Chapter 9: Under the Stars
"So… Where are we going?" Emma asked, wondering what he had planned for the night.
"You'll see. Maybe we should take your car. Not that it's really far, but you still have to spare yourself, no silly business tonight."
Emma searched her bag and took from it her key she handed to him. "Do you want to drive?"
Killian looked at her, hesitant. "Maybe now is not the time to learn how to drive a car." Emma smiled and sat on the driver's seat. He indicated her the way. Soon they were driving in a part of Storybrooke she didn't know well, in streets she had never been, on the other side of the town. "You can stop here, this is where we're going now." They were facing a restaurant Emma had never heard about. The frontage was illuminated by some golden light, and a sign indicated the name: La Bella Notte. "Come on, love." He took her hand and brought her inside where a waiter, who seemed to recognize Killian, led them through the restaurant to a courtyard at the back of the restaurant. The inside was quite luxurious, but Emma had a preference for the courtyard, open-air with a central fountain floodlit with the same golden light as the frontage. Candles were lit on every table. Only a few of them were already occupied. Killian glanced at Emma to judge her reaction, and his lips stretched into a smile. "I knew you would like the courtyard. But if you think it's not warm enough, we can go inside." She shook her head; outside was perfect. Hook nodded at the waiter who then indicated one of the tables. He held a chair for her and sat opposite her, taking off his jacket. Emma tried to keep her gaze away from the white tee-shirt highlighting his perfect outline, away from these uncovered strong arms.
"Here is the menu." The waiter handed them two booklets before going back inside.
All the dishes names were written in Italian, accompanied with a description in English. "Choose whatever you want, Swan, it's on me of course." They both attentively studied the menu. Many dishes were quite appetizing, Emma hesitated. "Have you done your choice?" Killian asked her.
"I think I will take this starter, the one with aubergines, mozzarella and parmesan," she indicated an Italian name she didn't dare to pronounce. "And this, as the main course."
"Are you ready to order?" The waiter was back, holding a notebook, ready to write.
"Yes. It will be some Melanzane alla Parmegiana and Fettuccine al Salmone for my love." Emma was amazed as Killian had spoken in a perfect Italian accent. Aware she was staring, he glanced at her with a lopsided smile on his lips, and winked. "I'll take the Bresaola con Mango and the Agnello al Rosmarino."
"Sure. Can I get you some red wine? The drinks are on the house." They nodded and the waiter left again.
"I didn't know you were able to speak Italian!"
Killian laughed. "I'm not. I'm not even sure that was the right accent."
"That sounded pretty good." Emma looked up at the starry sky. The moon was shining right above them. "How did you find this place? Have you ever come here?"
"I've never eaten in here, if that's what you're asking. I just came this afternoon to book a table. I have often wandered around Storybrooke, I had noticed this restaurant. When I thought of it a few days ago, all I wanted was to bring you here."
The waiter arrived with the starters and a bottle of wine he opened. "This red wine is quite delicious, the best of our cave. You'll see," he said, filling their glass.
Killian raised his glass, fixing his gaze on Emma. "To you, beautiful creature monopolizing my thoughts and filling my dreams. And to this night, hopefully the first of many dates."
Emma bit her lip, smiling, and raised her glass too. "And to you, whose inspiration for flattering seems infinite." He smirked and took a sip before they attacked the starters. "Delicious," Emma announced after a mouthful of aubergines.
"Quite tasty." Noticing her gaze lingering on his plate, Killian paused, his fork halfway between his plate and his mouth. His lips again stretched into a lopsided smile, he indicated the slice of beef and the piece of mango on his fork. "Do you want to try?" She hesitated for a second, but finally nodded. He stretched out his arm and she took the bite. "So, what do you think?"
"Quite tasty, indeed." As he took another bite, he stared at her dreamily, lingering with his fork in his mouth. Amused, Emma stared back. "Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?" He asked, finally taking the fork out of his mouth.
By the time they had finished their starter, many people had arrived, most of the tables around them were occupied. The waiter brought the main course; fettuccine with smoked salmon for Emma, roast rump of lamb with vegetables and sauté potatoes for Killian. This time, it was him who gazed at her plate. She turned her fork to wind some pasta around it and handed it to him. "That tastes even better than what is on my plate. Do you want some more wine?"
"If I didn't know you any better, I would think you're trying to make me drunk. Don't even try!" She teased.
"Swan, I wouldn't dare!" He laughed. "But okay, let's forget about wine. I prefer rum anyway."
The waiter came back when their plates were empty. "How was everything?"
"Perfect," Killian replied. As he was staring at her, Emma wondered if he was really talking about the meal.
"Can I interest you in our dessert menu? The dessert of the week is a homemade chocolate fondant. We also offer a selection of other desserts."
"Chocolate fondant for me."
"For me as well." Emma looked up thoughtfully at the sky. She felt his hand covering hers.
"What are you thinking about, love?"
"I was thinking about how lucky I am to be here, with you. My life has changed so much; barely more than a year ago, I was alone, without Henry, without my parents, without you." From their fingers now intertwined on the table, her gaze ran alongside his arm. She allowed herself to stop for a second on his tee-shirt, before she caught his eye. He was staring so intensely that she struggled to keep her gaze fixed. It was only when the waiter came back with the dessert, and she needed to move backwards, that she realized she had been slowly leaning over the table, getting closer to him. She noticed he also had to move backwards. Gently, she took her hand back and tried to focus on her dessert. They both agreed on the fact that the fondant was exquisite, Killian saying it was one of the best things he had ever had.
"That was a really nice restaurant, very good choice," Emma said when they walked back to her car. "What about now? Are we going back at Granny's?"
"Not for now. The restaurant was the first part of the night. There is another place I want to take you. Unless you're tired and want to go back?"
"No!"
Killian laughed as she had replied immediately. "That's my girl! Get in the car." The excitement was too much important to be hidden. Wondering where he was taking her, she obeyed and followed his indications. "Take the first right." Not knowing this part of the town, she had no idea where they were going. "Turn left. Okay, park here." He left the car and opened her door. They were parked in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere, by the side of the road.
"You left your jacket on the back seat," she warned him.
"It's warm enough, I don't need it." Emma glanced at his tee-shirt and hesitated. It was quite warm indeed. Finally, she took off her cardigan and also left it in the car. They crossed the road and made their way through the bushes, Killian ahead. "We're there," he said, moving aside the last bush to show her the view, to show her the beach, leading to the ocean which was stretching to the horizon, the moonlight reflecting on the surface of the water.
"And you were saying you didn't know anything about dates."
"Come!" He smiled, taking her hand again and bringing her on the beach.
Emma felt the sand infiltrating her ballet pumps. "Do you mind if I take off my shoes?"
"Why would I?" He smirked. "Honestly, you can take off anything you want, I wouldn't mind, really."
Emma rolled her eyes and laughed. "Sorry, I'm not taking off anything else tonight."
"Tonight?"
"You know what I mean."
"Yes I know, I'm only teasing you, love." Killian looked around and walked towards a package on the sand.
"What is that?"
"Our comfort," Killian winked, lifting the imposing bag over his shoulder. It was bulky but didn't seem heavy. They walked, getting close enough to the ocean to hear the soft sound of the waves. "What about here?" He put down the bag on the sand. "I like this place, the beach. This is where the ocean meets the continent, where my world meets yours. The beach should be our place." Emma thought about it; it was beautifully said, and was reminding her of something. An amused smile appeared on her lips. "What?"
"What you said made me think of the Little Mermaid."
"The what?"
"The Little Mermaid, a cartoon I watched when I was a child, about a mermaid falling in love with a prince and leaving the ocean for him, it's actually Ariel's story."
"The comparison is accurate. I also left the ocean when I found my princess," he replied, giving her a lopsided smile.
Emma took a deep breath as she stared at him. The place was really beautiful, his silhouette was illuminated by the ocean sparkling behind him. Slowly, she took a step towards him, but looked away from him as her foot had hit something: the bag he had brought. "I still don't know what is in there."
"Nothing really fascinating," he chuckled and opened the bag to take out from it a large blanket he spread on the sand. "I brought it this afternoon, I didn't want to bother carrying that all night."
"So you bothered carrying it all alone earlier in the day?"
"Who said I was alone?" He paused, raising an eyebrow. "No, I wasn't alone. Your father was with me."
"My father?"
"Yes, your father. I told him I had invited you on a date. We came here by car. That's when he offered to lend me some clothes." He indicated his tee-shirt. "That was a good choice, you quite like it, right?" Seeing her expression, he chuckled. "Come here," he sat on the blanket and pulled her by the hand so she sat right next to him. Emma looked up at the sky. Away from all the town lights, many stars were visible, many more than from the courtyard in the restaurant. "Have you ever learnt how to recognize the stars?"
"Never. To me they are just thousands of lights in the sky."
"To a pirate they are so much more. But wait, you're going to have cramps in the neck like this." His arm disappeared in the bag and reappeared holding a pillow.
"Really?" She laughed as he placed it on the blanket behind her.
"Yes, really. Why do you seem surprised? Don't underestimate me, Swan, I can perfectly handle this first date with you, and all the dates that are to come." Killian smiled, glancing at her low-cut neckline. He placed his hand above her chest, and playfully pushed her on her back. Slightly biting his lip, he tilted his head to look at her. He eventually took another pillow for him and lay as close to her as possible. "Now, let me teach you about the stars. Let's start with Ursa Major. It's one of the easiest constellations to identify, and also one of the most famous. Can you see the seven stars forming something looking like a wain?" He pointed the sky, tracing an imaginary line supposed to link the seven stars.
"Yes, I see them."
"Good. This is Ursa Major, also called the Great Bear or the Big Dipper. It is always visible, whatever the season is. The two stars on the outer edge of the wain are useful. They are called Dubhe and Merak. If you imagine a line between these stars, and extend it about five times the distance between them, you can find Polaris. This star will show you the North, quite useful to find your way. This is why it's also called the North Star. It belongs to another constellation, Ursa Minor, the Little Bear. It looks like the Great Bear; you can easily identify seven stars also forming some sort of wain, Polaris being the last star of the tail. Like Ursa Major, Ursa Minor is visible all year round. You see? There are three other constellations visible all year round: Cassiopeia, Draco and Cepheus." Killian indicated them and then pointed some other constellations visible only in winter, explaining how to find them among all the stars. Emma kept watching his hand, listening attentively, trying to remember all the names. "And look at this, the milky band across the sky. This is our galaxy, the Milky Way."
"This is beautiful." Her voice was low, more like a whisper.
Killian sat to look at her. "It is. Yet, it is nothing compared to you." Emma sat too, so that only a few inches were separating them. "Would you believe me if I said there is a constellation I've always loved without any reasons?" He looked up at the sky. "I can't show it to you because we can only see it during summer. But sometimes, I really wonder if there is such a thing as destiny, a destiny with a certain sense of humour, that is." Killian looked back at her. "This constellation I've always loved is the Swan constellation. There were moments in my life when I felt like looking at the sky to find some comfort, and for some reason, I liked to focus on this one. Right now we can't see it. But I don't need it; why would I need some distant stars when I have you, my Swan?" Softly, he ran his fingers through her hair, lingering on her braids. Emma felt she was blushing. Looking into his eyes, all she wanted was to get closer. But she resisted, staying immobile, eager to hear his voice again. "You can't even imagine how much you changed me. When I first met you, I was this man living only for revenge; I didn't believe in love, but I noticed your beauty. Somehow, you made me curious; at the foot of this beanstalk, I was really hoping it would be you, I wanted you to come with me. And I wasn't disappointed, you impressed me with that giant. I quite enjoyed our little adventure, until you tied me up and left me there. Honestly, I have hated you for this, even though deep inside, I was smiling at the thought you'd make the hell of a pirate. It's when I was leaving on the Jolly Roger with the magic bean, when Storybrooke was threatened by destruction, when I thought about where I could go, that I realized how much I had grown attached to you; I didn't want to leave you, I had nowhere else to go, so I came back. Then, we went to Neverland, and everything became real to me. This kiss blew me away, it meant everything. But soon after, we got separated; you went to New York, without any memories of Storybrooke and anyone there, while I was stuck in the Enchanted Forest, alone. I had to let you live your life with Henry. I tried to forget, but not a day went by that I didn't think of you. I've tried to go back to my past occupations, but I couldn't, something was wrong, there was no entertainment in what I was doing. You changed me into a better man, and I can't go back to the man I was before. Not being by your side is painful, this year away from you has been the worst in my whole life. All the best moments in my life are the ones spent with you." Killian pressed her hand against his chest. "This heart is beating for you, Emma. I love you."
Emma bit her lip and closed her eyes, focusing on his heart beating under her hand, thinking of everything he had said. Her heart was thumping. She opened her eyes and saw his lips. They were so close. She looked up. The starlight reflected in his dazzling blue eyes. "All this time, I've been afraid of love, I've been hiding behind some walls, trying to conceal every feeling." In her turn, she held his hand to her heart. "But these walls aren't there anymore, and when I'm with you my heart is going wild."
They exchanged a look, his gaze full of tenderness, her breath slow and deep, his hand on her heart, her hair dancing in the breeze. Killian leant towards her, until his lips met hers. Emma felt like something inside her exploded and, suddenly, she breathed in deeply. She opened her door to him, she took off his hook by a simple move of her hand, she walked with him in the forest, she leant over him to kiss his lips as he was unconscious, she smiled at him after Neal's birth, she saw a vertical ray of light while sitting on a bench, she danced with him at a ball, she stared at him while Snow was walking away from Charming in the forest, she joined Killian outside Granny's and kissed him. Her eyes closed, Emma frowned, before opening her eyes widely, understanding what was happening. "Killian!" She breathed and threw herself in his arms, arms he automatically wrapped around her. Her heart was thumping, tears came to her eyes.
"Emma?" He was concerned.
She loosened her grip and caught his eye. "I remember," she said slowly, her gaze filled with emotion.
Killian was confused for a second. His eyes then seemed to shine as he whispered, astounded, "The true love kiss." Biting her bottom lip, Emma was studying him as if she was seeing him for the first time. Softly, she leant to kiss his lips, as tears rolled down her cheeks. Their lips soon parted. His gaze tenderer than ever, he wiped away her tears. "You remember." He could hardly believe, days ago he had given up on hope she would ever remember.
"I feel like I can breathe again, I feel light-hearted. Not that I felt bad before, but I feel much better now, it's like I know who I am, like I've found my place."
"This is worth the fear I've felt, it was really impressive; as soon as our lips met, you took that really deep breath. Your eyes were closed. Then, you frowned and opened them again. It didn't last long, only like a second, but that was an intense second. I didn't imagine this when your father told me about the true love kiss."
"My father told you?"
"When we were in your bedroom the other night, he asked me if I had tried to jog your memory, he said I should kiss you."
"And you didn't listen to him?"
"I didn't believe in the true love kiss, all my apologies for underrating the power of our love."
"You should have tried."
Killian laughed. "Kissing a woman without her approval is bad form. I had to win your heart first."
Again, he gazed at Emma with this piercing look. Playfully, she stared back, trying to keep her eyes fixed. His look was so intense that she was tempted to look away every second, but she resisted. Killian got caught up in the game and a lopsided smile – that made it even harder for Emma to focus – appeared. Biting her lip, she managed to keep her eyes fixed on his. Eventually, his lopsided smile still on his lips, he raised an eyebrow, and she looked away, laughing. "That's cheating, how am I supposed to handle this?"
He smirked and threw his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. "You can't win this game against me. But you've been a tough opponent." Killian looked around and sighed. "I hate to say that, but I think it's time to go back."
"No, it's not. Not yet." She lay down on the blanket, looking at the sky. "We can't see the stars anymore."
Killian glanced up. Clouds had invaded the sky. "I don't need the stars anymore to know where I have to go. If I don't want to get lost, I know I just need to follow my heart, I have to be with you." Slowly, he ran his fingers on her face and brushed her lips with his fingertips. It seemed like they could stare at each other for hours without ever getting bored. The clouds did more than hiding the stars. Soon, it started raining. "Bloody hell, not that again," he grumbled.
"Maybe it won't be more than a few drops."
"It doesn't feel like this," he sighed. It was now raining harder. "Emma, get in the car. I'm packing this and I'm coming. Go!"
Emma got up, picked her shoes and walked towards the car. She looked back. He was barely visible under the heavy rain. Her clothes were soaked and sticking on her skin, but it was not cold. There was no emergency in going back to the car. Finally, she ran back to him.
"Love, what are you doing here? You should be in the car, sheltered from the rain."
"It's just some water." The rain was slowing down. Like her, he was all wet. Emma couldn't help staring at his tee-shirt as he was closing the bag; the rain had made it translucent and clingy, perfectly emphasizing his muscles. His hair was dishevelled. She stretched her arm to touch his jawline. He dropped the blanket and looked up at her, while she slipped her hand in his hair, getting closer to him, close enough to feel his breath. Closing her eyes, she pressed her lips on his, one hand still in his hair, the other hand in his back, finding a way under his tee-shirt. Quickly enough, she found herself tightly wrapped in his secure arms. This kiss was the longest and the most intense they ever had. They were both breathless when their lips parted, their heart pounding. Killian kissed her on the neck. Blushing, she felt his lips going down and stopping right above her cleavage. Finally, he pressed his head on her chest, listening to her heart. Minutes went by, Emma could feel her heart beating fast, not slowing down. She wasn't moving, she wanted this moment to last as long as possible. Eventually, Killian got up. "Love, I fear we should go. We're soaked, like everything else. You will catch cold if we stay here. But don't fret, I've had the time of my life and I intend on having many other nights like this one."