Sorry this one took so long coming. I lost count of the number of times I deleted the document before starting over. I just hope this was worth the wait.
Ruby came to the conclusion, quite quickly, that it had been a bad idea to suggest that Killian join them for dinner that evening.
While both he and Emma had done their best to make sure she didn't feel like an outsider, their obvious affection for each other made it clear to anyone who saw them that Ruby was crashing what should have been a date for the two of them.
Killian had driven the girls to a small restaurant he'd found, a little way off The Strip. It was quieter and darker than any of the places Ruby had stumbled over, on her walk the day before. But that was more likely due to the extortionate pricing on their menu. Like the complete gentleman Emma had always sworn he was, Killian had encouraged both girls to order anything they wanted, and then paid for everything, not even batting an eyelash when the bill was handed over. Ruby felt bad knowing the guy had paid over two hundred dollars just for her to eat, what was arguably the best chicken of her life, and drink some fantastically out of her price-range wine.
The conversation itself felt a little awkward at times. Ruby's heart broke for her friend as she sat through banal discussions about the weather, the quality of the food, and their flight out to Vegas. It was obvious to her that Emma and Killian still didn't fully understand where they stood, relationship-wise, and that they needed more time together.
Alone.
So, being the wonderful friend that she was, Ruby escaped to the bathroom to perform a quick Google search, just as they were getting ready to leave the restaurant. When she returned, it was to find Emma wrapped up in her jacket, stood much closer to Killian than she probably realized, as the two of them spoke quietly together. Killian had his hand resting lightly on her friend's hip, and looked like he wasn't in a hurry to remove it anytime soon.
She cleared her throat gently to get their attention, and smiled as Killian pulled himself away from Emma with a start, before holding out Ruby's own jacket for her to slip into.
"Do you ladies have any other plans for the evening?" he asked, as Ruby fixed her hair and buttoned her coat.
"Apparently, there's a jazz club not far from here," she suggested. "You love Jazz music, Emma."
"You do?" Killian asked, turning his full attention back to Emma. Not that Ruby suspected it would have taken him long to do so anyway.
"I like all kinds of music," she replied, shrugging off his attention.
"You guys should go and check it out," Ruby encouraged.
"Wait, what?" Emma pulled away from Killian slightly, to move closer to her friend. "You don't wanna come with us?" she asked, hurt coloring her tone.
"I'm a little tired," Ruby lied. "Besides, you guys need some time together without me." When Emma opened her mouth to protest, Ruby hurried on to assure her, "It's okay, Emma. I don't mind. You'd do the same for me."
Emma looked to Killian, clearly torn over the idea. But the way she was already gravitating back towards him told Ruby she'd made the right choice.
"I'm gonna go grab a taxi," she stated firmly. "You two have fun."
Emma pulled her in for a tight hug before she could turn to leave. "Thank you," she whispered into Ruby's hair. "You're a good friend."
"I'm the best friend," Ruby chuckled, before pulling back and waving her final goodbye to Killian.
Emma watched her go, feeling awful that her friend would be spending part of her night alone. But deep down, she knew Ruby was right. She and Killian needed time alone, to rebuild their relationship.
"Are you okay?" Killian asked, picking up on her hesitance.
Emma turned back to face him, her face breaking out into the most breathtaking of smiles as she realized that she was now actually on a date with Killian Jones. Something she'd only ever dreamed of before. "Yeah," she assured him. "I'm good."
Ruby hadn't left instructions on how to get to this jazz club she'd found, but a brief chat with their host quickly had them pointed in the right direction. As it wasn't far from the restaurant, Killian had suggested walking, and Emma was happy to do so, given the warm air of the Las Vegas night.
He seemed to hesitate, for just a moment, when they stepped outside of the restaurant, before taking Emma's hand into his own and lacing their fingers together.
"So, tell me more about your musical passions?" he asked, as they made their way down the street.
Emma giggled a little as she thought back to Ruby's earlier statement. "I think what Ruby really meant was that I listen to lots of different kinds of music that she deems crap."
"Oh, it can't be that bad."
"Three words," Emma teased, "Nineties. Brit. Pop."
Killian let out a laugh of his own at that one. "Okay, that is pretty bad. How did you stumble across nineties Brit pop?"
"Um…" She paused briefly before deciding that she should trust Killian with the truth. "When you're in the foster system you're not exactly top of the tree for the best stuff. You learn pretty quickly to make the most of what little you get."
Killian tugged gently on the hand that he was holding and Emma turned to face him. "I'm so sorry you grew up like that." He looked like he wanted to reach out for her, but stopped himself from doing so.
Emma bit back a sigh as she realized that it was her own fault he was holding so much back. "It's okay. Builds character, I guess."
Killian didn't look like he agreed, but he didn't push, either. He was starting to realize that Emma's past had been a big influence on the person she was now. And that the more she opened up to him, the more he understood her and what had happened between the two of them.
Getting into the jazz club was easier than Emma thought it would be, and Killian quickly guided her down into a small booth, before heading to the bar to grab them each a drink.
Emma shimmied out of her jacket, resting it over the back of her seat, before she sat down and cast a look around the room. Ruby had been on to another winning idea with this plan. While Emma had to admit that she enjoyed the occasional piece of jazz music, spending the night at a jazz club was not her idea of the perfect date. However, looking around the room, she realized that not only was it a location where Killian was unlikely to be recognized, but it was also kind of romantic. The lighting was low; with small candles on each table, and fairylights strung across the room. There was more focus on the stage, that had been set for the night ahead, but even that wasn't lit brightly. The speakers were playing pre-recorded jazz music, at a low level, and the rest of the patrons seemed to be whispering their conversation over glasses of whiskey and rum. The whole building had a buzz about it, and she found herself looking forward to the performances that would come.
"I went for Jack and Coke, I hope that's okay?" Killian asked, jerking Emma away from her thoughts.
"Perfect, thank you. I tend to drink most stuff so you can't really go wrong. Unless it's tequila," she added as an afterthought. "Tequila and I do not get along."
"That sounds like a story I need to hear." Killian made himself comfortable next to Emma in the booth, turning himself to face her, and his body away from the stage. He was so close that the fabric of his pants was brushing against Emma's left knee every time she moved.
"It has a messy ending," she warned, turning in her own seat. "There's this one guy in town, Leroy. He's harmless, but he loves a good drink - which usually results in him making my job more complicated. Anyway, on this particular day, I'd had to go and breakup a bar fight he started at The Rabbit Hole. He managed to land a few punches while I was doing so." At Killian's alarmed look Emma hurried on to clarify, "I've had worse. It was nothing really. And he apologized severely for it when he sobered up. But it made a crap day even crapper."
She hesitated for a long moment, taking a sip from her drink to stall, while she wondered if she should add the next part of the story. Emma wasn't sure how Killian would react, but she'd promised to be truthful with him. Withholding information so soon would surely only lead to more complications down the line.
"Neal was involved in the fight," she told him, staring down at the hem of her dress. "It was… humiliating. The Sherriff's fiancé being involved in a fight she had to put a stop to. I had to put him in a cell for the night to calm down, and he was so angry about it. When I locked up, I didn't really feel like going home to an empty apartment. So, Ruby suggested spending the night at Granny's B&B with her. She borrowed a bottle of Granny's best tequila, to help me 'drown my sorrows.' Let's just say that by the end of the night, the tacos we'd stuffed ourselves with were making a reappearance."
Killian laughed at the look on Emma's face as she remembered that night spent on Granny's bathroom floor. "I'll remember to keep it away from you," he assured her.
She searched his face for some hint of his reaction to Neal's name. But all Emma could see was the humor shining in Killian's eyes. She was about to make a follow-up comment of her own, when the host of the club took to the stage to introduce the first act for the evening.
Killian shifted in his seat, reluctantly turning back round to face the stage, and watched from the corner of his eye as Emma did the same, moving to sit stiffly on the edge of her seat. He allowed his free arm to drape across the back of their booth, his hand resting just out of reach of Emma's hair.
Killian waited until the first act were on stage before sliding a little closer to her, to lean in and whisper, "We've been closer than this in photo ops, you know?"
Emma turned suddenly, startled at how close he sounded. "Sorry," she chuckled, her heart racing in her chest. Although she wasn't quite sure if it was a result of being startled or how close he was to her. She could smell his cologne every time she breathed in, and it wasn't helping with her nerves. "I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable with us being as close as we used to be."
Killian's eyes softened, and he reached out a gentle hand to tuck some of Emma's hair behind her ear, before allowing it to settle on her chin, tilting her face up to meet his eyes. "I want to be close to you, Emma. Never doubt that."
His eyes seemed to take a moment to search her face, for any sign of hesitance, before he leaned in slowly, giving Emma a chance to pull away should she want to. When his lips brushed over hers, Emma barely had a chance to respond before he was pulling back; a sweet smile crinkling his face in the most adorable way.
This time, when Killian turned back round to face the stage, Emma didn't hesitate to slide closer, allowing his arm to settle round her shoulders as they watched the show.
Emma found that she rather enjoyed her time at the jazz club.
Killian kept their drinks flowing and ordered some snacks for the two of them, when they became hungry. He asked about Storybrooke, and Emma's job, while answering as many of her own questions about his, that didn't give away spoilers for the rest of the season. But mostly, he continued to shower her with affection throughout the evening. Every small gesture he made, from pulling her in closer to whisper their conversation while the acts were on stage, to the way his fingers would dance over the bare flesh of her shoulders and knees, in time to the music, had Emma enjoying her night more and more.
Being with Killian was easy in every way that being with Neal hadn't been. She didn't need to draw attention to herself, in order to attract his own. She didn't need to instigate contact, for Killian to brush sweet touches down her arms. And she didn't even need to speak the words for him to know when she was tired and ready to head back to her hotel. Killian simply stood, holding out a hand for Emma to take, to help her up, before helping her with her jacket.
"So… how did this impromptu first date go?" he asked, scratching nervously behind his right ear as the two of them left the club to head back to where he had parked his car, with Emma's right hand wrapped up tightly in his left.
"Best date I've ever had," she answered honestly.
"Really?" Killian looked so surprised that Emma couldn't help but laugh.
"To be fair, the bar was quite low," she joked. "But you've set an incredibly high benchmark for all future first dates."
Killian stopped mid-stride before turning to face Emma. "Do you plan on having any more first dates in the near future?"
Emma swallowed back the lump in her throat at the look of intensity that had suddenly taken over his face. "No." She shook her head to reinforce her point. "As long as there's maybe a chance of a second date. With you?"
Killian stepped forward suddenly, one hand holding tightly to Emma's left hip, as his other came up to cup her face, tilting it up towards him so that he could kiss her.
This kiss was nothing like the one he'd given her in the club. Instead of gentle sweetness, it was searing passion. A promise that there would most definitely be no need for any more first dates in Emma's immediate future.
She met his passion with her own, her lips and teeth tugging gently at his, as she remembered just how long it had been since the last time he'd kissed her that way. Killian groaned into it, pulling Emma into him tighter, so that every inch of her body was pressed against his, as he began to tease her with the very tip of his tongue. He needed her, in a way that he'd never needed anyone else before. And the realization of that scared him slightly.
Emma was the first to pull away, her need for oxygen overriding the part of her brain that was screaming at her to never stop kissing him. Killian dropped his forehead down to rest against her own, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself, between sweet kisses he pressed into her neck.
"Do you um… Do you wanna come back to my hotel tonight?" he asked, a little breathlessly.
Emma's eyes fluttered shut at his words, as she allowed her mind to fill with images of what that might look like. Hot, sweaty skin, sliding together. Desperate pants into the darkness. Fingers clutching each other tightly and they came together.
"I do," she told him, her voice shaking slight, as she reached up to brush her fingers through his hair. "You have no idea how much I do." She pulled back, but kept her fingers gently scratching along his scalp, hoping her actions would help to convey the meaning behind what she said next. "But I don't think I should."
Killian pulled back, making Emma's hands drop down to rest on his shoulders, as he frowned down at her.
"Do you trust me?" Emma asked, taking in the hurt he was trying to hide behind his eyes.
"I want to," he replied, after a long moment. "I think I do."
She stepped in closer, bringing her hands back up to his face, to force his eyes to meet hers once more. "And that's why I shouldn't come back with you tonight. I want you to trust me, Killian. I want to earn your trust back. And I don't want us to rush into something we'll regret before then."
Killian nodded his understanding.
While his body was screaming that she was wrong and that he needed her, at that very moment, his head was telling him that she was right. He turned his head to press a sweet kiss to her palm, before stepping back and lacing their fingers together between them.
"I'll see you tomorrow before you leave, right?"
"Yeah, you will," Emma assured him, leaning in once more to brush a chaste kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Thanks for reading.