Thanks again for all of your encouragement for this story.
Emma was half way through her breakfast when Ruby asked, "So, what's going on with you and Killian Jones?"
She coughed wildly, choking on the bite of toast she'd just taken, before Ruby took pity on her and slapped her on the back.
"Nothing. Nothing's going on. Why do you ask?" Even to her own ears, Emma could tell how off she sounded. She just hoped she could get away with blaming it on almost choking to death.
"He's not taken his eyes off you since we came down for breakfast."
Emma was grateful that she hadn't put anything else in her mouth before Ruby spoke. Instead, she tried to turn her head as casually as she could, to see if she could spot him in the room.
"He's in the left corner, behind you," Ruby deadpanned. "Looked like he was about to knock the damned table over to get to you when you started choking. So, I ask again, what's going on with you two?"
"Nothing," Emma insisted, truly believing the answer herself. "We ran into each other a few times outside of the convention. That's all. Nothing's going on."
Ruby picked up her teaspoon to stir sugar into her coffee. Emma watched as she took a small sip, and then sat her mug back down before she spoke. "A man doesn't get that look on his face when nothing's happening between him and a woman, Emma. You can tell me what's happened. I'm not gonna go running back to Neal to tell on you."
"Ruby… honestly… nothing is happening. I promise. If there were anything going on, you'd be the first to know." She reached across the table to take her best friend's hands into her own.
"So… why didn't you tell me about running into him?"
Emma wanted to kick herself. Ruby seemed genuinely hurt that she'd not told her friend about what had happened.
"Well, the first time it happened, I was a little tipsy. I thought maybe I'd hallucinated the entire thing. The second time… I don't know. I guess… I guess maybe I thought you wouldn't believe me."
Ruby squeezed Emma's hands in her own, to get her attention.
"I would always believe you, Ems. But... let's not tell Regina and Belle. It's kind of exciting having this secret."
Emma laughed, before letting go of Ruby to finish eating. They didn't have long until they needed to head back to the convention hotel for the final day.
Killian was gone by the time they'd finished eating.
Their final day at the convention was much more relaxed than the previous one had been. Emma didn't have any other photo ops booked, so she and Ruby spent the morning listening to cast panels. Killian would be doing one final panel that afternoon, before his autograph session, and she was counting down the hours until that moment.
They met up with Regina and Belle again at lunchtime, this time making sure to trade numbers before the craziness of the afternoon kicked in, in case they were separated. They even agreed to book tickets for next year's event as a group the moment they went on sale, so that they'd get to stay together for the entire weekend.
Emma excused herself just before the lunch break was over to call home. She wandered back down the hotel corridors the same way she had the day before, slipping into the very same room.
This time, her breath caught in her throat as she saw the figure sat hunched over the table in the corner. He looked up at the soft sound of the door closing behind her, a small smile working across his face.
"Hey." She still didn't really know what to say around him.
"Hi. I was hoping you'd find your way back here." He indicated the room around them with his head, before sliding off the table and moving to stand before her. "I just wanted to check that you were okay. After this morning."
"So you were in the restaurant for breakfast?" Emma asked.
"Yeah. I was gonna say hi, but I didn't want to interrupt you and your friend." He stuffed his hands into his back pockets and rocked back on his heels. "So… last day. Are you excited? Sad?"
"A little of both," Emma admitted. "I'm looking forward to your panel. But I'm also not yet ready to go home."
"Where's home?" Emma watched in stunned silence as Killian made his way back to the table he'd been sat on before, beckoning for her to join him.
"Not far. A small town called Storybrooke in Maine." Emma made her way over to where Killian was sat slowly, still half expecting him to disappear suddenly.
"I haven't heard of it before," he admitted. "Do you have family there?"
"Most people haven't. When I tell them I'm the sheriff there, I think they think I'm making it up."
"You're the sheriff?" Killian interrupted. "As in, law enforcement. Carries a gun and badge type sheriff?"
"Know of any other kinds of sheriff?" she sassed and Killian laughed a little at the tone.
"No. I don't. I was just trying to picture you in one of those ugly sheriff's uniforms you see on TV. It's not really fitting in my head."
"I don't wear one," Emma admitted, blushing a little. "Never have. But I do have a badge and a gun."
"Wow." Killian took a moment to process that mental image before looking back at Emma. "Well, next time you come, you'll have to bring some cuffs with you. Make things a little more interesting. "
Emma almost swallowed her own tongue. "You want me to cuff you?"
"Who doesn't enjoy a little light bondage?" he teased.
Emma was saved the embarrassment of trying to find a response when his phone began beeping in his back pocket.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Killian reluctantly admitted. "See you in the panel room."
He was out of the door before Emma could process what had happened.
"You were gone a while," Ruby noted, as Emma took her seat in the hall. "Neal giving you trouble again?"
"Shit," Emma exclaimed. "I completely forgot to call him."
"How did you forget? That was the… Oh," Ruby trailed off, already knowing the answer to her next question. "Did you run into him again?"
"Yeah," Emma admitted, quietly. "But can we not talk about it right now?" She glanced around herself meaningfully and Ruby got the message, instead she started digging into her bag to offer her friend a mint.
When the MC appeared on stage at five, Emma felt a shift in the room once again. This would be the final panel of the weekend and she knew everybody was looking forward to it just as much as she was.
"We really hope you guys have had a great weekend," he began. "We've loved having you all here, and we will definitely be doing this again next year. Tickets go on sale Monday morning at nine am so make sure you don't miss out on those."
Emma didn't need the sales pitch. She already knew she'd be back next year. And the year after that.
"Now, we've decided to save the best for last, for you all. So, please give a very warm welcome to our own, Killian Jones."
If Emma thought the gold panel's reaction had been loud, it was nothing compared to this. The entire room erupted into noise. Cheers and whistles filled the space as Killian made his way on stage, taking his seat dead centre. He cast a quick look around the hall, giving the crowd time to settle themselves back down. As he did, his eyes caught Emma's in the front row, lingering a little longer than necessary, before he moved on.
Ruby elbowed her when she noticed it too.
Emma ignored her friend, settling back into her seat to listen to Killian's panel unfold.
As soon as he had finished, Ruby pulled Emma out of the hall and into a quiet section of corridor, away from prying ears.
"He likes you."
"Excuse me?" Emma asked, a little lost in the direction their conversation was taking.
"He. Likes. You," Ruby repeated. "I saw the way he looked for you when he got in that room. This is huge, Emma."
"I'm sure you're wrong," Emma protested. "He probably just likes the idea of having a familiar face in the audience. He probably does this at every con he goes to."
"I highly doubt that," Ruby countered. "He likes you, Emma. You should go for it."
"Go for what?"
"Make a move on him." Ruby said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"I'm engaged," Emma reminded her. "And even if I weren't, I doubt he'd be interested in me when he could, quite literally, have anyone in the world."
"Are you not in this world? Besides, why worry about Neal? I've always said you can do better than him. And isn't Killian on your list?"
"That list is just for fun, Ruby. Neal isn't going to like me throwing myself at any guy. I don't even know why we're having this conversation."
"Fine. Have it your way," she conceded. "I just don't want you to regret not seizing this opportunity. We're only here for another few hours, remember?"
She walked away before Emma could say anything else.
Emma took a moment to freshen up before the autograph sessions. She was also trying really hard not to think about what Ruby had said to her. There was a small part of her mind that was screaming there might be some truth to her words. After all, Killian had been waiting for her, in that room, that afternoon. But, a much larger, and far more sensible, part of her brain just couldn't bring herself to believe it. She was Emma Swan. A sheriff for a small town nobody had ever heard of. She was nothing special.
She found Ruby with Belle and Regina, waiting just outside of the bathrooms for her. All four women had autographs with Killian, and had decided to head into them together.
Emma chose to hang back as the last in their group. She hated the idea of her friends watching what little interaction she'd have left with Killian, and it gave her the time to prepare herself for seeing him again. No matter how many times they'd bumped into each other so far, Emma still couldn't get past that initial shock.
The queue for Killian's autograph crawled along much more slowly than his photo op line had. Emma assumed it was because he was taking the time to speak with each attendee before they left. But she wasn't complaining. It gave her some much-needed time to compose herself.
Belle was the first in their group to approach his table, sliding her photo op down in front of him with a small, "hi." Emma couldn't hear what Killian was saying to her, but she saw Belle flush bright red and nod her head as he bent his to sign the image. She left clutching it to her chest.
Regina was a little more outgoing. Emma overheard as she thanked Killian for his time and wished him a safe flight home, before collecting her picture and leaving the room.
Ruby was the next to go, throwing a quick look over her shoulder at Emma as she approached his desk. Killian must have seen where she was looking, as he turned his head to follow her gaze. When his eyes landed on her, he gave Emma a small smile, before turning his full attention to Ruby. Emma couldn't hear a thing that her best friend said to him as he signed her photo op, but she watched as Ruby made her way out of the room, a sly smile worming it's way over her face as she turned to watch her friend.
Emma took a deep and steadying breath before she made her way to Killian's table, sliding the photo op of the two of them hugging onto the table before him.
"Hey," he greeted, looking down at the picture. "Didn't we go for two?" he asked, picking it up to see if the other was behind it.
"Um, yeah," Emma mumbled, conscious of Killian's handler sat beside him, listening in.
"Can I see the second?" he asked, looking up at her with what could only be described as the world's best puppy-dog eyes.
"Sure." Emma reached for her bag, slowly pulling out her hard case, and the only remaining picture inside of it, before she slid it over the table for Killian to look at. Thankfully, it was at that moment that one of the other members of staff called his handler away to talk.
"This one is much better," Killian told her, pulling out his cell phone to snap a quick picture of their photo op. Emma's eyes couldn't widen any further if they tried. "Mind if I sign this one?" he asked.
"No. Not at all. Go for it." Her voice had gone back to high-pitched and squeaky.
Killian bent his head to begin scribbling away on the picture but still asked, "So, back to work when you get home?"
"Yeah. David, my deputy, is covering for me. But his wife just had a baby so I know he's eager to get back home to them."
"That's sweet," Killian told her, looking up just as his handler sat back down. "I hope you had a great weekend."
"I did, thank you," Emma assured him, sliding both of her pictures off the desk.
"Travel safely, Emma."
Emma didn't reply, noticing that Killian was already busy with the person that had been behind her in line. So instead she concentrated on making her way out of the room without walking into someone or something, as she scanned her pictures. She hadn't realised he'd signed them both.
"What did you get?" Ruby asked, pulling her friend to the side as soon as she left the room. Regina and Belle were waiting for her too.
"Um…" The first picture Emma pulled out was the one she'd originally slid down in front of Killian. She handed that over for her friends to look at.
"You got the same as us," Regina noted, reading his inscription aloud. "'Emma, Thanks for a fantastic weekend'. How did you get yours personalised?"
"He asked for my name," Emma muttered, distractedly. She was too busy reading what Killian had written on her second picture.
Emma,
Next time, make sure to bring those cuffs so we can have some real fun.
I hope to see you again soon.
Thanks for reading.