"What?" Emma gasps in disbelief
"I have a date on Friday."
"With whom?"
"Her name is Violet. I met her at swim practice. She was the one I was talking to on the pool deck the Wednesday before… you know."
Emma wracks her brain to try and remember who Henry was talking about, but so much had happened since then, it was hard for her to remember.
"She was the one who invited me to the party,"
"Oh," his mother says nodding. She had a vague image of the girl now. Dark brown hair and eyes.
"And she's in my Spanish class. She also was part of the search party that Mary Margret organized. She's been supportive through everything that's happened."
"And you finally asked her out?" Emma says.
"Yeah."
Her head is spinning slightly with this new information. She couldn't believe her fifteen-year-old son was going on a date. This shouldn't surprise her, after all, he was old enough to do such things, but it was still shocking. She still thought of him as her little boy and to have him tell her this was a surprise. Her stomach turned a little bit, realizing that she had missed out on quite a lot over the past few months. It wasn't her fault of course, but she still felt left out. She chews on her lip a few times before standing up and tossing out the ruined dinner to distract herself.
"That's okay isn't it Mom?" he asks.
"Of course, honey, I'm very happy for you; it's just part of me doesn't want you to grow up and I still see you in those race car pajamas sometimes."
"Oh god," the teen grimaces. "If she ever comes here, please don't mention that."
"Don't worry I won't. So where are you going on this date?"
"We're thinking of seeing a movie and then maybe grabbing a bite to eat."
"Do you know if she has a curfew?"
"Not yet, I'll ask her. What's mine by the way?"
"11," Emma says.
"I honestly don't think the date will go that late."
Emma chews her lip again while cleaning up the dishes. "How about I order some pizza and you can tell me more about Violet. I've just been out of the loop for awhile."
Henry swallows and nods.
…
"So, you thinkin' of movin' in together then?" Will asks Killian as the dark-haired docks man shoves some clothes into a duffle bag. The rest of his stuff is in the wash as he gathers other things he might need before going back to Emma's apartment.
"We're not there yet Will. We haven't even talked about what we're going to do next week."
Will sits on Killian's hamper, watching his roommate pack. "Just sayin' the past week or so, Robin and I have barely seen ya."
"For good reason," Robin says, walking by the room. "He's been non-stop with Ana all weekend."
Killian grimaces and goes back to packing.
"Must be glad you didn't use a condom then?" Will says.
The docks man glares at his roommate.
"Besides the fact that it likely saved her life and the baby she's carrying is not from that monster, yes I'm very happy!"
"Well, the usual thing to do is to marry the girl before the baby is born, it is."
Killian looks over at his roommate, wanting to punch him so badly. The cocky bastard has no idea what they're going through right now. Everything is overwhelming. Emma has been through unspeakable horrors, not knowing from one day to the next whether she'd come out alive, and all Will can think about is the fact that he got her pregnant. He'd spent months in constant worry, living with the thought that he may never see his love again and trekked many snow-covered forests to find her, while Will's been here banging his girlfriend and ordering stuff off the Internet. He's about ready to give him an earful when Robin steps in.
"Leave him alone Will. You don't have the slightest idea what he and Emma have been through. They're going to take it one day at a time, right Kil?"
He nods, thankful for Robin's rationale and calm demeanor. "I'm going to stand by her no matter what happens."
"Well, usually it's the man who decides whether to propose…"
"WILL!" both scream at him together. Killian walks out of his room and heads towards the door in frustration, Robin follows behind.
"Don't take it too hard Kil, his brain is so small he can't grasp the concept of commitment."
"I HEARD THAT!" is the response down the hall.
"It's the truth!" Robin calls back. He then turns back to Killian and puts his hand on his shoulder. "Don't let him get you down. She's a great woman. A survivor like you. You're a very lucky man and I know you won't let her or her son down. I know you'll do what's right at your own pace."
Killian hugs Robin tightly as a way of thanking him.
"Speaking of being lucky, how's it going with Regina?"
"R-"
"Come on mate, I see the way you look at her. Haven't seen you look at anyone like that since you first met Marian."
Robin's cheeks flush bright red and he begins looking at his shoes.
"I know you care for her mate, and I'll give you the same advice, don't let her go."
"Thanks," Robin says rather quietly.
"Good luck then," the docks man says slapping his roommate's shoulder. "I'll see you whenever I run out of clean clothes."
"Right," he nods. "See ya soon."
…
When Killian comes up to Emma's apartment, he knocks on the door, realizing he doesn't even have a key yet. He and Emma are so early in their relationship and here they were expecting a baby, going to couple's counseling, and practically living together. The latter was more for comfort on Emma's part, but he did enjoy sharing a bed with her, and an apartment. He felt at home there and he was sure that she liked him being there. It still felt so early and here his idiot roommate was talking about marriage and living together permanently. He knew that Emma had her own scars and she wasn't an easy woman to get along with. She'd had trust issues all her life and after being proposed to by her previous boyfriend and then being stood up by him, he wasn't sure she was ready for anything at all. They hadn't even said "I love you" yet. His head felt like a mess and he realized he might have to talk to Dr. Hopper about this.
Emma comes to the door with a piece of pizza in her hands and a smile on her face. She did look beautiful, even though she wasn't trying to be.
"Hi," she says, her mouth full of crust.
"Hi," he says.
"If you want there's some pizza on the table, Henry and I are watching a movie and talking about his date on Friday."
"Date?" he says in surprise, entering the apartment. "I didn't know the lad was courting."
"It's his first," Emma says. "I'm trying to get him to take her to a nice restaurant, but he just wants to eat burgers at the nearest A&W."
"I don't have the money Mom, and besides, she just wants it to be casual," Henry calls from the couch.
"I still think you should get her flowers, show it as a nice gesture to show you really like her."
"She already knows that Mom, we went to a party together remember?"
Killian swallows. "Right, the night…"
The smile on Emma's face fades a little bit as he stands awkwardly in the front hall.
"I…I brought more clean clothes, I-I'll just put them in your room."
"Okay," Emma says, trying to stay positive, pushing back any bad flashbacks. "I should really be giving you a drawer for your stuff at this point."
"It's alright Love, most of my stuff can't fit into a drawer."
"Like your eyeliner," Henry jokes.
Emma shoots her son a look before she goes back to the couch.
Killian sighs heavily once he's in her bedroom alone. There's so much that's happening, he doesn't want to rush anything. It might scare Emma away and the last thing he wanted to do was lose her.
He shoves the thoughts from his head and joins mother and son on the couch as they scroll through Netflix for something new to watch and grabbing pieces of pizza.
"I think Die Hard is a good one to watch," Henry says.
"How about we try something a little more cultured like Breakfast at Tiffany's or Shakespeare in Love?" Emma suggest.
"Mom, those are both chick flicks," her son whines.
Emma leans up against Killian as he eats his slice of pizza.
"They're both classics, Henry."
"So is Die Hard, it's the only good one, the rest suck."
"Like the first three Star Wars movies?"
"Pretty much," Henry shrugs.
"What about you Killian?" Emma asks. "What would you like to watch?"
The dark-haired man bites his lip hard as he looks at both mother and son, not really sure how to respond.
"How about ET?"
Henry groans. "That's a kid's movie."
"Not really, I still enjoy watching it," the docks man responds.
"When was the last time you watched ET Henry?" Emma asks.
"Never."
"How about Jaws then?' he suggests.
"Is Spielberg your go-to choice?" Emma asks, looking at her boyfriend.
"Usually yes. He's quite good at what he does."
"Doesn't it make you afraid of the water?" Henry asks.
"I've seen much worse in my time at sea, Lad, and the stories Liam told about being in the navy, the mechanical shark is nothing in comparison."
"Jaws it is then," Emma says before her son can protest. She presses play and then tucks her feet under herself and leans on Killian again. She felt okay to be next to him for now, she shifted a few times uncomfortably but felt safer in his arms.
Killian adjusted to her needs, putting one hand on her belly a few times. At one point the baby kicks. His heart skips a beat when he feels the tiny life inside Emma. His little daughter… his child. He knew he had a lot of thinking to do, but pushes them aside to watch the opening underwater titles.
…
"You know, I used to be afraid of the water."
"Can't imagine why." Richard Dreyfuss' character says as the credits began to roll on the screen.
Killian looks over to see both Henry and Emma are asleep. He wasn't sure when they stopped watching and drifted off. Maybe after Robert Shaw's iconic speech. Either way, he had a strange feeling. It was if they were like a family having a movie night. Emma is curled up against him, while Henry's practically falling off the couch. He found this strangely gratifying and he felt great warmth being with the two of them. It really did feel like they were a family, but the thought brought those worries back to his mind now. What were they going to do? There was so much that was uncertain. Emma's current condition was the main concern, that and the baby. Henry was not ready to fully accept Killian as a father figure, considering Neal was still in town as far as he knew. He, himself, was practically living in the apartment now and had troubles of his own. How was he going to support his daughter? Will he be able to help Emma work through all the problems? Could they really ever be a family or was it too complicated?
He swallows as Emma sighs in her sleep. She looked peaceful, which was a nice change. He gently puts his hand on her stomach again and tries to feel around for the baby. His daughter must sense his hand because she kicks in response. He begins to tear up, thinking about the little one in there. He hoped that she would look like Emma. Despite everything that was worrying him, the kicking seemed to reassure him, his daughter was letting him know that it was okay and that she was going to be the reward at the end. She was his little beacon of hope in such troubling times.
"I love you little one," he whispers, patting where she had kicked. "I will do everything I can to make you happy."