Just Stay.

Caught and Careful

"So is Grocery Shopping sound like an okay date to you?"

She whispered dramatically, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"As long as you don't force me to eat any more of that

She smiled and brushed her lips softly against his, before pulling away. His eyes were closed, and they fluttered open when she stepped back. She smirked, and began to tie her unruly blond hair into a ponytail so she looked half decent for the public.

He cleared his throat.

"Thank you by the way."

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

She furrowed her eyebrows, the tips of her lips coming up into a small smile.

"For what?"

He ruffles his hair with his good hand. She's noticed him doing this more and more lately, and she wonders when it started.

"For earlier. For helping me." His voice dropped to barely a whisper.

She finishes up her ponytail and moves her hands to his shoulders. She knew him better than he thought, and she knew what he presented as a thank you was really an apology.

"Killian, everyone gets nightmares."

He lets out a short, bitter laugh.

"Darling I've had more than my fair share of nightmares. This wasn't one."

What was that supposed to mean?

"What are you saying?" She asked warily.

He shook his head.

"Nothing. Just do me a favor and stay away from hospitals alright?"

"I don't think that will be a problem." She muttered dryly and he laughed.

"Do you want the blue one or the red?" Her father asked from the second story.

They looked up to see David at the top of the stairs with the two coats in his hands.

At the exact same time they both said,

"Red."

Hook grinned.

"It's my favorite color," she explained quickly.

'His too' is what she didn't say.

David narrowed his eyes, and walked down the stairs, handing her the coat. She pulled it on, resisting a smile. After pulling her father in for a quick hug, she laced her fingers with Killian's and pulled them both out the door.

**************

Hooks POV

"This machine still makes no sense to me," he curses as he climbs into the passenger's seat of the yellow slug bug.

"Wait until you have to drive," she laughs.

Putting aside the stab of panic he feels, he raises an eyebrow.

"You'd let me drive this car."

She shoots him look that says are you insane?

"Hell no! David has a truck, you can use that."

He smirks, leaning back on the old worn seat. Out of the corner of his eye he sees her setting her jaw, raising her chin, her fingers tight on the steering wheel. She's preparing herself for something.

There's an almost strange silence in the car until-

"Why would you say that?"

She said it louder than strictly necessary, rushing.

"Say what?"

He knows what.

She swallowed.

"That everyone knew you loved me more than I loved you."

He knew they were going to talk about this eventually. He leans back.

In the heat of the moment he had told her a little too much. Part of him thought she would be pleased, be at least happy to see him. Most people would be. He had been a pirate for 300 years and he prided himself on being able to read people. To know them, to know what they were going to do even before they did it. And it was true that he could read her, read Emma. Better than most people, sometimes better than her parents. But parts of her were still mysteries to him. There were times when she was utterly, completely, insanely unpredictable.

Those were usually the times he loved the most.

Most people would be thrilled to see their, well, someone they care about return after almost dying.

But no. This was Emma. She had been pissed.

Of course had.

He hated to admit it, especially to the her, but he had meant everything he said. Whether it was right or wrong, he had meant it.

"I thought it was true," he said simply.

He was the one that fell first. It wasn't a deniable fact. And it was a lesson taught to him by years of experience of being the second to cave, that the first always loved more. Always got hurt more when it was over. He thought she accepted the fact that she may like him, love him even, but he was in far too deep to go back. Well, he used to think.

Now after last night, he wasn't so sure.

What would happen now?

AN: I know I know I know really awkward place to end the chapter but I needed to put something up for y'all! 

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