After a long day at work, Emma finally approached her apartment building and made a beeline for her mailbox, jabbing the key into the slot and opening it to find that it was empty. With a sigh, she backed away from the mailboxes and went over to the elevators, pressing the 'up' button and waiting for the doors to open.

She got off on her floor, and, as she approached her apartment, she could hear her TV on the other side of the door, which could only mean one thing: Killian was over.

With a faint smile on her face, she opened the door to find him sprawled out on her couch in a tie-dye shirt and sweatpants, watching intently as a soccer match played on the screen.

"Well, well, well," he called out to her without moving his eyes from the television, "look who's finally made it home. Post is on the table."

"I was wondering where it went," she replied with a half-chuckle as she walked further into the apartment and set her keys and purse down on the kitchen table, where she found her mail sorted into three piles: magazines, bills, and personal items. "Thank you."

"No problem, love," he replied as he muted the TV and sat up on the couch so that he could turn to look at her. "I noticed you got another wedding invitation."

"You noticed, huh?" She remarked dryly as she opened the sealed envelope and read its contents.

"Ruby and Jeff are finally settling down, then, eh?" He turned back to the TV, but left it muted as he waited for her to reply.

"Looks that way," Emma sighed as she went back toward her bedroom, the invitation still in her hand. Once she was alone, she set the invitation down with four others, feeling her heart sink as she looked at the mounting pile.

There was a knock on her bedroom door and, without waiting for a reply, Killian sauntered in and threw himself down on her bed. "What's the matter, Emma?" He pillowed his arms beneath his head and stared at the ceiling as he waited for an answer.

She ignored him as she sat down at her vanity and untied the ponytail she'd worn all day. Her blonde hair fell in waves down her shoulders as she reached for her brush and began to comb through it. "Is there something wrong with me, Killian?"

When he heard her question, Killian sat up and moved to the foot of the bed so that he could be closer to her. She had a wistful look in her eyes and he reached out for her, resting his hand on her shoulder. "What do you mean?"

His touch seemed to snap her out of her trance, because as soon as he spoke she smiled and gave a quick laugh. "I mean, you've known me since we were eight. If anyone could tell if something was wrong with me it'd be you, right?"

He sat back down on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees as he looked at her with one eyebrow raised. "Where are you going with this?"

Emma groaned as she finished brushing her hair and walked over to her closet. "It's just that all of my friends are getting married, and, that's great for them, but I can't help but wonder when – or if – I'll get that chance."

"Emma, come on—"

"Killian, let's be serious here." She cut him off as she walked into her closet and closed the door, raising her voice so that he could still hear her speaking. "I'm stuck at a dead-end job, thirty years old, and single, but, instead of being out on a date, I'm at home, with you, having Tie-Dye Tuesday. Do you see nothing wrong with this picture?"

Killian laughed as she emerged from the closet in a blue and white tie-dye shirt and a pair of grey yoga pants. "I don't know, Swan, I think you're right where you need to be."

"And where's that?" She asked, walking out of the bedroom as Killian followed her back into the kitchen. She hopped up onto the counter and grabbed a phonebook, opening it up to where it was dog-eared on the menu section. "Half-way to becoming a crazy cat lady?" They both laughed at that as Emma reached for her home phone and dialed the number for their usual Chinese takeout.

"Listen to me," Killian started as he grabbed the phone from her and hung it up. "You don't have to worry about what your friends' marriages mean to you. You're Emma Swan. So what if you hate your job? You can always find another. So what if you're thirty? Get used to it: you're only going to get older."

She rolled her eyes at that, although there was a smile on her face.

"So what if you're single? I'm positive that sooner or later you will find the perfect man who will indeed sweep you off of your feet."

"And if I don't?" She asked, but the sparkle in her green eyes told him she was only trying to be a pain.

"If you don't," he started, handing the phone back to her, "I give you permission to name your first cat after me."

Emma laughed and accepted the phone from him, still smiling as she dialed the number again. "Deal."

After most of the food had been consumed, they sat together on her couch watching the credits of a TV movie roll by.

"You know," she turned to him, nudging him with her foot, "I just got an idea."

"I mostly hate your ideas, so if you could spare me this one, I'd be grateful."

"Shut up," she laughed before sitting up, tucking her legs under her body. "I got an idea of how I'm going to get through these upcoming weddings."

He raised an eyebrow at the excited tone in her voice – he could already tell where this was going, and he was not on board. "Absolutely not, Emma."

"What?" She whined, "You haven't even heard what I was going to say!"

"I don't need to hear it, I don't want to go to those weddings with you."

Her jaw dropped in a show of mock-offense and she inched closer to him in the couch, hands folded together as she began to pout. "Pleeease, Killian! I'm begging you! I'm going to die without you there."

"In that case," he started, turning to look at her before turning back to the TV with a smirk, "it was nice knowing you."

"Ugh," she groaned, throwing herself back into the couch, "you never do anything for me."

"Ha!" He laughed sarcastically, "We'll see if you're still saying that when you name your cat after me."

He narrowly ducked out of the way when she threw a pillow at his head.

The next morning, Killian got to work with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. He'd woken up to a text from Emma, telling him that until he agreed to be her plus one for her friends' weddings, she was going to be ignoring him. He'd replied to that text with a sad emoticon and a picture of a cat.

(She was less than amused.)

After he'd been working for a few hours, Killian left his office to walk down to the break room where he knew he'd be able to get a cup of coffee.

When he got there, he saw two of his coworkers – Victor Whale and Mulan Fa – talking by the water cooler and cringed at the blatant cliché.

"Good morning, Killian!" Mulan greeted him happily as he walked over to the cupboard and pulled down a mug.

"Morning, Jones," Victor nodded to him as he crushed the paper cup he held in his hand and tossed it into the trash.

"Hello, Vic. Mulan." Killian poured the coffee into his mug before going over to the fridge in search of cream.

"Did you hear about Booth?" Victor asked offhandedly as he bit into a doughnut, dusting sugar and sprinkles off of his mouth with a napkin.

Killian turned to look at his friend when he heard the question, leaning back against the counter and sipping at his coffee tentatively. August Booth was one of their coworkers, he was their superior, but everyone around their floor loved him. "No," Killian finally answered, "what about him?"

"He got canned." Victor answered before Mulan swatted him on the shoulder, a maternal look of disapproval on her face.

"He was let go," she corrected as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Gold is looking for his replacement right now."

Killian raised an eyebrow at this news. "What, is he interviewing people?"

Mulan shook her head. "I have no idea. But I don't see why he wouldn't hire one of us instead and save himself the trouble."

Just then, Killian got an idea. He finished his coffee and excused himself from the break room, making a beeline for Mr. Gold's office. When he got there, Gold's secretary Ariel smiled at him brightly.

"Hi, Killian, what can I do for you?" She rested her head on her hand as she batted her eyelashes sweetly at him.

He turned his gaze to the floor and stared at his shoes as he spoke. "I actually came to talk with Gold. Could you tell him that I'm here?"

He looked back to the redhead, whose smile waned slightly. "Oh, I just thought that you came to talk to me, since you didn't call me that one time, like you said you were going to, and—"

"I'm sorry, Ariel, I really am," he started to apologize, even though it sounded fake to his own ears, "but I don't know if starting anything is such a good idea. We work together, the timing is all wrong, and, if we had a bad breakup, that would only make things even more awkward."

"Right." She cleared her throat as she turned away from Killian and lifted the phone on her desk, dialing Gold and waiting for him to answer. "Mr. Gold, Killian Jones is out here to see you. Uh huh. Okay. Yes, sir." She turned back to Killian, avoiding his gaze as she spoke. "He says you can go right in."

Killian nodded and looked at Ariel before walking away. "Thank you," he extended his hand to her and waited for her to take it. "No hard feelings, yeah?"

She rolled her eyes and turned away from him, leaving him to awkwardly stuff his hand into the pocket of his pants before walking over to Gold's office door. He took a moment before opening it to straighten his tie and ran his hands over his hair. Once he was satisfied that he didn't look like a total wreck, he turned the doorknob slowly and peeked his head inside.

"Good morning, Mr. Gold."

"Morning, Jones," Gold replied, signing a paper in front of him before setting his pen down and pushing the stack of paperwork off to one corner of his desk. "What can I do for you, son?"

"Well, sir—" Killian stopped speaking and motioned to the chairs in front of Gold's desk, "may I sit?"

"Please," Gold responded, nodding as Killian sat down across from him. Once he was situated, Gold cleared his throat. "You were saying."

"Right. I'm here because I heard that Booth was fired, and you're looking for someone to fill his position."

"That's correct," Gold replied, watching Killian carefully as he went on.

"I was wondering if you might consider me for the job."

Gold stared at Killian for a few moments and they sat in silence as Killian waited for an answer. Finally, the older man shook his head and reached for the papers he'd been working on when Killian walked in. "I just don't think you're right for a job like this. I'm looking for someone with maturity, experience, stability at home; not some young, skirt-chasing hotshot looking to get a new office and a pay rise."

"'Skirt-chasing,' sir?" Killian asked, curious as to how his boss garnered that impression of him.

"You think I didn't know what was going on between you and my secretary?" Gold let out a sardonic laugh at that and Killian clenched his jaw.

"Actually, sir, you've got it all wrong. I'm engaged."

Gold looked up from his paperwork and raised his eyebrows at Killian. "Engaged, you say?"

"Yes, sir." Killian answered confidently, which surprised him, considering the gravity of the lie he was telling. "It actually happened just last night."

"Well, this certainly does change things. Tell me, what is your fiancée's name?"

Shit.

Killian drew a blank as he tried to think of a name, and blurted out the first one that came to mind.

"Emma."

After his talk with Gold, Killian spent the rest of his day seated at his desk and cursing his big mouth.

Why had he gone and said that Emma was his fiancée? Well, he knew exactly why: it was to wipe that smug, knowing look off of Gold's face, and it had been worth it, but he surely wouldn't feel that way once he went back and told Gold the truth.

However, the pleased look on Gold's face gave him pause. What if being engaged was what he needed to get this job? He leaned back in his chair and stared at the ceiling, thinking about his next step.

If he told Gold that he'd lied, well, then he might as well kiss the promotion goodbye. That, and Gold would never believe another word out of his mouth as long as he worked for him.

If he went with the lie, he'd get promoted, and honestly, that was the only motivation he needed.

Now, the only thing left to do was convince Emma to go along with it.

Emma had been home from work for only a half hour or so when she heard a knock at her door. She scurried across the apartment to see who it was, and rolled her eyes when she looked through the peephole and saw that it was Killian. She opened the door with a bored expression, trying to muster as much annoyance as she could.

"What do you want?" She asked, walking away from the open door as Killian followed her inside and closed it behind him.

"Hello, Emma." Killian put on the sweetest voice he could manage, hoping he could ease her bad mood. "How was work today?"

"Why are you asking?" Emma's eyes narrowed as she stared at him. Killian only asked her about her day when he wanted to butter her up before asking a favor.

Killian rolled his eyes and walked over to sit down on the couch. "Can't I ask my best friend how she's doing? I genuinely want to know. Is that so wrong?"

"Why," she paused for effect, staring at him intently, "are you asking?"

He gave a heavy sigh and rubbed at his eyes tiredly before answering her. "Okay, Emma, I need a tiny favor."

"A tiny favor, huh?" She walked into the living room and flopped down on the couch, turning to face him and tucking her legs underneath her as she did so. "What is it?"

"Well," he started, "it's not quite tiny."

Emma groaned and looked at him. "What is it, do you need a kidney or something?"

"No, nothing quite that simple."

Emma looked at him for a second before her annoyed grimace softened into a look of concern. "Killian, what's going on?"

"Something happened at work today, and—"

"Oh, my god, did you get fired?" One of her hands closed over his and she squeezed his hand reassuringly as she waited for him to go on.

"No, no, it's not that either. Listen, Emma, I'm going to tell you, but I need you to stay calm and not get angry until I finish. Can you do that?"

She narrowed her eyes at him skeptically as she let go of his hand and moved back to where she'd been sitting. "I guess. Try me."

"Okay," he started, clearing his throat and running a hand over his hair. "One of my coworkers was fired today, and when I went to ask Gold about the opening, he shot me down and called me a skirt-chasing hotshot or something to that effect."

Emma's eyebrows raised as she considered Killian's words. "Well, he wasn't wrong…"

Killian rolled his eyes as he went on. "Be that as it may, the look of smug satisfaction on his face when he said that to me was infuriating, so I told him that I got engaged last night."

Emma looked at Killian for a moment before she started laughing loudly, clutching at her sides as she failed to hold it all back. "He didn't actually believe that, did he?"

"Yeah, he did." Killian answered with an edge of annoyance to his voice. "I actually told him that I'm engaged to a nice lass called Emma."

Her smile disappeared completely when Killian finished speaking and her face dropped into a scowl. "Please tell me that you meant a different Emma."

"Oh, Swan, please!" Killian begged, grabbing both of Emma's hands and looking her in the eye pleadingly. "Please do me this one favor. Come see me during my lunch hour tomorrow, I'll introduce you to Gold and that'll be the end of it."

Emma yanks her hands out of his and rose from the couch. "Okay, so, you can ask me to do you a favor like this, when I couldn't even get you to go to one measly wedding with me?"

Killian followed her into the kitchen and stood behind her as she rummaged through her freezer, pulling out a pint of ice cream. "You're right, that was totally unfair of me. If you come to lunch tomorrow, I will go to one wedding with you."

She turned around and stared at him for what felt like hours before she sigh and nodded her head. "Fine. But only if I get to lie and say that you're my fiancé, too."

"Deal," Killian sighed and hugged her tightly, nearly crushing the ice cream she held between their bodies. "You're the best, Swan," he praised her before he dropped a kiss onto the top of her head.

"Yeah, I know," she snarled and pushed him off of her before going to grab a spoon. "And you have to be nice to my brother."

"Ugh," Killian groaned, "you're making me go with you to David's wedding? That's not fair."

David Nolan was Emma's adoptive brother, and he'd always been skeptical of her friendship with Killian. Mostly because he always suspected that they were more than friends, despite Emma's objections.

"Yup," she answered with a smirk, "and there's nothing you can do about it."

"Fine." Killian straightened up, putting on an air of stern sobriety as he spoke. "But, you have to play by my rules. When you meet my boss, there will be no swearing, no eye rolling, no sarcastic remarks, no sour looks, and absolutely no making fun of me. Also, smile, but don't overdo it, and try to be pleasant—you know what, just act like the exact opposite of yourself and we should make it out of there in one piece."

"I don't even know what to say to any of that." Emma mumbled as she pushed past him and headed for the kitchen door. "You'll take what you get and like it."

Killian watched Emma walk out of the kitchen, muttering swears under his breath as he cursed this situation – mostly himself, and, again, his big mouth. He turned toward the kitchen door and raised his voice so that she could hear him say, "And wear something nice!"

When eleven o'clock rolled around the next day, Killian was fidgeting nervously at his desk as he waited for Emma to arrive. At eleven thirty, he rose from his desk and walked over to the window in his office, where he could see the parking lot, and waited, hoping he'd catch a glimpse of her yellow bug when she finally made it.

He was startled by a light wrapping at his door and turned to find Emma standing there. She wore a royal blue dress with white cuffs at the end of long sleeves. The dress had an A-line skirt which flared slightly outward and stopped just above the knee. The neckline of the dress was modest, resting with its' white Peter Pan collar just beneath her collarbones.

It wasn't until Emma cleared her throat that Killian realized that he was staring and looked up to her face and saw that her hair was done in soft waves which fell over her shoulders and down her back.

"Wow, Swan," he said, clearing his throat abruptly when he heard how breathy he'd sounded. "You look good."

Emma smiled at the compliment as she walked into Killian's office. "Well, I think I look better than good, but thanks. You ready to go dazzle your boss?"

Killian's stomach knotted painfully as he nodded.

"Great," she turned to walk out of the office, but Killian grabbed her hand, tugging her back to him.

"Just one more thing." He walked back over to his desk and opened the top drawer, rummaging through it for a moment before he found what he was looking for. "A-ha! Here you are."

Emma's brow furrowed together when she looked at what he held in his hand – a diamond engagement ring. "What the hell is that?"

Killian sighed exasperatedly. "It's a ring, Emma."

"I can see that, jackass, but where'd you get it?"

"That's not important right now, just put it on."

She crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head in a way that might have been just a little bit adorable if it weren't so annoying. "No. Not until you tell me where you got it. You didn't buy it, did you?"

Killian stifled a groan and ran a hand through his hair. "Do we have to do this now?"

The look on her face left no room for argument, so he gave one final sigh before opening his mouth. "It was my mother's. I figured you could borrow it for the day, since I didn't have another to give you, and it's bad form to propose without a ring."

Emma's face softened as she smiled weakly at Killian. She knew that he'd kept his mother's ring after she died when they were seventeen, but she'd only ever heard about it, never actually seen it. "Okay. I promise I'll be super careful with it."

"Great. Put it on and let's go." He motioned toward the door, but Emma shook her head.

"No way, pal. If we're doin' this, we're gonna do it right."

"Emma," he whined, silently pleading with her.

"Nope. You know what I'm waiting for."

He grumbled under his breath as he got down on one knee, holding the ring out between them. "Emma Swan, would you do me the honor of being my fake fiancée for a day?"

She rolled her eyes at that but nodded anyway, holding her hand out and letting him slide the ring onto her finger. "Could've done without the sarcasm, but we don't have all day."

"Okay, let's go," Killian spoke over his shoulder as he left the office and waited for Emma to follow behind him. When she joined him in the hallway, he looped his arm around her waist and guided her through the office in the direction of Mr. Gold's office.

As they approached Ariel at her desk, Killian quickly grabbed Emma's hand and laced their fingers together.

"Hello, Ariel," he cheerfully called to the back of her head, and heard her groan before turning around to face him.

"What do you want now—" She froze when she saw Emma standing with Killian and her eyes immediately dropped to where their hands were joined together. "Who's this?"

"Ariel Fisher, I'd like you to meet my fiancée, Emma Swan." He then turned to Emma, his face unnecessarily close to hers as he said, "Emma, this is Ariel, Mr. Gold's secretary."

"It's lovely to meet you, Ariel," Emma smiled sweetly as she extended her left hand to the redhead, who shook it slightly before turning it over to admire the ring on her finger.

"What a rock…" Ariel murmured to herself before Killian spoke again.

"Is Gold in, Ariel?"

At that, she snapped out of her trance and nodded, letting Killian and Emma walk past her and up to Gold's door. Killian rapped on it gently and waited for Gold to call him in.

"Enter." When Gold saw who it was that had walked in, he looked to Killian with raised eyebrows. "Back so soon, Jones?"

Killian took a deep breath before opening the door and letting Emma go in first and the following her in. "Mr. Gold, I'd like for you to meet my fiancée, Emma Swan."

Gold looked up from his computer and regarded Emma with a raised eyebrow and a half smile. "Well, Miss Swan. I suppose congratulations are in order." He stood from his desk and extended his hand to Emma, who shook it daintily.

"Thank you, Mr. Gold."

"Of course. So, what brings you by the office?" He asked before motioning to the seats in front of his desk. "Please, have a seat."

Emma looked quickly to Killian who nodded before sitting down and reaching for his hand as soon as he sat in the chair next to hers. "I thought I might surprise Killian and take him out to lunch."

"How lovely of you," Gold smiled at Emma and she shook her head.

"Oh, it's the least I could do. Killian is always providing for me in every possible way, so I'm always glad to return the favor when I can."

Gold turned to Killian then and he felt himself bristle in his seat. "Jones, why didn't you tell me your fiancée was such an enchantress?"

"Well, sir, Emma is one of a kind. Oftentimes it's hard to encapsulate all of her wonderful qualities with words. It's much easier to demonstrate."

The three of them laughed at that before they were interrupted by a knock on the door to the office. Every head turned to find Ariel standing in the doorway. "Mr. Gold, Regina Mills is on hold waiting to discuss those permits with you."

"Right," Gold turned back to Emma and Killian with a regretful look on his face. "I hate to cut this short, but I've been waiting for this call all week."

"No worries, sir," Killian started as he rose from his chair. Satisfied that his plan had gone off without a hitch.

"But perhaps the two of you would like to join me and my wife at our home for dinner on Friday?"

Shit.

Killian's mind went blank and his mouth hung open as he looked to Emma, who was just as dumbfounded, but reacted before he could recover.

"We would absolutely love to."

"Wonderful." Gold smiled at the pair as he picked up his phone. "I'm sure Belle will be thrilled to have you."

"See you then!" Emma cheerily waved as she pushed Killian out of the room and closed the door behind them.

As they walked back in the direction of Killian's office, Emma looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say something. When he didn't say anything they walked silently to his office and Emma sat him down in a chair as soon as she closed the door.

"Killian?" She snapped her fingers in front of his face and he finally reacted, blinking hard for a few moments until he looked at her, still somewhat confused.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice soft as he cocked his head at her.

"Um, we went in and talked with your boss, and he loved me." Emma offered with a quick smile.

"He loved you, that's great!" Killian smiled back, still not fully aware of what had happened in Gold's office.

"That's right, he loved me so much that he invited the two of us over to his house for dinner on Friday."

"Oh my god," Killian finally came back to himself at that news and started pacing around his office. "He did. He invited us over to his house. Us. As a couple. A soon-to-be-married couple. Two people in love."

Emma sat in the chair Killian had been occupying and looked at him worriedly. "Killian, are you feeling alright? Your pacing is making me dizzy."

"I'm alright," he stopped pacing and sat down on the edge of his desk, facing her. "Just thinking."

"What about?" She asked, already feeling skeptical.

"About how we're going to tackle this dinner dilemma."

"Easy," she waved him off as she got comfortable in the chair and crossed her legs at the knee, "you will go alone, and tell Gold that I'm sick."

"No, Emma, that won't work." Killian's voice sounded petulant and Emma rolled her eyes at his childish tone.

"Yes, Killian, it will. Then just talk me up the whole time and you're solid."

"Listen, if you aren't there they may just try to reschedule for another time when you can make it."

Emma groaned loudly and clapped a hand over her face. "Shit, you're right. I guess we're going to dinner on Friday."

"Great," Killian sighed as he rose from his perch and walked around his desk to sit in his seat.

"But," she started as she rose from her set and walked over to the desk, leaning across it with her palms flat against the solid wood, "it's going to cost you another wedding."

"Oh, bloody hell," Killian whined, but he knew it was only fair. If he was asking for more, she had a right to do the same. "Fine. One more wedding. You'll come with me to this dinner on Friday and I'll go to—" he paused as he cringed exaggeratedly, "two weddings with you, and then this whole fake fiancée business will be over and done with."

"Sounds great to me," Emma said as she stood from the char and moved to return Killian's ring to him.

"No, you keep it for now," he said, holding up a hand to stop her. "Just—be careful with it, okay?"

Emma nodded as she secured the ring back onto her finger and held it out in front of her as she admired the shimmering diamond against her fair skin. "Don't worry, Killian. You know I will."

"It's a shame you can't keep it," he said absently as he pulled out some paperwork from the files on his desk. "Looks rather good on you."

Emma pretended she hadn't heard that last bit as she grabbed her purse and excused herself from Killian's office, heading back to work.

When Friday finally rolled around, Killian insisted on being there as Emma got ready, repeating over and over again that it was important that she, "make the best impression possible, Swan."

When she came out of the shower dressed in only a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head, she was startled to find Killian sprawled out on her bed.

"What are you doing here? We don't have to go for another two hours!"

Killian turned onto his side and looked at her as he propped his head up onto his hand. "Yes, Emma, two measly hours, and you're still not ready."

"Oh my god, you're ridiculous, you know that?"

"Ridiculously prepared, yes. I agree."

Emma rolled her eyes at him as she grabbed her hair dryer and sat down at her vanity. She dried her hair as much as she could with the towel before turning on the hair dryer and finishing it off.

When she was through with that, she straightened her hair and pulled it into an artful, high ponytail. She then proceeded to do her makeup, and when she was finished, turned back to Killian.

"See? I'm halfway through now." When he didn't answer her, she walked over to here he lay against the pillows and found that he'd fallen asleep. Shaking her head, she chuckled softly and walked over to her closet to find her favorite black dress.

As they pulled up to Gold's house, Killian was almost certain that they'd come to the wrong address. The driveway was full of cars, and, looking in the windows, he could see many people milling about inside.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" Emma asked absently as she turned to Killian, who was wondering the same thing.

"I guess there's only one say to find out…" He took off his seatbelt and exited the car, walking around to the passenger's side and opening the door for Emma, who took his proffered hand and stood, adjusting the skirt of her dress as she stepped away from the car. They walked up the driveway, nervous silence between them that continued on as they stood on the porch and Killian rang the bell.

Within a few moments, the door flew open and Gold stood on the other side, a glass of dark, red wine in his hand.

"Jones!" He bellowed merrily and extending his hand to Killian. "Glad you could make it, son. And Miss Swan," he turned to Emma and took her hand, brushing a light kiss over her knuckles, "it is lovely to see you again."

Emma smiled and bowed slightly – she bowed, why on earth did she bow? – a graceful smile on her face as she allowed Gold to pull her into his home, Killian following at their heels.

Killian closed the front door behind him and turned around to see Gold's house full of people. What Gold described as having dinner is what Killian assumed most people would equate to throwing a party. There were people everywhere, most of them holding some sort of drink in their hand as soft music played over their indistinct chatter.

"Wow," Emma mouthed to Killian over her shoulder as Gold led her through the house, and Killian raised his eyebrows in a silent response as he followed behind.

Gold finally stopped walking when they got to the kitchen, where there were canapés and other hors d'oeuvres spread out on the vast granite countertop of the kitchen island.

"Help yourselves, dearies," Gold said airily as he finally let go of Emma's hand and backed away. "I'm going to fetch Belle. Be back in a tick."

Emma and Killian both smiled in response as she reached for one of the empty wine glasses that were sitting on the countertop and motioned for Killian to pour her a drink from the bottle next to him.

He lifted it and brought his hand up to remove the cork as he spoke to her. "So, it seems everything is going well so far."

"Yeah, not bad for the first thirty seconds," Emma scoffed as she watched Killian struggle with pulling the cork out of the bottle. "I thought he said we were coming here for dinner, not a freaking party!"

"I know," Killian grunted and made a face, still unsuccessful in his quest for cork removal.

"Need some help with that?" Emma asked with a mocking smile on her face and Killian narrowed his eyes at her before shaking his head.

"I got it, just give me a sec."

Emma sighed as she turned her head away from him to look around at the people surrounding them. Everyone was sharply dressed, and she was glad that she'd seen what Killian was wearing before she picked her own outfit, otherwise she may have been embarrassingly underdressed. Turning back to Killian, who was still having cork trouble, Emma let her eyes rove over his ensemble: a sharp, black suit and white dress shirt underneath, which was left unbuttoned, revealing to her a peek at his thick chest hair, which was almost always on display when he was dressed casually.

Her eyes travelled up his neck to his strong jaw, which was clenched in concentration, and the ever-present stubble that never seemed to grow or change. She noticed that she was staring just as he finally pulled the cork free, the dull pop of its release echoing in her ears and pulling her attention back to where she was (Gold's mansion-like house) and who she was with (Killian, her best friend of far-too-many years and fiancée for the moment).

He lifted the bottle and began to pour the rich, dark wine into Emma's glass just as she noticed new movement on the periphery of her vision. She turned to see Gold walking back toward them with a beautiful brunette on his arm. Emma smiled at them before the man trailing behind them caught her eye.

Her mouth went dry as her gaze locked on familiar brown eyes and she reached blindly for Killian, bumping his arm and causing him to spill wine down the front of his suit.

"Bloody hell, Emma, what are you doing?" He asked her as he looked down at the mess she'd made of his clothes.

"Oh, my god, I'm so sorry," she frantically apologized as she realized what she'd done, setting her glass down on the island and pushing Killian off in the opposite direction, hoping to find a bathroom.

Just down the hall she found one, and it was thankfully empty. She hurried in and pulled him in behind her, leaning up against the door when she closed it.

"What is going on with you?" Killian asked angrily as he grabbed a towel and wet it slightly, thanking whichever voice in his head it was that encouraged him to wear black tonight.

"That was Neal out there!"

Killian looked up at her, his brow knitted in confusion as he waited for clarification. "Yes, that was Neal. My boss's son."

"No, that was Neal my ex-boyfriend!"

His eyes widened almost-comically as he look at Emma, setting the towel down on the counter at his side. "Wait, that is the Neal you dated? What are the odds?" He groaned and ran a hand over his hair, wondering how this night could get any worse.

Emma and Neal had only dated for six months, and, at his insistence, he never met any of her friends. She thought that their relationship was going to be a lasting one, however, he had other plans, and broke up with her on their six-month anniversary. She was devastated after their split, and Killian remembered how long it took for her to finally bounce back to her regular self.

He'd never met Neal, but when Emma told him about their breakup, he'd wanted to break every bone in the man's body for hurting his best friend. And now, when he was finally presented with an opportunity, the guy turned out to be the son of the man Killian was trying to impress.

"This is a disaster," Emma mumbled nervously, wringing her hands. "We should leave. We should tell Gold that something's come up and we have to go."

"We can't do that," Killian crossed the bathroom and placed his hands on Emma's shoulders. Hoping to ground her as he looked at her with open, pleading eyes. "This party may be the last push I need to convince Gold that I'm right for this job. He probably just wants to see how – or if – I'll kiss his arse, and try to gauge my personality on a non-work setting. We have to stay."

She sighed and let her head fall against the door with a muffled thud. She knew that he was right, but she had no idea how she was supposed to survive this. "Fine. Let's go back," she muttered and moved away from the door, standing on her feet for only a moment before Killian pulled her into a tight hug.

"You'll be alright, Swan," he breathed the words into her hair as she wrapped her arms around his waist, taking a few moments to breathe as she gathered her wits again.

"And besides," Killian started as he pulled back to look down at her. "You're here with a fiancé while that idiot is probably still single."

"You're right… I've totally won." Emma's eyes widened as she smiled up at Killian who leaned over and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"So, what do you say we go back out there and show him what he's missing out on?"

She nodded, finally smiling again, and took Killian's hand as she opened the bathroom door. They walked together back to the kitchen where Gold was still standing where they'd left him.

"Looks like we had a little mishap," he said, and the woman at his side smacked him playfully in the chest, looking to Emma and Killian apologetically.

"Forgive him, 'sarcastic' is his constant state of being." She left Gold's side and walked over to Emma and Killian, shaking both of their hands with a kind smile on her face. "It's so lovely to have you here, I'm Belle."

"Thank you so much," Emma nodded as she spoke and Killian repeated the sentiment from where he stood beside her.

"And this," Gold called attention to himself again as he spoke, "is my son, Neal."

Neal stepped forward, his head hanging somewhat as he smiled bashfully at Emma. "Hey, Em. Long time no see, huh?"

"Wait," Gold looked back and forth between Emma and his son, "you two know each other."

"Yes," Emma awkwardly shuffled on her feet before going on, "Neal and I used to date."

The silence that followed her statement was awkward and heavy before she spoke again. "But that's all in the past, and we've both moved on." She offered a wafer-thin smile to the man standing before her before Killian cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Oh," she turned to him and smiled genuinely, "I'm sorry… sweetheart." She squeezed his hand and fought the urge to cringe at the forced endearment as she turned back to Neal. "This is my fiancé, Killian Jones."

"Fiancé, huh?" Neal asked, looking at Killian appraisingly from head to toe as he offered his hand for a shake. "That's great, Em."

"It's Emma, actually." She corrected him as he let go of Killian's hand and chuckled softly.

"Right, I–I'm sorry. Old habits and all that."

"Sure." She nodded and there was silence again before Belle spoke up.

"So, Emma, Killian, how did the two of you meet?"

Emma's eyes lit up at the question and she let go of Killian's hand to wrap her arm around his waist as she started speaking. This was a story she loved to tell, and it was one she knew by heart.

"We were eight," she paused when Belle 'awwwed' loudly and clapped a hand over her heart, "and he was the new kid in our class at school. No one really noticed him at first, you know, because he was quiet, and kind of nerdy and, if I'm being honest, flat-out weird."

"Oi," Killian squeezed her shoulder and looked down at her with a laugh, "I'm standing right here."

She ignored him as she went on, "Well, one day I was on the swings at recess and I'd just sat down, still trying to get myself going, but after a few minutes of trying with no success, I gave up, because I was getting tired and it wasn't much fun."

Killian squeezed her again, and she instinctively laid her head down on his shoulder as she kept speaking. "That's when I heard a voice beside me say, 'Need a push?' so I turned and found the new kid looking at me with the most earnest and open eyes I'd ever seen. When I said yes, he smiled, and I smiled, and I guess the rest is history."

Belle clapped excitedly when Emma finished speaking and Killian hugged her tightly against his chest. He loved hearing her tell that story, and something about the way she told it this time made him feel oddly possessive. He kissed hair when she hugged him back and smiled up at him.

"Oh, what a lovely couple you two make! You know, they say that the relationships that grow from friendship are the ones that last forever."

Emma felt her cheeks flush when she heard what Belle had said.

Couple.

Relationship.

Right.

She was supposed to be engaged to Killian. She smiled and mumbled a quick word of thanks to Belle as she toyed absently with the ring on her finger.

After a few more minutes of small talk, Belle, Gold, and Neal finally walked away, and, when they did, Emma and Killian breathed out simultaneous sighs of relief.

"It looks like we made it." She said, face alight with giddy excitement.

He smiled down at her and nodded, looking out at the people around them. "Aye, but we're not out of the woods yet. We just have to lay low for the rest of the evening and we should be fine."

Emma nodded as he took her hand and led her into the party where they spent the rest of the night talking with the other guests. She made sure that she kept constant physical contact with Killian, whether it was holding his hand or his arm, or letting him put his arm around her. She knew that it was all part of the act, but she couldn't help but feel a little bit affected by his attention.

When the night finally came to a close, she and Killian walked hand-in-hand into the foyer of Gold's house, and had almost walked out of the door when they heard a voice calling out to them.

"Jones," Mr. Gold walked up to the casually and extended his hand to Killian, "I'll see you at work Monday. And, I thought now might be a good time to extend to you an invitation to the shareholders meeting next month."

Killian's eyes widened when he heard Gold's words. The shareholder's meeting, as Gold called it, was less of a meeting and more of a company-wide party where higher ups from all over came together. Not only were employees of Killian's grade not typically invited, but it was usually at such gatherings where huge announcements were made.

Announcements like promotions.

He grinned brightly and shook Gold's hand, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes, sir, thank you. I'll be there."

Gold gave a curt nod before turning to Emma and shaking her hand, too. "Miss Swan, I hope to see you there, as well."

Emma smiled as Gold bid them goodnight once more before turning and walking back into the house.

As they walked back out to Killian's car, he looped his arm around Emma's waist, and she leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Do you wanna go back to my place and watch a few movies? We could have a sleepover."

"Brilliant idea." He said as he opened the passenger side door for her and let her slide into the car. "And maybe we could get some real food?"

"Definitely."

Back at Emma's apartment, they changed out of their clothes, Emma into her pajamas, and Killian into the tee shirt and sweatpants he kept there for times like these.

After squabbling like children over what movie to watch, they settled on Gremlins and sat together on her couch as they ate the pizza she'd ordered for them. She sat curled up on the couch, resting her head against his shoulder as he draped his arm around her, which wasn't unusual, aside from the fact that this time it caused Emma to start thinking.

Instead of watching the movie, she caught herself imagining what it would be like if she and Killian really did get married. She wondered what their wedding would be like, how many people they'd invite. She even thought about how their children would be. She envisioned a little boy with blond hair and green eyes, or maybe a girl with a head full of dark curls and blue eyes like Killian's. She imagined what it would be like to have a life like that, and thought for a split second that maybe it didn't sound so bad.

"Emma?"

She jolted in her seat when she heard Killian say her name. She wasn't sure how long she'd been lost in her thoughts, but when she looked back to the screen, the end credits of the film were playing.

"Um, yeah?" She asked, clearing her throat when she heard how light and far-away she sounded.

"You alright, Swan?" His forehead was creased in concern and she found herself unable to speak, so she nodded dumbly, which only served to confuse him more.

"Don't worry, I was just thinking," she said, glad that it wasn't a total lie, which he would have seen right through.

"Oh," he said, looking back to the TV for a moment, "about what Gold said?"

She'd already forgotten everything that had happened before the past few minutes, so she waited on Killian to clarify.

"About the party next month. It's okay if you want to skip that one. I know I've already asked so much of you, I won't make you go along with it anymore if it's too uncomfortable."

"No, it's fine," she reassured him with an easy smile. "Besides, a month of fake engagement is worth a lot of weddings."

He laughed at that and she couldn't help but smile at the way it made the corners of his eyes crinkle as he tossed his head back. "Yes, I suppose it is." He stared at her for a few minutes before he stood and offered her his hand. "Let's get you to bed, love. It's been quite a day for you, hasn't it?"

She went with him, but, in her heart, being in bed with Killian was the last thing she wanted – because of how much she wanted it.

When they got into her bedroom, Killian turned down the sheets on her queen-sized bed before leading her over to it and sitting her down. "I'll be right back," he said and disappeared from the room only to return a few minutes later with a glass of water in his hand. He walked back over to her and held it out to her. She took it gratefully and downed it all in one go, feeling her cheeks burn at his quiet chuckle.

He walked around the bed and got in on the other side. Emma cautiously laid down where she sat on her side of the bed, and laid totally still, staring up at the ceiling while she lay on her back.

"Emma, are you sure you're alright?" Killian asked, and she nodded again, not trusting herself to speak. "Hmm," he seemed to be thinking it over before he shrugged and reached out for her, pulling her closer to him and holding her tightly against his body, her back pressed to his chest.

Before she could stop herself, Emma cuddled back into his embrace, sighing happily as she rested comfortably on the arm he had outstretched beneath her head. When she felt him squeeze her hand, her heart fluttered and she was thankful for the darkness of the room so that he couldn't see her blushing yet again.

"Emma, I really want to thank you for helping me out. I know it's not the easiest of situations, but the fact that you still wanted to do this for me means so much. You're such a bloody amazing friend."

Friends, she repeated in her head, yes, that's what we are. What we've always been. What we'll always be. Somehow the statement didn't sound as reassuring as it was meant to.

"No problem," she all but whispered as kissed the back of her head and squeezed her tightly.

"Really, Swan, I don't know what I would do without you."

"Same here," she said quickly, closing her eyes and trying to sleep as she ignored all of the strange, new emotions swirling within her.