As filming for the season drew to a close, Killian wasn't surprised when Ashley announced that she had decided not to renew her contract with the network for a second year. She had stated that she felt procedural shows were not for her, and that she wished the entire cast and crew the very best of luck for the future, but Killian couldn't help but worry that he was the real reason she had thrown in the towel.

After his outburst with the Instagram video, he had called Emma for advice on what to do. She had assured him that he was well within his rights to be upset about the violation of his privacy, but that he should probably explain to the poor girl that most of his anger was misplaced, and instead, should have been directed at his lying, cheating wife. She'd also ordered him a bunch of flowers, made up of predominantly purple hyacinths, to offer to Ashley, along with his apology. Because Killian knew absolutely nothing about floral arrangements, and Emma was adamant that large bouquets of roses were not the answer to everything, as he believed.

Ashley had accepted his apology with grace, and had offered up one of her own that rang with sincerity. But things between the two of them had never truly returned to normal. And given that their relationship had never been easy to begin with, the new normal was just downright awkward.

"Have you thought about maybe moving on yourself?" Emma asked cautiously that evening, as he relayed Ashley's news to her. "You're much better than this show, Killian."

"I've thought about it," he admitted cautiously. "I'm just… Do you remember what it was like before the show? The crappy jobs to make ends meet until we were noticed? The constant worry about how to afford food for the next week?" Emma hummed her agreement and Killian added, "I'm not eager to go back to unemployment."

"You have millions of dollars in the bank," she chided. "Unemployment's not so scary when you do."

"Kinda is when your wife's trying to take half of it," he sighed.

"Fuck her," Emma exploded. "She's already gotten far more out of this than she deserves, Killian. Ignore her. You signed your papers. She'll sign hers when she realizes she's not getting anything else out of you. If you let her keep doing this to you, you're never gonna be able to move on."

"You know, I don't remember asking for your opinion on that," he snapped back, his temper rising once more. Killian hated himself for it the moment the words had left his mouth. Emma was the only person he had left to turn to, in his life. He didn't want this misplaced anger to drive her away too.

"Well, that's tough shit," she told him. "You might not want my opinions, but you're gonna get them. You're my best friend. She's hurting you, Killian, and it's killing me to see her doing this to you. You don't deserve that. So, whether you wanna hear it or not, I'm gonna give it to you straight, because someone in your life has to."

There was silence over the line for the longest of moments, as Killian tried to find the words he needed to apologize to his friend. But, Emma didn't need them. She already knew how sorry he was. His silence spoke volumes.

"So, I've been thinking," she began softly, her own way of letting him know that all was forgiven, "How about we adopt a new couldn't-give-a-fuck attitude with regards to your divorce, and you join me for my next premier?"

"You what now?" Killian asked, confused by the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken.

"That indie flick I filmed a few months back is premiering at Tribeca in a couple of weeks. I've been invited to attend the premier, so I was thinking that maybe, as you'll be wrapped by then, you'd like to join me? I know I'll enjoy the festival a lot more with you there to keep me company. And it's excellent for networking in the industry."

A large part of Killian wanted to refuse the offer. As Ashley had pointed out, a huge chunk of his fan base already believed that he and Emma were intimate, and he knew that if they started appearing at events as each other's dates, they would only add fuel to that fire of rumors. He also knew that his wife wouldn't be terribly happy about seeing him out on the arm of another woman either, even if she'd never deemed Emma a risk to their relationship while they'd been married. But, Emma was right. It was time for him to stop living in fear of his soon-to-be-ex-wife's demands, and to start enjoying life once again.

The only way Killian could ever imagine that happening, was with Emma at his side.

"Okay," he agreed softly. "I can do that."

"Yeah?" she asked.

The disbelief in her tone made Killian's heart ache a little. He hated that she had been truly expecting him to turn her down. They used to spend plenty of time together when Emma lived in LA, and he missed that side of their friendship. After she'd left the show, Emma had been kept busy with work all around the globe, for various different projects. She would travel to Africa one month, as part of the charity work she was always so passionate about, to report back on how the fundraising money was being spent, and to encourage others to continue donating. The next month would be spent in England, in theatre, working on various different projects before she would fly back home, to film small roles for movies, or guest spots for the show. There hadn't been much time for more than a quick chat over coffee, between flights across the world.

Now that she seemed to be back in the country for the foreseeable future, Killian made a promise to himself to spend as much time with his best friend as he possibly could, before she became a huge movie star, who was required to fly all over the world, for work.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I haven't seen your new place since you moved back to New York. I'm not gonna pass up that opportunity to critique your decorating skills."

Emma's laugh rang out over the other end of the line, a beautiful sound in Killian's otherwise ugly life. "Well, it's nowhere near as big, or as nice, as your place," she told him. "And I don't have a pool. But, you'll always be able to call this place home, should you need to."

Killian softened at her words, endlessly grateful to have someone as kind and loving as Emma in his life. "Thanks, Love. You know that the same goes for this place and you, right?" Emma hummed her agreement and for a moment, a comfortable silence descended over their lines once more. Until Killian added, "Probably best not to tell Milah that, though. She might try and take half of your apartment in the divorce."

Emma's snort of laughter was wholly unladylike, but perfectly Emma.

Thanks for reading.