Most days, she still didn't believe it.
While Minnesota was relaxing and quaint, she had always known she wanted to end up in the big city. Emma pulled back the blinds to her newly furnished Manhattan apartment and watched the sun come up over the horizon. Fragments of lights scattered among the towers of steel, blinking back at her. The streets below looked like veins, the blood of New York was pumping in full swing. Her fingers tightened around the mug of hot cocoa as she brought it to her lips. The warm blend of chocolate and cinnamon soothed her stomach, easing her nerves. Her first day on the job was sure to be an eventful one. When her college friend, Elsa, sold her on an opportunity to be the official photographer for her family's company, she hesitated for about two seconds before packing her suitcase and hopping on a bus. An advance that made her eyes almost leave her head had granted her an amazing apartment and a starting wardrobe to match. Now, she just had to let her work back it up.
Emma downed the last bit of cocoa and stepped down into the shag carpet where her new Stanley Philipson heels were waiting for her. She smiled, slipping them on and enjoying how they felt already. She glanced at her clock, calculating the time it would take to get across to Madison Avenue in the throes of traffic. She picked up the phone to call a cab when a voice on the other end startled her.
Her smile faded as she quickly realized the owner.
Her first encounter with Killian Jones was rather startling to say the least. She had picked up the phone to call her parents when a sultry baritone voice erupted through the receiver like sweet smoke.
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view...
Emma thought about putting the receiver down, but found it difficult to do so. A sliver of a smile erupted in the corner of her lips but quickly disappeared when the voice that followed was of the female variety.
"Oh, Killian, that was so lovely," the woman said in between sighs. Emma's short admiration abruptly ended, but she still hadn't put the receiver down.
"Not as lovely as you, darling," the baritone replied, a subtle, Irish accent filling in the blank space. Emma rolled her eyes, not believing such a naive city woman could fall for it. The woman giggled on the other end. "So, what do you say, love? This gig just screams your name." He emphasized 'screams' slowly, the timbre in his voice lowering, the imagery he was conveying all too vivid.
"Of course, Mr. Jones. Perhaps when you're done watching my audition, you could make me-"
"Excuse me," Emma interrupted.
"Who is that?!" the woman replied.
Emma heard Killian sigh. "Must be the other end of my party line, Dana. She's new."
"Mr. Jones, was it? I apologize for disrupting but I need to make an urgent call. I would appreciate it if you could please allow me to do so."
"Dana, love, I'll see you tomorrow, then?" he halfway ignored her.
"See you at nine, Killian. Oh, and thank you for last night."
Emma grimaced, picturing Killian-even though she had never seen his face before-smirking at her.
Emma heard a click but there wasn't even enough time for awkward silence before Killian's voice, patience clearly waning, came through. "Madam, I would appreciate if you would not eavesdrop on my personal conversations."
This infuriated Emma. All admiration was completely out the window. "Mr. Jones, I should hope that you understand that I wasn't intending to eavesdrop here. But I actually do have a business call to make and I can bet it's much more important than serenading past conquests. I understand, as a businessman I presume, that you will have urgent matters that will take precedence in the near future? All I'm asking is that we establish a sense of common priority here. I would do the same for you."
"What's your name?"
Emma seemed taken aback. "Emma. Emma Swan."
"Ms. Swan, if you would like to take the time out of your clear schedule to compose a time table, I'd be happy to consider it. Meanwhile, I'd appreciate it if you kept your presumptions to yourself." Click.
Emma's jaw hung open, gaping at the phone as if the plastic itself had insulted her. She set the receiver down, hoping that New York City could make a far better impression of its men than that.
Recollecting it now, a couple of weeks, an ignored schedule and numerous, time-consuming phone calls later, Emma scoffed at her naivete. They had continued to squabble over the past days, and she resolved to rightly give him a suckerpunch should she ever meet him in person.
Through the various snippets of chatter, she had found out that he was in fact a businessman, on Madison Avenue as well. He worked for a popular ad firm-Charming & Hood-as a casting agent for many of their clients' product commercials, which explained the numerous models that he "worked on" getting. Oh, and did he work. He schmoozed like no other-compliments, sending flowers, and endless serenades, mostly all the same song and adding their names to the end of the verse as if he wrote it personally, just for them. The Flamingos would be ashamed. He was being coaxed for another rendition by his current flame of the week, but Emma knew now that she shouldn't bother waiting until it was all done. She'd be stuck at home forever if that were the case. "Mr. Jones," she started.
A groan leaked from him as the woman reacted with question. He reassured her it was his silly party line neighbor who didn't know her place. "What do you want, Ms. Swan?"
"Unless you can call me a cab, Mr. Jones, I'd appreciate if you could let me have the line."
"Why don't you wait by the curb like the rest of New York?"
"Why don't you behave like a gentleman and-"Click.
Killian sighed. "Are you happy? I could have just lost a great talent!"
Emma scoffed. "Talent? What exactly is her skill set, Mr. Jones? Filing her nails and knowing the appropriate time to leave your apartment in time for her audition?"
"Now, you don't see me poking into your affairs! That is, if you had any."
"And who's to say that I don't?!"
"An uptight woman living alone in the big city? Well, you certainly haven't found a means to decompress just yet."
"Excuse me?!"
"Have a great morning, Ms. Swan." Click.
Emma's eyes widened as she slammed the receiver down, almost forgetting to make her own call. She selected the numbers through the rotary dial and took deep breaths to not project her anger onto the cab operator. She requested her car and sat down on her balcony lounge chair, breathing in and out. The sun was creeping over the buildings now, the orange star creating waves of pink and robin's egg blue across the skyline. The honking of cars increased, brushing away the lingering notes of Killian Jones' voice from her mind. What women saw in him, she would never know, but she would not let him ruin her first day as a working Manhattanite. This town was hers for the taking and she didn't care about doing it alone.
-/-
Killian was fully dressed in his gray, Ralph Lauren suit by the time he had slammed the phone down. He straightened his tie and exhaled, trying not to think about Emma Swan. The woman was infuriating and he was fully expecting a formal complaint to be filed with the phone company by the end of the day. He combed his hair back, pushing the stubborn front strands back with impatient fervor. His boss wouldn't be too happy to hear if he lost the face of their client's new product campaign. He made a note to suggest a recovery move of lunch and a small pay raise.
He grabbed his hat and briefcase on his way out the door and caught a cab without much competition. When he walked into his office (he ignored the surprised look on his secretary's face for getting there early) and was surprised to see his boss, Robin, laying on his couch. Killian dropped the briefcase on his desk a little too loudly.
"Christ, what time is it?" he muttered, grimacing when Killian opened the blinds.
"Time for you to get your own couch to sleep on."
"She left me again."
Killian rolled his eyes, grabbing the pot of coffee and pouring himself a large cup. "Should I even bother to-no. No, I don't want to know."
He poured a second cup for his struggling boss and gestured for him to get it. Robin groaned loudly, the spitting image of a ten year old being told to do something he didn't want to do. He pushed a hand through his hair and pushed himself off the couch.
Killian cocked his eyebrow as he took a sip from the mug. "Your denial is showing."
At this, Robin pointed at him sternly, or at least, trying to be stern. The leftover bourbon in his system and disheveled hair just made him look like he was about to topple over. "I didn't do anything this time, I swear. I didn't do much."
"Mmmhmm. Listen, while you're getting yourself together, I should probably tell you that Gretchen may or may not show up today."
Robin stood up straight and gave that statement a sober glare. Killian turned away, taking a seat at his desk. "What did you do?"
"Oh no, don't pin this one on me. It was all that confounded party line neighbor of mine."
"Well, try and get Gretchen on the line and smooth talk her until we can clean that up. By the way, we have a dinner meeting tonight with Vespa. The Tavern at 7:00PM. Birdland after if it goes well."
Killian smiled. He could already hear the notes swelling in the air, the movement of muscles and bones to the tune of the smoky jazz. "Birdland, regardless."
-/-
Emma couldn't help but still be a little perturbed on the cab ride over to Arendelle, Inc. but all ill feeling went out the window the moment she stepped into the doors and rode the elevator up to her office. Elsa greeted her with a warm hug and escorted her to Emma's new office-a shining, mod place with white furniture, gold accents and a diluted, royal blue accent wall. A large window took up most of the wall behind her desk, bookshelves bordering either side. A watercolor skyline of New York hung on the opposite wall and-to Emma's surprise-a large print of one of her own photographs parallel to it. It was one of the last that she had taken in college: a shot of a woman from behind facing a crossroads. The result was a rather poetic piece, when in actuality, Emma seized a moment when her friend Ruby had gotten them lost. Nevertheless, it was a bit of home.
"It's gorgeous, Elsa. You are absolutely spoiling me!" She sat her purse on the desk next to a welcome bouquet of buttercup yellow flowers.
"Well, we're so happy that you're here and I, for one, am thrilled to have an old friend in the city. Once you get settled, I'll give you the grand tour and show you the studio. We have a meeting at 10:00 today to go over the weekly shoots and you have your first shoot this afternoon." She paused to give Emma another hug. Emma, not a very huggy person, obliged, not realizing until then how much she had missed her companion. As much as this city was grand and bright, it did strike a bit of loneliness into her pushed the thought away, reminding herself that the feeling was temporary and this office, this job, this city...this was what she was meant for right now. Elsa released her, a smile on her face that lit up the entire room. "Oh! And celebratory night for your first day-Birdland Jazz Club at 8:00PM."
