A/N: Sorry this took so long! I'm still nowhere near finishing the current chapter I'm writing, but I know it's probably gonna be a while before I finish it, so I thought I might as well post this. It isn't all that long, so I may post the next chapter sooner rather than later. Thanks for all of the reviews and follows and favorites! You guys make my day! And happy new year :)

Killian knew that this was going to be a bad idea. He'd seen it all over her face when she ran that she wanted nothing to do with him. But he had to return her wallet to her and, well, they really needed to talk. Because Killian wanted this-wanted to at least try-and he couldn't just give up on it because she ran. He wasn't the kind of guy to just leave when the going got tough; his relationship with Milah was a testament to that.

No, he wasn't going to think of his past, of his pain. Not when he's standing at the doorstep of his soul mate's apartment.

So, Killian took a deep breath as he stood in front of the door to apartment 815. He'd been standing there for the past few minutes, trying to gather the courage to face Emma Swan again. He kept his hood up to avoid any stares from any passers-by, which were only few and far between. He took his fiftieth deep breath and with closed eyes, Killian knocked twice on the door.

As he waited with bated breath, Killian wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans and figured out how the hell Emma Swan and he were going to talk this out. For the few seconds he saw her and the utter panic in her eyes, Killian knew that this wasn't going to be easy. He just knew that she was going to fight this. But, Killian was going to fight just as hard for this. Dammit, he'd only seen her for a second, but he was already wrapped around her finger. But that didn't surprise him. She was his soul mate.

And dammit, did he feel like a twelve-year-old boy talking to his crush for the first time, as he waited for Emma Swan to answer the door.

Killian heard shuffling on the opposite side of the door, which made his heart quicken. He'd only seen a glimpse of Emma Swan, but she already had a hold on him. Killian took the wallet out from his pocket of his leather jacket, worn over the thin hoodie, and held it in his hands as he heard the door creak open.

And bloody hell, she was more beautiful than he remembered.

And for a quick moment, she looked almost as happy to see him as he was for her.

But then, the panic seeped back into her eyes (God, those bloody beautiful jade eyes). "Hi."

Killian smiled weakly and held up her wallet. "You dropped this in your haste to run away."

Emma reached out and swiftly grabbed it from Killian, making sure to not touch his fingers. "Thanks."

Killian gulped when he saw the fear in her eyes. "Could we talk, Emma?"

Emma nibbled on her bottom lip and God that did dishonorable things to his mind. Emma opened her mouth to indubitably deny the request, but a voice responded before she could. "Yes, you can."

Killian looked past Emma and saw a tall, rather gangly, man with a mop of dark brown hair on his head. The man walked up to Emma and Killian, who then offered a hand for Killian to shake. "Henry Mills. Emma's best friend."

Killian smiled in response as he took this man's-Henry's-hand and shook it firmly. "And I suppose I don't have to really introduce myself."

Henry chuckled as he released Killian's hand, tucking his hands into his front pockets. "When Emma said it was you, I didn't know whether she was lying to me or not. Guess I shouldn't have questioned it. But I gotta admit, when your best friend says her soul mate is a world famous actor, it's natural to doubt it slightly." Henry looked back to Emma, to whom he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. "I'll be at my place if you need me."

Henry looked back to Killian, nodded once, and walked back toward the elevators. Killian looked back to Emma, who was clearly nervous, and smiled gently to her as to try to calm her nerves. Emma cleared her throat and stepped away from the door, allowing Killian to walk into the apartment. Killian slowly stepped into the apartment, drawing down his hood and scratching that spot behind his ear as he waited for Emma to lead him. He heard the gentle huff as Emma walked around him, being extra careful to not touch him (which wasn't at all curious to Killian), and led him through the archway that opened the studio apartment to him. Killian looked all around him and felt a pang of nostalgia, since this apartment looked exactly like his apartment before he hit it big: the fridge awkwardly placed outside of the small kitchen, the small bathroom across from the fridge and the very small window overlooking the busy street below from beside the bathroom door. Hell, even the queen-sized bed pushed into the far corner of the room was exactly like his old apartment.

"Lemme guess: you feel bad that this is where I live and oh you wish to whisk me away to make my life better," Emma stated simply, looking at Killian with dead eyes. He knew better than to trust her empty demeanor; he'd seen too much of her fearful stares to trust her current look.

"Not at all," Killian responded, walking over to the window and looking out at the fire escape. "Just thinking that this place reminds me of my old apartment."

"Ah, right. Before you hit it big," Emma grumbled out and Killian furrowed his eyebrows as he turned back to face her. "I bet this is a big change from your Upper East Side apartment."

Killian sighed and stuck his hands into his jacket pockets. "I know this is a lot but we need to talk about this, love."

Emma's jaw visibly tightened and Killian knew that he probably hit a nerve. "I'm not your love. And we don't have to talk about anything."

Bloody hell, this was gonna be more difficult than Killian thought it would be.

"Sorry, but we do," Killian replied, making sure as to not use any more nicknames. "You know that just as well as I do. This is important."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't have to discuss shit. Just because we bumped into each other on the street and boom we could see colors, does not mean I owe you anything. I doubt you would even want to spend your life with someone who can barely even afford this shit hole."

Killian took a step forward, taking his hands out from his pockets. God, this was really not going how he thought it would. "You don't know me, Emma Swan. I'm saying that we should get to know each other because this is our lot in life now. You are my soul mate and that isn't gonna change."

"But that doesn't mean I want this," Emma replied and Killian could hear the change in her voice, like she was trying to convince herself of that. Emma looked up at Killian with those jade eyes that Killian was already in love with and he could see the pain behind them. Bloody hell, he already wanted to kill whoever did that to this beautiful, brilliant woman that he had only met a few hours ago but was already completely wrapped around her finger. "I can't do this. I am not capable of this."

Killian's heart broke at the way Emma said that. He heard the break in her voice, the utter despair and heartache in her tone. Killian already wanted to do just what she had taunted him about not a few minutes earlier-whisk her away from her problems. Now he saw how soul mates truly worked-that from the very first moment they met, all he wanted to do was to make her happy and fix all her issues. But Killian was getting the idea that Emma Swan would take a bit more work than that.

"Please, Swan," Killian asked, not even thinking twice about the nickname that slipped out (God, he already had a nickname for her). "Give this a chance. I'm not like whoever hurt you in the past."

And shit, Killian should not have said that because now, Emma was shooting daggers at him and her jaw was clenched tightly and there was no way he was going to get any further.

"Where do you get off on telling me that?!" Emma said loudly, her pain now disguised as anger and Killian's careless words. "You said that I don't know you. Well, you have no idea about what I've been through! You don't get to say that because time and time again, all throughout my life, I've been told that every-fucking-body is the same! That they'll all fucking let you down and break your heart and that you might as well not even let anybody in! Don't you fucking tell me that you're different because I know better than to trust anybody who says that! Because they all say that and then I'm the only one left in the end, picking up the pieces of my own broken heart because nobody is there to help."

Killian wanted to say something, that he understood heartbreak (don't fucking think about Milah), but everything he wanted to say wouldn't have even come close to what Emma needed to hear-deserved to hear. From the first time he saw her and could see the jade of her eyes and the gold of her hair, he didn't want to leave her side. But now, it was even more important for Killian to fight for this-for her-because she needed to know that he wasn't going to give up.

"Killian, I'm sure you're a great guy, but you'd be better off without me," Emma responded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. Killian wanted to reach for her, to wrap his arms around her and to soothe her for the rest of their lives. But, he knew that wouldn't be wise. "I don't think I'd be any good for you or for your career or your future. I think you should go."

"Emma, please," Killian pleaded, wanting to move forward but unable to. He didn't want to scare her more than she already was.

Emma shook her head and Killian's heart broke at the unshed tears in her eyes. "Please, Killian."

Killian sighed and itched the back of his neck, avoiding Emma's gaze. He didn't want to give up on her. He couldn't give up, because he wasn't that kind of man. But looking at Emma's unwavering eyes (the ones that were holding the unshed tears of her pain), he could tell that she truly wanted him to leave. But no, this didn't mean he would give up on her. He hadn't given up on Milah, when everything told him to because she was a married woman and it was wrong. It was unlike him to give up on anybody and his soul mate was one he just couldn't change that for.

He was going to fight.

But he knew that Emma needed space.

So, without a word, Killian Jones left Emma Swan's apartment. And well, if he heard the sobbing coming from the apartment as he walked down the hallway, his heart shattered for the millionth time that day.