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Chapter Two
1x02 "The Thing You Love Most"
He had kept true to his word when he had told her he would see her the next morning. Sure enough she was there with the late breakfast crowd.
"Hello, Killian," she said giving him a smile that made him too nervous for words.
So, he chuckled quietly to himself. Once he saw that she was sitting at the counter, he realized that she would have a front row seat if he became a nervous wreck. So, he composed himself enough to walk over and hand her a menu. "Told you you wouldn't find a better place to eat," he said.
"I didn't look," she said not willing to admit that he was right just yet.
"Right," he said giving her a half smile. From the corner of his eye, he spotted a newspaper left behind by a pervious customer. Even upside down he noticed that it was her mugshot on the front page.
Her eyes followed his. "Great," she said. She picked up the newspaper. "Please tell me no one reads the newspaper around here."
'Stranger Destroys Historic Sign' is what it read.
He didn't want to lie to her so he chose not to answer her. "I should go get the drinks for the Morrison family," he said.
In his quick absence, Emma had move from the counter to standing over one of the booths that Graham just so happen to be sitting at. He was smiling and shaking his head at her.
"What's going on over there?" he asked Ruby as he made his way behind the counter.
"Henry set her a drink. She thought it was Graham," Ruby said.
As if she had been listening to their conversation, Emma's head lifts to look at Henry in the corner.
"Don't you have school?" Emma asked Henry.
"Duh. I'm 10. Walk me," Henry said as he threw his backpack over his shoulder.
They both left without eating or without any further goodbye to anyone else in the diner.
"She wanted the drink to be from Graham, didn't she?"
"Can you blame her? I mean, look at him," Ruby said.
He looked over at the sheriff. "I suppose to some women he might be dashing, but personally, I don't see it," Killian said.
"Are you k-. Oh I get it, you're jealous. You like Emma!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Would you keep your voice down?" He quickly calms her down before she gains attention of half the people eating. "I don't like her."
"Yeah, sure," Ruby said unconvinced.
"Quiet yourself and get back to work."
cs
The next time he saw her, she was with the same person she had left with. She might have a flirtatious going on with the sheriff of the town, but her priority was definitely Henry.
"You're still here?" she asked as she and her son slide onto the seats at the counter. "Don't you even get time off?"
"It would appear not. Not much to do except sleep during my time off." Killian said. He goes to grab the menus, but Emma stops him before he can.
"We're just getting hot chocolate before I take him home," Emma said. She gave Henry a sideways look. She was telling the young boy more than she was telling Killian.
"Fine," Henry said in between his teeth.
"Coming right up," Killian said.
It wasn't quite as busy as it had been this morning, but there were enough people to keep him occupied. This night he wasn't able to sit around and talk to this mysterious Emma Swan because before he knew it, she was gone. She left more than enough money for their two hot chocolates and for her meal the other night.
"You are quite a puzzle, Swan."
1x03 "Snow Falls"
"Where were you yesterday?" Emma asked when Killian came to her table with a menu in his hand. She handed it right back to him. She'd only been in this town a few days and already had the entire menu memorized.
"I took the day off," he said.
"I thought you said there wasn't anything to do on your days off."
"I said there was one thing," he said.
"What's that?"
"Sleep."
She laughed remembering that he had mentioned sleep the other night that she came by with Henry after therapy. "Ruby doesn't know my order yet. She gave me fries with my grill cheese sandwich."
He laughed. "Grill cheese and onion rings coming right up."
"Actually, I'm meeting Henry and Mary Margret. So, breakfast will have to do," she said.
"Pancakes?" he asked.
She nodded. "With eggs. Over easy."
"I'll get your order right in," he said. He didn't have to worry about her food being cold because luckily there was a cook in the back. Mornings tended to be crazy packed, but at least he never had to cook during this time.
Just a few minutes later, Henry came running inside almost knocking down Ruby on his way to his birth mother.
"Whoa, kid. What's the rush?" Emma asked.
"Operation Cobra," Henry said.
Killian was curious what the young boy meant, but since he wasn't a part of the conversation, he did not ask. He didn't want them knowing he was being nosy. When it came to Emma, he clung on to every word.
Henry offered her a shirt. "What's this?" she asked.
"I got you a shirt," he said.
"I don't need a -."
"Take it. Or you could stay in that dirty tank top."
"Fine," she said. She took the shirt from his hand and marched to the back towards the restrooms.
"What can I get for you, Henry?"
"The usual."
Killian was forced to shift his attention to a family with high demands, but every couple of minutes, he would look in her direction. Mary Margret was sitting with them now. Emma didn't seem pleased with whatever she was saying.
The next time he looked, they were gone with money left out on the table for their food that was left half eaten.
cs
Thanks to Ruby, Killian was stuck with the late shift again. While she out on a date, with possibly a new boy toy, he was staring at the wall in a room all by himself.
That was until Emma walked in. She practically fell on the chair closest to the door. "Ugh!" she said loudly to the empty room.
"Long day?" he asked. He walked over to her table.
"That's an understatement," Emma said. She pulled out a chair for him to sit in.
He allowed himself to get excited. If she had come here for food, she would have asked for it already. She had come here looking for him. She wanted to talk to him.
His excitement turned to nervousness. He sat down in the chair next to her. "I heard you got a guy out of a coma," he said.
"How did you kn-?" she asked. His shy smile told her what she needed to know. "Right, small town."
"So, how did you get the guy out of the coma?"
"I wouldn't put it that way."
"What way would you put it?"
"Mary Margret read to him."
"Her voice magically woke him up?" he asked.
For some reason, her eyes grew twice their size when he said that. "Magically? Have you been speaking to Henry?"
It was his turn to be confused. "No," he said, but it came out sounding more like a question.
She looked down, shook her head, and laughed. "Never mind."
"At least this story had a happy ending."
"And a long lost wife to add along to it."
"A wife? Wouldn't she have known her husband was in the coma this whole time?" he asked unknowing that he was questioning the same thing she had.
"It's complicated I guess," Emma said. She looks outside to her bug. She didn't want anyone catching her sleeping in her car again. So, she'd have to find a quiet street where she wasn't going to be a bother or be bothered. "I should get going."
He caught her looking at her car. "Granny really does feel bad about having to kick you out of her Inn," he said.
"I'm sure she does," Emma said. She traced along the edge of the table.
He knew she had more on her mind. "What is it?"
She looked at him curiously. How did he know something was bothering her? How could he read her that well? They'd only just met.
"Mary Margret offered me a room in her loft," she said.
"You're thinking about taking it?" he asked. She shrugged her shoulders trying to play it off as a simple thing, but he knew since she was here talking to him about it rather than letting it go, it was something she was considering. "You're staying then?"
"I am...for Henry," she said.
"But you're hesitant about staying with a friend. Why?" he asked. She looked down thinking about his question. He was starting to worry if he had pushed too far. Maybe he just go back behind his counter and stop trying to get to know her. Asking questions was only going to force her away.
"I don't like owing people anything," Emma said. She avoided eye contact with him. "I've seen too much to believe people are good for no reason. People always want something."
Killian finally had an answer to one of his Emma questions. The reason she had left extra money the other to pay for her meal that first night they met was because she didn't like owing people. She didn't want to feel obligated with him. Maybe she thought he was trying to flirt with her. Maybe she thought if she accepted the free meal that he was expecting something more from her.
He had to set the record straight.
"Is that what you thought the other night, that I was going to expect more from you because I gave you food? Emma, I did me-."
She didn't let him finish. "I know you aren't the kind of person I grew up with," she said. She took in a deep breath. "I grew up in the foster system. Most of the foster parents I had only saw me as a paycheck at the end of the month and the other kids just saw me as someone to pick on."
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," he said.
Her eyes grew wide and she shook her head in disbelief that she just told someone she only knew for a couple of days something that meant a lot to her. "Whoa. I didn't mean to -. I don't usually tell people that. There's just something about you. One look at you and I could tell that you were a good guy, that I could trust you."
"Maybe we've met in another life," Killian said.
"That sounds like something Henry would say," Emma said. It made her wonder if maybe her son had let the man in on Operation Cobra without telling her.
A pregnant pause filled the air. Each of them contemplating what they were going to say next.
"I think I'm going to take Mary Margret's offer."
He nodded along to let her know he agreed with her decision. "Would you like me to make you something to go?" Killian asked.
"Sure, but I'm paying," Emma said. He stood up narrowing his eyes at her. "Baby steps!"
"Fine," he said. He heard her footsteps trailing behind him as he made his way to the kitchen.
"There's no one else here. You should be thankful for my services," she said teasingly. She stood at the counter watching him make the food. "Why is this place so dry at night anyway?"
"I guess some people still like to have dinner with their families."
"What about you? Do you have family?"
"No," he said simply. His own memories were hazy. "I've been on my own for as long as I could remember."
She didn't push further and for that he was thankful. Instead they both stayed silent as he made her a grilled cheese sandwich and Mary Margret's favorite. He made the mistake of looking up at her. She was smiling at him in a way that he couldn't recall anyone ever smiling at him before.
It was that smile that turned him back into a timid waiter.
He had been completely fine when it came to having a conversation with her just minutes ago. He had no idea why he was feeling like he couldn't even look at her again without falling apart. How did she do this to him?
"Here you go," he said handing her the food wrapped in a brown paper bag.
She slid the money to him across the counter. "Thanks," she said.
He didn't trust himself around her anymore. Being a composed man around her had it's limit. He had passed his today. He wouldn't take anymore chances. "Goodnight, Emma Swan," he said taking the money.
"See you in the morning, Killian Jones."
TBC