Thanks for all your great feedback, follows and favourites so far - I'm having so much fun writing this. Here's my take on the first date (spoilers for 4x04 - I do not own the characters of OUAT!)
He still couldn't quite believe that after all this time, here they were, on their first official date.
Not counting snow monsters and ice walls, of course.
It had taken a bit of persuasion for her to agree to being blindfolded. He had arrived at the door of the loft and his mind had gone completely blank when she had answered, her hair swept up, a beautiful dress hugging her figure and heels on her feet that brought her almost up to his height. She was radiant. Then again, he thought she looked radiant whatever the circumstances.
He'd kept the blindfold out of sight, instead handing her a single rose as they had said goodbye to her parents, Snow smiling and David looking... less impressed. Once they reached the dimly lit street he produced it from his pocket, distracting her from her obsession with his newly attached hand. As they had made their way down the stairs she had taken it in hers, linking their fingers together, turning it over as if to make sure it was real. He had never got the impression that the hook particularly worried her, but he was glad she was as impressed with it being reattached as she seemed to be. He pushed all thoughts of Gold's warning - that the hand was cursed - to the back of his mind.
"So," he said, dangling the green silk scarf in front of her eyes.
She stared first at it and then at him, puzzled, before a knowing look crossed her face.
"You couldn't even wait till we've eaten? I don't know what kind of girl you take me for, captain, but I certainly don't… how can I put this… "pillage and plunder" on the first date."
She leaned into his ear, her thumb running circles over the palm of his left hand.
"Plus, the green doesn't really go with this outfit."
He rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the effect her voice in his ear had on him.
"Much as though I think you might change your mind about that after the spectacular evening I have planned, that's not what this is for. I want the location to be a surprise."
She stepped back, folding her arms but obviously drinking in his new attire again. These modern clothes seemed to have been a success already.
"How many locations are there in Storybrooke for a date?" she asked.
"You'd be surprised, love."
He slowly walked behind her.
"May I?"
She sighed, but he could tell she was fighting the urge to smile at him.
"Fine. Just make sure I don't fall over in these shoes. I haven't worn heels much lately."
"I'll keep you safe, love," he whispered, tying the blindfold around her eyes.
Showtime.
He had the boy to thank for arranging it all in such a short space of time. Henry had appeared at Granny's not long after Emma left, to have the "if you hurt my mother" chat. It was sweet, how protective he was over her. Then he asked where he was planning on taking her, and he found himself unveiling his plan - he just wasn't sure if it was doable.
Henry had taken his phone from his pocket - it was going to take him a while to fully understand the power of these tiny machines - and with the click of a few buttons, confirmed that the weather was going to stay dry that night. Cold, but no rain, and hardly a whisper of a breeze. There had to be some sort of dark magic powering these phones, that they could predict the weather at the push of a button.
Then, he had headed off to visit Gold, while Henry had got him some supplies. Everything was in place.
"Alright, Swan, we're here. Just stay where you are for a moment…"
He pulled a lighter from his pocket and quickly lit the candles he had left there earlier in the afternoon, placing the glass shields over them to protect them from the sea breeze. He had to admit, even for him, this was good.
"Can I take this off now? You're killing me here!"
"Patience, love," he replied, laughing throatily, "Are you sure you're quite prepared?"
"Very funny, casanova, I think I'm good."
He ran his hands down her arms when he got to her, reaching up to untie the blindfold.
Her reaction was everything he had hoped it would be. Her eyes were wide and she smiled, brightly, taking in the view before her.
"Did you?! How did you have… this is…"
He took her hand and pressed his lips to her knuckles.
"You're quite welcome, Swan."
"It's beautiful."
It really was beautiful. Naturally, he was drawn to the ocean. Having captained the Jolly Roger for so long, being by the water made him feel at home. And one thing Storybrooke had was a hell of a pier. All it really was was some candles, a blanket, and, of course, a basket of food Ruby had prepared for him at Granny's. But the location was what made it so perfect. The water lapping against the shore, the light from some of the boats shining warmly in the background, the smell of salt in the air. It reminded him of home and it reminded her of him.
"Well, the idea was all mine, but you can thank your boy for the realisation of it."
"Henry helped you?!" she looked worryingly stunned.
"Does that surprise you?" he asked, his voice uncertain. The last thing he wanted was for her son to disapprove of their relationship.
She shook her head.
"Actually, no," she leaned up and pressed her lips gently to his cheek, just for a second, "I guess he just knew how important this night was to me."
Her words sent a warm shiver down his spine and he took her hand in his as they sat down on the blanket. He opened the basket and fished out a bottle of wine, and she rummaged through rest of the contents as he poured them each a glass.
"This looks amazing. Granny's handiwork?"
"Actually no, it was Ruby's. She really has outdone herself."
She gladly took the glass from him and took a long sip.
"Good wine. And here I was thinking it was rum all the way with you."
He grinned at her, and shook his head.
"Emma, please, didn't I say I knew how to treat a lady on a date?"
"I'm starting to think you might be right there," she replied, her voice barely a whisper.
With that, the wind picked up a little, blowing her beautifully styled ponytail out behind her. She was perfect. She had, however, neglected to bring a jacket out with her - perhaps his fault for not mentioning the outdoor location - and while he had very much enjoyed warming her up after the ice cave debacle, he didn't fancy seeing her temperature drop again any time soon. He lifted another blanket from behind him and draped it around her shoulders.
"I apologise," he began, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes, "Once again, it doesn't quite match your dress."
She laughed, and wrapped the pale blue blanket around her.
"It's perfect."
Several hours passed in what felt like minutes. They covered new ground - he talked about Liam and she talked about her childhood, he told her about Gold's warning that the hand was cursed and she told him she didn't believe it. She opened up about getting used to Mary Margaret and David being her parents, about discovering she had magic, and he told her more about his time with Baelfire back in Neverland. They ate and they drank and for once, all felt right with the world. When they were done eating they lay back against the cushions he had thrown over the blankets, her body curled into the side of his and his hand absent-mindedly running through her hair. They weren't planning an escape from a wicked witch or a snow queen, or fighting with Rumplestiltskin, or tracking down someone who was missing. They were simply two people, who had waited a long time to spend an evening like this, enjoying being around one another.
When the candles had all but melted away completely, and the wind was picking up, it was finally time to go. Reluctantly they had packed up their things and wandered slowly home - she was wearing his jacket and his arm was draped loosely around her shoulders. They reached the door of the loft, and she had taken the basket and blankets from him, placing them on the floor outside the door and inviting him to drop by for them tomorrow.
"So," she whispered, conscious that despite the late hour, her parents were more than likely still awake.
"So... ," he followed her lead, his pulse quickening as she stepped forward, invading his personal space in the best possible way.
"You were right. Turns out you really do know how to plan a good night out."
"I'm glad you liked it, Swan."
"I did. I don't know how the next one will live up to that," she responded, grabbing both his hands, "but I'm sure we can come up with something."
He smiled, his eyebrow lifting on his forehead at her sultry tone.
"I'm sure we will."
The thought of leaving her now was torture. He composed himself, running his hand across her cheek. He leaned in and captured her lips in his, barely able to believe how every time he kissed her managed to feel better than the last.
He relished the ability to pull her to him with both hands, pressing one on her lower back to hold her against him, while caressing her cheek with the other. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back, both losing themselves in the moment.
When they eventually pulled apart, she tucked a piece of her hair which had escaped from her ponytail behind her ear and stepped back, exhaling loudly and finally meeting his gaze.
"I definitely need my own place."
He grinned at her as she reached down and lifted the basket and blankets, turning the handle of the door to step inside, separating her from him.
"Night, Killian."
"Goodnight."
The street was empty as he left the building, sauntering slowly along the pavement.
How one person could affect him like that he would never understand. He found himself smiling, so lost in the memory of that goodbye he could have sworn he could still feel her in his arms.
A quiet clicking sound suddenly broke the pristine silence he had been walking in, and his captain senses awakened, preparing, as ever, for some sort of confrontation. The click was followed by the sound of footsteps, which quickly broke into a run. Steeling himself for a run in, he stopped in his tracks, turning round just in time to be grabbed, and dragged into the unlit doorway of the closed bakers shop to his right.
She slammed him against the wall, a wicked glint in her eye, her smile flirtatious and dangerously seductive.
"Swan! What the bloody hell are you doing?!"
She was distracted, fiddling with the buttons of his new "modern" attire. She had let her hair down and it rippled over her shoulders, messy and untamed. Her heels had been replaced by ankle boots, and her cheeks were flushed, having run to catch him. Totally uncoordinated but completely divine.
Without saying a word she was flush against him, one hand running over the plains of his chest, the other reaching up to skim over his stubble, her finger tracing the edge of his bottom lip and her eyebrow raised, mimicking his signature move.
And then she was kissing him, and everything outside of them seemed to fade to insignificance. Her hand tangled in his hair, pouring every ounce of passion into the moment. It took him a second to reciprocate, like she had hypnotised him, but as his body seemed to wake up to her touches, every nerve ending on fire, he grabbed her by the waist and spun them around, pushing her back flat against the wall and relishing her squeal of appreciation.
After that first time in Neverland their kisses had been passionate, but in an understated way. Kisses which conveyed trust, need, affection, loyalty - even the kiss that ended their date had been passionate but not quite lustful. It seemed cruel to give in to that sort of temptation when at that point things were unlikely to go any further, certainly not in her parents' loft. But the way her body was reacting to his now, he couldn't imagine holding back from her. Even if it meant the moment he had to leave her was going to be even more torturous than it had already been for one night, that was a price he was more than willing to pay.
As his head began to spin, he reluctantly pulled his lips from hers, fighting a smile as she moaned impatiently, holding his face in her hands and leaning into him, catching his lip between her teeth for just a fraction of a second before turning her attention to his cheek, his jaw and eventually his neck. This was becoming dangerous territory.
Everything about her sent shivers of desire through him, and the thought that eventually, one of these days, this wouldn't have to stop before going any further was just about enough to help him through.
He told himself - two more minutes, and then I'll walk her home.
And all of a sudden it was over, as quickly and unexpectedly as it had begun. She placed a searing kiss on his mouth, so possessive and intense he felt sure his lips would be bruised in the morning, and then pushed her palms against his chest, stepping out from his grasp and grinning at him, breathlessly.
"Not that I'm complaining, love," he sighed, trying desperately to control his breathing, "But where did that come from?"
She was already walking away, and turned to look over her shoulder at him, the same sultry look in her eye she had had when she had said goodnight at the door.
"That?" she replied, innocently, "Well. That was just a teaser… to get you through tonight."
She was throwing his own words from that morning back at him and he loved her even more for it.
Bring on date number two.
This was quite a fun chapter to write! I didn't want to totally disregard the hand/hook situation, but I have to admit, Killian being distracted by his potentially cursed hand at the end of the date made me sad - so I kept my version a little bit lighter! Hope you enjoyed, and if you liked it (or didn't!) please leave me a little review - your feedback means a lot and since I'm new to this it'll definitely encourage me to keep going, and to improve!