A/N; Thank you all so much for all the favorites and reviews that have been added for this story! I appreciate it more than you could imagine and the support has blown me away. Here's chapter two, I hope you enjoy!

Thin slivers of the early morning sunlight filtered in through the large paned windows of the inn, and Emma blinked the sleep blearily out of her eyes as she continued her morning tasks of preparing to open.

She always woke up early; she wasn't a morning person at all, but waking up before the sun had even risen had become a habit once she started working at the inn for her parents. They normally didn't open the establishment up to the outside world until eight in the morning, and Emma glanced at the old grandfather clock beside the fireplace, sighing to herself as the time read half past six.

Emma rolled her neck and stretched her arms before fiddling with the ends of her hair as she lazily replied to emails, as if she was stuck in an early morning trance that only the afternoon hours could break.

Her mind unintentionally drifted off to Killian, and she nearly groaned out loud as a reprimand to herself. She thought of his mussed hair and his gentle voice, and she wondered what it sounded like in the morning. She spun around in her desk chair once, letting out a wistful sigh as her eyes wandered over to the crate of orchids.

Emma studied them, as if she was seeing them in a new light, and took note of the careful amount of detail and attention that had been put into the arrangement. She appreciated the placement of each flower, impressed by the easy mix of pinks, whites, and greens.

The flowers interested her, and so did he, not that she'd allow herself to dwell on that fact for too long. She was interested in the flowers and how often he tended to them, because she could see that they were obviously well-tended too. She wondered if he had his own little area sectioned off for the flowers and if he had a favorite type. (The orchids were her favorite, she decided, but she supposed that she was partially biased, as seeing him with them made her appreciate them just a bit more.)

A few short moments later, Emma's cell phone buzzed loudly in the quiet room, startling her out of her thoughts and causing her to frown in confusion. She caught sight of the caller ID and the contact picture before letting out a snort of amusement.

"Good morning," Emma mused as she spoke into the phone. "It's about time you called, I was beginning to think you wouldn't."

"You are so lucky that you're my best friend," she heard Elsa grumble from the other end of the line. "I woke up this early just for you."

"Drama queen," Emma retorted in response.

"No," Elsa countered. "Just the queen."

Emma rolled her eyes, pressing her phone into her shoulder as she stood up to lean over and supply the orchids with some water.

"You're up early this morning," Elsa said, sounding suspicious. "And you sound happy. What's going on?"

Emma wracked her mind for a comeback, unable to find an answer to her unexplainable sense of contentment that she felt that morning.

"I –" she stalled, finding herself at a loss for words, knowing that her best friend knew her better than anyone, and that she'd immediately catch on.

"Oh my god," Elsa muttered, and Emma could practically see her eyes widen comically through the tone of her voice. "Oh my – no way, you met someone!"

"Elsa –"

"Holy crap, I'm right, aren't I? Of course I am, Emma, this is huge!" Elsa exclaimed, causing Emma to wince. "Did you meet him at the inn last night? Outside the inn? Did you go somewhere without me? Did this happen last night? Emma, answer me! Wait, is it even a guy?"

"God, for not being a morning person you sure do have quite the mouth on you at this hour," Emma interjected.

"Emma, I swear –"

"Fine!" Emma snapped. "Fine, yes. I did meet someone last night. A guy, to answer your burning question. At the inn. But this isn't why I wanted you to be up this early!"

"Are you kidding me?" Elsa replied. "I don't care that I have to deliver your breakfast goods to feed your guests, Anna's already baking up a storm. What I need to know, is the story behind this."

So with a sigh and a noise of protest, Emma did just that and launched into the tale of meeting Killian, one which she hoped she would get to tell over and over again. Emma fingered the petals of the orchids delicately, a soft smile playing on her lips as Elsa would let out the occasional squeal.

Emma looked up from the flowers as her mother and father emerged from the hallway, and she noticed how much brighter it had gotten. She listened absentmindedly as Elsa continued to ramble on, and she greeted her parents each with a quick peck on the cheek before they shot her tiny smiles laced with the slightest bit of pride, causing her heart to swell.

Their guests had begun to file in soon after that, and she watched as her parents greeted each and every single one of them, some being familiar faces and some not so much. They all helped themselves to the fresh array of breakfast foods that they had catered from the bakery that Elsa and her sister, Anna, ran together.

Emma tuned herself back into Elsa's excited chatter, biting back a laugh as her friend rambled on about wedding bells and the cake she'd be baking just for the occasion. Emma snorted out a laugh, unable to help herself.

Just then, a dark head of hair captured her attention out of the corner of her eye, and Emma felt herself take in a sharp intake of breath. Emma snapped upright, jolting away from the flowers and sitting herself down in her seat as she intentionally pressed her phone closer to her ear.

"Yes, so we're out of croissants and muffins," Emma interrupted, putting on her best business voice as she became all too aware of Killian's presence. "I'll be needing about five dozen for each, if that's alright."

"Emma, what are you –" Elsa began before Emma could practically hear the wheels in her friend's head immediately click. "Ohhh," Elsa drawled, a teasing smirk evident through the tone of her voice. "He's there, isn't he?"

"Elsa –"

"Is he cute?" Elsa continued relentlessly. "At least tell me that!"

Emma wanted to scream out the obvious, knowing that her best friend had now made it her personal mission to tease her mercilessly for her growing crush. Emma fidgeted in her seat, letting out a strangled noise of annoyance as Elsa practically cackled at her reactions from the opposite end of the line.

Killian suddenly caught her eye, his eyes all bright and twinkling as he lifted a hand towards her in greeting. She felt herself blush, much to her horror, and she sent him a smile in response.

"You aren't responding," Elsa stated, her voice laced with laughter. "Are you making eyes with him?"

"Elsa!" Emma nearly shrieked in surprise, her blush deepening knowing that Killian had more than likely seen her reaction. She averted her gaze, flitting her gaze downwards as she hid herself directly behind the wide screen of her computer.

"What?" Elsa laughed, and Emma peeked out from her personal hiding spot to find Killian. She let out a sigh of relief as she took in her mother chatting away with him, a friendly smile on his face and his hands stuffed into the front pockets of his jeans.

"Emma, are you even listening to a word I'm saying?" she heard Elsa ask. "God, you are so whipped."

"I am not!" Emma retorted immediately, her voice low as her cheeks flamed yet again. She let out a groan, slouching into her chair as her stomach flipped at the sound of his laughter.

She was in so much trouble.

Killian turned his head over his shoulder as Mary Margaret continued conversation with him, his eyes intentionally seeking out for those specific pair of greens. He felt his heart drop to his stomach when he realized that she had disappeared, and he hoped his expression didn't show his disappointment as he turned back towards Mary Margaret, his head bobbing along in agreement to whatever she was saying and his tone light.

Emma felt like the breath had been knocked right out of her as she had caught him turning towards her, his gaze eager and his eyes searching. But maybe, it had just been her eyes playing tricks on her.

Elsa's endless chatter and merciless teasing tuned Emma back into their conversation, and she nearly growled out a sigh.

"Elsa, if you don't shut up, so help me –"

"Alright, alright," Elsa laughed, sounding smug that she had been able to rile Emma up so much. "I'll be over with everything in about half an hour, we had an early start." She paused. "Am I gonna have to bring Graham with me to protect me?"

Emma grinned, this time her voice teasing yet innocent as she replied, "Oh, don't worry. He'd be there to protect you no matter what."

She heard Elsa take in a sharp breath and she wanted to let out a laugh of victory, knowing that her two best friends had major crushes on each other since the beginning of time itself. Emma loved them both and wanted the best for them, but they were always so stubborn when it came to their feelings.

"I hate you so much," Elsa grumbled after a pause, and Emma chuckled to herself as the phone line went dead, droning out with a monotone buzz.

Emma stood up, looking around discreetly for any sign of Killian. She had found him chatting away with Grumpy, who surprisingly looked more than happy to be chatting away with a stranger despite his normal grumpy attitude towards anyone and everyone, hence the nickname.

Emma smiled to herself, consumed by her own thoughts, and she hummed underneath her breath as she continued to busy herself with organizing paperwork.

Killian looked around after his conversation with Grumpy, hiding his curious and searching eyes as he took a sip of coffee out of his mug. The taste of the liquid burned and tingled against his tongue, but it sent a satisfying jolt of warmth down his spine. He sighed to himself, feeling surprisingly well-rested and content.

His eyes finally found Emma; her back was turned to him, and her hair rested in a tumbling waterfall down her shoulder. He itched to run his fingers through her hair, itched to hold her close and whisper a good morning into her ear, to make her laugh and smile whenever and as much as he wanted to. He bit back a groan, feeling overwhelmed and all too warm after his cup of coffee and now, the thoughts of Emma that swirled through his mind.

Mere moments later, he found himself at the foot of the front desk, Emma just a couple of feel away with her back still turned to him as she studied a folder in her hands. He panicked, suddenly feeling conscious and all too aware of their proximity, and he was just about to whirl around on his heel, hoping that he wouldn't cause any disturbance that would gain her attention, when she beat him to it, and the two of them came face to face with each other.

Emma looked at him, a stunned expression on her face before she blinked, and he watched in fascination as the apples of her cheeks flushed an endearing shade of pink. He gave her a smile, hoping that his nerves hadn't been too obvious, before he managed to finally open his mouth and speak.

"Good morning," he said softly as the corners of his lips turned upwards just by the slightest bit.

Emma grinned at him, "Morning. Uh, did you sleep well?"

"I did," he nodded, feeling slightly more confident as her smile hadn't faltered. "Good thing I decided to come in here instead of sleeping out in my truck full of orchids."

Emma let out a chuckle; he thought she'd have a pretty laugh, but hearing it instead of imagining it was beyond what she had in mind. The laughter tumbled out from beneath her lips, sounding genuine and happy, and it filled him with complete and utter warmth. Her eyes brightened to the prettiest shade of green and the skin around her eyes crinkled; he decided that he hadn't ever seen a more beautiful sight.

"Yeah, good thing." Emma mused in response. Their eyes remained locked together, the smile evident through the brightness of his expression, and she allowed another smile to overtake her lips as she casted her eyes downwards.

"Excuse me, Emma?" Killian faintly heard from beside him, and he turned to find a petite woman who immediately delved into conversation once she had gotten Emma's attention. He watched as Emma shot him an apologetic look and felt himself nod in understanding, and she promptly turned towards the woman, her smile light and her tone friendly.

He was distracted by her, too distracted to even focus on the muffin in his hands as he backtracked towards the breakfast table, leaving her behind the front desk with the woman several feet away. He felt too far away and he scolded himself for feeling so desperate and pathetic for her presence, but his body yearned for her; he yearned for her touch, her voice, her laugh, the smell and sound and very essence of her.

He yearned for Emma – Emma, Emma, Emma – it was as if the beat of his heart had already been breathing along to the sound of her name.

Killian looked up towards her, finding that her gaze had flitted over to him, too, and he felt his heart stutter in his chest. The softness in her gaze startled him into stillness, and he's suddenly aware, all too aware, of the effect that she's got on him.

He caught a bit of her smile as she turned back towards the woman, and he headed towards the front door. He decided right then and there that he could face any day as long as her smile was a part of it.

Emma looked after Killian as he disappeared through the front door, her stomach flipping nervously at the possibility of him never coming back. Her heart felt heavy when the door hadn't opened after it closed after him, and she sighed, wondering what she had been expecting. Even when he was gone, he stayed with her; he lingered in the back of her mind, haunting her throughout the day with his shy, hesitant smiles and the gentle timbre of his accented voice.

He was a ghost, and the love that she had for him raged on inside of her like a storm, and it couldn't be controlled.