Posting this late, but happy new year everyone!

EDIT* Thank you SunnyCitrus10

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT

9:45 pm
Clubs were smelly and unsanitary and full of people who either spilt their drink on her or hit on her. She had debated for the longest time on buying a fake wedding ring.

(Spoiler: she was now sporting a sparkly ring, albeit with a glass stone.)

Emma honestly didn't understand the need people had to go to these places, (especially one with a karaoke night, which just so happened to be tonight.) But Ruby had dragged her out saying she needed to get out of the apartment and have fun. Her ulterior motive was probably so Emma would have someone to kiss at midnight. Or maybe she was just doing her civic duty as best friend to hook someone up with Emma.

Emma blamed the idea that true love could be found at a karaoke bar on High School Musical. No one finds true love at a club.

It had been half an hour and already she had had three people try some stupid pick up line. Two of them had been deterred by the ring, the other hadn't. She had just managed to save her long, blonde curls from someone's beer as said person was dancing wildly, beer sloshing everywhere, when Ruby ran up to her.

"Wipe that frown away!" She lightly smacked Emma's arm, "how are you supposed to find a boyf-someone to smooch at midnight?"

Yes, her motive was definitely to find someone for Emma.

"First buy me a drink." The blonde said. "Like a hot chocolate with cinnamon."

"Yeah…this place doesn't have hot chocolate. And I'm pretty sure cinnamon isn't anywhere near this vicinity." She replied slowly. "Buy you a strawberry daiquiri?"

"Sure."

Emma scanned the room for a space big enough for her to stand, preferably by the wall. She had already finished her drink, (and damn it had been a good one.) It was getting quite warm the longer she stood in the middle of the dance floor. (Why did people have to dance like that?) Her friend was with some guy already, red lips in a grin as she laughed at something he said.

There was a retro table against the far wall with two bar stools, one chair was occupied by guy reading, (who brought a book to a club?) but the other was free, practically with Emma's name on it.

She squeezed between gyrating bodies, (seriously, this couldn't be classified as dancing,) and escaped the crowd. It was cooler already.

Making her way over to the table, she wondered if someone was already there, or if he was saving it for someone else. (She wanted to sit, but not so badly she'd take some poor soul's chair.) "This seat taken?" Emma asked the reader.

"Hmm?" He looked up at her and damn if her heart hadn't stopped then and there. She was used to good looking guys, her job had her dealing with good looking, though slimy, criminals all the time. She had learned good looks mostly hid the disgusting personality inside.

"This seat," she gestured to it, "is it taken?"

"No no. Seat's all yours, love." He smiled. Of course his smile looked like that. And of course he had an accent.

Disgusting personality, disgusting personality was her mantra as she sat gratefully. Maybe if she said it enough she wouldn't fall hopelessly for this guy.

"Thanks." Her blue heels had been starting to ache. Unfortunately they were still hurting her, despite there being no pressure on them.

The stranger, book forgotten, watched with a tiny smile as she undid the straps on her shoes and with a clunk, dropped them on the table.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, until he said, "resolution?"

"What?"

"What's your resolution?" He repeated.

"Yeah, I'm not sharing that with a stranger." She teased.

He looked amused. "Killian Jones."

Ah, we're playing that game? "Emma Swan."

"See? Not strangers anymore. And your resolution isn't something odd, like eat a million crisps by next year or something, is it?"

She laughed. "No, it's the opposite, eat healthier."

"That's a bloody awful one." He looked disappointed, like he was thinking people still have that as a resolution? "Let me guess," he cut her off as she was about to protest. "Your resolution from last year was 'lose twenty pounds.'"

"Wrong. It was twelve."

"And did you lose twelve pounds?"

Emma fidgeted.

"Swan…" he prompted.

"Okay so I gained five." She threw her hands up. "I didn't even actually make that one, my friend was on a health kick the last four weeks of December and roped me in."

"You need a new resolution, and I'll make it for you."

"You got about…" she glanced at her phone, "an hour and a forty five minutes."

"Challenge accepted." Killian looked determined. "Tell me about yourself."

"What? Why?"

"Well I can't exactly make you a new goal for 2015 if I don't know anything about you. What if I said something like,'bike to work' but you didn't know how to ride a bike?"

"I know how to ride a bike."

"See? Something I know about you. Give me more." He made a 'gimme' gesture. "Favourite colour."

"How does that-"

"Favourite colour." He gave her a look that reminded her of a puppy and she could feel her resolve wearing down.

She huffed, a blonde curl that was in her face moved. "Blue."

"Dog lover?"

"Absolutely."

He smirked, "I can see we're going to get along fine."

10:30 pm

"I never asked you, what's your resolution?" Emma poked his arm.

"To go a month without rum." He confessed.

She raised an eyebrow, "that's it?"

"I drank it a lot." He said quietly.

Emma didn't miss the way his jaw clenched. "I sense a story." She recognized his expression, she saw it everyday in the mirror because of Neal.

"It's quite depressing." He put on a false grin, "isn't tonight all about fun and partying?"

"You've gotten to know me, you know I'm not a party person." Emma knew people didn't go around sharing their life stories, but she also knew talking about it helped immensely.

He looked at her, grin melting away, then spoke slowly. "It was because of a girl."

"A girlfriend?"

"Almost wife." He said bitterly.

"Did she leave you?"

"She died."

Milah was someone else's wife Emma learned. Milah had successfully divorced the other man to be with Killian, but a week before the wedding she was involved in a hit and run.

"This was five years ago, and I've moved on but…" he shrugged helplessly, "when I think of her I think of rum and I just have to drink it."

"She drank rum?"

"Aye. A lot." He chuckled.

It had been half an hour, a couple drinks, (not rum,) and they had moved on to other topics.

Killian had tried asking her about her family, but she quickly shut him down. He obliged, although grudgingly.

"So that's not a real ring." He nodded to the ring.

"Nope."

"Good." He froze. "Good because it wouldn't do well for your marriage if your husband caught you talking to such a devilishly handsome-"

"Oh hush," she smacked his arm. Disgusting personality, disgusting personality…

"Who's Neal?" Killian queried.

It was Emma's turn to freeze.

"How do you know about that?" She hissed.

"When your friend came over," he referenced what had happened about fifteen minutes ago, when Ruby had come to check on Emma and found her giggling madly with some stranger. "Lass said something like, 'he's not Neal'?"

"Oh, he was just some douche." She waved it away.

"Oh come on lass," he complained. "I told you about my Milah."

"She didn't leave you willingly. You still have faith and trust." She snapped. Then softened. "I'm sorry, I just…"

"I understand. Your walls are miles high, Swan."

She was confused. "Sorry?"

"Your ah…metaphorical walls. When was the last time you let someone in-metaphorically?" He added, seeing her glare. She had learned, about an hour ago that he was very dirty minded.

"Neal." Emma said.

"I think I know what your resolution is."

11:30 pm

"-And then he tipped the table on me and ran!" Emma found herself regaling Killian with tales of her job as a bailsbond person.

"You ran after him?"

"Across a busy street."

"That's my girl." He grinned. "And did you catch this wanker?"

"Of course. But the best part was when I banged his head against the steering wheel."

"I'll bet. You know, woman with a bit of fire are my type." He smirked, tongue between teeth.

"I've been told I'm more likely to burn someone than have then warm up to me." She warned. "Okay, it's been more than a second, you said you'd tell me my resolution in a second like, half an hour ago."

"I'm waiting." He looked amused at her scowl. "Be patient."

"Is that my-"

"Nope."

Disgusting personality, disgusting personality-Emma stopped. He didn't have a disgusting personality. Was it possible she had found someone who-

(No, stop there Swan.)

11:45 pm

"Views on love at first sight?" He asked.

"Pathetically negative." Emma said. (She missed his crestfallen look.) "I've only seen it happen once."

"With who?"

"My best friend." She thought fondly of Mary Margaret and David Nolan.

"Ruby?" He craned his neck and saw her flirting with someone. "She's found love at first sight about eight times."

"No!" She laughed, (she found herself laughing a lot in his presence.)

11:50 pm

"So you know what I do, what do you do?" Emma propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands.

"Well," he awkwardly scratched behind his ear. "I work down at the marine, but it's not what I want to do. I want to actually sail, but all I do is maintenance."

"That's your other resolution then." Emma said firmly. "Sail a boat."

"I have no clue how to."

"I can teach you how to sail a sailboat."

"No…I want to sail a huge vessel. Like a pirate ship. I wanted to be a pirate as a kid." He grinned.

(Killian found himself grinning a lot in her presence.)

"I can see you as one you know." Emma cocked her head to the side, gazing at him. "A bit of leather, a bit of eyeliner…"

"Oi, I will not be wearing eyeliner!"

"No objections to the leather?" She did like his plaid button up, sleeves-rolled-to-the-elbow look though.

"None."

11:59 pm

"It's almost time," Emma noticed off-handedly that the two of them had gotten quite close, emotionally, but physically too. If she leaned forward an extra foot, they'd be breathing the same air.

(Maybe not off-handedly…)

"Patience." Killian reminded her. "I've been thinking, if you don't enjoy parties, why are you here?"

"Ruby."

"Ah," he said, like that answered everything. "What do you think you'd be doing right now if she hadn't made you come here?"

"I'd be in my PJ's for one," Emma saw his eyes trail down her tight, red dress. "Drinking hot chocolate-"

"With cinnamon." He finished. He remembered her telling him with an almost dreamlike expression about her favourite drink.

"Yes. I'd probably have a bowl of popcorn and be watching…" she thought for a second. "The Princess Bride."

"Good choice." Killian approved. "Twu love…"

Emma giggled.

"'You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.'" They threw quotes at each other for a while.

Finally Emma stopped, "I'm ready for my resolution," she rubbed her hands together gleefully.

"Everyone's resolutions are about trying something new." He started. "So here's you're resolution. Try something new and trust someone. Let someone in."

"I'll try." She vowed. (But she didn't know yet how quickly she'd complete that resolution.)

"That's good enough for me."

"I didn't tell you why Ruby brought me here." Emma confessed.

A loud cheer interrupted them.

"TEN!"

"And why did you're mischievous friend bring you here?" ("NINE!") He spotted Ruby already kissing someone. (EIGHT!) If he looked harder he'd have noticed it was his friend Victor, the friend that had dragged him out to party.

"SEVEN!"

"To have fun and to…kiss someone at midnight." (SIX!) "She bribed me with ice cream."

"FIVE!"

"Well you didn't really look very well." He leaned forward, (FOUR!) "You've only been with me." Killian smirked.

"Or I've looked really well and found you." Emma leaned forward as well, (THREE!), "you gonna kiss me or what, pirate?"

"TWO!"

"As you wish."

"ONE!"

Clubs and bars were smelly and unsanitary and full of people who either spilt their drink on you or hit on you, but it didn't matter if you were with someone who made you forget all that. She had debated for the longest time on trusting someone and trying her hand at relationships.

(Spoiler: she was now with a very sexy man who's personality was not disgusting, we'd go as far as to say he had a very nice and beautiful personality.)

Emma honestly didn't understand why she hadn't let someone in and heal her emotional scars earlier, (especially when Neal had been over ten years ago, the scars were almost gone.) But maybe Fate had wanted her to wait for someone who could completely erase the wounds, someone who wouldn't let her down. Fate's ulterior motive was probably so Emma would have a nice night out to make up for the night Neal had left her. Or maybe she was just doing her civic duty as Fate to have Emma meet Killian.

Emma blamed the idea that no one found true love at bars or clubs on herself.

If you watch the movie New Years Eve at exactly 10:21, our midnight and the movie's midnight match up.

Reviews are loved!