Two weeks had passed since Belle told Emma her life-changing news. The brunette had decided to meet her brother, and she couldn't be happier. Though he had, understandably, been disbelieving and a bit reluctant at first, he came to the same realization as Belle: they were family.

Belle and Emma were currently walking out of one of the many shoe stores in the city. Though shopping was the blonde's least favorite activity, she was in dire need of some new boots.

She then asked, "You ever gonna tell me the name of this brother of yours?" with a light chuckle.

"I haven't?" Belle questioned surprisingly.

"No," Emma answered, still chuckling.

"Oh," the brunette replied simply. She then smiled and added, "You can tell him yourself."

The blonde furrowed her brows in confusion as she confusedly asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, he wants to meet you," Belle answered, her smile growing.

"But why?" Emma asked, still confused.

Belle couldn't resist rolling her eyes before she pointed out, "Oh, I don't know, maybe because you're my best friend? And because we're practically sisters?"

Emma smiled as she teased, "I guess I can see your point." Belle shook her head before the blonde continued, "So, when does he want us to meet?"

"Well, we're having dinner at Granny's tonight, and I thought you could join us," Belle suggested.

"You sure he doesn't mind?" Emma asked.

"It was his idea," Belle answered with a smile.

Emma smiled back before she told her friend, "Sounds like a plan."

The brunette smiled satisfactorily in response. The blonde then added, "Speaking of food, I think we should grab something to eat. Shopping tires me out."

"Emma, we went in two stores," Belle pointed out.

"And that's a lot of shopping," Emma defended. She then shrugged and added, "It is for me, anyway."

Belle shook her head and rolled her eyes in response. She and Emma then made their way down the sidewalk to find a place to eat.

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That evening, Emma walked into the diner. She was a bit early, so she simply sat down at the counter while she waited on Belle and her brother.

She opened a game on her phone when someone sat down beside her. She groaned when she heard his voice, "I rather missed seeing you this morning."

"I'm sure you had plenty of other women to use those lines on," Emma quipped.

"They aren't lines, darling," Killian told her. Emma rolled her eyes, and he added, "And there's the famous Swan eye roll."

"Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?" she told him.

"Well, love, the people I'm meeting aren't here yet, so the answer is no," Killian replied, as he smirked at her.

Emma narrowed her eyes at him before she stated, "Well, if you're as much as a pain around your friends as you are to me, it's a miracle that they put up with you."

"Well, actually, it's my sister I'm meeting, and she finds me rather funny," Killian told her.

Both of them then heard the bell above the door, and he glanced that way and spoke, "And she's here."

He then got up to go greet her, and Emma breathed a sigh of relief.

Her relief was cut short, however, when she recognized her best friend's voice, "Hey, Killian," she greeted.

"Hello, sis," he responded.

"You have got to be kidding me," Emma groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

"Are you alright, Emma?" Belle worriedly asked, as she came to stand next to where her friend was still sitting.

The blonde didn't have a chance to answer as Killian spoke, "This is the lass you've been telling me about, love?" with an expression that was one part confused and one part amused.

"Uh, yes, this is Emma," Belle answered her brother, slightly confused.

"It is a small world after all, eh, Swan?" Killian addressed the blonde with a grin.

"It's a little too small if you ask me," Emma quipped as she stood up from her chair, crossing her arms as she did so.

"Wait, you two know each other?" Belle questioned.

"This is the guy that owns the coffee shop. The one I stop by every morning," Emma exasperatedly explained.

"He's the guy you always complain about?" Belle asked.

"So, you talk about me to your friends, love," Killian addressed Emma with a smirk.

Emma rolled her eyes before she pointed out, "It isn't a compliment, Killian."

"But you still talk about me," he reminded her with a sly smile.

"You are absolutely ridiculous," Emma told him, her patience having worn thin.

"And you are too bloody stubborn to take a joke," Killian argued.

"So, at least you admit that it's a joke to be obnoxiously flirted with by a playboy like you while I get my coffee."

Killian didn't have a chance to refute because Belle intervened, "I'm going to grab us a table," trying and failing to hide her disappointment.

She then walked away, leaving Killian and Emma running their fingers through their hair. The dark-haired man then spoke, "That went well. She's bloody upset."

"Well, it's not her fault that we can't get along," Emma stated.

"I actually quite fancy you from time to time, when you're not yelling at me," Killian told her with a grin.

Emma gave him an annoyed look before she took a deep breath and suggested, "Look, I'm not saying we have to be friends or anything, but I think we should get along for Belle's sake."

"So, a truce?" Killian clarified.

"Exactly – think you can handle that?" Emma asked him.

"Considering that you're the one with the clear disdain of me, I believe that you're the one with the problem, love," Killian pointed out.

Emma wanted to argue with him, but he did have a point – not that she would tell him that. He had an inflated ego as it was. So, she took a deep breath and spoke, "truce?" as she held out her hand to him.

"Truce," he agreed without hesitation as he took her hand in his. If they held on a beat too long, it was nobody's business.

They let go before making their way to Belle and their table. As they sat down, the brunette asked, "Everything alright with you two?"

"Of course, Belle. It was just a simple misunderstanding," Killian assured his sister.

"That isn't what it sounded like," she pointed out.

Emma then added, "Don't worry about it – we've taken care of it."

Belle looked back and forth between her best friend and her brother before she smiled and nodded at them. She then spoke, "Alright, let's eat."

Killian and Emma smiled and nodded at the brunette before the three of them picked up their menus.

A few minutes later, their waitress, Ruby, dropped off their meals.

"Alright, we have one hamburger with iced tea, one cheeseburger with a Coke, and one grilled cheese with hot chocolate," the red-streaked brunette spoke as she sat down their food and drinks.

"Thank you, Ruby," Belle spoke, and Ruby nodded before she went on her way.

Emma took a sip of her drink before she said, "Ruby accidently forgot the…"

"Cinnamon," Killian interjected.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him, and he responded, "You do order the same thing every morning, love."

"And yet, you still mess it up," Emma commented.

"Well, Swan, I do admit that it's rather enjoyable seeing you so flustered," Killian teased.

Belle couldn't help but smile while Emma rolled her eyes. The blonde then made a move to get up when Killian stopped her.

"Allow me to get the cinnamon, love," he told her. He then made his way over to the counter.

Belle then gave her friend a knowing look and told her, "I know you have something to say, Emma."

Emma sighed before she replied, "It's just that I find it hard to believe that the funny and caring brother that you told me about is the same womanizing flirt who serves me coffee."

The brunette couldn't help but chuckle before she responded, "Maybe you misjudged him."

"The jury's still out on that one," Emma honestly spoke. She then took a deep breath and continued, "But, for your sake, I will get along with him."

"I appreciate that, Emma. It does mean a lot to me," Belle sincerely said.

"That's what sisters are for," the blonde replied as she reached over to squeeze Belle's hand. The brunette smiled brightly as she squeezed Emma's hand back in response.

Killian then sat back down and handed the cinnamon to Emma.

"Thank you, Killian," the blonde told him. He smiled as he responded, "You're welcome, Swan." The three of them then resumed eating.

An hour had passed, and Belle, Emma, and Killian were standing outside the diner. The three of them had managed a pleasant conversation, though Killian's, and especially Emma's, tolerance of the other was all for Belle's benefit.

Belle then spoke, "As enjoyable as dinner was, I have to be getting back to my apartment." She then gave Emma and Killian a hug.

"I'm sure we'll be seeing each other, sis," Killian spoke with a smile. The brunette smiled back at him in response.

Emma then asked, "Movie night tomorrow, Belle?"

"You know it, Emma," Belle responded with a bright smile. She then offered one more goodbye to Emma and Killian before she turned to walk back to her apartment.

The blonde then addressed Killian, "So, I suppose I'll see you in the morning," with crossed arms.

He bit back a flirtatious remark and simply told her, "Aye, Swan." Emma then turned on her heel and headed away from him.

A few moments later, she realized that he was walking behind her. She abruptly stopped, and he nearly ran into her. She turned to face him as she asked, "Are you following me?"

"I would never do that, love. My apartment is this way – it's the Seventh Street Apartments," Killian explained.

"Of course it is – it's right across the street from mine," Emma complained.

"You know, love, that isn't any way to keep our truce," he pointed out. The blonde ran her fingers through her hair before she nodded her agreement.

Killian then asked her, "Shall we walk together, Swan?"

She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before she told him, "As long as you behave yourself."

The dark-haired man rolled his eyes at her before he quipped, "I am not a child."

"No – but maybe a hormonal 16-year-old teenager," the blonde responded. Killian rolled his eyes once more, and she added, "Looks like this truce will be more of a challenge for you than you thought."

"Perhaps, Swan, but I do love a challenge," Killian told her with a grin. She only shook her head at him before she continued on to her apartment, with him walking beside her.

After a few moments of silence, she then asked him, "So, your coffee shop – is it a permanent thing?"

Killian looked at her strangely as he questioned, "I'm not sure I quite follow you, love. Why wouldn't it be something permanent?"

Emma took a deep breath before she told him, "Look, Belle is my best friend, and she's my sister, too. She's been abandoned before, and I won't see her hurt."

"Believe me, Swan, that is one thing you won't have to worry about," he assured her.

She then looked over at him, and used what she called her "superpower" – being able to tell if someone was lying. She studied him and saw that he wasn't.

She simply said, "Good," and he nodded in response.

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes before he asked, "Tell me, love, why is it you were so worried about Belle being abandoned again?"

"I told you – she's like a sister to me," Emma told him.

Killian grinned before he responded, "I think there's more to it than that – you're something of an open book."

"Am I?" Emma questioned disbelievingly.

"Aye, love. You don't want her to be abandoned the way you were abandoned," Killian told her.

"Was I?" she responded, evading his perceptions.

"Like I said, open book," he replied matter-of-factly.

"How would you know that?" the blonde questioned, desperately trying to not let him get to her.

Killian took a breath before he answered, "As I'm sure my sister told you, our father had a habit of abandoning his families, so I do know how you feel."

"Well, that doesn't mean you know anything about me," Emma muttered where he couldn't hear.

"Pardon, love?" he questioned.

"You don't know me," she snapped and sped up her pace. Killian, however, caught up to her and grabbed her elbow, forcing her to face him.

"I know you're afraid to talk, to reveal yourself, to trust me. Things will be a lot smoother if you do."

"And why the hell should I trust a playboy like you?" Emma questioned as she faced him, yanking her elbow away.

Killian sighed and ran his fingers through his dark locks as she trudged on in front of him, reaching the door of her building.

He then ran after her and spoke, "Swan… Emma, listen to me. We have to make this work for Belle's sake. She cares a great deal about both of us – it's important to her. Would it really be so bloody awful to be friends with me?"

Emma paused at the door as she thought over his words. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. She then turned to face him and spoke, "Look, Killian, we didn't agree to be friends. We agreed to get along for her sake, and we will – and that is all that this is. A simple truce."

She then turned around and walked through the door of her building, leaving Killian to stare after her. He ran his fingers through his hair once more before he began to head across the street.

Emma quickly walked through the lobby of the building and up the stairs to the second floor. She came to her door and unlocked it. Once she was inside, she fell back against the door and sighed deeply.

She didn't understand how Killian was so perceptive of her. Though it terrified her to admit it, he did read her like an open book, and it scared her. She couldn't – and wouldn't – trust him. The last time she trusted a man, it landed her in jail for eleven months and left her with a broken heart.

She then thought about Belle. Killian was her brother, and she cared about him. He was the older brother than she had truly always wanted, and she wasn't about to mess that up. But getting along with him didn't mean that Emma had to like him – or become friends with him. Even though a small part of her knew she had misjudged him – just like Belle had said – she wasn't about to take a chance that she was wrong about him.

Emma then took a calming breath and went to go relax on the couch. She was satisfied with her decision, and she could only hope that Killian felt the same way.

Well, this has turned into a multi-shot – I hope you guys don't mind . I hope y'all enjoyed the Tallahassee feels, and y'all will see the next part to this story soon!