I made you wait so long in between chapters last time that I thought I'd give you another one today. Only one chapter to go after this one, and there will be no epilogue. Thanks again, betas.

Without further ado... Chapter 29.


Killian skipped down the stairs Friday morning feeling more energized than he had the previous day. Yesterday hadn't been too bad – his friends were excited to see him again, his teachers gave him all the needed extensions, and everything was slowly going back to normal.

In fact, he even noticed that moving his fingers on his left hand didn't cause pain to shoot through his arm anymore. The moment he realized this, he dug under his bed until he found his old guitar, dusty from years unplayed, and began playing a song in soothing musical therapy. Even though the cast prevented him from playing as smoothly as before, it relaxed him. He even went online and bought some new sheet music to learn more songs. He read about this method in a psychology textbook once, and he actually couldn't wait to tell Dr. Hopper about his new technique at their next session.

Killian popped in his anxiety pill before going to the counter and making himself some toast, grabbing butter and fresh strawberries from the fridge somewhere along the way. He had his phone out, looking at everyone's Twitter updates when his brother walked in.

"You look like you're in a good mood," he noted, going to the coffee pot and pouring himself a mug. "I take it you had a good first day back?"

"Absolutely," Killian said through a big bite of his toast. "I was nervous before, but it ended up being better than I expected."

"Good," Liam replied as he dumped out the remainder of his cup. "I'm sorry, brother, but I've got to get going before I'm late. Have a great day at school, alright?"

Killian smiled and nodded. "Bye, Liam."


Killian just pulled out his history textbook when he heard a person clear their voice behind him. He slowly turned around to see Emma standing there, looking straight into his eyes as soon as she could see them. She placed a strand of hair behind her ear before walking forward until she was next to him, as if it gave her the confidence to do so.

"Your cheek looks much better than before," Emma observed, her eyes glancing down at his chin before back up at his eyes. "Although, I will miss when it was blue and matched your eyes." Emma gave him the small grin that he learned to love, and his stomach flipped at her joke.

Killian gave a half chuckle. "Well, at least I still have this to match." Killian held up his hand, showing her the blue cast. "But, it is missing a signature…" Killian reached into his locker and pulled out a silver sharpie. "If I could have the honor…"

Emma took the marker from him, giving him a mischievous grin as she grabbed his hand. "No looking," she said as she turned his arm over and blocked it from view with her body. Killian watched as she wrote on his cast, her tongue sticking out to the side and her eyebrows furrowed, just how she looked when she was doing math equations in Mr. Spencer's classroom. "How does your arm feel?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore, although it itches like hell."

"Yeah, I've heard it does that." Emma smiled as she capped the sharpie, turning his arm over and dropping it. She looked back up at him. "I've never gotten a chance to thank you for the cupcake. It was absolutely delicious."

"I take it Phil and Victor didn't screw up, then?"

Emma laughed. "I mean, they were a little awkward, and they just kind of stared at me… But otherwise, it was really sweet."

"I'm glad."

"The card was nice, too…"

"You can't go wrong with Kermit."

Emma's face dropped, their playful banter becoming much too serious. Killian wracked his brain, trying to figure out a joke to make Emma smile again. Before he got a chance to say anything, Emma spoke up. "I want to talk," she blurted out, and suddenly she became beet red.

"I believe that's what we're doing right now, Swan," Killian pointed out.

Emma bit her bottom lip before leaning in closer. "No, I mean about… you know…" Emma's voice was nearly a whisper, a ghost of the strong, confident woman he knew she was.

"I know." Killian hesitantly reached out his right hand and nudged it under her hand. "If I'm correct, you still owe me a meal at Granny's…"

Emma looked down at their hands just as the bell rang for the school day to begin. She slowly withdrew it from his grasp and turned back to him. "Are you able to go there tonight?"

Killian nodded his head. "Yeah."

"Well, then it's a date…" Emma's eyes opened wide. "I mean, not a date date, but a…"

Killian gave her a tiny wink. "I'll see you tonight, Swan. 7:00 good?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess."

Just like the first day he met her, Killian gave her a slight salute as he left. He started walking away before looking back over his shoulder. "Have a good day, Emma."

"You too, Killian."

When he saw Emma turn around and walk in the other direction, he slowly flipped his arm around to see what she had written on his cast, smiling as he saw what it was.

There was a large swan doodled in the middle of his arm with a thought bubble coming out by the right side of its head. The formula "y=mx+b" was written in it with a question mark at the end. Underneath it all, the words, "Miss you as my tutor," were written in her sloppy handwriting, a little heart by the name "Emma" to the side.

Killian brought his hand down to his side as he walked into class, a light bounce in his step while he made his way to his desk in the front row.


"Ruby, this isn't a date. I'm not sending you a picture of my outfit!" Emma said in a slightly louder voice. Ruby was on speakerphone as Emma was trying to figure out what exactly to wear to this non-date.

"Yes, you are."

"I promise you, that this is in no way, shape, or form a date. I just need to talk to Killian about the kisses and clear the air between us."

"Fine, it's not a date."

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Just send me a pic, Em! It doesn't have to be because it's a date. I just want to make sure you don't embarrass me with some ugly outfit!" Ruby said, and Emma shook her head.

"How would what I'm wearing at all embarrass you?"

"I'm dating Victor, his best friend, and I don't want him thinking that my best friend has no sense of fashion!" Ruby said, as if it was the most logical thing to have ever come out of anyone's mouth before. "Pleaseeee?"

Emma looked at herself in her mirror. She had settled for skinny jeans, a long-sleeved green top with a black-and-white scarf. "When did you and Victor officially start dating?"

"Don't you dare change the subject on me!" Ruby shouted, and Emma reluctantly picked up her phone and took a picture of herself. She made sure to look annoyed in the photo as she triple checked she was sending it to Ruby, this time.

"Please believe me when I say this isn't a date, Ruby."

Ruby didn't respond right away, and Emma knew it was because she was trying to decide if she approved of Emma's outfit or not. "Alright, you look fine."

Emma smiled to herself in the mirror as she grabbed her purse from hanging on her closet door and picked up her phone. "Thanks," Emma said, suddenly feeling more confident than before. She didn't need the approval from Ruby, but it certainly helped.

"Call me when this not-date is over, okay?"

"Okay. Bye." Emma hung up her phone and ran down the steps. She walked into the kitchen to grab the keys and leave. "Hey Marian, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back soon, okay?"

Marian nodded her head and waved goodbye as Emma wandered out of the house and to the car, her motions becoming autopilot as she took the familiar route to the only hangout spot in town.


Emma walked in and scanned the restaurant until she found Killian sitting in the back corner. He perked up and waved when he saw her, and she walked over and slid into the opposite side of the booth. "I ordered you a Coke… I remember Ruby saying it was your favorite at Victor's bonfire, I hope you don't mind."

"That's exactly what I would have ordered if I had been here," Emma smiled as she took a long sip, doing everything in her power to stall before the conversation began.

Killian must have sensed her uneasiness because he piped up before she got a chance to. "Who's your new tutor?"

"Mulan," Emma said. "Do you have any classes with her?"

"A couple," Killian nodded. "Has she been helpful?"

Emma bit her bottom lip, a habit she's quickly found she does around Killian. "She definitely knows what she's doing."

"That didn't answer my question."

Emma looked up at Killian behind hooded eyes. "She's just… Different. To be honest, I probably haven't given her a real chance, because I always hope that you'll be the one waiting there for me when I go to Mr. Spencer's room." Killian nodded in the same encouraging way he always did when Emma tried to answer a math problem. "Is there… Is there any way you can come back and be my tutor again?"

Killian gave her a sad look as he shook his head no. "Not for a while, I'm afraid. Even if Mr. Spencer said I could come back, I have to take some time to straighten out my life. We could still be study buddies, though. And hey! Maybe it will even work out to have Ruby and Victor there this time?"

Emma gave a small smile. "I think I'd like that."

After a small, uncomfortable pause, Killian took a deep breath. "So, why don't we just acknowledge the elephant in the room already?"

Emma could feel the air lifting out of her lungs at his words. It was time to come clean with everything going on in her life and why she'd been running away.

Emma knew she had to be the first one to talk. "Walsh and I broke up… Well, I suppose he broke up with me…" Emma said, staring at her hand drawing circles on the table. "He's been telling me for months that you were trying to steal me away from him, and I denied it. But after he found out about our kiss in the pool, it kind of, you know, set him off." She gestured towards his hand. "He broke up with me last Friday."

Killian nodded, waiting for the rest of the tale.

"I'm sure you've figured out I'm not really related to my family…"

"Blood is but one means to a family," Killian said it in such an eloquent way that she was once again reminded of how intelligent he truly was. "But, yes. Aurora told me months ago when I first became your tutor, and then it seemed to be confirmed when I met your foster mother and Roland. I didn't ask about it because I figured you'd tell me when you're ready."

Emma's heart fluttered at the sentiment. "Well, I've had lots of foster families in the past before finally getting placed with Robin and Marian. I was shuffled around a lot as a kid, and not always to the nicest of families." Emma swallowed thinking of the nasty situations she was put in when she was younger. "Because of all the other homes I've lived in, I haven't always been the most open or welcoming person, which is why I've kind of run away from you…"

"Ruby mentioned something about it…"

"Anyway, I ran to my foster father after Walsh broke up with me. We were really close, and I just wanted my dad to be my knight in shining armor and fix everything, you know?"

"You were really close?" he asked, and Emma knew he had caught on to her choice of words.

Emma frowned before divulging into that part of the story. "When I went to his store, I found him kissing my social worker, Regina. Walsh had just broken up with me about a half hour before, and so my emotions were already running high, and seeing that just… I don't know. For some reason, I drove to the community center, hoping to see you. I suppose when I discovered that my "knight" wasn't actually a knight, I went looking for a new one, and your face popped into my mind."

Even though Killian had kept a cool face, Emma could see the wheels turning in Killian's head. He was the smartest boy she knew – clearly he could figure everything else out. But, she was done being a coward, done blaming others. Taking a deep breath, Emma forced herself to continue.

"When I saw you, millions of thoughts raced through my mind, and in the end, I just wanted to forget everything that happened. My emotions were so high that I wasn't thinking clearly, and for some odd reason, I thought sleeping with you was a good idea." Emma reached her arm across to hold his hand. "I'm so sorry. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable or embarrassed you in any way. I guess I just don't really have a good grip on how to handle my emotions – something numerous counselors have told me I need to work on."

"Don't worry abou—"

"I'm going to worry about it, Killian. I put you in a terrible situation, and I thank you so much for stopping it before anything really happened. I think we'd both be regretting it if you hadn't." Emma retreated her hand and smiled. "I suppose you really are my knight."

Killian rolled his eyes. "Knights don't get into fights and try to steal other people's girlfriends."

"I'm not some treasure to be stolen, Killian, and I know you know that. I make my own decisions." Emma shook her head, "Even if I don't make the right ones most of the time."

"That's not true…"

They were silent, and Emma's Coke was completely gone by that point. She had nothing else to do, so she said, "Please tell me what you're thinking…"

"To be totally honest? I'm thinking about how much I care for you, and how I want nothing more than to make those lines of disappointment fade from your face," Killian smiled at her. "I've liked you ever since the first time I saw you, Emma."

"Is that why you were so awkward the day we met?" Emma joked.

"Probably," Killian admitted. "You were the first girl I've ever really liked… Those two-week crushes from middle school don't count."

Emma couldn't help but feel flattered. "I started liking you after Victor's bonfire."

Killian's eyebrows shot up to the top of his forehead at her confession. "Really?"

"Well, I think I liked you before that, but it was after you sang Rainbow Connection that I truly knew that the feelings I had for you were more than just friends." The waitress brought her a new Coke, and Emma couldn't be more grateful to have something to do with her body again. "And I guess when you kissed me in the pool that everything was kind of ignited." Emma didn't add that that had been the moment she knew she'd never love Walsh the same way again, that it would never be as strong as it was before she met Killian.

She saw Killian's Adam's apple bob when she said the name Walsh, and he was slightly out of breath when he said, "So, what do you want?"

She took a deep breath, knowing the next thing she was going to say was going to be the hardest. "Killian, I just got out of a one-year relationship with Walsh…" Emma tried to give a smile, but knew not one part of her expression looked happy. "You're too… I don't know, special to me." She made sure she was looking directly in his eyes when she said, "I don't want you to just be a rebound."

"Taking my words and using them against me, I see." Killian tried to joke, but the comment was stale. He didn't quite sound heartbroken, but he didn't sound joyful about it, either.

"I'm not ready to give up on us, Killian. I know being with you would make me happy." Emma said. Not knowing what she was doing, she stood up and slid into the spot right next to Killian. "I just don't think right now is the right time for us to be together, you know? I think I'd screw everything up if we tried at this point in time."

Killian stared into her eyes, his breathing stopped completely. Slowly, he nodded his head. "I suppose I should be completely honest with you, too, Emma…" He grabbed both hands without looking away from her. "I'm not doing too well right now."

"Are you sick?"

"I suppose you could call it that," he said, finally looking away from her. "The stress of being, well, me finally got to me."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "What do you mean?"

She could tell this was difficult for him to talk about, by the way he was avoiding her eye contact. He hesitated before he began to explain. "I was working myself too hard in the pool, I was skipping meals, I wasn't doing homework, I wasn't being myself, you know?" He paused, and Emma waited patiently as he took a deep breath. "I wasn't that kind to anyone, making my brother and friends worried. I started to feel worse and worse, and staying up all night wasn't making anything better. My body was starting to shut down. Luckily, I didn't pass out until I was at the doctor's the other day, although there were a couple of close calls at the pool."

Emma's jaw lowered at his confession. "I had no idea…"

"Well, on Monday, I started seeing a psychologist, and he prescribed some anti-anxiety medication, and now I'm just trying to get my life back on track…" Killian looked down at their combined hands before looking back up at her. "I'm really not in a place in my life that I can be dating, Emma, despite every fiber of my being wanting to kiss you right now."

Emma wished this conversation had somehow gone in a different way, that he could lean forward and just kiss her. But, both of them had just declared that they didn't want to date. Even though Killian had this way of confusing her – of making her lose all her self-control – she stayed put. "I…"

Killian started to lean in, and Emma genuinely thought he was going to kiss her. Instead, his head traveled past her mouth until his lips were right by her ear. "Our two kisses have both been tainted, love, and I want our first real kiss to be magical." He sat back in his chair. "I want us to be together in the future, and if I kiss you right now…"

"It will ruin that moment," Emma finished.

"Precisely," Killian backed away from her completely. "Our timing is just off."

"So, what should we do?" Emma asked.

"Well," Killian began, scratching behind his ear. "Victor's having a bonfire in two weeks at the end of the semester… Perhaps we could go together? As friends, of course."

"As friends…" Emma tested the words in her mouth. "I could do that."

"And I think if we just kind of, figure this whole friendship thing out," Killian began, pointing his finger between the two of them, "We'll be on the right track for more, someday."

Emma slid out of the booth into her own side again. "As friends…"

Killian gave Emma the most serious look she's ever seen. "Believe me, Swan, we'll know when the time is right."

Emma gave a slight nod of her head. Her heart knew it was the right thing to do. She could never be anything more with him right now. It's not that she was still hung up on Walsh anymore – she has let him go and is working on moving on. It was more that Emma's heart just wasn't ready to be given away again, yet, and the next time she did, she wanted it to be completely available to love.

"Friends… With the promise of more." Emma stated, making sure he knew that she had every intention of having a relationship with him.

Killian gave her a mischievous grin. "I can already guarantee you, Emma, that we're meant to be more than friends."

Killian stood up, placing some cash on the table before reaching his hand out for hers. She took it and slid out of the booth, noticing how right it felt to have her hand wrapped beneath his. "I thought I was supposed to pay, in return for that extra tutoring session…"

"I guess you'll just owe me another… date." He winked before they walked out of the diner together, parting ways after Killian walked Emma to her car.

Emma sat in her car as she watched Killian drive away, and it was then that she knew one thing for sure: there is no damn way that she'll ever be able to just be friends with Killian Jones.