"Are you sure that I should even be there?" Emma questioned as she poured some chips into a bowl.
Belle couldn't help but shake her head as she told her friend, "And what makes you think you shouldn't be?"
With a shrug, Emma replied, "This is about you, Killian, and you guys' father - about whether or not you guys want to trust him again."
The brunette only hummed in response before she and Emma finished preparing their snacks.
When they had settled on the couch with their food and drinks, Belle continued, "You're the one who reached out to Brennan in the first place."
"Before I knew what his intentions were - now I know that he's not gonna hurt either one of you," Emma emphatically pointed out.
With a sigh, Belle then told her friend, "You can be dreadfully stubborn, you know," earning an eye roll from Emma.
The brunette couldn't help but grin before she sincerely continued, "Emma, you are family to both myself and Killian. You're my best friend and my sister, and you're Killian's girlfriend. We both lo…" cutting herself off abruptly.
She then took a breath and covered, "We both look at you as being one of the most important people in our lives. Why wouldn't we want you there to support us?"
Instead of answering her friend's question, Emma addressed Belle's slip up: "I know how Killian feels about me. I've known for a long time."
With a tilt of her head, Belle asked, "And that doesn't scare you?"
Emma nervously ran her fingers her hair as she said, "I honestly don't know. Just knowing it and hearing him actually say it are two different things."
The blonde then opened her mouth to say something else, but she promptly closed it. Belle tilted her head at the gesture as she asked, "What is it, Emma?"
Instead of answering, she looked all around the room and began nervously bouncing her leg up and down. She then took several deep breaths and steeled her nerves.
She then slowly admitted, "I almost said, uh, you know," pausing to find a way to say it, "the 'l' word. I've actually thought it a couple times, and then I came close to telling him."
Belle bit her lip to keep from smiling too widely. Just as she was about to reply to her best friend, Emma got up and started pacing.
"Geez, just telling you makes it feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest and my knees are going to just give out."
Belle then came to stand in front of Emma and soothingly squeezed her arms. She then wrapped her in a hug, and she felt Emma's shoulders sag in relief.
When they pulled away, Emma spoke, "Thanks, Belle. I needed that." The brunette smiled and nodded in response.
Belle then took a deep breath as she thought over her next words. She then told her, "It is okay for you to be a little scared. You haven't felt this way about anyone in a long time."
With a sigh, Emma then said, "I don't even know when this happened - it just slipped out. Or almost slipped out. And being the great guy that he is, Killian hasn't pressured me about it."
She then ran her hand over her face and through her hair. She then looked back over at her best friend and spoke, "What am I even supposed to do?" wincing at how desperate she sounded.
Belle then pulled Emma in for a side hug, running a comforting hand up and down her arm. She then pulled back and surmised, "Well, the fact that you know exactly how he feels - and that you wanted to tell him how you feel - is saying something. Maybe you're ready to take that next step - maybe you're ready to say those three words."
Emma simply nodded in reply, but she then resumed nervously bouncing her leg up and down - a war of thoughts and feelings waging in her mind.
The silence became deafening until Emma finally broke it with an admission: "All I know is that Killian is the most amazing guy - I sometimes still can't believe he wants to be with me - and this is probably the best relationship I've ever had. I don't want to run from him - I want to stay with him," a smile making its way across her features.
Belle brightly smiled back in return. She then pulled her friend in for a tight hug, one that Emma happily returned.
However, the blonde soon told her friend, "You're squeezing me."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Belle exclaimed before she pulled away. She then spoke, "I'm just so incredibly happy for you."
Emma ran her fingers through her hair as a deep blush appeared on her face. She then tried to shrug it off: "It's not that big of a deal - Killian already knows that I care about him."
Belle shook her head in response, but she did understand where her friend was coming from. She offered her a smile as she told her, "Well, I still think it's rather wonderful."
Emma couldn't help but smile in response. She then pulled her friend in for another hug as she told her, "Thank you for listening - and for helping me through my slight freak-out. You always know what to say."
"Of course, Emma. That's what sisters are for."
The two women then pulled apart. Belle then spoke, "Back to this dinner with Brennan. Killian and I would both like you to be there for moral support. I'd greatly appreciate it, and I know that Killian would, too."
The blonde laid her head against the back of the couch. Her best friend did make a good point.
Though perhaps not in the same way, Emma was still as much involved in this dinner as Belle and Killian.
And so, she sighed and began, "You're making a hell of an argument." She paused before she continued, "I'll be there."
Belle smiled in response. A thoughtful expression then overtook her features, and she spoke, "I think this will be good for us. I've been meaning to stop by the Nautilus, but it's rather difficult - I think it'll be easier with you and Killian there."
"I think it will be, too," Emma agreed with a small smile.
Belle smiled once more in response. The brunette then spoke, "Let's start our movie, shall we?"
Emma nodded before she asked, "What movie did you pick again?" looking around for the DVD case.
"Ever After," Belle stated before she explained, "It's the one that explores the real story behind Cinderella."
"Why am I not surprised that you picked a fairytale," Emma commented, and she couldn't help but shake her head.
Belle only shrugged as she began, "I think you know that I'm quite the hopeless romantic."
"Mm-hmm," the blonde simply hummed in response before her friend continued, "Aside from the fact that this movie is one of my favorites, Danielle actually reminds me of you."
Emma resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she argued, "That isn't the first time you've said that, you know."
Belle shook her head before she spoke, "Well, in this case, I believe it's even more true. You're both rather strong-willed, outspoken, and independent, you both fight for what is right, and I don't think Henry or Killian knew quite what to do with you two at first," chuckling at that last part.
Emma found herself chuckling as well while simultaneously hiding the fact that she was blushing. However, she didn't quite hide it well enough for Belle not to notice.
The brunette couldn't help but grin at her friend, but she decided to lay off the teasing. She instead suggested, "How about we start the movie now?"
Belle couldn't help but notice the grateful look that she received before Emma spoke, "Yeah. Let's see Cinderella and Prince Charming fall in love."
With a head shake and an eye roll, Belle grabbed the remote and pressed play. She then settled in against the couch.
Emma was steadily eating Doritos as she became engrossed in the movie – though she likely wouldn't admit to the latter.
Just as the Grande Dame had unveiled the beautiful portrait, Emma asked, "Didn't like, da Vinci, paint that in this movie?"
When she didn't receive an answer, she furrowed her brows in response. She then turned to look at her friend and saw that she was deep in thought.
"Belle, are you okay?" Emma then asked, reaching over to squeeze her arm.
The brunette jumped at the contact. She then took a breath and spoke, "Of course, I'll be fine – nothing for you to worry about."
"Hey, come on, you just had to sit through me going on about my relationship fears. The least I can do is try to help you," Emma told her friend, a smile appearing on her face.
Belle couldn't help but smile back. That smile was soon replaced by a look of reflection.
The brunette took a breath before she admitted, "I'm nervous about meeting with my father."
"Of course you would be. It hasn't been an easy situation," Emma sympathetically began. She then paused and continued, "Didn't you guys end up having a pretty good conversation even after Killian went all overprotective big brother?"
"Yeah, we did," Belle conceded. She then sighed and said, "But I don't really know where to go from there."
Emma sighed as well before she offered, "Especially since casual conversation is probably asking a little much."
Belle only ran her hand through her brown hair in response. She then sighed as she began twirling a few strands around her fingers.
After a few moments, she then began, "It's not like I expected this to be easy…" cutting herself off. She let out a breath before she continued, "I don't know what I expected, really. There's no way I could even anticipate finding out that I had a half-brother for my entire life, let alone having my father – our father – come back into my life."
"I don't think anyone expects this sort of thing," Emma conceded. She then paused and added, "But I think that despite everything, you've handled things pretty well."
"I don't know about that. I can rarely see past each day," Belle admitted as she fumbled with a button on her shirt.
Emma reached over to squeeze her friend's hand as she reassured her, "That's really all you can do, Belle."
With a sigh, Belle then pointed out, "But Brennan moved here for Killian and I. He stopped running for us. He faced all of his past mistakes for us. He at least deserves a chance to make things right."
She then let out a shaky breath and buried her face in her hands.
She looked up when she heard Emma's perception: "And you want to give him that chance, but part of you is still afraid of being hurt."
Belle nodded before she spoke, "I really do believe he's changed – I mean, I told Killian as much. But it's difficult thinking about moving on to that next step."
"He hurt you. You don't necessarily remember the feeling of being abandoned, but you do know the pain of growing up without your father.
"I know you were able to forgive him, but you didn't have to face him," Emma replied, adjusting her position in order to cross her legs and face her friend more fully.
"But I need to," Belle emphatically stated, as she was struggling to hold back the tears.
With a shake of her head, Emma told her, "No, you don't," pulling her friend in for a hug.
When they pulled away, the blonde continued, "All Brennan wanted was the chance to see that you and Killian are happy, and he knows that. He can see it. You don't owe him anything, Belle – and your father understands that. You and Killian agreeing to have dinner with him is a hell of a lot more than he ever expected."
Belle took a deep breath as she considered Emma's words. After a few minutes of silence, she then spoke, "I don't suppose I thought of it like that. I was only thinking of how big of a step this was for Brennan."
"As usual, you were thinking of others before yourself," Emma surmised with a small smile.
Belle offered a small smile as well before her friend continued, "Are you still up for this dinner?"
With a slow and thoughtful nod, Belle then answered, "I really do. I need – want – to do this for me. The only way I can truly have any peace about him and this whole situation is to see him and to talk to him. It's the only way I'll be able to decide what to do next."
"And whatever that decision is, you know I'll be there for you," Emma sincerely told her.
"I know you will be," Belle replied with a smile. Emma smiled back before the two of them hugged.
When they pulled away, Emma commented, "We have a lot going on, don't we?" running her fingers through her hair.
Belle simply nodded in response. A moment later, she then said, "But I think we'll be alright."
"Yeah, we will be," Emma agreed. She then took a breath and spoke, "Let's watch some more of this movie."
With a grin, Belle teased, "So, you're actually enjoying it."
"I didn't say that," Emma protested with crossed arms. She then defended, "It's just that, well, we started it and now I have to finish it," shrugging as she spoke.
"Sure, Emma. Whatever you say," Belle teased once more, earning a head shake and an eye roll from her friend.
Belle only chuckled before the two of them then resumed watching the movie.
A/N: Hey, you guys! I hope y'all enjoyed the latest installment of "Second Chance"! I felt as though it was time for Emma and Belle to truly talk things out :)
My original plan was to include the dinner with Brennan in this chapter, but I decided it would be best to split it up. Aside from the fact that I'm nowhere near finished with writing the dinner, I decided that it would be better to just give Emma and Belle a chapter to themselves. I hope you guys are looking forward to what's next! Until next time :)