A/N: Set during S04E04. At last we got what we deserved as Captain Swan shippers! Emma and Hook finally went on their first date. Yay! Of course, I now feel the obligation to base this chapter on that very episode. What were Emma and Hook thinking before, during and after their first date? Find out here!
And, as always, please leave a review! :)
III - A Night to Remember
Emma had been thinking long and hard if she was ready to take the logical next step to further her romantic involvement with Hook. To this day, she still remembered how worried she had been even at the thought of asking Hook on a date. They had never been on one, even though they had faced giants, wicked witches and an array of evil villains together. A first date generally takes place at the beginning of a potential relationship, before really getting to know each other. A date is there for the exploration of romance, but even in this respect Emma and Hook's relationship was an unusal one. Before their official first date, they had been to Neverland together on a mission to save Henry, not to mention their time in the Enchanted Forest, from their initial rocky team efforts in an attempt to find a way back to Storybrooke to their later time-travelling adventure to a past Emma had never known.
After their true love's kiss, there was no doubt in Emma's mind that she needed to take a chance on Hook. She had strung him along for long enough. Now it was time to take the next step. After all, what did she have to loose? Hook was right when he had said Emma couldn't put her life on hold every time she was facing a new threat. She would never be able to find her own true happiness if she did that.
No more procrastination! Emma thought one day. I deserve this. She decided to take the leap and ask Hook out. A date would be the next milestone in their romantic history. Maybe it was unconventional for the girl to ask the guy out, but this was the twenty first century for Christ's sake! At least in that respect, Emma needed to be the one holding the reins. However, before asking Hook out to dinner, Emma had thought it best to talk things through with Henry. She didn't want to plunge into fresh romantic entanglements without his consent. Emma wouldn't be able to give herself fully to Hook if she knew Henry didn't approve. Nobody else had a say in Emma's choice of partner, though. Not even David, who probably had one or two things to say on the matter. Emma would deal with her parents later. First, she needed to find Hook.
Emma felt like a teenager again. Her heart was racing, she felt slightly giddy and flushed and she couldn't help wondering why she was putting herself through this ordeal. Frankly, Emma felt like she didn't know what the hell she was doing. She felt off her game, if she had had any game to begin with. In her heart Emma knew Hook wouldn't decline the offer, but she was still anxious. Emma couldn't help herself. Her nerves were getting the better of her. Her thoughts had grown incoherent. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweaty, but at the same time, she had butterflies in her stomach and felt like she was floating on air.
Henry, sitting in the passenger's seat by Emma's side as she drove him into town in her yellow bug, seemed quite oblivious to the inner workings of Emma's mind. To the outer world, she looked stoic and graceful. Noone saw the crumbling mess of mixed emotions jumbled up inside. To distract herself from her nerves, Emma had asked Henry "Sure you're okay with this?" as they pulled up by Granny's diner. When she heard Henry actually begin his reply with 'no', Emma felt a wave of relief ripple through her veins, but no sooner had she heard this, Henry had continued with a smile on his lips, "But I want you to be happy." Maybe part of Emma had wanted Henry to stop her from going out with Hook. It would have meant she wouldn't have had to face her fears of intimacy and let her guard down. This was a big step for her, but hearing Henry say that he only wanted her to be happy made Emma realise she was making the right decision. Henry may have minded a tiny bit, but he would never stand in the way of his mother's happiness.
Stop stalling! she finally told herself. And get on with it! If noone else was going to give her the push she needed, Emma would have to do it herself. But Henry did push her forward in that very instant, for Emma had hesitated for a second too long, revealing to Henry how nervous she really was. All her life, Emma had been accustomed to going it alone. Until she had met Neal, that is. In actual fact, Hook and Neal were not all that different. After all, Hook had been a father figure to Neal once, so he had influenced his character in many ways. No wonder Emma was attracted to Hook as well, no matter how old he really was. Although, Emma didn't want to linger on this thought if she could help it.
The day she asked Hook out, Emma decided it was probably time for her to leave her solitary past behind her. At least with Hook, she had a chance of a fresh start. Emma needed someone in her life again, someone to love. Being alone isn't all it's cracked up to be. Emma was forced to adapt to her lonely life and had learned to revel in it. She had had no other choice, but now that things had changed and she was no longer alone, she was adapting to the new circumstances. She had found her parents, she had met her true love. It was time. About bloody time!
Emma had entered the diner almost confidently, heading straight towards Hook with only slightly wobbly knees. Hook, of course, had not been expecting Emma's romantic invitation. He was occupying himself by throwing darts. When Emma had broached the subject of a date, Hook's hand had faltered in mid-throw and the dart had dropped to the floor instead of hitting the bull's eye. He was so stunned that his usually immaculate aim was affected. After having let Emma's words sink in, Hook had immediately jumped on the bandwagon. He had been waiting for this moment for a long time, even though he had thought he would be the one asking Emma out, but he had succeeded in persuading Emma that he would be the one to plan the evening.
As soon as Emma had left the diner, Hook headed towards Rumpel's pawn shop. Hook thought it a good idea to prove his love for Emma by a physical change to match his change of heart. As a big romantic gesture he would retrieve his hand, so he could properly embrace Emma. Besides, having both hands again would make him feel like less of a pirate. It would be a fresh start. An old hand for a new beginning, as it were - but of course whenever Rumpel is involved, the desired object comes with a price. In this case, a nasty mindgame, leading to Hook believing the hand would turn him into his old ruthless self again, but for now Hook had his hand and that was good enough.
Emma had left the diner a little dazed. She still remembered the relief she had felt in that moment. To her own surprise, she had been able to cut straight to the chase. When she got home, all she could think about was what she was going to wear. Usually, she didn't care about that sort of thing, but this evening she wanted to look perfect. Like a princess. She would never admit this to anyone, but she did sometimes wonder what her life would have been like if she had grown up in the Enchanted Forest as the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White. She would have been a princess then, but she was far more of a warrior these days. If she had been a princess, she would have been a warrior princess, no doubt about it.
When Emma had revealed her look for the evening to her parents, she had truly felt like a princess about to go to a ball. Snow and Charming were struck dumb when they first beheld her. Snow was in full-fledged Mom mode, taking Emma's picture and gushing over Emma's light pink dress. This was a special moment all the Charmings could share in as a family. It was a first for all of them, albeit a little unconventional, considering Emma's parents still looked her own age and yet they treated her like a little girl. Emma chuckled inwardly when she heard her mother say "Here we go!" in an over-excited tone when Hook knocked at the door.
Emma's date had decided to dress in a more modern outfit as well. Still leather-clad, but less "piratey", as it were. Hook had seen how impressed Emma had been when she had seen how nicely Hook had cleaned up. He had attempted to smooth over Emma's stunned silence by paying her a compliment. This would also help Emma to "recover" from her initial shock. Hook knew leather suited him and wouldn't have anyone deny it. But even though he could be vain at times, he had been equally as stunned at seeing how ravishing Emma had looked. When Hook had seen Emma all dressed up in that moment, he had known without a doubt that this night would be unforgettable.
The date went by with only one tiny hitch, involving a spilt glass of wine and a thief named Will Scarlet. Emma and Hook spent the rest of the evening entrusting each other with memories from their individual pasts. They both remembered their date to have been a magical night. Emma felt fully at ease in Hook's presence.
After Hook had told her why he had set out on his life-long quest for revenge, Emma felt it was time to tell Hook how she had met Neal and why it was so hard for her to move on. Hook was able to chime in on the subject as well, for he had his own shared memories with this late friend of his. To him, Neal had been like a son. He regretted not having been able to instill enough trust in Neal for him to stay by his side as a young boy. Had Hook been able to raise Neal, it would have quenched his thirst for revenge and made him feel like he was honouring the memory of Milah – but that was not how things had come to pass.
Here he was, at last a changed man, even if it had taken him around 300 years to realise that he had held his grudge for long enough. That didn't mean that Hook would now make friends with Rumpel - far from it - but it did mean that he could finally move on. Hook could concentrate fully on making a fresh start – with Emma. Only it seemed his past was catching up with him in that very moment. Rumpel was toying with his still unfinished evolution from pirate to hero, shaking his self-belief to the core. Was he really a changed man or was it all an illusion, something he told himself so he could sleep at night, so he would feel worthy of Emma? Hook didn't know back then that he would be able to make the change eventually, but that night he was left in a state of uncertainty.
As the evening came to a close, Hook decided to distract himself from his self-reflection by asking a probing question. "Why was it that you had such a hard time trusting me, Swan?" he inquired, glancing down at his plate to give Emma some space for contemplation.
They had reached desert by this stage and Emma had just swallowed a rather large spoonful of her crème brûlée. This gave her time to ponder for a moment before giving Hook a response. She didn't mind the question, although it would have been easier to answer it with even an ounce of alcohol in her system, but Emma wanted to be honest with Hook. She wanted to open up to him, no holds barred.
"Well, there's the pirate thing for one," Emma said with a crooked smile on her lips, "they're not known for their trustworthiness, you know." Then she added, "And when I met you, I still loved Neal. I was so bitter then. I thought Neal had betrayed me–" Emma broke off, the memories too painful to bear.
Hook waited patiently until Emma looked up at him again. You say you loved him. Past tense. Do you still love him?"
Emma pursed her lips, feeling slightly uncomfortable, but forcing herself to respond. Don't hold back! she told herself.
"In a way, I do. Yes. He was my first love. I don't think I can ever forget that, but now it's more of a fondness I feel, the way I love my family."
"I'm glad you feel you can confide in me, Swan," Hook said understandingly. "I feel the same way about Milah. I'll never forget her, but she's only a distant memory to me now. I spent half my life avenging her...but now I have found a new lass worth swooning over."
Hook stretched out his hand to clasp Emma's. They sat in silence for a while, their eyes locked. They had left many things unsaid, but by admitting they were open to finding a new love in their lives, they had said enough. The tension between them was tangible, but Emma was still unable to hold Hook's smoldering gaze for long.
"I think I'm the one who's going to swoon," she tittered uncertainly.
"Do I have that effect on you, Swan?" Hook chuckled softly.
"More than you know," Emma replied, feeling the heat rise to her cheeks.
"You said, you didn't trust me when we first met. What about now? Do you trust me?" Hook asked, holding Emma's gaze confidently.
"Yes," she said simply. "I do." Emma suddenly felt her fear vanishing as she realised how deeply she felt for Hook. She felt safe with him. Like she was finally home.
As Hook and Emma left the restaurant, Hook - gentleman that he was - offered Emma his leather jacket. Not wanting to waste any more precious time, he even plucked up the courage to ask Emma on a second date right after dropping her off at her doorstep. She sealed the deal with a kiss, which made her heart soar. She felt slightly faint as she stepped inside the apartment. Once inside, she leaned against the door, panting slightly. She was taken by surprise when she saw Snow and Charming had been waiting up for her.
Seeing the anxious looks on her parents faces made her feel warm inside. Not because she enjoyed their worry, but because she felt loved. It felt so good to finally have a family to come home to, to have a mother who cared about Emma so much that she stayed up half the night waiting for her to come home, and it felt wonderful to have a father who cared so much about his daughter's well-being, he could barely stand the thought of seeing her get hurt. Beware any man who broke Emma's heart when David was around to protect her, but even for David - and especially for Snow - it had been a night to remember. Snow, in particular, had taken the opportunity to make up for some of the years she had missed in her daughter's life.
For Emma, spending some one-on-one time with Hook had made it clear as day that he could potentially be someone she could spend the rest of her life with. This was only the beginning, but when Emma had gone to bed that night, she had felt it in her heart that this could truly be the start of her very own happily-ever-after.
