Written as a Christmas gift for Yotb0ka, who has been the absolute best, most wonderful, and very patient Secret Santa shipmate ever!

Aboard the Jolly Roger, seven days before Christmas.

"Lad… are you quite sure about all of this?" Killian frowned as he spoke, glaring around at the mess currently covering the Jolly Roger's deck. "This seems rather ridiculous if you ask me."

He and Henry were currently surrounded by yards and yards of shimmering tinsel-garland, in which—much to Killian's disgust—he had managed to get his hook well and truly tangled. He shook his left arm vigorously and sighed, trying desperately to get himself free of the stuff. But the action only resulted in him getting his hook even more tightly wound in the gold and silver strands. He squinted over at Henry who was busily stringing more of it around the ship.

The lad never paused in his work, speaking over his shoulder as he tossed another loop around the deck railing. "Yep, I'm sure! This is gonna be great, you'll see."

"I'm really not sure I should have approved of this," the captain muttered, gingerly picking at the knot still firmly trapping his hook.

Henry turned around to look at him, a slightly crestfallen look on his face. "What? But why not? This is perfect, trust me! You're gonna love this when it's done."

Killian glowered and raised his raised his tinsel-ensconced hook in disgust.

"All of this rope stuff, lad. It's very cumbersome." He squinted at the pile of it strewn around his feet as it glimmered brightly up at him in the sunlight. "And it's a bit too shiny if you ask me. I fear it's too gaudy to suit the Jolly."

His voice was almost pleading, hoping the lad would see reason and opt for some other kind of decoration that was less flashy… and much less embarrassing.

But much to his shock and dismay, Henry laughed. "Well yeah, but it's supposed to be! It's Christmas. Everything's supposed to be shiny and gaudy, and… well, jolly. So I think it's perfect for your ship."

Killian's heart sank, but he managed a tense smile and nod for the boy, getting a bright happy grin in return as Henry went back to work stringing the shining ropes of garland around every clear surface in sight.

"I was afraid you'd say that," he muttered, turning around so that he could use his sword to free himself from the garland without Henry noticing.

He pulled out his sword and raised it, getting ready to hack through the stubborn knot on his hook. But as he looked around to better assure himself he wouldn't be caught in the act by the joyful boy behind him, he raised his head just in time to lock eyes with Emma.

He froze; right arm and sword raised high, tinsel-wrapped hook outstretched, and colour rising in his cheeks as he realized just how amused the expression on Emma's face was as she took in the scene. Suddenly Killian found himself wishing fervently that he'd never ventured out of his cabin this morning, never walked down to Granny's for breakfast, never run into Henry, and most of all he wished he'd never, ever asked the boy about this bloody stupid holiday. Perhaps if he'd remained asleep for two more hours, it would have spared him from the embarrassment of having Emma catch him in his current unruly and ridiculously shiny state of disarray.

"What… the hell…?" Emma muttered, her eyes raking over the entirety of the Jolly's tinsel-littered deck.

She moved slowly forward off the gangplank, taking in every inch of the garland and Henry's rapid work with it, the amused sparkle never leaving her eyes. She was absolutely beautiful this morning, Killian couldn't help but think, even as he desired nothing more than to retreat from her thorough scrutiny of his ship. Her eyes moved from the half-decorated deck back to his face, and he managed a pained grimace in response to her raised eyebrow and smile.

"Wow. Looks like somebody's getting into the spirit. I didn't know you were so festive, Hook."

Killian's weak attempt at a smile wilted and he kicked the pile of tinsel away from him, trying once more to shake it loose from his hook.

"I'm not," he growled, gesturing behind him at Henry. "This was your son's idea. It's his festivity, and none of mine. I'm merely humouring the lad."

Emma's tight-lipped smile told him she hadn't bought his lie. "Really? Well that's nice of you. He does seem to be having a good time over there…tinseling your ship."

Killian followed her gaze and suppressed a groan. Henry was currently wrapping strands of the shiny garland around and around the helm, turning it into a glimmering, too-bright mess of decorations.

He turned back to face Emma as he felt something tugging at his hook. He blinked in surprise as she reached down and slid the knot off of him, freeing the curve of steel from the offending decoration. Killian abruptly shook his coat sleeve back down into place over his hook, looking away from her and clearing his throat.

"I, er…Thank you."

"Uh-huh. Well you can thank me again, because I'm freeing you from more than just a knot of tinsel." She looked past him to where her son was now tying off one end of garland on the helm. "Henry, it's time to go to lunch. Remember you promised Mary Margaret and David you'd help them pick out a tree?"

Henry raised his head from what he was doing and beamed back at his mother. "Oh yeah! Just a sec Mom."

Killian watched as the boy scrambled to his feet and came to stand next to him, shooting a shifty glance at his mother's back as she moved on down the gangplank and out of hearing range.

"This is good anyway. I can come back later and finish this part after I talk to Leroy about step two of our Operation."

Killian blinked down at him, raising one eyebrow in question. "Leroy? That foul-tempered dwarf friend of yours? What part could he possibly play in…"

"Don't worry," Henry interrupted, grinning brightly up at him. "The dwarves are good with this kind of stuff. They decorate for the town's light show every year. I know with a little bit of encouragement they'll make everything look perfect in time for next week."

Henry leaned in and winked at the stunned and extremely confused former pirate.

"Operation: Mistletoe is all set. I've got everything figured out for your date with my mom."

Killian's mouth fell open in shock and he tried in vain to catch Henry up as he bounded over the railing and down to the dock below to catch up with Emma.

"What? Lad, now wait just a minute, I don't think…"

He trailed off, his protests coming just a moment too late. He stood rigid on the deck, staring after the boy and his beautiful mother as they walked hand-in-hand back up the dock toward town. As they walked, Emma turned and looked over her shoulder at him, dazzling him with a smile and a wave before they disappeared beyond his sight. Killian returned the wave half-heartedly and turned back to the mess scattered all over the deck of his ship, wondering just how exactly he had gotten into… whatever it was he had apparently gotten himself into.

This was going to be a long week…

Christmas Eve, 10:05 PM

Emma sighed, her breath coming out in a puff of steam in the cold night air. Why was she doing this again? Because Henry begged her to. Right.

It was his begging that caused her to be striding along the empty streets of Storybrooke right now, in the middle of a freezing cold night when she ought to be at home, drinking one last mug of hot chocolate and relaxing with her parents before going to bed. But instead of doing that she was out here in the cold, heading down toward the docks with a package tucked under her arm. Wonderful.

Less than an hour ago she had been sitting near the scraggly Christmas tree, Henry had picked out a week ago, talking with her parents and watching him put enough decorations on it to make the whole thing look like it would topple over on him. He'd been decorating it nonstop since they'd installed it in the loft's tiny living room, and it was beginning to look a little the worse for wear.

She'd finally announced it was his bedtime and then smiled as she watched him barrel up the stairs to his room. Five minutes later he had almost collided with her on his way back down, carrying a haphazardly-wrapped box under one arm. She'd managed to grab him as he tried to shimmy past her and pulled him around to get a better look at him.

"Whoa, slow down there, Turbo. Where do you think you're headed?"

Henry had tried hard to wiggle out of her grasp but she held firm, staring him in the eyes and waiting for him to explain his rush.

"I have no time! I forgot. I have to get this to the Captain right now before it's too late, or everything I did out on his ship will be ruined. Mom please, I'm begging you, let me go down to the docks? I won't stay, I'll just run down to give this to Hook and then come straight back here and go to bed, I promise. Please?"

Emma's mouth had fallen open in surprise and she raised her eyebrows.

"You have to…the docks…what? No! Absolutely not, it's cold out there and way past your bed time. Your gift can wait until tomorrow, can't it? Hook can't open it until then anyway, right? Tomorrow's Christmas."

Henry's face had then crumpled into the most devastatingly sad expression she'd ever seen in their short time together.

Holy crap…is he using puppy eyes on me?

"But—but, this is important! Look, it's his first Christmas here and I wanted everything to work perfectly. I have to get this to him tonight so that my gift will even work right tomorrow. If you won't let me take it to him, you have to do it. Please Mom? Please?"

Emma stared down at her son in shock, trying hard to resist the pleading in his eyes but eventually failing. She heaved a heavy sigh and turned on her heel, walking to the rack that held her jacket, hat, and scarf. Tossing them on in a huff, she returned to where her little imp of a son stood grinning happily on the bottom stair, as she snatched the package from him sternly.

"Fine. But you listen to me, buddy. When I come back, I better find you upstairs and in bed asleep. And trust me; I'll know if you're faking it. Now get up there and get to bed while I go freeze my tail off. Delivering Christmas packages. To a damn pirate. God, what even is my life now?"

She turned and strode out the door, uttering the last sentence under her breath as she jogged downstairs and out into the cold.

And so now here she was; walking briskly down to the docks, eyes glued to the tall masts of Hook's ship where it rested at the far end. Henry's gift was tucked under one arm and an uneasy feeling that she'd soon regret ever agreeing to this little jaunt hovered over her head like a cloud.

To Emma's surprise, she found Hook waiting for her at the bottom of the gangplank. He was leaning on the metal railing, toying with the tip of his hook and gazing upward to where a few stray clouds were moving overhead, covering little patches of stars. His head turned at the sound of her hesitant steps, and as he met her eyes, a grin lit up his face. Emma's steps faltered. Did he have to be so damned attractive when he smiled like that? It was pretty unfair, to be honest.

Emma shook her head disgustedly at herself and took the last five steps to stand in front of him.

"Hi..."

Hook dipped his head in greeting, continuing to overwhelm her with his smile. "Good evening, Swan. Happy Christmas."

Emma smiled tightly and nodded back. "Yeah, same to you."

He smiled wider and shifted his stance, holding his hand out expectantly. Emma blinked down at it and then reached under her arm to pull out Henry's rumpled gift, placing it firmly in Hook's outstretched hand.

He looked shocked for a moment, staring at the package like that wasn't exactly what he'd expected her to do. He raised his eyes to hers, one brow arched in question.

"That's from Henry. He said it had to be delivered tonight, so…here I am," Emma shrugged.

"He said that, did he?" Hook examined the package, hefting it in his hand and smiling wryly. "Clever lad. Then I suppose I'm to assume he didn't inform you of the real reason he asked you to come down here?"

Emma's eyes narrowed in nervous suspicion. "What… real reason?"

Hook sighed and tucked the package into the crook of his left arm, reaching into his inside coat pocket to draw out a small red envelope which he then held out for Emma to take.

"This is also from Henry. He instructed me to deliver it to you, should you happen to visit my ship this evening."

Emma hesitated, glancing from Hook's face to the envelope and back again. "What's he up to?"

"I haven't the faintest idea, to be quite honest with you."

Emma stared at him for a long moment, reading no trace of falsehood in his eyes. Finally she snatched the envelope from him, tearing it open viciously and skimming quickly over the contents of the letter inside.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me…"

Killian watched as Emma's expression went from wary and curious to shocked and angry, and back to settle firmly on coldly amused. She crumpled the note with a curse and shoved it into her pocket, finally raising her eyes to his and giving him a wry smile.

"I take it you only know a little about what's going on?"

Killian shrugged and inclined his head in a slight nod.

"Well, apparently I'm to come aboard, inform you to open your gift once we get on deck, and then I'm to stay on board with you for two hours while you follow the instructions he left in there."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and huffed in frustration before she continued.

"If I fail to do this, my son will find out, and he says he will be heartbroken because this is part of his Christmas present to me. He worked so hard on it that he'll feel like all his work went to waste if I don't see the finished product."

Killian's brows rose. "And all of this was in that letter?"

"Yep! Written in my son's own endearingly illegible handwriting."

"Well then," Killian said, stretched his hand out to her again. "It appears you'd better come aboard."

Emma snorted, ignoring his hand and stepping past him, her irritation fairly rolling off her in waves as she passed him on the gangplank.

She stepped off onto the deck and whirled to face Killian before he could join her, pinning him at the top of the Jolly's railing, her hand raised to stop him from moving forward until she was finished with him.

"Alright Hook, spill. What exactly do you know about all of this?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Honestly? Not that much."

Emma crossed her arms again and stared at him, obviously waiting for him to tell her the whole story.

Killian sighed and ducked his head.

"Alright… six days ago, I ran into Henry at the diner while I was there for a bit of breakfast. He saw me before I saw him, and we ended up talking for quite a while. I foolishly asked him about this holiday you all are celebrating. One thing led to the other, and of course you know that in the space of two hours the lad found himself down here tossing garland all over my ship."

Emma shifted a little and nodded, casting her eyes to the railing where said garland shimmered softly in the dim light from the dock lamps.

"Well," Killian continued, "Your son immediately came up with some kind of plan, and after three very long days of suffering with the presence of dwarves climbing all over the masts of my vessel, he came to me and told me you would be here, tonight, at exactly ten fifteen. I was to deliver that note to you the moment you arrived. Before he left, he said he was absolutely sure this would be a Christmas Eve neither of us would soon forget. Beyond that, I assure you I have no idea what the boy had in mind, and to be quite honest with you, I'm not entirely sure I want to know. That, Sheriff Swan, is really all I know of this little adventure."

Emma relaxed her shoulders a bit as the story unfolded and she chuckled softly at the exasperated look on Hook's face. He was obviously just as clueless as she was, and now for some reason they were both victims of one of her son's elaborate operations. There was nothing for it but to play along and see what he had in store for them this time.

God grant us patience with a scheming eleven-year-old…

She glanced up at Hook, noticing that he was still perched at the top of the railing, shifting from one foot to the other and patiently waiting for her to allow him back onto the deck of his own ship. She bit back a smile at how uncomfortable he looked and then stepped back, gesturing for him to step down.

"Well all right, get down here and open that thing. What's next?"

Killian stepped off the railing with a sigh of relief, pulling the package out of his coat and turning it over in his hand. He studied it for a long moment, deciding how best to dispose of the copious amounts of paper and tape wrapped around it to get at whatever was inside. He found a likely angle and placed the tip of his hook at the top of the box, raising his eyes to Emma's for her approval. She shrugged.

"Go for it."

In one swift movement, Killian skinned the box, tossing the wad of paper and tape to the deck where he kicked it aside. He flipped open the top of the crumpled cardboard box and carefully reached inside. Emma stretched up on tiptoe to peer inside it, trying to see past Killian's arm to get a look at whatever was in there. After a moment of fishing around inside the box, Killian pulled out his hand, holding a crumpled note and a small, square, plastic… thing. He set aside the plastic object and spread out the note, reading over it quickly with a frown creasing his brow.

Emma waited a long moment, impatiently tapping her foot on the deck; although she had to admit, she was enjoying the mystery. If Henry was behind this it had to be good, even as frustrating as it was to be dragged out here in the middle of the night with no idea what was going on. She bit her lip to keep from urging Hook to hurry it up and tell her what came next, trying hard to not come across as too eager. After all, she should be upset, right? Not excited. Not at all. But she was. Very.

Henry better be in bed sound asleep right now, or so help me…

Finally Killian raised his eyes, meeting hers with an amused expression. "Well, Swan, do you fancy a short jaunt out into the bay?"

She blinked at him, confused. "Into the bay? Now?"

Killian nodded, folding the paper carefully and tucking it away in his coat pocket. "Aye, now."

"But its dark, how are you going to see where you're going?"

He gave her an exasperated look. "I don't need daylight to steer the Jolly Roger out of her moorings and into open water, Swan. Whatever rules of the sea this world holds, they don't apply to me nor do they to her. After all, I sailed through the darkness of Neverland for nearly three hundred years, if you'll recall."

Emma put her hands up in surrender and followed him up to the quarterdeck to stand next to the helm. "Okay Captain, so what's the little admiral's next order? Why out into the bay?"

Killian shrugged. "I don't know. But we're to go out into the open water and drop anchor. Then I'm to use this for… something."

He picked up the small plastic object and turned it over in his hand, inspecting it curiously. Emma took it from him and held it up, letting the light from one of the Jolly's lanterns fall on it.

"Looks like a remote control to something," she muttered, running her finger lightly over one of the buttons.

"Well, whatever it is, we're not to use it yet. So if you don't mind holding onto it for a few moments…"

Killian threw his weight into the wheel, slowly turning the ship away from the dock and out into the open water. Emma held her breath as he guided the Jolly smoothly between two smaller vessels she could barely see in the dim starlight. She had to admit she was impressed by how skillfully he could maneuver the big beautiful ship, and how easy he made it look.

They drifted slowly and quietly out past all of the other fishing and sail boats where they were moored; looking for all the world like they were asleep as they moved up and down slightly in the motion of the gentle ripples the Jolly left in her wake. Killian guided the ship farther and farther from the lights of Storybrooke, drawing them out alongside the shore a goodly distance out into the bay.

As she looked back out toward town, Emma could see the vague outline of some of the more prominent buildings and she smiled at the few that were decorated and still lit up with Christmas lights. From the quiet, calm vantage point of the bay, Storybrooke looked exactly like what it truly was; some kind of fairytale-meets-real-world town full of stories that had come to life. If she'd first seen the town like this, Emma was sure it wouldn't have surprised her at all to find it full of cursed fairytale characters.

She turned back around just as Killian returned from dropping anchor, waiting until he had halted by her side before she lifted her hand, offering the small remote to him where it rested on her gloved palm.

"Whenever you're ready, Captain."

Killian smiled warmly down at her and gingerly took the thing from her, turning it over and over in his palm before selecting a button to push. The first one did nothing. Killian frowned and pushed it a few more times, confused. Finally his thumb moved to the other button and he slowly pressed down, bracing himself for whatever was going to happen. But nothing in the world could have prepared him for exactly what Henry had set up for them.

The darkness suddenly fell away from around them as hundreds and hundreds of tiny golden and multi-coloured lights winked on. Strands of them were wrapped delicately around every inch of mast and rigging that could possibly hold them, other strands stretching straight up from prow and railing to connect higher up on the mast in the centre of the lower deck. The sails glowed eerily beautiful with the soft light from the gold-coloured bulbs behind them. It was as if a thousand stars had magically descended from the sky to align themselves with every rope and beam of the Jolly Roger's tall structure.

The twists of shining garland on the railings moved in the gentle night breezes, sending specks of reflected light across the deck and over Killian and Emma's upturned faces. The ship was transformed into a brightly shining beacon of glowing magic there where it rolled softly in the open water of the bay, every inch of it reflected on the rippled surface below.

Killian felt an odd lump rise in his throat as he gazed upward at the product of Henry's imagination and adept persuasion. The lad was undeniably a genius.

"God, wow…" Emma's breathless whisper drew his gaze and Killian turned to look at her, losing his breath once again as he took her in.

She was standing with her hands on the helm, bracing herself as she tilted her head back to gaze up at the glowing masts. Her eyes were shining with awe and reflected light, a dazzling smile brightening her face like no other light source could. Her cheeks were pink from the cold, and the shimmering reflections from the garland seemed to be caught in the strands of her wavy golden hair, setting it alight in such a way that it rivaled the brilliance of the hundreds and hundreds of tiny bulbs winking down from above.

"This…" Emma murmured, still breathless. "This is the most beautiful thing I think I've ever seen."

Killian swallowed, unable to take his eyes off of her to gaze up into the canopy of lights again, the sight of her far more beautiful and entrancing than the illuminated ship could possibly be.

"Aye, I agree. I've never seen a more stunning sight in all my days…"

Emma dropped her gaze to meet his, eyes widening in surprise as she realized he was looking at her as he spoke and not the shimmering lights above. She stared at him in silence for a long moment, understanding suddenly that it wasn't the lights he'd been talking about at all. Something warm and comforting seeped into her soul, making her heart beat faster under his loving gaze and setting her skin to tingling. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks and turned quickly away, looking again at her son's masterpiece.

"This is amazing… I really had no idea this was what Henry was working on so hard down here."

Killian tore his eyes away from her and followed her gaze, appreciating the beauty of the Jolly Roger in all her decorated glory. He shook his head.

"Nor had I. The lad had the dwarves here for days, clambering all over my bloody ship, getting themselves tangled in the rigging… it was quite bothersome then, but after having seen this, I may have to admit defeat for once."

Emma bit back a laugh at how annoyed he sounded. She couldn't imagine all the frustration he'd had to endure at her son's insistence. No, actually she could. All too well.

"Well they did a great job. Henry too."

"Aye," Killian raised an eyebrow and gave her a sideways look. "Your son can be very persuasive when he's of a mind to be. Not to mention extremely manipulative. No one else would have been allowed to string all of this ridiculous stuff all over my ship, you know."

Emma laughed and nudged his shoulder playfully.

"Yeah, well you're preaching to the choir on that one, my friend. Henry's been persuading and manipulating me since the day we met."

She tilted her head up at the strings of lights and raised an eyebrow. "So… what's next on Henry's checklist? Fireworks?"

Killian chuckled and shook his head "No, although I wouldn't have put it past the lad to have come up with it. Actually, this was the last thing on the list. He said the rest of it was up to me…"

He trailed off and gave Emma a wink and sly grin, leaning casually back on the railing to look up at her.

Emma's heart pounded in her ears and she vaguely heard a small voice screaming at her to keep her guard up and shut him down before things got out of hand. But she ignored it, a stronger part of her wanting nothing more than to enjoy the moment for all it was worth. She leaned down, resting her elbows on the railing and propping her chin up on one hand.

"Oh I see. So I guess I should be asking you what's next then. Fireworks?"

Killian gave her a grin and pushed away from the railing to stand closer to her.

"Unfortunately not. I'm not as quick on my feet with this sort of grand plan as your son is, I'm afraid. But I do have something a bit smaller to give you."

Emma raised her eyebrows and watched as he dug around in his back pocket for something. He pulled a small, tightly wrapped bundle from behind him and held it out for her, fiddling with it somewhat nervously.

"Henry informed me that gifts were an important of this particular holiday. So I took the liberty of choosing one for you myself."

Emma stood speechless, eyes riveted on the package in his hand. "Hook, I… you shouldn't have… I mean, I don't have anything for you, and I…"

Killian shook his head and cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Relax, lass. It's a small gift, just a token in honour of the holiday. I need nothing in return. Go ahead, open it."

His posture was still casual as he leaned against the railing, but a hint of apprehension betrayed him as he fidgeted with his hook, nervously waiting for her reaction to whatever it was inside the package he offered her.

A long moment passed as Emma struggled with the now-louder voice that begged her to put a stop to this before things got too personal. But again, the louder, live-in-the-moment voice won over, and she carefully took the package from Hook's outstretched hand. She hesitated, tugging gently at the paper before she threw all caution to the wind and tore the gift open.

Flipping open the lid to the small box that was nestled within the wrapping paper, she tipped it carefully over her palm, letting the contents slide out into her gloved hand. The object that fell out jingled and clinked softly as it settled in a small heap on the leather of her glove. Emma squinted at it, turning it over to get a closer look at what appeared to be a charm at the end of a silver chain. She held the chain up, letting the charm swing free in front of her, and as the face of it turned toward her, she felt her mouth drop open in shock.

It was a tiny silver compass, inlaid with a few small gems and engraved with gold letters and delicate leaves that were molded into the silver inside the clear crystal cover. The dial quivered, turning sideways slightly in a stubborn attempt to find North while it was held aloft in such an unnatural position. It settled in such a way that it pointed more or less at Hook, and Emma felt warmth rise in her cheeks again as she looked past it to meet his eyes.

"How…where did you get this? It's beautiful…"

Killian relaxed, tilting his head slightly. "I managed to set aside my aversion to your town's so-called pawnbroker long enough to find that hidden away in a dark corner of his shop."

He watched as she turned the compass up on her palm and smiled down at its determined accuracy, the shining silver arrow tilting to a proud halt at North.

"I thought it appropriate, since a compass is what first brought us together, so long ago."

He spoke softly, his gentle voice barely above a whisper in the cold night air.

Emma raised her eyes and smiled at him, curling her hand around the tiny compass and clutching it close. She let the warmth she felt toward him rise to the surface, utterly banishing the voice that had insisted she put her walls back up all evening, choosing instead to let him in.

"It's…well, it's perfect. Seriously, Hook… this is the most thoughtful gift I've ever been given. Thank you."

Killian met her gaze and slowly held out his hand; hoping he wasn't pushing things too far and praying it wouldn't shatter the too-perfect moment.

"May I?"

Emma hesitated a split second before she deliberately placed the charm in his palm, turning around and gathering her hair so he could bring the chain around her neck. She had no idea how he was going to fasten the clasp, but she trusted his capable hand to figure it out. The cold steel of his hook pressed gently against her shoulder under her coat, holding the loop in place while his fingers clipped the tiny mechanism closed around it. She felt a soft brush of his warm fingertips against her neck before he pulled away; quietly murmuring that he was finished. The compass hung comfortably against her chest, resting in the exact spot where a certain swan pendant had once been before she had cast it—and its cold reminder never to trust again—aside.

Emma dropped her hair and turned around, her eyes suddenly meeting the bright blue of his own much closer than she expected under the canopy of lights that danced above them. Her breathing hitched and she felt herself lean forward slightly, drawn into his steadfast presence. They stood that way for a long moment before a cold breeze wafted in from the ocean that made Emma shiver and look away.

Something twisted in the breeze above their heads and she flicked her eyes quickly up at it, blinking stupidly at the odd bundle for a moment before she suddenly realized just exactly what it was. She groaned.

"You have got to be kidding..."

Henry, you are SO gonna pay for this, so help me…

Killian followed her gaze and frowned. "What the bloody hell is that? Some sort of hanging vine?"

"Yeah… kind of," Emma muttered, shaking her head and sighing.

Killian raised an eyebrow at her and Emma laughed at his bemused expression. She was feeling strangely giddy and reckless, throwing every ounce of caution to the wind as she explained just exactly what the plant was for.

"It's another holiday tradition, Killian."

She smiled as his eyes widened at her use of his given name, and she leaned slightly closer, continuing her explanation.

"People hang bunches of this stuff all over their homes for good luck. And if you're caught standing under it like we are, tradition demands that we do… something."

Her gaze skimmed over his face, taking in his flushed cheeks and bright eyes. She felt his breath on her skin, coming slightly faster than was normal, and as close as she was, she could just barely see his pulse moving fast under the skin at the side of his throat.

He leaned still closer, his eyes dropping to her lips as he ran his tongue quickly over his own.

"And what exactly is it that your tradition demands for us to do…Emma?"

Emma sucked in a breath at the low, growling way he said her name and she reached up to grip his coat, steadying herself before leaning closer in. Her lips barely brushed his as she whispered.

"This."

She closed the distance and suddenly they were locked in a searing kiss. Warm lips pressed hard against warm lips, hands threaded into hair and grasped harder onto leather as they tried to pull each other closer even still, each of them willingly losing themselves in touch of the other.

Emma felt Killian's left arm snake around her waist as he pulled her flush against his warm chest, his other hand burying itself in her loose curls and gently tilting her head so his lips could find better access to her own. She soon let go of his coat and let her arms drift up and around his shoulders, one hand moving from his back to sift through his hair before dropping down over the skin at the nape of his neck as she tried to pull herself closer into his embrace.

After a long moment they finally broke apart, both of them gasping for breath and sending white puffs of steam rising up into the frigid night air. Emma kept her eyes shut, leaning her head into the caress of Killian's hand as his thumb traced small circles over her cheek. She finally opened them as his rough voice broke the silence.

"I could come to appreciate this plant and its tradition."

Emma gasped out a small giggle and pressed her forehead against his. "I think I could too, actually. It's called mistletoe."

Killian pulled back and looked down at her in surprise. "Mistletoe? You're joking…"

She shook her head. "No, that's really what they call it. Why?"

Killian threw his head back and laughed, making Emma frown at him in confusion. He shook his head and pulled her back against his chest, cradling her head under his chin and embracing her in a warm hug.

"Henry chose that very name for this little plan, you know. He called it 'Operation: Mistletoe', which of course made no sense to me at the time. But now the light begins to dawn…"

Emma's shoulders tightened in his grip and she growled. "I am gonna kill that kid when I get home. Christmas or no Christmas, I'm going to wake him up and hang him upside down by his toes until he begs me to let him down. 'Operation: Mistletoe'…ugh, seriously?"

Killian continued to chuckle and she finally gave up with a heavy sigh and laughed with him.

Still wrapped tightly in his warm arms, Emma lifted her gaze past his shoulder to look at the lights where they glowed against the pale white cloth of the Jolly Roger's sails. As much as she wanted to be upset with her son for setting them up for this, she couldn't get over how perfect the last two hours had been, and deep down she wished the night would never end. She sighed and snuggled closer in to Killian's chest, quietly deciding that at least certain parts of the evening never would.

~ To be continued...