Chapter 3:
It turns out falling back into a groove of texting and flirting with Killian is quite easy. Killian is nice and fun, and quite considerate in that he tends to ask about Henry just as much as he asks about her. He always has something fun to tell her, an interesting story about fishing, or a quip about his brother, or even a comment about dodgeball. And he never prods too deeply, always letting Emma choose when she is comfortable telling him something new.
Emma isn't sure why she ran from him so quickly the first time, until she wakes up Monday morning to realize Mary Margaret and Ruby have said nothing about her little "escape" in between their dodgeball games, and are probably going to have another relationship intervention this week at Granny's.
So Emma decides that the better option is to up-front tell them that she and Killian are "friends" and that is all they are going to be, rather than letting her friends turn the entire meal into another disaster.
"Friends? Are you sure, Emma?" Mary Margaret asks a little tentatively. Emma can tell Mary Margaret isn't sure if she wants to believe Emma or if she wants to force Emma into dating.
"Yeah, friends. We came to a bit of a truce, he is going to take Henry onto his boat some time, and I'll drive him home from dodgeball once in awhile. Friends."
"Well, that sucks," Ruby says with a pout. "But I suppose we should respect your wishes. Otherwise we will endure the wrath of Swan yelling at us again."
"You can always change your mind when you get to know him," Mary Margaret says. "You know, David and I started out as friends."
"That's because David was dating someone else," Ruby laughs out. "Nothing like stealing someone else's man to endear your TA to you, right?"
Emma smiles, happy that the conversation is heading away from her. "You and David are a special case. True love and all that bullshit."
"Hey! It is NOT bullshit!" Mary Margaret cries, a hand flying up to her chest in offence. "True love is a real thing, and I will help you find it Emma. You too, Ruby."
"Oh, joy," Ruby allows the sarcasm to ooze out of every word. "Let me just go tell all my booty calls to give up now. Mary Margaret is going to find me true love."
Mary Margaret pouts, her arms crossing in front of her chest. "Well, you'll know how much of an idiot you sound once I really do find you true love."
"Let's work on Emma first, then we can move on to me."
"Hey!" Emma says, hitting Ruby on the arm. "I'm perfectly happy where I am. Why don't we work on your true love, huh? You did say some of those Merry Men were pretty cute. Plus there are all the new girls in the league for you too! So many options!"
"OR," Ruby says, letting out a breath of relief as their meals arrive. "We can eat in silence and completely change the topic once we get half of this down. I'm starving!"
Emma and Mary Margaret at least agree that eating is the best option, and spend the next ten minutes in silence - the only sounds heard the sounds of chewing, cutting, and the slurping of milkshakes. By the time they do start talking again, Mary Margaret is bringing up a story about one of the dogs from the pet shelter she and David are fostering, which leads into another argument about who is a cat person and who is a dog person. Thankfully, dodgeball isn't brought up at all the rest of the meal. Neither are true love or Killian Jones. Emma thinks her friends may actually believe her lie about not wanting to date for once. Which is kind of hilarious, because all the other times Emma had said she doesn't want to date, it was true.
When they are almost through their meal, Emma's phone beeps with a new message. It's from Killian, and Emma pulls her phone out and keeps it hidden where her friend's won't be able to peek over her shoulder.
"Hope your lunch is going well and your friends aren't scaring you off again. I'd hate for us to have started… something… and them to have made you run for the hills."
Emma rolls her eyes at the text, and when questioned she opts for a half-truth. She tells them it is Killian, but pretends he is just asking her if she can give him a ride home again on Thursday. When Ruby and Mary Margaret take it at face value, and go back to their discussion of Grey's Anatomy, Emma smiles down at her phone as she sends a quick text back.
"I think you're good this time, Captain. No mutiny on the horizon."
Killian replies very quickly with a smiley face, followed closely by, "Maybe then you will let me buy you and Henry dinner after the games?"
Emma rejoins her friend's conversation, discussing how Meredith and Amelia are getting along better this season, if only to look like she is still listening. With the conversation continuing, she quickly grabs her phone again to double check if Henry's Friday off from school is this week or next. When she sees that Henry could stay out a bit later this week after his hockey practice, she tries not to let her eagerness for a dinner with Killian Jones (even if her son will be there too) show through to her friends.
"Henry has Friday off school, so I think he could stay out a bit later at night to grab something to eat. I'm usually pretty hungry too after dodgeball."
"Perfect. It's a "date"."
Emma smiles at her phone a little too much upon the last text message. It has been a really, really long time since she has been excited to go on a date with a man, much less one that is absolutely gorgeous, knows about her kid, and has a fantastic accent. She stares at the word once more, before dropping her phone into her jacket pocket to avoid looking at it anymore. When she looks up, Ruby is smiling knowingly at her, but Mary Margaret seems none-the-wiser.
Emma spends the rest of Monday, and the majority of Tuesday morning, throwing herself into work. For a while she has been talking to Henry about trying to do the "double-down" as he calls it - catching two bail jumpers in the same night. The task itself is almost impossible, but Emma has worked it down to a science and thinks she may even have the ability to do it tonight. She has a date set up with a guy who hasn't paid his spousal and child-support in almost three months (guys are so easy to get through Tinder nowadays), and she has the name of the club often frequented by a second guy who didn't appear in court last week on drug possession charges. If all goes well, Emma will have the first guy in custody before 10, and be waiting outside the club by 11:30. It will definitely be a long Tuesday night, but it could allow Emma to take the whole weekend off thanks to the payout she can earn.
Ruby has helped Emma pick out almost every "date" outfit she has in her closet, and from the looks of the guy's Tinder profile, her red dress that leaves little to the imagination would work perfectly. As Emma goes to get the last of her make-up on (and throw a pair of jeans and a white tank top into her bag for later), she hears Henry letting Ruby into the living room. God bless Emma's friends and their willingness to babysit at a moment's notice.
With the final touches of her make-up in place, Emma checks her watch to find she is still a bit early to leave for her date. She isn't meeting the guy until 7:45, so she still has about fifteen minutes to waste before she really needs to go.
Walking out into the living room, Emma hears the sounds of Henry's video game followed by a wolf whistle from Ruby.
"Wow, Emma. Your date is a super lucky guy," she says with a wink, putting a little too much emphasis on the word date.
"Yeah. The guy is super lucky he didn't pay his child support, otherwise he'd never have to run into me." Emma replies with an eyeroll.
Ruby's face falls. "So this isn't a real date? And I was so certain on Monday that you were shacking up with-"
"RUBY!" Emma interrupts, her head turning to point at Henry. "This is just work, okay? Besides, aren't we focusing on you now?"
"Me? What? Me? There is no me to focus on. Nuh-uh, nothing at all," Ruby's words come out jumbled as she crosses her arms in front of her chest.
Emma begins to laugh at her friend's antics, but then she notices the small bit of fear in Ruby's eyes. "Wait, Ruby... Is there someone?"
A flush begins to form on Ruby's face. "No, what? No, there's nothing… there's…" Ruby lets out a sigh. "Don't tell Mary Margaret. She will freak out and then that might make me freak out and… it's new. And it's good. And it's different. And we've only had like one real date so far and I don't think I'm ready for people to know."
"Look at this! Ruby having a real date!" Emma says loudly, but then her voice drops and she gives Ruby a knowing smile. "I totally understand. I'll keep your secret, and won't tell Mary Margaret. I hope everything works out."
"Thanks," Ruby says, the relief evident on her face. "I just… I kind of want to know if this is something I want before you guys start micro-analyzing it."
"That sounds familiar," Emma says under her breath, but thankfully Ruby doesn't catch it. Instead of saying anything else, Emma pulls her friend in for a slightly awkward hug. Ruby, after some quick hesitation, relaxes into the hug and pulls Emma close.
"Seriously, thanks Em," Ruby says quietly into her ear.
"You'd do the same for me, I'd hope."
When the two pull back, Ruby has a quizzical look. At the same moment, Emma's phone buzzes from the kitchen counter and Killian's name is bright on her screen. Ruby's face lights up, and she starts jumping up and down.
"I KNEW IT! I SO KNEW IT!" she cries, a triumphant fist coming into the air.
"Ruby… no there's…" Emma tries again, but ends up just giving up. "Don't tell Mary Margaret?"
Ruby's movements pause, and her smile turns genuine. "Wait, really? I was totally just playing you on all of that Killian Jones stuff…"
When Emma lets out a sheepish shrug, Ruby's hand moves up to her face.
"I promise I will not tell Mary Margaret." Ruby says with sincerity. "But, damn girl, good job!"
And with Ruby's comment, both women break out into a fit of laughter, the hilarity of the situation dawning on them. Emma tries hard to control herself when she feels tears forming, not wanting to ruin the makeup she spent almost half an hour on. When the two calm down, Ruby motions for Emma to go check her phone.
"I know you are dying not knowing what he said," Ruby says, giving Emma a moment of privacy as the oven announces it is pre-heated.
The text message turns out to be links to a few take out restaurants, with the word "Thursday?" at the end. Emma sends out a quick reply about looking over them with Henry later, dropping her phone back on the counter and walking over to her kid.
"Hey Henry, pause the game, okay?" She says, leaning down over the couch to look at what he is playing.
"Okay," Henry says, pausing the hockey video game and turning around on the couch to face Emma. "Wow, Mom. You look good."
"Think I can double-down tonight, kid?" She asks, leaning over to ruffle his hair.
"I think so, but you're going to have to be extra good. And make the police at the station do their jobs super quick too, right?" Henry replies.
"Ah, so you have been listening," Emma says with a smile. "Now, remember to do your homework before bed, and don't let Ruby feed you too much junk food."
"Hey!" Ruby cries from where she is putting a frozen pizza into the oven. "I am a fantastic influence!"
"I promise I will eat all the vegetables on the pizza and not pick any of them off. And I promise to only convince Ruby my bedtime is eleven, not midnight like last time." Henry says, crossing one hand over his heart and holding the other up like a boyscout.
"Nine-thirty!" Emma says, loud enough that Ruby can hear. "Henry's bedtime is nine-thirty on a school night!"
Henry rolls his eyes at his mom, pouting because he obviously won't be able to trick Ruby tonight into letting him stay up late. But then his face softens and he smiles at his mom. "You be safe, Mom," he says, leaning over the couch to pull Emma into a hug.
"Thanks, kid. I'll try my best." Emma holds onto the hug for a little bit longer than necessary, but she knows these hugs are getting to be fewer and farther between as her son continues to act more and more like a teenager with each coming week. Emma gives Henry one last kiss, hearing his promise to be good as he turns back to the video game he was playing. Emma reminds Ruby that she will text her throughout the night to keep her updated, but that Ruby is free to sleep in Emma's room for the night seeing as how many hours it could take. After double checking that she has her phone, her ID, her handcuffs, and her change of clothes, Emma heads out to her bug to attempt the "Double Down."
The first half of the night goes swimmingly, Emma having booked the guy and completing all the paperwork by 10:30, leaving lots of time for her to attempt the "double down". It only took twenty minutes to drive over to the club, and another twenty (plus a twenty dollar bill) to bribe the bouncer into letting it slip if her second mark is there tonight. After getting a positive answer, (leave it to the drug dealers to be at a club on a Tuesday night at the end of September), Emma parks herself in her bug so that she has a perfect vantage point of the two exits of the club. Another twenty had earned her the information on her mark's current outfit, and from the sounds of his neon green shirt and striped pants, he will not be a hard one to find leaving the club.
The club doesn't close until two, and being earlier than midnight now, Emma has to play the waiting game if she wants to achieve the "double down". She sends off a quick text to Ruby, letting her know it may be a long night and to just crash, before settling in reading the menus for the take-out places Killian had sent her earlier. After deciding the Thai food would be most loved by both her and Henry, Emma turns to Candy Crush to entertain her on the long night.
As Emma sips on her third energy drink of the night while the clock nears one-AM, her phone lights up with an incoming text. It's from one Killian Jones, and Emma would be lying if she said her heart didn't flutter upon seeing his name.
"Are you up, Swan?"
She stares at the text for a minute, trying to guess why on earth this sounds more like a booty call than anything. But, she is pretty bored waiting for her mark, and she is really jittery from the energy drinks, so flirty texts sound like a really good idea for 1AM.
"And what would you do if I am?" she sends as a reply. Killian's message comes through almost instantly after hers sends, and it leaves a small smile on her face.
"I'd honestly say I wasn't expecting a reply, but I am pleasantly surprised to get one."
Emma decides to try for the flirty thing, or at least the joking we-are-sort-of-dating-but-haven't-had-a-real-date-yet thing.
"I suppose this is when you text me to ask me what I am wearing, right?"
"I was just going to ask what you are doing up at 1AM on a school night, but we could move this conversation in another direction if you wanted."
Emma smiles down at the phone. Ever the gentleman, but also completely okay with changing this to flirty banter. Emma opts for the truth instead.
"Waiting for a bail-skip to leave a club. I'm in my bug outside on a stake out."
She pauses for a moment, then adds a second text. "I'm in jeans and a white tank top right now, though I was in quite a flirty dress to catch the first guy."
Emma waits a moment, expecting another text, but jumps when her phone lights up with a phone call instead.
"Killian?" She says, answering the phone and leaning down further in the bug to keep anyone outside from seeing her.
"Swan," Killian's voice sounds tired, but quite ecstatic. Emma feels her stomach flip upon hearing his accent saying her name. Or maybe it's just all the energy drinks. "I thought you may want some company, and though I'm not there to provide you with any in person, my voice may be able to help."
Emma lets out a small laugh. "Nice try, Jones. I know you really just missed me."
"Or maybe I want to know more about this dress you were wearing earlier," Killian replies, and Emma can almost hear the way his tongue has moved into his cheek.
"How about, before we get into the dress, you tell me why you are awake at 1AM. Don't you work early at the docks?" Emma asks, her eyes jumping between the two doors to the club. As much as she wants a distraction, and wants to talk to Killian, she doesn't want the flirting to cause her to miss her mark and the double payout.
Killian is silent for a moment, and his voice is small when he replies. "Just… couldn't sleep is all."
Emma waits for a longer explanation, but upon realizing that she probably isn't going to get one, decides to give Killian the benefit of the doubt. After all, he has been very patient with her whenever their texting gets a little too deep and Emma pulls back. So instead of prying, Emma asks, "Do pirates not know how to count sheep?"
There is the sound of a small laugh, and Emma can hear the relief in his voice as Killian answers.
"Unfortunately I can't find any sheep to count, love."
"I didn't mean literal sheep, Killian," Emma says with a laugh, rolling her eyes at this man's antics.
"Though, I'd be happy to oblige you if you wanted to come read me a story or something, maybe in that dress you were talking about." Killian flirts.
"Oh, you mean the one that only hit above my thighs… and was so tight I couldn't wear a-" Emma doesn't finish her sentence, instead freezing when she notices a man wearing a lime green mesh tank top (seriously, some people) and striped pants walk out of the back of the club. The man stands there for a minute, pulling out a cigarette, and Emma notices the bouncer she had bribed earlier look her way, then look back at the man.
"Emma? Love? Dress so tight you couldn't wear a what?" Killian asks, sounding a little desperate.
"Sorry, you're going to have to hold that thought. My guy just left the club and if I don't leave now, I don't think I'll catch him." Emma says, noticing the man is almost finished his cigarette.
Killian lets out a groan. "Alright, love. But you are going to finish that sentence sometime very soon."
"Yeah, right," Emma says, grabbing the handcuffs from her purse and pulling her ID into her pocket. "Sorry I really have to go."
"Catch the bad guy, Swan. But please be careful," Kilian urges.
"I'll be fine. Talk to you soon," Emma replies, hanging up the phone before Killian can get another word in. She exits the car as her mark begins walking away from the club, and Emma smiles to herself knowing she is finally going to achieve the "double down".
She walks after the mark, getting far enough away from the club that they won't cause a scene before calling his name. The man turns around, takes one look at Emma, and bolts down the street. Emma rolls her eyes - they are always runners - but chases after the man anyways knowing she is definitely going to get her payout tonight.
Emma ends up catching the guy, though he does manage to get in a good hit that will leave Emma with a pretty nasty bruise on her cheek for the next week or so. By the time Emma finishes up at the police station and stumbles into her apartment, it is nearing 4AM and Emma feels like a walking zombie.
She drops her bag and somehow reembers to lock the front door before she heads into Henry's bedroom to check on his sleeping form. Sure enough, Henry is snoring loudly with the covers half-strewn off of his body and one leg falling out of the bed. Emma chuckles to herself and carefully maneuvers Henry so his whole body is back on the mattress. She pulls the covers back up around him, and places a kiss on his forehead.
"Love you kid," she whispers into the darkness.
As Emma exits the room, she hears Henry waking up a little bit. "Love you too Mom," he says, sitting up.
"Shh, go back to bed. It's late," Emma tries, turning around to see Henry sit up further and rub his eyes.
"DId you manage the double down, Mom?" he asks, letting out a long yawn at the end.
Emma smiles, walking back towards her kid and crouching next to the bed. "Yeah I did. I'll tell you all about it after school tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay," Henry says, moving back under the blankets and letting out a second yawn. "I knew you could do it," he mumbles, already falling back asleep.
"Thanks, Henry." Emma says, placing another kiss on his forehead before exiting the room and closing the door.
She leans against the door to Henry's room and lets out a deep breath, glad Henry is so understanding of her job, and also glad he didn't notice the bruise on her cheek. She will deal with telling him about that in the morning.
With the last bit of energy she has left, Emma drags her feet over to her bedroom and collapses onto the bed next to a Ruby-shaped lump. Emma doesn't bother changing or getting under the covers, but does pull her phone and handcuffs out of her pockets to drop them on the floor. Her phone's alert light is flashing brightly, and even though she is tired Emma opens her phone to see what app is giving her a notification this early in the morning.
A single text message sits on her phone, and it brings a smile to Emma's face and butterflies to her stomach.
"I hope you are home safe and caught the bastard. Sweet dreams, Swan. Talk to you in the morning."
Emma feels lighter as she drops her phone to the floor. She turns her head sideways to see Ruby underneath her covers, sleeping soundly with a smile on her face. Seems they're both heading into some new territory. Hopefully Ruby's someone makes her feel the same way Killian seems to make Emma feel. Closing her eyes, Emma relaxes to the thoughts of red dresses, counting sheep, and the voice of a certain dark-haired man lulling her to sleep.
Emma stands in her usual spot in the front of the YMCA waiting for Henry to finish changing, only this time she isn't standing alone. All of her team had left early, their two games being finished by 7:00. Thankfully the Storybrooke Saviours had won them both, though the Merry Men had been really tough to beat and a little too happy even after losing. The Hook Shots had won both their games as well, meaning both teams are slowly solidifying their place as the top two in the league.
Killian stands a few paces away from Emma, his freshly washed hair flipping into his eyes as he talks on the phone to the restaurant they are ordering dinner from. Emma tries not to stare, but this is one of the first times she is seeing him in something other than his gym shorts and goodness does he look good. The dark wash jeans hug every curve of him, and Emma is somewhat pleased to see he can really fill out a pair of pants. His hook is still attached, and Emma wonders if he has any other pieces to use in his everyday life. She does have to admit that the hook is just a little bit sexy, so a small part of her is happy he kept it on. Killian is also wearing a blue button down, something slightly more formal for their informal dinner tonight (Emma is kind of regretting not bringing something more than her jeans, a plain tee shirt, and her leather jacket). The top three buttons aren't done up, though, and it is taking every restraint Emma has to not drag her fingers through the chest hair peeking out. Once Henry is with them, he will be the distraction Emma needs not to jump Killian's bones, so Henry needs to hurry up and finish changing from Hockey because Emma doesn't know how much longer she can keep control of herself so close to this much Killian.
"Dinner is all set, should be ready for pick up in about twenty," Killian says, pulling Emma out of her trance and causing her cheeks to redden. He walks back over to where she is standing, then pauses, his eyes going up and down her body. "You seem jittery, love, you okay?" he asks.
Emma nods, her face feeling really warm. "Yeah, just… adrenaline from the games I guess." She shrugs, rocking back and forth on her feet and digging in her purse for her keys to give herself something to do with her hands.
Killian laughs as Emma continues to fumble. After a few moments, his right hand reaches over to grab hers and hold them still. "Love," he says, pausing so Emma can look up at his face. "Are you nervous?"
Emma blanches. "Nervous? I'm not nervous, what gives you that idea?"
"Just a conclusion I may have reached," he says, then adds with a laugh, "Perhaps from how you've picked up then subsequently dropped your keys within that bag of yours ten times in the last minute."
Emma looks down at her hands, the keys dropping from her fingertips again. "So I have," she says, eyes staring down at the bag.
"Love, there is nothing to be nervous about. This is very low key, just dinner with you, me, and Henry." Killian says, his hand moving from her wrists to rub up and down her arm.
Emma lets out a sigh. "Well, like I said. I'm really bad at this."
"This?" Killian asks.
"The…" Emma pauses, lowering her voice and looking around to make sure no one from her team is still lingering even after seeing them all leave earlier. "This dating thing. I haven't dated in like, forever, other than all the fake ones to catch bail-skips, or one-night-stands. And never someone that already knows my kid before we even start." She pauses again, trying to remember anything about dating. All she really remembers is Neal and the times they would sneak into someone else's motel room for a 'date' of a warm shower and a bed to crash on for a few hours. Or Walsh and the fancy dinners he would take her to that usually encompassed food she didn't want to eat and boring conversations, and ended in a chaste kiss with a promise to call the next day.
"Well, love, I will admit to you again that I haven't been on the dating horse in quite some time either. You do remember why I talked to you in the first place, right?" Killian asks, his voice quiet to match Emma's.
Emma lets out a laugh, the tension slowly leaving her as she remembers how horribly embarrassing Killian's and her initial meeting was, and how adorably vulnerable Killian had looked admitting it all to her. Honestly, that was probably what endeared her to Killian most - seeing the embarrassed little boy behind the act. "Okay, yeah, I remember."
"I guess we both aren't too good at this," Killian says. "Though, I agree that keeping it a secret for a little while may be in our best interest, just until we get our sea legs back. Especially if your friends will scare you away again."
"About that…" Emma says, turning to fully face Killian. "I think, at least for now, I want Henry to think we are just friends, okay? No words of dating or anything with him. I've never introduced him to anyone I've dated before, and he already knows you as a bit of a friend. So staying with the whole friend thing, at least until we know if this will work out, would probably be best."
Killian thinks for a moment, but then nods his agreement. "Aye, that does sound like it would be in the boy's best interest. Besides, then I can get his brain around me being a friend and ship captain before I have to get him around the whole 'dating your mother' thing."
Emma rolls her eyes, but smiles along with Killian. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"And as for everyone else, we can let them know at a later date, when you're ready, alright Swan?" Killian says. "I'll even try to keep it from my brother, at least for the first little bit."
"Oh, no, Killian!" Emma cries, shaking her head at him. "You don't have to do that, you can tell your brother! But just, keep it casual."
Killian laughs, "Well, that's a relief. I don't bloody know how I kept him from asking any questions this past week."
Emma smiles with Killian, her hand moving of its own volition to rub up and down his shoulder. The two stand in silence, Emma's hand slowly falling down from Killian's shoulder to lay by her side. They are standing close, and Emma can feel the heat radiating off of Killian's body. But even still, it isn't awkward or weird to stand in silence together. Its calming even. Emma jumps for a moment when she feels Killian's fingers twitch next to hers, but relaxes again when his pinky moves to wrap around hers. She lets out a small smile, and looks down at their fingers for a moment. Emma doesn't know how long they stand there together, single fingers entwined, but their hands break apart upon hearing Henry's voice loudly coming from the area of the boy's locker rooms.
"Right, I should get Henry," Emma says, grabbing her keys from her bag and holding them firmly in her grasp. Killian nods beside her, picking up his gym bag from the floor and readying himself to go. Henry notices them standing together and his eyes light up upon seeing Killian. Emma raises her hand to wave at Henry, then motions towards the doors so they can go. Just before beginning to move, Emma pauses and turns back to Killian.
"Oh, Ruby knows though. But she won't tell anyone, so we're safe." With that, Emma moves towards Henry and greets him with a hug as Killian is left standing a little dumbfounded.
"Are you coming Killian?" Henry asks, stopping as he and Emma reach the doors to the YMCA. "Mom said we are getting take-out!"
Killian only takes a moment to recover, but with a cheerful "Aye," and happy smile he follows the two Swans out of the rec centre and towards Emma's car.
The Thai food is ready by the time they reach the restaurant, and Emma smiles happily while driving to Killian's place as her son and Killian chatter incessantly about something pirate-related. Henry seems really happy to get to discuss all the research he has done, and Emma feels a bit calmer now knowing they are playing the whole "friends" thing for the first little bit. Though, she wouldn't object to another kiss if Henry ever uses the bathroom or something.
Emma manages to find a parking space only a building down from Killian's apartment block, and she and Henry start walking towards the doors while Killian gathers the food.
"Where are you going, Swans?" Killian asks, the take-out dangling from his hook as he stands next to the car.
"Your apartment?" Henry asks. "Isn't that where you said we are eating?"
Killian laughs, and shakes his head. "Oh, I have something much better in mind. Come, its not a far walk!"
Emma and Henry stare for a moment as Killian begins to walk between the apartments towards the Marina. The two look at each other questioningly, but then Henry shrugs and runs to catch up to Killian while Emma rolls her eyes before walking slowly behind them.
When Emma catches up to Killian and Henry, they are standing along the small boardwalk of the marina. Killian is pointing out to a boat two docks down, and Henry is nodding and bouncing up and down.
"Okay, what are we doing? I'm starving, and we are now standing in the middle of the boardwalk." Emma says once she finally gets close enough for the boys to hear her.
"Ye of little faith," Killian says, grabbing Emma's hand with his free one. "Come, I found a much nicer place for us to eat than my little kitchen."
Emma rolls her eyes, but lets Killian pull her along. "Do you know anything about this?" she asks, turning her face to look at Henry.
"Maybe," Henry says, "But I am sworn to secrecy."
It doesn't take long for Emma to see where they are going, though, as Killian stops them in front of a large ship. The mast stands tall and the sails are tied, but there is a large table and three chairs placed on the main deck and tiny fairy lights strung between all the poles lining the ship. Though the sun is setting, the ship is illuminated enough to have a soft glow. If Henry weren't here, Emma would call this the most romantic thing she had seen, and she probably would be already kissing Killian. But her son is here, so instead she just stares in awe at the beauty and majesty of the vessel before her.
"Killian, this is…" she starts, but can't think of the proper words to finish her sentence. She turns to look at Killian, and the first thing she notices is how his chest is puffed out with pride and his smile seems to extend off of his face.
"Welcome to my pride and joy, the Jolly Roger," Killian exclaims, his right hand coming out to point at the ship.
"This is your ship?" Henry asks. "This is so COOL! Are we eating up there?"
Killian lets out a laugh, turning to smile down at Henry. "That we are, lad. Why don't you go on up and take a look at the deck, if it's alright with your mother," he says.
"Mom, can I?" Henry asks, and it's the awe and excitement in her son's voice that pulls Emma out of her trance.
"Yeah, go on up. But stay where we can see you," Emma replies.
"COOL!" Henry cries out, bouncing in place again before running up the gangplank. As soon as he reaches the deck, he runs up to the helm, probably pretending that he is sailing the ship himself. Emma watches Henry for a moment, but then her eyes moves back to take a look at the ship again. It really is beautiful, old woods and fine lines, completely accented by the twinkling lights that decorate the top of the ship.
She turns to face Killian, but the Jolly Roger draws her eyes back in. "Killian, this is beautiful. And way too much."
"Honestly, love. It was no trouble at all. My brother and I sometimes host nighttime cruises, so the fairy lights we have up most days and just turn them on and off as needed. Besides, the boy wanted to see our ship and I figured it would be more fun than a living room."
"Still, it's," Emma doesn't know how to finish her sentence. So instead, her eyes fly to where Henry is still pretending to steer the ship to make sure he isn't looking. When she sees how Henry is somewhat occupied and facing the other direction, she turns to Killian and smiles up at him. He smiles down at her as well, but his smile quickly turns to surprise when Emma leans up on her toes and places a small kiss on his lips.
"Thank you," she says, though she doesn't really know what she is thanking him for.
Killian's arm comes up to scratch behind his neck, and his face looks much more red than it did before (though it could just be a reflection of the fairy lights). He takes a deep breath, then holding up his hook with all the food dangling from it, says, "What do you say we get onboard and eat, before all of this gets cold?"
"I'd say that's a great idea," Emma says, looking up at Killian through her lashes.
Emma knows this isn't a real date, because it's just take out with a guy she really likes and her son, but when Killian uses his free hand to help Emma up onto his ship then allows it to drop to the small of her back as he leads her to the table, it begins to feel like one. They eat by the glow of the twinkling lights as the ship stays docked in the harbour, and between Killian's stories and Henry's enthusiasm Emma finds herself laughing more than she has in a long time. The table is small, and they are all sharing out of the take-out containers instead of eating on their own plates. It all feels really intimate, like she and Henry have known Killian for ages.
When dinner is finished, Killian takes them on a tour of the ship, showing them the Captain's quarters, the brig, the mess hall. He explains that the ship is modelled after one from the 1800s, that he and his brother spent a really long time getting all of the details right before finally turning it into a tour-boat. He talks of how they spent one summer just sailing the boat up and down the Eastern coast, seeing everything and pretending to be a pirate ship and hosting dinners when they needed extra money. As well, he talks about their other boat, points to it as it sits docked next to the Jolly, and explains the differences between this one that they use for fun, and the other that is much more of a fishing boat used for their real business. Henry is enthralled, wanting to experience one of these pirate dinners for himself, wanting to go out on the fishing boat and try his luck with a rod, and also begging to be taken out on the water as soon as possible, regardless of the ship.
"Well, I don't feel quite comfortable taking her out on my own in the middle of the night, plus you probably should be getting home soon. I've kept you out much past your bedtime, Henry," Killian replies, looking to Emma for confirmation.
Emma looks down at her watch, and it is nearing eleven at night. Somehow, amidst the food, tour, and stories, she really lost track of time. "Holy crap, it is really late! You are lucky you don't have school tomorrow, mister, otherwise you would be in deep trouble for letting me get this distracted."
Henry winces, knowing that every time Emma had gone to check her phone or watch, he had distracted her with another question for Killian or pointed to something cool on the ship for her to look at. "But, I do want to go out sometime. Do you think Killian will take me out?"
Emma shrugs, looking over at Killian.
"Aye, I suppose we could arrange something small during the daytime. We don't have any bookings a week Saturday, other than the usual fish market in the morning." Killian says.
Henry looks up at Emma, his eyes as big as saucers. "Please, Mom? Please?"
Emma quickly pulls out her phone, scrolling through the calendar to see if they have anything the next weekend. She scans through both Saturday and Sunday, then smiles down at Henry.
"You're in luck, kid. Looks like your only hockey game is Saturday at ten. So we'd be free anytime after two," she directs the last portion of her sentence to Killian, almost phrasing it like a question.
"Two o'clock works perfectly. I'll be here, with the ship all ready to go for a short cruise around the marina, if that pleases the two of you."
"Yes please!" Henry says, his enthusiasm bursting through as he tries to contain himself from jumping up and down again.
"All right then, Saturday it is," Emma says. "Now, is Mom allowed to tag along too or is this a guys only thing?"
"I'm alright with a second mate, as long as my first mate okays it," Killian says. "We can always use an extra pair of hands on deck."
"Yeah, that should be okay," Henry says. "Though if Killian needs us to do anything cool, I get to do it!"
"Deal," Emma says, hand moving to ruffle through Henry's hair. "Now stop delaying, it is well past your bedtime and you have had way too much excitement today."
"Okay," Henry sighs.
"Walk us to the car?" Emma asks, bending to grab the bag containing their garbage from dinner.
"Aye," Killian says. "Just let me close up a few things here, and I'll be right down."
Emma smiles, nodding. Though she knows she and Henry could just walk back to the car, leaving Killian to do what he needs to close up the ship, she is a little bit selfish and kind of wants to sneak a goodbye kiss in before leaving. She and Henry walk down the gangplank back to the docks, and Emma listens to Henry as he talks about all the exciting things they will do when they get to go out on Killian's ship in a little over a week. Killian heads down to join them a few minutes later, the twinkle lights turned off on the ship and the Marina looking a lot darker than it did just moments ago.
They walk in semi-silence back to the car, listening only to the excited chatter of Henry. Somehow Killian's pinky finger finds its way to wind around Emma's after they drop the take-out containers into the garbage, and it stays that way as they head to the car. The walk is both really long, in that Emma can sense Killian's presence next to her the entire time, and extremely short, in that she doesn't want to let go on his finger once they arrive at her yellow bug.
Henry lets out a loud yawn as they arrive, and Emma tells him to crawl into the back seat and have a nap as they drive home. Henry goes willingly, saying goodbye and thank you to Killian before curling up in the back seat with his eyes shut. Emma uses Henry's exhaustion to her advantage, taking a deep breath and leaning into Killian just a little bit further.
"Thank you, for tonight. It was wonderful," Emma says. Killian lets out a shy shrug, muttering something about how it was nothing. When he doesn't say much else, Emma asks, "So, I'll text you to confirm the plans for next weekend then?"
"I hope you'll also text me about other things, as well," Killian replies, his right eyebrow quirking up.
Emma laughs, playfully smacking Killian in the arm. "Yeah, I'll send you dodgeball strategies or something so maybe you have a chance of beating us next time."
"Low blow, Swan," Killian says, but his eyes betray the offence with how tenderly they are looking at her.
"Okay, so…" Emma says, turning quickly to check that Henry is asleep in the back seat of the bug, before grabbing Killian's jacket and pulling him down to her.
Killian makes a grunt when their lips meet, but the noise quickly changes to a small moan as Emma runs her tongue along his lower lip. His right hand comes up to tangle in her hair, and Emma feels the cool metal of his hook running up and down her back. When Killian opens his mouth to her, he tastes like wine and Thai food, and it is intoxicating. Reluctantly, though, Emma pulls back before she lets this go any further, knowing that Henry could be faking in the back seat and not wanting him to know about their relationship just yet.
"So, Saturday, then," Emma says.
"Saturday," Killian replies, his lips a little swollen and his breath coming out in puffs.
Emma smiles, then heads towards the front seat of the bug. When she sits down, she hears Henry snoring in the back seat, and lets out a small breath of relief that he didn't see her making out with their new friend. She gives Killian a final wave, before pulling out of the parking spot.
As she drives down the street, she watches Killian wave through the rearview mirror, and her heart flutters as she turns the corner and he disappears from view. Turns out, this dating thing is really scary, but Killian is so natural about everything that it almost seems easy. Hopefully sailing in a week will be just as fantastic as this dinner. And maybe they will be able to sneak in a real date sometime soon as well.
CHAPTER 3
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