My walls are up, my sheets are down, do you want to stay the night? (It's a one-time thing of course.) Sometimes when you walk into a bar to lose yourself you might just get lucky and find yourself instead.
Her name was Emma. That was all she ever told anyone anyway and this wasn't the first time he'd seen her in here. It was always the same. Tonight like every other night she'd been in, she was here to forget. Forget what? He didn't know but he'd watched her each night as tears starting spilling down her cheeks after she'd ordered a few rounds.
Sometimes she would leave with a guy, Killian supposed it was part of the forgetting, gaining mindless pleasure from a clueless man. He never saw her with the same guy twice, her offer of companionship it appeared was only ever a one-time thing. Not that some men didn't try for a second night. There were plenty that wanted a second go. She had garnered somewhat of a reputation amongst the local men and they were all up for the challenge of trying to crack her twice, but she never ever let a single one of them in a second time. Killian wondered how she could stand it, the cat-calling and the boozy abuse, it never seemed to phase her, but then again he supposed she was already crying most nights. Perhaps whatever insults the intoxicated regulars could come up with were trivial compared to the issues that drove her to the bar in the first place.
One night stands can't break you- or so she thought. That was her mantra of thinking and forgetting and trying again. Her very few friends told her all the time that she should expect more from people and that she was worth more. Secretly she knew they were wrong. She knew that she had never been worth anything, otherwise she never would have been abandoned in the first place let alone over and over again.
So now she doesn't listen to them. Years ago she locked away her heart and turned her left over pain into single minded determination and now she shuts everyone out. The only exceptions were those of her friends who already knew too much to be pushed away. They were the only people she trusted, but even they didn't know everything. She used her carefully-constructed walls to keep everyone out so if (when) they did leave her it wouldn't hurt quite so much.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Killian thinks this woman must have been burned twice over judging by the fierce look twinkling in her eye tonight as she endures the cat-calling from some of the drunker men in the bar. And tonight he wonders if these men might not just get a little more than they bargained for…
It's almost imperceptible the moment she snaps and he so nearly misses it, the movement is so subtle. One moment she is taking a sip of her drink and the next she is frozen. Nothing seems amiss. Perhaps she is listening closer to a conversation going on across from her at the bar but he sees it. The fire in her eyes has cooled (but never died) instead it has been replaced by pain.
He is close enough to catch her as she falls from her stool and if anything the look in her eye says she wasn't expecting anyone to notice her fall, let alone catch her. It is immediately awkward and he notices that she refuses to catch his eye as he places her upright again. The tears have returned. Perhaps she thinks he is only trying to win her favour for the night. He swears to himself up and down on the spot that that will never be the case but he understands too that she may never believe that.
'Anything I can help you with love?' It is the first time they have spoken and Killian is surprised to find that he sounds nervous. It comes as even more of a shock when he realises he really is genuinely nervous. When did this happen?
'No thank you I'm fine.' Her response is biting, almost rude but he recognises a defensive mechanism when he sees one. There is a look in her eyes that he can't quite place, it is wild and frenzied almost like a caged animal that is desperately looking for an escape route that might not exist. He steps away immediately to give her some space and is slightly disappointed when she takes it and more. She bolts out the door as soon as she is far enough away from him and all he gets is a hurried 'thank you' thrown over her shoulder as she disappears through the door.
He doesn't see her for quite some time after this incident and he begins to wonder whether this time she might actually stay away, when all of a sudden she is back and drinking with the regular Thursday night crowd. Tonight things are rather more rowdy than usual and he wonders whether her presence might have anything to do with that. After all most of the men in here know her and her reputation and know that all they have to do is earn her favour to guarantee themselves a night of pleasure.
He takes it upon himself to ensure that that doesn't happen. To make sure that tonight Emma is left alone, thought he isn't quite sure why he is so determined to make sure that she is left alone. All he knows is that she won't be used anymore, he won't allow it and he is determined. When did he become so protective of a woman he barely knows?
The first man who tries it on is so drunk he can barely and stand and Killian has no trouble whatsoever getting rid of him. One quick precise hand gesture summons the manager of the bar (Robin) and gets him kicked out. The second is a little trickier. He is smooth and sober and clearly new in town (though not so new that news of Emma's reputation hasn't reached him.) This one Killian is tempted to punch. He doesn't give a damn about Emma. All he gives a damn about is that she is conventionally beautiful and ready to 'put out.' No questions asked. Killian doubts Emma ever even learns the names of all her 'suitors.' He wonders if she (or they) even care.
She hasn't been able to stop thinking about him since the night he saved her from falling flat on her arse at that bar. For christ's sake she doesn't even know the name of the quiet man who usually sits at the distant bar stool. Who somehow managed to reach across and catch her before she fell. All she knows is that he's hot, he has an amazing accent and he didn't try anything despite it being very clear that he was familiar with her reputation. All he wanted to do was help her. And she has never met anyone who actually genuinely cared about her and now she can't erase him from her mind. He has never tried to gain her attention before and because of this he has her curious. Every man who has heard that she willingly puts out wants a turn. But not him. For some unfathomable reason he is determined to act like a gentlemen and not take advantage of her fragile state like everyone else. She wonders why, she has never met a man who would not take what is readily available and easily achievable. Perhaps that's her cynicism talking but she has never met a man who is interested in anything else to do with her and unless the offer of sex has been on the table. Still she is grateful he saved her from further embarrassment. Whether he is playing a game with her or not she will always owe him for that.
They are almost friendly the next couple of time she comes into the bar, though she never speaks to him, him can sometimes feel her eyes on the back of his neck from where he sits. She never approaches him and never says anything but she always acknowledges him as she leaves the bar even when she has company in tow. Every time she leaves, he promises next is the time he will talk to her, next time is the time he will approach her and yet each time he lets her go and time seems to slip away from them both.
Each time as she leaves, she nods to him on her way out. This is the closest she will get to a new friendship and though she is sure he does not appreciate her walls he seems to understand them and why she can't approach him and thank him properly. Sometimes though she does wonder whether it would be the right thing to do to learn his name. She asks around occasionally trying to find out what his name is or anything else about him but no one seems to know anything at all about the mysterious man with the accent.
That protective instinct in him won't go away. He's learnt over the last few weeks (after a particularly nasty 'misunderstanding') that he can't chase away all her suitors so he opts for those who fall into his bracket of 'scum of the earth.' He wonders if she's actually noticed what he's doing, and whether she would thank him or scorn him if she did. Not that it is likely she's noticed anything at all, no one as beautiful as Emma would have someone like him on her radar. He continues anyway, chasing away those men who he knows don't care about Emma at all only about themselves and what they have to gain.
He has no idea anymore what is going on with her but he wonders if she might be playing some kind of game with him. Every time she leaves now she seems closer and closer to actually saying something to him and each time she turns away instead it only hurts more. For some reason this woman is slowly killing him and he can't take it anymore. He resolves that next times this happens he's going to follow her. It is time to find out more about this mysterious girl.
She knows he's watching her from the minute she steps into the bar. Though she's notice him staring before she is not certain that it has ever been this open. But she does know that he's chasing away some of her suitors and some of the ones she values the most too. The ones that don't ask any questions because they don't care. They want sex and that's all that matters to them and that makes pretending so much easier. Both parties get what they want, then they part ways and everyone's happy, so why won't this guy just let her be? Why does he even care if she's throwing her life away?
She knows he's following her before she's even made a block. He's not exactly being subtle but then again maybe that's not the aim. The pieces click into place for her. It is all an elaborate set up, he's playing some kind of game with her. Well, she hasn't had one this creative in a while and it makes a change. She keeps her pace leisurely but changes the style of her walk just enough to keep his attention and make sure he's following close…
He doesn't hesitate following her out the door when she leaves, he is up and walking before the door has even closed behind her, rum forgotten behind him. Tonight her games stop and he'll be damned if he doesn't get a straight answer out of this woman. Why is she teasing him? He knows it's a game but what if this is her way of getting him to follow her? Maybe she thinks he was too shy to speak up at the bar about his desires and this is her way of reassuring him. This isn't what he wants (well the way he wants it anyway) but maybe she does. It would certainly explain her current walking style anyway. She's using him! After he was trying to help her! He's definitely got a thing or two he wants to say to this woman…
A/N: This is just an idea I'm playing around with, currently unbeta'd but let me know what you think! Minty xx