Okay guys, please don't kill me. When I sat down to write this chapter I thought for sure I was going to be writing about Emma and Killian's second date. But that simply did not happen. I'm sorry to leave you all hanging but this next bit is really sweet and important as Emma decides to finally embrace the fact that there are people in her life that cares for her and loves her. Plus I love writing these moments between Emma and her parents. Please continue to read and review and leave me messages! I promise the next chapter will be up soon!

Oh and I still don't own OUAT.

Emma could hardly concentrate on her work at the station. Between getting phone calls of lost cats, noise complaints, and not to mention the never-ending stack of paperwork to get through; it wasn't exactly the most exciting work that seemed to make time fly. The paperwork was getting to be quite tedious and she glanced at the clock and groaned that only fifteen minutes had gone by. David tried to lighten the mood a bit when he could sense Emma wasn't really into her work today, but that only seemed to make matters worse for Emma.

"Thought you could use a coffee." David said, handing Emma a tall paper to-go cup. "Don't worry I got it from Granny's. It's not the nasty stuff we have around here."

"Thanks" Said Emma, taking a sip and giving him a smile before diving back into the stack of papers on her desk.

David took this opportunity and leaned over her desk a bit, examining the work, he stood there in a way that Emma could sense he wanted to talk with her. So with a sigh and one more sip of her coffee she looked back up at her father.

"Do you need something?"

"Oh. No. I just…." David began to look a bit sheepish now "You and the pirate seem to be getting along really well…"

Emma groaned again, not wishing to discuss her love life with her father and looked back down at her work. 'Maybe he'll give it up and leave me alone about it.' She thought. As soon as she thought it, David opened his mouth to speak some more. 'Wishful thinking I guess.' And then she looked back up at David.

"It's just you two seem to be spending an awful lot of time together. And I've noticed the way you both look at each other. It's the same way your mother and I look at each other. Your mother didn't want me to mention it to you but I must. I noticed you were gone the other night. Snow said you came home early in the morning to grab some things before having breakfast with Henry."

Emma's face flushed red. She really didn't want to have this conversation with her father right now. She stared at the telephone perched on her desk, willing it to ring so she could have a welcomed distraction from this conversation that simply was. not. happening. After what felt like a few minutes and the fact that her father was still leaning on her desk staring down at her she sighed again and finally spoke up.

"Look, dad…I really like Killian. He is a great guy. He has been there for all of us. He helped you when you were hit with dreamshade in Neverland. He helped us rescue Henry. He went back for me several times. I think he has proven himself to be true to our family and to me. I'm really not good at this kind of thing you know. And I really don't like talking about it, especially to my dad. But we are just trying to figure this thing out. The whole thing with the snow queen and Mr. Gold taking his heart and everything was a lot and I needed to talk to him and to be there with him. So yes, I was with him all night. I came back to grab some things to meet with Henry. But I'm here now. I'm trying to do my work. I just want everything to go back to normal…whatever normal is for this town and for my life." Emma grabbed a pencil and started playing with it in her hands, needing something to take the edge off her nervousness.

David grabbed a chair and pulled it over next to her desk and sat down. 'Oh great,' Emma thought. "Emma, I didn't mean that I don't like Killian. I like him. I might even trust him which is something I never thought I would say and by the way do NOT tell him that I said that. I don't need him getting any ideas. I guess I'd be more worried if you weren't there for him after he got his heart back. But sweetheart…I just want you to be careful." He placed his hand over Emma's hand that was playing with the pencil, making her stop and look up at him.

"I am careful. I can take care of myself. I have been doing it all my life." She winced as those hurtful words came out of her mouth.

"It's not that I don't think you're capable of taking care of yourself Emma. I know you are. But you don't have to do it alone. We are your family and we are here now and we want to help you. You don't have to be so strong all the time. Let your mother and me be your parents sometimes and take care of you." Seeing that this was more than Emma was used to handling he decided to leave the conversation to that. He stood up and then bent down to her and grabbed her head and held it against him before kissing the top of it. A loving gesture that Emma was starting to get used to.

Emma smiled up at him when he let her go. Feeling like she should at least say something she blurted out "I have a second date with Killian tonight." She could feel her face start to heat up.

David smiled down at her "Good. I'm glad things are going well with you and Killian. I think he is good for you and for Henry. I will never forget the look on his face when he saw you in that dress on your first date. I knew at that moment that I could trust him. But again, don't you dare ever tell him I said that!" With that being said David turned around and headed back towards his desk. A giant stack of paperwork was piled up on it too.

Emma slumped back in her chair and smiled. She took another sip of her coffee and her mind thought of Killian and she smiled again. She felt happy that her parents were finally seeing him for who he really is, a hero and not a villain, not a pirate, but yet still a pirate sometimes-only in the best of ways though.

She thought about how happy he looked this morning on the docks. How his whole body felt when he held her against him and exclaimed how happy he was to her. She could feel his happiness radiate from him. How happy she was with him. How good he is to her. And not just her, to her whole family, hell this whole town. Emma thought about what her father had said, his voice ringing in her ears 'let your mother and me be your parents sometimes and take care of you.' Suddenly there were so many people in her life that wanted to care for her and love her. More than she had ever hoped or dreamed for. She wasn't used to letting people in, to letting people care for her or love her. She was still getting used to that. She knew that she wanted it.

She thought back to this morning when she tried sneaking back into the loft and running into her mother. Her mother who so desperately wanted to be a part of her life. Her best friend before she broke the curse. She pulled out her phone and decided to text her mom that she has a second date with Killian and needs her help finding something to wear. A desperate attempt to apologize for being so cold. 'Starting now' Emma thought, 'I'm going to start letting people in more.'

Emma decided to call it a day when she got a text back with many exclamation points and her mother wanting to go shopping.