So I sincerely apologize for this update taking so long. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it. I think this story has at least one more chapter and then it will probably be done. Thanks for reading & I hope you like it! xoxoHannah
After the opening remarks and the meal, the floor was opened for mingling and networking. Even if she wouldn't admit it, Emma's eyes were scanning the room for one person in particular.
"Hey, Em?" Elsa asked, pulling Emma out of her quiet search.
"Yeah?"
"I need to talk to you about something. It's kind of important."
"Okay," Emma said cautiously. "Here, let's sit down over here."
/
Killian had been standing at the other end of the ballroom, talking to his mate Robin, who he'd attended bartending classes with. He now helped his wife Regina run her local bakery, and would bartend on the weekends for extra cash.
He tried to give his friend the attention he deserved, but he couldn't help but scan his eyes around the room for the beautiful blonde he'd met that afternoon. This was the perfect opportunity to "accidentally" bump into her and then have an excuse to finish their earlier conversation from the bar.
If they wanted him to call it networking, he would.
His eyes eventually landed on her, as she was standing up from a table where another blonde woman sat. She looked upset, and she waved to her friend before turning and walking out of the ballroom.
/
He finds her on the balcony outside, leaning against the railing and looking down at the city lights below.
"Leaving the party early, hm? That's bad form, Swan."
Emma turns her head, clearly startled at his sudden appearance next to her on the balcony.
She looks back out to the city and sighs. "I didn't think anyone would notice."
One beat. Then two.
"I did."
She looks at him (and also realizes that his upper arm is brushing against her own as he leans on the railing next to her). His eyes were bright, searching, but most surprisingly- they were genuine.
"Why are you so interested in me, Jones? You don't know anything about me."
He chuckles a little. "I don't know. There's just something about you, Emma."
The way his voice carries her name, ever so gently, makes her stomach twist in knots.
She tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ear and then looks down to nervously twist a gold bangle around her wrist.
"Well if by something you mean a complete train wreck waiting to happen, then I'm your girl."
"Oh, come now," he says. "It can't be all that bad."
She laughs, amused at his sentiment. "Then you don't know me very well."
"But I'd like to."
She smiles and looks back up at him. (He plays a tough game).
"You can tell me what's bothering you, love. I'm a good listener, I promise."
She has no idea what it is about Killian that makes her feel secure, safe even, but she'd been having such a tough time lately with no one to turn to, and he was offering some solace.
"The girl that I sat with at dinner-"
"The other blonde?" he interjects.
She smiles, because he clearly had been looking for her in the ballroom, too.
"Yeah," she continues. "She's my best friend and also one of only two lead bartenders I have right now."
"Okay, go on," he says.
"She told me tonight that she was just accepted into grad school, and it starts in three weeks. She'll have to quit working at the bar completely. We're already shorthanded as it is because I had to fire two people for stealing from me earlier this month."
His lips purse and he nods in understanding. Keeping a good bartender for long periods of time was difficult in their line of business. It was a good job but not many people chose it for life long careers. Even more difficult was finding people who were trustworthy and consistent.
"I see," he says. "So you need to find a replacement, then."
"I guess so. But I can't imagine anyone else working in my bar. It's always been me, Elsa, and this other guy August. They've been with me through everything. They were the ones who helped me get the bar started and running, and took care of me when everything in my life had gone to shit. They're like my family."
"Well I don't know if this would help," he says, "but I've got a mate inside who does bartending part time. He's really very good. He could maybe help you out until you found a permanent replacement for Elsa."
Her eyes widened. "Really? God, that would be great, Killian. Thank you."
"No problem."
He's looking at her now, dimples peeking out at the corner of his smile. The air between them grows tense, and she feels like she should shake his hand or worse - kiss him.
"Well, uh, I'd better head back inside," she says, pushing the thought away. "Elsa is probably wondering where I am."
"Right," he says, reaching a hand up to scratch behind his ear. "See you tomorrow, then?"
She smiles. "It's likely."
"Good."
She wakes around 3am from a nightmare.
She had been standing in her bar, closing up for the night, when she heard the ding of the front door bell. She looked up from behind the bar to see Neal standing there.
"Neal, what are you doing here?"
"I'm back, Emma."
She stepped out from behind the bar and held her hand up as if to stop him.
"Look, why don't you just turn around and leave again. It's what you're good at anyway."
"I can't do that," he said, voice monotone and void of all emotion. "I need to finish what I started."
He reaches down and pulls two things out of his pockets. She has to squint to see in the dark, but by the time she realizes that it's a bottle of lighter fluid and box of matches, it's too late.
He's emptied the bottle and lit the match, and she has to shield her eyes from the roar of the flames in front of her. She looks back up in time to see him slip out the door.
Emma looks around for the fire extinguisher, but it's not in its usual spot. The flames are growing hotter and higher, catching onto the furniture and making her cough from all of the smoke.
She makes a run for the door, but when she tries to open it, it doesn't budge.
/
The hotel was eerily quiet this time of night. Most patrons were in their beds. The bar must have just closed, because the television was still on.
She couldn't go back to sleep after waking from her hellish nightmare, and there was absolutely nothing on the television to tempt her at 3 in the morning (unless you wanted to watch repeats of infomercials trying to sell you crap, that is). So she slipped into some jeans and a sweater, and went out for a walk around the hotel.
She made her way towards the front, and descended the main staircase towards the lobby. She hoped she'd find some of the gift shop books still on display, so she could read one and return it before anyone noticed it was gone.
She finds a book on the history of the hotel, and falls asleep reading it on one of the couches in the lobby.
Around 7 in the morning, she awakes to someone tapping lightly on her shoulder.
"Emma?"
"Mm, five more minutes," she grumbled.
Killian tapped her shoulder again, before pushing a strand of hair away from her face. "Come on, love. You can't stay here."
She sighs and sits up. She rubs her eyes and then looks up at him, the sunlight causing her to squint her eyes.
"What time is it?"
Killian flips his wrist to check his watch. "Quarter after 7."
Emma groans, resting her face in her hands and letting her hair fall over them, before sitting up and straightening it back again.
"Why were you down here, Swan?"
"Couldn't sleep," she started, "so I came down here to distract myself."
She picked up the book she'd been reading off of the floor and set it on the coffee table next to where he was sitting.
"Why are you up so early?" she asked.
"Old habits die hard," he said, smiling.
He stood then, cocking his head to one side and stretching out a hand to her. "Let's get you back upstairs, hm?"
She stands up slowly but doesn't take his hand, avoiding his disappointed gaze.
"Thanks," she says. "I can handle it from here."
She regretted the way it sounded coming out of her mouth, even though she meant it. She didn't need his help, and she certainly didn't need to set herself up for disappointment in the dating department again. The last time she'd trusted a guy and listened to him, he broke her heart and then left, leaving her to pick up the pieces of their shattered life all alone.
/
She falls back onto her bed with a thud, and doesn't even bother changing out of her clothes.
Part of her felt bad for treating Killian that way when he'd only meant to help. He'd been quite the gentleman to her so far-nothing like what she'd heard about him from other people. Even still, it scared her how much she was inclined to trust him, even though she'd just met him.
There was something familiar about him, and his kindness to her had been so refreshing.
But Neal had always been kind and loving, too. He'd always been there for her.
Until the day that he wasn't.
She didn't deny that she found Killian attractive-frustratingly so-but she couldn't afford to worry herself with anything romantic. With things at the bar looking so bleak, she didn't know what to do. Failure wasn't an option. When she started Savior, she was determined to make it successful, if only to prove to herself that not everything she touched was broken.
He must have signed up for different workshops than she did, because she didn't see Killian for the rest of the day.
Her afternoon was mostly spent learning about budgeting and finance techniques, until she made it to the fun workshops, where she learned some new ways to make creative cocktails and marketing designs for her bar.
At one such workshop, she was placed in a group of about 5 other people, one of which being David Nolan.
"Hey, you're Emma, right? The owner of Savior?" he asked.
"Yes. And you are?"
"I'm David. I bartend for Killian over at Lusca."
At the mention of his name, her eyebrows are raised and she scoffs. "Sorry."
David seems taken aback by her comment. "What do you mean, 'sorry'?"
She hadn't really meant for him to hear that.
"Oh…" she fumbles for the words to explain. "I mean, I don't really know him, but from what I gather he's pretty arrogant."
David studies her, and she thinks for a moment he might be able to see right through her snarky remark.
"I don't think Killian has an arrogant bone in his body."
"Is that so?" she asks.
"Yeah, actually. When I was laid off from my job a couple years ago, he looked out for me. He actually let me and my wife stay with him while he trained me to work the bar. I've been working for him ever since. He's a great boss, and an even greater friend."
Emma had to bite her cheek at this, feeling embarrassed to have slighted Killian so much. She didn't really find him as arrogant as she said, but she was trying to protect herself. If she made herself believe the worst in people, then they could never disappoint her.
"What about all those women who complain about him?" she asks.
"It's just a farce," David says. "Brings in more customers, I guess. He hasn't actually dated in a while. Not since Milah, anyway."
"Who's Milah?" she asks, genuinely curious now, despite not wanting to get involved with Killian Jones.
"I think I've already said too much," David says. "Killian probably wouldn't like that I've told you any of that."
Emma nods in understanding, and they get back to the task at hand.
Later, she decides to ride the elevator back up to her suite, tired from being on her feet all day. Before the doors shut, she hears someone call out "hold the elevator!" and she quickly hits the button to keep the doors open.
Killian is the one jogging up to it-but slows down when he realizes it's her. He quickly steps in anyway, moving to the opposite side of the elevator from her.
She didn't know what to say to him. Clearly, he was afraid to say anything to her after the way she'd treated him earlier that morning.
It was awkwardly silent, the air between them tense. Finally they reached the last floor and the doors opened. He stepped out first, and she followed suit.
She couldn't do this anymore.
He stopped in his tracks when she called out his name. He turned to face her.
"Hey," she said.
"Hi."
"I wanted to apologize," she started, "for the way I treated you this morning."
His features softened, and he walked towards her.
"It's alright, Swan."
She fumbles with her room key for a moment. Against her better judgement, she opened her mouth again. She justified her next question with the idea that she didn't have to undo years of growth for some guy. They could be friends. She was strong enough for that at this point.
"Would you…like to come in?" she asks.
His eyebrow arches as he smiles mischievously. "What for, pray tell?"
Her cheeks flush pink with embarrassment. "Easy, tiger. Just coffee."
He grins and nods. "After you, m'lady."
/
He plops down on one of the two chairs in the small living area as she starts making the coffee.
"So," she says, "I saw your friend David today."
"Did you now?" he says. "What shall I be firing him for, then?"
She laughs. "Nothing. If anything you should be giving him a raise. He spoke very highly of you."
"I suppose you're right, Swan."
A few minutes later, the coffee was ready, and she poured them both a cup.
"Hope you like crappy hotel coffee," she says, handing it to him.
"My favorite," he smirks.
They sat like that for a while, talking mostly about their bars and employees, and of the workshops they'd each attended that afternoon-until Emma decided to turn the conversation.
"Killian, can I ask you something?"
"Ask away, love."
"Who's Milah?"
The question surprises him, so much so that he has to set down his coffee and sit up straighter in his chair.
The expression on his face had changed completely-from that of comfortable ease to now one of discomfort or pain-or even more specifically-loss.
"She was my girlfriend."
"Was?" Emma asked.
"Aye. She passed away two years ago in a car accident."
"Oh," Emma said, softening her voice. "Killian, I had no idea-I'm so sorry. David just mentioned her today and I was only curious-"
He held up a hand to stop her. "No worries, Swan. It was long ago, but she was very special to me."
She nods in understanding, and decides that maybe it's time for her to open up a little bit, too. Even the playing field. Something in her wanted to comfort him, let him know that he wasn't alone in feeling alone.
"I lost someone special to me, too. His name was Neal."
He looks up at her then, concern etching his features.
"What happened?"
"I met him my senior year of college, and we started dating shortly after that. After I graduated, we moved in together and he told me that he wanted to open his own bar."
She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. Bringing up that part of her life was always so painful, but for some reason, Killian made it easier.
"So, he convinced me to combine our savings and open one up. We called it Yellow Bug."
"Right, I remember that name," Killian says.
Emma scoffs. "Then you might also remember when it went out of business."
"Aye. But why?"
"Well, turned out that Neal was a criminal, a con artist. One day I was working at Yellow Bug and a policeman came in looking for him. He'd been on the run for a long time, and I guess when he was with me he had been trying to start over, but I never saw him again. By that time he'd taken all of our money out of savings and left me there to clean up his mess. I don't even think Neal was his real name."
Killian sat up in his chair, leaning closer to her. "Emma, I'm so sorry. I had no idea that's what happened."
She nodded. "Yeah, and I almost went to jail because they thought I was his accomplice. Luckily I had August and Elsa to back me up in court."
"So what did you do after that?"
"I realized that I actually really loved running a bar, and so I decided to open my own. That's how Savior was born. August and Elsa helped me get it started, and we've been together ever since."
"I like that name, Savior," he said, taking another sip of coffee.
She smiled. "Thanks. Nobody saves me but me. That's where I got it from."
"Fits you well, Swan."
She blushes again, and he makes it his goal to make her blush as often as possible.
/
Commotion outside in the hallway pulls their attention away from their conversation, and Emma gets up to see what's going on.
She opens the door in time to see David and a few others sprinting down the hallway, hollering and laughing like a bunch of wild banshees.
She turns to Killian, who's making his way towards her. "Are you gonna do anything about this?"
He arches an eyebrow at her and smiles. "If by do anything, you mean join in, then yes. Absolutely."
He steps outside her door and turns toward the group of men. "Oi, save some for me!"
He turns back to Emma, who's leaning against her door frame and crossing her arms.
"Care to join us, Swan?"
"And get kicked out of the hotel early? No thanks."
He steps up to her then, face only inches away from hers. She felt a pull towards him, a flash of an ache to have his lips on hers. So much for being able to just be friends...
"What?" he smirked. "Afraid I'll drink you under the table? Some bartender you are."
She narrowed her eyes back at him and smiled, before laying a hand on his chest to lightly push him away.
"Try me."
/
The next thing she knows, she's taking shots of tequila with Killian and David, while Robin mixes up cocktails. Some others have crowded in, too- many of which worked in Killian's bar and stopped by after they closed up. Namely a guy named Victor and his brunette arm candy Ruby, and a woman named Regina who she thinks must be Robin's wife at the way she sticks close to him all night.
It's a lively bunch, and Emma allows herself to let loose (just this once). She'd wanted this weekend to be fun, after all. She could deal with all the other stuff Monday morning. But for now, it was time to have some fun.
Music was put on and pizza was ordered. She mingled through the crowd, keeping an eye on Killian, who kept winking across the room at her like an idiot. (An adorable idiot, but an idiot nonetheless).
She finally introduces herself to Robin and asks him about the bartending job.
"It's just for a few weeks, really. Unless you're looking for something more permanent."
"Well, actually that could work-"
Just then, a voice shouted above the music.
"FLIP!"
Suddenly Robin and every other person in the room was yelling along with them. "...SIP OR STRIP!"
Emma squinted as they all cheered and pushed their way to the center of the living area.
She managed to grab onto Killian's arm and pull him to the side.
"What the hell is flip, sip, or strip?"
Killian laughed. "It's a drinking game, love. Fun as hell. You in?"
"I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"
"In this crowd? Not a chance."
"Right," she nods, taking the last swig of her beer and setting the empty glass down on the counter.
She follows Killian over to the circle and he stands opposite her in the group.
Killian speaks up first.
"Alright, gits, I'm gonna explain the rules once more just in case anyone forgot, and also for those who haven't had the pleasure of playing this with us before."
He reaches down into his pocket and pulls out a quarter, holding it up to the group.
"Each of us takes a turn flipping the coin. You call heads or tails, and if you guess correctly when it lands, you pass the coin on to the next person. If you get it wrong, you either take a shot or take off a piece of clothing."
He smiles at Emma then, whose eyebrows are raised in an expression that says "Really?"
(But she can't help but smile back).
"Right then," he says. "I guess I'll go first."
He tosses the coin in the air and shouts, "Heads!"
Robin laughs. "It's tails!"
Killian nods his head in understanding, and then looks straight at Emma before reaching his hands behind his head and pulling his shirt off over his head.
The others hooted and hollered, whistling and laughing. Emma could feel the blush creeping up in her cheeks as she eyed him over- a perfectly toned chest with dark hair spreading over the muscles – and last but not least, a smug smile on his face. Yeah, she was a fool for thinking she could ever be just friends with Killian Jones.
Shaking it off, she turned her attention to the next in line – Robin. He got it right and passed it off to Regina, who took a shot in favor of stripping when she lost.
Finally the coin made its way around to Emma, and she lost. Killian raised an eyebrow when she reached down and took a shot. He nodded when she smiled at him, happy to have not given in to his desire to see her naked…just yet.
That was, until the coin made its way back around to her a second time. By then a few others were left without shirts or if they were prude like Regina, their socks.
Emma tossed the coin, called heads, and lost. She smiled and reached down for her shot glass before she heard someone clear their throat.
"Not so fast, love," Killian sneered. "You're not allowed to do the same thing twice in a row."
Emma's raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You've got to be kidding me."
Killian laughed. "Rules of the game, love. But if you can't handle it, then perhaps…"
His voice trailed off as he watched her reach down to grab the hem of her shirt, before pulling it off in one sweeping motion, revealing nothing but her black lacy bra beneath, and the others in the room shouted and whistled for her.
She smiled as she watched the ends of his ears turn pink and his adam's apple bob from gulping.
"You were saying?" she said, smiling mischievously.
"Damn Jones," Ruby said from the other side of the room. "I think you may have finally met your match for this one."
Emma passed the coin on to the next person and crossed her arms in victory.
She tried to ignore it, but she could feel his eyes on her for the rest of the game.
(She had to admit, she didn't really mind it…wanted it, even. But then again, maybe that was the alcohol talking).
They continued until Ruby got just tipsy enough to accidentally knock over the bottle of tequila, requiring an emergency scramble to clean it up. The game was dissolved after that, and some people retreated back into the kitchen to have more food.
Emma found herself seated on the couch, still without her shirt on, as Killian came over and sat next to her.
She noticed immediately that he still wasn't wearing his shirt either, and she tried in vain not to watch the way the shoulder muscles in his back moved and stretched as he leaned forward to pick up something off the floor.
Emma looked away as he sat up, not willing to be caught staring. She felt something soft fall into her lap. Her t-shirt.
"Oh, thanks," she said.
Killian smirked. "I quite like you like this, love, but I suppose you'll be wanting that back at some point."
"Shut up," she laughed, hitting him lightly on the arm. She was feeling the effects of the alcohol now. Everything was light and her head felt a little dizzy but overall she felt loose, free…happy. Which was something she hadn't really felt in a long time. And it was all thanks to Killian.
As she slipped the t-shirt back over her head, Killian reached up to scratch behind his ear.
"I hope you had fun, at least," he muttered before sitting up to lean back onto the couch.
"Yeah, I did actually. Thank you, Killian."
"No problem, love."
He smiled at her then, eyes blue and sparkling and hopeful, and as she smiled back, looking between his eyes and his lips as he did the same. In that moment, she wanted nothing but for him to reach out and touch her, to pull her close, to kiss the ever-living daylights out of her right there and then.
But the thought was met with a sudden pang in her chest, like a sharp shift in gears.
It felt a lot like wanting to run.
This is how it all starts: Girl meets boy. Boy charms girl. They are happy. Girl falls in love. Boy leaves girl. End of story.
And she was not about to let her life tell the same sad tale again.
He must have noticed the change of expression in her eyes, because his concerned voice brought her out of the moment.
"Emma?"
She shook her head as she stood up and looked around frantically for her phone and key.
A soft hand around her wrist brought her attention back to him, his eyes concerned and searching.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just…I have to go. I'm sorry, Killian. I shouldn't have come here."
His fingers released her wrist, and she didn't bother to say goodbye to the others before walking out the door and heading straight back to her room.
/
The next morning before the final awards ceremony, Killian stopped by her room to check on her. He had a hunch as to why she bailed the night before, but thought that she might never admit to it.
Swan was going to be a challenge, but she was worth it. He'd never met any woman as driven, beautiful, and relatable as she was. Not even Milah.
The thought made him sad, as remembering his former girlfriend always did. But over the last couple of days, it seemed as though the pain of losing Milah was finally starting to get replaced with something else- hope. It wasn't until he'd met Emma Swan that he'd ever truly considered the fact that there might be someone else out there for him.
When she didn't answer to his knocking at the door, he retreated and made his way downstairs for breakfast, figuring that she probably had just gotten up early and was already there.
But when he didn't see her at breakfast either, he started to worry a bit. He considered that she might still be in her room, and perhaps was just asleep after all the alcohol from the night before.
His last chance to see her that weekend would be the final awards ceremony at lunch time, when he hoped that he'd get the chance to talk to her about the night before and clear the air.
As the crowd gathered into the ballroom for the awards, he scanned the room for any flash of blonde he could find in hopes that she would be there. He was momentarily distracted from his search when David called him to come sit down.
The ceremony started and he pulled out his phone, tempted to ask Robin for Emma's phone number so that he could send her a quick text to ask if she was okay. But then he didn't, because he was afraid that it would scare her off even more. But he couldn't help the ache he felt at her absence, clearly noted, and honestly, the room was just a little bit dimmer without her in it.
The moderator began to give out the first few awards, including best original cocktails, best bartender, and fan favorite. Lusca won fan favorite, and Killian couldn't help but smile when his mates patted him on the back as he got up from the table and made his way up to accept the award.
They asked him to stand to the side of the stage with the other award winners, and he took the opportunity to take one more glance around the room.
"Last but not least, the award you all have been waiting for all weekend," spoke the moderator. "The award for best new bar goes to a bar that is no older than 3 years old, and is a stand out among local bars in way of originality, creativity, and atmosphere. This year we at the Top Shelf Association would like to award this honor to Savior, owned by Ms. Emma Swan."
The crowd erupted into applause, and Killian's heart fluttered in his chest. He was so incredibly proud and happy for her-and he couldn't wait to see the smile on her face when she found out that all her hard work had paid off.
It was hard to see with all the lights shining on his face, but as soon as Emma rounded the corner, he knew it was her.
She stepped up to the stage in a knockout skin tight red dress, with black heels as high as he'd ever seen. She didn't seem to be having any trouble in them, though.
"Thank you so much," she said into the microphone. "This has been a dream of mine for some time now, and I can't tell you how good it feels to have this win under our belt. Someone once told me that people are going to tell you who you are your whole life, and you just have to punch back and say, "No. This is who I am." Well, this is my version of punching back. This is for everyone who never believed in me or thought that I couldn't do this on my own. So again, thank you so much for this honor. We hope to see all of you over at Savior for celebratory drinks after this!"
The crowd cheered again, and the moderator ushered Emma over to where the other winners were standing…right next to Killian. She wouldn't look at him, but instead smiled and waved to the crowd as she held her small golden trophy. He thought about her speech, and about what she'd told him the night before-about Neal and the bar and all of the shit she'd been through.
The photographer came over and asked them all to shuffle in closer so that he could take a picture. Emma did reluctantly, still not getting too close to Killian, as if touching him would be like striking a match against her skin.
"Closer, please!" the photographer shouted.
Emma sighed and finally got closer to Killian, who having nowhere to comfortably rest his arm now, placed it at the small of her back.
As soon as the photograph was taken, Killian didn't even get a chance to get a word in with Emma before she was walking off the stage, and he was being bombarded with press and interviews for local magazines.
And for the third time that weekend, he watched her walk out the door.
But he wasn't going to let her get too far this time.