It had been a quiet ten days since the fiasco with Rumpelstiltskin trying to cleave himself from that cursed dagger. After Belle had ordered him to leave the town for good, things became calm. Emma had finally settled into a normal life with Henry, her parents, and of course, Killian. Every other night, she and Henry would meet up in Regina's office and discuss Operation Mongoose, but alas, no progress had been made yet. Belle and Killian were trying to get the fairies out of that blasted magic hat, but their situation was the same as that of Operation Mongoose: no progress to be had.
No one knew that just a few hundred miles outside of Storybrooke, Rumpelstiltskin, Ursula, Cruella, and Maleficent were concocting a scheme of their own: a plot to finally get their happy endings.
Back in Storybrooke, it was late in the day and Emma was walking to the sheriff's station after failing to track down the town's latest "criminal" when her phone buzzed; it was a text from David. Scarlett tried to bust into the library again. Got him here at the station. I'll handle him, take the night off. A small smile toyed at her lips. Finally, a night off from work! Usually she had to file all of the paperwork while David rushed home to baby Neal, but since Mary-Margaret had found a suitable babysitter in Granny, the need to run home and cut the workday short had disappeared. Thankfully, tonight was a night off from Operation Mongoose as well, and Henry was staying at Regina's anyways.
Her phone buzzed again; this time, it was Killian. Your father told me he gave you the night off. What do you say about having that next "official" date you were talking about? Dinner and a movie at home sound good? An even bigger smile played on her face as she replied. Once again, her phone vibrated. Great! See you in an hour, love, his text read. Emma hurried home to her apartment and jumped in the shower. A million thoughts were running about in her head. What number date was this again? Where are we going to dinner? Which movie did he pick out, or is he expecting me to find something? What do I wear? Am I spending the night? What do I tell Henry?
It seemed that only moments later, a distinguished knocking pattern rapped on her door, though actually the entire hour had passed. Nervously, Emma smoothed out the invisible wrinkles of her dress' skirt and opened the door. Before her stood her pirate, one arm hidden behind his back. His hair had small traces of gel in it, just enough to keep the little pieces in place. He was clad in his new leather jacket, a black dress shirt (with the first few buttons left undone, of course), and - were those...blue jeans?!
"Wow, Killian," she murmured breathlessly, a smile blooming in her cheeks as she let her gaze float all over the man in front of her.
"Aye," was all he could say as his eyes wandered over her figure. From the way he gazed into her emerald eyes, down the length of the velvet purple dress she wore, and back up to rest on her lips, Emma felt the love he felt for her. "Ah, are you ready to go to dinner?" he asked carefully, as if he was still trying to find his voice.
"Yeah," she said with a smile, staring sweetly into his eyes. Killian fidgeted a little bit. "Hey, don't be nervous," she added, kissing him on the cheek. "It's only me."
"Aye, that it is," he murmured. "It's just, I've never seen a woman more beautiful than you, Emma, love. Forgive me for being nervous…"
Emma laughed lightly, smiling, and pulled him in for a hug. "Of course I forgive you," she said into his chest. "Mmm, you smell good. Did you put cologne on?"
Killian blushed, thankful that Emma couldn't see it. "Aye," he said. "Oh, uh, these are for you, love." He pulled out the surprise from behind his back.
"Oh, Killian…" was all Emma could say as her eyes fell upon the bouquet of roses. "They're beautiful!"
"They couldn't ever compare to your beauty, Swan," he proclaimed softly. His sweet words made Emma blush, and she pulled him into another hug.
"I love them, Killian. Thank you," she murmured softly.
After putting the roses in a small vase with water, the two lovers left the apartment. They walked to dinner hand in hand, making small talk. Soon they arrived in front of their destination: a small restaurant called Tapenade Bistro. The host walked them to their seats, and Killian held Emma's out for her. Smiling, she took her jacket and purse off and sat down. Killian took the seat across from her and grasped her hand in his one good one.
"It feels so good to sit," Emma started to say. "I've been on my feet all day trying to solve those petty crimes that keep happening around town. First it was someone trying to get their stuff back from the pawnshop while Belle wasn't there, then there was a little dine-and-dash at Granny's. And of course they had to happen at nearly the exact same time, so I was trying to run from place to place and still get all my work done." She looked up at Killian apologetically. "Sorry, I must be boring you to death about my -"
"Just the opposite, love. By the sound of it, you've had a stressful day. Tell me more about it, maybe it'll help take the stress away?" Killian soothed. His thumb rubbed small little circles on the back of her hand, and Emma was touched by how simple but romantic the gesture was.
Emma blushed, and continued to explain how difficult and stressful the day was for her. "And, to top it all off, Scarlett decided that it would be perfect to try to bust into the library, again. David said that he'd take care of him, but I kind of wish that I could help, too," she concluded. "But hey, at least he isn't here to ruin our date this time, right?"
Killian laughed. "Aye, too right, love."
Their waiter came with their drinks, and they ordered their food. When he returned with the food, Emma and Killian were laughing about an old pirate tale of Killian's.
"Wait, so you're telling me that you actually fought off a drunk, with a stick, in the middle of the Enchanted Forest during the missing year?" she exclaimed through her giggling.
Killian flashed that incredible smile of his, the one that made her heart melt. "Aye. It was rather entertaining, if I do say so myself," he chuckled out. "Thank you, mate," he said to the waiter as he placed the dishes in front of the couple. "Shall we, Swan?"
Emma nodded, and the two began eating, yet still chatting idly. Killian recounted more tales about his pirating days, and Emma told light stories of her time in the foster system. Before long, the food had disappeared, and they had shared all of the amusing events from their past. The sky had grown dark, and the first stars were starting to appear like little specks of glitter on a navy blue canvas. "It's getting a little late," Emma said quietly. "Didn't you have a movie you wanted to see?"
Killian smiled again. "Aye, love," he murmured. I'll pay for the dinner, don't worry." With that, he got up, leaving Emma at the table with a smile on her face and musing over the plans for the rest of the night.
Where is this gonna go? she thought. Does he expect anything to happen, or is this just a "casual" date? Her wandering mind was halted when her pirate returned to the table.
"Ready, Swan?" he asked, smiling. She took his outstretched hand, grabbed her jacket, and left the restaurant with Killian by her side.
"So, Killian, what movie have you picked out?" she bemused quietly, looking up at him.
"That, love, is a surprise," he replied playfully, kissing her forehead. Emma pouted mockingly, only to earn another kiss from Killian. "You'll see soon."
Quietly they walked back home from the restaurant, hand in hand once again. Suddenly Killian took them off course.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"Home," he replied with a smile.
Emma was confused, and stopped walking. "Killian, you know my apartment is that way," she said, gesturing with her free hand. "Where are we really going?"
His smile grew, causing the skin around his eyes to crease slightly. "I told you, we're going home, love."
"I don't understand…"
"Shh, love, we're almost there, I promise," he soothed, tugging gently on her wrist. Emma slowly started walking again, following Killian. He led them down to a quieter part of Storybrooke, and she could hear the faint lapping of water and smell pine in the air.
Soon they stopped walking. Before she even got a chance to look around to find out where Killian had taken her, she heard him say,"Close your eyes, Swan." Her eyes fluttered closed, and soon she heard the soft click of a door unlocking.
"Killian, what are we doing?" she asked again.
He kissed her forehead softly. "Welcome home, Emma," he whispered.
Emma's eyes opened. She was standing in front of a small stone cottage that seemed big enough for a small family. "What…?" she asked softly. Looking over to Killian, she saw a large smile on his face, illuminated by moonlight.
"Welcome home."
"You mean…?"
"Aye."
"This is…?"
"Ours," came his soft reply.
Emma smiled a little bit as she stepped into the cottage. Fumbling around and flipping the light switch, the room she was in was illuminated softly. A small sofa sat against one wall, and a stone-lined hearth took up another. The hardwood floor was partially covered by a deep blue area rug, and small pieces of nautical memorabilia hung on the walls. In the far right corner of the room sat a small flat screen television. Next to the sofa was a comfortable-looking armchair, and in front of the two pieces of furniture stood a small glass coffee table. Emma walked towards the fireplace, and when she turned around to face him, a framed picture on the wall near the door caught her eye. She walked towards it slowly, and smiled. Killian had taken some pictures of them a while back and he apparently made them into a collage. Some were of just them, some were of them and Henry, and there were even group shots of Emma, Killian, Henry, and Emma's parents in the mix.
"Oh, Killian…" she breathed out. His arms encircled her waist from behind, his head resting on her shoulder. "This is…"
"Shh, Swan. You don't need to explain anything. I did this for you, for us, because I thought that maybe it was time for us to take things further, to start looking forwards to the future," Killian murmured in her ear. Emma smiled and spun around to face him.
"It's beautiful, Killian. It's much more than beautiful. It's touching, it's incredibly romantic. It's absolutely perfect," she told him, planting a soft kiss on his lips. "I love you," she murmured.
He blinked once, twice, as if he didn't understand what she just said. "Emma," he breathed.
"I know it's kind of unexpected, but we've been together a long time now, and I really care about you, Killian, I lo - mnph!" her words were cut off by her pirate capturing her lips, his hand coming up to tangle in her blonde tresses and his other arm holding her firmly against him. She quickly responded to the kiss, arms sliding up to lock behind his neck at the base of his skull. They kissed languidly for a few moments, then he slowed and peppered her face with little ones, smiling, and making sure to cover every inch of her beautiful face.
"I thought you'd never say it, love," he finally whispered. "I thought your walls wouldn't come down so quickly, especially after Baelfire…"
"He may have been the reason why my walls were up, but you, Killian, you brought them tumbling down. Ever since you pretended to be a victim of an ogre massacre, since the swordfight on the beach, since you followed me to New York to save me, since you jumped after me when I fell through Zelena's time portal...I knew I had strong feelings for you, and now I know what they are; I love you, Killian Jones," Emma told him with a smile. His face mirrored hers, and the two of them just stood in the middle of the room smiling broadly at one another.
"I love you too, Emma Swan, I always will," Killian finally said, softly and lovingly. She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, then his cheeks.
"Now what do you think about checking out the rest of our house?" she said, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"I think that can be easily arranged, love," he replied, grabbing her hand gently and leading her through their new home.
