The day at the beach seemed to thaw the ice considerably, and before the summer was out Emma and Killian were fast friends. Killian didn't know how he would have made it through that first difficult year after losing his family without Emma. The king and queen were kind and, well, wonderful, and he dearly loved the times Liam was home on leave, but nothing compared to having a true friend who would listen when he needed to talk.

Or who could always be counted on to devise a bout of mischief which required his assistance. On the days when it all became too much and his red-rimmed eyes proved that he'd been unable to hold back the tears during the night, these escapades were a particularly welcome diversion.

(Killian half suspected the king and the queen let him and Emma get by with far more mischief than would any other authority figure, simply because they could see how much he needed something that would give him joy.)

The fact was, Killian and Emma were kindred spirits. He could read her like one of his books, and she always, without fail, knew exactly what to say or do to soothe him.

They were great friends; the best of friends, but friendship was all they shared, neither of them yet ready for anything more tender—with anyone.

Until the day that all suddenly changed six years later…

The castle was in a flurry of activity on that particular afternoon. Not only was Liam's ship returning for an entire month's leave the following day, but Princess Elsa—no Queen Elsa, she'd just been coronated the year before—was coming for her first visit of state.

(Well…that was her official reason for her travels. Unofficially, Killian knew full well Elsa was coming to visit her dear friend Emma.)

The king and queen wanted all to be in order for the historic visit, and thus the maids were scouring the castle from top to bottom.

"Wanna go down to the beach for a picnic?" fifteen-year-old Emma asked, coming up behind Killian in the stables as he finished brushing down his horse, Westley. (Well, technically he wasn't Killian's horse, but the king and queen had been so kind as to allow him to ride the creature anytime he liked.)

Killian grinned. "Getting tired of all the activity, Swan?" (He'd begun calling her Swan Princess mockingly during the first week he'd visited over the summer, having heard her father use the endearment. Over the years, the appellation had gradually changed from mocking to fond and been shortened to simply "Swan".)

Emma sighed and threw herself dramatically onto the bench next to Killian. "It's crazy!" she groused. "You'd think Elsa's never visited before! It's just Elsa!"

"Your parents want to show your childhood friend that they respect her as the sovereign of Arendelle, love," Killian said. "It's all a part of diplomacy."

Emma closed her eyes and shook her head. "But does the entire castle have to be turned upside-down because of it? I think I'm about to go as mad as Jefferson the hatter!"

Killian laughed, the sound carefree and joyous. "Can't have that, Swan. Very well. A picnic at the beach it is. Just give me a moment to saddle Buttercup and Westley."

Emma shook her head. "Can't take Buttercup today. She's lost a shoe and can't be ridden until the blacksmith's able to replace it. Can we double up on Westley?"

Killian shrugged. "As you wish."

Within a quarter of an hour Killian had his horse saddled and ready to go, and Emma had successfully wheedled their cook, Granny, into providing them a picnic lunch.

With everything prepared, Killian tossed the meal and the picnic blanket into the saddle bag, mounted his stallion, and then extended his hand to help Emma mount behind him. As Swan settled her arms around his middle and he clicked his tongue to set Westley into motion, Killian felt the most peculiar swoop in his stomach.

It wasn't unpleasant, per se, but…it wasn't the sort of thing Killian had ever felt before. Nor had he ever noticed Emma's gentle scent of lavender and vanilla…or the very pleasant feeling of her slim arms around him…or the press of her body, soft against his back. It was…almost mesmerizing.

And then Emma started in on a tale of the trick she'd played on Grumpy earlier that morning, and suddenly the spell was broken. This was Swan, his Swan, his best friend. There was no need to feel strange around her.

They made it to their favorite stretch of beach and spread their blanket on the sand just beyond the reach of the tide. The pair ate the bread, cheese and fruit Emma had procured in relative silence.

"You must be looking forward to Queen Elsa's arrival, Swan," Killian said once lunch was consumed.

Emma smiled. "Yeah, I am, but what about you? Liam gets back tomorrow doesn't he? Bet you can't wait!"

"A whole month with my brother, love!" Killian said, smiling broadly. "I can scarcely remember when he's had such a long leave!"

Emma reached over and stroked his arm affectionately, and there it was again, that strange swoop of his stomach, the quick racing of his heart. Her touch felt like a bolt of lightning, jolting something inside him he didn't even know existed.

"I'm happy for you," Emma said somberly.

Killian looked over at her and noticed her staring pensively out to the ocean. She didn't look happy. She looked downright melancholy. Killian knew Swan well enough to realize prodding her would do little to get her to open up. Emma would tell him what was bothering her in her own good time.

And so, for long minutes the only sounds to be heard along the beach were the crying of the gulls, the soothing rush of the sea ebbing and flowing on the beach.

Finally Emma turned her green eyes his way. "Is it true, the rumor I heard?"

Killian grinned. "Well, that would depend love. Exactly what rumor was it you heard?"

"I heard that when Liam returns to his ship in a month you'll be joining him."

Killian grimaced, scratching at the back of his ear. "I've meant to tell you, Swan, a million times, but…the time just never seemed right."

"So it is true," Emma said dully. "You are planning to leave me?"

Killian's heart twisted—this time in a decidedly unpleasant way—at the way her voice broke on the last word. "It isn't like that at all, love!" he protested. "But…you know the plan was always for me to join my brother one day. Now that he's been promoted to Lieutenant, his ship will be needing a sailor to take his place. I must admit the sea calls to me, and the opportunity to be with Liam always…"

She turned toward him again, a gentle smile gracing rather lovely features. "I understand, Killian. I really do. This will be an extraordinary opportunity for you, and I'm happy for you. It's just…well, I'll miss my best friend, that's all."

"And I'll miss you, Emma," he insisted, "but we've got a full month before I first sail. What say we enjoy the time we have left together, aye?"

"Yeah, I think we should," Emma said, reaching over and squeezing his hand affectionately. (This time it was like a million tiny butterflies dancing in his stomach.)

But Killian didn't realize just how much trouble he was in until Emma decided to unbind her long, blonde hair. Killian knew Emma found the braids and buns and other hairstyles expected of ladies of her station to be constricting, and she let her hair flow free whenever she could get by with it. This had never affected him before, but today…well, there was something about the way the sea breeze whipped the golden strands, the way the locks whipped around to land on his forearm, the way the sun glinted off her lovely hair and illuminated her like an angel.

For a moment he could only stare, open mouthed, his breath caught in his lungs. Somehow, without him realizing it, his childhood friend had grown into a young woman.

An extraordinarily beautiful young woman.

Killian had no idea how long he sat their frozen in admiration as his heart threatened to beat out of his chest—and he felt a strange mix of elation and fear—but after some moments, Emma shot him a strange look.

"Um…are you feeling okay, Killian?"

He shook his head, and then forced an easy smile onto his face. He hadn't a clue how to deal with these brand new feelings—whatever they were, and perhaps they were better examined later as he lay alone in his bed. "Aye, Swan. Fit as a fiddle."

She gave him a long, assessing looking, and Killian had to fight the urge to squirm under her scrutiny. Eventually, however she merely shrugged and broke eye contact. "Well, if you say so. Anyway, remember how we used to come out here when we were kids and stare up at the sky? Remember how we used to look at the clouds and talk about the shapes we saw? Maybe we could do that again and just, you know, forget about you leaving, at least for an afternoon?"

He smiled, a smile mixed with fondness and joy. "Whatever you wish Swan." Killian laid back against the blanket and peered up into the sky. "That one, for example, is a ship of the line, plain as day!"

Emma looked in the direction his finger was pointing, and then very audibly scoffed. "A ship of the line? Killian, I'm beginning to think you need spectacles just like Granny! That doesn't look anything like a ship. It's very clearly a giant stooping down to pick something up!"

And with that, the afternoon passed in playful debate. While they argued over cloud shapes and reminisced about past escapades, Killian could almost forget the strange waves of awareness his dearest friend had begun to inspire within him.

But when the sunset began to paint the western sky in brilliant pinks and purples and oranges, and Emma climbed onto Westley behind Killian, it all rushed in upon him once more. As Killian let his horse have his head and he felt Swan's hair caress his arms, felt her lay her head against his back, felt her soft curves against him, felt her slim arms wrapped firmly around him, he realized that something had changed between them…and Killian knew he would never be the same again.

Notes:

-Okay, so as usual, I wasn't able to get to as much as I planned to in this chapter. What else is new? On the brink of taking his place next to his brother in the navy, Killian suddenly starts to see his childhood friend in a new light.

-Up next: We'll see what Emma thinks about what happened on the picnic as she has a nice girl-talk session with Queen Elsa. Meanwhile, when Liam gets Killian to open up about what's on his mind, big brother helps him realize just what all those weird feelings were about. And while the first stirrings of puppy love might be a confusing minefield for Emma and Killian to wade through, another couple doesn't have nearly as much difficulty…