A/N: Hello everyone! Let me just say again how absolutely wonderful it is to see this kind of response to a story. All your kind words have made it so easy to be inspired and to keep the story going. This chapter is bringing us to the interview, but I am cutting through a little of the slow-burn with a tactic I have used in some of my previous stories. I hope you all enjoy and thank you so much for reading!
She was restless. That was the defining feeling clinging to Emma in this moment as she paced her living room.
It was late, way later than she should be up if she wanted any meaningful sleep, but it couldn't be helped. Tomorrow would bring her date with Killian and the fact that there was so much waiting left to do had her charged with this energy that couldn't be siphoned down. Emma felt like something was missing and until she found a resolution to that sense of loss she knew she'd keep moving; it was a natural instinct.
Since coming home from work Emma had done everything she could think to keep her busy. Dinner was made, the apartment was cleaned, there was an attempt at mindless reality television and a book that she'd been wanting to read for a while, but those pursuits were all either completed or abandoned for not being a good enough distraction. She'd even decided on the exact outfit she wanted to wear for her date, a dress of her own design that she loved but never had a cause to wear, but it didn't sate any of this urge inside of her to keep moving and keep going.
Suddenly a knock came at the door and Emma stilled for a moment, caught in that moment of wondering who it could be. She might live in the city that never slept, but anyone she knew should be dead to the world right now. Still she moved across the room as her hands shook from the anticipation. Through the peephole she found the answer she'd been looking for all along.
He'd come! Killian had come to her apartment and he looked even more sinfully attractive than usual, because as much as she loved seeing him in those custom suits, it turned out she might like him even more out of them. In dark jeans, a similarly shaded shirt, and a leather jacket he was problematically hot and she leaned against the door for a second to right herself. Finally Emma pulled the door open and took him in fully, loving the shot of adrenaline that came as she did.
"Swan." The way he said her name was reverent, as if she was the most precious thing in the world to him and for a moment it stole her breath away. She blinked a few times wondering if he was real or just something she'd wished for so hard that he had to appear.
"Killian. What are you doing here?"
His eyes looked hungrily at her, as if he was dying for a taste of every curve of her body and immediately Emma was on alert. Up to now on the train there had been looks for sure, but whether Emma was just in denial, or Killian had been keeping himself in check, Emma had never felt so seen as she did now. She was so tuned into him and dying for the same chance to explore everything between them, but when his eyes moved back to meet hers she was caught, unable to make the first move or do anything but fall into those deep blue pools.
"This."
His one word prefaced him stepping inside and pushing her against the nearest wall. Killian's mouth was demanding, his kiss sensual in every way, and his hands were strong and gentle all at once. All it took was a second for Emma's own need to ramp up drastically. She'd wanted this forever, and this felt like the moment everything would truly come to a head. It was finally happening and she was desperate for this and for the feel of him against her.
The next thing Emma knew they were on the couch, with Killian above her, his hands roaming and his presence overwhelming every sense she had. It was intoxicating and dizzying, yet Emma felt like she still wasn't getting enough. She wanted more and she had this niggling feeling that until she got it, she would never be satisfied.
"Impatient are we, love?" Killian grinned against her neck as he let out the words and then she felt the subtle drag of his teeth against her pulse point. It made her jump and then arch her hips closer, trying to entice him to go faster and to give them both what they so clearly wanted.
"You have no idea." His eyes sparkled at her response.
"Ah but I do, Emma. More than you know." He seemed about to have mercy, his hands trailing lower, and lower but then the shrill sound of her phone cut through the sensual moment.
"Ignore it," Emma said but Killian pulled back, his breathing ragged and the smile on his face so frustratingly sexy that Emma felt crazed.
"We can't." Emma's brow furrowed.
"Of course we can." She moved to kiss him again but he was just out of reach.
"No, love, not this time." It was a cryptic statement that Emma didn't understand until the sound of her phone got louder and louder and she was ripped from the warmth of the moment.
Emma opened her eyes and found she was sleeping in her bed and not on the couch after all and the realization that all of that had been a dream washed over her. It was incredible to her that her brain had managed to create that kind of fizzling heat and she swore it had been so real her skin was still tingling, but the evidence was fairly damning that it was in fact fantasy. Yes, she'd done a fair amount of pacing last night, but she eventually retired from her living room to try and catch some sleep. The only thing that carried through from her dream state to now was the sound of her phone ringing.
"Hello?" Emma asked groggily, knowing without really looking that it was Ruby from the distinct tone, but not truly believing that her friend would be calling this early.
"Hey there, Princess! This is your morning wake up call to ensure that you haven't overslept."
Emma pulled the phone away from her face and stared at it, convinced this was a dream too. It had to be, right? Because on what freaking planet would Ruby ever be calling her to make sure she got up? Certainly not this one, not when Ruby was just as adverse to mornings without coffee as Emma was and never ever played the mothering card for anyone.
"My alarm wasn't set to go off for another twenty minutes." Emma countered, looking at the clock on her bedside table and groaning as she put a hand over her eyes and silently willed sleep to come back and for that dream to come with it.
"Really? You can get ready that quickly?" Emma felt her face scrunch up in confusion, but she let that skepticism slide.
"Ruby, I love you, but why are you actually calling me?"
"I told you – wake up call."
"Since when have I ever needed one of those?" Emma knew the answer and it wasn't since college. Even on the mornings she slept in the worst she always found a way, which made Ruby's ruse all the more transparent.
"What's the matter? Did I interrupt something?"
"Yeah, Ruby, sleep. You interrupted sleep." Emma shifted out of her bed at that point, facing the fact that sleep was way past gone now.
"Oh my god, did you have a guest last night?!" Ruby actually yelled that last part and Emma had to tear the phone from her ear before responding.
"Uh, no… why?"
"Oh shoot. Well I'm just trying to figure out why you're so put out." Emma laughed, not maliciously, but genuinely amused at her friend's inability to see how problematic this all was.
"You mean other than the fact that I was having a great dream and -,"
"So I did interrupt!" Emma rolled her eyes at the innuendo.
"Ruby did you call for any reason other than the fact that you're certifiable?"
"Okay I'm sorry. I thought I'd be helping, and I'm just a little excited about this article. I wanted to be absolutely sure you would be there on time." That was the truth, Emma could hear it in her friend's tone and it soothed something inside of her. Ruby might be slightly neurotic, but at least there was a reason for all of this.
"Right, well I'm up so I'll just see you when I get there."
"Wait! While I have you, I should probably just run a few things past you… in case I don't have time later."
Ruby proceeded to launch into a list of things that they all had going on today as Emma gathered her resolve and moved around her apartment. She wasn't thrilled to be up so early, but at the same time she had to consider the silver linings – this morning she'd be seeing Killian again and tonight was their first date. Her dream might not have been true to life, but that was still something miraculous awaiting her today.
The idea sent a shiver of anticipation through Emma as she moved to her closet and realized that she hadn't settled on an actual outfit last night but her dream had given her some great inspiration. She grabbed the sleek crimson dress she'd made for herself last spring and the heels she wanted, pulling them out so they'd be easy to find tonight before moving to what she could wear to work.
"Anyway I was thinking you should wear pink today." Emma laughed into the phone. She'd missed a good amount of what Ruby has been saying about appointments and consults, caught as she was in her own musings on her date tonight, but this phone call just kept getting weirder and weirder.
"Why?" Emma could practically hear Ruby's shrug through the receiver.
"I don't know it just seems like one of those days. You know, when the world is all bright and happy and there's all kind of possibility." Emma barked out another laugh. This was trippy. She was hearing Ruby's voice, but the words spoke to Mary Margaret's mentality all the way. Was it opposite day or something? Maybe her friends were all assuming each other's identities and no one had told her or something.
"Says the woman who has a signature color that she, quote, 'would never abandon in any situation no matter how dire.'" And that devotion had been put to the test. In every situation Ruby found a way to wear red. Years of friendship had provided ample opportunity for to find something else, but she never did.
"Well I wasn't talking about me, I was talking about you."
"Right and my question is why? Since when do you care what I wear?"
Emma scanned through her closet, noticing now that there were a few nice pieces here in pink that she hadn't worn in forever. It wouldn't be the worst thing to go for something softer today. Actually it might be nice, since she was planning on something a heck of a lot bolder for her date tonight.
"I don't. I just thought it might be nice."
Emma chuckled. This was bizarre behavior from Ruby of all people, but she'd learned by this point that Ruby could be quirky that way. Sometimes she fixated on the weirdest details for no particular reason and since launching the store that had been happening more and more. Emma just chalked it up to Ruby having some sort of vision the rest of them couldn't see, and so far that vision hadn't steered them wrong. Emma wasn't about to concede that to Ruby though. If she did she would never hear the end of it.
"How about I promise not to show up in a burlap sack?" Ruby harrumphed.
"Emma, you're a brilliant designer. You'd never show up in something so awful."
"My point exactly. Thus the ridiculousness of your suggestion that I somehow need fashion guidance."
"Fine, you win. Wear whatever you want." Emma bit back a smile at her friend's fake prickliness, and she didn't bother telling her that she was now considering a soft pink skirt to go with her cream colored top thanks to the unwarranted suggestion.
"If it makes you feel any better I'll let you pick out my outfit for the day the photographers come for the story. I give you full rein over my color scheme." Ruby stalled for a moment before caving.
"Deal. But if I choose chartreuse and salmon, don't be surprised."
This was an empty threat, Emma knew, meant to scare Emma because those were such horrendous shades. Ruby would never be so cruel and in the end she was getting what she wanted anyway. They said their goodbyes, knowing that in an hour they'd be seeing each other, and Emma went about trying to get herself in order but only seconds later a notification sounded from her phone.
Emma looked down to her screen, expecting it would be some sort of supplemental text from Ruby, but her heart skipped when she saw it was actually from Killian. She raced to open it, only to find that the news wasn't great.
K: I'm terribly sorry, Swan. Something's come up with work and I can't get out of it. But I'm determined to get this story done and settled so that nothing and no one will impede our date tonight.
Emma appreciated his clear want for their date to get here too. She was really excited, even if the butterflies were threatening to eat her from the inside out. In fact, Emma had never been so enthusiastic about the prospect of a date before. It was nice, and knowing that Killian was equally as invested made her happiness stronger.
E: A story, huh? So does that mean you're a writer?
K: At my core, I suppose, though usually other things end up taking precedent.
Emma could definitely relate to that. She considered herself an artist in her heart of hearts, a designer who worked to create beautiful things, but she had inherited all of these administrative and business-oriented duties since launching the business. It kept her from the part of the work that she was most passionate about, but those chances to flex her creative muscles held her over still. This was just one of the little sacrifices that came with more success.
K: Please tell me my affinity for the written word isn't somehow a turn off. If it is, I'm not sure what my options are, but I would look into alternate skill sets to appease you, Swan.
She laughed at his self-deprecating jest because the reality was quite the opposite. So far she had yet to find a single thing about Killian that was a turn off.
E: No need to take up a new career just yet. I consider the whole 'having a conversation beyond just emojis' thing to be pretty hot. You don't see much of that these days. Plus I've never dated a writer.
K: Well allow me to ruin you for all others, then.
Emma felt those words rushing through her. He probably meant ruin her for other writers, but she was beginning to suspect he might just change the game overall for men in general, verbally gifted or not. She'd never met a guy like Killian before, and if her initial reaction to him was anything to go off of, then her usual mentality that life was better without a man to drag her down was in serious jeopardy.
She ended up wishing him luck with his story and Emma agreed to see him on the train that evening (though he'd wait an hour before picking her up for their actual date). He also wouldn't give anything away about where they were going, but Emma couldn't seem to mind. She was usually averse to surprises but for some reason she felt like it wouldn't be a terrible thing as long as Killian was behind it.
From there Emma moved quickly, getting ready for the day and making her train with plenty of time, but things took a bit of a turn when she walked into Bliss and she found all of her friends gossiping in the front. The fact that Elsa wasn't slaving away in the kitchen was a dead giveaway that something was up, but Emma was completely certain when they all noticed her and immediate clammed up about whatever they were discussing.
"Oh, morning Emma! Don't you look cute? Pink was a great choice." Emma looked warily at Elsa and the comment on the color before thanking her friend.
"Is everything all right?" she asked the others.
"Of course, why wouldn't it be?" Mary Margaret responded as Emma was offered a coffee and a scone that was simply to die for.
"You guys are acting weird." Ruby looked from Emma to Mary Margaret and Elsa and stage whispered.
"Don't mind her. Emma's a little off because I called her early this morning. I interrupted a good dream if you know what I mean." Emma rolled her eyes as Mary Margaret and Elsa giggled –truly giggled – and finally Emma had had enough. They were going to tell her what was up one way or another.
"Seriously, what is with you guys this morning? Did a Hemsworth brother pass by the front window or something? You all look like it's your birthday and Christmas rolled into one."
Elsa and Mary Margaret's laughs were slightly too loud and a touch too high for Emma to be comforted at all, and her brow rose in silent questioning. Then when she turned to Ruby and saw the mischief in her best friend's eyes she knew that whatever it was would likely be very bad for Emma.
"What did you guys do?" Emma asked bluntly and Ruby scoffed, flipping her hair over her shoulder.
"Oh please. Who said we did anything?"
Emma was about to respond that they were all terrible actors and that her personal ability to sniff out a lie from a mile away was shrieking at her like crazy, but right at that moment the bell over the door chimed and Emma watched as all her friends faced the door with nothing but raw appreciation and excitement in their eyes. This was getting weirder by the second, but just before she turned around Emma had this feeling of foreboding. She could practically taste whatever unexpected twist was coming but when her eyes saw the man standing in the doorway she froze and time stood still.
Because there, dressed in a startlingly similar way to how he'd looked in her dream last night was one Killian Jones. She had no idea why or how but he was here in her shop, looking at her in the same way he had in that fantasy (albeit with a little surprise as well), but there was no denying he was real, not when Ruby mumbled to herself from behind Emma.
"Hot foreign guy, indeed." Elsa and Mary Margaret murmured their agreement but Emma couldn't speak. In fact, all she could thing was: Oh shit!
…
"Swan?"
His first instinct when seeing Emma in the shop Belle had sent him to was pure joy. It had been hard for him to stand the idea of missing her on the train, but in order to get everything that needed to be done finished in time for their date, he'd had to go in incredibly early to the office. Taking on this article for Belle was a strain on his other commitments, and he'd had to reason that it was better to miss those precious moments of their commute so that they could have a real first date where he was completely and totally involved.
After a few seconds, however, Killian began to worry. Why was Emma here? Bloody hell, what if she was planning her own wedding?!
A whole host of scenarios moved through his mind in the blink of an eye but he shook them away, knowing the panic was ridiculous. He didn't know every detail of Emma's life, but he knew with unfailing certainty that she wasn't that kind of person. Emma Swan was honest and good, and she was a women he felt he could trust despite some bad jaunts with love years ago. She was slowly breathing life back into him and creating a belief that had long been missing from his world.
"Hey – I mean, um hi. What are you doing here?" Killian cleared his throat and filled her in, taking some comfort in the fact that she was likewise affected by this unexpected twist of fate.
"I've come for the story, love."
Killian couldn't help but find Emma's range of emotions endearing. She was clearly surprised with the way her lips pursed into the telltale 'o' shape, and then he could see excitement brimming in those expressive eyes he was so fond of, but eventually that was covered up by frustration that was delivered to the three other women gathered there.
"What did you guys do? What happened to Belle?" One of the women tutted out a sound of disbelief to Emma and took her arm before turning her gaze to Killian and smiling.
"You'll have to excuse Emma, Mr. Jones. I didn't get the chance to tell her that you were taking over for Belle. I'm Ruby, general manager and PR czar of Bliss Boutique. That's Mary Margaret our in house wedding planner, and Elsa our resident baker."
"I prefer treat artisan. Belle said she'd put that in the article." Killian chuckled at the woman with almost white blonde hair named Elsa's request and nodded his greetings to all of them as the pieces fell into place for him.
"So that must make you Subject E." Emma looked confused at his words and he clarified as he ran a hand through his hair. "Belle gave me a comprehensive set of notes – that did include your favored label by the way, Elsa – but your names were… substituted."
"I'm sorry, I'm still like five steps back. You're a journalist at Citizen NY?" Emma clarified, but Ruby filled in before he could answer her query.
"Emma, Killian, isn't just a writer. He's the editor-in-chief. Belle had some sort of last minute mix-up and Killian is stepping in. He's really helping us all out." Ruby's praise made him out to be some kind of hero, when in reality his being here was coerced. Had there not been a risk of losing Belle from his staff, Killian might have denied her request. Now he was exceptionally glad that he hadn't.
"Bull shit."
Killian couldn't help but chuckle at Emma's response and Ruby's feigned shock. He found himself wondering how often Emma cursed and if this was a normal experience for her with her friends and coworkers. The thought that her friends were meddlers made him smile until it dawned on him that perhaps they fancied themselves matchmakers and had put his Emma in the way of other men. Then he caught the way he was already thinking of Emma as his and silently urged himself to get a grip. Nothing was certain between them. Well nothing except that he was already half way in love with her.
"Emma, I don't see what the problem is -," Ruby began with continued politeness.
"The problem is that you all set up some elaborate plan to get Killian here. So how did you figure out who he was?"
Killian had long thought Emma the most beautiful woman he'd ever met, but he had to admit that seeing her all fired up like this made for an entirely new form of enticement. Her arms were crossed over her chest, her eyes expectant, and her tone barely reined in. It sharply contrasted the light pink of her skirt and the soft curls that she'd pulled back from her face today. He was transfixed and it eliminated any of the awkwardness he could have been feeling at what was obviously some sort of set up.
"Oh do you two know each other?" Mary Margaret added unconvincingly and Emma just stared at her friend before letting her arms fall in a sign of temporary defeat.
"Forget it. I'll deal with you all later."
Emma turned her attention back to Killian and he could see the faint trace of a blush on her cheeks. She was flustered and he couldn't say he blamed her. She still managed to invite him back to her segment of the shop with grace though, and he applauded her ability to keep going. As they moved through the store and her show room back to her office, Killian admired all that she'd built here and the confidence that returned to her as she greeted her staff and maneuvered through the space.
"I am so sorry about that. I could tell you that they aren't usually so crazy, but I have this thing about lying and…" Killian took Emma's hand in his instinctively and her words trailed away as she closed her office door behind them. The spark between them was as strong as ever and he could see the sincerity in her green gaze.
"There's no apology necessary, love. Besides, I think it's rather clear that the conspiracy was concocted not only with your friends but mine as well. Trust that while you'll be having a talking to with your partners later, I'll be having a similar inquisition with one Belle French."
Come to think of it, there was a good chance that Will and Tink were in on it too, for it had been his best friend and second in command who offered the idea of changing before this interview. He claimed a business suit would be too stuffy for an interview, and Killian found himself agreeing and throwing on a more casual outfit that Tink insisted she kept hidden in his office for emergencies.
Killian was pulled from his internal reveries when Emma smiled, clearly grateful for his assurances, and knowing that he'd granted her any kind of peace made Killian feel more accomplished than winning his first Pulitzer. All thoughts of a set up were erased, and he stood there feeling nothing short of ecstatic that he was being given the chance to spend this extra time with Emma.
"So should we still do this then?" Emma asked, the humor returning to her tone even as she assumed a purely professional manner.
Killian nodded and took a seat in the chair on the other side of Emma's desk. He pulled out the file Belle had given him. The questions she'd put forward were of the basic garden variety. They asked about some more detail as to Emma's start in the industry and why she'd chosen fashion as a whole. It was gratifying for Killian to hear her answers and to learn more about her, but he found himself disclosing things about himself along the way as well. He wanted to be entirely certain that Emma was comfortable and when queries breached more personal topics he tried to make her feel like things between them were still equal and not so one sided.
When Emma told him, for example, about how as a foster kid nice clothes hadn't been an option he felt his heart constrict. He couldn't imagine what it was like to bounce around from place to place without a family. He'd always had Liam and when he was very young his mother too. To go it alone like that and still make the best of a situation was truly inspiring.
And that was what Emma had done. She told him that though she didn't have the money for finer garments, she did have paper and pencils and an imagination that allowed her to envision what she would want if things were different. In the end her lack of access fueled her imagination and her willingness to learn how to style and stitch her own clothes, which started her on the path to this career.
To relate in the only way he could, Killian told her about how he'd had a bit of a stutter as a kid and how it was always disheartening to feel judged for his struggle to communicate. Yet with the written word he'd found the answers. His mother always encouraged him, even after the stutter was long gone, and his love for writing had never faded, even if some people saw it as no longer necessary.
"But why journalism?" Emma asked, clearly forgetting that this was an interview about her. Still Killian indulged her, happy that she was even interested in knowing at all.
"Because the stories move fast enough for me. I like the idea that there's always something more. Every day the stage resets. The world keeps turning on, and there's no other medium where the goal is to chronicle all of that so acutely."
Emma looked at him thoughtfully when he'd given his answer, and there was a silent sense of approval in her features. That easiness and appreciation fueled him to ask a question that wasn't on the list, but one that he'd been wondering since the moment he discovered she was a designer and an artist.
"So what inspires you, love? Is it all your past or…?"
Emma shook her head and pulled something out of her top drawer in her desk. It was a flyer bearing the gallery opening details of a local artist, someone who went by the moniker 'Street Rat.' The photo featured on the flyer was brilliant with a young couple smiling at each other with nothing but love in their eyes, awash in swirling greens and blues. It was beautiful to be sure, but Killian was eager to hear Emma's words about it.
"Sometimes it's other people's art. I try to go to showings as often as I can, but that's been harder recently. I didn't think I'd ever be getting recognized in this line of work, but it's happening more and more and then I feel guilty, like I've pulled something from the artist on their night. But there's still a million ways to find those feelings – a perfect song, a heart wrenching painting at the MOMA, French poetry that's as morbidly exaggerated as it is romantic, you know, the usual love-filled, stereotypical stuff." Killian chuckled and Emma joined him before continuing on.
"But most of the time it's people themselves. I've gone all around this city and though sometimes it's harder to see, there's love and happiness everywhere. Every dress I design hopes to capture that feeling. Sometimes I'm more successful than others, but it's all about emotion. Most of the time brides aren't looking for the fairytale gown like they think. They're searching for that feeling and there's no better day to feel that than on your wedding day."
"And what about you?" Emma blinked at him before tilting her head slightly.
"What about me?"
"Have you ever felt that way? Has the woman behind the apparel of love ever known that kind of happiness?" Emma looked down at her crossed hands on the desk for a beat before looking back up at him.
"I thought I had once. Now I'm not so sure."
Emma answered his question honestly and Killian wanted more than anything to find out how deep those feelings had run. He'd tried his hand at love and lost, the wounds lingering for too long, but since meeting Emma they'd all but disappeared. It led him to believe that what he'd felt before wasn't a love that was true. If this thing between him and Emma was already stronger then it must not have been. But could he possibly hope that Emma felt the same way? Or was he writing a story that wasn't actually there?
Before he could ruin things by digging too deep, Killian pivoted away from the questions he most dearly wanted answers to and moved back to something safer: Emma and her clearly close relationship to her friends. She told him about how when they'd all met she'd been exceptionally closed off and yet underneath it all hope still lingered. Emma had been looking for a family her whole life and finally she learned that family came in many shapes and forms, and that at the end of the day all that mattered was that she found people to love and care about who would be on her side no matter what.
"I probably shouldn't have said all that," Emma said as she stood up from behind her desk when the interview was over, clearly distressed at how much she'd given away about her origins as a foster kid and the scars she carried from that time. Killian rose from his chair and moved forward, taking her hand in his again.
"I'm glad you did, love. Besides, all you have to do is say the word and I'll retract anything from the record. You're in charge here, Swan." Emma smiled genuinely at that.
"Why are you so nice?" Her question was blunt and slightly cynical but Killian had to laugh.
"Well it would hardly be right to mistreat a woman I admire, never mind one who I'll be taking out on a long overdue date tonight." Emma blushed but she pulled her hand back and Killian found himself missing the feel of her soft skin against his instantly.
"Right... but everything's changed now. We can't do this anymore." Fear struck his heart at those words. His initial reaction was to flash back to everything they'd said. Where had he taken a wrong turn? Had he pushed her too much and ruined his shot?
"And why is that?"
"Well isn't it – I don't know – unethical? You're writing a story about me and my business, but we're dating - or I mean we were going on a date. Doesn't that cross some kind of line?"
Killian hadn't thought of it that way, and some might argue Emma was right. A journalist was often thought of as someone who needed to be impartial, and he was hardly impartial when it came to Emma. In the past, Killian would have heeded such concerns, but he would be damned if he walked away from the start of this. Somehow being with Emma felt more important than these questions of right or wrong, probably because he'd never known anything as lovely as the way it felt to be with her.
"It might be a little unorthodox, but I've made a promise to Belle to take on this story. I can't turn my back on that even if I believe she was wrapped up in the same scheme as your friends. But I also can't imagine giving you up Emma, and I'm not sure about you but the thought of waiting even one day more to go out with you is impossible to imagine. Call me impatient, but time seems suddenly so much more precious than it ever has before. At least when it comes to you."
"So you still want this?" Killian moved forward to cup her cheek and he watched the spark of attracting in her eyes when he did.
"I've never wanted anything as badly as I want a chance with you, Emma. The only question is, are you with me?"
Wordlessly Emma moved forward and simultaneously pulled him down towards her by the collar of his jacket. Their lips met in a kiss that right from the first moment blew everything else Killian had ever known out of the water. It took only a second for him to become addicted to the feel of Emma in his arms, her lips on his, her passion for life and him humming at the surface of her skin, close enough for him to touch and taste.
They were both lost to the intensity of it, and Killian felt Emma's legs press back against her desk. He pictured spreading her out right there and continuing to please her but he held back, knowing that the first time he gave her that they'd have privacy and time. For now he lingered in this kiss, their first one and the best he'd ever known. It was sheer perfection, and the only failing of the moment was that it had to end. He'd have rather stayed like that, wrapped up in each other forever, but when she pulled back he followed her lead, unwilling to push her when she'd already given him everything.
"That was even better than I thought it would be. But…"
"But?" Killian asked, his own lack of breath evident as he whispered out the word.
"But maybe we should keep it off the record."
Killian laughed at her teasing smile and tried to find words that weren't so strong they'd scare her off. He loved that she'd thought of this kiss, and he hoped to show her that everything between them could be this glorious, if only they gave themselves the opportunity to try.
"As you wish, love. So I'll see you tonight?" Emma nodded and he grinned, pressing one last soft kiss to her lips before taking his leave.
He ran into Ruby on the way out and noticed the woman's appraising stare. She was clearly desperate to see if her plan had worked, but it wasn't his place to say. He left that to Emma, and he only hoped that if she decided to tell her friends, she'd relay the earth-shattering nature to that kiss that Killian felt down to his bones. That feeling never left his person, not once he was out the door of Bliss Boutique and headed to his office, nor after hours of more mundane work for him to focus on.
"So how did it go?" Will asked from the doorway where he stood just beside Belle.
The question pulled Killian from reliving the memory that had fast become the best one he had. Still he sobered, leveling his best mate and a woman he was beginning to think of as a friend with a harsh look. The two of them had been avoiding him all day, but he knew of their involvement for sure now. He hadn't even been at his desk thirty seconds when Tink told him all about it and admitted to her own share in the blame (or in her eyes the victory).
"You mean the set up that you all concocted with Emma's friends, where you nearly ruined my chances with Emma because of ethical considerations even though we'd already made moves on our own?" Both Belle and Will went stark white and Killian was happy for it. It was clear Tink had kept her promise and not told them that it went well. This was good, for they should feel a bit of remorse for scheming against him even if it did pay off.
"Uh yeah, that one," Will muttered. Killian considered letting them stew for a while longer but his poker face broke and he grinned, watching as they both heaved a sigh of relief.
"So you're not mad?" Belle asked and Killian shook his head. There was absolutely no way that he could be mad or in any way regret this morning. That kiss and that chance to get closer to the heart of who Emma was so quickly was a gift, even if it was a sneakily planned tactic that could have ended this relationship before it began had it gone south.
"No, but let me make myself exceptionally clear. If either of you ever pulls something like this again -,"
"You'll buy a big fancy boat just to make us walk the plank in shark infested waters?" Killian smirked at Will's random image, and he wondered if modern vessels came bearing a plank, but it seemed a fitting threat.
"Aye. Are we understood?" They agreed and Killian dismissed them both, needing to check on one last thing.
"Tink, where are we at on that change of plans for tonight?" He asked into the intercom and immediately got a reply from his eager assistant.
"Everything's arranged as you requested, Boss, and I only had to promise three vital organs to secure it. One from me and two from you."
Killian chuckled and thanked Tink, thinking again how glad he was that he had insisted on surprising Emma with their date because it made this change of plans possible. He'd had a pleasant evening designed before, but with the added insight of their interview, he believed he now had the perfect night lined up. Now all he had to do was wait and hope that he was right and that he'd be successful in giving Emma the best first date she'd ever had so that it might also be her last.
Post-Note: So first thing is first – so many italics. Kudos to all of you for getting through them. I also know that a lot of you were looking forward to the date, however, I feel very strongly that the first date deserves an entire chapter to itself. So, in the name of uniformity, I have split this chapter up from the date. As it was this was already longer than most of my other chapters so with a date involved it would have been so much longer. No worries, I am planning to get the next chapter out in the coming days so it is on its way and I think you guys will be pleased with it. Let me know what you guys think, and as always thank you so so much for reading!
