This fic has come off a prompt where I asked people to send me the word librarian and a number, I picked a random book went to the page of the number they gave me and picked a random line and wrote a ficlet from it.

This was my sentence - "Often she felt she was the only person who didn't believe they'd stay together, after the book or play ended" – Happily Ever After (Harriet Evans) this first chapter is an expansion of that ficlet.

* just a little side note. I know nothing about the publishing industry so please excuse all in the inaccuracies, that I will probably be providing you with.

She was cynic, she knew that, especially when it came to love. She'd read all these books and people would get together and she didn't believe that that was it. That that was happy ever after, happily ever afters didn't exist. What happened after these books ended was that these characters wouldn't stay together, life didn't work like that. There was so such thing as true love and there definitely wasn't any such thing as happy ever after.

Emma Swan was at her desk in her large office with that one see-through wall and door. Hatter and Booth's publishing was where she worked. It was a company her brother August had set up a while back with his best friend Jefferson Hatter. Emma had needed a job, her brother had given her one, she had always loved reading so she fitted into this job perfectly. Had even scaled the ladder and now had her very own office.

She looked down at the clock on the bottom right corner of her computer; he was late. She was meant to be meeting with a new client today to discuss his book, August had loved it but didn't have time to take on a new client so had passed him to Emma. She was yet to be too convinced on the book, and currently the punctuality of this...Mr. K. Jones she was not also happy with.

Suddenly she saw through her glass wall a man hurrying towards the office, a leather satchel over his shoulder a pile of papers in his hands, a coffee stain down his front and he looked completely and utterly disgruntled. He finally came to a halt outside of Emma's office. He gave her an apologetic smile through the glass and she beckoned him in through the door.

"Mr Jones I assume," she said and gestured for him to take the seat before her desk.

"I am so sorry," he told her. "There is no excuse for my tardiness, I am so sorry Miss Swan. And please call me Killian."

"Well, Mr Jones," Emma said as he sat down.

"Killian" he corrected her, Emma raised an eyebrow that just peeked over the rim of hr black glasses at him.

"Mr. Jones. I must inform you that I am not fully convinced with your book. Mr. Booth however is completely besotted with it and after all his word is final. But as your specific agent, I would think it be best if you told me more about it. Convince me."

"Right," he nodded. "You only have the first couple of chapters don't you?"

"Yes I do,"

"Well this piled in my hands is all of it," he smiled. "They are a bit mixed up, I dropped them, and people trampled on them. But, they are numbered,"

"Ah, good," she nodded, "If you'd just put the pile on my desk,"

"Right, of course," Killian said and he placed the pile on her desk and neatened it up, even though everything was in the wrong order. He smirked up at Miss Swan, if this was any other scenario he would be his usual charming flirtatious self, but this wasn't the time. He needed this, he needed to convince her and charming her socks off needed to be about the book, not about how devilishly handsome he was.

"My book, Once Upon a Time," be began his pitch, "Is a complete spin upon all the fairy tales we know and love. These fairy tale characters have been cursed by the evil queen and sent to our world, where happy endings don't exist...Though of course you know the plot, you've read the synopsis. I'm sorry, but if you don't mind me asking, maybe if you could tell me your problems with it and I can try and argue my corner and persuade you otherwise. Convince you,"

"Yes I have read your synopsis," Emma nodded and she pushed her glasses further up her nose. Her eyes flicking to her computer screen. "I'm not convinced because..."

"Can't think of anything, love?" he quipped his eyebrow raised at her. Her steely gaze made him correct himself for suddenly becoming so confident, he scratched behind his ear nervously. "Sorry, it's just I really want this and I am so passionate about my book, but if you aren't, well that causes problems doesn't it."

"It does," nodded Emma. "My problem is the fact that to me fairy tales are just so unrealistic, I love reading, but fairy tales are just that. They aren't real. You say that they have gone to a place where happy endings don't exist but what will they get? Happy endings. I just have this aversion...The idea of true love, happy endings. It's just. I'm sorry, it's personal issues and opinions that I am reflecting into your book. I shouldn't do so. It isn't professional."

"You sound like my main character," he smiled. "Even look a little like her. Blonde hair, green eyes. To me this book is all about love and hope and belief, fairytales encapsulate that. People say fairytales are for children, well I don't believe that. I believe they are for everyone. As we grow up we harden ourselves to the world we see all the horrors, but that doesn't mean we can't have a happy ending or love. We have to believe that we can. My book is about that. I want to bring that pure childish joy and hope back to people. That's why I think by twisting these fairytales brining them to our world, making the fairytales more relatable will do that."

"Your target market?"

"Everyone," he smiled. "I feel like this is a book that could be attractive to all ages."

"I agree," nodded Emma. "Look, Mr. Jones, you are clearly very enthusiastic and passionate about your book, I like that, I really do. Your plan is for there to be multiple books?"

"Yes," he nodded, "I have already started work upon the second, am currently at a bit of a writers block,"

"Well, that's what I can be here for. What I am going to do is I am going to take this home," she patted the pile of paper, "I shall read it and think more openly for it. Mr. Booth definitely wants to take you on, so you shall be published by us, it'll be whether or not I am your personal, helper, shall we call it."

"I hope we can work together," Killain told her, "I think perhaps your cynicism over the matter might actually prove helpful. After all the saying is opposites attract,"

"Right...well I'll read this and then call you in for another meeting afterwards, so be prepared to get a call from me."

"Thank you," he nodded. His blue eyes flickered down to the pile of papers on her desk, his book. "Do you want some help getting them back in order,"

"That might be a good idea."

Killian stood up from the seat and smoothed down his blue tie. He was wearing a white shirt, black vest and black blazer with a pair of jeans and sensible shoes. All of which had a nice coffee stain down it. It wasn't even his coffee. He took his satchel off and placed it next to his chair and took off half the pile of papers. "So what does the E stand for?" he asked as he began to inspect the page numbers. Emma pushed back her own chair and began to look at the pile he had left for her.

"It stands for Emma," she told him.

"Lovely name," he smiled. "Quite similar to her name."

"Oh yes, your main Character Anna... what was her last name?"

"Turner. Though I am still not happy with that. I want a name more related to a fairytale somehow. Swan is nice. Like the swan princess,"

"You are not using my last name,"

"Why not?"

"We can think of something else," she told him. "You realise you've got coffee on some of this paper right,"

"I am so sorry, lass," he told her, his had running through his black hair nervously. "I must look like an absolute wreck,"

"Yeah you do,"

"Not one to sugercoat something are you?"

"No," she answered truthfully. "Want to actually tell me why you turned up here like that?"

"Let's just say that even living here for the past three years, I am still not used to america and its ways. The coffee spilt on me wasn't even mine, just some rude yank,"

"Hey!"

"I'm not talking about you,"

"You are talking about my people. So before these three years you lived in england?"

"I traveled around for a bit. Traveled the world. thought it might help with my writing. It did, lots of inspiration. But yes before that I lived in England,"

"Right. My well I now have five different piles in order, I'm assuming your piles fit inbetween,"

"Aye, I would imagine so," he nodded and handed her one of his piles. Once the book was now back in order Emma sat back down in her seat and neatened up the pile. Killian sat back down as well. "So..."

"Your lateness and your appearance have done little to impress me, but your passion and belief in your story has. I'll read this, make some notes on it and get back to you for a meeting and give you my final verdict as to whether or not I personally shall take on your book. Does that seem fair?"

"Yes," he nodded. Emma smiled and stood back up and held out her hand for him to shake. He shook it, Emma noticed that his hand was slightly clammy, likely from being nervous. Though he had a firm grip, he smiled back at her and in that moment she finally took in his face. the voice inside her head seem to make an appreciative sound and say not bad. Yes, not bad at all, this man was definitely not too bad to look at. "Thank you Miss Swan for your time."

"I'll see you soon," she said in farewell.