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Emma hated corn mazes. When she was inside, she couldn't help but feel trapped, and as someone who had spent a lifetime building up the natural instinct to run, the distinct lack of space wasn't exactly pleasant. But her friends had wanted to go, claiming it would be a fun way to celebrate Halloween, and somehow Emma had been dragged along with them. Mary Margaret chattered as they approached the menacing structure, prattling on about fall spirit and the merits of vegetables until Ruby interrupted.
“What do you say we make this interesting?” she asked, flipping her hair over her shoulder. “Let's split up into teams. First one back wins $50.” Mary Margaret and David looked at each other before the former responded hesitantly.
“But how would that work? There's the two of us, and then there's you and Victor, and then…” Four pairs of eyes moved to fix on Emma. She hadn't meant to be the fifth wheel on their double date, really - Elsa was supposed to come but cancelled last minute because she’d had to do something with Anna, and Regina had been going to join them before Robin asked her to help him take Roland trick-or-treating. Emma really didn't mind; Mary Margaret, David, and Ruby were her best friends, and Victor by extension, and besides, she was used to being alone anyway.
“You're on,” she told Ruby, ignoring the looks she received.
“Are you sure? You don't have to go alone, you can join one of us-”
“I'm fine,” Emma insisted. She cocked her head toward the ticket booth and began to walk towards it, feet crunching the autumn leaves that littered the ground.
“One ticket and one map each,” the man at the counter told them, barely looking up as he handed them their materials. “If you're not out by closing time, someone will be sent in to find you. Good luck.” They thanked him before heading to the entrance, where they stopped.
“We should go in 10-minute intervals, so that we’re not all on top of each other,” Ruby suggested. Victor coughed pointedly and she elbowed him before continuing. “Then we’ll just subtract the times from our scores at the end.”
“Sounds good,” David agreed. He gave Mary Margaret’s hand a squeeze before continuing, “Who wants to go first?”
“We will.” Ruby pushed an unexpecting Victor forward into the maze, watching as he stumbled and shooting them all a ridiculous wink before turning around and following after.
“You guys go next,” Emma told the remaining couple. Mary Margaret furrowed her eyebrows at her and David spoke, concerned.
“Are you sure? You know you can come with us, it's really no big-”
“Guys, I'm fine,” Emma insisted. When they still looked doubtful, she added, “Seriously. Go.”
“Okay, but come find us if you need anything,” Mary Margaret replied, and Emma assured her she would before they finally stepped inside. Emma stared at her watch, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for 10 minutes to pass. When it was finally time to enter, she hesitated, peering down the path at the tall plants looming overhead. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve and walked into the maze, confident she would find her way out.
~~~
Emma couldn't believe she’d let her friends talk her into this. She let out a frustrated huff as she passed the same cornstalk with the stupid rock next to it again, pulling out her map as she tried for about the millionth time to get her bearings. There was the bend where she’d turned to the left, and then there was the pathway that curved slightly, and then if she turned right there it should lead her to -
“Lost?” A smooth British voice asked, and Emma looked up to find herself face-to-face with a tall, ridiculously attractive man with a smile on his lips. Emma had been so absorbed in her directions that she hadn’t noticed the figure standing directly in her path. She was now inches from a chiseled jaw adorned with scruff.
“Sorry,” Emma muttered, the tips of her ears turning pink as she realized she'd smacked right into him. She quickly took a few steps backward, attempting to put some space between them.
“First time?” he inquired.
“You could say that,” Emma grimaced, thinking of the 45 minutes she’d just spent wandering around.
“Ah, well, you never forget your first.” The handsome stranger waggled his eyebrows so ridiculously that Emma snorted, grudgingly amused. “Killian Jones,” the man said, extending a hand. Emma stared at him warily before answering, not breaking eye contact as they shook.
“Emma Swan.”
“Swan.” The man - Killian - repeated, rolling the name around on his tongue as if testing how it felt. Emma couldn't help the chills that ran down her back at the sound of her name spoken in his lilting accent, the letters silky and inviting. “I like it.”
“Please don't tell me you're lost too,” she said, pointedly ignoring his compliment and praying internally that he could possibly help her get out of this awful maze. He chuckled, and Emma felt the sound in her core.
“Hardly. I know this place like the back of my hand.”
“Do you work here?”
“No, I just-” he reached up to scratch nervously behind his ear. “I've been here a million times.” Emma narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her hands over her chest as she tried to understand what he was saying.
“Why the hell would anyone ever come here more than once?” Emma asked incredulously, her eyebrows raised. Killian shrugged.
“I like a good puzzle,” he said nonchalantly. Emma stared at him, unimpressed. “I enjoy figuring things out, love. The maze is hard at first, but once you work at it, think about it, you can master it.”
“You're here alone?” He nodded sheepishly.
“So let me get this straight--a grown man, who I'm at least hoping has other, more productive things he could be doing with his time, chooses instead to come to a corn maze - not once, but multiple times - just to make him feel good about himself?” Killian held a hand to his chest in mock offense.
“You wound me, love. Corn mazes should be held near and dear to one’s heart. They are a staple of the fall season, a cornerstone upon which the entire concept of autumn lies. And the satisfaction - oh, the satisfaction! - of finally reaching the end! A satisfaction which, I assume,” he quirked an eyebrow upward, smirking at her, “you have yet to experience?” Emma was loath to admit he was right, so instead she deflected his comment.
“How would you know anything about me? We just met.”
“You're something of an open book to me, love.” A grin spread across his face as he watched her narrow her eyes. “See, it's not just puzzles I'm good at solving. I can figure out people, too.”
“Oh, really?” Emma questioned sarcastically. “Prove it.” Killian studied her for a moment, and as he gazed at her intently Emma realized just how blue his eyes were.
“You've been abandoned before,” he began, eyeing her seriously. “You're scared to let people in, so you keep others away with that sarcasm and wit of yours. Secretly, though, you're hoping someone will take the time to chip away at those walls and get to know you. And you came here with your friends today, but ended up splitting because they wanted time with their dates.” Emma’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head, and she stared at him uncomprehending.
“You did not get all that from the last 5 minutes!” she accused him, suddenly uncomfortable. “And for the record, my friends did not leave to spend time with their dates, they left because we made a bet.” Killian just continued to look at her, grinning cheekily. Emma was suddenly very angry. Who did he think he was, just coming in here and talking to her like that, so presumptuous! He had no right to speak to her that way, no right, and he was just distracting, and she had a job to do. Furious, she spun around and began to walk away, heading in a random direction.
“Swan, wait!” he called after her, but Emma ignored him, steadily pacing away. “Please, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you, love!”
“I'm not your love!” she yelled back without turning around.
“Okay, look, you're right, I was out of line, but I think you're forgetting one thing - I know the way out of this maze.” Emma paused in her steps. The sun was beginning to set, and she really didn't want to walk in the dark. She weighed her options: she could either continue wandering around with no idea as to where she was going, or she could suffer through a few more minutes of his (admittedly, somewhat pleasant) company and potentially get out of here. Dammit, she thought to herself, scrunching up her nose, the man has a point. Reluctantly, Emma turned around and trudged back over to Killian, who looked relieved. “Come on, Swan,” he smiled at her, an encouraging but mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “Let's win you that bet.”
~~~
Over the next 15 minutes, Emma Swan got to know Killian Jones. She found out that he had grown up in London before moving to Maine a year ago to study maritime law. She found out that he liked the movie Back to the Future and hated sour candy (“the whole point of candy is to be sweet! It's like a crime against the very institution”). And she found out that his eyes were very, very blue, and that he liked to make ridiculous innuendos, and that his eyebrows had a dangerous amount of mobility. At the same time, Killian Jones got to know Emma Swan. He found out that she had moved around a lot before going to college in Boston and settling down in Storybrooke, where she had been hired as the sheriff. He found out that her drink of choice was hot cocoa with cinnamon, and that the Harry Potter books were her guilty pleasure. And he found out that there was a tenacity behind her green eyes, and that her blonde locks shimmered with the rays of the setting sun, and that her lips were mesmerizing when she spoke.
When they finally reached the exit, Emma cheered loudly, relief and triumph bubbling in her chest as she realized that somehow none of her friends had arrived yet.
“Thank you,” she turned to Killian, smiling gratefully. He returned it with a smile of his own, then smirked.
“I think some gratitude is in order.” Emma raised an eyebrow at him, an amused smile on her face.
“Yeah, that's what the thank you was for.” Killian pouted and in a long sweeping motion tapped his fingers against his lips, indicating what he really meant. They both laughed and then fell silent. Emma’s heart pounded as she looked closer at his face, her eyes flickering between his eyes and his lips. She could feel the heat radiating off his body and she ached to close the distance between them, to mash those lips against her own and suddenly they were kissing, his lapels in her hands as she grabbed and yanked him towards her, searing their lips together in a passionate embrace. His lips fused with hers as she reached up to run her fingers through his hair, his dark locks soft as she tugged them. His tongue ran against her lips, asking for entrance. Her mouth parted and their tongues danced around each other as he slipped his hand around her waist to pull her closer. When they finally pulled away, they were both breathing heavily. Emma smiled softly at him, his mussed hair and swollen lips warming her from the inside out. “Was that what you had in mind?”
“Bloody hell, Swan,” Killian murmured, his voice husky. “Remind me to do you more favors in the future.”
“The future? Somebody’s confident,” Emma smirked, and Killian looked momentarily panicked before she laughed and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
Suddenly, Emma heard a loud throat-clearing behind her, and turned to find David and Mary Margaret standing awkwardly beside them. Emma turned beet red, sure that she had never been more embarrassed than in that moment.
“Um,” she cleared her throat. “How long have you been here?”
“Just a minute,” David responded carefully, giving Killian a look that could put fathers to shame.
“I'm Mary Margaret, and this is David.” Mary Margaret, ever polite, strove to break the tension, extending a hand out to the man by Emma’s side.
“Killian,” he reached out and shook it, and Emma felt like a teenage girl caught on prom night.
“It's very nice to meet you, Killian,” Mary Margaret responded. She gave Emma a look that clearly stated we-are-talking-about-this-later-and-I-want-full-details, and then thankfully proceeded to make small talk.
When Ruby and Victor finally emerged, Ruby grumbling about stupid corn mazes and I didn't realize how hard they were, they took one look at Emma and knew exactly what had happened. Ruby clapped her hands excitedly and grinned wolfishly at Emma, exclaiming, “Oh, honey, you won more than just the bet!”
Emma rolled her eyes, but as she glanced over at Killian, who was sticking it out good-naturedly by her side, she smiled inwardly. Maybe, she thought to herself, corn mazes aren’t so bad after all.