Chapter 9
"I really don't think you should take the lad's picture," Killian says, as the two of them wait for Henry to come out of his room.
"It's his first date, and I want to remember this," Emma says, holding her camera in her hands.
"Don't make too big a deal out of it Love," he warns her. "It's not prom or graduation."
"Hey, when our daughter goes on her first date, you'll want to remember it too."
"That won't happen because as long as she's under my roof, she won't be dating anyone," the docks man says sternly.
"She's not even born yet and you're already overprotective of her," Emma says smiling. Killian puts his arm around her waist. He rubs the spot where their daughter is growing.
The two hear footsteps and Henry comes into the living room. He wears a dark blue collared shirt at the insistence of his mother and a pair of black pants. He completes the look with a pair of black sneakers. He has his hair combed to the side so she could see his hazel eyes. They looked a bit reluctant and plenty embarrassed that his mother insisted on taking pictures.
Emma swallows, trying to remain positive as she looks at her son. He's growing up so fast that she wants to take a moment and relive all the happy memories of his childhood. Her heart swells a little bit. She had talked to Dr. Hopper about her feelings towards her son going on his first date, how she was happy and upset at the same time, feeling like it was a big change in their lives, and the man reassured her that all parents go through that. She should try to remain positive, even if she herself was nervous (And she wasn't the one going on the date). Missing almost four months of his life did not seem like much, but to her, it felt like a lot. Dr. Hopper also advised Emma to spend a lot of time with Henry because once the baby comes, things will change a lot more. Even though the teen was old enough to understand what jealousy was and that young siblings need more attention, he'd still feel brushed to the side. Something that his mother did not want.
"You look very handsome," she says gently. She holds up the camera and Henry holds his hand in front of his face. "One picture please…" she begs.
The teen rolls his eyes and eventually obliges. He cracks a small smile, allowing his mother to capture the moment.
"So, is Killian driving me?" Henry asks.
"Aye, you ready lad?"
"I think so,"
Emma allowed Killian to drive her son, hoping the two could do some form of bonding, the docks man giving the boy some last-minute dating advice, something Neal was losing out on. Also, Emma was too nervous to even think about dropping her son off for a date. In the back of Henry's mind, his mother might embarrass him, so he was grateful when her boyfriend volunteered instead.
"Goodbye Mom," the teen says, giving her a hug.
"Do you have your key?"
"Yes."
"Your phone?"
"Yes."
"Money for the movie and dinner?"
"Yes," his exasperated voice says.
Killian puts his hand on Emma's shoulder to calm her down. She takes in a deep breath, fighting back happy tears.
"Good bye and good luck Bug," she smirks, kissing his forehead. Henry's ears turn red in response. "I'm only joking, have fun and be safe."
"I will Mom," the teen says as he grabs his jacket. Killian follows the boy out and shuts the door behind them.
…
"Don't be too annoyed with her Lad," Killian says as they drive through town. "She's just nervous."
"I know, but why? She's not the one going on the date."
"No, but she feels like she has to make the moment count… considering how much time was…"
The two men go into awkward silence. They drive through the darkening streets of Boston with several snowplows going through the area to clear the recent snow falls.
"I actually have something for you," Killian says.
"What is it?"
"Look in the plastic bag at your feet."
Henry reaches down and finds something long and thin in a white plastic bag. He opens it to find a small white carnation flower.
"It's for your date," the docks man explains. "I believe that every man should present the woman with a flower. Make a good first impression."
"But I've known her for months."
"Doesn't matter. I met your mother at a bar and we ended up in a standoff with one of her wanted clients. I still brought her a white rose for our first official date. I believe that a man should be a gentleman to any woman he is courting."
"Courting, what era are you from?" Henry retorts.
Killian glares at the teen. "You like this girl, don't you?" he asks in a stern voice.
"Y-Yes."
"Then be a gentleman to her; tell her she's beautiful, open doors for her, offer to pay for her meal, do little things like that. They go a very long way. It shows you care and you want to make an impact alright? It will also stand you in good stead with her parents."
Henry nods. He fiddles with the carnation. His stomach is turning over and over, making him feel sick to his stomach. He can't understand why he's acting like this. He knows Violet, the two have kissed before and hung out… but this was a real date. The real thing…
His phone suddenly buzzes in his pocket and he checks it. It's a text from his dad.
Good luck tonight buddy, don't forget to kiss her good night.
The teen swallows and Killian pulls the car up in front of the house. Henry's grip is sweating as he makes his way up to the front porch of the modest little house. It has dark blue shutters and is painted a cream colour. It has a well-kept garden covered in mounds of snow in the front and a stone walkway that has been cleared of white powder. He recalls hearing something about Violet's mother being a gardener. It's a nice place to live, much better than his mom's small apartment.
His hand shakes as he knocks on the door.
The door opens to see a man in his late 40s with graying hair, dark brown eyes under thin glasses standing there. He examines Henry from top to bottom trying to determine whether this young man was suitable for his daughter. He continues to frown at the teen and straightens himself out to appear dominant and intimidating.
"H-Hello," Henry says, trying to keep his voice from cracking. "Are you Mr. Roberts?"
"I am," a deep voice responds.
"I'm here to pick up Violet."
A woman appears behind the man. She looks a lot more cheerful than the man, she smiles at Henry. He assumes that this is Violet's mother because the two look a lot alike with the same long, dark hair; only the woman's is graying in certain places and has a dimply smile all her own. Her eyes are a dark green and they seem to light up and take in Henry's appearance with much excitement.
"Hello, you must be Henry," she chirps, holding her hand out.
Henry wipes his sweaty palm on his pants before shaking it. "Yes, I am, nice to meet you, Mrs. Roberts."
"The pleasure's all mine. Violet will just be a few more minutes, please come in out of the cold,"
Henry nervously steps over the door mat and enters the warm home.
The house is as equally nice on the inside as well as the out. The front room has an old oak table that holds a vase of flowers. Behind it is a mirror that reflects Henry's anxious expression back at him. The hardwood stairs are to the left that has family pictures spread along the adjacent wall. The closet door to his right is made of solid oak and a lovely blue rug covers the foyer.
"You have a lovely home," Henry says politely.
"Thank you very much," Mrs. Roberts smiles.
Mr. Roberts continues to stare Henry down as the boy waits with the flower in his hand.
"Who is driving you to the movies?" the father asks.
"My mom's boyfriend," the teen responds.
"So your mother is not married?"
"JOEL!" Mrs. Roberts gasps. "How rude. I'm sorry Henry, Joel is very protective of Violet, she is the youngest after all."
"Th-That's okay," Henry swallows. "No Mr. Roberts, my mom is not married."
"How is she doing by the way?" Violet's mother asks. Of course, Violet would've told her parents about his mother's past situation.
"She… she's fine thank you for asking. She's happy to be home."
"I'll bet…"
Just then Violet comes down the stairs. Henry's breath leaves his body as he looks at the lovely girl standing in front of him. Her dark hair is styled into loose curls that hang around and frame her lovely face. She wears makeup that highlights her eyes and overall beauty. She wears a dark purple top that has sort of frilly sleeves and a black skirt with matching kitten heels. She wears a small gold necklace that has her initials on it. She smiles and blushes when she sees her date and then stands a few inches from him.
"Hi Henry," she says in a soft voice.
Henry's eyes are so wide in admiration that it looks like they might fall out of his head. His mouth is slightly agape. He immediately collects himself once he sees her father's stern glance behind the beauty. He straightens up and smiles.
"Hi Violet, you look beautiful,"
"Thank you," she smiles at him.
The teen practically crushes the stem of the carnation. "I uh, I brought this for you."
"Oh, thank you," she says, accepting the gift. She puts it to her nose and sniffs it. "It's beautiful, but do you mind if I leave it here so Mom can put it in some water?"
"N-Not at all."
"I'll just get my coat," Violet says. She hands the flower to her mother and then brushes past her date to get to the closet.
Once she's dressed for the cold, she hugs both her parents.
"Goodnight sweetie, have fun," her mother calls.
"Be back by eleven," her father adds as the two walk towards the car.
"We will Dad, don't worry," she calls back.
Once the two reach the car, Henry helps her into the front seat and then sits in the back.
"Hi again Mr. Jones," Violet says.
"Hello Miss Roberts," the dark-haired man says.
"Just call me Violet," she says.
"If you insist."
The car ride to the movie theater is very quiet, none of the passengers feel the need to talk to one another. Once the car pulls up, Henry scrambles to open the door for her.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"I'll pick you up after 10," Killian says.
"Thank you again, Mr. Jones."
"Please, call me Killian, Lass."
"Goodbye Killian," Violet says before starting to walk to the theater.
Henry gives one last look at Killian who nods before driving off.
The teen's heart is pounding as he runs to catch up with his date. He holds the door for her and the two get in line for tickets. The couple stands in silence, not quite sure what to say.
"Sorry about my dad," she apologizes.
"What?"
"Sorry about the way he acts. He's so overprotective of me. It gets so annoying. He learned to try and intimidate or scare any men who come to his door after my sister tried to date the local motorcycle bad boy."
"How'd that work out?"
"She dumped him the minute she saw him kissing another girl."
"That must've sucked."
"She was kind of upset for awhile, but then she started dating the captain of the football team and everything was forgotten."
"And is she still with him?"
"Yes," she answers as the line begins to move a bit. "My dad is okay with him now, but still doesn't approve of anybody who wants to take his precious princesses away. It's why I've steered clear of dating for so long."
Henry is shocked by this new information.
"Y-You mean you've never dated before?"
She looks at him. "Does that surprise you?"
"A little," he says.
"Why?"
He swallows. "W-well because you're so popular and… pretty."
Violet laughs a little and blushes. "You're sweet, but I'm not that popular at all."
"I know I'm not," Henry mutters.
"You are to me," she says, grabbing his hand. It feels very soft and this makes Henry's heart go wild. His cheeks burn a hot red and he looks down into her beautiful eyes. How did such an oddball like him meet up with a girl like her?
"Thanks," he says.
The two buy their tickets and then go to get snacks. Henry treats her to whatever she wants. Violet goes for a Coke and a pack of Red Vines.
"I absolutely love licorice," she tells him as buys popcorn and a drink.
"Really?"
"Yeah, it' my favourite candy. I used to make my sister trade all of her licorice with me on Halloween. And if she refused, I stole it anyways."
Henry laughs a little.
"What's your favourite candy?"
"Uh… either Sourpatch Kids or Mars bars. My mom hated the sour patch kids because of all the sugar they leave behind."
"Ooh, those are good," she smiles as the two enter the theater.
The two find their seats and wait for the movie to begin. As the opening credits come, Henry looks over at Violet as she eats a few of her licorice strings. He can't help but be taken by this girl. Even in the darkness of the movie theater, she looks very pretty. He offers her some popcorn and the two watch the screen for a long time. As a romantic scene between StarLord and Gamora comes up, Henry finds himself holding his date's hand. His hands are slightly greasy from the butter, but she either doesn't notice or doesn't care.
…
After the movie, the two go across the street to a fairly nice restaurant for dinner.
"I just can't believe how cute Baby Groot was," Violet coos.
"I think they only did that to sell toys," Henry says.
"Probably, man, Kurt Russell looks so old, now doesn't he?"
"Yeah, have you seen any of his other movies?" Henry asks as they are led to a table.
The two order their meals and try to keep talking. They eventually go on to talk about their favourite books, which was a topic Henry knew well. He tells her about the fairy tale phase he went through, despite wanting to stop himself. Something about Violet made him trust her, that she wouldn't reveal the secret to anyone. She goes on to tell him how she had a My Little Pony phase followed by High School Musical. The two laugh and talk over dinner and even split a dessert.
When the bill comes, Violet would not take no for an answer, insisting they split the bill.
As they leave the restaurant, Violet slips in her heels on an icy patch, but fortunately Henry's right there to catch her.
"Thank you," she gasps as he helps her stand up straight again. "I shouldn't have worn these heels in the snow."
"It's okay, does this mean we're equal now?"
"What?" she looks at him in confusion.
"Equal, remember you saved me at the party and now I saved you from hurting yourself on the pavement."
"Are you keeping score?" she asks, raising her eyebrow.
"Maybe," he smirks.
She then scoops up some snow and tosses it in his face. He counteracts by dumping snow on her head. She squeals in the cold. They begin to throw snow at one another in the parking lot until Killian drives up to pick them up. The two are red in the face with the cold and laughing. The docks man has a feeling that it was a good date.
…
As the car pulls up in front of Violet's house, both she and Henry exit.
The two walk towards the front door, but she stops him before they get there.
"I had a really great time tonight," she says.
"Me too."
"I think we should do this again."
"Are you asking me out?" he asks in surprise.
"Well, I asked you to the party, you asked me out tonight, I'd say it's my turn."
"Are you keeping score?" he grins.
"Maybe,"
The two laugh and then they slowly begin to lean into one another. Henry can smell her perfume and looks deeply into her eyes. Violet pulls him close and their lips meet for a moment. They both inhale their date's scent and they clasp hands at the same time.
Suddenly, the lights flicker on the front porch, separating the two.
"Damn, my dad saw us," she mutters.
"Is that why you didn't want to say goodnight at the front door?" he asks.
"Yeah, I have to go. I'll text you tomorrow and I'll see you on Monday."
"Okay,"
"I had a really great night, thank you so much."
"Me too, thank you too."
He watches as his date goes to the front door and opens it with her key. She waves one last time before disappearing inside.
Henry has the widest grin on his face as he goes back towards the car. Killian looks up from his phone, purposefully distracting himself to give the couple their moment. He smirks at the lad as he climbs back into the car.
"You did good, mate," he says. "You did well."
…
Emma is sitting up watching TV and eating strawberry ice cream when she hears the door open, she turns to see her son who seems to be glowing and grinning from ear to ear.
"Hi honey, how was your date?"
"Good," is the response.
"Did you have fun?"
"Yep,"
Emma wants to go on, but she catches Killian's glance and decides to leave it at that. She watches her son disappear into his room, while her boyfriend joins her on the couch.
"Did you give him any advice?" she asks.
"Men don't tell their dating tips," he grins.
Emma playfully hits his shoulder and then looks down at the listings on her laptop. Regina had emailed them over earlier, giving her something to look at when it came to finding a new place to accommodate their growing family.
A/N: Violet's High School Musical phase is based on my own from when I was younger. Thank you for all the comments and support. I will update soon.