Emma and Killian are bonding a lot. She's sharing with him. I don't know if that's actually something Emma would have done in season one, but for the purpose of this story, I needed them to have a strong friendship right away.

Also there might be a lot of mistakes in this chapter. I didn't edit it like I do my other ones. I was planning on doing that today before the show, but some things happened and I didn't get to. Now I just want to put it online. I apologize in advance.

Chapter Three

1x04 "The Price of Gold"

He hadn't been paying attention. If he had, he would have spotted Emma sooner. He would have attended her. She would have talked to him, tell him how things went with Mary Margret the previous night.

Lately he found himself really looking forward to his talks with her. They never lasted longer than fifteen minutes, but those fifteen minutes were heavenly. Those short moments would carry him through the day.

He wasn't going to get that moment this morning. By the time he had seen her, Ruby was already there at her table.

He looked away deciding it was better to pretend she wasn't there than to know she was there and be unable to reach her. Several minutes later when he did look over, her white shirt was covered in hot chocolate. Then again in another few minutes, she was walking out with another shirt on and an angry look on her face.

It appeared it wouldn't be a good day for either one of them.

cs

The following day, he saw her several times. She was in and out of Granny's the entire day. All Ruby would tell him was that she was looking for a pregnant friend of hers. He could tell the topic was sensitive to her so he didn't push further.

So when Emma came in later that night, he was half expecting her to be looking for his female co-worker. "Ruby's not here," he said before she could even take a seat at any of the empty tables.

"I wasn't looking for her," Emma said sliding into one of the seats at the counter.

"Oh," he said. He started fixing up a drink for her. "You were here all day with Ruby and I just assumed th-."

"That I had forgotten about you? Nope," Emma said answering her own question. Considering the day she'd just had, she wasn't in the mood for a serious conversation. She wanted to lighten things up a little. "You know I tried to wave hi to you, but you completely ignored me."

"Sorry," he said genuinely apologetic. He could fight back and say that she looked incredibly occupied with whatever was going on, but he didn't want to fight with her.

"You should be after all, I can arrest you if you make me mad now," Emma said.

"Pardon?"

"I'm the new Deputy."

"You -. Congratulations, Swan."

"Thanks, Jones," she said.

He hands her a cup of hot chocolate with cinnamon. "It's on the house," he said. She titled her head and he sensed she was about to tell him that she could pay for herself. He stopped her before she could get a word out. "You're the new Deputy. The least you can let me do is buy you a drink if you're going to keep our town safe."

"Why are you so keen on buying food?" she asked.

He was tempted to tell her about his feelings for her. He wanted to thank her for reviving something in his spirit that made him happier than he has been in the longest time.

"You can tell me anything," she said.

He was a coward. He wasn't going to tell her that he was falling in love with her. He was going to play it off. "But that would be no fun."

She didn't realize the truth behind why he was being so nice to her. She thought maybe Henry had told him about the curse. Maybe he was in on Operation Cobra.

"Fine. I'll let you buy me the hot chocolate. Just this once."

1x05 "That Still Small Voice"

"I heard the first week of you being Deputy Sheriff has gone great," Killian said.

"Is that supposed to be funny?" Emma asked.

"Nope," he said. He had heard about everything. Ruby had come in after her shift had ended and told him about the mines collapsing and Henry and Archie being in them. "You got them both out of danger. You're doing a good job, Deputy."

"I don't feel like I'm doing a good job just yet."

Normally he would make her a cup of hot chocolate. Today he could tell she needed something more. "Rum?" he asked.

She looked at him questioning if she should or not. "I'm off the clock. Why the hell not? Let me buy you a drink," she said.

"Actually, I'm allergic. I never touch the stuff," he said.

She didn't think that was actually possible, but she didn't question him on it.

"How's life living with Mary Margret?" he asked.

"It's better than I expected."

"That's good."

"Yeah," she said. She took a sip of her drink. "So, I guess with half the town being at the mines, someone had to stay here."

"Yeah. I'm the inferior of all the employees here at Granny's."

"If you ask me, you're the only one who gets orders right around here."

They were both feeling down about themselves today. Both of them didn't realize the other was trying to cheer them up.

"It's all for the best. Don't get me wrong, I was worried about your boy, but I wouldn't have been any use to you," he said. He looks down at his missing hand. "Plus I'm not exactly a social butterfly."

"You don't like your neighbors?" she asked. She completely ignored him putting himself down because he only had one arm. She was curious about what had happened, but not enough to make him uncomfortable by asking. "Don't you see them every day? I mean, this is the most popular restaurant in this town."

"People come in here. They eat and then they leave. I know faces and favorite orders, maybe some names, but I don't know people," he said.

She nodded along. "Before this town, I would have said the same thing. I bounced around a lot. I never really saw the point of making lasting friendships."

"Before this town?" Killian asked. He was trying his best not to sound as hopeful and lighthearted as he was feeling. "Do you think you've found that kind of friendship here?"

"Until something comes in and ruins it," Emma said. She realized how pessimistic she sounded right now. "All I'm saying is you should get out more. I've only ever seen you here. I bet you'd look good out of that red and white uniform."

"Emma," he said laughing nervously.

Both their cheeks turn crimson red.

"I meant in some other clothes, Killian," she said laughing at the misinterpretation.

"Oh," he said. He scratches behind his ear apprehensively. "Right."

"Just give it a shot. I'm sure once people got to know you, they won't be coming in here just for the food," Emma said.

She had no idea the effect her words had on him. "I'll think about it."

1x06 "The Shepherd"

Emma didn't question when she was invited to David's welcome home party. She didn't know the married couple other than the quick exchange when she had met Katherine, but she figured being invited to every party was just something this town did.

"We just have to get him to remember that he's -."

"He's Prince Charming," she said finishing the sentence. Henry was seated right next to her going on about the curse. She had to give him props for his consistent rules to this obviously untrue curse.

"We just have to jog his memory by getting him and Ms. Blanchard together."

"Didn't we just try that?" Emma asked.

"And it woke him up."

"Hey," David said. He came straight up to them. "You're the ones who saved me, right?"

They exchanged brief conversation with him that involved Henry asking him if he used a sword and him asking about Mary Margaret. The next thing she knew, his wife was coming up to her and questioning where he had gone.

She spotted Killian on the other side of the room. He was talking to Leroy. Her curiosity to ask Henry who he thought his fairytale character was got the best of her. She pulled him to the side making sure no one would hear her giving into his insanity. "Who's he?" she asked slightly pointing at Killian.

"That's Killian. He works at Granny's."

"I know. I meant, who is he really?"

"Oh," Henry said. He had a proud smile on his face. He thought she was slowly starting to believe the truth about the curse. "That's Captain Hook."

"Captain Hook is a villain. I've talked to him. He's too nice to be a villain."

"Maybe that's part of the curse for him."

She found herself ready to come to defense. Neither of them noticed Killian walking up to them. "Well, this is quite some party," he said.

Both Henry and Emma put a halt to their conversation.

He looks back and forth between the two of them. "Why do I get the feeling you guys were talking about something rather important?" he asked.

Emma decided to veer the conversation somewhere else. "I saw you talking to Leroy. I told you people would like you once they got to know you," she said.

"I suppose you were right."

He didn't have the heart to tell her Leroy had only been complaining about his food being cold this morning. Instead, he would feed into her illusion that he was someone who could be loved. Maybe then he would believe it himself.

TBC