This is based in season 3B. Henry doesn't have his memories back at this point.

I don't own OUAT!

Around

"You're sure you're good with taking care of him again?" Emma asked, watching Henry, who sat at the bar in Granny's sipping hot chocolate.

"Do you doubt I can manage it, Swan?" Killian asked, sending her a teasing smile.

She rolled her eyes, her lips tugging up. "No, I just want to make sure that Captain Hook isn't getting bored of babysitting."

"Of course not." He pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against. "Your lad has a good sense of humor and is quite pleasant to be around."

She raised her eyebrows. "Yeah?"

"Aye. Haven't you noticed?"

She laughed a little. "I've seen it here and there."

Killian loved when she teased him back. He loved when they could have a light conversation and it seemed like she actually enjoyed speaking to him. "Go on, Swan. Stop the Wicked Witch, break the curse, as you normally do."

She gave him a look and grabbed her jacket from the booth behind her. "I'll be back in a few hours. Just . . ." She glanced at her son. "Make sure he doesn't go wander off on his own."

"No harm will befall him, Emma," he said softly, meeting her eyes when she faced him. "Don't worry."

She smiled again. "I won't." Then she walked away from him, toward her boy. Killian followed. "Henry, Killian's going to watch you again while I go to work. That okay?"

Henry nodded. "Yep. Good luck."

"Thanks, kid." She kissed his head and sent one last smile to Killian before walking out the door.

"So." Killian pulled a stool out and sat next to Henry. "What would you like to do today, lad?"

He shrugged. "I don't care. Something cool."

"How about sailing? You started to get the hang of it last time. We could refine your skills."

A smile flashed across Henry's face. "That sounds awesome! Let me just go grab my jacket." He jumped off the stool and sped toward the hallway.

"How long have you been sailing, Killian?"

"Oh, um, well, my whole life."

"That's cool. There's nothing I've been doing that long."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with that." Killian reached over Henry to adjust the wheel. "You just need to find what you enjoy. Once you do that, stick with it."

Henry frowned. "I like to write, but I'm not very good at it yet."

"Well, do you like to read? I've known a few writers in my day and they go on and on about how reading helps them." Killian knew what the boy's answer would be and he was suddenly sad that he didn't remember his storybook.

"I love reading! I just finished Harry Potter a few months ago. Have you read it?"

"No, unfortunately. What's it about?" He recalled Emma mentioning it once in an off-hand comment. She hadn't explained it then. Perhaps he needed to read this Harry Potter.

Henry went into a long explanation about wizards and magic. He got distracted more than once and Killian had to set them back on course again.

"Back home, sometimes Walsh would come over on the weekend and we'd watch it—" He stopped abruptly. His hands twisted on the wheel.

Killian glanced down at him. The boy's lips were pressed into a thin line and he kept his eyes on the horizon. "You all right, Henry?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes I just remember why we're here."

Killian's heart stopped for a moment, a brief glimmer of hope hitting him, but then Henry continued, "I just don't know how to help her. She's been acting so weird."

Killian swallowed, brushing his disappointment aside. "Your mother?"

"Yeah."

"What did she tell you about why you came here?"

"She said it was about some case, which it probably is partly, but I think she wanted to get away from New York. Actually, I think she wanted to get away from Walsh."

Whenever that monster's name was mentioned, he wanted to punch something. "Why's that?"

"I don't know, but I know she said no to his proposal."

For a moment, Killian stayed quiet. "Does that . . . upset you?"

Again, he lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "I liked Walsh. He made my mom happy."

Killian's heart clenched. Emma had thought she'd found happiness, but once again, it'd been stolen right from under her. She'd been hurt. He swore he would never hurt her in the way she'd been hurt in the past.

"But you make her happy, too."

Killian froze. "W-what?"

Henry smirked up at him. "You haven't noticed? She's usually always smiling when she's with you. It reminds me of how she was with Walsh, but it's different." He looked forward again.

Did she always smile around him? Sure, he'd seen her smile plenty of times. It made his stomach flip and his heart flutter in the best way possible, but he'd never thought of the possibility that it was because of him.

"What do you mean 'different'?"

Henry bit his lip, thinking for a moment. "Like, with Walsh, she always seemed hesitant, you know? I mean, it was obvious she loved him, but it was almost like something was holding her back, you know? When you make her laugh, she doesn't stop smiling or cut her laugh short. It's like she knows she can be herself around you. She was always afraid to do that around Walsh, but when she's with you, she doesn't worry about it as much." He shrugged again. "I don't know.'

Henry's words stunned him. Whenever he was with Emma, he felt like she was keeping him at an arm's length. Perhaps an arm's length was the closest she'd let anyone in a while. Perhaps she'd kept Walsh multiple arm's lengths away.

"And you like being around her, too. I can tell."

Killian raised his eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Oh, yeah. You smile at her all the time. You look at her a lot, too, even when she's not looking at you. It's like you're afraid you'll miss something."

Henry continued to surprise him with every word.

"You're a perceptive lad, Henry."

He looked back up, smiling wide. "So I'm right?"

"About what?"

"You like being around my mom."

"I don't know who wouldn't."

Henry's smile turned satisfied. "I knew it."

Killian rolled his eyes. He could see Emma in Henry every time he spoke. "Let's focus on sailing, now. What do you say?"

"Hey, kid! How was your day?"

Henry ran up to Emma's side as she stood from her seat, letting the diner door swing into Killian. "It was awesome! Killian taught me how to sail."

Emma's eyes flickered to Killian's. "Again?"

"You can't learn everything in one lesson, so he kept teaching me."

Emma laughed and ruffled his hair. "Okay, well, why don't you go tell Ruby what you want for dinner and then we'll go watch a movie in our room."

Henry's face lit up. "Awesome." He pulled away from Emma and rushed over to the counter.

Emma took a step closer to Killian once Henry was out of the way. "How'd it go?"

"Wonderful, like he said."

"Yeah?" She crossed her arms, smiling at him. "What'd you talk about? I can't imagine Henry letting you go on and on about sailing facts all day."

Killian chuckled. "No, he did not, unfortunately." He wasn't going to go on, but she looked at him expectantly. "We talked about all sorts of things."

"Like?"

He scratched behind his ear. "Well, for one, he doesn't think you brought him here because of a case."

Her smile faded and he wanted to do anything to bring it back. "What?"

"He thinks there is a case, but he believes that you're here because you wanted to get away from Walsh." He chose his words carefully, keeping his eyes on her face the entire time.

She sighed and sank back into the booth beside her. "He's too smart."

"He is quite perceptive," Killian agreed, sitting across from her.

She smiled a little and opened her mouth to talk, but Henry rushed over before she could. "Are you eating with us, Killian?"

Killian's eyebrows raised, his mouth falling open as he glanced at Emma for help. "I, um . . ." Emma shrugged, her smile exasperated as she moved so Henry could get into the booth. She nodded once. "Aye, that I am."

Henry beamed. "Cool!" He dived into talking about everything Killian had taught him earlier. Emma watched him with a soft smile that Killian had a hard time looking away from. Henry was wrong. He loved being around the boy's mother.

I hope you liked that chapter!