She'd tried everything. Literally everything. She'd stretched and twisted, contorted her body in any manner of way but she could not pull down the zipper of her dress. She'd managed to get it on so why the hell couldn't she get the bleeding thing off. Emma groaned; she really didn't want to have to resort to cutting herself out of this dress.

She loved this dress.

The red dress hugged her in all the right places and was the softest material in the world. Now after having what she deemed the worst date ever in the whole wide world she was now very close to resorting to having to destroy her favourite dress.

Emma banged the wall with her fist in agitation after trying to somehow use her door handle to pull the zip down (which didn't work). "Oh fuck it" she said aloud to herself, "After the shittiest date ever I am not loosing this dress." She flung open the front door of her flat and walked over to the flat opposite her's and knocked. She hadn't a clue who her neighbours were, but she guessed that tonight she would.

She knew it was late but she at least thought someone would open their door. She'd gone downstairs and no one had answered to her, a couple had shouted from somewhere in their own flats to whoever was at the door to piss off, "Charming" Emma had muttered. So now she was on her fifth try and at the door of the flat above hers. She knocked.

The dirty white door opened to reveal a very groggy man, his black hair all tousled, his eyes rubbing at his half-asleep eyes, just wearing a pair of pyjama bottoms. Emma was caught off guard momentarily then told herself eyes up, remember why you are here "Yes, wait, I mean. Sorry, were you asleep?"

"Aye," he nodded. His hands fell from his face and his blue eyes widened all traces of tiredness gone in a flash as he was met with a woman with long blonde hair and was wearing a red dress that made her even more beautiful. His mouth fell agape slightly, who was this woman?

"I need your help," Emma said, "Can you just unzip me?"

"I'm sorry?"

"My dress, I can't get out of it"

"I, uh, um, yes sure" he stumbled across his words.

"Thank you," Emma sighed relieved, "I really didn't want to have to resort to cutting myself out of it,"

"Well, we can't have that love can we. So, shall we?"

"Yes," Emma turned around and pulled her hair around so he could get to the zip. His hands reached out hesitantly towards the zip. He took it between his fingers and tugged at it but it didn't move, so he tried again, then again.

"I'm sorry, love, I don't usually have this much difficulty getting a woman out of her clothes,"

"Well, aren't you a real Prince Charming," she retorted,

"Well...Ah, got it," he said as she felt his fingers on her back making her shiver slightly. He pulled down the zip, the moment feeling very intimate with this woman who he didn't even know the name of.

Once the zip got to the small of her back he stopped. "There, that should allow you to get out without having to damage such a lovely dress,"

Emma turned around her hand on her stomach to make sure her dress didn't fall down, "Well, um, thanks."

"Any time, love."

"I'll let you get back to sleep, sorry for waking you,"

"I'm glad you did," he smiled at her.

"Right," she eyed his carefully but turned around showing her back to him once more and made her way to the stairwell,

"I hope to see you again," he called out to her as she began to walk down her stairs.

Emma walked to her own front door but suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, the door was closed. She'd left it open. "Please don't be locked," she begged as she turned the handled. But the door didn't move. "Shit," she swore her forehead hitting the door as she screwed up her face in annoyance. This really wasn't her night. She tried the door once more just encase. It was still locked.

So sucking in all her pride and keeping hold of the dress that was half undone she trudged back up the stairs and to the handsome, helpful stranger's door again. He opened it almost immediately and upon seeing her a huge grin fell upon his face. "Need help getting out of something else?" he asked.

She rolled her eyes at him before speaking, "I may have unintentionally locked myself out of my flat."

"Ah,"

"Yeah, can I use your phone to call my friend, she has a spare key,"

"Please come on in, love. Whatever you need, you can have it,"

"Thanks," she said as he welcomed her into his flat.

"I'm Killian Jones by the way,"

"Emma Swan."

And just as Emma's luck would have it Elsa wasn't answering her phone. Yes she knew it was late but her friend was a light sleeper and always answered her phone. "Can I get you a drink?" Killian asked from the kitchen.

"No thanks" she answered as the phone went to voicemail again,

"No luck Swan?"

"No," she sighed agitated "I wonder what else can go wrong tonight,"

"Bad night, then?"

"The worst and this is just the icing on top of the cake," she said as she put his phone down.

"Bad date with your boyfriend?" he asked as he walked over and sat down on the sofa next to her with a cup of tea in his hands. "Sure you don't want anything to drink?"

"I don't have a boyfriend,"

"Oh!" he exclaimed and then reprimanded himself for sounding too happy about it. This woman was clearly having the worst luck and yet he felt like the luckiest man in the world. "But a bad date?"

"The worst,"

"Can I ask why?"

"The guy was just a jerk, she shrugged, "He left about three quarters through the date, said he was going to the toilet, didn't come back."

"What!" Killian exclaimed, almost sloshing his tea over the edge of his mug in outrage, "that's terribly bad form love, you deserve a lot better,"

"You don't know me, I could deserve just that,"

"No, you don't," he told her with the utmost sincerity that Emma was slightly perplexed and taken aback for a moment. "You can stay here tonight, love. Try and get hold of your friend at a more reasonable hour,"

"No, honestly it's fine, I should probably get going"

"I insist, after all where else will you go. Plus I can at least try and make your night a little better,"

"Well, thanks, Jones," she nodded. They both sat in silence for a couple of seconds as he sipped his tea then Emma spoke again, "I guess I should ask you to re-zip me back up."

He laughed and Emma couldn't help but noticed the way his bright blue eyes crinkled and the way his mouth smiled when he did so.

"You can wear something of mine to sleep in. We don't want any harm coming to that dress,"

"I'd just be sleeping in it,"

"That dress deserves better, it's already been through quite an ordeal let it rest" he smiled at her. Killian placed his tea down on the coffee table and disappeared only to return with a pair of pyjama bottoms and a top.

"There you are milady," he said as he placed them down on her lap,

"You're just a knight in shining armour aren't you Jones?"

"More like a knight in plaid pyjama bottoms," he smiled back, picking back up his tea and taking a sip. "The bathroom is just through there,"

"Yeah, your flat's layout is just the same as mine," Emma said as she stood up and walked past him, his eyes falling to the now bare shoulder where her dress had fallen from.

"You can have my bed,"

"No," she told him resolutely turning her head around, "I'm perfectly fine on the sofa."

He awoke the next morning to see a red dress neatly hung over the back of one of his chairs and a woman with hair like spun gold sleeping on his sofa with one leg hanging over the edge wearing a pair of his green plaid pyjama bottoms.

Killian was as quiet as a mouse as he made himself a cup of tea, wondering if he should wake the blonde Swan and ask her if she wanted a cup too. But he didn't want to wake her from her slumber. As he tiptoed back to his room he almost dropped his drink in fright as his phone came to life, buzzing on his coffee table.

Emma awoke with a jolt, to see the half dressed englishman in a position that reminded her vaguely of a started gazelle. They met each other's eyes then both turned to looked down at the phone, it took him a couple seconds to register what to do. He reached for his phone and answered it "Hello?"

"Um yes, hello, um, I missed about ten calls from you last night,"

"Who is this?" he asked the feminine voice at the other end of the phone

"Elsa, but, you're the one who called me"

"I'm afraid I didn't, perhaps you've got the wrong, OH, yes sorry I did, well I didn't. Just wait one second. - Swan, your friend is on the phone"

Emma got up from the sofa the blanket falling off of her as she took the phone off Killian, "Hi,Elsa, it's Emma. Sorry, yeah, I accidently got locked out off my flat. Could you bring the spare key round? Great! You're a life saver. Oh, that, um," she looked at Killian and he gave her a winning smile, "That's my neighbour. Yeah he's English. No we didn't. I'm not answering that. That is not a yes. Just bring my key," and then she hung up.

Emma held Killian's phone back out to him and he took it from her, "Everything sorted love,"

"Yes, thanks."

"Breakfast?"

"What?"

"Would you like breakfast?"

"Oh, um,"

"Or something to drink?"

"I'd love a coffee."

"Then consider it made."

"Have you not got work?" Emma asked as she washed up the frying pan they made eggs in,

"I'm kind of self employed,"

"Me too,"

"What do you do?"

"Bailsbondsperson"

"Wow,"

"What?"

"That's cool. I'm a florist. Well, I grow the plants and supply them to a florist," he said sheepishly as he scratched behind his ear,

"You're a florist,"

"Um, yeah," he gave her a small smile

"Where do you grow them?"

"I have an allotment, and business is good. It pays the bills and I can eat. And I enjoy it but you know it's not exciting as your job but its" He was interrupted by a knock at the door, "I'll get it."

"It's probably Elsa."

It was.

"Oh" the woman said when Killian opened the door.

"Sorry, lass, I still haven't gotten changed for the day," he apologised. "Please come in,"

"No its fine," Emma stated, where she stood now by his side, then she turned to him, "Thanks for um,"

"Being your knight in shining armour,"

"Plaid pyjamas," she joked, "and yes, thank you."

"Have you got your dress?"

"Yes," she said as held up her arm with her dress hanging over it,

"Good, we can't let it go through anymore misfortune,"

"Right. So um, thanks again."

"It was my pleasure love, I hope to see you around."

Emma nodded and left his flat with Elsa at they were walking down the stairs he heard her friend say "You could have just said yes when I asked if he was attractive." He laughed to himself as he shut his door.