Tonight is my date with Killian, and I still can't wrap my head around the fact that this is actually happening. I want to deny the feelings that stir inside of me when he's around, but the other day while we were out I had a hard time fighting it. I'm not gonna be one of those girls that expects to fall in love, I don't even want to fall in love to be honest I just need some fun in my life, something to keep my mind off of the Henry situation. I'm starting to think he will never be fully mine, actually I know he'll never fully be mine, the thought makes me sad and for tonight I just want to forget the sadness of that and focus on something happy.

Dad walks into the office, I only have about ten minutes left of my shift. Mom walks in behind him with a huge smile on her face. If anyone thinks my dad looks young, my mom looks just as if not maybe younger than he does. Dimples form on her cheeks as she smiles at me.

"Hi mom," I say.

It took me a long time to be able to call her mom, but she showed me a love that I'd never experienced before. She had lived with guilt for so many years over how she gave me up without the option to see me. At first I was angry, so angry that I pushed her away. After I went off to Boston my parents came to visit me and it was then mom and I had a conversation about Henry. I'd been contemplating coming home and wanting to be in Henry's life and that talk we had changed everything, and a year later I returned.

Mom puts her arms around me and pulls me away to look at me. I should visit her more, but I don't. I'm just so used to being on my own and not having people who love me in my life that I sometimes forget.

"You look different," she says eyeing me.

Dad's eye roll is so big I can practically hear it.

"I'm kind of happy," I say.

"Kind of?" she questions.

"You have a date," she says.

Dad's eyes bulge out of his head and I swear he sucks all the air out of the room. Mom turns to him and tells him to shush, then turns back to me. She's excited because she never got these moments with me when I was younger, and sometimes I feel like my dad doesn't know how to handle them.

"How do you do that? You and Ruby have this strange way of reading me," I laughed.

"Oh, dear it's easy to see the glowing on your face," she says.

"How much do we like this boy?" she asks.

"Dear," Dad says from behind her.

She holds a hand up and shushes him again. I laugh, my parents are a little crazy.

"It's nothing," I tell her feeling my face flush.

"Oh, that's not nothing honey," she says. "Do we know him? Is he from StoryBrooke?"

"I don't think you know him, but can we just wait to see if anything comes of it? It's not that serious," I tell her.

"Oh, but I want to know..."

"Dear," father says again.

This time she turns to him. Dad's half smiling half not. I look up at him and scoff.

"Dad, I'll be okay," I say.

"I know you're a grown woman," he says.

"He's making up for all these years he didn't get to be overprotective," mom says.

I laugh, "I'll be okay dad, if something comes of it I'll be sure to spill everything," I tell them.

I stay for about a half an hour after my shift to spend some time with mom and dad. When I finally do convince them I have to go get ready, mom whispers to me that I need to call her after the date to tell her everything. I don't even have time to think about what I'm getting myself into because the moment I arrive home Ruby is waiting for me. She stares down at her wrist and taps it like she has a watch on.

In my room we pull out half my closet and lay it on the bed. I've never gone all out for a date before, in fact I don't think I've ever had a proper date. Neal and I had a lot of dates where we would eat and run, but we never sat down and had a real date.

"I thought you said you've never worn a dress before," Ruby says holding a short light pink dress out of the closet.

"The tags still on it," I laugh.

She lifts the dress and sure enough sticking out the side is the tag from when I bought it. She holds it up and gives me a look, "Really Emma?" she laughs. "Try it on," she adds throwing it at me.

I catch the dress and start undressing to put it on. She turns back around and goes through my closet looking for shoes to match. She pulls up pale gold strap heels and tosses them behind her. I grab them off the floor and slip them onto my feet. Ruby turns around and zips me up, then I turn around.

"Emma, that's the one," she sings.

"You don't think it's too much?" I ask.

"Oh, definitely not," she says. "Haven't you ever been on a date?" she asks.

"Not a real date. I wouldn't call anything I did with Neal and actual date," I say.

"My goodness Emma you've been deprived all your life haven't you?"

"You should know I never went on a date before," I say.

"Well all those years we weren't together I don't know," she says.

Ruby helps me get my hair perfect, a high pony with a small poof on the top, she finishes just as there's a knock on our door. My heart starts beating quickly, like I'm nervous. I don't know why, I've already told myself a million times over that this is nothing, we are just having fun.

"Go," she whispers shooing me.

I walk out of my room and into the main room. I take a deep breath before pulling open the door. Standing there in all black of course, but looking a bit more dressed up is Killian. He wears tight dark jeans, black boots, a black vest under his leather jacket with a black shirt. As usual he's showing some of his chest, and my eyes keep focusing there.

"Swan," he says in that accent of his.

"Killian," I say.

"You're stunning," he says trying to find the right world.

"Thanks, and you too," I say. "I mean," I try to correct myself.

He laughs, "I am a pretty stunning guy aren't I?" he jokes.

Ruby snorts from behind me. I turn and look at her.

"Have fun kids," she says.

"You need to get laid," Killian says.

I cover my mouth with my hand and laugh a little too loud. I look back at Ruby and in true Ruby fashion she gives him the finger. Killian laughs and he holds out an arm.

"Shall we luv?" he asks.

I nod.

"Goodnight Ruby," I say.

"Don't stay out too late now," she teases.

The door closes and my heart continues wildly beating in my chest. Nerves settle in and I'm not even sure why I'm doing this. Just a few weeks ago this guy made me want to knee him in the balls every time I saw him, now I'm over here nervous about dating him.

"Everything okay luv?" he questions as we get to the bottom step.

He stops and spins me so that I'm facing him, and he hooks his hands into mine.

"Everything is great," I say.

He stares at me like he knows I'm having second thoughts and knows what's going through my head. He doesn't say anything though just nods and half smiles, his cheeks twitch.

"Okay, shall we then?" he asks.

I smile and nod as we head off to our date in the Jolly Roger.