AN: Due to some feedback from my fabulous reviewers, I decided to do some editing of this chapter. If you've read it already, skip to the end for the new version.
Chapter Ten:
Emma looked at all the clothes in her wardrobe for a third time. She was getting frustrated with how long it was taking her to come to a decision. There were a few clothes she left in storage in New York that she wished she had right now. But she was struck with the choices before her.
It was made even harder by the fact that Killian had not said anything about where they were going or what they were doing. Emma still asked herself why she was doing this is the first place. Killian had been annoying, every-present in a very unwelcome way, and had the most irritating habit of knowing exactly what she was thinking and what she should do. At the same time, he was sweet with Henry in a way she had never seen someone take an interest in her son. The times that he showed up, he had a way of making himself useful. And when he read her mind, he told her what she needed to hear, even if she didn't want to hear it. So she was intrigued enough to be going on a date.
If only she could figure out what she was going to wear. She finally managed to make a decision – black leggings, a grey and red striped blouse, and her red leather jacket. If Killian didn't like it, that was his problem.
There was a knock on the door, and she heard Henry run to answer it. There was an indistinct conversation, and then Henry yelled up, "Killian's here!"
Emma gave herself a last look over before she headed down the stairs. Henry was excitedly telling Killian about his day, and the walk that he took with his grandfather. Killian's eyes came up and caught sight of Emma. He smiled approvingly at her, and she felt slightly foolish about how much time she had spent debating about her wardrobe. Killian was dressed in his standard black button-up shirt and black jeans. From his clothes, she guessed that the date would be fairly casual, just up Emma's alley.
"You clean up nicely Swan. You ready to go?" Killian asked.
"David's coming over to watch Henry. Why don't you come in and wait?" Emma directed Killian to the living room and the single loveseat that sat in there.
"Would you like a drink or something?" she asked. He shook his head, and Henry sat down next to him. The boy continued his exhaustive story about his day. Emma felt awkward standing in the doorway, not knowing where to go or what to do as her date bonded even closer with her son. After a few minutes, she pulled a chair over from the kitchen and joined in on the conversation.
"Then Gramps taught me how to throw a baseball. He's so cool!" Henry said.
"Speaking of your cool Grandpa, where is he?" Emma wondered aloud. She sent a quick text to David, hoping that he was on his way.
"Mom, can I show Killian my new bike?" Henry asked.
"Well Henry, we're going to be leaving soon. Maybe on another day?" Emma said.
"Please?" Henry begged.
"Yeah, Swan, please?" Killian joined in.
Emma rolled her eyes, but she finally gave in. "Just know that Killian and I will be leaving as soon as David gets here, okay?"
"Okay." Henry jumped up and ran to the back door.
Killian followed at a more reserved pace. "I didn't realize how anxious you were to be alone with me Swan."
Emma shook her head at his flirtations. She did follow them to the shed and helped Henry remove his bike.
"It's green, just like I wanted. But I can't ride it yet. Gramps said he would teach me tonight."
"Do you want some help? You and I can do some practicing before your Grandpa gets here," Killian said.
"Yeah!" Henry responded enthusiastically. He returned to the shed for his helmet, and Emma smiled at Killian.
"You don't have to do this you know? David will be here soon, and…"
"I'd love to Swan. It's not every day you get to help a young boy fulfill a rite of passage like learning to ride a bike, and I'd like to do that."
Henry emerged with a helmet clipped under his chin and mounted his bike. "Okay, what now?" he asked.
"Put your feet on the pedals," Killian said.
"But I'll fall over," Henry said.
Killian bent down so he was eye level with Henry and spoke sincerely. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall. Do you trust me?"
It took a moment for Henry to respond, but he did put his feet up as Killian held tightly to the frame of the bike. Once the boy was comfortably situated, Killian gave the next set of instructions. "Push down with your right foot."
"Which foot?" Henry asked. The adults laughed softly at his innocence.
Killian touched the boy's right knee. "This is your right. And while you push down, pull up with your other foot. Then you'll change feet."
"Change feet? How can I change my feet?" Henry asked, prompting another chuckle.
"What I mean is that you'll push down with your right foot while pulling up with your left, then push down with your left and pull up with your right. Then you'll keep doing – up, down, up, down, got it?"
Henry nodded.
"Okay, ready to go?" Killian asked.
"Yep, let's go!" Henry followed Killian's instructions, slowly moving the bike forward while Killian continued to hold the handlebars.
"Are you ready to go faster?" Killian asked.
"Yeah," Henry said.
"Okay, push up and down faster." Henry complied, and the bike started moving faster and Killian's grip ease up.
"Henry, I'm going to let go, ok?" Henry didn't seem upset, and Killian let go of the bike, but he kept jogging beside Henry.
Emma watched the whole scene with a mix of pride and envy. She had never learned how to ride a bike, and seeing someone else teach her son made her wish she could have done it herself. Henry kept going down the street, and Killian was never more than a few feet from the boy. He guided Henry on making a turn, and the boy wobbled and fell off onto the sidewalk.
Emma ran over, shouting the entire time. "Henry! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She pulled Henry into her arms, inspecting every inch of his body.
"I'm fine. I'm not hurt," Henry responded.
Emma's own examination proved him right, but she wasn't eager to repeat that terror again. "Maybe it's time to go inside. I should call Grandpa anyway and see where he's at."
"No, Mom, I want to ride some more!"
"But what if you get hurt?" Emma asked.
"I won't get hurt Mom," Henry insisted.
Emma looked between her son and Killian, hoping to get some support. However, Killian seemed as eager as Henry to get back on the bike. Henry's pleading face made Emma change her mind, albeit reluctantly. "You can ride for five more minutes. Killian, you'll watch him?"
Henry climbed back up without hesitation. Emma watched nervously for a minute, and then pulled out her phone to call David. She waited impatiently as the line rang in her ear, but there was no answer. She left a quick message for him, and again tried to figure out where he could be. It was now twenty minutes past when he had said he would be there, and Emma had never known David to renege on a promise.
Emma checked her watch again and called Henry and Killian inside. As Henry continued to ride and Killian jogged beside them, Emma noticed the ease between the two of them. They were smiling and laughing as Henry set the bike down in the yard and removed his helmet. Emma greeted them at the porch with an apology. "I still haven't heard anything from David, but it's time to have some dinner. I hope this isn't completely ruining your plans," Emma said to Killian.
Killian shook his head. "It's okay. Yes, the evening is not going according to plan, but I'm having a good time. Are you?"
Emma smiled. "How does chicken nuggets, green beans and apple slices sound to you?"
"Sounds great!" Killian and Henry responded in unison.
Emma prepared the simple meal she had planned for David to make for himself and Henry. Five minutes later, the three sat down to eat.
"Mom, can Killian sleep over?"
Both adults look at each other with shock and nervousness. Killian caught his wits fairly quickly though, and turned on the charm. "If your mother wants me to sleep over, I would not be opposed to staying."
"Well, Captain, you should know that I don't pillage and plunder on the first date."
"That's because you haven't been out with me," Killian responded, biting his lip slightly.
Emma turned to ignore Killian as she had done countless times before and turned to address Henry once again. She explained very matter-of-factly why Killian should not spend the night. "I think it would be best if Killian went back to his own house tonight. Maybe another time?"
She didn't look at Killian, but tried to convey that her invitation was innocent and meant for Henry and not her. Henry seemed satisfied enough and moved back to eating. Emma spent the meal compulsively looking at her phone, hoping that David would call or text. She was less annoyed and more concerned at this point. The lack of communication was making her wonder what David was up to.
"Mom, can we watch Madagascar tonight?" Henry asked as soon as dinner was cleared up.
"Oh, well, sure…." Emma agreed. She looked at Killian and gave him an apologetic look. "I don't know why David is not here. But do you mind watching the movie with us?"
Killian smiled. "Of course. What movie are we watching?"
"Madagascar. It's awesome!" Henry said.
"Sounds awesome," Killian responded. Henry ran to the living room and rooted through a cabinet next to the TV.
"Do you want popcorn or ice cream?" Emma asked.
"Popcorn!" Henry yelled back.
Emma grabbed the box from the pantry, pulled a bag out and popped it into the microwave.
"Can I do something to help?" Killian asked.
"Well…" Emma looked at the lone loveseat in the living room, contemplating the best seating arrangement. Henry shouted back with an answer to the problem.
"Killian, will you help me get some blankets? I want to make a nest," Henry explained. He led the man upstairs and Emma smiled once again at how close the two were.
A minute later, the microwave dinged and the boys returned with armfuls of blankets and comforters. Emma noticed her own blankets from her bed in Killian's arms, and her smile faded as she began a conversation about boundaries. "Next time, I'd appreciate it if you asked permission before going into my room."
"Don't worry, I will," Killian said with a wink. Emma exhaled sharply, but left it at that.
Henry was still arranging his blankets on the floor, and Emma walked over to help him with the task. He insisted on high rounded sides to create an effective replica of a bird's nest. Once Henry had declared the nest sufficient, he became impatient to start the movie. "Let's start!"
Emma and Killian each took an opposite side of the loveseat, an acceptable space between them. Killian watched the film with childlike wonder, and Emma found herself looking at him or Henry more than she was paying attention to the movie. Despite his multiple viewings of the movie, Henry laughed and reacted to every little joke and moment. The appeal of the movie had worn off on Emma, but she loved watching Killian and Henry watch it.
Three-quarters of the way through the movie, Henry's laughter had dropped off, and Emma noticed he had fallen asleep in the mess of blankets. She may have said something if Killian was not so thoroughly engrossed, and left Henry as he was.
When the movie did end, Emma tried to nudge Henry awake enough to lead him up to his room. The boy was fast asleep however, but Killian offered to carry him up. Emma grabbed some of the blankets left behind so Henry would have something to cover himself. It took a few grunts and groans, but Killian managed to get the boy up the stairs and into his room. He gently laid Henry down, and Emma placed a blanket over him. She bent over and gave her son a soft kiss on his forehead. She whispered, "sweet dreams" and stood up straight.
Emma and Killian returned downstairs in silence, and she began puttering away at the discarded blankets and forgotten dinner dishes to avoid making the silence awkward. "I'm sorry we didn't get a proper date. I'll find out what happened with David, and next time…"
"Next time?" Killian interrupted.
"Yeah, well, if you still want to, I think we could do a next time; without the five-year-old though."
Killian smiled brightly at Emma. "There's no five-year-old now. It's only 10 o'clock, and I don't need to leave right away. If you're interested, we could find something to do together here and salvage some part of this first date."
Emma found herself agreeing. "What do you have in mind?" she asked.
"Oh, no, I'm saving my date plans for next time. Why don't you decide what we do next?"
Emma thought carefully for a moment, ignoring the mess that had previously occupied her mind. After a minute, she glanced over at the board games sitting on a shelf. "How are you at Battleship?"
Killian smiled. "We can play Battleship, if you want to be beat. I'm quite adept at the game."
Emma took the challenge, grabbing the box and setting it on the loveseat. The two of them played for over an hour, neither willing to admit defeat. They were evenly matched, each winning about the same amount of games.
Finally, at 12:15, Emma declared they would play their last game, winner take all. She tried to arrange her ships as randomly as possible, hoping to wipe Killian's smug smile off his lips. "A1?" she asked.
"Miss. A1," he countered.
"Miss, B2."
"Hit," Killian responded, and Emma triumphantly put down a white peg.
After a few turns however, Emma noticed an odd pattern. "Are you…letting me win?" she asked.
Killian scoffed. "Why would I do that?" he asked.
Emma stared at him for a moment, and noticed the crack in his resolve. "You are letting me win!" She looked over the top and noticed that none of Killian's ships were on the board.
"Why are you doing that? What do you think, I can't win unless you let me?"
"No, that's not it at all."
Emma stared as she waited for a response. Killian sighed and provided his explanation. "I wanted you to be in a good mood when the date ended so that… maybe, you'd be willing to…kiss me."
Emma took in his sheepishly look and nervous ear scratching, and decided to give him a break. "Well, there's no use in playing if I'm going to win, so I guess this is good night."
Emma got to her feet, and Killian followed, definitely ashamed and cowed. They walked to the door in silence and Emma opened it wide, her face expressionless the whole time.
"Well, thank you for a wonderful evening," Killian mumbled and began to walk away with his head down.
"Hey," Emma called, stopping him with his foot on the top stairs.
"I had a great time tonight Killian. I look forward to next time." She grabbed the lapels of his shirt and kissed him deeply, thoroughly enjoying the experience. His lips, once he responded, were warm and strong against her own.
She heard someone clear their throat, and they broke apart with a loud suck. Emma turned to see David standing on the path, a look of disapproval etched into every feature.
"Uh, thanks again Emma. I'll see you later. Dave," Killian said, walking down the path without making eye contact with David.
Emma couldn't get over her anger as David approached the house. "What happened?"
"Mary Margaret came over just before I was going to leave. We started talking and I lost track of time." Emma was slightly skeptical about the story, especially seeing the way David had been eyeing Killian.
"You were talking for – five hours, and you didn't once think to look at your watch or check your phone?"
"My phone was on silent, and Mary Margaret and I were talking about… the past." Emma could tell David was not telling the entire truth, and she suspected she knew why.
"If you don't like the idea of me going out with Killian, just say so," Emma said to finally stop the lying.
David opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, and Emma turned away to walk into the house.
"Emma, wait." She paused and turned back, only slightly interested in whatever excuse he was going to give. "Is this thing...serious?"
Just to mess with him and his apparent refusal to stay out of her personal business, she responded quickly, managing to keep sarcasm out of her voice. "It could be."
She walked into the house and shut the door.