As she walked into the room, Emma noticed something strange. She had been expecting an evening with friends and family, but Granny's diner seemed to be empty. The lights were off and not a person in sight. Astonished, the insecure part of her that she had worked so hard to suppress wondered if perhaps her family had forgotten her. Perhaps they were at home, enjoying a cosy evening on the couch or playing boardgames and didn't notice that they were missing one member.

No. There had to be a logical explanation for this, she shook her head, attempting to repel the negative thoughts. Her family loved her, they wouldn't forget the dinner they had planned and they wouldn't cancel without letting her know. Not her parents, not Henry. Not even her young brother would simply forget her. And certainly not Hook.

Hook. Where was he? He had to be in some sort of trouble, that was the only explanation for him missing their anniversary dinner. Getting worried now, Emma paced around the diner, wondering what could have happened. Everything had been quiet for almost three years now, after the mess with Elsa had been resolved. She had talked to Snow only three hours before, everything had seemed fine then. What fairytale mess could they possibly-

"Everything alright, love?" The sound of his voice pierced through her train of thoughts, immediately filling her with a sense of calm and easing her worries. At least Killian was fine.

"What are you- How can- why-," Emma struggled to get a hold of herself, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Killian, what's going on? Where is everyone? Did something happen?"

Hook chuckled and walked up to her, his hand softly stroking her cheek as he looked her over. "You look beautiful, love. Don't worry, everyone's just fine. There's been a slight change of plan however, it's just you and me tonight." He gestured towards to one of the booths, the one she'd come to think of as their booth. She hadn't noticed before with how worried she'd been to find the place empty, but there were two place settings, the table covered with a beautiful tablecloth and a candlestick in the middle.

"Killian..." she sighed softly, not sure she had the words to describe how sweet this was. Neither of them was particularly fond of wining and dining, they preferred to simply spend time together in whatever form they wished rather than going to lavish candlelit dinners, but this setting was perfect. It was just enough romance to make it special, blended in with the familiar scene of Granny's diner.

"I hope I didn't worry you, lass. I merely thought we could use a night for ourselves," she could see the apology in his blue eyes. He knew her well enough to know exactly the type of thoughts that had been going through her mind.

"No, it's... it's fine. I can't believe you did all of this," she smiled fondly at her pirate. Killian's reply was simply to smile softly as he took her hand in his, kissing it lightly before leading her towards the table.

"Have a seat, love, I'll be right back," Killian winked before disappearing into the kitchen.

Emma still couldn't quite believe he'd gone through all this trouble just for her. She couldn't help but giggling at the thought of the conversation he no doubt had had with her parents, asking them to not show up. Snow had been so excited about their anniversary, she had been the one to make most of the arrangements for the dinner with their admittedly complicated family and friends to celebrate. But this way was good, better even. It would be nice to have a dinner just the two of them, this could even be classified as a date. She smiled at the thought, they hadn't had a lot of those in the past, they spent plenty of time together but with her job and family always getting in the way, date-nights were a rather uncommon event.

She was roused from her musing when Killian wandered back from the kitchen, carrying one plate and a bottle of wine in his good hand with the second plate balancing on his hook. Her pirate certainly didn't let his disability hinder him.

"Did you make this?" she asked in wonder, staring down at the plate he'd put in front of her. The steak looked delicious, with potatoes and salad on the side it was enough to make her mouth water.

"Ehm, no" he chuckled, "I thought it would be a rather unfortunate end to our evening if my cooking gave you food poisoning. When Granny found out about our change of plans, she insisted on taking care of the dinner. I hope it's too your liking,"

"It's wonderful, Killian. I love it," she smiled softly, resting her hand on top of his on the table.

They ate their dinner in a comfortable dinner, sometimes breaking the quiet to share whatever random thought popped in mind. It was nice, spending time together like this. A few years ago Emma never would have imagined being in a relationship like this, where they could sit together in silence for hours with out it being uncomfortable and she couldn't help but to be grateful for everything that had happened since Henry first knocked on her door. The good and the bad, it had all lead her to this point after all. She had an amazing son, wonderful parents, an adorable younger brother, an entire town full of friends and a home. And she had Hook.

"So how did you manage all of this?" she asked once they had finished dinner, "Snow was pretty insistent on doing the big dinner with everyone to celebrate."

"Aye, she was," he started, rubbing his thumb against the corner of his eye. Emma could tell he was nervous, but couldn't imagine why. It's not like he hadn't dealt with her mother before, why would cancelling her party making so nervous. After all, it wasn't like it was an unreasonable request, for the two of them to celebrate their anniversary alone. "It wasn't easy, but I managed to convince her it would be more.. special, just the two of us," he stood up and gestured for her to join him. Thinking dinner was over, she shrugged on her jacket and joined him as he continued, "and I have something to ask you and didn't want an audience."

He was looking at her with that serious look of his, blue eyes holding hers captive. He had a guarded look in his eyes but she had always been able to read him better than that and suddenly she knew. She knew why he'd done all of this, what he was about to ask. Emma could feel her heartbeat quicken, ready to panic. She wasn't ready for this, she couldn't do this, she- her internal panic was cut off by the look in Killian's eyes. She could tell he knew exactly what she was thinking, he always knew, so she took a deep breath and gestured for him to go on. She could do this, of course she could, this was Killian.

"Emma, my love. When I met you I was lost. For longer than I care to remember I had been on a path for revenge, I had lost sight of who I was. I cut down anyone who stood in my way and I didn't care who I hurt in the process. Then I met you," Emma barely noticed the tears gathering in her eyes, her panic had subsided entirely and all she felt now was happiness and love towards Killian. "Emma, you reminded me of who I was, who I want to be. You make me want to become a better man and I would happily spend the rest of my life trying to make you as happy as you make me. Will you marry me?"

During his speech, Hook had bent down on one knee and fished a ring out of his pocket. The ring was perfect. It wasn't too flashy or extravagant, as expected Killian knew her well enough to pick out the perfect ring. The tears were running down her face freely now, as she got down on her knees beside him and threw her arms around him. Gasping and laughing, she finally managed to voice her answer, "yes, yes, of course," before kissing him senseless.

When they finally broke for air, he slid the ring on her finger before wiping away her tears with a soft smile. "I love you, Emma Swan."

"And I, you."