and getting brand new furniture but what she wasn’t expecting was instead of the usual sofa by the window, there were now two armchairs and a bookshelf. The large queen sized bed in the middle of the room looked a lot smaller, too.

“I thought you said there was a sofa.” Killian says once Mary Margaret had left the room.

Emma sighs, “they’ve been redecorating. Guess they decided a sofa was unnecessary.” Rule 2. Damn it.

“I’ll take the floor.” Killian says.

“Absolutely not. It’s a big enough bed.” She tells him trying to convince herself more than him. “We just stick to our sides. No reason for it to get messy.”

—

Killian takes a shower first, leaving Emma to unpack and get her head screwed on. Dinner was just going to be the family, so it wasn’t going to be a huge event like the Christmas Eve party. It would just be the four of them and the grilling over their relationship would begin. She could handle it, they would work together.

“Sorry love, but do you know if there's a spare toothbrush anywhere? I thought I’d packed mine but it seems I forgot.” She turns around to tell Killian to check the drawer under the sink and is left speechless at the sight of Killian in just his towel, bare chest on show and the towel wrapped around his waist.

She’d seen Killian shirtless before, they’d been to the beach and she’d seen him running a few times with no shirt but something about this was different. His hair was still wet from the shower and she was very aware how naked he was under the towel, one wrong move and it could easily fall off and Emma’s mind wandered to what was underneath. She knew he was an attractive man, you’d be blind not to notice that, but he’d always been Killian-her best friend who had braces when she first met him and who had acne until he was out of his teens. He wasn’t meant to be, well, hot.

“Earth to Emma.” He says waving a hand in front of her face, hopefully unaware of where her mind was headed.

She managed to snap herself out of it, “right. Sorry, uh-bottom right cabinet under the sink.”

It was going to be a long week.

_____

Dinner was just the four of them at the house. It’s not a big deal, they’ve had dinner with her brother and sister-in-law many times over the years as friends. Except this time Killian presses a kiss to her cheek as they sit down and he pours her a glass of wine without her even asking. As far as fake boyfriends go he was pretty good.

“So how did you finally wear my sister down?” David asks, this conversation was inevitable, but they were prepared.

Killian smiles as he takes the lead, “Emma’s been my best friend for years and I don’t know what I’d do without her in my life. I mean I hope she thinks the same of me. I don’t think I’m ready to settle down just yet, but I’m so sick of dating apps, the girl seems nice but then I never hear from her again or I get stood up. I think Emma felt the same. So we went out on a practice date I guess to see how it went, and it wasn’t weird, it didn’t feel wrong, it felt like we were late to the game in just dating each other.”

Leaning into her role Emma adds, “He’s Killian. I’ve been on a ton of awful dates lately, but I know where I am with Killian.”

“It reminds me of when me and David started going out. Granted we were 14 and had no idea what we were doing. But being best friends with the person you spend your life with is the best thing.”

“We’re not getting married, this is still new. Don’t freak us out.” Emma scoffs, really hating how much they we loving this conversation.

“Maybe not. But we might be sitting here in a few years with a different situation.” Emma can only roll her eyes, this was a bad idea.

___

“I’m sorry about them. If I had known they’d be so excited about the thought of us together I would never have suggested it.” She says to Killian once they’re back in their room for the night.

“It’s fine, Swan. We make a good team, you and I. It's no wonder they love the idea of us together. Now are you sure about sharing as I can happily take the floor?”

It’s not that sharing a bed with Killian would be a bad thing, it’s that she’s not shared a bed with anyone when sex wasn’t involved. Even with Graham they were dating for about a year but she never just slept over in his bed. She’d done one night stands but she’d never woken up the next morning, she would get out there as soon as she was done. Sex wasn’t intimate, but sharing a bed, that was about as intimate as she could get. “It was my idea for you to be my fake boyfriend, I’m not letting you sleep on the floor.”

That night they go to sleep on their assigned sides and Emma sleeps well knowing their plan was working, her family believed their relationship and they just had to get through the next week. It was going to be fine.

Except it isn’t fine. When she wakes up Emma is aware of being warm, and becomes aware of two things:

Emma had managed to get herself entangled in Killians hold during the night, she was aware of his arm draped across her pulling her in close, so close she could feel his hot breath on the back of her neck

He was hard….

This was bad. Very bad

It was a natural reaction, it was just likely that Killian hadn’t gotten any action recently and his body just became familiar to a female body nearby, it didn’t mean anything, Killian wasn’t hard because of her.

Emma shifts herself slowly, not wanting to wake Killian. She just needed to move his arm from around her. She stops for a moment when she hears a soft grunt. “Mma.” Thinking nothing of it, she manages to move his arm and shift herself so she’s now facing him rather than being spooned by him and pretends to be asleep.

But that’s when the muttering begins again, “Emma.” It’s clear as day this time. He was dreaming about her, and he was hard. This was fine, again maybe he wasn’t having a sex dream maybe it was a perfectly normal, pretty platonic dream about her fighting an ogre or something.

She’s aware of Killian waking up but she keeps her eyes closed and pretends she’s still asleep just to avoid any awkwardness when he realises his situation. But then she feels his hand on her face and is aware of him pushing a piece of hair aside before she feels the bed dip where he’s gotten out. It was a strange thing to do but she doesn’t question it as he walks into the bathroom and she hears the shower.

Her mind is betraying her as she thinks about the past 5 minutes. Killian, her best friend and fake boyfriend woke up hard, was saying her name in his sleep and now the shower was on and there was a high chance he was letting off steam in the shower. Was he thinking about her when he rubbed his dick? Was he imagining it was her hand instead of his own? Did that get him off, thinking about her?

No. She shouldn’t be thinking like that. He was Killian, her best friend. She didn’t think about him like that, and he didn’t think of her like that. Unless he did and then Emma was royally screwed.

Breakfast is fine, maybe Emma is a little skittish when Killian hands her a mug of coffee and a bear claw but she claims she didn’t sleep well and he doesn’t question it. She needed to get laid in the new year, that was all it was.

The two are tasked with setting up the barn for the party tomorrow. David and Mary Margaret don’t have any animals, they always say it’s their long term plan, so for now they use the barn for parties such as this. So the flooring is fine, they just have to pick up some space heaters and finish up the decorations.

“I’ll go pick up the heaters, they’re at Granny’s and I want to catch up with Ruby so we’ll meet back here in an hour?” Emma suggests, she knows Killian would want to be alone and spend time at Liam’s grave since there won’t be much time tomorrow on the actual anniversary.

Granny’s diner was run by an old lady who somehow defies aging, it had the small town charm that a chain didn’t have and she missed it when she was in the city. Her granddaughter Ruby was one of Emma's closest friends when they were both in high school, Emma keeps in touch but it's never the same as seeing her in person.

“Emma Swan, you come home for Christmas and you don’t think to tell your best friend about your boyfriend?” Ruby was always one for dramatics.

She pulls her friend into a hug, “Hello to you too, Rubes. And I’ve been here less than 24 hours. How does everyone know about my relationship?” If it were a real relationship, Ruby would be one of the first people to know.

Ruby rolls her eyes, “You’ve become too accustomed to city life, you forget how fast news travels in a small town.”

“I was going to tell you, but then it all happened so fast and-“ she stops as she notices her friend couldn’t stop smiling. “Why are you smiling?”

“I’m happy for you Emma. I just can’t believe it's taken you this long to figure shit out with Killian. What happened that made you finally realise what you’d been missing?’

“This is why I didn’t want people knowing, my brother keeps acting like we’re going to get married. It's still new, I don’t know if it's because I didn’t tell my brother the truth that we actually got drunk and slept together and he was like really good in bed, like so good. We decided to test dating rather than an awkward friends-with-benefits situation. I don’t know what's going to happen to us in the future, but for now it's fun and not too serious.” Emma’s story was getting a little out of hand, but since this morning she had tried to stop thinking about Killians hard dick and how good it would feel inside her. She’d never given much thought to having sex with him until this morning.

“You and Killian are the opposite of fun and not too serious. He’s been in love with you since your first day here. He’s not going to run away unless you-”

“What do you mean? He hasn’t been in love with me since he was 15. That’s crap.” He wasn’t in love with her, she was determined.

“Killian was applying for Ivy Leagues, he probably got offers from Yale and Harvard, but he chose NYU because that’s where you wanted to go.”

“He told me NYU had a better history programme.” She remembers their conversation, she knew he was applying for a ton of schools and knew he was good enough to get into an Ivy League-but Killian was never about getting into the best school he just wanted to get away from his dad. “He’s not in love with me, he would’ve told me.”

Would he have told her though? They never seemed to be single at the same time. When Emma was 16 she started hanging around Neal, he was older and he seemed so cool to a foster kid who was used to stealing food to survive. He had his own studio apartment just outside of town and he always wore fancy clothes and bought Emma expensive gifts. He made her feel special, that was until he got caught stealing watches from a department store. Then when she was single during her first semester in college, that's when Killian got involved with his TA, she was older than him and Emma’s pretty sure she was married but she knew he was going through a pretty dark time in his life so she was not one to judge.

Then Emma started dating Graham, he was an NYPD cop she met doing bail bonds and for the next few years Killian was at college working on his degree, so they didn’t interact much. Their friendship took a back seat when they weren’t around one another every day or living 5 minutes from another. Emma was in a shitty studio apartment in Queens whereas Killian’s NYU residences were in Manhattan. Graham was nice but it just didn’t work out and when Emma got promoted and earned enough money to move to a nice one bed apartment in Brooklyn, Killian was burnt out after almost 5 years of studying and moved back to Storybrooke. That didn’t last long as he turned up at her apartment one night with a black eye and Emma didn’t have to ask who did that to him.

Their friendship could’ve easily taken a turn for something else that night, but it didn’t. Killian just broke down about losing Liam and how his father can’t stand the sight of him. That’s when Emma opened up about feeling alone and unloved until she was adopted and she finally had a family. They both had had a lot to drink but nothing happened, they fell asleep on the couch. So if it were going to happen, if Killian was going to admit how he felt surely it would be when he was pouring his heart out to her, right?

“For what it's worth, whether you believe he's in love with you or not, I think he’s good for you. You bring out the best in him, and he brings it out of you. Don’t scare him off, let him in.”

Ruby’s words are ringing in her head. Killian had been rock solid in her life. He was a constant reminder that people you cared about wouldn’t leave. Before she was adopted, she was in a foster family she thought really cared about her, they would talk about the trips they were taking, how the mom was going to the mall to get new clothes, but then the minute the social worker left Emma realised how wrong she was. She was used to people lying, leaving and she learnt to not get her hopes up or be excited about things, It took nearly a year for Ruth and David to finally break the walls she had up. Killian was the nerdy guy with braces who sat with her in math class and helped her find her way around the school, he sat with her at lunch and introduced her to Ruby.

Killian was her best friend. He was always there for her when she needed him. She broke up with Graham and then Killian would arrive with pizza in hand to cheer her up. She’d never really thought of him in a romantic or sexual setting before today. David and Mary Margaret were the prime example of marrying your best friend, so maybe being with Killian wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. She couldn’t stop thinking if Ruby was right and if he really was in love with her.

_____

David lent her his truck to pick up the heaters and the last of the decorations, when she parks in front of the barn she hears the radio station Killian always has on playing from the barn. She hears him singing along to the christmas song currently playing as a smile tugs at her lips.

“Nice singing, Jones.”

He stops in his tracks and his face turns red as he turns towards her. “Swan. Don’t sneak up on a man.”

The barn was partly converted from David and Mary Margaret’s wedding a few years back and a couple other people in town had since hired it out for their own wedding. Fairy lights hung from the ceiling down to the warm wooden floors which were decked with a gorgeous red carpet and tables along the back of the barn were dressed with red and green tablecloths and two large nutcrackers adorned the entryway. It looked like a winter wonderland already and Emma knew this was all her sister-in-law’s doing.

“Ruby says hi.” She says as she puts the heaters down, trying not to keep her friend's words in her head too much. “I assume Mary-Margaret left a very detailed list, so where do you want me?”

Killian holds up a list, a knowing smirk cursing his lips, of course there was a list. “She has left us in charge of the finishing touches. Add Red and Gold baubles to the tree, candy canes in the flower arrangements on every table, blankets on the porch. And my personal favourite.” He holds up a familiar looking berry flower. “mistletoe above the entryway.”

Emma rolls her eyes at her sister-in-law's ultra detailed list, she did not like leaving anything to chance. And she bets the mistletoe was David's idea before he knew about her and Killian, likely planning to trap her in an awkward situation with that teacher he’d mentioned. “You better stay away from me waving that in front of me.”

She expects Killian to put it back in the box, but instead he moves a few paces in front of her, “What will you do Swan? You know there’s a saying that if you refuse a kiss under the mistletoe you’ll be cursed to have no marriage proposals.” He was toeing a very dangerous line here and Emma knew she could easily walk away and he wouldn’t push her, but part of her was curious to see how far he was willing to go. There was nobody around except the two of them to force it.If she kissed him, it would be her decision alone.

“Who says I want a marriage proposal?” She was toying with him, she wanted to see if he was going to do what she thought.

He waves the leaves above his head and whispers, “It’s bad luck, Swan. You don’t want to be cursed.” And he leans in ever so slightly, waiting for her to make a move.

Her mind was racing. Killian was a flirt, he always was, and Emma always thought it was just in his nature, but with Ruby’s words still ringing in her head she was curious. Was this constant flirting a game or was he trying to make a move? Her mind wanders back to \ last night, seeing him dripping wet from the shower and then this morning. Was he a good kisser? What would happen if she did kiss him?

“I don’t want to be cursed.” She decides to hell with it and leans in closer, closing the gap and all of sudden her lips are on his.

She was kissing Killian. Killian, her best friend. Her fake boyfriend for the holidays. It shouldn’t feel this good. His lips are soft and she can taste the rum from the flask she knows he would’ve been drinking from at his brother's grave. His tongue is in her mouth and of course he’s a good kisser. She doesn’t know why she never thought about it before, and she can’t help but let out a moan at the way it felt.

They break away for a second, and look at one another, both understanding this was more than just a mistletoe kiss. This was wrong, everything in her knows this was wrong but she can’t help it. Killian drops the mistletoe and his mouth is on hers once again. Emma was a sensible girl 90% of the time but his lips tasted like danger and she was ready to let herself go to the dark side. His hand tangles in her hair and she can’t deny how good it feels.

They were well beyond the line of two friends pretending to date but while she was lost in the taste of his lips she couldn’t care. Hearing the way he moaned when her tongue explored his mouth, it was the hottest thing she’d ever known.

“Ahem.” They break apart at the sound of her brother's voice. “Mary Margaret sent me to see how you were doing, I think she’s stressed it’s not going to fit her vision.” Her brother was as red in the face as they were.They’d been caught making out like a bunch of teenagers and she was 30 years old for god's sake.

“Right, the tree needs the star. It's your party you should do the honours.” She backs away from Killian and doesn’t look him in the eye as she helps her brother with the finishing touches. They barely look at one another for the rest of the afternoon, and Killian resigns himself to looking over the table coverings.

They don’t bother to explain the mistletoe to David; it was clear they were having some alone time, who knows how it would have escalated. It should’ve been wrong, it was crossing a line. They had rules, clear rules about how to get through the holidays and Emma had broken them by kissing him. But she can’t deny how good it felt to kiss him and how she badly wants to do it again.

_____

Emma was on fire the entire afternoon. She couldn’t stop thinking about the taste of his lips and the way his body moved against hers. It was exciting and thrilling and Emma so desperately wanted to do it again. But she couldn’t. This was Killian, her best friend. She couldn’t face him without going bright red in the face.

She shoots Ruby a text seeing if she was free for a girls’ night. She needed to vent and Ruby owed Emma for the many times she had vented to her back in high school. Thankfully her friend is free so she shoots Killian a text so he doesn’t worry.

“I kissed him. It was meant to be a mistletoe kiss, something light hearted and unserious but god Killian knows how to kiss. And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, which is wrong because this was all meant to be fake.” She says when she shows up at Ruby’s apartment with a takeout bag and wine in hand.

Ruby rightfully looks at Emma like she doesn’t have her head screwed on, “slow down. You kissed Killian, as in your boyfriend?”

Emma pours the two of them a glass of wine as she explains everything, from the decision to fake date for the holidays to how he woke up this morning leading to the kiss and finally how her head had been spiraling ever since Ruby said he’d been in love with her since high school.

Ruby takes another sip of wine as she tries to get her head around the story. “So he agreed to fake date you, with no promise of anything?”

Emma nods. “He took a day to mull it over but yeah he didn’t argue much.”

The brunette takes another swig of wine as she digests and collects her thoughts. “Emma, when you meet up with Killian in the city, what sort of things do you get up to?”

“I’m confused. What does this have to do with my feelings?” Emma asks, not sure where her friend was going with this.

“Just stick with me. What do you guys do?”

“Uh, we go out for drinks. We talk about our bad dating experiences. We go to the gym together sometimes or he’ll bring takeout to my apartment and we’ll watch a movie together.”

Ruby nods her head with a smile, clearly what Emma was saying was going along with the batshit theory in her head, “your ex. What did you guys do together? The cop-Graham, not that douchebag Neal.”

Still not sure where this was going Emma tells her, “We’d have dinner together, he’d come to my apartment or I’d go to his and watch a movie.” Slowly Emma understood where her friend was coming from. “Oh my god. Have I been dating Killian all these years?”

It all made sense. With the whole “Killian being in love with her all this time” it made sense why he spent so much time with her. But why not be honest with her? She knew feelings could complicate things but they told each other everything. “Was I that dumb this whole time?”

“That’s a question you gotta ask him.”

_____

It’s late when she gets back to the farmhouse. She doesn’t expect him to still be awake but he’s there on the armchair reading.

“Hey, how was Ruby?”

There are a million thoughts swirling around in her head, this was why she came back late, hoping she wouldn’t have to face him.

“She's Ruby. Terrible taste in relationships. She’s pretty sure the girl she’s been dating has been cheating on her.” The lie slips out easily, Ruby was known for having terrible relationships so Killian wouldn’t get suspicious. “How was your evening?”

“I had a run in with Brennan.” Killian had stopped referring to him as his father shortly after Liam died, and he went no contact with the older man.

“What happened?” Emma knew nothing good usually came from Killian talking to his father. He was a no-good drunk and blamed Killian for Liam's death.

“It was actually a good thing. I confronted him.” Killian looked very proud of himself, “I’d bottled up everything I felt for the man all these years. Even when Liam was alive I never felt like I was good enough, I pushed myself to work hard in school to get even a smidge of his attention and he never gave a damn. Liam was his perfect son, and in his eyes I killed him. He doesn’t even care that I lost my brother, he lost his son and that’s all he cares about. He didn’t bother to ask how I’m getting on with only having one hand because he doesn’t care. I don’t exist to him anymore. It used to bother me, but I realise I don’t care. Family isn’t about blood. You, Emma, more than anyone knows that. He doesn’t exist to me anymore and I’m okay with that.”

“I know Liam would be so proud of you.” Emma tells him, grabbing his hand and smiling wide. “And you’re right. Family isn’t about blood, but you’ve got David and Mary Margaret. And you have me.”

She loved him, she loved him as a friend and if she let herself she could probably fall in love with him. She just didn’t know if opening her heart would make it worse. Killian was fragile, he’d lost his brother way too young and what if they decided to date for real, and then it didn’t work out. Could they go back to being just friends after? She knew he didn’t have any friends or people he could rely on aside from her.

_____

The next morning Emma wakes up before Killian does, sunlight not yet setting in from the curtains. It was warm considering it was December. She notices the clock next to the bed says it’s just after 6am, and she was also aware of Killian’s warm body wrapped around her, it felt nice to bask in it for a few moments. She didn’t feel his hardness against her back this morning which saved her from another awkward moment, but his legs were intertwined with hers. She felt safe with Killian. She didn’t know what was going to happen after the holidays but for now she let herself fall back asleep wrapped in his arms.

When she wakes a couple hours later it’s 8.30am and Killian isn’t next to her, so she’s forced to get out of the warm bed and go downstairs alone for breakfast.

“Happy Christmas Eve!” Mary Margaret practically pounces on her when she walks down the stairs to the breakfast nook. It’s beautiful, what they’d done with the house. A fresh lick of white paint made the small wooden kitchen feel homey and large. It was the perfect family home and Emma knew any child with them as parents would be the luckiest child in the world.

Her sister-in-law explains the plan for the day. They had a few more decorations to be added to the barn, like the fake snow David was most excited for and of course the presents for the tree because he was one of those people who loved gift giving and spending far too much time and money getting the perfect gift for everyone.

Her first Christmas with David and Ruth she had been so afraid. She’d done Christmas before with a foster family and they’d spent so much of their time and money on their own kids, she was practically forgotten about. But Christmas morning, David woke Emma up with a stocking from ‘Santa’ and they went downstairs to open it up where Ruth was making eggs and toast. It was perfect. They made her feel so included and loved.

Every year after that David would give Emma a perfect gift, the first year after they adopted her it was a framed picture of the two of them with a cute saying about the love between a brother and a sister, it made Emma cry. He’d always make the extra effort so she felt included and she loved him for it.

____

Everything was in place for the party tonight, the barn looked exactly like the Pinterest board Mary Margaret was using as inspiration. She was actually excited for once.

She had come back to the house early to get ready for tonight, but there was just the small problem that she hadn’t stopped thinking about Killian and the things Ruby had said. When she woke this morning Killian’s hardness was not rubbing against her, but part of her wishes it was. He was driving her insane. She had never been this obsessed over a guy before. What was it about his blue eyes, and his accent, and the way he was a nice guy that did things to her.

Emma’s dress is a deep red colour, it was the perfect cut, showing just enough cleavage and her makeup is smoky, with a red lip to match. There was an issue though that she couldn’t do it up herself so she puts on her brave face and texts him.

‘Need help with my dress, please assist.’

She hears a knock not two minutes later and sees his head around the door, so she gestures for him to come in. He was dressed in his suit, all ready for tonight and Emma hated to admit it, but he looked hot.

“I can’t zip myself up.” She explains turning her back to him, holding the dress in place.

“A woman usually calls me to unzip her dress, not the other way round.” He says and she doesn’t need to see his face to know he was smirking. But still he manages to zip her up all the way, his hand lingering on the top of her back. She doesn’t move, as she feels the intensity of his hand lingering and suddenly becomes undone as he presses a kiss to her neck. She releases a groan.

At the sound of that he grabs her arm and pulls her around to face him and she takes the sudden opportunity to grab his face, bringing it towards her own and they waste no time in crashing lips together the way they had done before. His lips tasted of whiskey and sugar and it was the sweetest thing she’d ever tasted. It wasn’t long before his lips moved from hers to her neck, placing a kiss down the column of her neck causing her to arch her back.

“Minx.” He whispers in her ear and she can’t help the noise that comes out of her mouth.

She needs him more than she’s ever needed or wanted someone before. Her head was a minefield of feelings, she didn’t know what to think. But she knew this couldn’t go too far before they had a chance to actually speak. It takes everything in her to pull away from his kiss for more than a second.

“Killian.” She was trying to catch her breath, trying to sort her scrambled brain together. “We can’t. We have the party.” He was still kissing her neck and it would be so easy to say fuck the party and give in her to devilish desires to fuck him senselessly but no, David and Mary Margaret were expecting them and they’d worked so hard.

“Screw the party.” He says as he captures her lips again, and again she groans as she has to pull away for good.

“Easy tiger. Plenty of time for this later.” And she plans on revisiting this before the night is through.

The glint in his eyes is unlike anything she’d seen before, “you mean that?”

Emma kisses him again, “Definitely.”

___

David’s annual Christmas Eve party was a new tradition. It started after Ruth died. David had inherited the house and the barn and had no clue what to do with it, so he did what he did best and that was spend time with friends and family. And thus the annual Nolan Christmas Eve party was born. Given that everyone in this small town rarely left the small town, the guest list remained the same each year.

Practically everyone David went to high school with attended the party, he was well loved and as Sheriff of the town he was well respected. Mary Margaret was a 2nd grade teacher so she had parents of her kids come and celebrate. Even Snow's father and his wife would be in attendance as Snow didn’t like to cause a feud on Christmas.

It was a good excuse for people to get together, drink lots of alcohol and eat good food, especially as Ruby’s grandmother Granny was catering. At what must be almost 90 she was still a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen.

The barn looked beautiful, it was covered in fake snow and the eaves were covered in wreaths while flecks of gold and red shone through. Two large nutcrackers guarded the entryway where mistletoe hung to catch some unlucky couples and in the corner there was a large Christmas tree with presents that, knowing her brother, weren’t all fake. It was beautiful, there was no other way to describe it.

“This is incredible.” She says as she and Killian walk through the doors and she sees people in the midst of conversations.

Killian nodded in agreement. “Your brother knows how to throw a good party, I’ll give him that. Though nothing can beat the homecoming after party we had when he was out of town.”

Emma smiles at the memory. It was her first party where she felt free from Neal, she let herself have fun and yeah maybe she got too drunk for a 17 year old, but she had fun. She and Ruby belted their hearts out at karaoke and Killian was there holding her hair when she threw up in the bushes. It was right before Liam died so Liam picked Emma up with Killian who was in no fit state to drive either, he gave them water and made grilled cheese to help sober them both up before they went to sleep. She woke up the next morning with a mild hangover and Liam never said anything to David.

The two mingle for a while, catching up with school friends they’d not seen in a while. The handful of classmates who managed to get away from this town were also back from their respective cities, Boston or even as far as LA. It was nice to have an excuse to actually talk to people about their lives, instead of just stalking their social media pages.

“David and I would like to propose a toast.” Mary Margaret holds out her flute and raises it in the air towards their guests. “To friends, family. Friends who have become family,” she looks to where Emma and Killian are standing, “And most importantly, to the new family member who will be here next Christmas.” She holds a hand to her belly and everyone erupts. Emma has tears in her eyes at the thought of her brother becoming a father.

“I’m so happy for you both. I can’t believe you’re going to have a baby.” She hugs her brother, the tears still flowing.

“I hope you know this doesn’t mean we’re forgetting about you. You’ll always be my baby sister.” He holds the back of her head, the way he always used to when she was younger.

“I know you’re going to be a great father, you were an amazing big brother to me and this baby is so lucky.”

Her brother smiles widely at her, “You deserve happiness too, Emma. I’m glad you’ve opened your heart to Killian, I know it hasn’t been easy. But you’re surrounded by love.” She knows her brother is slightly drunk, he definitely needed that liquid courage for his announcement. “Killian has been pining for you for years, I don’t know what he said or did to make you take the plunge and go out with him, but I’m glad it worked. I’ve never seen you this happy, and you deserve this.”

Yeah, She needed to chat with Killian.

She finds him brooding in the corner nursing what she assumes is a rum and coke and his eyes light up when he sees her. “Congratulations on the niece or nephew, Swan. I gather your brother is excited?”

“Oh he’s excited for now but I know he’s going to be shitting himself in a month or two.” She laughs. David and Mary Margaret were going to be natural parents, but that doesn’t mean they’re not going to panic like crazy.

Things with Killian were just so easy. He knew exactly what to say, and she felt comfortable around him. She didn’t need to put on an act or pretend to be interested in something she really wasn’t. It’s one of the reasons why she and Graham broke up, he was really interested in politics and the justice system, and Emma felt like every date she had to research something to impress him and be prepared if he suddenly started complaining about a judge’s ruling. With Killian he didn’t care that she was clueless when it came to history, she knew enough and he was okay with that, she also didn’t mind when he would spend 20 minutes talking about the Romans and mythology, she would listen because he made it interesting. She knew he was a great teacher because of it.

“We need to talk.” she tells him, as fun as it was making out, she needed clarity. She didn’t want to be the one to break his heart.

They head outside to the back of the barn which had been the dedicated smoking area, with outdoor heaters and picnic benches.

“Are you in love with me?” She blurts out because she doesn’t know how else to phrase it.

Rightfully Killian is taken aback at the bluntness, “I - uh. Swan.”

Emma cringes at her outburst, she was making this harder than it needed to be. “I’m sorry, I’m not good at this. It’s just, my brother and Ruby have both told me how amazing it is that we’re together. Hell, tonight David said you’ve been pining for years and asked what it was that finally won me over.” She notices Killian getting redder the more she explains. “Ruby made me realise that we’ve been dating for years without even realising it. And I want you to know that was never my intention.”

“You never looked at me in high school probably because I was an acne ridden teenage boy with pretty horrible hygiene. Your attention was on an older guy in the wrong crowd who was cool and dangerous, but he broke your heart. You didn’t see me because my brother died and my father hated me, so how could you look at me and not pity me? You were the most beautiful girl in school, Emma. And I was so lucky you decided to be my friend. If you never loved me that would be okay, because you were my friend. Maybe I was foolish to think maybe one day you’d look at me as more than as a friend. I thought ‘Maybe if I buy her flowers when she’s upset and take her to dinner when her cop boyfriend broke up with her she’d look at me.’ But you never did.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” She asks, voice breaking at the sudden admission.

“I guess I was afraid. I’d lost Liam, I lost my right hand. I didn’t want to lose you, Emma. After everything I’d lost, I still had my best friend and I think I’d break if I didn’t have you.”

“Killian. I’m sorry for asking you to be my fake boyfriend. It was stupid and if I knew how you felt- you must think I’m a horrible person.” She cringes, putting her face into her hands. She was a horrible person, she’d unknowingly taken advantage of a guy who's been in love with her for 15 years.

Killian takes her hands away from her face, forcing her to look at him. “Emma. I said yes because I wanted to help you, and you were right. It has stopped the pitying looks I would get. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable with the mistletoe stuff and earlier, I didn’t think-“

Emma interrupts before he can continue “No, no you don’t have to apologise. I’m the one who made things worse by blurring the lines. I kissed you and then I felt confused because it felt so right but so wrong at the same time.”

“Swan, you don’t have to explain. We both got carried away, but I shouldn’t have put you in that position in the first place.”

“Killian. The past couple days have been so confusing, you’ve always been my best friend but you’ve never just been that, it’s always been more. And I think after a conversation with Ruby I realised maybe I’d been missing out by not dating you for real. I’m sorry for missing the signs all these years, but I never looked at you with pity. I’m a former foster kid who was attracted to danger and I made mistakes, and you lost your brother and protector way too young. Both of us are broken, but I feel like with you everything just makes sense.” She doesn’t know why she didn’t realise it sooner.

“Can I kiss you again, Emma?” He asks and she smiles at him, a true smile she reserves for only the special people in her life.

“Please do.” And he captures her lips, softly this time. It wasn’t quick and hard like the past couple of times, it was gently asking for permission to go further rather than demand it. It’s the way their first kiss should have gone.

_________

They were back at the house within minutes, trying not to make it too obvious what they were rushing back for, but for once Emma didn’t care what other people thought.

“Too many clothes.” She comments, hands palming the buttons of his shirt, he’d pulled his jacket off and thrown it on the floor as soon as they entered before diving right into her lips.

Killian makes quick work of the zip on her dress and it quickly falls to the floor as his kisses continue, from the corner of her lips to her ear and then down her neck as she unclasps her bra, tossing it across the room.

“Killian” she can’t help but moan as the pressure in her core intensifies, she feels herself getting wetter and wetter at every kiss. She needed more. His hand cups her left breast, and his cool touch is enough to harden her nipple alone but then his fingers rub and pinch whilst his mouth makes moves on her right.

“Please Killian. Please,” she never begged when she was with a guy, they didn’t usually spend as much time with foreplay, they went straight in. Not Killian though, he was special, this was different. He was worshipping her.

“What do you want, love?” He asks and she could come alone from that sultry voice.

“You. Please. Gods, I need you.”

The devilish grin on his face appears and his lips travel south down her naval where he presses another soft kiss above her belly button before moving down to her thighs where she knows her underwear was soaked. “All this for me?”

His hand touches the soaking wet fabric and there was no use lying about how desperate she was for him, not when she was moaning like a porn star. He pulls her panties down and his touch is electricHe teases her folds, gathering her wetness in his fingers and then brings it up to his mouth and licks his fingers, which Emma didn’t realise was a turn on until that moment.

He kisses her so she can taste herself on him and then his mouth is on her core again, his tongue lapping at her increasing wetness. She grabs at his hair, pulling him closer as the pressure intensifies. His tongue licks up and down and then he finds her clit and Emma was in heaven.

He slips a finger inside and she’s on fire, finding the right angle, he pumps his finger in and out until adding a second and she throws her head back, crying begging for more as he finger fucks her.

“Right there! Harder! Please!” She begged.

“I’ve wanted this for so long.” He whispers and Emma knows deep down, maybe she has, too.

“Killian” she moans again, she was missing out all these years if sex with him was this good.

“You’re still wearing too many clothes.” She reaches out to unbutton his pants and she can already see pre cum leaking from his underwear. She knew he was going to be large but when she pulls his boxers down and sees him already hard and ready for her is something she was not prepared for.

Killian groans at the simple touch of her hand on his cock and she smiles knowing it was her turn to make him in pain. Her lips touch the tip, causing him to tense before she takes him in her mouth and bobs her head up and down, her hand taking over where she couldn’t fit anymore of him.

“Tell me what you want, love.” He asks in a breathy moan

“You. Inside me. Now.”

He flashes her a wicked grin and kisses her softly before lining himself up and guiding his cock into her, edging himself in slowly.

Emma feels a wave of euphoria at the feel of his cock in her, rolling her hips against him trying to find the perfect rhythm as he thrusts into her inch by inch.

“Swan, you feel so good.” He mumbles, hand in her hair and she could only groan in agreement, he felt so good.

“I’m so close.” She breathes as Killian thrusts some more and his thumb brushes over her throbbing clit and Emma can’t help but scream his name ‘Killian!’

The sound of Emma screaming his name is what causes Killian to release fully and Emma knows she’s never had an orgasm such as this before.

He kisses her softly and slowly again. A promise that this was not the first or last time they would do this to another’s bodies.

___

Christmas morning Emma wakes once again wrapped up in Killians arms and she lets herself enjoy it without the guilt because there was no going back now. Maybe her brother was right, and it had been Killian all along.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

How the Witch Stole Christmas--A CS Secret Santa Fic

Note: Merry Christmas @captainswan-kellie!  I was your Secret Santa this year!  I hope you enjoy your gift, and I hope you have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

Tagging a few people who may be interested (Let me know if you want to be added or taken off the list):

@jennjenn615 @laschatzi @snowbellewells @iamanneenigma @kmomof4

@linda8084 @searchingwardrobes @hollyethecurious @winterbaby89 @facesiousbutton82 

@therooksshiningknight @lfh1226-linda @tiganasummertree @jrob64  @anmylica 

@booksteaandtoomuchtv @i-will-sing-no-requiem @bluewildcatfanatic @laianely

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Thanks, Killian!  Maybe we could go out on your boat again sometime,” Henry said as he bounded into their room at Granny’s.

“Anytime, lad,” Killian said softly, and Emma felt her heart turn over at the affection she heard in Hook’s voice toward her son.  If she stopped to think about it too closely, it would scare the daylights out of her, how much she was coming to depend on him and lean on him in the midst of the latest craziness.

But that was a concern for another day.  For right now, she just wanted to celebrate another day where they were still standing and the villain of the day hadn’t succeeded.

“How did the queen fare against the witch?” Killian asked, as though reading her thoughts.  It was kind of unsettling how effortlessly he was able to do that..

“She survived, but the rest is definitely more than a doorway conversation,” Emma said, suddenly feeling tired as she recalled the showdown in the middle of town square.  

She was about to thank him again, when suddenly her phone rang.

“Hey Mary Margaret, what’s up?” she asked, seeing her mother’s picture on the screen when she pulled the device from her back pocket.

“Can you and Hook meet us down in the parlor in say five minutes?” Mary Margaret asked.

“Sure?” she said, the word coming out more of a question than a statement.  “What’s up?  Is everything okay?  Did the witch–”

“Oh nothing like that,” Mary Margaret said.  “Don’t worry.  Your father and I just had an idea.”

Killian gave her a concerned look as she hung up the phone.  “Another crisis, Swan?”

“I don’t think so,” she said slowly.  “That was Mary Margtaret and she sounded….excited.  She wants us to meet her in the parlor.  Just give me a second to tell the kid where I’m off to.”

Five minutes later, they found themselves seated on a loveseat in front of a merrily roaring fire in Granny’s parlor, an equally confused–and annoyed, from the look of it–Regina sitting across from them.

Before any of them had a chance to speculate what was up, Mary Margaret and David breezed in, cheeks reddened from the cold and a few stray snowflakes in their hair.

“Brr!  It’s cold out there,” Mary Margaret said with a smile, “and it’s starting to snow–which is just perfect.”

Emma shot Killian a bemused look, and he shrugged, clearly as at a loss as she was.

“Mom,” Emma said, hoping to win some favor by using the familial term.  “What’s all this about?  Is there a new threat from Zelena?  Did something else happen?”

“Oh nothing like that!” Mary Margaret said.  “We called you all here because, well, tomorrow’s Christmas Eve.”

“Tomorrow’s….Christmas Eve?” Killian said blankly.

“Oh come on, Hook,” David said, “we had Christmas back in our land.  Surely you know what it is!”

“Of course I bloody know what Christmas is,” Killian bit out.  “What I fail to grasp is why that warrants a meeting of the heroes.”

“We have to plan a celebration, of course!” Mary Margaret said, nearly bounding on her chair.  And there’s no time to waste!”

Regina gave her erstwhile enemy a look of disbelief.  “My insane half sister is running around, trying to steal hearts and courage and who the hell knows what else, and you want to plan a party?”

A look of steely determination came into Mary Margaret’s face.  “Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do,” she said.  “I don’t know what the witch has planned.  I don’t know how she plans to go about getting what she wants, but I do know one thing: when this town comes together we don’t fail.  I refuse to let her steal the joy of the holiday from me or my family–or my town!”

“And the best way to stop her is to set up a Christmas tree and drink eggnog and give each other presents we don’t want anyway?” Regina continued.

“Couldn’t hurt,” David said.

“Of course it could!” Regina exploded.  “Who knows what she’ll get accomplished while we galavant around town like idiots!”

“Swan?  What do you think?” Killian asked, turning toward her.

She thought for a moment before formulating her answer.  “I say, screw her,” she said finally.  “Whatever insane plot she’s hatching, she’s basically acting like a spoiled kid, and what do you do with a spoiled kid?  You ignore them.  She wants to throw a temper tantrum, we’ll be ready for her.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, Zelena adjusted her hat, and then poofed herself out of her farmhouse to the edge of town, curious to see the effect her showdown with her pathetic younger sister had on the rest of the town.

She’d defeated her handily, thanks in part to her secret, Dark One, weapon.  

Would the town be cowering in fear?  Would they be huddled together trying to prepare for whatever new hell Zelena planned for them?

She looked around, and her brows furrowed in confusion.  There was no spirit of fear or concern in the air.  There was an air of excitement, of festivity.  Grumpy and the rest of the dwarf’s were dragging a huge pine tree onto the square and untangling strands of lights.  Marco and Archie hung decorations on light posts.  Belle sang a Christmas carol as she strung garland on the door of library.

Zelena huddled farther into the large coat she’d donned to hide her identity for her reconnaissance mission.  Stepping into Granny’s, she noticed the core group of heroes–along with Granny and Ruby were engaged in a strategy meeting.

But it wasn’t any kind of strategy meeting she would have expected.  They seemed to be planning….a party.

“Should there be a gift exchange?” Mary Margaret asked.

“Put together in one day?” Regina asked skeptically.

“Why not?” Mary Margaret said.  “What kind of Christmas party doesn’t even have a gift exchange?  We could make it a game.  A white elephant gift exchange!”

They were planning a party?  The morning after she’d so soundly defeated her younger sister?  Had they all gone crazy?

Wordlessly, Zelena slipped out of the diner.  They thought to ignore her and the threat she posed?  She’d see about that!

As she made her way back to her farmhouse, an idea came to her mind. A wonderful, terrible idea

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So….the whole town is having a Christmas party?” Henry asked as he, Emma and Killian walked from their rooms toward the diner bright and early on Christmas morning.

“That they are lad,” Killian said, smiling delightedly. “Replete with gifts, games and holiday treats.”

“But…but weren’t you all just working to find the person who killed my dad, and how you’re having a party?” he asked.

Emma stopped and put a comforting hand on her son’s shoulder.  “Kid, don’t worry, we’ll catch her.  We just can’t stop living while we do.  We can’t let her steal our joy.”

“Your father would want you to enjoy the season,” Killian added.

“But….are we safe?” Henry persisted.

A steely look came into Emma’s eyes.  “The only person who isn’t safe is the w–I mean the killer, if she tries anything today.”

He looked closely at her for a moment.  The kid had an unsettling way of looking for lies–much like she’d always had.  Finally, he nodded.  “Cool.  So what does this town do for Christmas?”

“I guess we’re about to find out,” Emma said.  “And kid…this town is….different, so don’t be surprised if some of their…traditions…are kind of weird.”

“Hey, I’m a kid,” Henry said. “As long as there are presents and sweets I’m happy.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The party went off without a hitch–until late in the afternoon.  Frankly Killian was shocked how long it took for the witch to strike.

They’d just finished a delectable Christmas dinner and were setting up for the white elephant gift exchange–which would no doubt prove to be interesting, given the fact at least four of the dwarves were well into their cups by that point, and Happy was fully inebriated–when a tremendous clatter was heard outside the diner.

As one, the residents of Storybrooke fled to the door and windows to see what was happening.

Zelena, in full on green skin, black dress and hat walked purposely toward them, while a band of flying monkeys screamed to each other, tearing decorations from windows and doors, destroying the carefully decorated tree.

A loud murmur of concern and fear went through the assembly as the witch approached.  Henry, for his part, gave his mother a bemused look.

“Uh…” she said, thinking hard, “this is….this is…”

“The traditional Christmas interactive play,” Regina said, coming to her aid. 

“She looks like the Wicked Witch of the West,” Henry said, skeptically.  “What does she have to do with Christmas?”

“It’s the green skin,” Emma said.  “She’s like… the grinch.”

“So….you do an interactive Grinch play starring the Wicked Witch of the West?”

Fortunately, Swan was saved answering that question by the arrival of the witch herself.

“Well, isn’t this a festive assembly?” Zelena said, walking in confidently.  “Didn’t get enough the other night, sis?”

Without further ado, Zelena raised her hands, called on all of her magic, and…..nothing happened.

“What the hell?” she asked, looking down at her hands.

“Protection spell,” Regina said, gesturing around the diner.  “Covers the whole place.  Sorry to ruin your greatest Christmas wish, but your annoying green hands are tied here.”

“You can’t keep a spell that powerful up forever!” Zelena thundered. “Sooner or later I will break through.”

“Maybe so,” Regina continued.  “But it won’t happen until after Christmas.”

“Look, greenie,” Emma said, “It’s Christmas.  We’re all here to enjoy ourselves.  You’ve got two options: leave us the hell alone, or get over yourself, grab an eggnog and act like an adult, rather than a spoiled child.”

Zelena looked murderous for another moment, and then her facade crumbled.  “You’d really let me join your party?  Knowing who I am?  What I’m capable of? That I’m planning to destroy you all?”

Mary Margaret approached her with a cup of eggnog.  “It’s Christmas, Zelena.   Everyone deserves a little grace and a second chance at Christmas.  I bet there’s even a gift for you under that tree.”

“Come join us,” David said.  “After all, you can always go back to trying to destroy us tomorrow.”

Perhaps the magic of the season touched her.  Perhaps she, like all the rest of them was simply tired.  Perhaps her heart grew three sizes that day. Whatever the reason, after a long silence, in which it felt like no one so much as moved, the witch nodded and the party went on.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Much later that evening a bemused Zelena returned to her farmhouse.  What manner of witchcraft had her spoiled sister used upon her?  She’d gone to the town to destroy their Christmas, and instead they’d invited her in, allowed her to make merry with them, treated her as one of their own.

Was it possible she’d been wrong about them–wrong about everything?

No, she finally decided, sitting before the fire. No, she wouldn’t let a little reverse psychology derail her like that!  Tomorrow it was back to business as usual.  Tomorrow she went back to getting the ingredients she needed.  Tomorrow she took the next step toward getting what she truly deserved–a life in which her sister had never been born.  A life in which she was the favored and only daughter.

And, after all, tonight hadn’t been a complete waste.  She’d gained some useful intel.  It seemed the Savior and the pirate were quite close.  The way they looked at each other.  The way they sought each other out.  Quite the budding romance there.

Perhaps she could use it to her advantage.  Perhaps it was just what she needed to neutralize the savior.  Just a little bit of manipulation, a little bit of deception, and she had no doubt she’d succeed in cursing the pirate’s lips and letting him do the rest for her.

Until then, she had a bigger problem.  The whole noxious town had come together to work as one.  She couldn’t have that.  Couldn’t have that at all.  She had to do something to wipe the warm fuzzies from everyone’s consciousness.

Looks like it was time for one last memory spell.  Taking a vial from her bag, she uncorked it and let the fog waft from it toward the town.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“So kid, what did you think of Storybrooke Christmas?” Emma asked as the three of them headed back toward their rooms.

“Mom, this town is really, really weird,” he said.

“You don’t know the half of it,” she muttered under her breath.

“But,” he concluded, “it was a really good Christmas.  Thanks for bringing me.”

She gave him a quick hug.  “Kid, there’s no one in the world I’d rather spend Christmas with than you, no matter where or how we do it.”

“Me too, mom,” he said, returning her hug, before yawning loudly.

“Okay, time for bed, kid,” she said, opening their door, and gesturing inside.  “I’ll be in in a moment.  Just want to talk to Killian.”

She waited until the door was closed after him, and then turned back to Killian.  “Well, it looks like a Christmas disaster was averted, and the kid’s no worse for the wear.”

“Your lad is stronger than you think, love,” Killian said softly, taking a step closer to her and hooking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear. “And you did a fantastic job giving him a joyful and memorable Christmas.”

“You really think so?” she asked tentatively.  “Killian, I never really had Christmas growing up the way I did, and so I always want to make sure Henry doesn’t feel the loss the way I did.”

“And he never will,” he said with a gentle smile, “because he has a mother who loves him.  It makes up for any….less than perfect Christmas moment.”

Her heart turned over at the look he gave her.  The look he was always giving her.  He believed in her, really, truly believed in her.  He was on her side and in her corner, no matter what.  It didn’t matter what she did, what she said, how much she tried to push him away.  He’d once told her he was in it for the long haul, and she was finally, finally beginning to suspect that he meant it.

She looked up at him for long moments as her heart pounded.  If she didn’t step away soon, she was going to do something stupid. Like kiss him.

She should turn around, walk back into her room.  Bid him good night.

But it was Christmas.  The day had been magical.  She was feeling good–and he was a big part of it.

Screw it.  Tomorrow she’d go back to guarding her heart.  For tonight.  For one night only, she’d show him what his support meant to her.

Reaching up, she grabbed his lapels and pulled him down for a long, slow kiss.  If he was surprised at her actions, he didn’t show it, merely pulling her close, and kissing her back just as fervently as he let his hand tangle in her hair.

Just how long the kiss would have gone on–and how passionate it would have become–Emma didn’t know, because just as she turned her head to deepen the kiss even further, she caught a faint wisp of–something (smoke? Fog? A spell?) out of the corner of her eye.

She pulled away, watching as the fog billowed toward them, and then overtook them, so quickly, she didn’t even have time to cry out.

But no sooner had the cloud overtaken them than it dissipated, and suddenly Emma couldn’t remember what they’d been doing or why.

She shook her head.  The showdown between Regina and Zelena must have rattled her more than she’d thought.

“How did the queen fare against the witch?” Killian asked, 

“She survived, but the rest is definitely more than a doorway conversation,” Emma replied.  “Thanks again for taking him out on your ship.”

[jrob64]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love 💗

MY FIVE FAVORITE???? That's like asking me to choose my 5 favorite children, although I only have 2, so that's fairly easy. Most days.

Okay, I'll give it a try.

Sowing Seeds of Trust is my favorite MC because I love the character development of Emma, the relationship development between her and Killian, and the role the minor characters have in the story. Plus, I tried writing about some very tough subjects - homelessness and unplanned pregnancy. I also liked the way I interwove the Christian community into the story.

Rescuing the Princess. Written as a gift for CS Secret Santa 2021, I tackled a fairy tale mash-up of Sleeping Beauty, Tangled, Beauty and the Beast and The Princess Bride and I have to admit, I'm pretty darn proud of how it turned out!

Lonely No More - an OS based on Christina Perri's EPIC music video featuring our favorite Irishman! I shouldn't say I enjoyed writing about two very lonely people who met each other because of FedEx deliveries, but their developing relationship and how they mended each other's lonely hearts just makes my own heart melt. This is probably my favorite version of CS I've ever written.

Faultline - my first contribution to the CS Movie Marathon collection, inspired by the movie San Andreas. I had so much fun working in all the tension and suspense of Emma, Killian and Liam helping each other make it out of San Francisco after an earthquake. The pic sets for all three chapters were also a lot of fun to make, and this story includes my favorite proposal I've written so far.

Devastation and Healing. This is my first long MC and included research into Physical and Occupational Therapy, along with medical and legal topics I'm pretty clueless about. I adored writing the characters of Marco and August, who are Emma's adopted father and brother. The way Killian went from a physically and emotionally broken man to the love of Emma's life still brings tears to my eyes. I was also very excited about the response I got when I included an unexpected event involving Milah.

Sorry, but I have to include some honorable mentions, because now that my personal library of works is up to 40 (with a few collaborations in there) I feel like only choosing 5 is nearly impossible!

For the Sake of Henry - again tackling a very difficult subject, this time of child abuse and neglect.

Snowstorm Confessions - bed sharing and no power during a blizzard - what's not to love?

Lunch is on Me - of all of my stories, this one probably tugs at my heartstrings the most.

Tagging: @kmomof4 @snowbellewells @whimsicallyenchantedrose @cs-rylie @elizabeethan

Thanks for the ask @kazoosandfannypacks!

[cosette141]

Hi, it's your CS Secret Santa!

And Happy (belated) Birthday! Wishing you all the best!

Oh yes, I love Living Steel. I've probably watched it over 10 times!

I didn't really like the Eragon movie either, it was kind of chaotic and disjointed, as if it was made in a hurry. My son (who is a big fan of the books by the way) also says that the movie doesn't come close to the magic of the books at all. It's great that there will be a series, I hope they try their best and don't stray too far from the original material, as has often happened with book series lately.

Thanks for the playlist, I'll definitely check it out.

My favorite CS related song is I don't wanna believe by Hinder

And another question: What do you like modern AU, fantasy AU, crossover or something else?

Most of your gifts are already ready, but there is always time to add something at the last minute.

❤️❄️❤️☃️❤️🎄

hi santa!!

Aww thanks so much!! <3

Yeah, they really did phone in the Eragon movie lol. I think their excuse was that they wanted to make it a 1-time movie so they changed up the plot so that it could be "resolved" all at once, but I agree!! It definitely had none of the charm that the books had! Haha I agree with that too, I hope that the tv show might be good but I don't have high hopes for it lol.

Awww I just listened to that Hinder song, it's so them!! <3 <3

Hahah I'm gonna sound so boring lol but I'm actually more of a canon lover than an AU lover, but I love canon divergent stuff! I don't mind AUs if the characters have the same personalities and backstories though :D for example there was this fic called "Rebels on the Run" that took place when Emma was I think around 20? And in that universe, she was living the same life except Neal didn't show up, and instead, Killian fell through a portal to Emma's world right after he lost his hand, and their love story started there, rather than 10 years later. (The story eventually does tie into the curse and everything, but it was such a cool twist!) But anyway hahah so those are the kinds of AUs I like :D I guess you could more just call it suuper canon divergent hahah. I also don't mind crossovers when they make sense!! I was actually writing a Tangled/OUAT crossover a few years ago that I totally forgot to finish hahah xD But if any of your gifts are AU-related, thats totally okay!!! I will love anything you make!! <3 <3

Eee I'm so excited!! Thank you santa, I can't wait to see what you have in store!! <3 <3

[mionedray]

🎄 Ahoy there! 🎄

Guess what? I’m your Secret Santa, and I’m here to whip up something awesome just for you! But hey, I’m not a mind reader, so I’ve got a few questions to help me nail it. Answer as much or as little as you want—spill the tea or just drop me some breadcrumbs!

What’s your favorite thing about Captain Swan? Are you into swashbuckling adventures, tender moments, or something else entirely?

Do you prefer your stories sprinkled with fluff, drenched in angst, or served with a side of humor? Or maybe a mix?

Any favorite tropes you adore? (Enemies-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, daring rescues... I’m all ears!)

Is there anything I should steer clear of so I don’t accidentally land us in the Underworld?

If there’s anything else that would make your gift extra perfect, don’t hesitate to share! Can’t wait to bring some holiday joy your way. 💌

Cheers! 🎁✨

Hallow Hallow!

I knew it Santa was real! See, see *points at imaginary people* Santa is gonna sue you guys for defamation. Now, now its time to put the cringe humour aside and apologize for late response (exams *sigh*). A-KNEE-WAYZ I hope you've been doing well dear Santa- your ask was such a joy to read! Now to answer!

1. This one is hard to answer. I do love the tender moments very much and swashbuckling adventures as well. Like when they went back to the past, camelot or the underworld (almost forgot the season 6 rescue). As for the tender moments I have so many favorites (mostly from season 3 and 5). If you would like me to elaborate on that I will. I don't want to overwhelm you 😭. I have a tendency to ramble.

2. So I am a happy endings girlie (loveeee fluff) and humour is just peak tehee. I don't mind angst (the emotional moments it brings are just so in the feels). Tho knock yourself out I'd love to see anything you come up with.

3. Okay so I enjoy almost all tropes i think. In CS my favorite trope is Captain Duckling (with a dash of enemies to lovers) but in modern Au's- i like friends to lovers (helping each other grow). Oh God (I'm thinking of a million of my favorite fics now 😭). I also like the soul mates trope and I love fics with a Christmas vibe too. Almost forgot the whole dark hook saga too (some of those fics were phenomenal). Basically i like everything 🤣

4. OooooO, I actually do like the idea of being in the underworld (probably not OUAT's tho lol). But yes...umm no tragedies. I also absolutely hate Neal and August and I'd appreciate it if we could avoid tropes like teacher/student or stepcest. Hope that isn't too much 😭

I also want to apologize for this response being a mess 😭 *cries in doing this during breaks*. If you want me to go in detail about anything or just have any other questions let me know. I'll try and answer as quickly as possible. Take care dear Santa- stay safe a hydrated!

[bvck-barnes]

Hello there Friend and Ho Ho Ho!! This is your CS Secret Santa reporting for duty! ☃️ Here at the North Pole things have taken a decidedly frosty turn. If it is cold where you are too, the elves and I hope you are staying healthy for the holiday season.

I look forward to getting to know you as your gift is prepared! Santa hopes you enjoy CS fic, as that is his specialty. He and the elves and reindeer are a bit old-fashioned - sadly not as skilled in newfangled presents like videos and gifs, unfortunately.

To start off getting acquainted, what are some of the things you look forward to most about this time of year? And also, what are a couple of your favorite things about CaptainSwan, or OuaT in general?

hi santa ♡ i hope you're okay and enjoying the cold weather! here we don't get reaaaally cold temperatures (sadly) but it's definitely chillier than usual. i'm so so excited to get to know more about you too, and getting a fic is literally my ideal christmas so you're AMAZING already.

what i look forward the most during this season, i'm gonna be honest i've never been a fan of christmas bc it's not always fun with the fam but this is my first year spending it with a partner and he's amazing and so i guess this time i'm looking forward to just finding joy in that ♡.

aaand finally (sorry i talk a lot) my favorite thing about ouat is emma, i started this show when i was like 16 and she was the first character i ever fully saw myself reflected in, to this day i think i still do in so many ways. and then captain swan will always be my otp bc of the way they both helped each other become a better version of themselves in their own way and break down the walls they had. honestly i could talk about them for hours and hours lol. i would also love to hear what you love about those two!

[ive-always-been-a-pirate]

Malware & Misteltoe:  A CS-SS Fic Gift (1/2)

Happy holidays, @pirateprincessofpizza! I’m your CS-SS for the @cssecretsanta2020 event. It’s been fun picking your brain and creating this CS dynamic I’ve been thinking about since I finished reading the book Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. Thank you so much for being patient with me and this crazy weather where I live. I apologize for the delay in posting, but I hope you’ll enjoy this little fic! This is part one (because @optomisticgirl is an awful, wonderful enabler) and I am hoping to post the second part by the end of the year. Happy reading!

Summary: Killian Jones never wanted to work in internet security, but he can’t deny that Emma Swan makes it more entertaining than he imagined possible. He first fell for her over an email that wasn’t meant for him and now that he’s totally in love with her, how is he ever supposed to admit it?

Rating: T

Word Count: 4.7K

Killian was probably the only person in the world who loved Monday mornings at the office. He quickly realized after the first snowfall in December that he was definitely the only one who could bear those early arrivals at work once winter struck. He’d determined that his preference was rare long before he’d taken his current tech job at The Daily Mirror, but rolling into the empty parking lot at seven and being one of the first to snag a hot cup of coffee were simple pleasures he’d truly started to appreciate since joining the company. Maybe it was because he was always an early riser or maybe it was because his job didn’t leave him with a whole lot of other enjoyment.

It was probably both. 

Sure, the conference room almost always had the bagels he liked and his job restrictions were minimal, but Killian dealt with his fair share of frustration at work. They were constantly running low on colored ink in the printers and very few of his co-workers ever seemed to read the weekly office memo he sent out courtesy of the human resources department. The sandwiches he packed for lunch would often disappear from the break room fridge and the woman one cubicle over - an eternal optimist named Mary Margaret - never stopped humming. 

Oh, and he got to deal with employees and their abrupt emails - including the one that popped up on his computer screen the instant the machine booted up the Monday after a lazy weekend.

Hey Jerk,

If you’re going to run software updates over the weekend, give me a heads up. My desktop icons are all out of order now and it’s super annoying. Don’t worry - I’ll let you fix it after our meeting today. Hope you brought bearclaws!

-Emma

He didn’t actually have to read the sender’s name to know it was from her. He’d learned to recognize that sarcastic, blunt wit a long time ago and though it was often prefaced with ‘you idiot’ or ‘dear dummy’, it never failed to bring a smile to his lips. Swan, he swooned silently as his fingertips hovered over the keyboard. Taking a quick sip of his now lukewarm coffee, Killian glanced at the clock on the wall to his left. He had forty two minutes until their regularly scheduled staff meeting - and as he began locating the number for Downtown Donuts and Pastries, he prayed to the workplace gods that they still delivered.

He’d first fallen for her over an email that wasn’t intended for him - well, at least that’s kind of how it went. Killian had wound up in Boston post divorce from Milah, his wife of five years, and had accepted a job at a local newspaper while broken-hearted and nearly broke. Working in office internet security and crashing on his best friend Robin’s couch wasn’t at all where he imagined he’d be at the ripe old age of twenty eight, but he had grown to accept it. He spent plenty of time convincing himself that there were worse things, though he wasn’t sure exactly how many jobs could possibly be less glamorous than being a professional tattletale.

The work was easy for the most part - debugging the network, keeping the company website up to date, and monitoring employee emails in reference to the compliance policy. That last part was the only task that really bothered him at times, but then again, it was the only way he’d managed to meet Emma Swan at a company that employed roughly two hundred people.

She was a writer, a fact he’d learned from the staff directory, and also a diehard Yelp subscriber - but she hadn’t told him that last bit. Her emails had. Well, at least one of them had - the first one he’d intercepted. He still remembered what it had said and he knew if he managed to forget, it was saved in the Favorites tab of his own inbox. He’d never seen someone be so professional yet so passionately threatening in a mere six sentences and while the firmly worded message had been meant for a nearby dive bar, a few flagged phrases had provided him with a copy for review.

Emma Swan calling Aesop’s Table ‘a pathetically poor excuse for a pub’ was the beginning for him - and since then, his job had become much more amusing.

It wasn’t totally his fault that he’d turned into such a skeezy online spy. It was his job to read her email - well, sort of. It was his job to send her a warning or a memo about proper use of her company inbox, but in an office that was all ink stains and deadlines that didn’t apply to him, Killian had found skimming her messages to be the most interesting part of his work day.

He had pieced her together through the words she typed and the dozens of times a day she hit the send button. He grinned at the back and forth banter she had with a workplace friend named Ruby and facepalmed his way through her exchange with some random buyer of a bike she once tried to sell on Craigslist. He tried not to get too excited that they might have things in common when she got ticket confirmations for movies he’d recently seen. He couldn’t help the way he swooned when she got personalized thank you messages from an animal shelter for her monthly donations. The whole thing prodded his guilt from time to time, but he reminded himself that she’d been briefed with the Mirror’s email rules and he was only doing what he’d been hired to do.

Okay, maybe a little more than what he’d been hired to do.

In all fairness, he didn’t read all of them. He made a conscious effort to skip over anything that looked too personal - though he had accidentally still learned that she’d yet to get her yearly flu shot via a reminder from the corner pharmacy. He’d also gathered that she had a rather overprotective brother named David who usually visited on holidays and liked to check in a few times a week by dropping a line or two. It was actually a message from that older sibling that had led to Emma finding out about his snooping.

Apparently, wishing her a ‘happy birthday’ in the breakroom after seeing it in an email from her overly excited brother had been an impulsive move. 

She’d been mad and maybe even a bit embarrassed at first which led to her taking every step possible to avoid him. She dodged him in the elevator an unfair number of times and her inbox went silent, not that he even had the courage to take on that part of his work after the way she’d glared him down post celebratory greeting. His job became bleakly boring overnight and after two weeks of battling his guilty conscience in the office, Killian decided he’d burned his bridge - or maybe saying he’d set flame to his firewall would have been more poetically proper. He helped craft a job listing to post for his replacement and had barely started packing up his cubicle when she showed up behind him, her beautiful reflection in his blank computer screen nearly startling him right out of his desk chair.

You can’t quit - that’s what she’d told him as he clumsily dropped his paper box full of minimal belongings on the floor. There was something about the way she said it too. It wasn’t quite a demand, but it definitely wasn’t just a suggestion. It was almost like she felt bad or maybe even a little bit responsible for his choice to seek employment elsewhere and she’d shown up to make sure he didn’t follow through. 

He decided he liked - like really liked - her in that moment and he was quite positive that his stupid smile had told her so. He knew he should have introduced himself long before the moment she tracked him down that day, but what would he have said - ‘hi, I’m the guy who monitors your email and I also might be in love with you’?

Not a chance in hell.

He pondered the idea of sticking around as he put up an offer to buy her a cup of coffee that she parlayed into a hot chocolate with a pastry after work instead. They’d chatted through rush hour, the cars outside the corner bakery’s glass door whizzing by as they made almost too comfortable conversation. It was - but shouldn’t have been - amazing to Killian how much easier it was to learn about her in person and it didn’t take long to fill in the blanks on a few remaining questions he had about her.

She was hoping to write a book one day, but didn’t mind her current job. She also took a few night classes at the small university up the street - which explained the sporadic messages he’d noticed from their tuition office - and she loathed celebrating her birthday, a fact she mentioned with a knowing smirk. He knew she wasn’t angry as he studied the curve of her mouth, but when she folded her arms casually, he realized she wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily.

There was something to be said for persistent investigative journalism and Killian learned quickly that Emma was a master of that craft. She interrogated him until closing time, asking him about everything from the scar beneath his eye to how the hell he’d ended up being an internet narc for a living. He’d been honest about all of it because yes, she definitely deserved that much, but also because he had never met someone as easy to talk to as Emma. That probably should have been his first clue - he’d violated her privacy and now, he was liable to fall for her.

Worst job ever, he’d thought to himself later that night as he deleted the ‘help wanted’ ad he’d posted on the company’s website only hours earlier. He really needed to find a new career path - okay, eventually.

_____________________________________

Of course, that was nearly three years earlier and leaving the Daily Mirror for something a little more dignified had yet to happen. Not much had really changed since the day she’d confronted him over the rim of her cocoa mug and the things that had….well, he didn’t exactly mind those little details.

His work was the same and while he still didn’t find it to be the most wonderful way to make a paycheck, Emma had managed to make it even more bearable. She now forwarded him her more obnoxious junk mail like the store credit card offers and the funding inquiries from a variety of Nigerian princes. She constantly sent him bogus work orders requesting he adjust the volume on her computer speakers or delete the program virus she’d obviously contracted by clicking on those pop-ups he’d warned everyone about in his weekly memos. She had also clearly filled Ruby in on his ability to read their correspondences as the pair of them often ended their emails to one another with ‘have a nice weekend, Killian!’. It all should have irritated him, but it didn’t - and she certainly made him smile more than anything else did these days.

It wasn’t as if she was the only good part of his life though. Several pieces of his day to day world had changed for the better since he’d initially accepted the skeptical job at the semi-popular newspaper. He had finally managed to abandon his best friend’s couch for a modest apartment a few blocks from work and he’d recently joined a nearby gym that served as an outlet for his frequent stress. He’d made peace with his failed marriage and even gone on two dates, though neither had been with the woman who made his work hours more pleasant.

He’d been attempting to accept that - the likely truth that he would never strike that chord with her - and while it became trickier each day, perhaps one day he’d be okay with that too.

Killian was trying to avoid silently calling himself a liar by the time he strolled into the conference room for the morning meeting, his eyes finding hers after he briefly lingered in the doorway.

She grinned once, biting her lip as he rolled his eyes. They didn’t speak as he took the seat across from her and he settled with the knowledge that their battle of the workplace wits was carrying on without a second thought. Making a show of taking out her phone, she typed a few keys and he raised an eyebrow at the quiet alert sound from his own device.

Ignoring me then - I see how it is. Talk about unprofessional.

He shook his head subtly as he pondered a reply, trying to ignore the way she kicked him under the conference room table. She loved to taunt his attempts to keep their online conversation civil and this day’s bright and early quips were no different. Killian allowed his thumb to tap a response, barely hitting send as their boss entered the room.

Apologies, lass - as always. I promise I’ll stop by to sort out your technological woes once we’re out of here. Of course, assuming you truly can’t do so yourself.

She sighed in return, deciding not to shoot him a quick answer before stowing her phone face down on the table. Bad form, he thought as he pouted over the fact that they wouldn’t be exchanging any further messages until after the staff agenda was addressed. He tapped his phone’s screen the moment the meeting ended and tried not to be too excited about her name popping up on the screen.

I probably could, but someone’s got to make sure you do more than just sift through employee emails all day. There’s a mysterious looking announcement from some explicitly rated website for you sitting in my saved folder, by the way.

Bloody hell, he smirked as he watched her leave the room once they were dismissed. If this job wouldn’t eventually be the end of him, perhaps Emma Swan and her teasing ways might be.

With his luck, that would likely be it….stupid internet security be damned.

_____________________________________

She’d made sure to be away from her desk when he stopped in to fix her very minor computer issues. It wasn’t totally unlike her to take that route. They talked here and there, but digital correspondence was where most of their communication thrived. He’d actually grown to expect and enjoy her snarky emails and steady text messages since that day she had told him to stay at the Mirror. He sunk into her chair, changing the height and clearing his throat before beginning his work. The adjustment in seating settings would likely be something he’d hear about later that day, but he couldn’t resist - much like he couldn’t keep himself from changing her screensaver to a collection of Disney villains and deleting all of the junk mail they both knew violated several company policies.

If he couldn’t work up the courage to seek her out in their busy office building and tell her how he felt, the least he could do was continue this little daily war they kept engaging in. If it was anyone but Emma, he might even consider it to be flirting.

Keep dreaming, he thought as he clicked out of the program he was navigating on her computer.

It was only once he completed the virus scan and a detailed cleaning of her keyboard - because hey, he was a nice guy sometimes - that he caught sight of the flyer she had posted up on the bulletin board to the side of the monitor. He had the same one tucked away in the beat-up canvas messenger bag he kept his laptop stored in.

Office Holiday Party. December 22nd. Seven o’clock. Sign up for the yearly Secret Santa exchange when you RSVP. 

Killian felt his heart pound a little harder as he glanced over the red and green text for the hundredth time. He had been debating whether or not he was actually going to attend the office celebration since he’d first seen the invitation in the break room nearly two weeks earlier. His desire to interact with company employees outside of work hours was pretty minimal, but seeing the festive looking flyer displayed in her workspace courtesy of a red push pin suggested that Emma would be in attendance. His skin prickled slightly as his newly acquired motivation to put the party on his schedule grew. Of course, it was nothing like any of the dozen dates he’d imagined taking her on, but it wasn’t work - and maybe that was a start.

The concept of Secret Santa was one he had little personal experience with, but Killian tapped his fingers on the desk as he wondered who on the staff roster might have already selected her name. Sure, he had no idea what he could buy for her that would fall within the specified price limit, but the opportunity to give her something a little more thoughtful than the deep fried donut he’d brought her that morning was far too appealing.

Wait a tick, he thought with an amused smirk as he glanced down at the desk. His hand reached for the dark plastic frames, noticing the sporadic smudges on the glass lenses. He’d seen her wear them once before, her eyebrows furrowed over the rims as she’d been editing late one Friday night in the office. With her pen between her teeth and the blue light of the monitor illuminating her focused face, Killian had been quite distracted and nearly strolled right into the elevator doors on his way out. 

The glasses felt smooth between his fingertips as he slid them into the side pocket of his bag. The memory was a simple one, but he couldn’t help the warmth that spread over his cheeks as he searched her desktop for a post-it note.

See you at the festivities, Swan - and stop downloading Christmas songs on your work computer. Piracy won’t earn you any points with Santa.

Clicking the pen he’d been writing with and laying it by her desk phone, Killian pressed the sticky slip of paper to her monitor with a grin. Now he just had to figure out what the dress code might be for the party he hadn’t planned on attending.

______________________________________

Killian had been pleasantly surprised to learn Elsa Frost, the lovely lass with the iced coffee addiction in the corner office, had been given charge of the party guest list. She was typically frigid with others in the building, but Killian had helped her sort out the source of her computer freezing issue a few months earlier. That had led to a tentative comradery between them - one that had resulted in Elsa knitting him a blue and white striped beanie that he actually kind of loved. 

Not that he would ever admit that to anyone.

He’d barely mentioned the party while he stopped by to refill the paper in her printer when she had all but demanded he attend. It had taken a bit more sweet talking to get her to spill the Secret Santa details, but he’d eventually managed to switch things around so Emma was the name on his shopping list.

Of course, one of said compromises was promising his supervisor’s secretary Belle that he would fill in at her book club in January - but that would have to be future Killian’s problem.

Standing near the open bar just past the seven o’clock start time, it was quickly becoming apparent that Killian of the present had other issues. Glancing around the dimly lit, decked out office, he couldn’t help but wonder why he’d thought this Christmas party wouldn’t be full of work tasks in the making. The night janitors Leroy and Clark had decided to use a company computer to search for ‘seasonal striptease’ videos and the new copier had fallen victim to a few tipped over cocktails. It was pretty obvious that the alcohol that hadn’t been spilled was the driving force behind Ruby and the other graphic designers taking drunken selfies in a nearby cubicle. Killian could only pray the pictures wouldn’t end up online as he tried to block out the sound of Sinatra exclaiming ‘Let It Snow’ over the office speakers.

“Well look who decided to come down from Mount Crumpit for the night.”

The voice was full of surprise yet still smoothly sweet and Killian tried not to smirk as he turned to face its owner. Her blonde hair fell in loose waves over her shoulders, contrasting with the knit emerald sweater that was keeping her warm. He tried not to feel underdressed in his blue button down and dark jeans, but Emma Swan was sure making holiday casual look stunning.

“Not sure what you mean, love,” he countered as suavely as he could manage. “You’re the one clad in green.”

“Fair enough,” Emma shrugged with an amused smile. “Just surprised to see you I guess. I thought you weren’t coming.”

Recollection prodded him as she handed him a fresh drink. He’d told her over email a couple weeks ago that he wasn’t planning on attending any holiday gatherings that weren’t held during the day. She’d teased him about being a Grinch, a taunt she was now referencing as she stood before him. It was one of the things he’d grown to like most about her - that smart, sassy sense of humor she possessed and used in nearly every exchange they had.

“For the record,” she chimed in, her lips curved yet cautious. “It’s good to see you outside of my inbox, Jones.”

“Ah, well,” he chuckled with a tip of his drink. “You know what they say about all work and no play.”

“Well, I do, but I’m surprised you know the expression. I figured cyber security never sleeps.”

“You aren’t wrong there, Swan,” Killian laughed, peering around the room. “But perhaps it should. The number of after hour policy violations going on in this place right now could keep a man busy until well after the new year.”

He couldn’t help but point over her shoulder at the inebriated group of their co-workers currently trying to hack into the new editor-in-chief’s Facebook account. Emma grinned at the display, waving to Ruby with a disbelieving shake of her head. It was the few interactions like this one they’d had that made Killian wonder why they didn’t do this more often. It felt so natural and easy to banter with her like this.

“I guess reprimands will be in order after the holiday,” Emma commented. “Is that why you’re standing over here by yourself? Because you’re hoping they won’t see you?”

“I suppose if that was my goal, you could say I’m not doing a very good job,” Killian returned. “After all, you found me.”

Her eyes sparkled with a multicolor pattern from some nearby Christmas lights as the muted red of her lips made her soft smile that much more breathtaking. Killian nearly forgot where they were as his eyes met hers, the connection between them suddenly thick with tender tension.

“Yeah,” she said after a pause, her voice breathy and gentle. “I guess I did.”

He wanted to kiss her in that moment. He wanted to tell her how much better she made his workdays and confess that she was his main reason for staying at the news office. He had so much to say, but Emma beat him to the punch.

“Let’s grab a cookie,” she suggested before clarifying. “The sugary kind, computer man.”

_____________________________________

“I’m just saying-“ Killian stated, brushing crumbs off his hands. “-that the Grinch never actually hated Christmas, Swan. He just disliked people and preferred the company of his dog, which is understandable.”

Emma covered her mouth with a giggle, leaning back on the rolling chair she’d pulled into the almost empty room. The party had dissolved into liquor laced karaoke and while Killian didn’t mind the occasional drink, he wasn’t about to belt out any Christmas carols.  Before he could share his desire to avoid the spotlight, Emma had commandeered a plate of gingerbread cookies from the snack table and nudged him toward the vacant office down the hall.  

“I’ve never thought of it that way,” she finally said. “It’s a decent point though I guess. Here I thought your issue with Christmas was just the repetitive music.”

“Ah, speaking of music,” Killian replied, pulling a small package tied with a red bow from behind his back. “Thought you could use some legally procured holiday tunes.”

Emma raised an eyebrow as she took the gift, her curiosity obviously piqued by the simple wrapping. Killian tried not to feel too foolish as she opened the square parcel. He was nearly positive that he wasn’t doing this whole Secret Santa wrong, but the adorable smirk spreading across her face made him wonder if that was okay.

“I guess this is you saying you’re my Secret Santa?”

“Well, no,” he smiled before handing her the pair of glasses he’d taken from her desk. “But this is.”

“Hey, I’ve been looking for these!”

“Swan, you are always looking for those.”

She rolled her gaze before slipping the frames over her nose, her cheeks pink with amusement. She immediately set to reading the track listing on the back of the case holding the gift he’d spent the afternoon creating.

“I have to say it’s been a while since I’ve been given a mixtape,” Emma offered, peering at him over her glasses. “You’re quite the traditionalist, aren’t you?”

“I figured I was merely doing a service by making sure you weren’t listening to that bloody Mariah Carey song anymore on company time,” he taunted with a waggling eyebrow.  “Besides, you can’t go wrong with Bing Crosby, love.”

“You’re just full of surprises,” she replied with a happiness he hadn’t seen before. “Is there more?”

More, Killian thought as the word echoed through his head. There would always be more when it came to Emma Swan and while he’d known that himself for a while now, he wasn’t sure how to admit that to her. The air around them seemed to still as he watched her tilt her head quizzically. He wasn’t sure when she’d slid her chair nearer, but as her knee bumped against his, Killian felt a comfort in the closeness that he hadn’t known in years.

This was it - his moment. After everything and nothing they’d been through, he’d been gifted this tiny instance to tell her the truth.  He’d imagined how this might go many times, but sitting in the building where he had fallen for her was strangely right.  He knew what he needed to do.

“Emma, I-“

“Emma! Come on!”

Killian felt his entire body freeze as he processed the loud, inviting command coming from the makeshift stage up the hallway.  Ruby, he realized as he watched Emma turn toward the beckoning call.  He couldn’t stop the labored sigh that escaped his lips as he watched her stand slowly.

“I guess I should see what that’s all about,” Emma said wearily, tucking her hair behind her ear. “She’s never had the best timing - or tolerance.”

Killian felt the seconds slip through his dexterous fingers as he smiled sadly, knowing that perhaps he’d missed his window.  Emma clutched the CD case loosely as she moved toward the small doorway.

“Killian,” her voice offered, a hint of nervousness in her tone.  “Have a Merry Christmas.”

The simple sentiment hung in the air as the office door shut behind her, leaving Killian to slump in the leather desk chair with a groan.  As he glanced toward the exit, he immediately noticed that something had fallen from the top of the doorway to the ground when she’d left.  It didn’t take long to piece together what it was or just how appropriate it was for his now lonely night.

Mistletoe.  Dammit, he thought as his forehead fell onto the cold desktop.

[thisonesatellite]

Missing Pieces

MERRY CHRISTMAS @eastwesthomeisbest from your Secret Santa!!!!

💕💕💕💕💕💕

This is my @cssecretsanta2k19 gift to @eastwesthomeisbest - who said her favorite Christmas movie is 'Love, Actually', and her favorite storyline in it is the Prime Minister /assistant.

Well, darling - most likely this is not exactly what you were expecting, but my muse just heard --- OH! Successful!Emma and Mailroom!Killian - let me run with that! --- and then it went off the rails. 😘😆

i sincerely hope you like it anyway!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  ❤❤❤

*

SUMMARY:  Emma is a high-priced lawyer with some questions for her life, and Killian is the mailroom guy who's not afraid to offer an answer or two.

Shameless Christmas fluff with a small dash of Existential Pondering, rolled into the recycled air and neon lighting of an office building.

*

Thanks to @ohmightydevviepuu who does amazing beta-acrobatics when @profdanglaisstuff is partaking in the same Secret Santa event.  

And a MASSIVE THANK YOU to @cssecretsanta2k19 for organizing the whole thing.  You’re the best.

*

| AO3 |

*

Tagging a few people who may be ready for some fluff: @profdanglaisstuff, @kmomof4 @stahlop @mariakov81 @tiganasummertree @capnjay21 @shardminds @snowbellewells @captainsjedi @thejollyroger-writer @karenfrommisthaven @superchocovian @jennjenn615 @spartanguard @carpedzem

*

*

*

"Don't cling to a mistake just because you spent a lot of time making it." - Aubrey de Gray -

*

*

The first time he sees her he says, “Excuse me?” as he knocks on her door frame, and she promptly spills her coffee.  And then lets loose a string of expletives worthy of a sailor.

He pulls out some leftover napkins from lunch and hands them to her, and she actually thanks him.  Thanks him and quietly laughs at herself.

  “Sorry about the language.”  There’s laughter in her voice, as well as strain and exhaustion.  He can tell. He sees lots of people each day, many of them with the same strain and exhaustion all over their features.

None of them with laughter in their voices, though.

  “I don’t mind a bit of language.”  That’s probably the single dumbest thing he has ever said.  Anyone has ever said.

Her eyebrow quirks up when she hears his accent, and she says, “South of England?”

He sputters.  It’s thoroughly undignified.  

She laughs.

“Bournemouth,” he answers.  “How on earth did you guess?”

“I have had the good fortune to be able to travel on occasion,” she answers, and smiles at him, but while genuine, neither the smile nor the friendliness in her voice are inviting.  He knows she is giving him a very gentle hint that this will not be a lengthy conversation. Or any conversation. This was a brief moment of levity, and now it is over.

  She holds out her hand.

He hands her the mail.

It’s odd, though.

“I can give it to your assistant in the future,” he says.  “It’s just -- she wasn’t there. Or he. Do you even have an assistant yet?”

He’s babbling.

Her eyes narrow, and she looks back up at him.  

“No, that’s all right,” she says, after only the briefest hesitation.  “I don’t have an assistant, yet.” She gives him a very small, almost embarrassed smile.  For the briefest of moments it looks like the idea of having an assistant is entirely foreign to her.  “I can take my mail. Myself.”  

She smiles again.  It is genuine, and a little self-deprecating, and there is no condescension in it.  As far as he can tell.

Then she nods and sits back down and picks up her receiver.

He is dismissed.

.

When he gets back down to the mail room, he pulls up the company’s organizational chart, and looks up Emma Swan.  Because she’s new, and he just needs her information to do his job right. No other reason.

. .

Three days later, he goes back on the late shift.  There are a lot of legal documents requiring actual signatures, and those usually get done at the end of the day.  He and a friendly, but reserved man named Robin split the nights between them, always two weeks each.  

He likes it, it’s quiet.

And he’s not required to stay the full 8 hours, just until he is done prepping courier and special mail to ship first thing in the morning.  

It’s peaceful.

.

Her light is still on.  It’s nearly 10pm and her light is still on.

He’s not surprised.  But he does feel a stab of empathy.  Of concern.

He pushes his cart to her open door and knocks on the frame again.  This time she grins. But god, she looks so tired.  

“What are you doing here?  Surely it’s too late to bring me mail?”  Even her voice sounds exhausted.

“Late shift,” he says.  “Just making the rounds.” 

Her desk is a mess of files and folders and empty coffee cups.  Her laptop is buried.

“What are you doing here so late?”

She smirks.  “No rest for the wicked.”

He looks at her and she sighs.  “It’s just that I----” She stops herself abruptly and her eyes narrow.  “It’s nothing.”

He shakes his head.  ���You realize I’m not here to spy for the CEO, right?  I’m just the mailroom guy?”

She smiles again, but it’s strained.  

“It’s nothing,” she repeats and goes back to the files on her desk. 

The conversation is over.

.

.

He brings her coffee the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that.

The first time she only takes it because he tells her it’s a replacement for the one he made her spill.  The second night she only takes it because he says it’s left over, because his colleague is sick. (There is no colleague, not this late.  But she doesn’t know that.) The third night she looks at him with narrowed eyes and outright suspicion, and dares him to make up another excuse.

He can’t think of a single thing.  Just stands there, flustered, trying not to blush and failing.

And then - to his great surprise - she laughs out loud and takes the proffered cup.  Looking just as surprised by her own actions as he is.

.

He doesn’t ask her to talk.

But he does tell her to go home, every time. And every time she smiles, and shakes her head, and tells him she will leave, soon.  She never does.

The mailroom happens to be right next to the garage exit.   Some nights her car doesn’t leave until almost two in the morning.

That’s the end of his shift.

His late shift.

.

He tells Robin he can stay on nights, and Robin is grateful.  He has a new girlfriend, the kind who likes getting taken out in the evenings.

And Killian has the feeling someone has to keep an eye on Emma.  He’s not sure anyone but him does.

.

And then one night three weeks later, she gets up from behind her desk to take the coffee he brings, and sways.  

“Emma?”

She is holding the edge of her desk in a white-knuckle grip and breathes slowly, with great effort, her eyes firmly closed.

He walks over to her and very gently pries her hands loose and then leads her to the couch.  

“Sit.”  He says it quietly, but with conviction.

She complies.

He waits, without speaking, for her breathing to even out, and finally she opens her eyes.

“Thank you.”  She smiles. “I’m fine now.”

  And that is the last straw.

  “Stop,” he says.  “Please - stop. Tell me what’s going on.  You are not fine.”

She doesn’t move for a long time.  Just sits there, looking more tired and more run-down than anyone he has seen in a long time.

  “I thought I wanted this.”  Her voice is a whisper.

He raises an eyebrow in question and she rolls her eyes.  “The career, you know. The title and the office and the assigned parking space.”

He doesn’t say anything, because he doesn’t have to.  She just looks at him and then nods.

“Yeah,” she says softly.  “I’m not sure it’s for me, either.  Turns out I don’t like corporate law nearly as much as I thought I would.”

  He laughs out loud.

When she looks at him with narrowed eyes, he grins back.  “You’re not a corporate lawyer. Anyone with eyes could tell you that.”

“And how would you know?”

He nods at her, still grinning.  “I’m a corporate lawyer.” 

Her jaw drops.  Literally.

He pats her arm.  “I used to have an office just like this.  And then a bigger one. A few floors above it.  And then one on a corner. A lot more floors above that.”

  She shakes her head, blinking.  He waits. This moment isn’t about him.  It’s about her assimilating a flood of new information, and he knows she’ll talk when she’s ready.

And she does.  “What happened?”  Her voice is a whisper.

He takes her hand.  It’s colder than it should be.  Her circulation is not working right, and it sends a spike of fear and concern through him, because that is a sign.  And not a good one.

  “I did what you do,” he says, gently rubbing warmth back into her fingers.  “Worked long hours. Spent my days and nights and weekends chasing down the rabbit hole of what I thought I wanted.”

“And then?”  She is riveted.  Looks at him, eyes wide, unblinking.

“Had a breakdown that ended my career.  Not with a bang. With a whimper.” He can feel her hand squeeze his.  “Came to the US because my brother lives here. He married an American, you see.”

Her eyes are still locked in his.  “And you--- you work in a mailroom?  Of a law firm?”

He knows it’s ridiculous.  But he also knows he needs it.  “I like to remind myself of what I do not miss.”

  She laughs out loud at that.

It’s a beautiful sound.  He wants to hear it again.  Often.

  Instead he smiles at her.  “Case in point: Do you even know that it’s Christmas Eve, love?”

“ What? ”  She looks truly aghast.  “It can’t be.”

He looks at her, at the severe pantsuit and the expensive silk blouse and the disheveled hair, put up in something resembling a knot, held together by a ball-point pen.  Pictures her in jeans and a sweater and thinks how much this entire corporate get-up does not suit her.

  Then he takes her other hand.  “It’s past midnight. That means it’s Christmas Eve.”

She shakes her head.

“There’s a diner down the street.”  He gets up and pulls her with him. “We’re going to go and have some food before you pass out, and then we are going to have a small talk about your life choices.”

She pulls her hands from his grasp.

“Emma.”  He waits until she looks at him.  “I am not here to tell you how you live your life, love.  I am not going to question any decision you make, or have ever made, not one.”  She’s still looking at him, and he takes it as a good sign. “I just--- I want to help you.”

  She is silent for a long time.  Seconds tick by, become minutes.

She doesn’t move and doesn’t speak.

He holds her gaze.  Does not look away.

  “Why?”  She finally asks.

He smiles.  Takes her hand again, and this time she does not pull away.  “Because it’s not too late for you.”

She bites her lip and then squeezes his fingers.  

“Something tells me it’s not too late for you either,” she says softly.  “Something tells me that there might be a whole part of your life that has yet to begin.”

And he cannot help hoping that she is right.

  .

.

.

They have Chinese food and end up laughing more than eating.

He takes her to his brother’s house for Christmas Day dinner, against her protests.

They open a two-person firm for small business law, helping startups get up and running, for reasonable fees.  They sort their own mail.

And they go back to the Chinese restaurant every year on Christmas Eve, even when Emma is so pregnant she can hardly move, even when their children are in the terrible twos, or being potty-trained, or starting to Be Teenagers.

  More than wenty years later, with each of their kids spending Christmas Eve at their respective partner’s homes, Emma leans against her husband in the restaurant booth and looks up at his profile.

He looks pensive and yet content, and she kisses the underside of his jaw.  

“Did you ever think we’d end up here?”  It’s an honest question. One she asks him every year.

And he answers the same way he always does.  “Not in my wildest dreams. But they do say Christmas is the time reserved for miracles.”

And then he kisses her, soft and slow and exactly the same way he kissed her the first time they came here, back when she was not yet a whole person, and neither was he.

  They are now.

*

❤❤❤

[thingummies-and-whatsits]

Lewis Fic Recs: On the Twelve Days of Christmas

’Tis the season of Advent, Secret Santa, and the mortifying ordeal of finding a present for the DI/DS you definitely don't have a crush on. As usual, this list is far from exhaustive, so please feel free to add your own favs!

The Perfect Present by wendymr

1,517 Words, James & Robbie, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply While agonizing over a meaningful Christmas present for his DI, James bumps into Lewis in the town shops, and finds he's having trouble with his Christmas shopping, too. It's a thoughtgul look into their growing friendship post-S2, and James learns that sometimes the best presents aren't things, but people.

Chandan by Dryad

1,560 Words, James & Robbie, Rated G, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings A more melancholy story post-S9. James, in the grip of existential flu, wonders what to get for a Lewis who is grumpy and reticent after his return from New Zealand without Laura. The items he settles on are thoughtful and sentimental in that quiet way of his, and come close to saying a little too much about his feelings for his fellow detective.

Picks Will Do by iloveyoudie

5,977 Words, James/Robbie, Not Rated, No Archive Warnings Apply Robbie struggles to find the right gift for the sergeant he's fallen in love with, leading to a brave confession that becomes a second chance for James—and which is sure to put a tear in your eye. Robbie's silent confessions of love during the most everyday moments are just everything, and the Christmas cottage certainly doesn't hurt, either.

Serendipitous by Vita_S_West

1,564 Words, James/Robbie, Rated T, No Archive Warnings Apply Robbie confronts James about his rather inappropriate Secret Santa present in the wake of the office holiday party. What starts out as a hilariously awkward mix-up develops in a very promising direction, with some spot-on banter along the way.

On the first day of Christmas... by Somniare

25,559 Words, James/Robbie, Rated M, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings With Lewis laid up after a car accident, James forms a hasty plan to cheer up his DI over the twelve days of Christmas. But when Robbie catches on to James' intentions earlier than expected, James' plan takes a new direction.

12 days of presents by Elphen

12,447 Words, James/Robbie, Rated M, No Archive Warnings Apply In the days leading up to Christmas, James received a string of anonymous-yet-thoughtful Secret Santa presents, and enlists Laura's help in determining the culprit. It's fun to see James take so long to catch on, for once, and Laura's matchmaking is a treat.

December Friends by uniquepov

2,258 Words, James/Robbie, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply During another of CS Innocent's team-building activities, James tries in vain to give his DI a Secret Santa present without giving himself—and his feelings—away. His plans are continually thwarted by a delightfully knowing Lewis, who manages to surprise his sergeant this time around.

Soli Deo Gloria by lesyeuxverts

1,700 Words, James/Robbie, Rated G, No Archive Warnings Apply A collection of Advent drabbles as James and Robbie plan to spend their Christmas together. Quiet, poignant moments of togetherness that bring warmth to the growing winter cold.

Follow Me In Merry Measure by tabitha6

21,367+ Words (Work In-Progress) James/Robbie, Rated E, No Archive Warnings Apply Celebrate each day of this Advent season with a new chapter of this ongoing fic, featuring holiday bread and biscuit baking, Christmas concerts, and team-building police conferences in Manchester—all while Lewis' upcoming retirement looms in the swiftly-approaching distance.

[snowbellewells]

“Elf Service” {A CSSS2021 gift fic}

Title: “Elf Service” - my CSSS2021 gift

@imagnifika I am your Secret Santa in the @cssecretsanta2021 event @cssecretsanta2020

I realize that I am getting this in just under the wire on the 26th, but I still hope that you will enjoy your gift (or at least cover art and the opening - as a temporary sneak peek/preview)  The fic in its entirety should be coming in the next day or two, but there have been some unforeseen family things these last few days that have made being in the writing headspace - or having time to do it - difficult. I didn’t want to rush it and give you a gift that felt unfinished or just not as good as I had hoped to give you. Please enjoy this teaser of the beginning though, and be looking for the rest as soon as possible. 

I’ve enjoyed being your Santa and getting to know you a bit. Hope this season will be a wonderful one for you and yours, and that you’ll have a happy new year too!

~ @snowbellewells

And now, one with the fic.... ;)

“Elf Service”  (for @imagnifika​ )

‘What was I thinking?’ Emma Swan blew out a frustrated breath while berating herself heartily. Strands of her blonde hair were lifted from her overheated forehead as she shook her head and stared at the long line before her, even in the self-checkout. She should never have waited so late on the 23rd of December to try to get the last minute ingredients she needed for their holiday dinner and Henry’s last few gifts as well. It seemed half of Boston had done the same - and now they were all paying for it.

She was exhausted, irritable, and more than a bit impatient; it took almost all the fortitude she could muster to stay planted in line with her cart, barely inching forward, rather than ditching it and getting out of there, no matter how much she’d wanted to try that new stuffing recipe and see the sparkle she had envisioned in Henry’s eyes after being able to add another couple items from his list to her haul after the surprise bonus she’d been awarded. Tracking down deadbeats wasn’t easy or glamorous, but she was good at it, and if pressed, Emma would admit to a flush of pride at the recognition for her efforts.

Using what she felt was admirable restraint, Emma kept herself from tapping her toes as people seemed to creep along ahead of her, going slower than should be humanly possible as they rang up items, asked for help, began again, rifled in their bags for their credit cards, and finally took their receipts and purchases and moved on.

‘At least I’m not stuck in some ridiculous costume,’ she thought with a disbelieving huff of derision as she glanced around her at the associates running the checkout lines, re-stocking the cart carrell, and assisting those who needed it at the self-check stations she was waiting on. The poor folks were not only overworked and underpaid in holiday retail dealing with crowds of harried customers such as herself, but they had also clearly been ordered to dress as merry little elves in Santa’s workshop. Shaking her head at the indignity heaped on these poor people, she took a moment to let the pointed hats, pom-pom adorned, upturned toed shoes, red and white striped leggings and green, fuzzy, white-trimmed getups sink in. Muttering to herself about stores not paying grown-ups enough to force them to dress like cartoon characters, she gratefully moved forward enough to finally be next in line for an open station and that much closer to fresh air and freedom.

Then, finally, she was running her purchases over the scanner, intensely focused on seeing each item register correctly and get tucked into the waiting bay just right. The last thing she needed at the moment was to cause the machine to misread or freeze up. She’d learned the hard way that these supposed “convenient” devices could be temperamental, and they had delayed her escape from the store on more than one occasion.

She was just a handful of purchases from finishing when the hanger from the new shirt she’d bought Henry got hooked on the one holding the little sweat suit that she’d also been unable to resist getting him. The clothing scanned but then, caught up together, missed the waiting bag and careened to the floor, causing the weight of the item not to register to the machine, and it began blaring robotically about an “unseen item in the baggage area” to her frustration and embarrassment.

Just what she’d been trying to avoid, her mind grumbled as she bent to retrieve the clothes and disentangle them. She couldn’t help the irritated growl she let out when the register refused to let her continue checking out without an associate voiding the mistake. Barely managing not to throw up her hands in defeat, Emma bit her tongue to avoid yelling at whatever hapless “elf” did come to her aid and attempted to wait with what little modicum of patience she still possessed. 

“Can I be of assistance, Lass?” a low, silky voice rumbled, much closer to her ear that she’d been expecting, causing a frisson of electricity to shiver through her, even as she jumped in surprise. 

Spinning around, Emma narrowly missed colliding with a dark-haired, lean muscled associate, standing close enough to nearly have her frazzled ponytail smack him in the face. She was about to sarcastically ask what it looked like she needed, or to tell him to back up and out of her space, when his twinkling blue eyes and handsome features made the words die away on her tongue.

Emma caught her breath, wanting to answer smartly and recover a bit of her dignity, but when she looked up into a playfully smouldering expression, strong, scruffy jawline, and appropriately rather elfishly tipped ears, speech was slow to return. She just kept drinking in the profile tilted questioningly toward her and coming up stunned and mutely smitten, not that she was about to admit that to anyone - even herself.

Backing up rapidly, Emma tried to blink the stars from her eyes and put some distance between them. Unfortunately, she couldn’t make a hasty getaway because her purchases were only half bagged and the register still as uncooperative as it had been. Half-tempted to at least grab her filled bags and make a run for it, instead she finally huffed out a resigned sigh and gave her would-be rescuer a curt nod of assent. She might never get out of the store otherwise.

The costumed employee - who was minute-by-minute making an elf seem like a ridiculously attractive holiday character - smirked then, the look a mischievous one, complete with arched brow, that made her want to smack him upside the head for mocking her, even as she was equally enticed to jerk him to her by the front of his bright green outfit and smush his lips back into a less maddening shape with her own. Irritatingly, at her agreement, her “elf” helper had the snag with her register righted in no time with annoying ease. “Anything elese I can assist you with, Love?” he questioned. Rather cheekily, it felt to Emma.

Blushing furiously, she swiped her card, snatched her receipt, and tried to gather all her bags in one quick grab without making any further eye contact. Her blurted, “Nope, all set now,” was a rush of words, followed by a snarked, “and I’m not your love” that she realized too late hadn’t been as under the breath as intended.

Her gaze shot guiltily to his face once more, and she was moderately comforted by the slight red suffusing his neck and cheeks now as well. Her handsome assistant scratched at a spot behind his ear uneasily. “Apologies, Lo - Ma’am,” he amended sincerely enough. Then, just a bit of that rogueish smile quirked one corner of his generous, intriguing mouth upwards again. “But you can’t blame an elf for trying, can you?”

Snorting inelegantly, Emma couldn’t help the short burst of laughter that escaped her unbidden. “I don’t know about that,” she deadpanned back, not sure what had come over her in that moment, “Seems to me like Santa might not approve.”

The guy’s blue eyes widened in surprise, but also lit with pleasure at her playing along.

Yet, fun as it was for a moment, Emma’s instinct to pull back - self-preservation, she reminded herself - had her turning with a quick, “Thanks all the same,” and darting away, hurriedly tossing a “Merry Christmas” back over her shoulder before practically dashing for the store’s front exit.

She couldn’t get far enough away from wildly attractive and flirtatious strangers, even ones harmlessly dressed as holiday characters. She’d learned that lesson all too well a long time ago. And yet, as the bracing chill of the air hit her in the parking lot, Emma knew that she might have gotten away from temptation just in time, but she wasn’t going to easily forget that playfully engaging face or those rather adorably pointed ears that suited his costume all too well. Nope, those blue eyes would be dancing through her dreams tonight rather than any visions of sugarplums, and there wasn’t much she could do about that.

* I promise you should have the rest of this soon, and again I hope you will enjoy this first bit for now, and continue to have a wonderful holiday season!! *

[donteattheappleshook]

Hi, CS Secret Santa again! Anonymously for last time. 😁

In my country, the religion is Orthodox Christianity, so our big holiday is Christmas Eve as well. On this day, traditional dishes without meat are prepared. There should be lean sauerkraut tins, stuffed peppers with beans, bean salad, soda bread with honey and garlic, oshav (kind of like boiled dried fruit tea), Banitsa with fortunes. Banitsa is a very typical dish for my country. It's a traditional pastry dish made in prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs, natural yogurt and pieces of white brined cheese between filo pastry and then baking it in an oven. On Christmas Eve we make it with some lucky charms or fortunes (small sheets of paper with written wishes). We put coins and sometimes a piece of dogwood branch with a bud which symbolize wealth. We put the fortunes in the pastry and then everyone in the house take a piece of the Banitsa and the lucky charm in it determines the upcoming year. For Christmas Eve, our family gathers at my mother's house.

Christmas day is traditional - we exchange gifts and in the evening we gather with relatives and friends at my house for dinner. My husband's and my little son's names are derived from the word Christian or Christ, and at Christmas they have a double holiday - they also celebrate Name Day.

And one last question: What do you like modern AU, fantasy AU, crossover or something else?

Most of your gifts are already ready, but there is always time to add something at the last minute.

🎅🎄🎅🎄🎅🎄

Hi Santa!!

Merry Christmas Eve if it is where you live yet! It is here so we're ramping up for the day 😊 sounds like you'll have quite a whirlwind coming up too! I've never heard of a Banista but that sounds like such a lovely tradition and I love it 💕

Gifts?? 👀 you spoil me! I'm so excited to see what you've created!!

I really like modern AUs and Canon divergent fics! I also like fantasy AUs but mostly Enchanted Forest ones for these two 🦢🏴‍☠️

I'm sure I'll love whatever you come up with!

[wyntereyez]

I'm enjoying all the CS Secret Santa gifts, but man, I could never participate. I mean, can you imagine getting a gift from me? Imagine asking for a sweet CS fic and getting a fic where Killian is turned into chocolate or something.

[whimsicallyenchantedrose]

Hi! It's your Secret Santa 🎅🏼 just popping in to ask your hopes, dreams, desires, and wishes for your Secret Santa gift this year! I will be writing a fic and would love to know things you like, dislike, favorite CS moments/scenes, etc! Even if it's not CS related, I'm still all ears for some of your favorite things and other forms of entertainment (foods, drinks, clothing, music, movies, etc.) and I'll do my best to sneak some of those in there too!

Hope you have a merry December and 'tis the season for Captain Swan! 🏴‍☠️🦢

Hi Santa! I look forward to my fic! As to things I like and dislike...you really can't go wrong with CS! For a Christmas fic, I'd prefer it to be more on the fluffy side than the angsty side but I wouldn't mind some hurt/comfort. I tend to like stories that are more based on canon than au, but I'm not that picky. My favorite season for CS is season 3, and my favorite episode/moments come from the CS movie finale, but I'd also never say no to something Neverland related. Some of my favorite fic tropes are enemies to lovers, fake dating, and of course, the perennial favorite: "there was only one bed" (although I would prefer no smut).

As to dislikes, I really, really dislike Neal, so I wouldn't mind him being absent--or if he's around, I wouldn't mind seeing him suffer, lol. I also am not a fan of Mr. Gold, but Rumple in the EF can be entertaining. Regina...well, I don't dislike her, and I actually really like OQ, but her whininess and belief that she's a perpetual victim get on my nerves.

[everything-person]

A little elf told me that you're so busy being the leader of the Santas that you won't get a gift yourself. That simply won't do! 'Tis the season of gift giving and gift receiving after all. To that end, consider me your Santa's helper. So tell me, what would you say is your ideal CS Christmas story? Canon compliant? AU? Centering on what season or story arc? Favorite fanfic tropes?

Okay so I have no idea how long this has been in my inbox because I was never alerted found it by accident. But I FOUND IT and then teared up almost started crying. I was totally completely fine with not getting something as long as Captain Swan Secret Santa continued. This is so sweet and exciting!

Oh my. I have no idea. I love all CS fic! I’m sorry this has caught me off guard I can’t answer right now. But I appreciate this so much!