This was a mistake. He knew it was going to be a mistake. And yet, he couldn't help but do it. The thought of Emma being alone on her birthday and not celebrating it with anyone was just too much for him to think rationally.

Killian put on a white button-down shirt and added his new silver cuff links. They were a birthday gift from his brother the night before and he thought this was the perfect excuse to pull them out and wear them for the first time. He threw on his black pants this time with black ankle boots that he paid way too much for at some fancy European men's shoe store. He walked into the kitchen, grabbing his keys and wallet from his basket, but his cell phone had to stay out a bit longer. He needed to text Emma.

You get home OK yet?

Almost there. It was an easy night tonight. :)

Killian smiled. At least the timing for his surprise would still be pretty good.

Happy birthday, Emma! he replied.

Thanks! Good night, K.

He was definitely hoping it would be a good night. At the very least, she seemed to be in a good mood after nabbing tonight's bail jumper. And he knew her catch from the night before had been a success since she had texted a note telling him that when she wished him happy birthday.

He was about to slide his phone into his pocket when it rang, the caller ID telling him that "Big Brother" was trying to reach him.

"Hello, Liam."

"What's up, little one?"

Killian cringed. "You know I hate when you call me that."

He could hear his brother chuckle on the other end. "So how's your plan coming, brother?"

"I'm leaving now," he replied as he walked towards the door.

"I want to hear all the details."

Killian laughed as he pulled the door closed behind him. "I'm hoping things go well enough that I won't want to tell you all the details."

"Or that you won't have time to call," Liam replied.

"I'm hanging up now."

Killian abruptly pressed the "End call" button and didn't feel bad about it. He knew Liam had good intentions and even encouraged him after he told his brother his plan over dinner last night. But right now, the last thing Killian needed was Liam getting into his head, especially when he was already doubting himself. He didn't need Liam's voice worrying him on top of that.

It was late and the sun had already set by the time Killian made it to the street. Of course, he had checked the closing time for Magnolia Bakery at least five times already today to make sure they would still be open, and he was hoping their cupcake selection hadn't been picked over.

The shop was still brightly lit and still had quite a few choices to pick from. He decided to get four - all different varieties just to make sure he would have at least one that Emma would like. He threw in the usual chocolate and vanilla, then added a red velvet cupcake and a store speciality that the cashier told him tasted just like hot chocolate with whipped cream and cinnamon. It was a little unusual, but he figured it was worth a shot. He also asked if they had candles and matches - it wasn't a necessity, but he thought it would be nice just in case. And sure enough, the woman pulled a few from her stash under the counter. Killian smiled as she packed all of it up and gave him the bag.

Next was a quick stop to the local wine store where he picked up a bottle of white wine for the night. He figured white would be good with cupcakes, and he made sure to get a bottle with a screw cap in case Emma didn't have a corkscrew.

He felt like he had an extra spring in his step as he walked to Emma's place. He had cupcakes and wine for her birthday and was dressed pretty stellar, if he did say so himself. The cufflinks felt like an added sleek touch that gave him an extra boost of confidence.

But as he turned the corner onto Emma's block, his confidence began to falter. Maybe she didn't like surprises. Maybe she didn't like birthdays. She didn't seem too enthusiastic about it when she brought it up on their date last week, but he wasn't sure if that was because she had to do her job or she decided to work that night on purpose. But she did bring it up so maybe she was dropping a hint - or maybe she was just trying to be polite and make conversation.

He finally got to Emma's place and actually stood outside for a few minutes, cupcakes and wine still in his hand, trying to make a final decision about what to do. He took a deep breath and started moving again, walking up the stairs and buzzing her apartment.

The wait felt like an eternity and he watched intently through the front door waiting to see her. The door to her apartment opened and he saw her stick her head out to see him standing there. Her face immediately broke into a smile and her shoulders slumped a bit as the tension she had been holding onto was released. He smiled back and gave her a sort of wave with the wine bottle in his hand. She slowly walked to the door in her bare feet and a short, tight red dress that hugged her body. Once again, she looked stunning.

"Hi," she said quietly, leaning on the doorframe while checking out the man on her front stoop.

"Hi," he replied.

"Is there a reason you're here?"

Killian raised his eyebrow in return, giving back the flirty feeling she was giving off to him. "I just thought I would drop by for a little celebration," he said, his confidence growing. "I figured you couldn't turn me down if I was already on your doorstep."

She gave him a small laugh and ducked her head. "Would you like to come in, pirate?"

His chest warmed when he heard her nickname for him, even if it had been earned by embarrassing means.

"I would like that."

Emma moved out of the doorway to show him in, closing the front door behind him. Then she led him into her apartment, giving him an amazing view of the back of her dress. It was just as jaw dropping from behind, and Killian had to make a mental note to pull himself together so she wouldn't catch him staring at her.

Her apartment was small and modern. She had a living room with bay windows looking out onto the street, a small kitchen, and a door that he assumed led to her bedroom. One wall had a shelf of books against it and there was a small table with two chairs in the space right in front of the windows. She had a worn grey couch in the middle and a TV in the corner. The white walls held only a poster - a picture of a large Germanic castle that looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was sparse and no-nonsense and exactly what he expected from someone like Emma.

"Um, yea," she stammered. "So this is my place."

He looked over at her and smiled. "I like it."

She gave him a nervous smile back before quickly trying to change the subject. "So, what's in the bag?"

"Oh, right. The bag," he replied. "Well, I know you said you don't really celebrate your birthday or whatever, but I thought I would at least stop by with some treats for you."

"Treats?" she asked.

He walked over to her table, took the box out of the bag and placed it on top. "Cupcakes. I don't trust anyone who doesn't like cupcakes. And of course, some wine," he added, placing the bottle on the table.

"I know this sounds a bit crazy, but I actually don't have a corkscrew," she said apologetically.

Killian smiled and reached for the bottle, making a dramatic flourish with his hand as he unscrewed the cap. He was so glad he thought that one out while standing in the wine store as Emma smiled at him in approval and headed for a kitchen cupboard.

"Well, if you already opened the bottle, I guess you can stay for a bit," she said as she pulled two small juice glasses from the cupboard. "I usually just drink beer from a bottle so I don't have any wine glasses."

"I guess I know what to buy you for your birthday next year then," he replied.

Next year? He hoped he hadn't sounded way too presumptuous, but he looked up to see Emma still smiling. Apparently, she either liked what he said or was going to be nice enough to just let it slide. Either way, she didn't call him out on it, choosing to simply let the comment be.

She placed the two glasses on the table while he grabbed the bottle and started pouring.

"So what did you get?" she asked.

He watched her pull the box closer, opening the top carefully to see what's inside. Her smile great wider as she saw the icing on top of the little cakes.

"I went a bit basic since I didn't know exactly what you liked. So there's a chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, and the last one apparently tastes like hot chocolate with cinnamon."

Her eyes immediately snapped to him and he once again began to worry. Did she not like any of them?

"How did you know?" she asked.

"How did I know what?"

She pulled out the hot chocolate cinnamon creation. "One of my favorite things in the world is hot chocolate with cinnamon."

"Really?" Damn, he was feeling good again. "I guess it was just fate then," he said.

Emma sat down at the table with her cupcake and wine as Killian purposely pulled the other chair around so he could sit closer to her. He grabbed the chocolate cupcake and sat down, moving the box out of the way so they could have more room for their food. Emma started to take her wrapper off before Killian remembered what else he brought.

"Wait!" he yelled, startling both of them in the process. "Sorry, I just have one more thing."

He put his hand in the bag and pulled out the candle and matches. As he carefully stuck the candle into Emma's cupcake, he could see an awkward smile forming on her lips. It was as if she was trying to smile to cover up whatever emotion she had bubbling underneath, which made him wonder when the last time was that she had blown one out on her birthday. The match lit easily, as did the candle, and he looked up to see the glow from the flame sparkling in Emma's eyes.

"I'm not going to torture you with my lack of singing ability so just make a wish, Swan," he said quietly.

Emma looked at him and then took a deep breath, easily blowing out the little candle. They both laughed and she gently pulled the waxed stick from her cupcake before peeling off more of the wrapper. Watching her take that first bite was magical, a small moan of delight coming from her mouth as a bit of frosting and cinnamon lingered on her lips.

"This is amazing," she said, licking the sweetness off of her mouth.

Killian smiled and began to dig into his cupcake and had to admit that these were pretty good. He usually tried to avoid Magnolia's because of the line that was out the door, but he now understood why.

"So your bail jumper was easy tonight?" he asked.

"No, but he was an idiot, so it was quicker than I thought it would be," she said.

Killian tried to play it casual by not prying too much, but he couldn't help it. "It wasn't a good date then?"

She smiled at his question. "Dinner with a man who skipped out on the bail that his wife put up for him is never a good date," she said before taking a bite of her cupcake. "You're not jealous, are you, Jones?"

"Jealous? Um…I will admit I am a little jealous," he said, an embarrassed smile creeping on his face. "But in my defense, dinner with a beautiful lady in red is something any man would want."

Emma ducked her head and Killian could see her cheeks begin to turn the same color as her dress. "Thank you," she said quietly before quickly taking a breath and raising her eyes to his again. "But to be fair, I had him cuffed and headed to the station before we even ordered drinks."

He laughed. "Of course you did! I would expect nothing less from Emma Swan."

She let out a small laugh of her own before quickly staring at her wine. And as he took another bite of cupcake, he could feel an awkward silence begin to fill the tiny apartment, not exactly sure of what he had said that made her quiet down so quickly.

"I mean, not that… um… I said something wrong, didn't I?" he stammered.

"No, it's not you. It's just… You know what I wished for?" she asked, staring up at him with her green eyes before quickly giving him an awkward smile and looking back down at the table. "I wished I wouldn't be alone tonight."

Killian felt something tighten in his chest as he tried to control his racing heart. It turned out he hadn't said something bad, he had done something good. Whatever nervousness he had about this plan, whatever he was afraid could go wrong - all of it was gone and replaced with her.

"Well then," he said, clearing his throat to get rid of the shakiness in his voice. "I'm glad I stayed for the cupcakes."

She smiled and fiddled with the edges of her glass. "Me too," she said simply.

Killian reached over to brush a crumb off her cheek, his hand lingering on her warm skin. He could tell she wanted what he wanted as she turned her head, resting it in the palm of his warm hand and closing her eyes. He could feel her melt into his touch, wordlessly encouraging him on.

Killian leaned in, closing the gap between them but stopping just short of her lips. He wanted to make sure this wasn't just some strange moment between them, that she really wanted this too. And she did, pushing herself closer as her lips came in contact with his. They were warm and soft and tasted like cinnamon. He couldn't help himself as he pulled her closer, wrapping his fingers in her long blonde locks, running his hand along the skin on the back of her neck. A jolt of electricity shot through him as he pulled away slightly from Emma, her teeth nibbling gently on his lower lip, causing him to let out an involuntary moan. He gave Emma a nervous smile, one she reciprocated, before he pulled her in again to kiss her longer, harder and more passionately than before.

She finally let go of him and pulled back a bit, giving him the perfect view of her green eyes.

"Wow," she whispered. "I'm glad I finally said yes to that date with you."

"Me too," he quietly said back.

"I guess the third time really was the charm."

Killian smiled. "I guess so," he said, his fingers sliding over her cheek to tuck her messed-up blonde hair back into place. "Happy birthday, Emma Swan."

(The next morning, Killian rolled over in Emma's bed to find her sleeping soundly beside him, his clothes strewn across her floor, and he smiled. Emma had indeed gotten her wish - and he had been more than happy to be the one to give it to her.)

So that's it! Thank you all so much for the support with your comments and follows. You guys are awesome! And I promise I have a few more things that I'm hoping to get posted in the next couple of weeks so here's my blatant plea to have you follow me so you know when the next stuff is ready. Thanks again everyone! I hope you liked it!