A/N: Hey! I'm a tumblr-based fanfictioner, so these are all from my tumblr blog

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Reviews are extra appreciated and be sure to follow this fic if you can't wait for more!


Emma shoved on her mitts and quickly opened the oven, taking out her batch of muffins and slamming the oven's door shut. "Arrgh!" she cried out, her blonde locks drifting in front of her face as she leaned against the counter.

From the other side of the serving hatch, Mary Margaret lifted her head out of her magazine. "Everything okay in there, Emma?"

Emma sighed and wiped her hands on a towel which she then used to whip at the air, swooshing away the smell of burned muffin. "No, everything is not okay!" she grumbled. "I burned the Banana Nut muffins for Belle's brunch tomorrow." They were going to be so good, too.

Mary Margaret set down her magazine next to the register and walked into the kitchen. "Here, let me help," she offered, grabbing her own towel.

Emma shook her head. "No no it's fine, I've got this," she replied, waving her away.

"Good grief, Emma, let me help you out! You've been so stressed lately, you could at least accept aid when it's given to you- and anyways, what else are you paying me for?" Mary Margaret leaned against the counter behind her and folded her arms across her chest. She was pouting. Wonderful. Pouting was Emma's weakness.

Emma sighed again and looped the towel around the stove handle. "Look, I'm sorry, there's just been a lot of stuff going on lately. Financial stuff." She emerged from the kitchen with her tray and started collecting the excess pastries no one had bought that day so she could get rid of them. It was always her favorite part of the day. She loved taking the baked treats home- especially the apple turn-overs which were her favorite.

Mary Margaret followed her out and helped unlock all of the cases. Cue Ruby's entrance with the front door's loud, chiming bell.

Wearing a bright red leather jacket with a black skirt and denim leggings came Ruby, the part-time waitress, full-time diva. Well, that was exaggerating. "Hey guys!" she greeted cheerfully. In her hand was a tiny flyer. "I just found out about this new club opening just down the street from our apartment, Ems! We should check it out tonight!"

Emma let out a groan. "Ruby, can't you see the sign? It says closed. Closed means closed!"

Ruby made a 'pfffbbt' noise and sat down at the counter. "Whatever. I'm here all the time, you know me."

Mary Margaret let out a short laugh. "It's true. Maybe one day you can pick up a broom and Emma can actually pay you for the time you spend here."

"As if!" Ruby snorted.

Ruby was Emma's room-mate and, despite their differences, very close friend. Along with Mary Margaret, the three made a very odd group of buddies.

Hearing the mention of money made Emma's stress levels spike. Just what she needed.

"Hey, everything okay, Emma?" Ruby asked, tilting her head to the side in curiosity.

Emma pretended not to know what she meant. "Hm? What? Yeah! Yes, of course," she replied. Mary Margaret shook her head and started wiping down the counter.

Ruby made a clicking sound with her tongue. "You know I have a sixth sense about this stuff, right? I can tell when something's up." There was a pause where she seemed to be thinking intently about something else. "Speaking of sixth senses- did you know that there are studies claiming that the blind can actually see! Weird, huh?"

"Yes, super weird, let's continue talking about that!" Emma urged cheerfully.

"Hey now-!" Ruby scolded. "Just because I have a tendency to get off-topic doesn't mean you can use it against me!"

Lucky for her, Emma was saved by the door's bell. In came David Nolan, Mary Margaret's long-term boyfriend.

Emma rolled her eyes. "C'mon, man, I spent money on that closed sign!" she whined. She was glad though for another excuse to avoid Ruby's penetrating stare.

David turned around and looked at the closed sign as if he'd just noticed it. When he turned back he shrugged. "Sorry, Emma, I'm here to pick up Mary Margaret." He turned to his girlfriend and raised his eyebrows. "Are you ready to go?"

Mary Margaret nodded. "Yes, let me just grab my purse." Once she had her purse in hand, she started walking out, the usual cheesy grin plastered on her face. "See you tomorrow, Emma!" she called from behind her.

Emma nodded and waved before continuing about her business.

"So- about that club?" Ruby prodded.

"Not tonight, Ruby. I've got some things to handle."

"What things?"

"Just- stuff! Gosh!"

"Fine, be stubborn. Whatever. Not like I care," Ruby huffed, crossing her arms.

"Sorry, there are just some things I need to keep to myself. I know we share a lot of stuff but this is just- I can't talk about it."

It was silent as Emma worked clearing out her shelves. Ruby peered over her friend's shoulder, licking her lips. "Hey, any extras that you'd be willing to donate to a good cause?"

"What cause would that be? Ruby's ever-empty stomach?"

"Good guess! I was actually thinking Ruby's midnight-binge-eating-madness!"

"Is that what happened to all my cupcakes the other week?" Emma asked, making her sad-puppy face.

Ruby's eyes widened and she looked for some sort of distraction, finding Mary Margaret's forgotten magazine to be sufficient. "Oops," she said innocently, opening to a random page and hiding behind it.

Emma rolled her eyes again and continued her job- but just before she could finish, the bell rang a third time.

"For the love of god! Do people not know how to read?" she exclaimed, dropping her tray on the counter with a loud clang. She leaned forward on her elbows and rubbed her temples with her eyes shut. "I should stop forgetting to lock the door," she said with a low moan.

"Pardon the intrusion, but I was hoping to buy a turn-over- and perhaps your shop." The surprisingly sexy Irish accent made Emma's eyes shoot open and her head rise.

"Uh- uh- uh," she started, staring at the two men standing in front of her door. They were both gorgeous, wearing tight, carefully-ironed suits that seemed to scream 'Underneath here are the hardest abs and most toned pecks you'll ever come close to!' She had to take a moment to process the words, and when she finally did, she furrowed her brow. "Excuse me?"

Ruby, who was also staring, turned back to Emma and whispered, "Don't look now, but two fine pieces of tail just came in!" Then she looked over at the men again and grinned. "Hey," she greeted cooly with a nod in in their direction.

One of the men, the one without the accent, nodded back. "Hey," he replied- also cooly.

Emma scoffed and started preparing accent-guy's turn-over; she felt somewhat obliged to serve a paying customer. God knows she needed the money. There was only one flavor left: apple. Why do bad things happen to good people? she thought sadly as she watched the treat she wanted to take home drown in waxed paper.

The accent guy started walking over towards Emma. "Pardon my manners. My name is Killian Jones and this is my business partner, Victor Whale. My company's heard word your business is having a spot of trouble. We came to help," he explained with a charming smile. "It's sort of what we do."

Emma tried to appear unphased as she packed away the pastries. Instead she came off as a little panicked. "Trouble? I don't know what you mean. There hasn't been any trouble. How would you know that? Who told you? There's no trouble."

Killian leaned forward on the counter in front of Emma, blocking her, and folded his hands. "Ms. Swan- can I call you Emma?" Emma shook her head no but he ignored her. "This is very serious, Emma. You're running low on funds and your little bakery, while loved by many, won't make it through this troubling financial time. After all..." He looked around the shop. "...how much do you expect to make selling baked goods?" He turned his palms up in the air in a sort of half-shrug.

Emma stopped what she was doing and looked him square in the eye. "I ought to slap you," she said, forcing her face into a grim expression. It was difficult.

He made a face as though he'd been hit. "Ooh, Emma, you never stuck me as the naughty sort but..." He raised his eyebrows. Ruby giggled somewhere behind him.

Emma was blushing but tried to act natural. She groaned and made a small fist which she pressed against the cold marble. "Look, Mr. Jones," she started spitefully, "I'm not in it for the money. I do this because I love it."

He nodded agreeably, taking a bite of the turn-over that he had snatched out of the paper. "That may be so, Swan, but no matter how much you love it, all good things must come to an end," he said with his mouth full. "Speaking of which, I'll be very sad when I've finished this- it's absolutely delightful. Such a shame it won't pay all the bills."

That was a little cruel.

Emma narrowed her eyes, putting on her most serious face. She couldn't help but think, Damn is he hard to resist- no wonder he's got a job in business. Her inner dialogue was much different from her outer dialogue, though. "You think you can come in here and talk me into selling my business? Just like that? With your bright teeth, tidy briefcase-" perfect stubble, tight suit, hot accent, "- and clever wording?" Killian seemed to think so as he nodded with his lips sucked in and cheeks puffed out. "Well you better think I again. I put my sweat and blood into this business-"

"-Oh goodness I hope not," he commented.

She ignored him, "-and I'll be damned if I lose it to a bunch of money bags in cheap looking suits-"

"-Cheap? You wound me, Emma-"

"-who don't know the difference between 'open' and 'closed'!"

"-Well to be fair the door was unlocked."

Emma couldn't believe this. Who did this man, and his assistant or whatever, think they were? They weren't getting anything. "God, just- just get out of here!"

Killian backed away and held his arms up in surrender. "Fine, Ms. Swan. Have it your way. We'll get out of your hair. But..." he reached into his suit jacket's pocket slowly, Emma following his hand unintentionally, "...should you ever find yourself in need, whether it be for my company's aid or... my company, here is my card," he finished, pulling out the card and holding it between his index and middle finger with a gracious smile.

Emma wanted to snatch the card out of his hand and tear it in half, but instead she left him hanging and watched as he nodded, made a clicking noise with his tongue, and placed it on the countertop.

"Well, Victor, let's make our exit, shall we?" he called.

Emma put her hands on her hips and started nodding with energy. "Yeah, yeah! Ruby, could you help me show these gentlemen to the door?"

Neither of them were graced with a response. They both twisted their heads in the directions of their partners who were too busy eye-sexing and flirting to pay them any mind.

"Ruby!" "Victor!" they both snapped at the same time.

Ruby seemed to snap out of her trance first. She stood up, cleared her throat, and held out her arms to gesture that they leave. "Thank you very much for visiting our humble establishment. May the rest of your day be filled with sunshine, rainbows, and never-ending conga-lines of unicorns," she recited in an over-enthusiastic and perky voice.

Emma nodded in approval, shooting Ruby two thumbs up from where she stood behind Killian. That was the somewhat passive aggressive speech given to patrons they had to politely kick out.

Victor stood up and straightened his suit jacket, nodding at Killian. "Alright, then. I'm ready to go if you are!"

Killian shook his head and shoved his way past Victor, slapping five dollars on a table in the corner. "For the turn-over," he grunted, leaving immediately after.

Victor sighed and followed his co-worker. Before he left, he shot Ruby a wink, which she returned.

"What was that about?" Emma wondered, remembering her mental note and locking the door. "Why are you flirting with the enemy?"

Ruby shrugged. "He was hot- and nice. Excuse me if I like my guys fancy and friendly. And anyways, I don't work here. He's not my enemy," she pointed out.

Emma tilted her head to the side and looped her arm through Ruby's. "Maybe not, but you're Team Baked-Goods! And Team Baked-Goods is currently playing a round with Team Monopolizing Hotties," she explained dramatically. "Therefore, they are your enemy."

Ruby smirked. "Whatever, Emma. Let's just head home."

Emma put on her jacket, grabbed the tray of left-overs and unlocked the door. As she and Ruby made their way down the street, Ruby hip-bumped her friend.

"So, how about that accent-guy? Pretty sexy, eh?"

"Accent-guy? That's what I was calling him!"

"Don't change the subject!"

"Whoops! Oh look- a new chocolate shop!"

"What? Where?"