I initially wrote this story as a CS AU based off the lyrics of a Florida Georgia Line song. A reader asked me to continue the story and I realized I couldn't pass it up. After Chapter 10, the story begins to follow the CS story line in the show. The initial version of the story had quite a few typos which I've gone back to clean up.

Chapter 1: friendship

Killian had been her friend and neighbor for the past five years. It all started one holiday weekend. Emma had no plans for the holiday and most of the people in her building were away on vacation or visiting friends and family for pool parties and cook outs. Of course, it was close to one hundred degrees and the air conditioning had suddenly crapped out. She had every window open and every fan running trying to make a tolerable environment but Mother Nature wasn't even offering her a gentle breeze.

Emma was getting ready to concede to the weather and head out to a see what movies were playing just so she could sit in the air conditioned theater for a few hours when she heard a child's scream. Children were always playing in the grassy area behind her building and gleeful screams were the norm, but this wasn't a happy scream at all. Emma dashed to the window to see a young girl had fallen into the small stream that ran behind the building. Recent rains gave the usually gentle stream a bit of a current and either it was too strong for the girl or she didn't know how to swim. Without a second thought, Emma jumped up and ran out her patio door.

Right as she leaped into the water after the girl she noticed a dark shape out of the corner of her eye. Her arms went out to grab the girl but she was already being lifted out of the water and a low accented voice was telling her she was okay now. Emma turned and found herself looking at who she believed was her new neighbor. Her new, very attractive, with-a-very-nice-accent neighbor. Mrs. Stuffins had recently moved out of her apartment to go live with her daughter and last week Emma noticed a moving truck out front and a couch on the curb, but hadn't seen the owner of said couch.

A frantic brunette woman came running up to them, arms outstretched for the young girl. "Mommy!" She cried and he handed her over to the woman who began rocking the girl and murmuring reassuring words. Her eyes lifted to Emma and the man and a string of apologies and thank you's spilled from her lips before she carried the girl over to a nearby bench.

"And you, are you alright, love?" The man asked with the most alluring and attractive accent Emma had ever heard.

"I…yeah, I'm okay" Emma faltered. "I just reacted so quickly to the girls scream my brain is still trying to process what all just happened and how I'm stand here right now."

"I didn't think either" he said, "I just heard her scream and took off running. All in a days work of being a hero, I suppose." He grinned.

Emma shook her head trying to clear the dazed feeling. "Are you usually a hero?" She found herself asking.

"Only in print." At her confused expression he continued "I'm an illustrator for children's books. Recently I've drawn a lot of super heroes for a new series coming out."

She nodded. There was something about this man that made her uncomfortable. Not in a creepy way but in a way that made her feel like he could see right into her mind and wouldn't have the slightest objections with telling her exactly what she was thinking. "I should get out of these wet clothes. Thanks for saving her."

His eyes darkened slightly at her mention of clothing but he didn't break away from her gaze. Wow I don't think I've ever seen anyone with eyes that blue before and really, how did I miss just how attractive he is? Emma thought, staring back at him for a second before feeling the warmth creep up her cheeks and looking away. She was in a relationship, she didn't need to be looking at other men! She chastised herself.But you aren't dead and this one is very easy on the eyes the voice in the back of her head quipped.

Emma turned and started to walk away when he reached out and gently grabbed her arm. The jolt of electricity that shot through her body from his mere touch stunned her into silence for a few seconds before she managed to turn fully and look at him. He hadn't managed to recover as quickly and still wore a stunned expression. He felt that too? Her mind wondered.

"I don't even know your name. I'm new to the building, I just moved in the other week. Apartment E. I'm Killian. Killian Jones."

"Emma Swan. Apartment B. " she practically whispered.

His face lit up with another megawatt smile. "I am quite pleased to meet you, Emma Swan. Perhaps my new neighbor would take pity on me not being from the area and would allow me to purchase her a coffee while she showed me around town?" His eyebrow quirked up and Emma got a gut feeling this man would be nothing but trouble for her.

Her mouth, on the other hand, acted on its own accord "I was planning on seeing a movie to get some relief from this heat. Would you like to join me?" tumbled out before she could stop herself.

The eyebrow went up again. "That would be quite lovely Ms. Swan. Would you be as kind to knock on my door when you are ready and I shall love to escort you to the theater."

Not trusting her mouth, Emma clamped her lips together and nodded before quickly retreating to her apartment.

What in the hell was I thinking asking him to a movie? I don't even know him! He could be a serial killer or something! And what is with the peculiar way of speaking? Not to mention, I am in. . Sure, it's not perfect but it's still a relationship and here I am acting single and asking a complete stranger out on a date. No! Not a date. To a movie, because it's a thousand degrees outside and the a/c isn't working. That is the only reason. It has nothing to do with him being by far the most attractive man I've ever encountered in my life. Emma's thoughts whirled through her head as she took a quick shower and changed her clothing. She tried to think of ways to get out of going to the movie with him, but she had no reasonable excuse. She had asked him. Emma dawdled a few more minutes, staring at the a/c unit and willing it to come back to life and get her out of this predicament she put herself in. Finally she gave up and headed over to his apartment.

Five years had passed since then. Emma had no idea what movie they saw that day, all she could remember is the hours after that they spent talking. And somehow in the random routines of life, they began to run into each other at the mailbox, at the fitness center or even at the nearby coffee shop. He fixed her garbage disposal when maintenance blew her off for a week straight. She watered his plants when he went on vacation. They saw movies together, cooked each other dinner on occasion and fell into a sort of friendship.

He never mentioned dating anyone and she never saw him bring a woman back to his place. They hung out more when her on again-off again relationship was in the off position but she still saw him pretty regularly. Killian flirted with her quite a bit but Emma believed it was just his personality or possibly her imagination. She brushed it off as him joking and ignored the traitorous inklings of jealousy when any other woman flirted with Killian. And there were many. Emma figured it came with the territory of being dangerously handsome. He was always polite to the women, but never encouraged more.

Over the years they began to confide in each other and one day, while Killian stood in her kitchen making them cups of hot chocolate sprinkled with cinnamon, a childhood favorite of hers, she realized he was the closest thing she had to a best friend.