I wasn't sure how long I'd been walking. It felt like hours, and even so, that awful feeling in the pit of my stomach hadn't left. Henry was making me doubt my feelings for Killian, and I knew that wasn't right. I'd been unfair to both of them by keeping them separate from one another. Even though we hadn't been officially dating for that long, I needed to integrate Henry into my relationship with Killian. We needed to spend time together just the three of us, and if we did, I thought Henry might change his mind about him. For some people, Hook's swarthy, old-fashioned swashbuckler attitude took some getting used to; I know it did for me.
"Emma?"
I turned around to see both of my parents standing behind me, Neal curled into my dad's chest. I wiped the tears from my face. "What are you two doing here?"
"We had to find you. Everyone was worried when you rushed out of the house so upset," David answered firmly.
"I just needed some time alone, okay? I've got a lot of conflicting emotions going on right now."
"We know you do," Mary-Margaret replied, taking a step closer to me. "After you left, I went and saw Hook at the docks."
My eyes widened. My mother and Killian having a conversation wasn't something I could really picture in my mind without being utterly disturbed. "What did you say to him?"
"I told him what really happened. Emma, I couldn't leave him hanging like that. You should have seen him sitting down there at the docks, the table all decorated and waiting. Killian is usually the kind who can always come up with a smooth answer for everything. When I talked to him, though, he didn't. Then, your father showed up with Henry, who decided he'd like to speak with your boyfriend alone, which is when we came looking for you."
"Henry and Killian are alone?"
"Yes. Is that such a bad thing?"
I shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I've just been keeping those two parts of my life separate."
"But why?" Mary-Margaret asked innocently. "You know that if you and Killian, well, get more serious, that he and Henry are going to need to have some kind of interaction. If you want this to work, there has to be some kind of mutual understanding between them, hopefully a bond. I know you're still scared of this turning out to be another bust of a relationship, but I have a feeling it's not. He loves you, even if he hasn't said it yet, and if you let him, he'll love Henry, too."
"That's not what I'm worry about," I replied, squeezing my words out past the lump lodged in my throat. "It's Henry. You heard him. He doesn't like Killian, and I really don't see that changing. I can't force feelings on him and wouldn't want to."
"Give him time. Henry is still having a difficult time because he lost the father he never knew. As he sees it, Ho—Killian is trying to replace him."
"He wouldn't do that. I'd be lucky if he's ever thought about being a father."
Mary-Margaret smiled and shook her head. "Don't underestimate him. He's changed a lot since you first met him."
I smiled as I thought about the first time I'd met Killian, lying among the bodies of dead men in the Enchanted Forest who'd encountered the wrath of Cora, Regina's now-deceased mother. As per his personality, he'd begun flirting with me almost instantly. He'd frustrated me, and while I had secretly enjoyed the attention, I'd rebuffed him, not wanting to chance that I was wrong about him. Now, over two years on, I smiled whenever he said something scandalous. The outwardly lusty lines he'd fed me in the beginning had turned into more endearing words, professing something deeper than physical attraction, although that was still definitely there. Mary-Margaret was right; he'd certainly changed a lot. However, was he ready for what came with me?
"Were he and Henry still by the docks?"
"When we left, that's where they were."
"Let's go. I think I have two people I really need to talk to."
David and Mary-Margaret both smiled as we began to walk toward the docks. It wasn't long before we arrived there. Even from a few hundred feet away, I could make out the silhouettes of Killian and Henry as they rose from a bench. I wasn't quite sure where they were headed. Where the hell would the two of them possibly go together? It didn't look confrontational, so it wasn't as if Henry was pissed off and Hook tried to stop him from leaving.
I called out, "Killian, Henry!"
Both of their heads bolted to where I stood with David and Mary-Margaret. I waved my hand slightly and began walking briskly toward them. Henry and Killian did the same, meeting me in the middle. "Mom," Henry said. "We were just coming to look for you."
I looked over at Killian, and even in the minimal lighting, I could see him nod his head in agreement without a betraying expression. "Were you?"
"Yeah. Hook said we should all eat dinner together."
I bit my lip when he referred to Killian as Hook, watching to see if I could see a reaction from Killian. I caught a slight roll of his eyes as well as a murmur to Henry. "You can call me Killian, Henry."
"All of us have dinner?"
Killian shrugged. "Why not?"
"I don't know, but I'm very confused. Henry, you've done a one-eighty."
"The lad and I had a conversation, that's all," Killian said. "It's nothing you have to worry about. What matters is that we all need to eat, and since it's pretty obvious that our location has shifted, why don't we just eat at Granny's?"
I looked skeptically from my son to Killian. This was a little weird. Henry wasn't the type of kid who changed his mind about people quickly, so either that conversation they'd had really had worked miracles or they were putting on the perfect charade. Either way, I was impressed that Killian wanted to have dinner with my entire family. While I knew it would be a little awkward to be on a date with my family there, his intentions were good, and maybe it would allow a bond to form between my parents, Henry, and Killian.
"Okay, let's go, then."
The five of us walked to Granny's together, although I noted that my parents walked several steps in front of Henry, Killian, and me. I knew it had to be on purpose, as if they were allowing us just enough privacy without it being too obvious even though it wasn't really that hard to figure out. As soon as my parents were far enough ahead of us, Killian reached for my hand. I took it, then looked at Henry. Surprisingly, he didn't seem fazed. It made me even more curious about the man-to-man conversation between him and Killian. What could have possibly changed my son's mind this much? I knew my kid, and once he had his mind set on something, it didn't change.
That's when I realized what I was wearing. I wore black leggings and a bulky gray sweatshirt. I had no makeup on. God, I this had all planned out. I could even see the black dress I'd planned to wear in my closet, very different than the sweet, princess-like dress I'd worn on our first date. It was, for lack of a better word, sexy. The dress was one of the few things I'd kept from New York, a slight reminder of the life I'd lived for a little while. Short was the best way to describe it, at least compared to what I normally wore, not even coming close to my knees. It was leather, quite appropriate considering I'd only seen Killian outside of leather on one occasion, and that was because we were in the Enchanted Forest and we were pretending to be other people. Part of me just wanted to leave him speechless because it had been so long since I had that impact on someone. Another part just wanted to embrace a part of myself that I never really allowed myself to be: a woman. I was always the savior, the sheriff, the mother, the daughter. How often did I really just get to be Emma?
I leaned into Killian and whispered in his ear. "This wasn't quite how I pictured tonight going."
He smiled and squeezed my hand tighter. "Emma…"
I pulled him back, putting a little distance between us and the rest of our group. "Killian, you have to admit that it would be nice if things went according to plan just once. I had tonight all planned out. The dress I was going to wear is sitting in the closet even as we speak. I'm just saying that it would be great if we could just have one time when something didn't go wrong."
"That's where you've got it wrong, love. It would certainly be lovely if things worked out just as they should, but it was not to be. Besides, I should get more comfortable with Henry and your parents. That is the only way I could change their mind about me, if that is even possible."
I reached my hand up and touched his cheek. "You changed my mind, so I would say you're capable of that. Besides, I think you might have already won my mother over."
"She's the easy one," Killian answered with a chuckle. "Your father, on the other hand…"
"David's David," I replied. "You're not going to change his overprotective ways."
"That might be so, but I would like to change that he thinks of me as some sort of monster, because apparently that's what all pirates are."
I rolled my eyes. Killian was being overly dramatic, and I wasn't entirely sure where it was coming from. "He's over that and you know it. What's your deal today? You've been all kinds of off."
Killian sighed and stopped walking. "I know. Look, I think you know this, love, but I care for you. Not only that, but I care about the people in your life. I want to have a good relationship with them, and I want to prove to them that I am worthy of your time."
So that was it. Killian wanted approval. I thought it was kind of strange; he'd never really cared what anyone thought of him before. "Why do you care what anyone thinks of you? If I remember correctly, you've always been quite sure of yourself."
"Exteriors can be just that. You should know better than anyone about that."
I swallowed hard and didn't reply. So many times, people had commented on how tough and strong I was, but it really was a façade. Of course I'd wanted to break down and cry, but I just couldn't allow myself to do it. I didn't want to be weak, and I didn't want to have to depend on anyone else. Maybe that was what Killian meant. I'd always known we faced similar obstacles, that we were kindred souls in a way, but I still held him at arm's length. Caring for someone meant vulnerability, and that was something that I did not allow easily.
"I apologize, Emma," Killian said when I didn't answer him.
I shook my head. "No, it's not you, um, you're right. We are alike in that way. I'm just not used to you expressing it."
"Well, I think that's what's supposed to happen when you're 'together,' your words, not mine."
I smiled, remembering how long it had taken for me to admit that much, and now we'd come much further. "We'd better catch up or they're going to wonder where we went."
Killian smiled slyly, his eyebrow quirking up. "Well, I suppose I wouldn't want to tarnish your reputation, Sheriff Swan."
We sped up and caught up to my parents and Henry, meeting them just as they were walking in the doors of Granny's. Ruby was behind the counter, perched almost as if she was waiting for us. "So, it ended up being a family affair, huh?" she said, smiling broadly.
I rolled my eyes and shrugged. "What did you expect with parents like mine?"
I started to take off my jacket as my parents and Henry began moving tables together to accommodate us. Ruby went in the back to retrieve a highchair for Neal. Killian held my chair for me as I sat, then took off his jacket before taking his own seat beside me. He wore what had become typical attire for him, black jeans, a floral print shirt, in a lovely shade of maroon this time, and a black vest. It was the perfect outfit to reflect his personality, a modernization of the rebellious pirate that he was.
David sat across from Killian, which I knew was not an accident. Even though my father liked him, I knew that his protective side was still going to come out. He appraised Killian with a curious eye, but I knew that my father wasn't going to intimidate my boyfriend that easily. Killian leaned back in his chair and relaxed, his pose slightly arrogant. David cracked a smile, obviously amused.
Henry sat on one end of the table, between Killian and David, leaving baby Neal between me and Mary Margaret. Ruby returned with the high chair, and Mary Margaret settled him into it as we ordered drinks. I stuck with a soda, not really wanting to be under the influence of alcohol on a date with Killian and my parents. It just didn't seem like a good idea. Killian, however, was not shy and did not hesitate to order a beer, the closest thing to rum that Granny's supplied.
I sighed. "Well, this is nice, being able to have an actual meal together without having to worry about trouble brewing."
Mary Margaret smiled. "Yeah, it's perfect. I missed being able to have time with my daughter."
I looked over to David, expecting him to speak, but Killian spoke up first. "Well, I'm just glad that Emma has more time for more than chasing around the Snow Queen again."
"That's right. The ice wall was still here then. God, I didn't realize how long it had been since that night."
For a moment, I flashed back to that night. It really was beautiful, even though there had been a few bumps along the way, including Will Scarlet dumping wine on my dress and Killian getting more than a little angry, but what stood out more were the little moments throughout the evening. I'd never forget the way he looked when I'd opened the door, a modern outfit and looking at me like no one else before him. Then, there was the rose he'd handed me, at which I realized he had two hands. The part that stood out the most, though, even more than the beautiful restaurant and the expensive meal, was the end of the night. We'd taken a walk after we ate, hand in hand. When I'd gotten cold, he'd slipped the very leather jacket he wore now over my shoulders, a small yet tender gesture, shadowing just a little bit of the man behind the seas-roughened exterior. Once we were tired, he walked me back to the apartment, at which point he'd asked me the question that led to the conversation we had earlier today: "Will you go out with me again?" Admittedly, I never did answer him, perhaps because it made everything all too real. Instead, I'd kissed him, a kiss that burned with a mix of passion and sweetness, the first and only time that he had the ability to hold me with two hands. I knew then that there was no going back from Killian. He had me, even if he didn't know it.
"It has been a long time," Killian said, snapping me out of my daydream. "However, I'm glad to say that the dry spell has been broken, thanks to you."
I shook my head. "It wasn't all me. Everyone thinks that the savior does everything, but it takes more than one person to save a town, and that's what we all did."
Henry looked over at me. He'd grown up so much this past year. That transition from being a little boy to a full-blown teenager was taking shape, and I wasn't sure I was ready to face that. Even though I hadn't been his mother as long as Regina, I still felt like she must have, astounded that he could possibly be almost fifteen. It didn't seem like I could have given birth to him that long ago. As cliché as it sounded, it felt like it could be another life. The way l lived now in Storybrooke had grown so familiar that anything else seemed alien.
"That's why you're the savior, Mom. The savior doesn't take credit even when they deserve it."
And there it was, that spark of innocence still firmly intact. "Well, Henry, I don't, and I don't want to argue about it tonight. We are going to have a nice family dinner like we haven't done in a very long time."
"Or ever," Henry replied. "What I mean is, I don't think we've ever had everyone sitting down for dinner like this."
"Then maybe we should make it a habit."
Henry smiled, looking at the cup of hot cocoa Ruby sat in front of him, the whipped cream sprayed in a perfect cone shape atop it with the perfect dash of cinnamon sprinkled on it. That was our drink. "That's always going to be your drink, isn't it, Henry?"
"It's a classic. It never goes out of style," he replied.
"Much like rum," Killian replied with a grin.
"And coffee," I added. "But please stick with the hot cocoa, Henry."
"I'm inclined to agree with your mother on that. It's better to keep your mind clear," David added.
Henry shifted his eyes to Killian, almost as if he was appraising him. "Have you ever tried hot cocoa, Killian?"
I looked over at my boyfriend, interested to see exactly what his reaction would be to that question. He turned to look at my son and smiled. "I can't say I have, lad."
Henry pushed his cup toward him. "Try it," he said. "I think you'll like it."
The hot cocoa, at least in my eyes, was like an olive branch. He seemed so willing to try in that moment, and of that, I was so proud.
Killian looked at the cup and slid his hand around the handle. There was hesitance; I could sense it in his hand as he lifted the cup to his mouth. It seemed like everyone held their breath as he took a sip. Once he took the cup from his lips, everyone waited.
I couldn't hold back a laugh as I noticed a few dabs of whipped cream above his upper lip. He looked so funny that way, especially for a man who exuded such raw masculinity.
Killian looked around at everyone and said, "Damn, that's a sweet beverage. A hot sweet beverage."
It was like the ice between us breaking down between us as everyone else began laughing at him, not only because of the whipped cream mustache but the typical Killian reaction. He was so unfamiliar with terminology and anything modern. Yes, he was getting better, but there was something about that bit of old-fashioned that he represented that was endearing and lovable, and I hope he never lost that.
"What the bloody hell is so funny?"
Between laughs, I managed to say, "Y-you have whipped cream," and I pointed to my lip.
Killian rolled his eyes and wiped his finger across his lip. "Have I got it, love, or would you care to assist me?"
My eyes met his oceanic blue ones, and I could just see that hint of suggestiveness there. I didn't even want to look at my father and see what his reaction would be. So, I checked his lip, where there was nothing, and replied, "You've got it."
I looked over at my parents, and surprisingly enough, they were smiling. There was still that bit of protectiveness about David, but he was masking it well. Maybe family dates weren't such a bad idea after all.
