Thank you so much for the support on the last chapter! I'm glad people are still interested in reading these stories!

Here's something I wrote way back in 2018 when I was still updating. It has two parts and is set in the six weeks of peace in season 4. I hope you enjoy!

Second Date: Part One

Emma smiled when she saw Killian leaning against the hood of her car. She felt herself pick up speed just a little bit. When she reached him, he kissed her gently before handing her a Granny's to-go cup full of hot chocolate.

"Good morning," he said, wrapping his arm around her while she did the same to him. They began their daily walk to the library, enjoying each other's company.

"Morning," she said. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Did you have a good night?"

"Of course not, love," he teased. "You and Henry had to go home in the middle of our card game. Henry was winning, you deprived me of beating him."

Emma laughed and shook her head. "It's your own fault. You shouldn't have taught him all those ways to cheat."

"I had to, love. He can't be a pirate without knowing these kinds of things."

A smile wrote itself across Emma's face. "He's 13."

"Brilliant. He'll learn it earlier than I did."

Emma snorted.

"So," Killian said, "since it's been so peaceful, I thought tonight would be the perfect night to have our second date."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "Is that your way of asking me out?"

"Of course not, no. I asked you weeks ago when I dropped you off at home after our first date."

Emma grinned, the memory surfacing. "I remember."

"Fantastic."

They crossed the street as they approached the library.

Killian turned to face Emma. "I'll see you tonight. 6:00."

Emma felt her face redden a bit, but she didn't know why. "Okay." She stood on her toes and gave him a kiss. "See you."

He smiled. "Goodbye, love."

Emma gave him one last smile before turning and heading toward the station.

When Emma got home that night, she went straight over to Snow, who was in the kitchen doing the dishes.

"I need your help," Emma said. She felt her heart pounding. She didn't know why she was so nervous, Killian wouldn't be here for hours, and she had already gone on a date with him before.

Snow looked up at her, worried. "What is it?"

Emma twisted her hands together. "I have a date with Killian tonight."

Snow's face broke out into a smile. "That's amazing!" She put down the plate she was holding and dried her hands off on a towel before walking over to her daughter. "Okay, where are you going?"

Emma shrugged. "Don't know."

"That's fine. We can work with that. Do you have any idea where he might be taking you?"

Emma shook her head. "No, but he's Killian and he asked me. So he probably already has something nice in mind."

Snow couldn't resist the urge to pull Emma into a hug. "I'm so happy for you."

"It's just a date, Mom. We've already been on one." But Emma still gave her mother a hug.

Pulling away, Snow argued, "That doesn't matter. Anyway, let's start getting you ready. Do you have a dress?"

Emma shook her head as the two walked upstairs to Emma's room. "I have the one I wore on our first date, but I don't really want to wear that."

Snow nodded as she opened the wardrobe where Emma kept her jackets and one dress. "Okay. Well, there's only one thing we can do." She spun around, a mischievous grin on her lips.

Emma raised her eyebrows. "What?"

"It's time to go shopping."

Emma groaned. "Mom, no."

"You sound like a child, come on." She led Emma down the stairs.

Emma laughed. She couldn't help but feel like a teenager.

"So where exactly are we going?" Emma asked, pulling her shoes on by the front door. "Storybrooke doesn't necessarily have a lot of options when it comes to clothes."

"Oh, sure it does," Snow assured. "You just have to know where to look. Now, come on."

"We need to hurry. It's almost six," Emma warned as her eyes skirted a rack full of frilly dresses.

"All right, all right." Snow pulled a purple dress off the rack and showed it to Emma. "What about this?"

Emma scrunched up her nose. "No."

"Why not?" Snow asked, sounding insulted. She thought the dress was rather nice.

Emma shrugged, gesturing to the sparkles around the neckline. "I don't like those."

Snow rolled her eyes and put the dress back on the rack. "I swear you're four years old."

Emma laughed. "This was your idea."

"What color do you want?" Snow continued to go through the rack. "Red?"

Emma snorted. "Like my jacket?"

"Yeah, you love your red leather jacket."

She rolled her eyes. "I do, but I don't know if I want to wear a red dress."

Snow pushed through the dresses. "Okay. What about blue or yellow?"

Emma thought for a moment. "Yellow."

Snow finished going through the current rack she was looking through and then went to another one, Emma helping her look.

"Ooo," Snow gushed a few minutes later, pulling a yellow dress from the rack. "What about this?"

Emma looked over at her and shrugged. "I'll try it on." She took the dress from her mother and walked into one of the changing rooms.

After putting the dress on and waving her hand to zip up the dress, Emma looked into the mirror. The dress was light yellow. It was tight from her shoulders to her waist, falling loose just past her knees.

Emma smoothed it over with her hands. It was good enough.

"So?" her mother asked when Emma emerged from the changing room.

"I like it."

Snow smiled. "Great. Let's buy it and then get you ready."

Emma felt like a teenager going on her first date. When Emma and Snow got home, Snow tried to convince Emma to let her do her hair and makeup. Emme refused immediately.

"I could get it done in ten minutes," Snow insisted as Emma walked up the stairs.

"I'm fine, Mom!" Emma called down and then disappeared upstairs.

Snow huffed and walked into the kitchen, starting working on dinner for her, David, and Henry.

The door opened not ten minutes later and David and Henry walked in, laughing.

Snow smiled at them. "Neither of you go upstairs, Emma's getting ready."

Henry set his bag down. "Ready for what?"

"She has a date with Killian," Snow said casually, pulling out carrots from the fridge.

"She has a what?" David yelled.

"I can hear you, Dad!" Emma shouted from upstairs.

David ignored her. "When did this happen?"

Snow stared at him. "They've been together for months, David."

"Not that. When did he ask her out?"

"This morning," Snow explained, chopping up the carrots.

Henry walked over to the counter and sat on one of the stools. "When's she leaving?"

"At six."

"Where are they going?" He grabbed an apple from a bowl.

Snow shrugged. "Emma doesn't even know."

Henry nodded and walked over to the stairs. "Can I come up yet, Mom?"

"Yeah!" Emma called back.

Henry grabbed his bag and ran upstairs. He tossed his bag onto his bed and sat next to it. He observed his mother as she brushed her hair quickly, a smile on her face.

Emma looked at him. "What?"

Henry shook his head. "You just seem happy."

"I am, but not just because of Killian. I'm happy to be here with you, too." Emma sat down on her bed. "These last couple weeks of peace have been great."

Henry laughed. "I doubt it will last very long though, giving that this is Storybrooke."

"Don't jinx it," Emma teased. "I'd like to see you graduate high school before another crisis hits."

Henry kicked his shoes off and leaned back. "That's still five years away."

"Then that's five years of peace."

Henry smiled. He loved seeing his mom so optimistic.

At six o'clock, there was a knock at the door.

"He's here!" Snow yelled immediately, excitement flaring up.

"Tell him I'll be down in a minute!" Emma shouted.

Henry rushed to the door and opened it. He found Killian on the other side, wearing something similar to what he had worn on his and Emma's first date.

"Hello, lad," Killian said as Henry let him in.

"Hey, Killian." Henry closed the door. "Mom'll be down in a minute."

Killian nodded, smiling at the boy.

Henry went back to the kitchen table where he was eating his dinner with David and Snow. David studied Killian for a minute before standing up walking over to him, arms crossed.

"Only one hand this time?" David demanded, gesturing toward Killian's hook.

"Aye. The Crocodile's not here to give it back to me for the night."

"Good," David said at once.

"David, leave him alone and come eat," Snow commanded. "Henry, will you go check on Emma?"

Henry obliged and ran up the stairs. He found his mother sitting at the edge of her bed, breathing heavily.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Emma looked up and pretended to smile. She stood. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." She lost her footing and fell back onto the bed, laying on her back and closing her eyes with a groan.

Henry sat next to her. "You don't seem fine."

Emma scoffed. "Just tell Killian I can't go."

"What—?"

"Tell him I'm sick or something."

"Mom?"

Emma opened her eyes and turned her head to face him. "I can't do this, kid. I don't know why I thought I could."

"But this is Killian, Mom."

Emma squeezed her eyes closed. "I know."

"So why can't you do it?"

Emma flopped her arms over her head on the bed, eyes snapping open. "Because it's been so peaceful! There has to be a villain out there, ready to strike. They're just waiting to catch me off guard, which is what I'll be if I go out with Killian tonight."

"Mom, you can't think like that," Henry insisted. "If you do, then you'll never enjoy the quiet moments."

"You've been talking to David."

Henry shrugged. "I live with him. What do you expect?"

Emma laughed. Her expression became serious. "I don't want to be caught off guard."

Henry thought about that for a moment. As he read into Emma's words, he realized the true meaning behind them. "This isn't about a villain is it?"

"What else would it be about?" Emma asked.

"Killian."

Emma intaked sharply.

Henry leaned back. "It's okay to be vulnerable, Mom. That's what lets you be happy." When she didn't answer, Henry continued, "Think about it: If you hadn't let your walls down around me, then we wouldn't be here. You'd be in Boston and the curse wouldn't be broken."

Emma stared at the ceiling.

Henry sighed. "Look, if you really want me to get rid of him, I will, but if you let me do that, your walls will become taller and thicker."

There was a minute of silence before Emma sat up. "When did you get so smart?"

Henry shrugged. "I have a great mom."

Emma smiled softly at him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you, kid."

"I love you, too, Mom."

Emma kissed his head before Henry stood up. He put his hands out. "Come on, I'll walk with you."

Emma stared at him for a moment before she took his hands and pulled herself up. She fixed her hair quickly. "I'm so lucky to have you, kid."

"Likewise." Henry put out his arm. "Shall we?"

Emma laughed and looped her arm through his. "You've been spending too much time with Killian. Or David. Or both."

They began to descend down the stairs.

"They're both cool."

Emma smiled. "Yeah, they are." Looking up, Emma's stomach churned. Killian was looking up at her, beaming at her like she was everything

With a deep breath, her foot touched the floor and she took her arm out of Henry's. She walked timidly over to Killian.

"You look stunning, as always," he whispered.

Emma felt herself blush. "Thanks."

David cleared his throat.

Emma turned and looked at her father. "We'll be fine, Dad."

"I can come if you want," David suggested.

Emma shook her head and took Killian's hand. "That's okay. We'll be back soon."

Killian opened the door and let Emma walk out first.

Emma smiled at Henry nervously and he smiled back. Then, Emma and Killian stepped out of the small apartment.

I hope you liked it! I'll post the second part next week, hopefully. I still need to edit it.

Also, I have a lot of shorter one-shots that I don't know if I should post because they are so short. They're only around 700 words. Would you guys still be interested in reading those? Let me know! Along with that, if you have any requests, please let me know! I don't have many more one-shot ideas left, so I would love some more!