Ghost Story

Chapter 27

When Killian pulled up in front of her house, she was confused. What did her house have to do with her birthday? Her parents weren't home and her friends were at their houses doing who knows what. The only person that had done anything special with her on her birthday had been Killian. She knew no one forgot because they had wished her a happy birthday all throughout the day. Graham had given her sixteen birthday punches. Fifteen for her age and one for good luck, naturally.

"What are we doing here, Killian?" Emma asked as he helped her out of the car.

Instead of answering her, he just brought her up to the front door. She fixed the plastic crown on her head and he pulled her in for a kiss. "Happy birthday, love." He opened the door and everyone shouted 'happy birthday'. A few other classmates were there, and she smiled.

"Thank you all!" She announced. She pulled Killian inside and they talked to everyone.

Towards the middle of the party, Killian went off to talk to a few other people that had gotten to the party while Emma stayed with Ruby, Elsa, and Anna.

"Do you want to tell us what has had you so depressed lately? It's nice to see a smile on your face now," Ruby said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Emma shuffled her feet and tightened her hand around the red solo cup in her hand. "Killian has cancer."

All the girls gasped and hugged her tightly. "Why haven't you told us?"

She shrugged. "It's hard to talk about." She glanced at him from across the room and he was laughing and had a wide smile on his face. "I have no idea if he's going to go through with the treatments to stay alive, but I really wish he would. He said that he doesn't want to see me in pain."

"He's so sweet," Anna said. "I'm so sorry, Emma."

"There's nothing I can do about it," the blonde shrugged again. "I hate how nice he's being. He has been taking me out on dates and even made me a scrapbook for my birthday. Guys like that are hard to come by, and I don't know if I'll find another like him."

"I'm sure you will."

'But I don't want to.' Emma added in her mind.

"Time for the cake!" Mary Margaret shouted, gathering all of the kids' attentions and they turned to the table that had the refreshments on it. They all sang, and David took pictures with Emma in front of the cake. Killian took a video of Emma blowing out the candles, and he knew he had to add it to his next project.

After everyone went home, Killian stayed back to help clean up. While him and Emma were at the sink cleaning the dishes, he scooped up some bubbles from the water and blew them in her face. She giggled and hit him with the dish towel.

"You're stupid!" She yelled as he blew more bubbles in her direction.

"If I'm stupid, then what are you?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Your girlfriend."

He smirked and flicked water at her. She let out a yelp of surprise and stuck her hand in the warm water and flicked it in his face. "You're gonna get it now, Swan." He then proceeded to scoop small amounts of water in his hands and throw it on her.

"You're so bad!" She teased, and flicked the dish towel at him. He caught one end in his hands and pulled her flush against his body. Her shoes squeaked on the floor as she moved towards him to try to get closer to him. A sudden shuffle at the doorway had them pulling away. Emma blushed when she saw her parents standing there.

"We didn't mean to interrupt," Mary Margaret said quickly.

"So you just stood there awkwardly and watched? Please, next time, feel free to interrupt."

David walked in with more dishes in his hands and stepped into a puddle on the floor. He looked up at the two with a glare. "Well, Mary Margaret, they weren't doing the dishes, but mopping the floor." He pointed at the teenagers. "You better clean this up before someone falls."

David's shoes squeaked as he walked to the kitchen door, and Emma and Killian tried everything they could not to laugh. As soon as the door shut, that was when they both burst into laughter. Once the laughter died down, Emma walked over to the storage closet and grabbed the mop and a bucket. She turned around and Killian was still chuckling.

"We should really clean this up," she said.

"Aye, we should." He grabbed the mop from her hands and started to collect the water.

"I'll grab some towels." She ran to the laundry room and grabbed two towels and ran back into the kitchen. Her heart stopping when she slipped on the wet floor. She waited for the pain to come as she fell to the floor, but it never came. Instead, two strong arms picked her up and placed her back on her feet.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you have just gone and fallen for me."

She smacked his arm playfully. "I already have. Thank you for catching me."

"Anytime, darling." He continued to mop as Emma laid out the towels and soaked up the remaining water. Once the floor was dry, they finished the dishes without anymore games.

After everything was cleaned up, Emma led Killian to the front door and gave him his leather jacket. "Are you gonna be okay to drive home by yourself?" She asked.

"Aye, positive." He smiled, "the only thing that I'll be missing is you."

She blushed and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you. Call me when you get home, okay?"

"I will."

"Promise me."

"I promise." They sealed the deal with a kiss and Emma watched from the window as Killian got in his car and drove away.

And as promised, just as Emma was crawling into bed, she got a call from him, saying that he was home, and safe and sound.