New chapter! It turns out that this new semester is going to be really busy for me, so I'm going to update regularly once a week. Thanks again for all the support and please remember to review!

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT

Chapter 17: Opening Up

Emma had been feeling stressed out over the situation with Neal. When he had dropped off Henry after his dinner with him, it had turned into one of the most uncomfortable situations of her life. Her parents had been there too; and all three of her family members noticed the tension. He had said a quick hello to Mary Margaret and David, and after that, he literally speed-walked away from her. At this point, she wasn't so much worried about herself; she was more worried about how it would affect Henry. He was an extremely perceptive kid, and she didn't want him to feel that this whole situation was somehow his fault. He didn't need another set of parents fighting over him.

Her own parents had confronted her about the tension between her and Neal. They didn't know the truth yet about her real relationship with Hook, and she figured it was time to tell them.

"What happened?" Mary Margaret asked, coupled with that empathetic look in her eyes.

"I – we, we got in a fight."

"About what?" David asked, settling himself on the coffee table across from his daughter. Mary Margaret sat next to Emma on the couch.

"I guess there's no point in denying it now. You guys know that there's been something going on between me and Killian, ever since Neverland."

"Killian?" Mary Margaret said, a smirk evident in her tone of voice.

"Yes, I call him Killian. Are you making fun of me?"

Mary Margaret laughed quietely to herself. "Of course not, Emma! We would never do that."

David interjected with his own observation. "So I'm guessing that this is the part where you tell us that you and Hook are a, uhm, thing now?" It was obvious that he was struggling to get the words out, and Emma and Mary Margaret shared a small look of amusement.

"Yeah, that's pretty much what I'm saying. Its just that Neal knows, and he also knows the entire extent of it. And Neal was convinced that we would get back together and I just don't really know what to do right now.

David shifted his position from the coffee table next to his daughter on the couch, and put an arm around her.

"Listen, Emma, your mother and I have seen that this was a long time coming. It's okay that you don't have the same feelings for Neal anymore that you had in the past. And it's okay that you have feelings for Hook now; as much as a I hate to admit it, he's an okay guy. And both of us have seen the way he looks at you, this isn't just a fling for him."

Mary Margaret nodded in agreement, and placed her hand on her daughters leg.

"Your dad is right, Emma. It's okay to feel what you're feeling. Don't let Neal's anger ruin it for you. Don't let him make you feel guilty. He will be able to get over it, someday. You just have to hope that that day will be sooner rather than later."

"But what do I do about Henry? You guys know that he picks up on everything. I don't want him to feel like it's his fault or that he needs to be the one to fix it. You know how he likes to fix other people's situations."

"He'll be okay. And we'll be here to help you. You know that, don't you?"

Emma nodded at both her parents. Of course she knew that she had their full support. She was catching up on all the parental advice she had missed in the past, and she was loving it.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Fancy seeing you here, miss Swan."

She smiled at the sound of his voice, and quickly turned to see him coming towards her on the sidewalk. He returned her smile, wrapped his arms around her waist and placed a long kiss on her lips. She could feel herself melting at the contact, and smiled against his lips as he let them linger a little longer than necessary.

"Well hello to you too!" She smirked, noticing how his breathing had quickened a little during their greeting. Every time it happened she was still slightly pleased with herself at the effect she had on him.

"You want to go for a walk?" He asked, his eyes lighting up at the prospect of spending time with her.

"Well, I am a little late for work…" She laughed when she saw his face fall, "Killian, I'm kidding."

Emma heard his sigh of relief and took hold of his hand. As they automatically headed towards the marina, Emma let her thoughts drift towards the events of the past few days. She had been happier with Killian than she had in a long time; she knew that he really cared for her, and she also knew that he would protect her whenever it was necessary. When he kissed her she felt like she was on fire, and hearing him laugh made her heart soar. If she was honest with herself, she couldn't believe it had taken her this long to give in. If she had done so sooner, she would have been a lot happier for a lot longer.

There was only one problem. Neal. It bothered her that he could run around her thoughts this much. She wanted to enjoy her time with Killian, she wanted to enjoy her day in general. But she knew that Killian felt bad as well. He still had a bond with Neal, back when he had known him as Baelfire, and Emma knew better than anyone that it always hurt when you saw a friend in pain. Most of all, however, she wanted Henry to be okay with everything. She wanted Henry to get to know Killian, in a different light, not just as Captain Hook from the stories. She wanted them to get along because she had a feeling that she and Killian were in it for the long haul, to paraphrase his own words. But she needed to wait. She didn't want to rush into anything, not while everything was going so well between them.

"Did I ever tell you about my first time on this ship?" Killian asked her, snapping Emma out of her thoughts as they climbed the stairs to the deck of the Jolly Roger.

"No, no you didn't."

As he helped her climb over the last step, he continued the story.

"I was actually part of the King's navy. The Jolly Roger was the ship that my brother commanded, and I had only just finished my training. I remember climbing up on the deck and actually having to find my balance because of the waves beneath the ship."

Emma smiled, not being able to imagine Hook being part of the royal navy, and certainly not being able to think of Hook having to actually gain his balance on the ship. Ever since she'd met him he'd been the most stable standing man she'd ever seen. She had always admired that in him. He always seemed sure of where he stood.

"I didn't know you had a brother."

Hook smiled wistfully, and Emma could tell there was a longer story behind that. She didn't want to seem pushy though, so she decided to ask that question at a different time.

"Aye, my older brother, Liam. Liam Jones. I'd always looked up to him. He always took me under his wing. Including that first day on the ship. We actually set sail immediately after I got on, and I remember feeling very nervous. He helped me through it."

"He sounds like a good man."

Killian took a moment before responding to her statement. "He was."

Emma noticed his sudden apprehension at continuing the story, but she could tell that it was important for him to share it with her. He was trying to let her in to his past, and she wasn't about to give up the opportunity to learn more about him.

"So what was your first assignment as a young officer?" She tried to make it sound flirtatious, and he smiled at her gesture.

"We had to sail to one of the other lands and trade shipments with another kingdom. We were never allowed to know what was in the crates though. My brother and I found out later that our beloved' – he spat the word out menacingly – 'king wasn't as noble and humane as we thought he was."

"What do you mean? What happened?" Emma asked, placing a light hand on his arm.

"The first time I went to Neverland was with my brother. The king had sent us to find some kind of plant that would help us greatly in times of need. We didn't really understand what it did."

Killian took a deep breath, and Emma could see he was struggling to continue.

"You don't need to know the whole story. But that assignment…it got my brother killed."

"Oh, Killian…I'm so sorry. I had no idea, I shouldn't have pushed you to tell me that –"

"No, it's okay." He turned around to face her and lightly grabbed her hands in his. "You should know. It's part of my past. And, well, it made me into who I am today."

"You mean it made you into the pirate you are today?"

Killian looked down and sighed before answering. "Aye."

Not knowing what to say, she rubbed small circles on the palm of his hand with her thumb. It was weird to hear him being so open about things like this. But then again, he was a man of honesty. He would never have outed his feelings for her back in the echo caves if he wasn't. Even if he was a pirate.

"I like the pirate you are today."

He smiled at her, and placed a light kiss to the top of her hand. She closed her eyes at the feeling of his lips touching her skin; she could probably revel in it forever.

"He was the only family I ever had that I could trust."

His last statement broke Emma's heart. She knew better than anyone what it was like to lose the one person you trusted. Back when they were still in foster care, Anna and Emma had been each other's rocks. They knew they would always have each other's backs. When the time came for them to run for it, Emma had been crushed to be separated from her. She was lucky enough to have Anna back in her life now.

"I want you to meet Henry."

Both Emma and Killian were surprised by her sudden outburst. Emma was especially surprised because she hadn't realized it was coming out of her mouth until she said it. Of course she wanted Killian to bond with Henry. That was only natural. She just hadn't expected herself to allow it so soon. How was Henry going to react to something like that? But it wasn't as if she could take it back now. She anxiously awaited Killian's answer, not sure how she wanted him to respond.

"Emma, love, you do realize I've already met Henry. You know, when I helped you save him off of a magical tropical island and all that."

Emma snorted, relieved that he didn't seem to be taking it all too seriously.

"No, of course I know that. I meant that I wanted you to bond with him. But I mean, if you're not ready, we can always wait. That's no, problem we'll just –"

"Emma. It's fine. I'd be honoured to spend time with Henry."

"Really?" She asked, slightly dumbfounded.

"Of course, love. He's one of the most important parts of your life. And I seem to be invested in part of that life of yours now as well." He winked at her, and she couldn't help herself. She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. When she finally pulled away, he placed a light kiss on her lips.

"We are going to have to ease in to it, of course."

"Of course." Emma nodded and agreed, and before she could stop herself, she kissed him so hard he almost toppled over.

Thanks for reading and remember to review! All your comments mean a lot to me =]