When Mary Margaret knocked on her door, Emma was already up and bustling, and had been since 6:30 that morning. She had had a terrible sleep and when she'd finally woken up, images of the prior night flashed behind her drooping eyelids, hence her morning craze of keeping busy to keep the images at bay. Not that she cared or anything. He could do whatever he wanted.

"Are you sure you're okay? You're actually cleaning and awake before 8:00," Mary Margaret teased from where she leaned against the kitchen counter, waiting for her friend to finish up.

"Of course, I'm fine." Emma brushed off Mary Margaret's concern while scrubbing furiously at a plate in the sink. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," Mary Margaret eased. "Last night at the dance, with Killian..."

"I said I'm fine," Emma snapped harshly. She glanced over at her friend whose eyes had blown wide with shock at Emma's outburst. "I'm sorry," she said as she grabbed a mug to clean. "I just... okay. So maybe I was a little upset last night, but I don't know what got into me. It's not like we're dating or anything, and he has every right to hang out with anyone he wants. I know what you're going to say: but what about your happiness, Emma? Well I am happy. I'm adopting Henry today. I don't need a man to be happy, and certainly not Killian."

"I'm not saying you do, but Killian makes you happy, I can see it," Mary Margaret said cautiously. "If you have developed feelings for him, would that be such a bad thing?" Emma's hands stilled in the sink and she kept her eyes down.

"Yes," she replied after a moment, and started scrubbing again, "because obviously those feelings aren't – wouldn't be returned." Emma took a deep breath and tried to let it out slowly. "Let's just go." She quickly dried her hands on a towel before hastily grabbing her purse and Henry's papers. Without another word to Mary Margaret, she opened the door and went out, not even waiting for her friend to follow.

As Emma yanked open the glass door to the dining hall, she spotted Henry eating breakfast with Killian. She saw the young boy stare up at Killian with rapt attention, listening to some tall tale the Irish man was whipping up just for him. Emma's heart clenched, but she was unsure as to which sight was the cause. Taking a deep breath, Emma strode over to their table, slowing just before she arrived. She internally cursed her hesitance. Why was this so hard? She didn't care.

"Hey, kid! You ready to go?" Emma asked, looking directly at Henry. Apparently, ignoring Killian completely was the plan of action at the moment.

"Yeah! I'll go grab my backpack."

"Great," Emma replied and turned to follow him.

"Swan!" She heard a chair scrape behind her, indicating Killian had gotten up from his seat. Reluctantly, she turned around. "Good morning," he said with a grin as bright as the rising sun. It made Emma's stomach churn.

"Morning," she answered tightly before turning back around to leave.

"Hey, wait!" he called, and Emma really had no choice but to face him once again. She would just have to hope Henry came back quick. "Where were you last night?" Killian asked, his tone laced with what appeared to be disappointment. No, it couldn't have been.

"Oh, um, I wasn't feeling that well," Emma replied shortly as she continued to avert her eyes from his.

"Are you feeling better this morning?"

"Yep." Emma peered out the window and saw Henry coming back from his cabin, the closest to the dining hall. She grabbed her car keys out of her pocket and made to go meet Henry.

"Emma!" Killian took a few quick paces to catch up with her. "Where are you going?"

"Into town to complete the adoption." Emma kept her focus strained forward as she made her way towards the door.

"Oh! Well, do you fancy another passenger?" Emma could hear the way his lips were tilted in a playful smirk and she just couldn't bring herself to look at him.

"Uh, no, it's okay," she said. Without another word to the man behind her, Emma met Henry outside the hall and got into her car.

"I'll just stay here by myself then," Killian mumbled, confused and slightly hurt as he watched the two of them drive away.

"Alright, you get to pick the tunes this time," Emma said as they rolled onto the highway. Henry got to ride in the passenger's seat for the first time in a while, seeing as it was usually reserved for a certain dark-haired man. Henry peered over his shoulder for a long moment, as if hoping Killian would appear and demand for his spot in shotgun ("It's only fair, lad. I am older." "Yeah, come on, Henry. Let grandpa over here ride shotgun. Remember to respect your elders." "Oh I can assure you Swan, I am anything but an old man."). "Hey," Emma said, causing Henry to face the front once again. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Henry replied quietly. A moment passed as Henry watched the thick forest roll by beside the road. "Why isn't Killian coming? He always hangs out with us."

"Killian's actually too busy this weekend to come with us today."

"Oh." Henry replied, and glared out the window. ("Killian, do you think we could check out that new trail this weekend? I mean, if you have time?" "Of course, Henry. I have no other plans for the weekend, so any time you want, lad!"). "That's too bad," Henry mumbled.

It was late when Emma and Henry arrived back at Camp Storybrooke, and the councilors had all turned in for the night. Emma parked her car in the staff parking lot and nudged Henry awake. After a long day, the boy was exhausted. However, when he realized they had made it home, he jolted to his senses. They got out of the car and after giving Emma a long hug, Henry grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Can I go tell Killian everything?" he asked excitedly, bouncing on his feet and waiting for Emma's indication he could go.

"That sounds like a great idea," she replied, but her smile was strained. Henry gave her another quick hug before tearing towards the Crocodile cabin. "Goodnight, Henry," Emma called after him.

"Goodnight, Mom!" he yelled across camp. Emma cringed, realizing they had probably just woken up the entire camp, but she couldn't help but feel a genuine smile fill her face as she watched her son running in the distance.

She locked her yellow bug and made the short trek up to her house. She was just reaching the top of her porch when she noticed the lights on in the living room of the home beside her. Mary Margaret and David were probably still awake and Emma knew they would probably love to hear about how her and Henry's day had gone. Not only that, but Emma didn't want to spend the evening alone with her thoughts after that Friday night. By keeping busy all day and talking to Henry, Emma had managed to avoid thinking of the dance, but left to her own mind, the inexplicable pain started creeping in all over again.

So that's how Emma found herself walking over to their house in the dark. She had barely knocked when David opened the door, almost as if they were expecting her. Knowing them, maybe they were.

"Hi, I just..." Emma tried to explain, but the minute she walked into the room, David pulled her into a tight hug. He made to pull away gently, but Emma tightened her grip and David hugged her right back. She wasn't ready to let go just yet. Although she'd seen him around camp and hung out with him a few nights over the summer, she had missed this. This caring, loving, brother he had become to her. And right now, she needed it. When they finally did break apart, the look on David's face told Emma that Mary Margaret had told David everything. While Emma was grateful to have a friend like Mary Margaret, she sure couldn't keep anything a secret. But at this moment, Emma was secretly glad she had their overwhelming support. David led her into the living room where Mary Margaret met her with another hug.

"How did it go today?" Mary Margaret inquired happily as the trio sat down on the couches, successfully distracting Emma from the get-go. Emma proceeded to explain the whole day in great detail while her two friends listened intently. They laughed at Emma's stories of Henry's crazy reasons as to why ice cream was a healthy dinner option and Mary Margaret almost cried when she told them about handing in the final papers.

As her story wound to a close, Mary Margaret brought out some hot chocolate with cinnamon, Emma's not-so-guilty pleasure and they elected to play Scrabble next. While David gave Emma a run for her money, Mary Margaret was hopeless, and Emma won in the end. It was exactly the kind of night that Emma needed.

After Emma had thanked them for the evening and another round of hugs, she decided take a detour to the kitchens to see if she could nab some bagels or bread to stock up her house. Although it was dark out and the hour had gotten late, Emma walked the well-worn path down to the centre of camp with ease. She opened the doors to the hall (they were never locked seeing as they were in the middle of nowhere and they had no real threats) and noticed a faint light shining down the short hallway to the kitchen. Treading cautiously, she made her way towards the light and heard hushed tones. Finally poking her head around the corner, she wished she had never come to the kitchens. After such a nice night with Mary Margaret and David, she was met with this.

Killian and Ruby were seated on the counter, huddled near each other in a cozy conversation. Ruby giggled at something Killian said and Emma felt a spike of jealousy rip through her and settle deep within her stomach. I'm not jealous. I don't care. Emma tried to sneak out without either of them noticing, but her emerald eyes fell upon his striking blue ones and she suddenly felt the urge to run out of there. She heard footsteps approaching behind her and she really didn't want to face him.

"Emma! Emma! Hold on!" She had just made it out the door when Killian caught up with her, panting slightly.

"What Killian?" Emma turned around sharply.

"What is going on? I haven't talked to you all day, and Henry said that you told him I was busy when you knew full well I wasn't." Killian's eyes pierced hers, searching for answers she wasn't going to give him. Emma didn't respond. She crossed her arms and looked away. "Have I done something to upset you?" Killian asked softly. "Because you haven't talked, really talked, to me all day and I don't know why."

"I think you can survive a day without me. I don't owe you anything." Emma wanted nothing more than to be back up in the safe walls of her house where nobody would be looking at her like Killian was in that moment: his eyes calculating hers with a stormy, but somehow hurt expression. She looked away.

"I bloody well know that, but is it such a crime for us to spend time together? To be there for each other? I thought we were friends" Killian's voice on the edge of cracking was enough to shake Emma back to reality. Why would he be the one who was hurt here?

"We are friends, Killian."

"Then why won't you even look at me?" he pleaded. Emma's eyes finally met his and she saw the anguish that matched the tone of his words. But every time Emma tried to hold his gaze, she saw him and Ruby together, and that was more than she could handle.

"Maybe I just can't." Emma rasped before she turned on her heel and strode quickly away, leaving Killian speechless behind her.