The final entry of CS January Joy 2020 I'm so happy to be a part of it for the fourth year. Thank you for all the people who contributed to it and all the readers who showed there support.

Bad Times, Good decisions

Emma hasn't had the best holiday season. If she's honest, it's been pretty rough.

She was forced to go to Thanksgiving with Mary Margret and David as an apology for completely ghosting them for Halloween. Honestly, looking back, Emma doesn't know what she was thinking.

Emma knows that they just want the best for her, so avoiding the party and spending the night and day with a complete stranger was just stupid. He could have been a real creep.

"Did you at least have a good time?" Mary Margret asked. "Ruby said you were having a good time."

Emma nodded. She had, It had been great. "But it's over. It was just a one time thing, a spur of the moment friendship." She insisted. Because that's all Emma can handle. David puffed out his chest in a bit of protective instinct. Mary Margret had simply taken Emma's hands.

"Emma, those walls of yours..." She says trailing off. "They may keep out pain, but do you think that they might also keep out love too?" She asks. "Maybe this guy is worth lowering your walls for?"

Emma hesitates, considering it, but eventually shakes her head.

"I'm sorry." She says instead, wishing she could, wishing she had the strength to do as she asked, to be normal for a change. "I don't think I can."

But what Emma did have the strength to do was find her bail jumpers, so from Halloween to Thanksgiving, she threw herself head first into her work, so when Thanksgiving came, she welcomed the break to go to Mary Margret's father's house for the weekend. She didn't have to worry about being set up this time as the person Mary Margret had tried before actually wasn't available.

"He had a girlfriend." Mary Margret admitted as they're packing up her pies. "He didn't realize I was setting him up, apparently she's not ready for introductions so he was keeping her a secret." She shakes her head. "I kinda feel bad for trying to set you up with someone not available."

Emma shakes her head. "It's fine, you didn't know." She says. It would have been a disaster had she come.

Anyway, Mary Margret promised not to invite anyone extra to David's mother's Thanksgiving. She thankfully kept her word, and it was just their immediate family. It was sweet and nice, but honestly Emma felt a bit like an outsider there, but she tried not to let it show.

It wasn't their fault that Emma was so guarded, so defensive against this kind of stuff. It wasn't their fault Emma couldn't help but think back to Halloween and wonder how Killian was spending his holiday.

/

Christmas was considerably worse than Thanksgiving. She hadn't wanted to spend another with Mary Margret's family, so when her boss offered her a skip the night of Christmas Eve, she took it without hesitation.

The guy was looking for a date on Christmas Eve with his children in a foster home, alone, practically orphaned because of his blatant disregard for their well being. It enraged her to no end.

Perhaps that's how the guy managed to realize that there was something off with her, and made a break for it.

It ended with her dress torn, the guy handcuffed on his way to jail and an emergency room visit with a busted ankle and broken ribs.

She didn't see anyone she knew on Christmas, just nurses filtering in and out of her room. The hospital food was a bit better that day, but besides that she spent most of the day sleeping off the pain meds they had given her

David showed up the next day and took her home. He must have apologized a dozen times for not being there, for not being able to get her yesterday, but Emma waved him off.

"You were spending time with your family." she reminded him. As soon as she gets to her floor and unlocks her door, Emma practically limps on autopilot to her bed. She hears David moving around in her kitchen, no doubt trying to do some cleaning.

"Leave it!" She called, barely able to lift her head she was so tired. "It's fine...go home..."

"Fine." David said, approaching the entrance to her bedroom. "But promise you're going to be there at our New Year's party?" He asks. Emma furrows her brows.

"Then will you leave?" She asks.

He nods.

"Fine." She murmurs into her pillow. "But no set up."

"No set up." David repeats.

/

The last thing Emma expects is to see Killian is on New Years Eve.

Even further from that, is the call she gets from him two days before New Years Eve. Emma hadn't recognized the number, but was so bored on her medical leave for her ankle that she'd picked up the phone.

"Emma Swan?" He asked. Emma had gasped at the familiar accent. "It's Killian. Killian Jones from Halloween."

Emma nodded dumbfounded, then recalls that he can't see her. "Yeah, I remember you...what's up?" Then she kicks herself for saying what's up like an idiot.

"Well...um...I got myself in a bit of a situation." She can practically see him scratch behind his ear nervously.

"Do you need bail?" Emma says instinctively.

"What? No." He responded. "Why would you think that?"

"I'm a bails bond person." She reminds him. "It's kinda my job."

"Right yes, but no. I'm not in jail." He clarified. "But I do need your help." He replied. "It's actually stupid really, but well, are you busy New Year's Eve?" He asked.

"I'm supposed to go to a party-" She starts.

"Ok, no worries, sorry to waste your time-" He says quickly, interrupting her and seeming very nervous if Emma's honest.

"Wait, Killian, what is it?"

"Um...well...how would you feel about coming to a party my friend is throwing and pretending to be my girlfriend?" He asks very quickly. It catches Emma completely off guard.

"It's stupid, I know. Sorry to waste your time-"

Yet again, Emma stops him from hanging up. She definitely needs more details.

"Stop trying to hang up." She says stubbornly. "And tell me what you're talking about."

There's a long sigh. "Do you remember my friends that tried to match me up with some girl on Halloween? Well to get out of any future setups,I may have told them I had a secret girlfriend?"

Oh my God.

"And I managed to get out of Thanksgiving and Christmas, but now they are insisting that I come to their New Years Party and to bring my girlfriend."

"Who doesn't exist."

"So you see my problem."

She did, she definitely did.

"I'm sorry to even ask this, honestly I don't know how I even got into this mess..." He admits.

"Probably has to do with that girl you got snowed in with during Halloween." She says with a smirk. "And if it helps keep your friends off your back, I can help." Although Emma doesn't know why she's helping, it seems crazy. Absolutely , she has her own party to go to and if she cancels on David, they are literally going to kill her.

"I just have to make it to my party at some point before midnight." She tells him.

"I can work with that." Killian says. He sounds relieved. "How about you come by my apartment around 7, we can prep and then I'll drive us over." He offers. "We can get a bite to eat before we head over."

"Sounds perfect."

/

The last thing Emma expects is to see Killian is on New Years Eve, and yet here she is knocking on his door.

She hears something crashing in his apartment. "I'll be right there!" He calls, before pulling the door open.

Killian looked good, that was the first thing Emma noticed, a black button down, even darker jeans. His hair was a little messy but in a way too attractive way.

Emma suddenly remembered why she slept with him before. Twice.

He looks up at her with those blue eyes, bright and happy. "Swan." he greets, smirking. "You look..."

He is looking her up and down and seemed at a loss for words.

She smirks at him, satisfied that she looked as good as she felt. "I know." She replies, maybe a bit too smug but it makes Killian grin wider. He steps aside and welcomes her in.

The apartment looks pretty much the same as it had before, but she could definitely smell something absolutely wonderful in the oven. "What is that?" She asks.

Now he's the one that looks oh so smug.

"Chicken Parm." He responds, going to the kitchen to check on things as Emma takes a seat at the kitchen island. "I hope you're hungry."

(she tries not to think about having breakfast here oh so long ago, or the thoughts that she could get used to a beautiful man cooking her food)

Instead, she just pulls the end of her black dress down and crosses her heels under the stool. "So tell me about this party?" She asks. "And how long have we been dating?" She knows better than anyone that they need to get their story straight before they get there.

"Just a few weeks before Halloween." He admits. "And they're my co-workers friends really, but the second they met me they thought I was perfect for a friend of theirs, honestly they're very nice people." He insists.

Emma can tell that it pains this man to lie to them, but Emma totally understands the feeling.

"And what do you do?" Emma asks. "Because after all the time we went through, I don't think I caught your job."

"Oh, I work at the engineering firm down by the dock."

Emma nods. It seemed fitting for Killian, he seemed a very organized person.

"Alright Dinner's ready." Killian announces, pulling out plates and serving the chicken from the oven, as well as some sauce and pasta from a pot on the stove.

Honestly, the moment Emma tries it she's blown away. It tastes great.

"You said you work in Bail bonds?" Killian asks after a few bites.

She nods. "Mostly in the recovery." She specifies. She never really had the eye for the business part of it. She left that mostly for Chloe.

"The recovery..."Killian repeats. "Hold on, you're a bounty hunter?" He asks in amazement. She shrugs.

"Bail bonds person." Emma clarifies. "There's a difference."

"How does someone get into that line of work?" He asks. It's an honest question.

"Rough childhood, even rougher early adulthood, I had a...minor infraction with the law..." Emma admits, keeping her eyes on him to see if he was bothered by that detail.

He doesn't seem to be, he seems completely focused on her, warmth and understanding radiating off of him in waves.

"And a bail bonds person caught me, but I didn't make it easy." She'd given Chloe hell before she was finally caught. "After I got my shit together, she offered me a job."

"Wow Swan, I knew you were a tough lass, but I wasn't expecting that." He admits sheepishly.

"I live to be the unexpected." Killian laughs at that, but by then she's just about finished her plate. "Alright so I'm guessing you drive us to your party, then about 10 you drop me at mine?" Emma asks.

Killian nods. "Perfect love."

/

"I have friends who live around here." Emma admits as they get out of his car.

"Oh?" She nods.

"Would you believe my party is in the same building?" She responds. "I bet there's a lot of New Year Parties happening tonight."

Killian nods. "Maybe we can see each other after then?" He asks. "After the ball drops."

Her breath catches in her throat at the offer. It makes her think that maybe, just maybe the thoughts and feeling she had weren't one sided "Maybe." She responds once her voice works properly. "Let's just get to the party." Emma states. His head dips and she gets this sudden feeling like he's disappointed.

Emma suddenly has this feeling like she's said something wrong but she's not sure what.

"Aye, shall we?" He says, holding the door to the apartment building open for her.

"Are we good?" Emma says.

"Of course Swan." He replies all too calmly. Now that was a telltale sign of things being not fine at all. Emma was not going in there with him being all not fine on her. Fake girlfriend or otherwise, it would be a disaster. So once the elevator door closed behind them, Emma made her move. She took a step towards him, stepping into his space

"Spit it out Jones." She snaps.

So he kisses her. And oh my god Emma forgot how good of a kisser Killian was, and maybe it was better now. Now that she's not drunk or sad or anything but ready to be a fabulous fake girlfriend for this man.

"I've been wanting to do that for the better part of three months." He says into her neck because that's where his lips ended up. Her hands were in his hair, his very very soft hair and-

The elevator door opens.

She hears a shriek. Emma opens her eyes and freezes. Killian jerks away but nothing can hide the mess Emma made from his hair, or the bit of lipstick smudged in his lips.

"Emma?!" It's Ruby. "You're Jones's girlfriend?"

Emma looks at Killian, and then back at Ruby, then at the floor number. She was on Mary Margret's floor.

Oh my god. Emma realizes, she sees the horror on Killian's face.

They were going to the same party. Where Emma had made David swear not to set her up with anyone because she was chronically single, while also having to pretend to be Killian's secret girlfriend.

"Um..." Killian stammered. "Your Ruby right? Aurora's friend?"

"And Emma's supposed best friend." Ruby says, arms crossed. "Emma, why didn't you tell me you were dating Jones? How did you even meet if you both ditched the set up.

Emma hadn't even thought about that, hadn't even considered...

Too much, too much information, too much attention and she desperately wanted to keep kissing Killian. So Emma did the only thing she could possibly think about doing.

Looking Ruby dead in the eye she pressed the 'close door' button on the elevator and then randomly pressed another button.

"We are screwed." Killian said in a breath.

"Absolutely." She agrees. It doesn't stop her from continuing to make out with Killian. Not one bit.

"You know we're going to have to come clean to everyone right?" He says after a moment.

"Yeah." she says. "But we'll give a hell of a start to 2020."

Check out the other stories at CSJanuaryJoy on Tumblr