Emma stood in front of the white door with sweaty palms. Mary Margaret gave her the nod of approval that she could enter but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She knew what was awaiting her on the opposite side of the door. The emotions and tensions that would rise and fall with each word they would say to one another. She bowed her head for a moment, biting her lip, hoping to push her tears back in. Emma took a deep breath, straightened her blazer, and turned the door knob. She carefully stepped through the doorframe only to be greeted with his back turned to her. His shoulders were tense and he was resting his weight on the desk in front of him. She kept a careful distance away from him, avoiding the cameras hovering above the room.

"Mr. President." She whispered, breaking the silence. His muscles went rigid as he slightly turned his head towards her voice. It was like a knife cutting through him but he knew what he had to do. He had so many questions and she had the answers. But before any of the questions were asked, there was something else he desperately needed to do.

"Close the door."

"I don't think that's a smart choice, Mr. Pre-" Emma muttered, her hands twitching at her sides from the anxiety that had swelled up within her.

"Shut the door, Miss. Swan!" He yelled with anger and frustration and hurt. Emma jumped slightly at the decibel of his voice, slowly turning around to shut the door. Mary Margaret looked up from her desk in the other room with an alarmed expression. Emma gave her a weak smile as the door shut between the two of them. Emma turned back around towards the President of the United States.

They stood in silence for several heated moments. Emma couldn't tear her eyes away from his figure. She traced his arms and back with her eyes, taking note where the suit jacket wrinkled from his posture. She could tell his knuckles were turning white from gripping the desk so tightly. The silence was deafening and nerve wrecking. She started to anxiously chew on her lip, not knowing what to say. Suddenly he spun around and walked over to her with long strides. He reached out and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her to his chest. She let out an involuntary moan as he pressed his lips to hers.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and body, delving deeper into the kiss. He pulled at her blonde ponytail and she tugged at the suit jacket. He quickly tore it off and they steered one another to the nearest wall. The kiss was getting hotter and deeper and more intense. He lifted her up, her legs wrapping around his waist. Killian's hands slid down from her torso down to her upper thigh. He leaned down and started to lightly suck on Emma's clavicle and he placed gently kisses at the hollow of her throat. Emma's eyes darted open and she pressed her palms against his chest, pushing him away.

"Stop, Killian." She whimpered unable to mask the amount of pleasure she was experiencing. She didn't want him to stop but she needed him to stop. He continued to kiss her body as he slowly made his way to the hem of her panties. She tore herself away once again telling him to stop. This time he did. She walked towards the center of the Oval Office, straightening her skirt and hair. She crossed her arms facing the garden through the window.

"It's true, isn't it." Killian asked through gritted teeth, still facing the wall.

Emma's mouth went dry. This is what she was anticipating. She rubbed her shoulder and winced from the radiating pain she still felt.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Killian,"

He groaned out of frustration, pushing himself off of the wall and turning around to face her.

"Stop lying to me, Emma. I deserve the truth."

Emma took a long emotionally draining deep breath and finally turned around to look him in the eyes.

"Yes. It's true."

He shook his head in disbelief, agonizing pain in his eyes. She hated seeing him like this but it was her decision to make. Half of her wanted to run out of the office and never look back.. the other half wanted to hold him close and whisper that she'll never love anybody else the way she loves him.

"A doctor?" He hissed through his teeth, choking back the oncoming tears.

Emma ducked her head, sad that he had to find out from somebody else and not her.

"Yes.. Graham is a doctor."

Killian rubbed his face with his hand trying to form words to say to the woman he loved. He made his way back to his desk and leaned on it for support, facing towards her. She was right about the tension and emotions. They both started talking at the same time and neither one of them intended to stop.

"Am I not enough for you, Emma? Did I not love you enough?"

"Killian, don't do this."

"Where did I go wrong, Emma? All I have ever done is love you."

"Killian, this is none of your business! It's my life."

Their voices had rose so much that they were certain everybody in the opposite room could hear them loud and clear.

"You are my life, Emma! I thought I was yours."

"Killian, please stop! I don't want to talk about this!"

"Do you love him?"

Emma stopped yelling and she tore her eyes away from him. He stepped closer to her, ending the distance between them. His face was locked on hers but she couldn't bring herself to look him in the eyes.

"Emma.." His voice was softer but still filled with pain and hurt. Once again he repeated

"Do you love him?"

Emma's eyes glazed over with tears and her body began to feel very weak.

"He's safe. It's what I need right now." Her voice trembled with each word said, and she could only imagine the look on his voice at that moment. He reached for her hand and pressed it to his heart. She finally turned her gaze towards his to see that his eyes too were filled with tears.

"Don't I make you feel safe, Emma?"

Emma's heart began to pound wildly in her chest. Blood rushing to her head and every inch of her body. Her head began to spin and the world became a dizzying blur. She ripped her hand out of his grasp as she gripped her head to try to stabilize herself. She took several cleansing breaths allowing her heart rate to slow down. The anxiety attack had ended but the anger she felt, didn't.

"No! No, I do not feel safe with you, Killian! I was shot because we're together! I was shot because we love one another. Somebody knew that we were together and they tried to kill me because I was threat to your political career! That's not safe! That's crazy. We are crazy! This is crazy!" Emma screamed at him her hands clenched at her side, tears spilling down her cheeks. She caught herself before continuing, reminding herself to keep the volume of her voice low.

"We can't even have a normal fight because we can't have anybody hear us. The President of the United States of America, the married president, is in love with his press secretary? Do you know how crazy and scandalous that is? That is not what I want my legacy to be in this country! I want to be able to go out to the movies, to hold your hand in public, to kiss you without worrying about the cameras catching us! I want to introduce you to my family and to my friends, and Graham gives me that! He is giving me what I want while being safe. I want to be safe, Killian! And not with four Secret Service surrounding me at all times to prevent an assassination attempt. Do you know how insane that sounds? I'm from a small town in Maine and I was involved in an assassination attempt!"

Killian stood completely still unsure of what to say next. This wasn't their first fight but something inside of him said that it could possibly be their very last one ever. He couldn't let that happen.

"They didn't. They missed. We're going to find the son of a bitch who did this to you and put them behind bars. You're safe." He walked towards her again, trying to embrace her. She pulled away.

"No, I'm not safe! I'm not safe, Killian. Every morning when I shower I have to see this goddamn scar," Emma was now sobbing as she pulled off her blazer, and slipped her shirt down off of her shoulder to expose the light purple scar from the bullet wound. He lightly stroked the sensitive flesh with his fingers. The contact sent electricity throughout Emma's body and she leaned into the touch. His touch.

"There's something you don't know, Killian."

He lifted a finger to wipe away the tears staining her soft cheeks. She licked her lips urging herself to continue.

"When I was on the operating table, the bullet caused me to lose a lot of blood. Too much. I died. I died on that table and I was dead for 97 seconds before Graham brought me back by some miracle."

Killian stumbled back, his heart ripping and tearing itself to pieces. He felt as though somebody had just stabbed him in the heart. He swallowed back the tears that were forcing their way out.

"I asked the doctors. They said-

"What I told them to say. They fought me tooth and nail. 'He's the president, ma'am. I have to answer to him.' And I told them that the president is not exempt from the guidelines of doctor-patient confidentiality and that it's my decision."

He finally succumbed to the tears. Several tears started slipping out his eyes and down his face.

"You died?" His voice shook with horror. Each word took effort to say.

"I didn't want you to know because I knew if you knew you would fall apart." Emma walked over and this time she wiped his tears. She held his face in the palm of her hand, looking deep into his pained blue eyes.

"I can't lose you, Emma."

She sighed pulling her hand away and lifting her blazer off of the couch, slipping her arms back into it. She handed him his suit jacket, watching him slowly put it back on.

"But you might one day, and for the sake of this country you will have to keep going. You cannot just give up because of me."

"I'm nothing without you, Emma. I.. I love you." Killian reached out for her, and she grabbed his hands one last time. She took a step closer and stood on her tiptoes to gently kiss him. She held his face in her hands as their foreheads touched.

"I love you too. Which is why I'm doing this. I'm going to walk out that door and meet Graham for lunch after the press conference on the education bill. You're going to go find Milah and take her out to the rose garden. We're going to continue with our lives and forget this ever happened."

She pulled away and walked back towards the door, her heart heavy and full of regret. She wished she had a normal life. She wished she had met Killian under ordinary circumstances. She wished he was a boy who she met back in her home-town who ended up being her forever. She wished they weren't in this goddamn painful situation. But they were and this was what needed to be done.

"Emma-" Killian called out one more time to her.

She kept her gaze fixed on the doorknob in her hand as she slowly turned it open. Mary Margaret wasn't at her desk and the corridor was strangely empty. Emma dragged out a deep breath as she stared at the world before her with shaky hands. She felt her cell phone vibrate in her blazer pocket (most likely Graham texting her with lunch plan details)

"Goodbye, Mr. President."