Just something I whipped up during some downtime at work. Hasn't been beta'd so any errors are my own. I do not own once upon a time or these characters.

"What's once more, love? Couldn't hurt to check in just once more."

"We just called them two minutes ago."

"Was it only two minutes? Seems like much longer." He said as he drummed his fingers against the edge of the wooden table. He was just itching to reach over and grab the phone. It only lay a few inches away, all he had to do was extend his hand slightly and press a single button. Then he could make sure his boy, his Liam was safe, that he was okay.

"He is fine, Killian. He is with my parents and Henry, I'm sure between the three of them they can handle anything."

"Aye. I suppose so."

"This isn't their first time with a baby you know. They did a fine job taking care of my brother when Rumple's Evil Trio was in town wreaking havoc and it's been quiet here for a long time now, no vile villains to worry about. Just normal everyday baby stuff. I trust them when they say they are doing just fine."

"I know, darling. It's just… well, this is the first time we've both been away at the same time. The first time I have left him for so long." She reached across the table and took ahold of his hand and hook, squeezing his fingers gently, reassuringly.

"How about we call again when we are done eating. He should be fed and sleeping by then, we can check in and when they tell us he is completely fine we can stop worrying…" she gave him a pointed look, and arched her eyebrow at him, earning a soft chuckle from her husband when he realized she was mocking him. "Then maybe we can spend the rest of the night focusing on us, like we were supposed to be doing. The whole point of going out tonight was to spend time together without a screaming baby, a moody teenager, and a messy house getting in our way, not to mention our entirely too energetic puppy running around. You told me once you weren't taking me out to worry about the snow queen, well, I'm telling you now that we didn't come out tonight to worry about what is going on at home. Let's just enjoy ourselves for this one night. Okay?"

He nodded and intertwined their fingers. "Okay." He sighed and glanced at the phone again as he said, "as soon as we are done eating though." He looked back up and greeted her smile with one of his own.

"Of course." She let go of his hand as the food had arrived but kept her hold on his hook. Preferring to eat left handed than let go of him completely. She needed the comfort the cold steel provided. As much as she tried to convince him not to worry about leaving Liam for the few hours they had tonight she was just as consumed by the thoughts as he. While they had each left Liam on numerous occasions since their son was born he had always been in the care of the other and it was never for more than an hour or two. They wanted to spend as much time with Liam, and each other, as possible but she knew she would soon have to head back to work and while he would be home with Liam he would want some time for himself and for more date nights. She knew they should start getting used to being away now so it would be easier when the time came.

She looked up from her plate and realized they had both been silently stuffing their faces in an effort to be done with their dinner faster so they could check in with her parent. She met his eyes and finding that he was coming to the same realization she started laughing, his melodic laughter joining hers a second later.

"This isn't working." She managed to say once their laughter had died down.

He looked over to the clock on the wall across the diner, "perhaps an hour and thirty is enough time away for tonight?"

"By the time we get the check and walk home it will be about two hours."

"Strange then, that two hours happens to be the amount of time we promised we would not return earlier than."

They looked at each other for a brief moment before simultaneously calling for Ruby to bring the check. They tried to take their time leaving the diner, asking to have their food wrapped to go so they could finish it later, grabbing their coats and bundling up in their scarves and hats, and making their way out into the cold night, but found they were moving at a faster pace than normal in their rush. They made it back to their little cottage in record time, with only five minutes left of their two hours.

"What do you think, should we risk going in now and getting kicked out again?" Emma asked turning to him as they reached their front door.

"I think not, but I can think of something that we can do until we can safely enter." He backed her up against the side of the house and played with a strand of her hair, twirling it flirtatiously between his fingers, enjoying the way her tongue darted out to moisten her lips as he spoke. He leaned in and brought his lips to hers for a slow, but passionate kiss. His arm going around her waist as his hand threaded further into her hair. One of her hands cupped his cheek as the other went under his scarf and collar of his coat to rest against his collarbone. When the need for air became too strong they pulled away slightly, his hand and hook going to her waist, his forehead resting against hers, their breaths mingling as he spoke again. "Well, love, as brief as this wonderful evening was, and it was wonderful, I have had a splendid night out with you. What do you say we try this again sometime?"

She pulled back as much as she could with the wall against her back "Are you asking me on a date? Because as I recall, you asked me out for tonight, which would make the next one my turn, but then again I'm not too sure if I want to go out with you again-"

He pulled back, and feigned exasperation, "Oi! You take that back, Swan!"

"Well I would, but you see, there's just someone else that is taking up a lot of room in my heart right now. Two actually. And, well, I just don't know-" her playful sentence got cut off as he started tickling her side mercilessly.

"Take it back, Swan!"

"It's Jones now, you idiot" she gasped out between her laughter as his fingers danced across her side and stomach, hitting all her ticklish spots he knew by heart after their year of marriage. His arm going around her to keep her from squirming away, his hook pointed safely away from her to not hurt her as she moved about.

"You are always my swan, now take it back."

"No!" She protested as she playfully tried to move away while also trying to block him, her stomach starting to ache from his skilled fingers and from laughing so much.

"Take it back or you will-"

The door opening made him cut off what he was about to say. He stopped tickling her and wrapped his arms around her instead as she tried to catch her breath. They looked over to see David standing there, arms crossed, eyebrow raised in a way that Emma knew he picked up from spending so much time with Killian "If you two are done being children, there are two actual children inside who would like to say goodnight to their parents."

Killian loosened his grip on Emma, keeping one arm around her waist as they sheepishly made their way past David and into their home.

After saying goodbye to Mary Margaret and David and putting Henry and Liam to bed they heated up what was left of their dinner and sat on the couch to watch a movie while they ate. She was snuggled into his side, their legs stretched out and intertwined in front of them when she finally decided to ask him out again. He playfully refused, which earned him a scoff and gentle hit against his chest.

"Of course I would love to go out on another date with you, my darling wife."

She placed their empty plates on the coffee table and snuggled against him. Placing three light kisses against his jaw and whispering against his stubble, "I love you"

He pulled her ever closer placing a kiss on the top of her head.

"I love you too"