Going Home for Christmas
Summary: When Killian Jones’ best friend Emma Nolan asked him to come home with her for Christmas acting as her fiancé, he never could have guessed what it would mean.
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Chapter Sixteen | The Truth
Somehow, Killian gets lucky enough that the first flight out to New York isn’t booked, and it leaves within the next hour. He doesn’t have anything with him, so security is a breeze, and by the time he’s at the terminal, it’s time to board.
His seat is in the rear of the plane, nestled against a window, and he has to wait for his seat companions to move before he can squeeze in. Once he’s finally seated, he looks out the window, wondering if the flight will be stopped in a dramatic fashion by the Misthaven guard before he can make his escape.
Part of him sort of wishes they might. It wouldn’t be a good look, but now that he’s on the plane, doubt and regret have begun to sink into his belly, twisting like knots.
He shouldn’t have left. He’s ruining things because he’s leaving.
But in the same thought, pride that protects his heart fills his chest and he denies the doubt. Emma was never going to love him back. He’s right to leave, especially considering that this is her mess.
“I’m sorry to bother you… but… are you Princess Emma’s fiancé?”
Killian turns, finding that the young woman sitting beside him very clearly recognizes him. Wonderful.
Not only can’t he get away fast enough, but now he’s trapped with someone who knows his identity.
“Ah… yeah.” Killian manages a grin. “That’s me.”
She grins, nodding her head. “Why are you leaving on Christmas morning? Shouldn’t you be with the royal family? I heard you were supposed to stay a little longer. Rumor had it you were even thinking of staying permanently.”
He hesitates with his answer. He isn’t sure who this woman is, after all. She could share what he has to say with any number of people.
“I… I’ve had a situation come up with my family, so I have to get back much sooner than anticipated. I’m not sure how long I’ll be away. We’re going to play it by ear, I suppose.”
The woman frowns. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Aye.” Killian gives the window his attention again, watching as the crew loads the luggage into the lower compartment.
“I made an Instagram video of your mistletoe kiss. It went viral.”
He turns, finding his companion streaming a video of the deeply passionate kiss in front of the audience at the Christmas ball.
“It has two million views.” She adds. “And I’m not even, like, popular on there.”
He hums. “Congratulations.”
“So what’s Emma like in person? Is she as kind as she seems? How’d you meet? Is she really going to be the queen soon?”
Gods above, this is about to be the longest flight of his life. Is it too late to get off the plane and return to the castle with his head hanging in shame?
+ + +
When Killian finally sets foot in America, he finds that he feels less relieved than he’d thought he would, and instead he feels upset.
It had been an insane week, all things considered, and he’s coming home entirely empty handed. In fact, he’s going home without a best friend, which means he’d lost more than he gained over the length of his time away.
At least she knows the truth. If that even matters anymore.
Feeling a little off-balance with the world he’s returned to, he decides to stop for a bite to eat at his and Emma’s favorite diner. When he checks his phone for messages, there are a few from Liam, but the royals are quiet. It’s almost laughably predictable.
He thinks he’s recognized by a couple of teenaged girls while he sips some dark roast coffee. They giggle to one another while sneaking a look at him over the cushion of their booth just a few tables away.
Is this something he’ll have to get used to now? Being famous? Just because he was engaged to a princess?
It isn’t something that leaves a particularly good taste in his mouth. Especially now.
He approaches his and Liam’s apartment with a heavy heart. This isn’t what he wants, of course not, but he can’t have what he does want: Emma, and a life with her.
His key still fits in the lock, which gives him peace in that at least Liam didn’t try to pull any tricks. He pushes the door open and prepares to explain everything to his older brother, but it’s surprisingly quiet and dark instead.
“Li? You home?”
Killian shuts the door behind him. He locks it and sighs, dragging a hand over his face. He’s craving a shower and desperately needs to go to bed, so he shuffles up the hallway toward his bedroom.
When he opens the door, he freezes. His heart skips a beat.
Emma.
She’s sitting on his bed, looking at something on his nightstand, and she stirs at the sound of the squeaking hinges of the door.
“Emma… what are you…”
The princess stands. She gives him an apologetic smile and he thinks the world begins to fall away as her feet carry her to him. As beautiful as he’s ever seen her, Emma looks every bit the shining gem he knows her to be. It’s absolutely absurd to even think about it, but… he’d missed her.
“I took the private jet,” she explains quietly, with a twinge of nervousness. “I missed the flight you took by just a few minutes.”
Killian stares blankly at her, then down at his feet. He isn’t sure why, but he’s anxious. He’d resigned himself to the idea that he may never see her again, much less hear her talking to him in this tone of voice.
“I… needed to tell you what I couldn’t this morning.” Emma finally says, coming to a stop just in front of him.
Killian swallows thickly. He can smell her now, vanilla and sea salt. A hint of cinnamon. His eyes squeeze shut, out of sheer exhaustion from the day he’s had, and he tries to ignore the pang in his chest when he meets her gaze again.
“Alright. Out with it.”
Emma surprises his heart right out of his chest when she speaks, “I love you too.”
He stares at her for a moment, shaking his head. He’s weary now, of the lies and the trouble he’s caused. After everything they’ve been through, he won’t allow her to lie to him too.
“Emma, don’t do this.” Killian whispers, fighting the urge he has to give in. “Don’t lie to me because you think it will help me feel better.”
She frowns. “I’m not lying.”
He searches her eyes, trying to discern her honesty. He can’t. “You want me to go back with you. You want to pretend this didn’t happen. I know you, Emma. I’m… I was your best friend… you can’t lie to me. That’s not fair.”
“Killian, I’m not lying to you,” Emma insists, becoming frustrated. Her breathing becomes labored. “I panicked, okay? I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t think you felt that way and I froze.”
The tears in her eyes begin to tell him that his initial reaction was wrong and he feels guilty, his eyes widening as the revelation that this is really happening hits him.
“Are you sure that’s how you feel?”
She nods.
He swallows the thick lump in his throat. “This is a lie you will never be able to come back from, Emma, because I love you, and I desperately want a future with you.” His voice lowers to a whisper, “I want a family with you, Emma, so if you don’t truly mean it… if this is another messy lie to fix it... darling, please, don’t say those words to me again.”
Emma gently presses her hands against his cheeks, cradling him almost as if she worries he’ll break, and studies him silently, a smile slowly filling her lips. “I love you, Killian Jones.”
Unable to stop himself, he leans down to lift her into his arms, his lips pressing against hers with a hungry growl. Her fingers tangle in his hair and she gives as much as he does, like a man who hasn’t had a drop of water in three days.
When Emma moans, he remembers to breathe, releasing her lips but leaning his forehead against hers. Their breaths come heavy, desperate.
“I want to marry you,” Emma whispers, “and I want there to be a lot more of this.”
He chuckles, mostly from relief, meeting her laughter. He kisses her again, this time softer, and when he pulls away, he peppers kisses all over her face, something that makes her giggle into his ear so sweetly. His final kiss is to her forehead, when he pulls back, but only just enough to look at her.
“There will be far more of this,” he says, gripping her hips tighter. “We have to make up for some lost time.”
Emma hums, tugging at her lower lip with her teeth. “I love the sound of that.”
For a few moments, they just smile at each other like complete fools, grinning from ear-to-ear, and then, he realizes that Emma is standing in his bedroom.
“Hold on, how did you get in?”
She laughs. “Um… Liam let me in. He’s hiding in his room. Said something about not wanting to be in the way.”
“That buggering idiot.” Killian sighs under his breath. He rolls his eyes and shakes his head, then kisses Emma again, a lingering press of lips that makes him want more. He leans back, tilting his head toward the door. “I should probably talk to him.”
Emma nods. “Yeah.”
He squeezes her hips, delighting in the warmth of how she leans into him.
“I’m so glad you followed me here."
“Me too.”
+ + +
Emma holds onto Killian’s hand while they approach Liam’s closed bedroom door just up the small hallway. She peers up at him, biting at her kiss-swollen lips nervously. They’re going to tell him about literally everything, and some of it… she doesn’t even think she’ll have answers for.
She and Killian have yet to get into details, obviously, but specifics aren’t as important when she can hold onto the one key truth: they’re in love.
Killian taps on Liam’s door and says, “Hey, Liam. Emma and I would like to talk with you.”
The door opens a few moments later. Killian’s older brother sighs heavily, folding his arms to his chest. “I should hope so. There have been more questions than answers lately.”
“I know.” Killian says. “Let’s talk.”
Liam looks between them, nodding. “You hungry?”
“I ate.” Killian turns to Emma. “Nolan?”
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
Liam walks with them out into the living area anyway. He busies himself in the kitchen while Emma and Killian sit on the barstools at the counter opposite him.
“Are you moving?” Liam asks. “Out to Misthaven? To be near Emma?”
Killian clears his throat. He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. “Erm… well, yes, I’ll be moving to Misthaven, but not just to be near Emma. I’ll be moving in with Emma, because we’re getting married.”
Liam stops what he’s doing and stares up at them. She can tell he’s at least modestly surprised, but maybe not as much as he could be. He shakes his head slowly. “How did that happen?”
Killian looks at Emma. He smiles at her softly. “Brother, if I told you the whole story, you’d just roll your eyes, but… basically, we were playing engaged and we realized that we’re in love.”
The eldest Jones brother sighs. He meets Emma’s eyes. “I told him this would happen but he didn’t believe me.”
Emma laughs. “I think everyone knew except for us this whole time.”
“I’m happy for you.” Liam smiles, genuine. “But I hope this doesn’t mean I lose my brother and my new sister to distance.”
“Move with me.” Killian says. “We’ve plenty of room in the castle. And if you don’t like the castle, there are plenty of places to live in Misthaven. There’s access to the ocean. Mountains. Pretty princesses you can marry.”
Emma grabs his hand and smiles softly when he winks at her.
“I… that does sound appealing.” Liam says thoughtfully. “And I missed you sorely while you were gone.”
“Maybe come visit for a few days over the new year.” Emma suggests. “We have a private jet, so you wouldn’t have to pay to fly.”
Liam puts down the spatula in his hand. “Well, that about settles it in my mind. When do we leave?”
+ + +
It’s a lot to take in.
They went from being friends at odds with each other, to admitting their love, to real, meaningful engagement over the course of a single conversation in under five minutes. But that doesn’t make this wrong by any stretch of the imagination.
No, Killian finds that it’s simpler than anything has ever felt. It’s almost as if the world has shifted into place and they’re finally in step with the rhythm of nature itself.
And yet, that night, Killian lies awake. It’s half four and he hasn’t been able to sleep since he woke out of a nightmare about what might happen when he and Emma return to Misthaven with Liam in tow. It isn’t that he’s afraid of Liam being in Misthaven… he’s worried about the reality of an engagement to a member of the royal family.
Emma sleeps peacefully beside him, her body turned away from him with the blankets having fallen to her hips with her movement in the night. Killian examines the way her hair bunches up and fans out against her pillow as he sits up and pulls the sheets up for her.
He climbs out of bed and shuffles toward the window in his bedroom that looks out at the city below. It’s still noisy, even at this hour of night. That’s one thing they didn’t have in Misthaven: the noise.
Killian starts to wonder if Emma feels like this too, or if being back here is where she truly envisions herself.
There’s still a lot they need to talk about and sort through. Plenty they’re going to learn about each other as things move forward, especially with the council about to pry so deeply into his past that he’s worried she’s going to run from his side at the first sign of trouble.
“Are you okay?” Emma’s voice interrupts his thoughts.
He turns. She’s wearing his oversized shirt and a sleepy, concerned smile with one eye still squinted shut from just being sound asleep. She sets a warm hand on his arm.
“Aye,” he shakes his head. “Just a bad dream.”
Emma frowns. “Oh.”
Killian wraps an arm around her and holds her close. He leaves a kiss to her forehead. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“It’s okay.” Emma breathes. She looks up at him analytically. “There’s something else on your mind.”
He smiles softly, reaching up to play with her hair. “Aye. I suppose… this is our last night here, where I’ve lived for so long. Liam brought me from London to try and give me more opportunities when I was a teenager.” Sighing, he looks back out the window. “I’ll miss it.” Turning to Emma again, he can’t help but smile. “I’d miss you more, though, if things were different.”
She runs her hand up his chest, a small smile gracing her lips. “Come back to bed.”
On a sigh, he nods. “Alright.”
“What was your dream about?” Emma wonders as she peels back the sheets of his bed to climb under them. It’s quite jarring to see her in his bed, but after several nights of bed sharing back in Misthaven, he really wouldn’t have it any other way.
Killian runs his hand over his head and stares silently at her, nervous that she’ll make fun of him for his fear. “Explaining us to the council.”
For a moment, she adjusts, thinking about what he said, and then tiredly laughs at him. “Killian, it’s not going to be that bad.”
“It is though,” Killian insists as he scoots down in bed to be at her level. “This isn’t easy to explain.”
Emma’s quiet. She runs her fingers through his hair soothingly. “Well, we have each other. Even if the council can’t see that we’re being honest… we’ll still get married and do whatever we want to."
There is still so much that they need to talk about. So much that they need to decide. So much that he feels like he doesn’t know about her past. There are years of her history that she’d kept from him, and while he feels like he has a better grasp on much of it now, he knows there’s more.
Now, though, isn’t the time to talk about such things. Maybe when they’re in Misthaven again, before their next appearance in front of the council, he’ll be able to learn the intricacies of Emma Nolan.
“Do you want to know what I was dreaming about?” Emma asks, her eyes half-lidded as she sleepily tucks her arms beneath her pillow.
He lifts a curious eyebrow. “What?”
A tiny smile on her lips, Emma whispers, “We were having a baby.”
His heart skips a couple of beats. Killian grins lopsidedly and lowers his voice. “Boy or girl?”
“Boy,” Emma replies, yawning softly.
“A boy?”
Emma hums warmly. “You were a nervous wreck.”
Killian chuckles at the thought, then softens a little. “In my dreams it’s always a girl.”
She wears a hint of a smile on her lips, as if she’s too tired to award him the whole thing. She closes her eyes and murmurs, “Sleep, Killian. We have a lot to get through before we can have any babies.”
Killian closes his eyes with a smile. He finds himself thinking about what they need to get through on their way to their future and realizes they haven’t even been on a date yet. It’s something they should probably fix as soon as humanly possible.
“Emma?”
She breathes deep and slow through her nose, practically already asleep, but she manages a quiet, “Hm?”
“Do you want to go on a date with me?”
She's silent for a few seconds. He feels her shift. She curls against him. “Thought you'd never ask.”