A/N: Hello again! Points go to A True Oncer, who caught the reference to Emma's apartment in Boston, which was number 205. Perhaps I'll make a game out of this again down the line! :D Also massive thanks to the folks who left lovely reviews for Chapter 9 (A True Oncer, Kiwistreetswan, Ihazpotato and Ness fan 01). I'm still baffled that this is on Chapter 10 already. When did this happen? Haha.

As a side note, I know Henry's birthday is August 15 by canon, but it fits the story better this way and it's an AU sooooooo... Forgive me XD For reference, this is early December, first week-ish.

The next morning, Emma woke late, and found that she was actually still pretty exhausted. Falling asleep had been nearly impossible with Killian on her mind. She'd actually thought about texting him, but given how pathetic that would probably seem, she'd of course decided not to do so. Instead, she'd tossed and turned and not tried all that hard to erase the sense memory of the way he kissed.

So maybe she'd gone a little overboard on that front. But who would really blame her?

And, besides – Killian had clearly been all for it, too.

She grinned into her pillow, admittedly feeling pretty silly for doing so. Emma felt that she deserved a bit of giddiness before whatever was going to happen that afternoon. If Gold or her father ruined Henry's birthday, she'd have absolutely none of it. Funny how she wasn't worried about Killian, though.

They were due for lunch at Henry's favorite restaurant, and Emma suddenly wondered if she would still be working at that bar by the time Henry was old enough to actually drink, but she supposed it wouldn't matter because by then he'd be off at school for his birthday anyway. She hadn't meant to get all sad, suddenly, but there it was. Her little boy was growing up. Ten years old! Gods.

Deciding she had no real reason to dress up like she had the night before, she went for warmth instead, tugging on tights beneath her jeans, along with a soft white sweater and her fluffy, leather winter coat. As much as she loved the red one, it wasn't exactly appropriate for this time of year.

Her phone buzzed as she drank her un-doctored coffee in the kitchen, but this time it wasn't a horrid email. It was her boyfriend. And not Neal, either.

Good morning, lass. Sleep well?

Emma smiled, setting her mug down to pick up her phone and type out a response.

Morning! It took me a while to fall asleep, I'll admit.

It took less than a minute for him to respond, and she could practically hear the concern that would've been in his voice if he had been there to say the words aloud.

Did something happen after I left? I thought things seemed rather good.

What? Killian, no. Yesterday was perfect! It was just hard to sleep when I wished it wasn't over.

She was in the middle of typing out further explanation, trying to find the words, when the screen went dark and her ringtone went off, Killian's name written in large letters across it. She hit the answer button, lifting it to her ear in surprise. "Killian?"

"I might sound a bit silly, lass, but last night was easily the best time I've had in quite a while. I mean that."

"I don't think you sound silly," she replied softly, warmed through with his words. "You're not calling because you're nervous about today, are you?"

His answering chuckle was very telling, considering how uncomfortable he sounded. "I trust your judgment, Emma. And your lad wants me there. So I'll hold strong and all, but I don't know how pleased your father and Mr. Gold will be. Have they said anything?"

"Oh," she breathed, hand pausing on its way back to her coffee. "I... don't know if they know yet. Henry probably told my parents."

"... But not his other grandfather."

They both paused, and Emma finally took a drink to fill the awkwardness. Finally, she sighed and set the empty mug in the sink. "It'll be fine, I promise. It's been so long, Killian. He's got no right to be upset about this. Gold might be protective and all, but that's not so surprising, is it? He wants the best for Henry. He really does."

"I know. Just feels... fast."

Her heart sank instantly. "I-..." Emma faltered, staring out the window and trying to figure out what that meant for them. "It's okay if you don't want to go."

"Emma. Love, no. I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry. Don't worry about it, not today."

"But, I don't want you to be uncomfortable, or-"

Killian cut in, a bit more firm this time. "Lass. I only meant that they might think us mad."

She let out an awkward, breathy laugh. "Are we?"

"Well, … Probably, yeah. But it seems like it's working for us so far."

To be fair, she had to concede him that point. It wasn't the craziest story she'd ever heard about people getting together, after all, and at least they were both doing their utmost to remain responsible and realistic. And, most importantly, they were both open about what they wanted and what they knew would be a problem for them in the future. But before they could think about what would come for them down the road, they had to get through today. She had to support him through his obvious concern.

"Are you ready to go?" Emma asked him suddenly, tone lifted and more positive.

"Uh, yes, I think so." She could practically hear his eyebrow lifting. "Why?"

"I'm picking you up. Then Henry and I can take you home after."

After another minute or two of half-hearted debate on Killian's side, Emma was grabbing her keys and typing his address into the Maps app on her phone just to be sure she went to the right place. It wouldn't look great if they showed up late, as well as together.

He was waiting outside when she pulled up, so she didn't even have to turn off the car. It was helpful for keeping the warmth in, but Emma didn't drive off straight away. Instead, she held her hand out for his, knowing full well that he might be reluctant to take it with his injured one. Killian met her gaze but reached past her hand, brushing his fingers over her cheek.

"I know what you're up to," he told her with a little smile. Emma feigned confusion but he just shook his head and leaned over to replace his fingers with a kiss against her blushing cheek. "Thank you, lass." His hand found hers. "Let's go celebrate with your boy."

She grinned at him, somehow pleased to be caught out in her scheming of sorts, and started off towards the diner Henry loved so well. Mercifully, they arrived before any of the others, so Emma checked in with the host, who confirmed that it was perfectly fine to add another person. With their square tables, six was just as easy to accommodate as five. So the girl led them over to a long table made up of two put together.

Slipping their jackets off and onto the back of two chairs on the long side of the table, Emma could well have sat down but lingered instead. "We'll try and convince Henry to sit by you," she told Killian as her hands curled gently around his arm, thumbs rubbing soothingly. "Then we can sit my parents across and Gold by me. That sound good?"

"Whatever suits, lass. I'll manage. Promise."

His eyes dropped from hers to her lips, and no matter how tempted Emma may have been (which she obviously was, considering the gentle tug in her stomach that had her leaning towards him), there just wasn't time.

"Killian!"

Emma turned her head, lips parting in surprise at Henry's greeting. She wasn't quite bothered so much as bemused that he was so excited to see Killian instead of her. At least that would help with her new boyfriend's worries, right? She could only hope as much.

"Heya, mate," Killian greeted, his hand reaching out to pat Henry's shoulder.

But then it registered on his face – and for Emma, as well. If Henry was here, so were his grandparents. The ones on Emma's side, at the least. She turned around, releasing him to approach her parents as Henry chatted on about the best dishes at the diner.

Mary Margaret's eyebrows were raised dramatically, though if anything she looked approving of the man Emma had brought. David was, of course, less convinced.

"Emma?" her father began slowly, stopping a few feet away from the table and keeping his voice low. "Is that him?"

"He's so handsome," her mother offered conspiratorially, drawing a look of consternation from her husband.

Emma followed her mom's look, unable to do anything else but smile gently and reply with a quiet, "Yeah, he really is." She turned back to them, her happiness at Killian's being there making itself clear.

Mary Margaret grinned, her hand coming up to brush her daughter's cheek. "You look so happy, Emma. Dinner went well?"

Blushing, she nodded, inadvertently knocking her mother's hand away. Emma had never been the type to share about her dates or relationship with Neal, but for their peace of mind this time, it felt wrong to deny it. "We're... He- he asked me-"

"Oh!" Mary Margaret grinned, bouncing a little.

"Mom," Emma breathed, laughing and rolling her eyes a little. Henry's hand slipped into hers and it was only then that she realized they were still standing around, having left her boys (oh, gosh) to their own devices. She ran a hand over Henry's hair, but then stepped back enough to gesture towards the nervous Irishman standing off to her side. "Mom, Dad, this is Killian Jones."

David thrust a hand forward, clearly judging Killian's handshake and eye contact. "David Nolan," he greeted. "And my wife, Mary Margaret."

Killian smiled, and though Emma could tell it wasn't completely right, he was clearly trying. "Pleased to meet you," he replied, his accent shocking Mary Margaret into shooting her daughter an amused look. "Emma has told me quite a lot about you both."

"And what about me?" asked a voice behind her parents.

David released Killian's hand, and even Henry looked a bit surprised. He, of course, didn't look as concerned as his mother, though.

"Mr. Gold," Emma greeted, falsely relaxed about it. Her parents stepped around, ushering Henry along. She didn't dare glance back and see if Henry sat on the right end of the table, by her and Killian's standards.

The older man stepped forward with the help of his cane, scrutinizing the pair of them right away. When she felt Killian start to extend his hand, she caught it and laced their fingers together to stop him.

"Mr. Gold," she repeated, this time waving a hand towards the man at her side, "this is my boyfriend, Killian."

Even though they all knew Neal's father couldn't be surprised by that title, his eyebrows went up and his head tilted curiously. "That right, dearie?"

Killian's hand gripped Emma's more tightly, and as she glanced up at him she realized he didn't like Gold's tone. She didn't either, really, but she was used to it by now. Gold was a good man in many ways, as he stuck to his word and did anything he could to help out Henry in his son's stead.

"It's recent," Killian offered by way of confirmation, his smile a little tight.

"Mom?" Henry called, rescuing them.

Emma spun around immediately, drawing Killian along behind her. Someone was looking out for her and Killian, because Henry had sat himself down in the chair next to Killian's coat-covered chair. As she passed by him, she leaned over to whisper her thanks and press a kiss to the side of her son's head.

The meal went quite well at first, considering they had simple small talk and the requirement that they place orders. But eventually, the big moment came.

"So, Mr. Jones," Gold began slowly. "What exactly do you do?"

His hand, which had found hers beneath the table, squeezed her fingers. They were resting atop his knee, but that just meant she could feel the way his leg started bouncing out of stress. He obviously understood Emma's stance on Neal's career, but more than that, she knew he wanted their approval.

"I work at the ship building factory in the bay. But, I'm working on the actual design rather than laying down parts," he explained rather carefully. "I, uh, actually just started a project I was telling Emma about. Before I left the royal navy, I lost people who were very close to me when a ship went down. That's part of why they granted me early leave."

Emma's eyes flicked to his left hand, remembering how he had explained his injury. Was it one and the same? Her free hand reached across to rub his arm despite the hold she already had on him. "Killian..." she whispered, only for him to shake his head and continue anyway.

"I'm just trying to see about adding some better safety features."

When Emma turned to look at the rest of the table, it was sort of a mixed bag as far as reactions went. Her mother was predictably quite distraught by the story, and her father actually looked like he felt a bit more respect for her new partner. Henry had always been a kind soul, and he was just sort of frowning at the pair of them in concern. Gold, most shockingly, was silent. Almost blank-faced.

And that was when Emma realized she had not contacted him about Neal and the news she'd received. Did he have any idea what was going on with his son? Did he wonder, as she had, whether his son had been lost to the sea as this friend of Killian's had? She made a mental note to show him the email before they left after lunch.

An uncomfortable laugh left Killian's lips. "I didn't intend to ruin the lunch." He scratched at the patch of skin behind his left ear. "Perhaps we ought to give the lad his gifts instead."

Mercifully, they left it alone and took his suggestion with an eagerness Emma was grateful for. As her parents and Mr. Gold leaned over to pick up the packages they'd carefully set beside their chairs, Emma turned towards Killian. Her present for Henry was at home, and she certainly had a plan for that. She was surprised, however, when she saw Killian reaching into the pocket of his coat.

"I told you," she murmured, leaning towards him, "you didn't have to get him anything."

"Don't be silly, lass," he returned with a smile. "To be fair, this is also partly for you, so." Killian shrugged, gently squeezing her hand once more.

Henry, as ever, was happy to show how grateful he was for the things he received, and Gold was equally normal with his gift of money towards Henry's fund. He would be able to access it once he turned twenty-one, and as thankful Emma was for that security, it felt so strange coming from Neal's father. She was impatient to understand what Killian meant about his gift, though.

When he passed the tiny box over to her son, Emma leaned forward onto the table, her curiosity impossible to hide. Henry looked at it for a moment before peeling away the tape and lifting the lid. She craned her neck a little to see what it was: a USB drive? She turned to blink at Killian, just as Henry did.

"Uh, thanks?" Henry attempted, his features all drawn together.

Killian chuckled, reaching over to point at it. "This has got all of me Mam's old recipes from back home. Since you and your mum like cooking together, I thought you might like to give some of these a go."

Henry's eyes went wide, just like his smile. "Oh, cool! Mom, look!" He held the drive up and then set it carefully back in its box. "Wow, thanks, Killian."

As for Emma, she could feel her heart racing at the thoughtfulness of his gift. He was right; it really was perfect for the both of them. What was with this guy? It was almost eerie how easily he affected her. She usually hated that. And, in truth, it made her realize just how quickly she had jumped into the relationship and accepted him. If Henry hadn't liked Killian, she would never have done any of this, but... he was okay with it. He actually seemed oddly pleased.

When Killian locked eyes with her, Emma knew that she undoubtedly looked confused. On the one hand, she felt more open with him than with almost anyone outside of her family (and maybe Ruby), but on the other, she wasn't sure she wanted to be. It was just too unpredictable, and that had never been the sort of situation that sat well with her. Neal had ensured that, hadn't he?

"Mom?" Henry asked, clearly wanting to question her lack of a gift but not wanting to be inappropriate – particularly in front of the others.

Emma's smile cooled down into something more normal and relaxed. "Don't you worry, kid. I've got something back at the apartment."

With that promise set up for him, Henry became far less subtle in regards to his desire to wrap things up. He stood, thanking each of them again, and Emma made sure to draw Gold aside to tell him what had happened. She didn't expect to feel so guilty about it afterwards, though. Though he tried to hide it with silence and then a quiet, reluctant Thank you, Miss Nolan that was too polite, Emma could tell he was saddened by the news as well. She murmured her apology just before he waved a hand and excused himself to head home.

As she stood near the door, watching him go, her parents bid Killian and Henry farewell, only to come up alongside her.

"You told him?" David asked quietly.

Emma nodded. "Everybody knows, now. Much good it does us."

Her mother rubbed gently at her back but Mary Margaret just pursed her lips, shaking her head a bit. Finally, David pressed a kiss to the side of Emma's head, then ushered his wife towards the car as they tightened their coats around them. But over her shoulder, Mary Margaret offered a, "We like him."

Oh? Her eyebrows lifted, but she didn't know what to say in reply. They left and she tried to stamp down the not-so-mild surprise and growing concern.

"Emma?"

She turned, only to find Killian standing there with a hand casually resting on Henry's shoulder, her son looking comfortable as anything. Gods, she just couldn't catch a break, could she? It was just so much. Too much, maybe. She turned her attention to Henry instead.

"Good birthday so far, kid?"

"Awesome birthday," he corrected with a grin, glancing up at Killian and then back at her. "Are we taking Killian home?"

She nodded, pulling the keys from her pocket. Henry reached out, plucking them from her fingers and heading outside ahead of them. The car ride wasn't unpleasant, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either. When they pulled up, Emma left the car running, but stepped out with him. Over the back of her seat, though, she gave Henry a quiet warning.

"Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone, okay? I just want to see how he's doing with all of the introductions today."

And Henry, true to form, just shrugged and nodded his acquiescence.

"Lass, are you alright?" Killian asked, seemingly surprised by her decision to join him. When they approached his door and were out of Henry's line of sight, he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

Emma frowned a little. "I... it's just that-." Her eyes flicked skyward, then out towards the parking lot, where Henry was likely growing bored. There was little chance he would come over to interrupt, though. He was such a good kid that she wasn't even sure how she'd managed to raise him herself.

"Emma?" he repeated, leaning forward a bit to try and catch her eye. "Have I done something wrong?"

"No," she blurted immediately, her fingers curling around his arms in a manner she hoped was comforting. "I'm just not used to someone putting me and Henry first. Not outside of my parents, who, y'know, sort of have to. I know they want to, but... They raised me. They helped raise Henry. And you- You don't have to be like this."

He lifted an eyebrow skeptically. "Like what, exactly? I didn't mean to cross any lines, or-"

"Killian," she sighed, guilt eating away at her. "You don't understand. It's not a bad thing. I just don't know what to do, or how to act. Neal was never... I don't know, actually. It's like he knew how to make it seem like he understood me. But you actually do. And yet you hardly know me."

Were her eyes tearing up? Gods, why? Emma blinked a little too rapidly, trying to reject the emotional response.

His hand reached up, fingers carding carefully through her hair. "I know it sounds insane, love, but somehow... It's like I knew you before we even spoke to each other. I can't explain it."

Emma shook her head. "No, I get it. That's exactly it. And that's... scary, Killian."

"I know."

She dropped her gaze to the sidewalk, but she could still see in her periphery when he looked out towards his door, likely trying to decide how to raise her spirits before she decided to leave. But she didn't give him a chance.

"Remember how I told you I like you?" she asked, meeting his gaze again. His eyebrows pulled together but he nodded. "That hasn't changed. Just- just so you know."

"Not for me, either," Killian told her firmly, smiling and leaning down in a silent request. Emma draped her arms behind his neck and met him halfway to fulfill it.

Unlike the almost unbelievable passion of the previous kisses, this one was purely sweet and comforting. One of her elbows bent so she could brush through his hair, and his arms wound around her back. But he pulled away and she let out a disapproving sigh. His chuckle brought the smile back to her face, though, chagrined as it was.

"Go on, lass. Give your boy his gift," Killian told her, clearly trying to convince himself to break away properly. "We're good. I promise."

Emma nodded, still close enough to brush his nose with hers. "Thank you," she murmured. "For understanding. And Henry's gift. And yesterday. All of it. I'm sorry I can be so confusing."

"For good reason, Emma. It's fine. And it was quite genuinely my pleasure."

She smirked, reaching up for a last, lingering albeit chaste kiss before finally stepping out of his arms. It made her feel bereft, though, and she felt herself slowing as she got further away. But the sight of Henry still sat patiently in the car made her cheeks warm with embarrassment. Once inside, she drove her kid home and showed him the gift she had set up while he was staying over at her parents'.

It was, of course, a game system that she figured he'd enjoy having as incentive for homework assignments. She didn't expect him to ask her to challenge him in the game she'd picked out to go along with the console, or for them to spend the entire evening playing and bonding like they hadn't done in ages.