"I don't know if this is a good idea," Elsa said. "I really think I should be focusing on trying to find my sister."
Snow White looked at the poor girl. Her heart went out to her, knowing how it must hurt to be separated from family, especially in a totally foreign world. "Don't worry, Elsa. We're going to find your sister. I promise." Snow hugged Elsa tightly.
"I appreciate your kindness, but...those were the last words our parents said to Anna and me before they left on their voyage. We never saw them again."
"I'm sorry. I really am. I know you want to do everything you can to find your sister. But spending all night looking at these records isn't going to help anything. The records will still be here. You need a break, and I think Emma could use a little support."
Emma reached out and took her new friend's hand, leading her back to her small bedroom. "Come on. My mom never gives up. You were never going to win."
"Maybe your mother is right. I'll find Anna one way or another. But tonight, you have a very important date." Elsa smiled knowingly. She'd seen how Emma and Captain Hook interacted. It was clear they were in love, or something very like it.
"I know you're a long way from home, but it's not like Hook's the first guy I've ever been out with!" Emma said, grinning. "I have a child, for heaven's sake!"
"I know," Elsa said. "But you and Hook get the same looks on your faces as my sister gets whenever Kristoff is around. So, what are you going to wear?"
Emma shrugged. As the town sheriff, she was more used to her red leather jacket and some jeans. Dressing for a romantic evening out was a little different. "I was thinking that dress." On the bed, Emma had placed the only dress she owned. It was one she'd bought in New York. That seemed like a lifetime ago now.
"Very nice," Elsa said, approvingly. "Now, what about you hair?"
"Um...maybe a ponytail?" Emma asked. Fixing her hair was even more alien than wearing a dress.
"I think we can do a little better than that. How would you feel about a braid?" Elsa pointed to her own hair, which she wore in a French braid. It was a look she'd been very comfortable with, ever since her coronation and subsequent flight from Arendelle.
"Do you really think a braid would be good?" Emma asked. "I mean, Hook's never seen me like that. Maybe he wouldn't like it."
"Trust me, Emma. Hook would like you even if you were a talking snowman!"
"A talking snowman? They have those in your world?"
"Well, let's just say it's a bonus that comes with having ice magic. Now, do you want me to do your hair, or not?"
Emma glanced in the mirror on her dresser. She saw herself and Elsa reflected there. She wouldn't do this ordinarily, but going out on an actual date was a big deal. "OK. What have I got to lose, right?"
"Now, this might take a while, since I've never done it on someone else."
"That might've been a nice thing to tell me before I agreed to this," Emma protested. "I thought you must've done your sister's hair at least."
Elsa laughed. "It wasn't that I didn't want to. It's just that I was afraid she'd freeze to death if I even touched her. I told you, these powers...they have a way of isolating you."
"Well, you're not alone anymore." Emma squeezed Elsa's hand. She sat down on the bed, and Elsa crawled behind her. "Work your magic." With a grin, she added. "That's just a figure of speech."
Soon, Elsa had forgotten all about missing Anna, or having uncontrollable ice magic. Emma told her all about how she and Hook had survived a run-in with Peter Pan, and traveled back in time just last year. "Wow. You two really have been through a lot. That must be why you look at each other that way. Anna and Kristoff bonded over trying to find me. She wanted so much to marry Kristoff, and now, she's missing, all because of me."
"Elsa, we're going to find her, I promise. We heard her heartbeat, so she's alive, and she has to be somewhere in this town."
"I know," Elsa said. She admired her handiwork, satisfied that she'd managed to completely change Emma. She now looked like the fairytale princess she was.
Emma turned around, amazed by what she saw. "Oh, Elsa...this is...I don't even know what to say."
Just then, Mary Margaret stuck her head in the doorway. She gasped. "David, you've got to see this! Our little princess is all ready for her first date!"
Suddenly, Emma felt her cheek growing warm as she followed her mother back into the living room.
"Emma, you look beautiful." David came over, kissing Emma's forehead. "But if that pirate tries anything tonight, you just call me, OK? And don't stay out too late, either."
"Dad! I'm not fourteen," Emma said. "I mean, I'm a sheriff, and I carry a handgun. I think I can handle a one-handed pirate."
Mary Margaret walked over, carrying an old Polaroid camera. "I need a picture of this for the scrapbook!"
Emma rolled her eyes. "I get it, we never got to do all this teenage-girl stuff, but really, you don't need to make for it now. This is no big deal. We're just going out to eat, and maybe take a walk out by the docks. I'll be fine." She looked at her father, hoping he got the message.
Before anyone could say anything else, there was a knock at the door. Emma answered it, and there stood Hook. He looked even more handsome than usual. Then she noticed something unusual. Hook didn't have his hook.
Killian smiled. "Are you ready, love?"
"Your hand...you have two," Emma said in surprise.
"It's a long story. I'll explain it over dinner. I know I've spent most of my life on the high seas, but I do know a thing or two about taking a lady out. Or should I say, a princess?" He bowed.
Emma blushed once more. She wasn't used to being treated this way.
"I know you're both adults and everything, but I'm still her father, so don't you dare do anything tonight. Got it, pirate?" David asked warningly.
"Your Highness, I assure you, your daughter couldn't be in better hands," Hook said.
David was about to protest once more, but Mary Margaret squeezed his hand. "David, let it go."
Elsa couldn't resist smiling at the phrase. "Have a good time, you two."
"Thanks," Emma said. Her expression showed that she couldn't wait to get out of here. She felt the slightest bit awkward as the door closed behind her and Hook. But as she looked into his eyes, she suddenly knew everything would be OK. Because this pirate, at least, could be trusted.
The End