Tink made her way through the hall, reaching for her apartment door, key already at hand. It had been a crazy day at the store and she desperately needed a shower, her couch, a bag of chips, a diet coke, and to numb her mind with the first stupid show she could find on the TV.

She reached to put the key in the lock, and her feet bumped against a soft presence on the floor. She looked down to find a black and white cat looking at her with curious eyes.

"Kitty!" She said as she bent down. "Are you lost, dear?" She asked slowly.

The cat tilted his head and then started to rub against her hand, purring.

"Awe…" She said, grabbing the cat in her arms and petting it until it started to purr. "Aren't you a little fuzzy thing?" She kept talking to the cat, her day somehow much better after feeling that soft fur in her arms, when a loud voice with a thick accent interrupted her thoughts.

"Scoundrel!"

She turned around to see a tall, dark haired man walking towards her. He was wearing loose jeans, a green t-shirt and was barefoot. His hair was spiking around in all directions and his blue eyes seemed to pop out of his face.

The cat squirmed in her arms and she looked at the stranger. "Is it yours? I found it at my door…" She trailed off.

"Yes, he is." He said sheepishly as he reached her and carefully took the cat from her arms, his fingertips brushing her arm lightly, and raising goosebumps. "I'm sorry, I don't know how he escaped. It won't happen again." He said, one of his hands reaching to scratch a spot behind his ear.

"Don't worry about it." She smiled. "You are new in the building, aren't you?"

"Yes. I'm Killian." He said, putting his hand out, a broad smile on his face.

"Christina." She reached out and shook his hand, smiling broadly again. "Nice to meet you. Let me know if you need anything."

"I'll sure do." He smiled before turning around and carrying his cat towards his apartment down the hall.

/./

She didn't run into him for a few days. But one day she entered her apartment and found Scoundrel sleeping peacefully on her couch. Tink smiled as she grabbed the cat and gave him a few petting pats before going down the hall and knocking on his door. The sight of him when he answered took her breath away: his hair was disheveled; he had a black shirt and sweatpants, a pencil on his hand. It seemed he was deep in concentration and she had broken it. His eyes looked at hers confused for a second before he noticed the cat in her arms and blushed. "Gods, lass, I apologize. I didn't notice he had gotten out. Here, let me grab him." He said as he took the cat from her arms and smiled sheepishly at her.

"I don't know what is going on with him. He never did this before…" He apologized but she waved dismissively. "It's not a big deal. Honestly." She said before smiling at him and heading back to her apartment.

He stood there; looking at the petite blonde with forest green eyes, crazy earrings and hair tied in a bun on top of her head and smiled foolishly.

It became a routine. Tink would come back home to find Scoundrel sleeping on her couch or even her bed. She would either return it to a dazzled Killian or sometimes she would snuggle with the cat on her couch until a knock on the door would bring an embarrassed Killian searching for his cat. Tink would smile and hand Scoundrel back to his rightful owner and Killian would smile back, apologizing profusely for his cat's lack of manners.

"I can close all the windows or lock him up." He offered after the fifth day on a row in the same week that he had to pick Scoundrel from her place.

"Are you crazy? You'll suffocate in the summer heat with your windows closed…" She replied, her crazy green metal earrings bouncing as she shook her head. "I really don't have a problem with this…" She trailed off, her voice a soft whisper. "I actually enjoy the company." She finished, her cheeks slightly flushed. He smiled and nodded at her before turning around and heading back to his apartment, Scoundrel snuggled against his chest. Tink sighed and went back to her couch and the latest novel that had her caught up in a crime investigation with a romance on the side.

/./

Ruby barged into her apartment one afternoon and announced that the author of the novel she loved was doing a book signing on the nearby bookstore. Tink rolled her eyes but somehow let Ruby convince her that it would be a good idea to go get their copies signed.

(And no, she did not put on make up and big orange earrings just in case the author was young, male and single.)

There was a short line when she arrived at the bookstore, so she stood on her tiptoes to sneak a peek of the author. When her eyes finally focused on the man sitting on the desk, signing copies and smiling, her heart skipped a beat. She looked at her book again, reaching for the author's name: James Hook. She looked at the table again and smirked. She turned around to whisper something on Ruby's ear, who looked at the table and grinned wolfishly.

He hadn't lifted his head when she reached the table, so she smiled broadly as she cleared her throat. "Hello, Hook." She said.

Killian looked up to see his neighbor cocking an eyebrow at him, orange earrings on her ears and a smirk on her face.

"Hello, lass…" He said scratching his ear. "I didn't know you'd read my book."

"I didn't know that it was your book." She said as she handed him her copy.

"Should I make it to Christina?" He asked as he grabbed his pen.

"Tink." She said, amusement in her eyes. "That is my nickname."

"As in Tinkerbell?" He asked surprised, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Is a small world, isn't it?" She added as he bit his lower lip, signed the book and handed it back to her. "See you around, Killian." She waved goodbye as she turned around and he took a moment to watch her go, her earrings bouncing with every step.

/./

Scoundrel was waiting for her when she arrived, and she spent the afternoon sipping tea and re reading the novel, amused by the coincidences. She heard the knock on the door and grabbed the cat in her arms, knowing exactly who was knocking. Tink opened the door and found Killian standing there, a takeout brown bag in his hand.

"Do you like Chinese food?" He asked.

"My favourite." She replied as she opened the door widely to allow him into her apartment. "Come on in, Hook." She called and he laughed lightly.

He brushed past her, his hand touching her earlobe slightly. "Nice earrings, Tink." He replied in teasing voice.

She told him over dinner that she owned a jewelry shop, and custom made earrings were her specialty. He confessed his penname was James Hook because his dream was to write a pirate novel saga for kids. They talked through dinner as they fed Scoundrel bits of pork and they laughed at the way his nose twitched when he sniffed the food.

He finally gathered the courage to reach for her as they were setting the plates on the sink, and he turned her around before looking deeply into her green eyes and leaning in slowly to press his lips against hers. He felt her arms around his neck, a soft sigh escaping her lips and he dared to press a little more against her body, his lips moving in rhythm with hers.

He left her apartment shortly after, Scoundrel in his arms and a dazzled smile on his face.