Title: Adventures in Babysitting
Author: Steph aka CaptainSwanLuver
Rating: M for a little smuff at the end
Pairing: Hook/Emma
Category: Comedy/Romance/Smuff
Disclaimer: I do this out of a love for this couple. No infringement is intended.
Spoilers: None
Summary: Hook and Emma babysit Neal for the first time.
Note: This was written before last night's episode, which mentioned Emma babysitting Neal. For the purposes of this fic, Hook and Emma are babysitting him for the first time. Also, for the purposes of this fic, Neal is 5 months old. I hope you enjoy it! -Steph
- Adventures in Babysitting: Part 1/1-
Mary Margaret glared at David over the kitchen counter, before glancing over at Hook and Emma, who were sitting in the living room.
She whispered harshly. "David, we cannot go out tonight. Belle is sick and there is no one to watch Neal."
David nodded his head toward Hook and Emma, as he spoke through gritted teeth. "Mary Margaret, we have been planning this night for weeks. It is our anniversary. Hook and Emma already said they didn't have any plans tonight. We can just ask them to babysit Neal."
Emma looked at Hook out of the corner of her eye. "I am not going to leave our 5 month old son with a one-handed pirate with a hook!"
David sighed heavily. "Hook has changed and I am sure he will be careful with the hook."
"And what about Emma? She doesn't know how to care for an infant. She gave Henry up right after birth. Every time she's around and I have to feed or change Neal, she makes some kind of excuse so she can leave and doesn't have to help. I think she's scared, David."
David smiled. "Well, I believe you would agree that the only way to overcome one's fears is to face them head on."
She shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I hate it when you do that. I hate when you use my values against me."
He grinned, gave her a kiss on the cheek, then took her hand and practically dragged her into the living room.
They came to stand in front of Hook and Emma.
"So it turns out, Belle is sick and won't be able to take care of Neal tonight. It's our anniversary and we've been planning this night for weeks. We would be so grateful if you two would babysit for us tonight. You said you didn't have any plans."
Hook and Emma's mouths dropped open and they exchanged a glance.
Mary Margaret waved a hand. "If you can't, it's really fine. We'll understand. We'll just have a quiet dinner at home."
Hook cleared his throat. "I don't see why not. How much trouble could the lad be?"
Emma groaned and muttered, "Famous last words."
"Emma, are you okay with this? We'll understand if you're not," Mary Margaret said.
Emma nodded and swallowed hard. "Of course. He is my baby brother, after all. You two go out and enjoy your anniversary."
David clapped his hands together triumphantly. "Great! Then it's settled. Thank you. Come on, Mary Margaret, let's get ready."
She stood frozen to her spot and David had to grab her by the elbow to get her to follow him. When they were out of sight, Emma whacked Hook in the chest.
"Ow!" he yelped, as he brought his hand up to rub at the spot. "What did I do to deserve that, love?"
Emma clenched her jaw. "What did you do? Are you serious? You just agreed to care for an infant all night."
"He's your brother."
"He's a baby. I don't have any experience caring for a baby. I gave Henry up minutes after he was born."
"Yes, but you're a wonderful mother now," he said, trying to give her a peck on the cheek.
She put her hand over his mouth and pushed him away. "Killian, you can't charm your way out of this one. Henry is a grown boy. It is not the same as taking care of an infant. Henry can tell me when something is wrong. He can tell me when he is hungry or tired or upset. Babies can't do that. They just scream and cry."
"Weren't there any infants in the foster homes you stayed at?"
"A few times, but I stayed away from them. What about you? What experience do you have with babies?"
"Babies? None. But I was around quite a few boys in Neverland. They were rather self-sufficient."
Emma rolled her eyes. "That's because they had to be. They were lost boys. They also weren't infants."
"It will be fine, love. You'll see. You know Mary Margaret. She'll leave us very explicit instructions. We've faced far more dire circumstances and come out on the other side."
Emma simply sighed in defeat.
…
Mary Margaret held out a pad of paper in front of them. "So he just started on soft foods last week and he is not fond of them. He probably won't eat much. You can give him a bottle after. Then give him a bath. The baby tub is in the bathtub. Change him and then put him to bed."
"Sounds simple enough," Hook said, looking over at Emma.
She offered him an icy glare.
David started tugging at Mary Margaret's elbow. "We're going to be late for our reservation."
Mary Margaret stood her ground, as she gestured at the walkie-talkie on the table. "You have our cell numbers, but just in case both of our cells die or we lose them or there is bad reception, use the walkie-talkie."
"None of that is going to happen," David said, as he pulled on her arm and started dragging her toward the door. "Thank you. Goodbye."
Mary Margaret blew a kiss to Neal, who sat in his swing by the couch. "Bye, sweetheart. Be good."
The door slammed shut and Emma looked from Neal to Hook and then back to Neal.
"Alone at last," Hook said, as he made a move to pull Emma into his arms and kiss her.
Emma placed her hand on his chest, stopping his movement. "No way. That's not happening tonight. We could've been doing that and so much more tonight. We could've been doing something for the first time. All night long," she said drawing out the words sensually, as she watched his eyes darken with desire for her. "But someone in his infinite wisdom volunteered us to babysit."
Hook's tongue flicked at his lips. "Once we complete all of the items on Mary Margaret's list and Neal is slumbering peacefully, then we can have some fun of our own."
Emma shook her head. "Listen to the words that are coming out of my mouth. Not. Gonna. Happen."
Hook sighed and looked over at Neal. "This is all your doing."
Neal giggled at him.
…
After a few clumsy attempts, Emma managed to strap Neal into his high chair and snapped the tray back into place.
"Okay, dinner time," she said, placing her hands on her hips.
Hook held a jar of homemade baby food of the peas variety.
He sniffed it, his nose wrinkling in disgust. He dipped his pinky into it and brought it up to his mouth. His lips curled downward. "It's no wonder he's not fond of this. It tastes like the slop they fed me in the brigs. It's only slightly less revolting than bologna."
Emma allowed herself a small smile, as she took the jar from him. "You're not the one who has to eat it, he does."
Emma sat down in the chair across from Neal. She noticed her hand was shaking as she brought the spoon to Neal's mouth. "Okay, baby brother, open up."
Neal's mouth remained tightly closed. She tried to push the spoon between his lips, but they remained sealed and he began thrashing his head back and forth. His arms started flailing about, his hand hitting the spoon. The baby food went flying through the air and landed with a splat on Hook's face.
Neal giggled and Emma burst out laughing, as Hook's lips curled down in disdain.
"Bloody hell!" he said, as he dragged his hook through the offending food, trying in vain to clean his face.
Emma smiled at Neal and ruffled his hair. "Good boy." She lifted his tiny hand to hers. "Baby high five."
Hook offered her a glare, as he used a towel to wipe off his face.
Emma struggled to feed Neal for another half hour, before finally giving up. She managed to get two spoonfuls in his mouth. The rest of the strained peas ended up on the floor, her, and the baby.
She wiped her brow, sighing, "Well, that is officially the most difficult battle I've ever fought."
Hook shrugged. "At least you were victorious."
Emma shook her head. "Hardly. He barely ate anything, the floor's a mess, and we're both covered in peas."
"I suppose his bottle is next then," Hook said.
Emma pointed at the pad Mary Margaret left. "Does it say how long to heat the bottle?"
Hook looked at the pad. "No."
Emma groaned. "Look it up on your phone. Mine is currently covered in peas."
"Love, I know how to do precisely three things with this bloody device: turn it on, turn it off, and press the Emma button."
Emma smiled at him. "I guess it's your lucky day. You're going to learn something new. We'll Google it."
"Google?" his brow raised in confusion.
"Yes, it's on the Internet. You can ask it questions and it will give you answers."
"Ah, it's like an oracle."
Emma shrugged. "Sure, yeah, it's like that." She pointed at his phone. "Press the blue g."
Hook did as instructed, as Emma set about wiping up the floor and high chair.
"Now what?" he asked.
"Click the microphone and speak into the phone, asking your question."
Hook held the phone up to his mouth. "Google, how long do you warm a baby bottle in the hot box?"
Emma's brow furrowed. "Hot box? What's a hot box? And you don't need to call it Google."
"You always address an oracle by name. It's good form." He paused and then added, pointing to the microwave on the counter, "And that's a hot box."
Emma had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "That's called a microwave."
"Oh," he said, as he looked down at the results.
"Try again," Emma said.
"How long do you warm a baby bottle in the…microwave?"
"A bunch of links will come up. Click the first one."
Hook did as he was instructed and read the contents. "Well, this one says not to heat the bottle in the microwave because it could get something called hot spots. But then there are people at the end of it who proclaim they have heated a bottle out of the fridge in the microwave for 30-40 seconds."
Emma nodded. "Well, I don't have the energy to investigate any other heating methods, so microwave it is. We'll just test it and make sure it's okay. Can you please get the bottle out of the fridge and heat it up, while I get us cleaned up?" she asked, as she took Neal out of his chair.
Hook stared at the microwave warily. "Love, I haven't a clue how to work that contraption."
Emma groaned in frustration. "Open the door, put the bottle in, close the door, press the numbers, press start."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked to the bathroom. Hook moved to the refrigerator, took the bottle out, and walked to the microwave. He looked at it for a few long moments, before opening the door and placing the bottle inside. He closed the door, set the time, and pressed start.
He smiled proudly at himself. "I am becoming quite the modern man."
He then set about cleaning the rest of the peas from the kitchen.
Emma returned a few minutes later, sniffing at the air. "Is something burning?" She looked at the microwave. "Why is that still going, Killian? It was only supposed to be in there for 30-40 seconds."
She handed Hook the baby, who proceeded to hold him out in front of him liking a ticking time bomb, and ran over to the microwave. "22 minutes left! What did you press? All you had to do was press 30."
"I may have accidentally put it on for 30 minutes instead. In my defense, this was my first time using this contraption and I am still becoming acclimated to the time of this world. I am accustomed to nautical time."
Just as Emma was about to hit stop on the microwave, she heard a loud pop. The top flew off the bottle and milk exploded all over the microwave. She opened the door and saw that the top of the bottle had actually begun to melt.
Emma turned her eyes to Hook and if looks could kill then he'd be a goner. "Paper towels. Now."
Hook put Neal back in his high chair and retrieved the paper towels.
"My apologies, love," he said, as he tried to hand her the roll.
She shoved it back into his chest. "Oh no. You made the mess, you clean it up."
Hook sighed heavily, but set about cleaning up the mess, as Emma took another bottle out of the refrigerator. When he was done, she put the bottle inside and made a big production of showing him how to set the time correctly.
Hook offered her a grin, as the bottle heated. "One day, we'll look back on this and find it very amusing."
Emma glowered at him, her jaw clenched.
He lowered his gaze to the ground and mumbled, "One day far, far in the future, apparently."
…
A half hour later, Neal was done with his bottle. Emma picked him up. "Time for your bath."
She walked into the bathroom, with Hook following after her. She turned the water on, making it lukewarm. She placed Neal in his tub and knelt down. She wet the washcloth and squirted some soap onto it. Emma began to wipe at his tummy, as Neal laughed.
"You're such a good boy, aren't you?" she said, her voice rising an octave.
Hook watched her intently, a smile pulling at his lips. He had never seen her like this before. She was so playful and gentle.
Emma felt his eyes on her. She turned to look at him, her cheeks filling with red. "What?"
He shrugged. "You're a natural."
Emma laughed. "I'd hardly say that. Epic fail on the feeding. And we have yet to tackle diapers and bedtime."
Hook smiled at her. "I know a natural when I lay eyes on one."
Emma held his gaze for a long moment, then went back to bathing Neal.
…
Emma carried Neal to his changing table. She took a deep breath, as she held down the squirming baby.
"Okay, diapers. I've seen this done on TV and it never goes well. I always make myself scarce when Mary Margaret does it."
Hook handed her a diaper. "I do believe you start with this."
Emma placed the diaper beneath Neal. She then picked up the powder and generously powdered his bottom. As she was just about done, she saw a stream of liquid come shooting up. She quickly ducked so it wouldn't hit her in the face. Instead, it hit Hook right in the forehead.
Neal and Emma dissolved into a fit of giggles, as Hook grabbed a baby wipe and swiped at his face.
"I'm beginning to sense that this lad is not fond of me," he grumbled.
"I've got to hand it to him. He's got quite the aim. Two for two."
Emma then set about wiping the baby, changing the diaper, and applying powder again.
After several attempts at getting his arms and legs into his pajamas and an assist from Hook, Neal was finally changed. She stood him up on the table, placing a kiss to his cheek. "Someone is all ready for bed."
Emma carried him over to his crib and placed him in it. "Sweet dreams," she said, pressing a kiss to his forehead. Hook smiled at the loving gesture.
She and Hook tried to creep out of the room, but as soon as they reached the door, he began wailing.
Emma squeezed her eyes shut. "So close."
They turned around and walked back to the crib.
"Maybe you should sing to him," Hook suggested.
Emma arched an eyebrow. "I don't sing. Why don't you tell him a bedtime story? You're a great storyteller."
"I'm quite certain my tales aren't appropriate for the ears of a young lad."
"You've lived a long, adventurous life as a pirate. I am sure you can come up with some story that is not violent or vulgar."
Hook thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up. "I think I've got one."
He reached into the crib and placed his finger in Neal's hand. Neal gripped it tightly. Emma smiled, her eyes moving to Hook's face.
"Once upon a time," he began, "there was a dashing and charming pirate."
Emma laughed. "This sounds familiar."
"He had lived a long life, but his heart had grown dark because of loss and hatred. Then he met a beautiful princess."
Hook moved his eyes to Emma, offering her a smile. Emma felt her cheeks begin to burn under his gaze.
"The princess was brilliant and strong and brave and kind. She didn't care for the pirate much at first, but he was instantly smitten with her," he said, as he began to lean closer to Emma.
Emma could feel her heart begin to race in her chest.
"The princess helped the pirate see that there was still good in him and he vowed to become a better man. He wanted to be worthy of her. In time, she warmed to the pirate and she realized there was no resisting his devilish good looks and extraordinary personality."
Emma felt his breath tickling her lips.
"And they lived happily ever after?" she asked softly.
"I certainly hope so," he whispered, his eyes focused on her mouth. "The End."
Emma shook her head, as she snaked her arms around his neck. "Not The End. It's just the beginning."
Hook smiled, as their lips finally met. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. Her tongue dove into his mouth and the kiss quickly grew heated. They forced themselves to part, but kept their foreheads touching.
"We can't do this here," Emma said, trying to steady her breathing. "My parents could come home any minute now."
Hook swallowed hard. "I guess that would be a bit naughty of us."
Emma watched as his tongue flicked at his lips. She took a deep breath. "Plus, I swore that nothing was going to happen tonight."
"Promises were made to be broken, love," he said, his hand cupping her cheek and his thumb gently stroking her jaw.
They were taken out of the moment by the soft sound of breathing. They looked down at a sleeping Neal.
Emma smiled. "You did it. I told you that you were a great storyteller."
Hook shrugged. "Or, rather, I bored him into his slumber."
Emma laughed, as she linked her fingers with his. "Killian, you are a lot of things, but boring isn't one of them.
Hook grinned, as he placed another kiss to her lips.
…
David and Mary Margaret were just finishing their dessert. Mary Margaret looked at her watch for the fifth time in ten minutes.
David sighed. "Would you please stop looking at your watch?"
"It's getting late. If you would just let me call them to check on Neal, then we could both enjoy ourselves."
David reached across the table and covered his hand with hers. "He's fine. They're fine."
Mary Margaret nodded. Her mouth then dropped open, as she spotted Belle walk into the restaurant. David followed her gaze.
"What's Belle doing here? She supposed to be home sick," she said.
Mary Margaret began to stand, but David pulled her back down. "She's probably feeling better. Let's not ruin our night."
Mary Margaret shook free of his grip. "She doesn't look like she's been sick to me."
She stood up and marched over to Belle. David followed after her. Belle smiled when she saw them.
"Hey, you two. Happy Anniversary."
Mary Margaret's eyes narrowed at her. "What are you doing here? David said you called and said you were sick so you couldn't babysit Neal tonight."
Belle's brow furrowed and she looked at David. "You must have misunderstood. David called me earlier and said you didn't need me to babysit because Hook and Emma were going to do it."
David suddenly found his shoes very interesting. Mary Margaret slapped him in the arm. "Is that true, David? Did you lie to me?"
He met her eyes and shrugged. "Yes, it's true."
"Why did you lie?"
"Because you are now mayor and you are going to have to get used to leaving our son with people besides Belle. She won't always be available. Plus, I thought it would be a good opportunity for Emma to get over her fear of caring for a child. I figured you wouldn't agree to it unless you had no other option."
Mary Margaret's face softened. "I don't like that you lied to me, but I guess I understand why you did it."
David kissed her cheek. "Forgive me?"
Mary Margaret smiled, but shook her head. "I'll have to come up with some way for you to make it up to me."
…
Hook and Emma sat curled up on the sofa. The baby monitor was on the table in front of them, but it remained silent. Emma's head rested on his shoulder and their hands were entwined. Emma loved how he absentmindedly made soft circles with his thumb on the skin of her hand.
Hook finally broke the comfortable silence. "I would say today was a remarkable success."
Emma quirked an eyebrow, looking up at him. "I think that's a bit of an overstatement."
"The lad was fed, bathed, changed, and is now sound asleep. I believe all goals have been achieved. It doesn't much matter how they were achieved."
Emma chuckled softly. "I think Mary Margaret may disagree when she discovers one of her baby bottles has been destroyed and is finding remnants of baby food in odd places for weeks."
"Speaking of which," Hook said, as he brushed his hook gently through her hair. "You've still got a bit in your hair."
"I need a shower," she said with a laugh. His eyes danced with desire, but she quickly added, "Alone."
She then jumped up and headed for the shower, as his eyes followed her.
…
She emerged fifteen minutes later, her wet hair framing her face and her body wrapped in nothing but a fluffy, purple robe.
"You look beautiful," he said, as she came to sit back down and snuggled up to him again.
She laughed and looked up at him. "This is hardly my best look."
"You always look stunning." He brought his hand up and brushed his thumb across her cheek. "But I do believe you missed a spot."
Emma sighed, pressing her cheek to his hand. He moved his thumb to her lower lip, tracing it lightly. "And you missed another spot."
Emma felt goose bumps appear on her skin. He leaned forward, bringing his lips to her neck. "And another."
Emma threw her head back, as his lips moved to her throat, his tongue darting out. She felt his hands slowly undoing the belt of her robe.
"We can't," she said weakly.
"I am merely finishing the job you did. You should've allowed me to assist you in there. It appears you did a very poor job. You're a very dirty girl," he whispered, as his mouth moved to the valley between her breasts.
The robe fell open and she felt his hand and hook slowly inch their way up her stomach. She sucked in a breath, as her hands moved to the front of his pants. She could feel how much he wanted her and she wasn't sure either one of them would be able to stop.
His hand finally found her breast and he cupped it, his thumb flicking over the nipple. Emma arched her back, wanting to feel him more fully. His mouth moved to her shoulder and his teeth lowered the robe, revealing her soft skin. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, reveling in the fruity smell of her body wash. His lips trailed across her collarbone. His hook rubbed against her nipple, as his thumb and forefinger played with the other. His hook then traveled up and pushed the robe off her other shoulder, so her upper body was now bared completely.
Hook licked at his lips, as he looked at the beautiful sight before him. He dove down and captured a nipple in his mouth. Emma gasped, as his tongue circled it over and over again. She brought one hand to the back of his head, entwining her fingers in his hair and pushing him against her. Her other hand rubbed against his arousal through his pants.
"Emma," he moaned, against her breast.
His mouth moved across her chest to the other breast, his lips enclosing the nipple and his teeth nipping at it lightly.
"We have to stop now or we won't be able to. My parents could be home any minute," she breathed.
"You really want me to stop?" he asked, staring up at her with lustful eyes.
"No," she breathed, shaking her head.
He smiled, as he kissed her lips and brought his hand down to cup her mound, reveling in the wetness he felt.
His hand was just about to travel farther down, when they heard voices in the hallway and the sound of keys jangling.
Their eyes widened in shock and they quickly separated. Emma pulled the robe closed and wrapped the belt around her haphazardly. Hook grabbed a pillow and placed it on his lap, grimacing.
The door swung open, revealing Mary Margaret and David.
"Hi guys," Emma said, trying to control her breathing.
"How was your evening out?" Hook asked, his voice clipped.
"It was wonderful," David said with a smile.
"It was lovely," Mary Margaret replied. "How did everything go here?"
"Great," Emma said, glancing at Hook.
"Uneventful," he added.
"Good," she said, but eyed them suspiciously. "I'm going to go check on Neal."
David nodded, as she disappeared. "Thank you both."
"No problem," Emma said.
"It was our pleasure," Hook responded.
"I'm sure you're anxious to get home, Hook," David said.
Hook glanced down at the pillow. "In a few minutes."
"Well, I'm beat and so is Mary Margaret. Enjoy the rest of your night. Thanks again."
With that, he left the room.
Emma swatted his chest. "That was way too close!"
"Trust me, I know," he said through clenched teeth.
Emma let out a breath and then smiled, as she linked her fingers with his. "You know, I actually had fun tonight."
"What we just did was quite fun."
She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "You know what I mean. I was really scared to take care of a baby, but we figured it out together."
Hook's eyes grew serious. "Did it make you remember giving up Henry?"
She nodded, taking a deep breath. "I was so young and I knew I couldn't take care of him. My life was a mess. I wanted him to have the best life possible. I knew I had to give him up. I had no idea how to be a mother. It's not like I ever had a role model growing up. I wouldn't have known the first thing about being a good mom."
"You're a great mother now," he said. "Henry is very fortunate to have you." He paused and then asked, his voice lowering, "Do you want to have another child?"
Emma shrugged. "Honestly, before tonight, I would've said no. I was too scared to think of how incompetent I might be. And tonight was certainly far from perfect, but I figured it out. We figured it out. I don't think I'd want to do it alone though. I'd want to do it with the right person," she said, looking into his eyes. "I'd like to experience all of the things I missed out on with Henry and that my parents missed out on with me."
She paused and then asked slowly. "How about you? Have you ever thought about having children?"
Hook nodded. "There was a time when I seriously considered being a father. Bae had come to my ship and I realized he was Milah's son. I felt like he was my connection to her and I thought that if we could be a family then it would be like having a piece of Milah with me. But, alas, it was not meant to be."
Emma bobbed her head. "What about children of your own?"
"Bae made me reconsider being a father after he left. He said I could never change, that I only cared about myself. I believed him. I didn't have a proper role model either. My father had abandoned me and I started to believe I wasn't cut out to be a father. I wondered what kind of life I could give a child. I gave up on the idea of being a father."
"Do you still feel that way?"
"I did for a very long time."
"You changed your mind?"
"Aye."
"What changed your mind?" she asked softly.
"You did," he replied in a whisper.
Emma's eyes widened. "I did? How?"
"You helped me become a better man. You helped me see that I could change, that I could care for more than just myself. And you trusted me with your son. The more time I spent with Henry the more I realized that I could be a good father now. Bae was right all those years ago. The man I was then couldn't have given a child the life he or she deserved. But I can now. And I have you to thank for that."
Emma smiled, placing a kiss to his lips. "I think you'd be a great dad."
"I think we make a pretty great team," he replied. "I could see little Emmas and Killians running around here."
Emma's eyes widened. "Whoa, slow down. We haven't even had sex yet."
Hook's tongue lashed at his lips, as he tugged at the belt of her robe, pulling her close to him. "Well, we could've taken care of that today if not for your parents' extremely poor timing."
Emma smiled, as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Timing is everything. And when the time is right, we'll know it."
Hook closed the distance between them, pressing his lips to hers. His tongue begged entrance and she allowed him in, sucking greedily on it. She felt her breathing become labored and she had to force her hands to his chest. She gently pushed him away from her and met his eyes.
"You need to go. Now."
He nodded, as he placed his fingers to his lips, still tasting her on him.
"Aye," he said, slowly standing up.
He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Sweet dreams, Emma."
"Goodnight, Killian," she said, as she watched him walk to the door.
He offered her one more longing look, before disappearing behind it.
She fell back against the pillows and exhaled slowly.
"Tomorrow, I begin apartment hunting," she muttered to herself.
...
Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you thought! ~Steph
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