Sorry for the delay! Thanks again for all the reviews! You guys have no idea how much they motivate me! This chapter is a bit short but another update is coming soon!

It was a slow night at the Rabbit Hole. So slow that Killian's only customer just paid his bill and was walking out the door when he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He looked down at his phone and frowned. Why was Ruby calling him?

"Hello?" he said as he put the phone his ear.

"Killian, it's Ruby," she said. "Look, I tried Mary Margaret but her phone went straight to voicemail and I wasn't sure who else to call."

"What is it?" he asked with a slight feeling of alarm.

"I just don't want her to get into any trouble with the mayor…"

"Ruby," Killian interrupted. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Emma's here at the diner," Ruby said, lowering her voice. "She's been drinking for a few hours..."

He let out a sigh of relief. "Put a grilled cheese and some onions rings in a bag and I'll be right over."

He tucked his phone back into his pocket and decided that the lack of customers had afforded him this fortuitous opportunity to help out Emma. The last time he saw her it hadn't gone the way he had imagined it would. It seemed like he was always going one step forward, two steps back with this woman. Most women he would lose interest in if he had to put in any kind of effort but he was drawn to the blonde sheriff in a way that he couldn't explain … or resist.

He turned out the lights and locked up the bar before making his way over to the diner. It was late and they would be closing soon so luckily there were only a few people inside the place. Killian nodded to Ruby when he stepped through the door and she motioned to the booth at the back where Emma was sitting alone, half-finished glass of beer in front of her.

"Care for some company?" he asked quietly.

Emma dropped her head down and Killian heard her laugh. "Of course you're here. You seem to turn up everywhere I go," she waved at the seat across from her. "By all means, please sit down."

Killian slid into the booth as she raised her head back up to look at him. "Why are you here drinking this cheap excuse for beer?"

"Because I fucked up today," she admitted. "I had a drinking buddy but he left a while ago so now it's just me."

"I see," he said. "Would you like to tell me about it?"

"Nope!" she replied. Emma tipped back the rest of the contents of her drink and slammed the empty glass back on the table. "I'm going home."

"That sounds like a great idea," he said. "I'll walk you there."

"I don't need your help, Killian," Emma slurred as she pushed herself out of the booth and struggled to get her jacket on.

"I didn't say you did. But I'm headed that way anyway and I have this annoying habit of wanting to help a damsel in distress," he told her.

"I'm not distressed," she said. She glared at him for a moment. "Fine. Let's go."

Emma headed for the front doorRuby handed a brown paper bag to Killian and he discreetly tucked it under his arm as he followed Emma out the front door of the diner. She didn't look back to see if he was coming along. Killian just shook his head and tried to keep up as she walked with purpose toward the loft.

She slowed down a bit as they approached the front door and they climbed the stairs to the loft entrance. "What's that for?" she asked, pointing to the bag.

"For you, of course," Killian answered.

"I guess you thought of everything," she said with a smile. She fished her keys out of her pocket and after a few tries she was able to unlock the door. "Come on in."

He hesitated for a moment, surprised that she was inviting him in after the chilly greeting that she gave him in the diner. He was trying his best to act casual but he couldn't deny the thrill it gave him to be invited into her home. There wasn't any sign of her roommate but Killian noted that there was an upstairs and he wasn't sure whose bed it was that he could see from the kitchen.

"I thought you might be in need of something to soak up all that beer," he said as he placed the bag down on the kitchen counter.

"Who called you?" she asked.

"Ruby," he told her. No point in lying about it. "She was just worried about you and your roommate didn't pick up."

"Shouldn't you be at the bar right now?" Emma asked as she tore into the bag. He was glad to see that Emma was a curious and hungry drunk rather than an angry, accusatory one.

He shrugged. "As luck would have it my only customer was just walking out the door when Ruby called me."

Emma bit into an onion ring and seemed to be thinking about his answer. "So you closed just to come and make sure I was okay?"

"That I did," he confirmed with a nod.

"Why?"

Killian was startled by her tone. She sounded … angry? No, not angry … shocked, maybe. It was a mixture of emotions that he couldn't comprehend. He wasn't quite sure how to answer her question. "If Ruby was concerned enough to call me I felt like I had to help. Quite frankly, I was expecting a lot worse when I arrived."

"Yeah, I'm a pro at handling my liquor," she laughed. "I just don't understand why she called you and why you even came to help me."

"Does it surprise you that I did?"

"I'm just … I'm not used to people doing stuff for me, I guess," Emma said. She quickly looked away from him and took a bite of the grilled cheese.

"That's disappointing to hear, love," Killian said. He spoke calmly to her but inside it was taking all of his strength to resist the urge to take her into his arms and stroke her hair until any thought of someone letting her down could be banished. The effect this woman had on him was like nothing he had ever felt before but he knew he had to gain her trust, something he was not especially good at doing.

"Before Henry brought me here I think I was an expert at being disappointed," she told him. "I had a shitty day and it's probably going to be a while until I can see Henry again. I just wanted to numb the disappointment a bit, you know?"

"I do," he said. "I know that feeling quite well."

"I'm sure you see it a lot in your line of work," she said.

Killian laughed. "Only about every day. Which begs the question; why didn't you just come to the bar? If drinking was your plan I have a better atmosphere and a better selection."

"I didn't want to see you," she admitted. "We didn't exactly part on good terms the last time we saw each other and I didn't want to make a bad day worse."

"I see."

"But I'm glad you came to the diner and got me to leave," she said. "Thank you."

"Anytime, love." Killian smiled and scratched nervously behind his ear. "And now that I've seen you home safely I must bid you goodnight."

He nodded a goodbye to her and turned for the door.

"Killian," she called after him. He stopped and looked back at her. "Maybe you should try asking me out on that date again."

He grinned at her. "Perhaps I will."

He left the apartment and practically danced down the steps. For the first time in as long as he could remember he actually felt like things were starting to go well for him. Even the biting chill of the cold February air couldn't ruin his mood.

I specifically timed this update for a reason ... for those who recall, Skin Deep takes place on a certain holiday ... I promise there will be an update by Sunday night :)