A/N: Hey everybody! So this little fic started off as a super fluffy idea I had at the end of the summer. I actually posted about it on tumblr, and a few of you begged me to write it, but I warned you it might be hard. Even then I knew that this was a story I needed a little more time with, and as such, what was once a mixtape contender is now its own separate story. The chapters will be short, but I want to jump back and forth between Emma and Killian's POVs so I felt separating it out was best. It's also now taking place during the holidays, because I have Christmas fever and I don't care who knows it. Anyway, this chapter begins with Emma realizing that her Christmas wish is that she wants to find love. She tries to take a first step to finding it, and it might not go exactly her way... Hope you guys enjoy the fluffy, adorable premise, and thanks, as always, for reading!

"Okay Ruby. You got us all together because you said you had something to share. Then you spend all night deflecting. What gives?"

It was the question on everyone's mind since they walked into Ruby and Graham's apartment earlier tonight, and Emma was glad that Elsa had been brave enough to ask it. Ruby had made it clear to each of them that tonight was special and big and important, but when they arrived she never brought up what was actually happening. Instead she'd plied them with wine and food and Christmas cookies, as they gathered together listening to holiday music in the ambiance of her friend's festively decorated home. But while that was lovely (and much needed after Emma's grueling work week), it was odd and more than a little suspicious.

"Well, if you insist on knowing…" Ruby allowed her words to trail off as she lifted the fingerless gloves off of her hands. For anyone else the article of clothing would seem 'extra' or ridiculous. It wasn't that cold outside. Okay it was – because New England in winter was brutal – but inside it was nice and toasty. But that was part of Ruby's style. She was all leather and red and black and wearing biker gloves to a wine night wasn't unheard of. But when she revealed what lay underneath – a huge and absolutely beautiful diamond ring – her friends all gasped at once.

"Holy crap, what a rock!" Emma blurted out, forgetting herself for a moment as she took in the piece of jewelry that had to cost more than she'd make in six months.

"What she said," Mary Margaret, Belle, and Elsa replied at once, and once their shock wore off all four friends were on their feet and celebrating with Ruby. They were so happy for her and for Graham, and it was truly a magical thing. For Ruby, who was a long-time bachelorette with no intention of tying herself down, this was BIG. It was epic, and it spoke to Ruby's love for her boyfriend – nay, fiancé – that she was planning to get married and have that typical, happily ever after.

"When did it happen?" Elsa asked at the same time that Belle inquired. "How did he do it?"

"Last night at dinner. One second we're sharing this to die for tiramisu, I mean like wow wow wow so good, and the next he's proposing."

"She would manage to slip a dessert review in even at a time like this," Emma whispered to Elsa and the two of them laughed together.

"And you're sure it wasn't the tiramisu talking?" Belle asked, her tone a bit sheepish. "Not that you don't love Graham, it's just…"

"I love dessert more than life itself, I know I know," Ruby said as she shook her head. "But no it wasn't that. It was him. I love him, you know? I try to picture what life would be like without him and I can't. He's it for me. He's my person."

"Heck yes he is!" Mary Margaret said happily, no doubt reveling in the fact that she and her husband David had introduced these two lovebirds a little less than a year ago. "God this is wonderful. There's so much to plan, so much to do! This is going to be amazing! And to have the proposal at Christmas time? It's like magic. Real live magic!"

The friends all agreed that this was indeed very special, and the night's conversation shifted from what it had been before to musings on what Graham and Ruby's wedding and life together would look like. It would obviously be different than everyone else's, but the through line that all of the friends had was experience with finding the one. Mary Margaret had David, Belle had her long time boyfriend Will, Elsa had her new beau (who Emma was certain would be a fiancé soon enough) Liam, and the only one who was single and without that kind of experience was Emma. She had never been in love – at least not a love that was made to last forever – and as happy as she was for all of her friends, she couldn't help the feeling that came later that night when she'd returned to her flat and was alone once more.

It wasn't jealousy, per se, because jealousy implied something ugly and resentful. What Emma felt was a longing. She wanted something like what all of her friends had found. What they had was love, true love. The kind of love that lasted and thrived. It was a love built on partnership and connection, and it was a beautiful, magical thing. All her life Emma had wondered what such a love would be like and she'd never found it. She'd often believed that was her fate. She was a girl who came from no family. She had started out in this world with nothing and no one, and maybe she was meant to always be that way. Perhaps it was too much to have been blessed with friends who felt like family. Maybe romantic love wasn't in the cards for her…

'Emma, that's just crazy talk and you know it!'

She swore she could hear her friends' voices all saying that to her as she felt herself falling down the rabbit hole of loneliness and she almost laughed at how deeply they were ingrained in her. They had somehow become the voices in her head, the little bits of her conscience that brought her back to her better reality, and the hopeful part of her heart that did want to imagine that love would find her in the end. Shaking her head at her brain's antics, Emma responded aloud though she was still by herself.

"I know, I know. I have to believe good things can happen. I got it."

And she did get it. The problem was Emma didn't know how to help love find her. She was probably doing this all wrong. She wasn't exactly an approachable kind of a person, and she definitely wasn't doing anything to attract a man right now. She was closed off and protective of herself and her boundaries, and as much as that had served her in the past, it was standing in the way of her maybe finding happiness. That was a hard pill to swallow, but it was even harder to imagine what might be a good first step towards changing.

A memory came into her mind at that moment, one from when she was still a young girl in the system. As a kid she'd seen counselor after counselor. Some of them were interested in helping her, while others were bogged down with the masses of other children that they helped. But her last one, the one who saw her as a teen and who fought for her the hardest, helping her get through school, get into college, and start on a path towards a real life, had been adamant that good things came when you wrote your dreams down. Making a plan was all well and fine, but sometimes life and the ways of the world were less defined. Mrs. Hubbard had always told Emma to write what she wanted into existence. It was a way to find the truth of what she wished for, and to get it out there, hopefully helping her move forward.

Though part of her thought this was a little ridiculous, Emma decided she had nothing to lose. She grabbed a pad of paper and a pen, curling up on the couch with a cup of cocoa in hand and she sat there, thinking about what she wanted. Should she write a list of what made the perfect man in her opinion? No, that sounded less personal than she felt was needed in this moment. Emma wasn't looking for a picture perfect Prince Charming who met all sorts of criteria. She wanted someone to share her life with, someone to lean on, someone to feel connected to. In saying that, she didn't know exactly what factors or traits would make someone the right fit for her. She had some ideas of course, but it was foolish to think she could have those answers in full. Love had eluded her this long for a reason, so she quickly dropped the idea of a list and moved onto something very different.

"Okay then, I'll write a letter," Emma said, happy with the idea until her brow furrowed at an obvious hiccup in this plan. "A letter to who? I can't exactly write 'Dear No One.'"

But even as she said the words, her fingers had moved on their own, writing out exactly that. Emma shrugged at it, finding she didn't hate it as much as she thought she would then continued on, writing comlpletey from the heart.

Dear No one,

We've never met before, and honestly I have no idea who you are, what you do, or where you're from. You are entirely a mystery, but even with that said I know you already. You are the man I could fall in love with, the man who could bring me to a new place, a place I've never been before.

Truth be told there are days I think I just don't need you or the love that you might bring. I like being independent and answering to no one. I like making my own path each and every day. It's what I know and what I'm used to and I fought so hard and for so long to not just survive, but to thrive. I have made my life up until now. I have built the world I live in and I am damn proud of how far I've come from where I started.

But sometimes – honestly more and more often these days – I find myself wishing that you were here. I want someone at my side, someone who cares about me and who wants me just as much as I want him. I want the kind of man who takes my hand wherever we may be and it feels so good that I can't let go. I want the kind of love that greets you each morning and puts you to bed each night. I want to think of you too much. I want distraction and excitement. I want all sorts of firsts, but most importantly lasts. Because I'm not interested in fleeting or temporary. If I'm going to do love, it's gotta be all in. I want to be yours and only yours, and I want you to feel the same.

So far this letter has been all about me. I want, I wish, I need… but I know that you have wants and wishes too. If you're the right man for me, then hopefully I already embody those things, and if I don't hopefully they're changes for the better. I'm praying you make me more hopeful, more adventurous, and more willing to take the risk, because loving you – choosing you – will be the greatest risk I've ever taken. I've never let someone in enough to have that, but I could, for you.

I know that love is never perfect, because life is messy and can't be controlled. Things won't always be hearts and rainbows, and I promise that I won't run. The old me probably would have. At the first sign of trouble I high tail it out. It's the best way to protect yourself. Staying at a distance and building walls keeps you alive, that's what life has always taught me. But I will stay for you, to fight for this and for us, no matter what comes.

When we find each other, and I hope it will be soon, I want you to know that I will be ready. But for now, I'm done looking. If we're meant to be, it'll happen. We'll find each other, as all great loves do, and we'll take it from there, one step at a time.

Take care of yourself in the meantime, and I hope you find reasons to smile and to laugh and to feel happy each and every day. It's what you deserve.

Wishing you were here, but waiting until it happens…

Emma

When the letter was written, Emma read it and read it again, finding that she liked everything that she'd crafted on the page. It was honest and truthful, and yes, sappy as could be, but that wasn't her fault. Of course it was going to be sappy! Emma was hoping for true love – and that kind of love always seemed to be just a little bit cheesy. She smiled in spite of herself, putting the letter on top of a stack of papers and leaving it for now, knowing if it was going to work she had to, at some point, leave it alone.

As she went through the rest of her night, eventually falling asleep, Emma found her dreams continued to build off that letter. That night she knew she had visions of the man she wanted, but come morning it was all just a little vague. Dark hair, piercing eyes, a smile that made her knees weak. These were the things she remembered, but it wasn't a definite person. At least not yet. Still, this mysterious man, a man who's face she still hadn't seen was with her through her whole day. From getting coffee at Belle's bakery in the morning, to work at the office, and back home again, the feeling of him was still there. And after everything, Emma found herself wanting to reread her letter. She didn't want to change anything per se, she just wanted to see if it stacked up as well in the morning light… there was just one problem. She couldn't find it.

"Oh shit," she said aloud, her nerves starting to fray as she looked at the table where it had been and realized there were no papers there. She ran back through her morning, half remembering her pre-coffee existence and she had a trickling sense of fear. She'd needed the papers underneath the letter for work. Oh God had she really been so stupid? She rummaged through her bag, eventually dumping the whole thing out frantically searching for the letter, but it was gone. Emma prayed that maybe she'd moved it last night, and she searched every room she'd been in, in every nook and cranny. She dug inside the couch, behind the chair, beneath every sheet and pillow on her bed, but nothing. It was gone.

Resigning herself to this cold, terrifying reality, the one that had her letter – her honest but completely embarrassing letter – out somewhere in the world, Emma sat down on the couch and hid her face in her hands, sending up a last resort prayer.

Please don't let anyone find it! she silently begged, but luckily the universe didn't hear that request. Instead, it was already on its way to granting Emma her Christmas wish.

Post-Note: So there we have it. Just a cute, quick fluffy chapter that isn't super original, but packed enough holiday love story promise for my muse. I hope that you guys have enjoyed and I'm eager to see what you think. I'm hoping to get the next chapter posted in about two weeks, and then the last chapter the week after. Hopefully I can manage that since school is starting to wind down for the semester. Anyway thanks for reading and I hope you have a great rest of your weekend!