It didn't take long for Betty Stevenson to work out that there was something on her friend's mind.
Given that Emma was a third of her age, the younger woman was usually the busier of the two of them. Emma never seemed to mind running from one task to the other and over the years, she had learned to switch between them effortlessly to maximize her time as best she could. She wasn't the sort of girl to stand around on her phone all day or badger the customers while they sat down to drink their coffee. So when Betty caught her young colleague staring off into space as the bell above the door tinkled, it didn't take long for her to work out that something importantwas on Emma's mind.
Betty wanted to give her friend the time and space she needed to work up the courage to approach her boss for some advice. She could remember what it was like to be young. Having older people stick their noses into problems that didn't concern them could be frustrating, and usually only made an already tense situation worse. But when Emma remained frozen in place as the little bell above the door tinkled again, Betty had to admit that she was more worried about her friend than angry about her actions.
After serving the young couple who had come in for a quick coffee on their way into the city that morning, Betty made her way over to the front door and flicked the lock before turning back to her friend. "Come and sit with me, Dear," she encouraged, nodding her head towards the table they always favored whenever they sat down to take their breaks.
Emma seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in at the note of concern she could hear in Betty's voice. Her eyes darted around the empty store, taking in the lack of customers and the slowly rising sun. It was still reasonably early so things had been fairly quiet, as they always were on a Sunday morning. Yet, it felt like it had been hours since Jones had kissed her goodbye earlier that day. Emma wanted nothing more than to be back inside the comfort and safety of her boyfriend's arms at that very moment.
Betty waited until the young woman had taken the seat opposite her before she asked, "Now, what's on your mind? And don't tell me it's just exam stress. I know you, Emma Swan. Exams don't usually leave you this spacey."
Emma considered lying to her friend. She considered making something up to assuage Betty's fears while keeping her own to herself. But there were already so few people in her life that she could talk to about Jones. And with the bombshell he'd dropped on her the night before, she knew there would be even fewer people she could turn to in the coming months. So after taking a deep cleansing breath to try and keep her tears at bay, Emma told Betty everything that Jones had told her about his job offer. She told her friend all about his promises that everything would be fine and how they would find a way to still be together. And then she finally confessed that she couldn't ever envisage a future where that would be possible if he took the job.
Emma wasn't entirely sure how long she spent spilling her guts to Betty, but at the end of it all, she felt well and truly exhausted.
Betty had remained oddly silent as she listened to the young woman detail all of her worries and fears. Instead of jumping in to offer words of comfort and advice, she had waited to hear all that Emma had to say. And when she finally spoke up, the last of Emma's resolve crumbled as the young woman burst into tears.
"Oh, Sweetheart," Betty sighed, reaching out for her friend's hand. "You just can't seem to catch a break, can you?"
Emma snorted out a bitter laugh as she accepted the tissue Betty was offering her and used it to blow her nose.
"Now, I don't want you to think I'm not on your side here, Emma, but I have to ask – Would it really be such a problem if Dr. Jones refused this job? I mean, given what you've told me about him, I don't think he'll struggle for work, Sweetheart."
"It's not about that," Emma explained. "This is his dream job. This is the job he came back to New York to accept! I can't ask him to give that up for me, just as I know he'd never ask me to give up my dream job for him."
"But you wouldn't be asking him to do that," Betty argued. When Emma opened her mouth to say something else, the older woman held up a hand to silence her and then continued. "Dr. Jones is the one offering to pass up this opportunity. From what you've just said, he made the offer without any prompting from yourself, which suggests to me that this is a sacrifice he's more than happy to make for you. And while it's admirable that you wouldn't want him passing up on this offer just to be with you, life isn't that black and white, Sweetheart. Sometimes we need to make those sacrifices for the people we love. And sometimes, it's those sacrifices that end up being the best decisions we ever make in life."
"Sometimes they're the worst," Emma pointed out, as she shredded another tissue onto the laminated tabletop. "Besides, we haven't really known each other all that long. Don't you think it's a bit too fast for him to decide that I'm worth giving up his dream job for?"
"No," Betty answered honestly, and with so much conviction that it took Emma a little by surprise. "Love doesn't have a time limit, Emma. In fact, most of the time, it comes along when we're least expecting it and least prepared for it. Which means that we often have to make sacrifices in order to make it work. And while some of those sacrifices do come back to bite us in the ass, a lot of them end up being the reason that we get our happy ending."
Emma still didn't look terribly convinced and Betty sighed a little as she leaned back in her seat. The hard wooden chairs were becoming much more difficult for her to tolerate as she grew older. But her love for Emma would keep her seated for as long as she needed to be.
"Sweetheart, I know you're young and this is terrifying for you. I get that. It would be for anyone your age, especially with your past experience in this area. But Dr. Jones isn't the kind of boy you're used to dating. He has enough life experience to know if this is the kind of risk he's comfortable taking. And he also has a good enough resume to know that even if he is passing up his dream job, he'll be able to find another sooner rather than later. I can't tell you what to do right now but I can tell you that if it were me – If I felt the same way about Dr. Jones as you feel about him - I'd trust that he knew what was best for him and I'd take that chance. Because I'm not sure I could live with the 'what if's that would plague me for the rest of my life if I didn't."
Betty could tell that she'd given her young friend more than enough information to think about, so she gingerly pushed herself back to her feet. When Emma made to do the same, she held out a hand before shaking her head. "Take a break for a moment and clear your mind," she instructed. "I can handle things around here for now. I might be old… but I'm not that old."
Emma snorted out a laugh as she watched Betty head for the front door and flick the lock once more. Her friend had certainly given her plenty to think about. However, with Emma's exams rapidly approaching, there wouldn't be much time to think it all through.
Emma didn't see Jones again until the end of her shift. While they'd both wanted to meet for lunch on her break, Jones had felt that staying away to let her use the time to revise was the better option that afternoon. Unfortunately, Emma's mind had still been stuck on the revelation he'd made the night before, and she hadn't made much progress going through her notes. Instead, she had taken a seat at her usual table only to find herself staring at an open notepad without seeing anything, while her coffee cooled in front of her and her grilled cheese sandwich became soggy. All she could seem to think about was what Betty had said that morning.
When the little bell above the door finally tinkled to signal Jones's arrival, Emma's heart leaped a little at how good he looked, before sinking to the pit of her stomach. She couldn't imagine having to see him on campus every day, knowing that she'd been forced to give him up. Most of the female population of New York City would snap him up in a heartbeat if he gave them the opportunity. And Emma's tummy twisted at the thought of having to watch the man she loved date another woman because she'd pushed him away. She wasn't entirely sure how she could be expected to go on with her life as normal, while the man she loved was in touching distance and yet completely forbidden to her.
"Sweetheart, is everything okay?" Jones asked. His brow creased with his concern as he made his way over to where she was standing and brought his hands up to lightly grip her shoulders. But Emma was far too lost inside her own mind to answer his question – because she finally seemed to have some answers to her own.
There was no way she'd be able to continue with her life as usual if they broke things off to allow Jones to take the job. It wasn't like he'd be on the other side of the world, where she could attempt to forget about him and just focus on her studies. Instead, he'd constantly be around her, reminding her of what she'd given up and tempting her with what could have been. Emma knew that she'd drive herself mad by the end of the first term, wondering what their relationship could have been like if they'd just taken a chance on it - If she'd allowed him to take that chance for them. And Jones would probably suffer the same fate. The poor guy had already lost one woman he loved. Asking him to sacrifice another, and then to have to see her every day for the following year without being able to touch her – well, that just seemed cruel.
"Emma, Love. What's wrong?" Jones asked, as he brought his hands up to cup her face while he tried to catch her gaze.
"I don't want you to give up the job," she began, and a small flicker of pain passed behind his eyes. "But I don't wanna give you up either."
The beginnings of a smile tugged at Jones's lips and he leaned forward to press them firmly to her own. "Let's go back to mine and talk about this, shall we?"
Emma nodded her head against his before stretching up to press another quick kiss to his lips. "I'm just gonna…" She waved a hand down her body at the dirty apron she was wearing and Jones chuckled a little at the action.
"Go and clean up. I'll be right here waiting for you."
Betty smiled brightly as she watched Emma slip out of the room. While Dr. Jones waited for his girlfriend to return, he made polite small talk with her boss. Betty was rather impressed that the young man seemed to have no intention of asking her if she knew what was wrong with Emma. It was one of the things she liked best about him. Dr. Jones seemed to respect his girlfriend's privacy in a way that most of Emma's peers never did. It was one of the many things that set him apart from most of the young men that came in to talk with her friend, and it was one of the many reasons why Betty felt that he was the perfect match for the young woman she thought of as a granddaughter. Her heart ached for the situation they'd found themselves in. She could only hope that between the two of them, they would find a way to make their relationship work while pursuing their dreams.
"Are you sure there isn't anything else you'd like me to do?" Emma asked, as she emerged from the back room looking cleaner and calmer than she had when she'd first arrived that morning.
"No, Dear. I can manage here. You go and ace those exams of yours and then have a good weekend in Las Vegas celebrating."
Emma shared a small look with Dr. Jones that seemed far too intimate for outsiders to witness, and Betty felt heat creep up into her cheeks.
"But don't you dare come back married! I want an invite to that wedding," she warned them sternly.
This time, it was Dr. Jones who turned an alarming shade of red as Emma coughed awkwardly into her fist.
"I uh… I don't think you need to worry about that just yet," she said, her eyes flicking all over the store but not landing anywhere near her boyfriend.
Betty felt a little ashamed of herself for making the young couple feel so awkward in her presence. But as one of Emma's surrogate grandmother figures, she felt like it was her duty to inflict that experience on them every once in a while.
"Have fun," she repeated, as she leaned in to brush a kiss to the young woman's cheek, making sure to keep her dirty apron away from the front of Emma's soft sweater. "And keep her safe, Dr. Jones. She might not believe it but there are people in this world who care a great deal for her."
"I will do," he assured Betty confidently. "See you on Monday, Mrs. Stevenson."
"I look forward to it."
And with those last words, Dr. Jones pulled open the door to the store and ushered Emma outside.
Betty watched as his hand found his girlfriend's the moment it was no longer holding onto the doorframe, before she finally turned her attention back to the countertop that needed cleaning.
The moment Killian had the door to his apartment closed, Emma was tugging on his arm to turn him around so that she could press her lips fiercely to his own. Killian let himself be kissed for a moment, melting back into the wall as he wound his arm around her waist. Kissing Emma had rapidly become one of his favorite things to do in life, but it didn't take long for the more rational side of his mind to kick in and remind him that something had upset his girlfriend while she'd been at work.
"Emma…" he panted out. "Emma, we need to talk."
"Later," she mumbled, her lips still dancing over the soft skin of his neck, close to his collarbone.
"Sweetheart, stop!" he told her, a little more forcefully this time. When Emma pulled back to fix him with a harsh stare, Killian spoke before she could jump to all of the wrong conclusions. "Something happened at work today. Something that we need to discuss. We can come back to this after we've talked it through."
Emma pouted a little as she let Jones reach for her hand and link their fingers together, before guiding her through to the lounge. Logically, she knew that he was right. She couldn't keep avoiding awkward conversations and pretending everything was fine by jumping into bed with him. That would only result in heartache for them both. But she didn't want to end the day arguing with her boyfriend again - not when they could be making love instead.
Killian waited until they both had their jackets off and were sitting comfortably before he took Emma's hand into his own to ask, "What happened today?"
"Nothing," she began, and Jones raised an eyebrow in her direction to call her on her bullshit. "I just… Betty said some things that got me thinking. And then when I saw you again I just… I guess it just hit me how hard it would be having to see you every day and pretend like nothing's ever happened between us. I know it sounds selfish Killian, but I don't think I'm strong enough for that. And that doesn't mean I want you to give this up either – because I don't," she rushed to add. "I just… there has to be something we can do, right? There has to be."
"And there will be," he reassured her, sliding a little closer so that he could bring his free hand up to cup her cheek. "I've spoken with my lawyer already. He's going to go over all of the university's policies and see if there's anything in there about existing relationships between students and faculty. And if there isn't… we'll come up with something, Emma. It's only a year, right? If I have to stay away from you next year I will - because once you've graduated, there will be nothing standing in our way. I've waited this long to find you. I can wait a little longer if it means that I get to keep you."
"You'd really do that for me?"
"I'd do anything for you, Emma. Anything. Let's just get through the next couple of weeks before we make any decisions," he instructed. "We still have some time until I need to give the university my answer. And you need to focus on acing these exams because as far as I'm concerned, they're far more important than anything else that's happening this month."
Emma chuckled a little as she let Jones fold her into his arms and brush a kiss to the top of her head. She felt better that afternoon than she had the night before. The knowledge that she didn't want to lose him, coupled with the understanding that Jones wasn't happy letting her go, made it easier to relax into his hold. They might not have all the answers yet - and some of their options might not be as preferable as they'd have liked - but at least they had the knowledge and understanding that no matter what happened, they would still have each other. And as far as she was concerned, that was all that mattered.
"Now, speaking of exams, I think I need to get you home so you can carry on revising," Jones declared, trying to pull back from her hold.
Emma tightened her arms around his body as she snuggled in a little closer. "Or… you could always put that big, beautiful brain of yours to use and test me," she suggested, before adding cheekily, "Naked."
Jones's entire body vibrated under her own as he snorted out a laugh. But Emma was pleased to note that he wasn't protesting her plan.
Thanks for reading and reviewing.
For those of you who don't know, I'm going through some difficult times personally at the moment both with my health and in my private life, so I'm afraid updates will remain sporadic for the time being because I just don't have the time or energy to dedicate to my fandom life right now.