A/N: Thanks everyone for the lovely feedback and signing on to read this both here and on Tumblr! It means the world that you guys are enjoying this so lets hope that continues!
"Call me crazy, Dave, but I don't remember you ever skiing when we made the voyage up here before." David shot Killian a dark look at the comment and Killian bit back a grin.
Killian was willing to bet that there was a reason for that and the reason was very likely that David didn't know how to ski. As a man who was good at so many things, it must be hard for him to admit he was lackluster at something. Which is probably why when Mary Margaret mentioned skiing today, he neglected to say that he was not a fan.
"Such a bloody waste. I'm an ace skier and am bound by these crutches while Nolan's going to spend most of the day on his arse." In seconds a snowball hit Will square in the face which set Graham and Killian off laughing.
"You have Belle to keep you company, Will. No one feels sorry for you here." Will huffed under his breath but Killian heard him.
"I'd like to show her I'm good at something because she's too smart for me." Before Killian could contemplate boosting his mate's spirits they were alerted to the presence of the women and all thoughts flew to Emma who though bundled for the elements looked as beautiful as ever.
"Good morning, love." Killian tried to keep himself from fully beaming as Emma watched him with a curious gaze.
"It is seven AM during a vacation, how are you possibly this chipper? The world should not be awake at this time of day without coffee injected intravenously." She said it with a hint of teasing, but the words were tinged with truth. Meanwhile Mary Margaret blushed behind Emma before filling everyone in.
"We had a bit of a mix up with our coffee this morning." Ruby feigned a dramatic shiver as she took over.
"Someone accidentally purchased decaf when shopping for the trip and apparently doctor's without caffeine are like plants without sunlight."
Killian half expected Emma to retort back but was happily surprised to watch her play along with the analogy, motioning as if she was shriveling up into the snow. When she stood back straight, she touched Mary Margaret's arm and reassured her that it was fine. Endorphins would be the next best thing. It was a testament to Emma's goodness that she'd sided with comforting her friend over lingering in her own morning's discomfort.
The girls said their goodbyes to Belle who was dressed for a lazy day hanging around the lodge, but looked plenty pleased with the prospect holding a book close to her chest and sending a soft smile to Will. Killian's friend turned a shade of pink that was indisputably a blush but no one made overt notice. Instead the remaining six set off to hit the slopes. Soon they were at the lift area waiting their turn to be brought up the mountain for the day's activity. Killian noticed some preoccupation coming from Emma though. She kept looking at Mary Margaret with a bit of a worried aura about her.
"Everything all right, love?" When Emma's eyes moved to his he felt that same pang of recognition. She was simultaneously a shock to his system and familiar at the same time.
"Mary Margaret and I are not the best skiers." At this Killian smiled.
"Do you even want to ski then, love? Because we certainly don't have to." Emma's face portrayed her surprise, and Killian felt a desire to kiss away the sentiment.
"Honestly, I just really like riding the lifts."
"Then let's do that."
He extended his hand to her and she took it immediately. Though their gloves separated them from direct contact, he noted that Emma's hand still fit perfectly into place in his. When it was finally their turn to ascend, Killian watched as an excited buzz of energy hit Emma. She looked young and carefree sitting here on the simple lift.
"No fear of heights, I gather." She shook her.
"No, actually I love them. Last year's trip, we went to Costa Rica and I got to take flying lessons. It took a lot of bribery to get me out of that plane."
A strand of her hair was blowing in front of her face, and Killian moved it away with his hand. He was beginning to make a habit of this, but Emma didn't seem to mind and Killian watched as her exuberance shifted to desire before his eyes. Seeing the change put him further in danger of falling for this woman than he already was.
"The more I learn about you, the more intriguing you become, Swan."
"How about you? Do you ever take off work for something other than skiing?" He shook his head.
"I rarely even take off work for this." He expected Emma to be judgmental as many people tended to be when they found out about the extent of his work life but she only nodded.
"I can understand that. You've made your success, sure, but you've also created careers for people who depend on you. You owe them your time too."
"Exactly right. You're very perceptive, Emma."
"I think it's a doctor thing. Every case is like a puzzle, and if I miss something, the solution I choose could do more harm than good." He pulled her in closer to him on the lift.
"Maybe. But I gather it's more an Emma Swan quality rather than a precursor to the medical profession."
She leaned against his shoulder and all was right with the world. A few moments later they reached the summit and when instructed to get off Killian merely shook his head no. The worker at the top immediately lost interest and so Emma and Killian rode their way back down. Up and down they went for some time, just talking and getting to know each other.
He learned that she'd chosen sports medicine because as a child she was adopted by a retired figure skater and her husband. The woman's career was over not due to lack of talent, but lack of access to a medical miracle. Today her injury wouldn't have ended her career, but at the time it meant the end of a dream. Her adopted parents had since died in a car accident, but every time Emma gave someone back their dream, she felt like she was honoring them in the best way that she could.
Meanwhile, he told her all about his brother Liam and growing up together in the rough and tumble environment of his childhood. She particularly enjoyed the story about how at age twelve, he'd taken it upon himself to steal a small skipper from one of his neighbors and take to the open seas. Of course that plan of action crashed and burned in a miserable display of adolescent underestimating, but it was still a good story, one that Emma thoroughly appreciated.
Finally they decided to leave the lifts behind, and made their way back to the lodge, only to find that all of the others were already there, preparing to have lunch. Emma and Killian joined them, but he regretted that their time alone had come to an end. And so, gathering his courage, he asked her at the end of the meal if perhaps she'd like to join him for dinner just the two of them.
"Are you asking me out on a date?" She teased. Then she feigned thoughtfulness for a moment before pulling him forward and kissing him lightly on the mouth. "Pick me up at eight?"
He could only nod as she stepped away and his hand moved to his lips. When he finally pulled himself from the lust filled haze of their first kiss, Killian realized he had to get his act together. A man only had one try at a first date with the fair Emma Swan and he had no intention of messing it up.
…..
"You're sure it isn't too much?" Emma asked her friends again as she looked into the mirror considering her chosen dress for the evening. It was gold with more shine than sparkle and though not overly sensual it definitely displayed her assets well. With her hair down and heels on, she had to admit that she looked really good, but what if he came and was inviting her to something low key.
"It's perfect, Emma." Belle's soft reassurance was appreciated but not very helpful. She was spending the night with Will in the guys' condo watching horror movies and so got to dress in a typical sweater.
Mary Margaret too was dressed casually for some sort of surprise activity with David and Ruby – well Ruby looked like she was on her way to a Boston club instead of dinner with Graham. In a skintight red dress and four inch heels, she looked Amazonian but completely in control. Yet Graham could be taking her to the grocery store, and Ruby wouldn't bat an eye given her ensemble. Emma on the other hand hated the idea of sticking out amongst the crowd. Call it a remnant of her less than stable childhood years before adoption but she liked to blend in whenever possible.
"I think I'm gonna change," Emma began to say but a knock sounded at the door which Belle went over to get.
Looking through the peephole, Belle announced that it was Killian quietly and then pulled the door open. As he stepped in, dressed in a button down black shirt and slacks, Emma should have felt better about her own ensemble, but was consumed with how good he looked in the clothes. Two days hadn't done anything to dull the impact of his attractiveness, and Emma couldn't remember ever seeing a guy and wanting him this badly.
"You look stunning, Swan." The words were an affirmation from his mouth that set her skin on fire in the best possible way, but the moment was quickly interrupted by a chorus of 'awws' from her friends. Rolling her eyes at them and hastily grabbing her coat and bag, Emma stepped just before him.
"Lead the way, Jones."
He smiled and extended his hand, which she gladly took. The simple touch and the way that their fingers intertwined with such ease warmed her whole body. This was so out of her wheelhouse but it was also the most natural thing in the world. When they were in the safety of the elevator she turned towards him with an appreciative perusal of him, deciding to just go with this new way of doing things.
"You don't look so bad yourself you know. I would have said that when I first saw you, but my friends are a bit much and…"
"And you'd rather see where this thing between us goes without commentary from the whole world."
"Yeah, exactly." He bent down and kissed her lightly just before the elevator doors opened.
"That's why I thought perhaps we'd like a night away from the resort, to experience something a bit more… intimate." Emma felt a rush of pleasure dance up her spine at the thought of being intimate with Killian.
"Sounds perfect."
Outside a car was waiting for them and Emma was reminded that though grounded and very down to earth, Killian was successful. And not semi-famous sports surgeon successful, but CEO and founder of a billion dollar company successful. Yet despite that fact, when she looked at him she only saw Killian, the charming, funny, handsome guy she'd met on a mountain.
"So, want to tell me where this night is taking us?" He scratched behind his ear and tilted his head before responding.
"My intention was to keep it a surprise." Emma didn't like surprises and so Killian's boyish smile returned. "But seeing as you're an open book and I find that instinct was incorrect on my part, I'll tell you that I had a bit of trouble deciding where to take you. Then I remembered your love of heights and it dawned on me. A helicopter ride."
Emma's eyes grew wide at the announcement. She'd never been in one without there being some crazy medical emergency consuming her thoughts, but she'd always wanted to go on one for enjoyment.
"And where is this helicopter taking us?"
"To Boston. See Emma, the truth is…" she watched as he stumbled a bit to find the words and reached out to take his hand to calm him. When he looked at her, his words steadied. "The truth is that even though it's our first date, I don't want it to be our only one. It's barely started but I know that come the end of this week, I won't want to let you go."
"But why Boston?"
"Because it's your home, and it's the place I've found a home as well. If we're starting something together I think the start should be where we call home."
Unable to hold back, Emma pulled him towards her for a heated kiss. Unlike their kisses to now, this was filled with passion and cemented what Emma already knew, that she and Killian had a serious amount of chemistry, chemistry that she wanted to explore further. Remembering his motivations for this date only made her hotter and she pulled him closer, relishing the groan that emitted from his chest, until he finally pulled back.
"We are going to happen, Emma. This is just the beginning. But right now, take a look outside." When she turned she saw the helicopter they'd be taking. It was a sleek black and made her adrenaline kick in. She reached for his hand again.
"Let's make our beginning."
The ride from the mountains to the city was not only gorgeous but also invigorating and all the while Emma was thrilled to share it with Killian. She caught him more than once staring at her instead of their surroundings and each time it sent a flush of arousal through her. Killian was a good guy that was clear. She didn't need time to be sure of his character. In fact, she felt like she'd mostly made it out, and the illustration she had told her that he was exactly the kind of guy worth making room in her life for. Until now there hadn't been very many people like that, and the guys who had slipped through ended up being all wrong for her, but Killian came with this incredible feeling of right that Emma couldn't shake.
When they arrived in Boston, they landed on the top of the building where Killian's company was located. The elevator there took them down the dozens of stories to the ground floor and out onto the street. Emma was pleased to find that the restaurant to which they were going was less than a block away. Dimly lit, but beautifully decorated, the small bistro brought together the intimacy and fantastic food that Killian had promised. Emma felt herself forgetting her troubles and fully enjoying the dinner, an occurrence so rare as far as first dates went.
Yet at the end of the night, after the lovely meal and the ride back to the mountain, Killian didn't take her up on her invitation to her room. Instead he merely shook his head with a smile.
"Tonight only confirmed that I'm in it for the long haul, love." He took a step to her, the heat of his breath hitting her neck and making her arch into him on instinct. "And when I have you the first time, we both deserve better than the rest of the world around us."
She knew he was right. Though right now she was so turned on she wouldn't care if her friends had to hear her, in the light of day the mortification would be there and she didn't want to regret anything about being with Killian. So instead of pulling him behind her into the condo, she simply tugged his lips down to hers and showed him that way how thankful she was for the perfect date.
"Until tomorrow, love." He said when she stepped back. She went to shut the door but then popped her head out again.
"Killian?"
"Yes, love?"
"Maybe we should look into… other accommodations before the week's out." Then she closed the door on his shell-shocked face and heard the frustrated groan he let out through the door.
"How was the date?" Mary Margaret asked, looking very chipper herself. Emma sighed.
"Perfect. Absolutely perfect."
Post-Note: A short installment this time, but the next chapter I have planned to be a bit longer. Also will be the first chapter with smut, so stick around! As always, I'd love to hear any and all feedback!
