Actions

Work Header

There is Magic in the Night

Summary:

Aidan Rogers and Kelly are preparing for the Halloween Party at Roni's.

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

Zelena
When they stepped out of the doors of Roni’s and left all the noises behind them Zelena inhaled the fresh night air before she turned to Aidan.
“Are you still up for that dinner tonight? Because I lied in there,” she pointed at the bar.
“I’m really hungry now.” She fluttered her eyelashes in a coquettish way, as her last comment was probably ambiguous although she was indeed talking about dinner.
“Which way do we have to go?”

Once Aidan headed for his home, Zelena couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“So, may I ask what happened between you and Miss T.T.? I had the feeling in the beginning that you both… uhm, let’s say have a slight ‘dislike’ for each other. But you seem to have become good friends in the end? You don’t have to tell of course, it’s none of my business. I was just… wondering.”
She bit her lip. Typical for her to blurt things out, but the sudden ‘friendship’ was… suspicious.

Killian
Once outside the noisy bar, Aidan relaxed. He hadn't been high-strung inside, but it was entirely different to keep up appearances of joviality in front of one's work partner and his date who had previously been a great source of animosity for him. Around Kelly, he felt he could be himself and that was a breath of fresh air.

At her potential innuendo, Aidan raised an eyebrow as he turned his head to look at her. The way she was batting her eyelashes, he had a feeling she was playing around and he had to grin back. She was just so pleasant to be around and he could appreciate the double entendre. He reached out to lace his fingers through hers. "I'm absolutely famished," he said, simply grinning. He'd been famished for her company for the past week and now they finally had some time together again without any other distractions. Except food, of course.

"My flat is just a few doors down, above one of the shops. I'm practically neighbors with Roni. And you, I suppose?" He had assumed she had been staying with her sister.

At the change of subject, Aidan shrugged. "Teegan merely suggested that I buy leather cuffs for you so as not to bruise your delicate skin." He ran his thumb along her wrist. "Very thoughtful for your welfare, I suppose, considering we've never had a pleasant word spoken between us before that. The suggestion took me by surprise as I hadn't assumed she had a caring... or adventurous side at all." They were walking at a leisurely pace so he explained just in time for them to reach the door that would lead directly upstairs to his flat.

Zelena
Zelena smiled happily when he laced his fingers through hers and grinned at her. “Famished, eh,” she nudged his shoulder gently with hers, and chuckled. She wasn’t sure if he had been ambiguous too, but she thought so.
Before he would tell her where his flat was, Zelena stepped in his way, and placed her free hand onto his chest.
“Since we’re both starving, why not have a tiny ‘appetizer’?”
She got on her toes, looked into his eyes to make sure he was in the mood (she simply decided he would be), and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.
Then she backed away again, and they continued their way.
“I think this helped me survive until dinner.” She beamed at him, and was actually surprised that he lived basically next door to Roni’s.
“For now, yes,” Zelena confirmed that she was living in a room above Roni’s bar. “Actually, I am looking for my own apartment. I know Re- Roni,” she quickly corrected herself, “is okay with letting me stay as long as I want, but I don’t want to annoy her. And I should look for another job as well. Roni only needs me on weekends, so...” she shrugged her shoulders.

On her way back to Seattle Zelena had indeed thought about going back into Kelly’s business life. She still owned her Magical EVENTimes company and she take over again whenever she wanted to. Maybe it would be a good idea anyway since she had promised Aidan to help him against Rockford. The problem was that Zelena wasn’t of any use at all, but Kelly could be.

Before she could go into details Aidan answered her previous question.
Zelena felt her cheeks getting warm, but she giggled. “Do I get this right, Miss TT and Detective Rogers were discussing private information? About me? Isn’t that some kind of crime?”
Zelena felt excitement rising when she imagined Aidan with leather cuffs… Feeling his thumb stroking along her wrist made the image in her head even more lively, and she laughed when Aidan suggested that Teegan - Belle - had an adventurous side. Zelena knew that Belle was adventurous, but she had never thought about… that direction. Anyway, that was something she definitely was not interested in.

“And? Are you going to follow her advice?” Zelena bit her lower lip in excitement, and looked at the door Killian had stopped at. “So this is where you’re living? That’s really next door to Roni.”
Zelena was curious how his flat would look like. She had been on his ship once, briefly on deck to be exact, but… well, it had been Hook’s ship, not Nook’s. So actually she had never seen any of his personal belongings he might store or… know about anything of his taste. She assumed there would be pictures of Milah. Or maybe just one, but a special one.

While Zelena was still trying to imagine how his flat would look like she had followed him upstairs, and watched him unlocking the door that led to his home.
“I hope you have another pair of cuffs laying around,” she teased him a bit.

Killian
"I suppose we'll just have to see what I can find, hm?" He grinned mischievously at Kelly when she asked him about taking Teegan's advice.

The kiss had been only an appetizer, or a tease anyway, but it kept Aidan warm even as they walked up the stairwell. It was interesting enough to know that he and Kelly were neighbors for the time being. It should make it easier to see her since he worked practically all the time and she admitted she only worked weekends. As he was unlocking the door at the top of the stairs, he thought he should voice the idea. "You know, there's a hallway that connects all of the buildings. You could sneak over and visit me if you'd like... since we have such odd schedules." He pointed toward the hallway that had a number of doorways to other apartments which would lead to Kelly's and Roni's. "I'd like to see you more often."

But once he opened the door and flicked the light on, he saw the backpack hanging on a peg and thought that was something he better mention sooner than later. "Er, you should know that sometimes Tilly stays here. Weaver and I host her. She's at Weaver's this week so we have the place to ourselves. I hope that's not a problem." He figured Kelly would remember Tilly from that fiasco of a frame job the year before and he hoped that mentioning this didn't make things awkward. There was vulnerability in his expression as he watched Kelly's face.

The apartment was situated with the living area on the left with Tilly's sofa against the wall with a window over it. A coffee table was set before that with a few books on top. The kitchen and a small table were to the right of the entrance with the door to the bedroom past the kitchen and a bathroom on the left.

Aidan set his keys in a dish on the kitchen counter beside the coffee maker. "Here we are. Make yourself at home." He took his leather jacket off and offered to take Kelly's as well.

Zelena
It was the first time Zelena heard of a hallway that would connect the two places. “There is? That’s great! I’d love to sneak here from time to time to see you! I can bring a drink along.” Let alone the idea of this made her grin broadly. Maybe moving was not a good idea, unless she could find an empty apartment in the large building.
“I would love to see you more often too,” she affirmed.

The light went on and Zelena saw the backpack in the same moment when he told her about Tilly.
Not that Zelena would have any problems with Tilly staying, on the contrary - if he knew he could be so close to his daughter without getting killed…
She swallowed as the thought warmed her heart. She couldn’t tell him of course, but maybe she could encourage him to have her moving in here.
“Why is she staying with the grey old detective? I think she might be better around you. Have you ever thought about to let her live her permanently? I don’t know why, but I think the two of you have some kind of a… special connection.

She took off her jacket and handed it Aidan when he offered it. “Thank you.” She left her shoes in the entrance, stepped further into the living room, and looked around.
“It’s a nice and cozy place I have to say.” There were no pictures standing around, not even one of his cursed memory deceased wife Milah.
“You’re not really spending much time in here, right?”
Zelena walked to the other side where the kitchen was.
“I’m curious and hungry, what is it you have in mind for dinner?”
He was just looking for something to drink in the fridge, and Zelena took advantage of the situation and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, glancing over his shoulder.

Killian
Aidan scratched his jaw as he looked at the sofa and the generally sparsely decorated space when Kelly suggested Tilly live there all the time. Besides the painting of the ship on the wall, he had no other wall decor to show for a well-lived in home. Perhaps he should think of remedying that, but he'd never given it much thought before. "Well, you see, you're right; I'm not here often at all except late at night. Why should Tilly want to be here alone? Weaver may be home more often but at times he may have Teegan over, so Tilly comes here and I make a point at being here so she's not alone."

Tilly might enjoy something more permanent, but at least he'd gotten her out of that cold, dark shipping container she had been residing in. He was glad she had accepted the offer. "Besides, this is a single bedroom apartment. I'd have to move to provide her a room to herself and the location is ideal. Especially now with you nearby." He smirked as he stepped over to the refrigerator to pull out the chicken he had marinated before work. Kelly's arms encircled his waist and he grinned over his shoulder at her. "Lemon chicken, green beans sauteed in garlic and onion, and I have a bit of dessert but that's for later." He set the bowl of chicken on the counter, and now that his hand was free, he drew it back to appreciatively pat her arse.

Zelena
She saw his point, and he was right. Well, at least he had his daughter some days close to him, and Zelena didn’t push any further.
“You’re right, I didn’t think of the amount of time you spend in the office. But let me know when she’s here. I want the two of you have some time together.”
That was something she could offer at least.

Zelena thought it as a change of topic when he showed her the dinner.
She let go of him so he could take the chicken out, and clapped her hands together.
“Oh my god, that looks absolutely amazing! I can’t wait! You’re unbelievable!”
Zelena felt his hand on her arse, and decided to return the favor.
“Tell me, how long until the chicken is ready? One hour I’d say? What could we do until then?” She traced her pointer down his chest. She just wanted to play a bit. The special ‘dessert’ was for later.
She saw a bottle of wine standing in a corner, and pointed at it.
“For us as well or just decoration?” When he nodded she asked “Okay, let me open the wine, you’re the chef. I promise I won’t get jealous when you care for that chicken for a moment more than for me.”

Zelena began to rummage around the drawers (he had said she should make herself at home), looking for the corkscrew.
What she found however in the last drawer distracted her from her task.
She stared into the drawer, and hesitantly grabbed for the metallic hook. His hook.
How was that possible? How could he have his hook? Yes, there was no doubt, it was Captain Hook’s hook.
She turned to Killian, holding the hook up and asked, “So, you are Captain Hook? I thought you told me you wouldn’t be a pirate?”
She was partly joking. Her heart beat faster as she couldn’t believe he had his hook and still didn’t remember.

Killian
Things seemed to be going very well for their second date. He could hardly think of earlier as part of their date since they hadn't been alone, but now with their hands fondling each others' asses, Aidan was chuckling and happy. "For us. No alcohol would be for decoration in my home, I assure you." At her remark of jealousy over the chicken, he shook his head, still chuckling. "I've already tenderized the chicken, love. Trust that all my affections are for you."

As Kelly was looking for the corkscrew, Aidan poured the chicken and marinade in a baking dish as the oven was still preheating. And then she mentioned something that drew his attention away from the oven, confused as he was by it. She was holding up that hook he found in Evidence. His mouth opened slightly as he looked at it.

Furrowing his brow he shook his head. "I forgot about the thing. I found it last year. In a file, actually, on me." He was still confused about it and never found any explanation on why the hell there was a file on him and a number of other citizens of Hyperion Heights. "That was in a bag with my name on it so I took it. It's just a hook, Kelly."

The fact that the end of it had a locking mechanism that would secure it to a brace hadn't slipped his notice either. It was identical to the mechanism on the other end of the prosthetic hand, but since he had no wild fantasies of pirates, he had never entertained that curiosity.

Zelena
When Aidan revealed where he had found his hook, Zelena had to bite her tongue to keep herself from telling him.
She thought about it for a moment. He had it since a year already, and if he had been curious why it was in a bag with his name, he had let it go by now. Zelena was sure in the beginning he had tried to find out what it was about the hook, but without success.
She couldn’t tell him, so maybe it was better to drop it for now. Except for a single comment she had to make.
“Maybe it’s more than just a hook, Captain.” She gave him a puzzling smile, but put the hook back into the drawer where she had found it. Right beside it, she found the corkscrew and took it out.

The bottle was opened in a few moments, and Zelena poured a bit of wine into a glass Aidan had already prepared on the table.
She tested it, thought it was good, and poured the red liquid into the glasses.
“Here, you have a very good taste,” she handed him his glass, and lifted hers.
“To the second date,” she said, and before they would drink she placed her hand gently around his neck, pulled him a bit closer and gave him a long and passionate kiss.

Killian
Aidan's eyes remained on Kelly and the hook as he recalled what he felt when he first found it. He was puzzled, even outraged at finding out that someone had been taking photographs of him. The whole file had been tucked under his arm and he left early from work that day just so he could read over everything. But there had been no explanation over the hook. Perhaps some cronies of Rockford had been keeping tabs and the files had been taken into evidence? He never found out. Another dead end just like so many.

Kelly called him Captain, and his eyes moved from the hook to her, his eyebrows raising in inquiry. He merely raised a shoulder in a shrug at her suggestion that it might be more than just a hook.

Leaning back against the oven door, he waited until Kelly finished uncorking the wine and took the offered glass, raising it to meet hers. "And many more," he agreed to her toast and smiled when she pulled closer and kissed him. He set his glass down, without looking, on the stove top, thankfully not striking the stemware on the baking dish. With both arms free, he was able to embrace Kelly properly and give her the attention she deserved. When the kiss broke, his forehead touched hers, his fingers smoothing down her sides to pull her flush against him where her proximity would feel most rewarding. "Keep this up and you're going to cause me to break my word and make you miss another dinner." His voice was low and thick with want.

Zelena
Zelena could only agree to his toast too, and thought if the wine would taste even better with the taste of Killian on her lips. She managed to put her glass away too when he closed both of his arms around her, and placed her hands to his chest. Slightly out of breath from the long, and very satisfying kiss, she closed her eyes so his touches were more intense to feel for her. He was so close, and he smelled so good.
She giggled when he told her that her dinner was in danger. “You wouldn’t dare and let me starve to death,” she said slowly, and opened her eyes again.
Their foreheads were still touching each other and she rolled up her eyes to look into his.

Simultaneously her hands began to slide over his chest, down to his belt, and she began to pluck his shirt out of his pants so she could let her hand slide under it, touching his hot skin.
She knew he wanted more, so was she, but the chicken had looked delicious too.
She used her fingers and crawled them up his belly to circle around his sensitive spot at his chest.
“Since I gave you back your cuffs I have to rummage around in your drawers for another pair before we can skip dinner, love, I’m sorry.”
She withdrew her hand from under his shirt again, and used them to cup his cheeks.
“But I have no objection about another appetizer.” She meant kissing of course, and did that.

After some minutes when they had exchanged some more kisses and tasted the wine she thought about the Halloween party again. More their talk about potential costumes. And this was when she remembered his hook again.
“Tell me Aidan, have you ever considered to try out the hook? I have a feeling it would fit perfectly to your prosthetic arm.”

Killian
"Never," he agreed, nearly breathlessly as Kelly began to pull his shirt from his trousers. Her hands on his skin felt good but she may not have realized what she was doing to him. His breath caught in his throat and he squeezed his arms around her thinking, to hell with the chicken when she drew back again. Cuffs? What the hell was she talking about? A look of confusion crossed his face only briefly until she touched his face and kissed him again. "Love, you're teasing me." He gave her a disproving glare but he didn't mean it and smirked as he attempted to regain his breath and picked up his wine glass again, soon needing to refill it.

By the time the chicken had been in the oven for twenty minutes, he started sauteing the green beans, pleasant conversation continuing without any distracting touches. Aidan was well aware of where Kelly was at all times. She was like a beacon to him, his ear trained on where she was as his interest in 'dessert' had barely waned.

Mentioning the hook again, he glanced up from the pan of beans and set the spatula down. "Try it out? As in wear it instead of the hand?" He looked down at the gloved left hand and turned his wrist slightly which caused the fingers to move. "No. I haven't considered it. It might frighten away the old ladies that come into the station to complain about their neighbors on a daily basis. Maybe I should try it out." He raised an eyebrow in amusement, completely joking about frightening away the complainers. He held out the hand between them, rotating his wrist to show Kelly how the fingers moved. "I noticed how the connector of the hook is the same as the prosthetic. You may be right in that it could fit."

Zelena
“Aye, I am,” Zelena said and laughed when he said she would tease him. “And your look doesn’t impress me much.” She knew he was playing along, and once he took his glass she did too.

Zelena let him work on the veggies while they talked a bit, and Zelena used the time to make herself more familiar with his apartment.
When he talked about the hook again Zelena went to the drawer, and took it out a second time.
“I think you should try it on, I have a feeling it suits you.”
When he held out his wrist and granted her a close look at his prosthetic she held out the hook for him.
“Try it. And I just have the perfect idea for a costume for you, Captain Hook.” She beamed at him, and added, “I’d like to have a pirate at my side during the Costume Party. I think I mentioned on our first date that I might have a pirate costume somewhere? I have the feeling it would fit perfectly on you.”

She was excited for him to try on the hook. Deep inside she still hoped it would somehow trigger his memory. And if the hook wasn’t enough maybe he would recognize himself once Zelena had given him his old pirate outfit. Although she couldn’t explain why she had it. It was a secret for her like the hook was for Killian. Aidan. Maybe it was fate.

Killian
Aidan raised his eyes to watch Kelly's interest over the pirate thing again, his eyes alighting in amusement at how fascinated she was by the romanticism of the fictional side of piracy. "I seem to recall you mentioning that you had a... romantic rendezvous on a ship with a pirate. Did you take his coat?" He was teasing her over the story and wasn't bothered by whatever past she had. He knew she was interested in him now and if she liked pirates, then he could play along to suit her fancy.

She called him Captain Hook and he scratched behind his ear as he looked doubtfully at the hook in her hand before deciding what the hell and twisted the prosthetic to remove it from the brace. "So if I dress as this pirate, Captain Hook, I hope you don't intend to have me wear a wig." He shook his head as he reached for the hook in her hand. "I've seen the movie. He's dreadfully dramatic and ill tempered and that's just not me. I'm much more pleasant to be around." He grinned hoping to charm a kiss from her.

His eyes were on the hook as he fitted the end into the brace. It was genuine steel, and quite sharp on the point. An actual weapon. Why the hell had it been in a file with his name on it anyway? When it clicked into place, it was as if it was meant for the brace, meant for his use, and a thrum of excitement shot through his chest. He held up his arm to look through the hook. But as he said, it was just a hook and would prove to be far less useful than the prosthetic hand, he was certain. Unless he was on the ship... boat. Then he could see how a hook might come in handy. He turned his eyes doubtfully to Kelly. "What do you think?"

Zelena
Zelena smiled a secret smile, and she carefully used the hook on Aidan’s shirt, placed it between two buttons and pulled him closer making sure she wouldn’t damage the fabric. With a seductive voice she said, “Maybe I took his coat… and more.” She fluttered her eyelashes a second time during this evening, removed the hook from his shirt and grinned at him.

Aidan scratched behind his ear, and Zelena thought once again how much she loved it when he did this. He was obviously seriously thinking about becoming a pirate, and Zelena was getting really excited when he began to remove his hand from the brace.
“Something tells me Captain Hook is not at all the Captain Hook you might think you know from the Disney movie. Actually, I like to imagine that he has your hair, your eyes, and your appearance.”
Zelena handed him the hook once he was ready, and added “And you don’t have to try to play anyone else than yourself.”
His grin told her his real intention and Zelena gladly obeyed. She pressed her body against his, wrapping one arm around his waist and gave him a kiss.

“Now, let’s see if that hook fits,” she said and stepped back so he could attach the hook.
Zelena’s eyes were on his face to see his reaction. She could see that he was surprised, but not as much as she hoped he would.
He held it up, and looked through the hook at her.

“I think it was made for you,” she answered. ”It gives you a special touch I really admire. In fact, you are a pirate for me now. One I can’t wait to have in the bedroom later…”
She let her fingers wander over the hook, and closed them around it.
“You should try to get used to it if you really consider to be Captain Hook on that party. Why not try it right now? Wear it through the evening, I trust you can handle it properly.”

Killian
Aidan tried not to frown at Kelly when she insinuated that she might have taken more from this so-called pirate from her past. Well, he had started it by joking about a romantic rendezvous and now he was feeling slightly jealous of whomever it was Kelly had been with. He didn't understand what she meant about Captain Hook having all the same attributes as him. It was as if Kelly was trying to put the idea into his head that he could really be some kind of swashbuckling villain. He was a cop sworn to uphold the law! That was by far the antithesis of a pirate.

He chuckled, trying to dismiss the imagery as his eyes moved back down to the weapon that had replaced the prosthetic. One would have to be a villain to prefer such a weapon, he'd imagine. Still with doubt in his expression, he listened to Kelly as she stated she'd like him to wear the hook for the rest of the evening and in the bed as well. "Oh, I can handle it properly," he said quickly so she wouldn't think he was deficient at all with the lack of a functioning hand, but he added with some doubt, "But, darling, I want to hold you properly." Even to his own ears, he sounded as if he was complaining about it, and he disliked that immediately. Surely, he could do this and not manage to stab her or himself. So, he thought he'd test out her fantasy and pulled her to him with his right arm around her waist and gave her a devilish grin as he would imagine any villain might do. Carefully, he turned his arm in the brace which caused the curved end of the hook to face her, the point away from her skin as he trailed the curve along her collarbone. "Tell me, wench, do you prefer this sort of danger?" Recalling their handcuffed adventure on his sailboat and how into it they both actually were, he could see how Kelly might like this as a sort of foreplay, too.

Zelena
He didn’t look quite convinced by now, Zelena thought, but he assured her in the next moment that he could handle it.
“You will hold me properly,” Zelena said with a smile. “But if you feel uncomfortable with the hook you can always switch it. I love your hand in the same way I love that hook,” she assured him, and really meant it. The hook was only exciting as it was a part of Killian, his true self, while the hand was a part of Aidan, whom she loved despite of the cursed memory.

In the next moment he pulled her close to him, and grinned at her like Killian would. Did he even know what he did to her at the moment?
Zelena’s heart began to race, and she hoped he would show her some more of Killian Jones. Only for a moment. She missed her pirate, and being sure he was still in Aidan gave her hope. She just had to be patient. Until then she would get to know Aidan better, and she also knew she would miss him too once the curse would be broken.

Her thoughts were distracted by his hook that was suddenly close to her face. She could see that Aidan had made sure he wouldn’t even scratch her as the point was not even near her skin.
Zelena swallowed when he trailed the curve along her collarbone. His words aroused her even more, and she closed her eyes and couldn’t suppress a soft moan. She forced herself to open her eyes again so she could look at him.
“I prefer every sort of danger as long as you’re threatening me,” she whispered.
Her hands found their way under his shirt, and she let her fingers crawl up his hot skin.

There was a beeping sound, and Zelena rolled her eyes.
“That’s called perfect timing, I guess.” She had to laugh, and placed a kiss on Aidan’s lips. “I insist on continuing this later, pirate. But now… I’m curious about your cooking skills.”
Her hands appeared under his shirt, and she made herself useful by taking the glasses and put them onto the table so Aidan would have space for the chicken.

Killian
Aidan's eyes widened for a moment and he grinned when Kelly moaned. Her fingers were on his skin again and he was about to just let the chicken burn because he was no longer hungry for food when the damned timer beeped. She gave him a reassuring kiss and pulled away, but not before calling him Pirate again.

"Hell, I might actually enjoy this hook if this is the response I get." He chuckled with another devilish grin to Kelly before turning toward the oven again to depress the timer button and reached for the oven mitt. His eyes moved to the hook again. This would be something to get accustomed to but he'd prove to Kelly and himself that he could do it. He had been one handed for a time anyway after the accident.

And of course, it was no issue at all. He pulled the chicken out, keeping the hook out of the way, and even used it to scoot the dish farther back on the stove.

"Tell me, love. What costume have you decided to wear for the party?" After stirring the beans once more, he set the spatula down and turned off the stove so he could dish the portions out.

Kelly had already set the table with the wine so he set one plate on his left forearm to balance it between arm and chest and and carried the other plate to the table and joined her there.

Zelena
Zelena laughed. “As long as you use your hook only to hook me I’d love to see you wearing it more often. It might give Detective Aidan Rogers some more… authority as well. At least with the bad boys. Speaking of, what actually happened to…” Zelena needed a moment to think of his cursed name, “what’s his name, Nick? The guy who tried to, well… hurt me.”
For some reason she didn’t want to say “kill me” although it had been his plan all the time.
Zelena shivered for a moment. She remembered the moment when she had thought that her life would indeed end now. Maybe it was not a good idea to ask at all about Hänsel.
“Oh, forget that I asked,” she said hastily, and stepped back to Aidan to see how he managed with the hook. With satisfaction Zelena saw that he began to really use it.

His question about her costume came surprising.
“My costume? Well, actually… to be honest, I haven’t thought about that yet. Maybe I should dress up as a mermaid, but I doubt I would be able to dance with fins.”
She chuckled, imagining she would be dressed up as a mermaid, and someone might feel the need to throw her back into the water.
“Additional I think I would be in danger to end up with a soaked costume again. So, no mermaid.”

While talking she grabbed the bottle of wine, placed it onto the table, and took a seat. Aidan came, masterfully balancing both of their plates, and Zelena helped him by taking the plate he was about to set down before her.
“Hmm… it smells delicious, and it looks fantastic,” she said, and looked at Aidan over the table. “Thank you for the invitation, Aidan. She grabbed her glass, intending to click glasses with him before they would start eating.

Zelena was not disappointed. When she shoved the first piece of chicken with a bean into her mouth she had to force herself to chew slowly instead of bolting it down.
“You’re quite the chef,” she praised him, and since she was really hungry she took some time and appeased her hunger before she came back to the Halloween topic.
Actually, there was only one costume she could think about to wear, and she would primary wear it to give him something else that could trigger his memories.

“So, back to my costume, have you ever read the ‘Wizard of OZ’? Since it’s a known story, I assume you have, and I thought maybe I could dress up as the Wicked Witch.”
She smiled at him, and was curious about his reaction.
“I think the role might be perfect for me. What do you think? Care to be accompanied by a green witch?”

Killian
Aidan could not even fathom wearing the hook around the station. He would never hear the end of that. They might even start calling him Captain Hook. But when he thought about it, he really didn't care what anyone thought of him except for Kelly. Just imagining himself in the interrogation room with Nick and using the hook to threaten some answers out of his ex-friend had Aidan shaking his head. No, that just wasn't his style. "You don't have to worry about Nick Branson anymore, love," he assured her. For Kelly's sake, Aidan might entertain the idea to discreetly bashing the man over the head with it, but he was well aware of the consequences and knew he couldn't do that either. Kelly had changed the subject anyway so Aidan let it go.

He grinned over her approval of the dinner he cooked for her and clicked his glass to hers. This was his third or fourth glass of alcohol that evening so he knew he needed to slow down with that. His stomach was empty since the lunch he had eaten and he didn't want to get intoxicated around Kelly, so he ate the rest of his food before touching the wine again.

She suggested that she dress as the Wicked Witch and Aidan tilted his head as he looked at her, trying to imagine her green. He could picture it quite easily, in fact, but smirked slightly when he answered. "I could see you being quite wicked. You are a tease, after all. If I'm to play the dashing rapscallion for Halloween, I'd fancy a wicked witch at my side. Green is your color, I'd say."

Zelena
Aidan’s reassurance that Zelena didn’t need to worry about Nick anymore gave her relief. It was nice to know that Aidan was not only the man she loved and a fantastic chef, but also a detective who could protect her and her family in a world without magic.
She nodded thankfully, and was glad that everything turned out well in the end.

Zelena smiled another secret smile when Aidan shared his thoughts about her costume idea.
If he only knew…
“You’re absolutely right. Green is indeed my favorite color. And I can be wicked,” she leaned slightly forward and wiggled her eyebrows, giving him a typical Zelena look.
“So it’s the Captain Hook and the Wicked Witch then?”
Zelena took a sip of her wine. “I can’t wait.”
She finished her dinner, and leaned back, completely satisfied. “It was very delicious, thank you again. Would you like to show me the secret passage now? Because I intend to pay a visit to my room and find that pirate clothes for you. And I think I know where I have stored them. Should take only a few minutes and we can do a little walk before the dessert.”

Zelena was eager to see him in his old clothes, and hoped he would agree.
“When is the party again? I forgot the date,” she asked.

Killian
She had the coat in her room? In a way, he assumed she was merely teasing him about having a pirate coat thinking it was just some fantasy she had mentioned. Aidan raised an eyebrow. Kelly was full of surprises. "Alright," he said, standing up from the table to put both of their plates in the sink to deal with later. They had a pirate costume to find. He shook his head, still disbelieving he was doing this, but it should be fun. Everything he had done so far with her had been quite enjoyable and he couldn't doubt Halloween would be any less. "The party is at the station on Halloween evening but the parade goes on almost all day."

He opened the front door and waited for Kelly to precede him, taking her along the corridor as it winded behind offices and other apartments. It was a bit dark which added to the mystery of it and in a way he was pleased that Kelly hadn't known about it. "Most residents just use the main stairwells that lead directly from the street to their apartment." His fingers were intertwined with Kelly's again and he smirked as he glanced at her. "Green hm? Are you going to need full body makeup as the Wicked Witch? I could help..."

Zelena
Zelena smiled and followed Aidan after he had put the plates in the sink. “I hope I can remember the way, maybe I should leave some marks.”
The corridors looked all the same, and she wondered if she could find the way alone. She walked behind him but held his hand.
“I don’t think I need full body make makeup, but I won’t reject your offer to help either.”
She put an airbrush on her list, that would be the best method to make her green. And thinking about makeup she suddenly sniggered.
“I think you will need my help with your makeup too.” The eyeliner! She had almost forgotten. She wouldn’t tell him about yet otherwise she was sure he would reject wearing that costume.

Aidan led her through some more corridors and suddenly stood before a door Zelena was familiar with. “Oh! I thought there would be a wall behind this door. That’s unbelievable. She opened it (since it only lead into the corridor above the bar that was not locked they ended in front of the door to Zelena’s small apartment.
“That’s amazing! I think I have to use it very often to get familiar with the way. Reckon I’ll pay you a lot of visits.”
Zelena took out her key and opened her door. “Come in, make yourself at home.”
She knew where she had to look, and she found his stuff in the second box she opened.
“There it is, even your sword. A sword,” she corrected herself.
She held out a pile of clothes and leather to him, and said “let’s go back to your room. I’m eager to try and find my way back.”
She carried the coat and the sword and left Aidan with the rest.

Of course Zelena didn’t find the way back and Aidan had to help her, but in the end they returned to his room.
“No, try it on, I’ll wait here if you like.” Her tone clearly said that she wouldn’t like to wait here, but look at him while he got changed.

Killian
Aidan turned a curious look to Kelly when she said she would help him with his makeup. "What are you talking about? Makeup?" Perhaps she meant his facial hair being darkened? That was quite a lot of attention to detail, but he let it go for now as they were entering her apartment. He took a moment to glance around and decided that even if it was a temporary situation for her at Roni's apartment, it still suited Kelly. "Nice place," he told her with a slight grin. "I hope you stay here. I look forward to the convenient visits..."
He looked into the box she indicated and was puzzled when she called the sword his, and then corrected herself. "That's... real steel," he remarked. Just as the hook was. Kelly's party planning operation certainly didn't deal in poorly made costumes. His eyes moved to the leather trousers and the coat. The coat was remarkably made with more fine detail. "Wow," he mumbled.
The walk back to his apartment was filled with distraction over the clothing and the sword even as he guided Kelly on which corridor to take. What a remarkable sword it was too. He'd never thought of holding one, preferring the department-issued gun or even an asp, but now he had a hook and a sword. He wasn't sure what to think over it, but he found he was actually looking forward to this despite his earlier reservations.
Kelly encouraged him to try it all on, and he smirked at her as he gathered up the trousers, coat, undershirt and even a red vest. He already had a good pair of black boots that would work with it all. With the bundle of clothing under his arm, he opened his bedroom door and glanced at Kelly with a head nod toward the bedroom if she wanted to follow him. He left the door open as he dropped the clothing onto the bed and began unbuckling his belt.
Less than two weeks later, it was Halloween day and they were in the same situation. It was time to get dressed. Aidan and Kelly would be meeting shortly so that they could go to the party together. Once he’d gotten everything on, including the sword belt and hook, he looked himself over in the small bathroom mirror. He couldn’t see the full picture but only from mid-chest up, and he thought he was looking rather foolish. It didn’t really matter, however. He was doing this for Kelly and he’d do a great many things to make her happy. Besides, he knew he couldn’t make an appearance at a Halloween party without a costume. And it was a damn good costume too. Looking away from his reflection after a brief glance, he grabbed his keys and wallet and left the apartment to head down the corridor toward Kelly and Roni’s apartment. He used the hook to rap on her door, and smirked to make himself appear to look much more confident in the pirate garb than he felt.

 

Zelena
“I hope you come and visit me as well, if you like my tiny room,” she said on their way back. “And of course is the sword a real sword - do you think a pirate would use a paper sword?”
She giggled. “You’ll see about the makeup. Nothing to be afraid of - after all, I’ll be green.”

When Aidan began to have a closer look at the costume Zelena was glad that he seemed to admire it. It was the real stuff, not some cheap costume from a store after all.
His head nod was an invitation that she immediately accepted.
Actually, the fitting of his old clothes ended in a wonderful night in Aidan’s bedroom. After all he had promised her a dessert.

Two weeks later Zelena was getting ready with her own costume. ‘Not a costume, actually,’ she thought when she dressed up in her typical Wicked Witch outfit she mysteriously had found in the Enchanted Forest box along with other things.
Her heart beat faster when she looked at herself in the mirror. The green color was almost natural, and she looked… wicked. Only her necklace was missing, as she had given it to Robyn.
It was just too bad she didn’t have her magic.
Satisfied with how she looked, she was curious how Aidan would react.

Just when she thought of him someone, he for sure, knocked.
Zelena opened, and when she saw Killian standing there she was more than excited.
“You look almost perfect,” she said, and gestured him to come in.
“So, wicked enough for you?” She asked about his opinion about her costume.

Killian
Aidan's false confidence dropped a peg when Kelly said he looked almost perfect. But he kept the half-grin on his face as his eyes traveled down Kelly's physique in her costume. He blinked in awe and shook his head as he beheld this stunning green woman in black. He stepped into her apartment, his hand running along her hip in the dress she wore. "You look remarkably wicked, love." And she did. He could almost not recognize her but he'd come to know Kelly well, he thought, over the past month with her. He'd know those stunning blue eyes in whatever she wore.

He kissed her cheek, carefully trying not to smudge her makeup.

"Now, what's this about looking almost perfect? What am I missing?" He'd put on everything she had given him. She told him he had to only be himself.

Zelena
Her ‘true self’ didn’t pull a trigger in him, but at least he thought she looked wicked. That was good enough for her.
She smiled when he kissed her cheek, and went to her dressing table to fetch something.
With a wide grin she presented an eyeliner.
“I know you think it’s silly, but you will wear this. Captain Guyliner. Trust me.”

Zelena opened it, and grinned at him. “Oh I am serious, in case you think I am joking. If you don’t like it I’ll remove it.” At some point after the party, she thought.

Killian
You will wear this, she said and Aidan's expression shifted to one of mild shock. Makeup? He had gotten in over his head with this costume already. Genuine weapons which he had no training on how to use properly or at least not to accidentally impale someone, and now make up? But since he did trust Kelly, he just rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. He was putty in her hands, evidently.

He accepted his fate to look like a goth or some other sort of hooligan for Kelly's amusement and sat on a chair, being sure to keep the sword sheathe out of the way. "I can tell you are not joking," he said, deadpanning an unamused expression, but his eyebrow rose as she was near him. She was grinning and excited about this, obviously, so he had to really fight not to grin, too.

When she would step up to him with her eyeliner, he would pull her to him to straddle his lap, his hand finding its way under her clothing and sliding up her leg. At least then he might enjoy something about this eyelid torture. Aidan would simply look at her innocently, a smirk lifting the corner of his mouth.

Zelena
Aidan didn’t even try to argue with her, something Zelena thought it was cute of him.
“I’m not joking,” she confirmed, and had to laugh about his expression. She grinned at him, stepped closer to him so she could work on his eyes, but found herself back suddenly on his lap. Her skirt was almost too tight for sitting straddled on his lap, and then she felt her skirt move, and his hand sliding up her leg.

Zelena gave him an indignant look, but didn’t mean it of course. She was playing along.
She couldn’t keep up her look any longer anyway. She closed her eyes and moaned softly when he touched her inner thighs. Her hands clasped his shoulders, and he gave her a hard time not to simply tear off their clothes and forget the party.
Zelena tried to focus. She opened her eyes again, and kissed him passionately, not caring about her lipstick or her own green makeup.

“You’re a pirate,” she stated, and added, “If you continue distracting me the way you are, I might accidentally not only use the eyeliner for your eyes…”
She narrowed her eyes, and eventually she managed to work on his eyes.
It took her a few minutes as he was twitching, but she managed.
She sceptically looked at her work, and nodded.
“Yes, that’s it. Now have a look.”
She would get off his lap once he withdrew his hand, and pointed at the standing mirror so he could see himself completely.
“I think you look perfect,” Zelena said, and smiled at him.

Killian
With Kelly's advice, Aidan decided not to fondle Kelly too much while she was poking at his eyes with her stick, instead resting his palm on her upper thigh. He was twitching as the eyeliner tickled a little but he was still smirking by the time she finished and told him to have a look.

Reluctant to remove his hand from her skirt, he did and stepped up to her full-length mirror. His eyes moved slowly to take in this full sight of himself and was rather surprised. First, the leather trousers--and astonishingly they fit just as well as the coat did--and vest, the coat, the hook, even the sword showing beneath the coat. He'd left the black shirt unbuttoned at the neck, and finally he looked at his face and the application of the eyeliner.

He blinked and narrowed his eyes before his eyebrow rose before glancing at Kelly's reflection in the mirror. "I look like someone I'd arrest." His eyes moved back to his own and he frowned, studying what he was seeing. There was a trace of green from Zelena smudged next to his mouth but he only smirked at that and pressed his finger there to rub it in or off. The sword hilt showed as the coat moved slightly and Aidan moved his hand to wrap around it and draw the blade slowly from the sheathe. Looking at the way his hand fit on the handle, he had a subtle feeling that something was missing, not quite perfect as Kelly said, but he kept that to himself. He wasn't sure what it was, but within moments, he decided that he rather liked this. Kelly had made his life much more interesting outside of work. He never would have done this without her.

Turning around to face Kelly, he moved his wrist while pointing the sword downward so he could marvel at the way the light reflected on the blade. "I suppose I should start saying Aye and Bloody Hell in regular conversation." Using the hook to stabilize the sheathe, he slipped the sword back in, and looked up to give her the most mischievous grin he could. "Ready to go, love?"

Zelena
When Aidan said he would look like someone he’d arrest Zelena burst into laughter.
It took a while until she calmed down, and stepped beside him, looking in the mirror as well.
“I’m quite attracted by scoundrels, you know,” she said. “And I volunteer to arrest you, Captain Hook.”
The way he looked down himself, and played with the sword told her that he seemed to like it.
When he even suggested to start saying the typical stuff Killian had said all over she gave him a puppy look and nodded.
“Aye, you should do that, love.”

She made a step back again and took her time to admire him. Her heart was filled with joy when she saw Killian standing before her.
Her Killian and her Aidan.
She swallowed, came close to him again and her fingers moved to the top buttons of his shirt.
Slowly, and making sure she touched him, she opened three more buttons so a part of his hairy chest was visible.
“Pirates like to show their hair, and you are predestined for showing yours.”
She let her finger slide down his exposed chest, and regretted that she didn’t have his jewelry. His necklace would have fit so perfectly now, but since Zelena couldn’t make it appear she didn’t mention it.

He now slipped the sword back in his sheath and Zelena nodded when he asked if she was ready to go.
“Aye, let’s do something wicked.”
Just out of fun, and maybe to see if she was still able to, Zelena laughed wickedly like she had done so often. It was still working, and she felt almost like herself again. If she just had magic…
She linked arms with him, and together they left, heading to the Halloween Party.

Killian
“Well then,” Aidan drawled after she said she could do the honors and arrest ’Captain Hook,’ and flipped the front of the coat back so Kelly could see that he still had his badge on his belt even if concealed. Next to the badge was his gun and the handcuffs in the case. “It’s a good thing I’m prepared.” He was still on-call despite going to a party and if Rockford or whoever was pulling the monkey’s leash acted, Aidan didn’t exactly want to rely on a hook and a sword.

She unbuttoned more of the shirt to show off his chest hair and even gave the area an appreciative rub and he only watched how her pale eyes contrasted so nicely with the green makeup. “I believe your costume was made for you too, love. You look stunningly wicked.” Her laughter was delightful and he chuckled under his breath. She took his arm and he escorted his witch out the door.

Notes:

To be continued in By Night One Way, By Morning Another