"Do you get the feeling that our friends have ulterior motives tonight?" Emma whispered, as she pulled Ruby aside in Mary-Margret and David's kitchen.

"Because of Victor?" the brunette asked. "Definitely."

"Ugh. This is the last thing I need."

After a difficult week at work, Mary-Margret and David had invited Ruby and Emma to their home, for a dinner party. When David made the offer, he'd made it sound like a casual dinner, between friends. When Mary-Margret called to check that her husband had actually extended the invitation, she'd made it sound like a classy dinner party, between friends.

Now, as Emma escaped to the kitchen, in search of more wine, she realized that it was actually an attempt to set her up with the town's doctor, while she was surrounded by her friends.

"What am I gonna do?" she sighed.

"You could try telling them the truth?" Ruby suggested, as she finally found a bottle of wine to open.

"Oh, yeah? That would go down well," Emma snarked. "'Sorry guys, I can't date the town doctor because I actually have this thing with a famous actor.' Nobody's gonna believe that, Ruby."

"I'd be there to back you up. So, I'm sure they would." Ruby grabbed the clean glasses, and the opened bottle, off the side, somehow managing to juggle them all, without spilling a drop, as she led the way back to the table. "Or, you know, you could just go with the old, 'I'm-seeing-someone' line," she threw over her shoulder.

Emma plastered on her best fake smile, as she took her seat, next to Victor, at the dinner table.

"We thought you ladies were making the wine," he chuckled.

"Sorry. Just having a little gossip," Ruby replied sweetly, as she began pouring drinks for everyone but Mary-Margret, who was still breastfeeding. "You know how us girls are."

"Of course," Victor chuckled, sipping from his own glass.

Emma couldn't quite control the childish urge inside of her, that was chanting choke at him, as he did.

"So… Emma… have you heard from Neal at all since your split?" Mary-Margret asked, suddenly.

Emma's mental chanting almost backfired on herself, as she choked a little on thin air, at the invasive question.

"Nope," she replied honestly. "I think he's tried calling and texting, but I've just been deleting everything from his number."

"Wow, he must have really pissed you off," Victor snorted. "Remind me to stay on your good side, Sheriff." He added what he must have thought was a sexy wink, but to Emma, it looked more like something had gotten stuck in his eye, and he was trying to blink it away.

"I should fetch our starters," Mary-Margret threw in, sensing the building tension in the room. "David, would you like to help me?"

"So, Emma? Can I call you Emma?" Victor continued, turning towards her, and his back to Ruby. "How did you become a cop?"

"It's a long story," she answered dismissively.

And it certainly wasn't one she was ready to share with Victor.

"Well… I have all night," he replied.

Emma assumed that he thought he was being smooth, that evening. Victor had angled his body towards hers, and was asking questions about her life, in attempt to get her to open up to him, a little more. He'd completely forgotten about Ruby, sat on his other side. And that wasn't helping his cause.

Unfortunately for him, Emma had spent so much time around Killian Jones recently, that seeing how hard Victor was working, to try and get her to engage with him, just highlighted how different the two men were. Killian's conversation and actions had always seemed so effortless and natural. There was nothing forced about it, which was why Emma had opened up to him, the way she couldn't bring herself to do with Victor.

Killian would also have never turned his back on Ruby, in an attempt to impress Emma.

Thankfully, the arrival of their soup halted any further conversation, and Emma jumped at the chance to ask Mary-Margret and David about Leo's newest developments, when they sat back down. Like most parents, the Nolans were able to fill the time, while everybody ate, with small anecdotes about their son. Emma and Ruby truly enjoyed listening to them gush over little Leo's newest achievements, and cooed over the most recent pictures on David's phone.

The Nolans had been trying for a baby for years, before Leo made his surprising appearance in the world. They'd almost given up hope of ever conceiving a child of their own, and had begun to consider their other options, when Mary-Margret fell sick one weekend, just before Christmas. Her sickness bug turned out to be hyperemesis gravidarum, and as much as she hated spending the holidays in the hospital, Mary-Margret was over the moon with the news of her little Christmas miracle.

Emma volunteered to clear away their bowls and spoons, when everyone had finished eating, that evening. Mary-Margret followed after her friend, hurrying to the kitchen to begin plating up their main meals.

"How's it going?" she asked, over the top of her saucepan of mashed potatoes.

"Not bad," Emma mumbled, as she began to stack the dirty crockery in the dishwasher. "Leroy's being a pain in my ass… again… but that's nothing new."

"Not work, Emma," her friend sighed. "I mean with Victor. Isn't he just the sweetest?"

"Not really," Emma hedged.

And honestly, it was the truth.

Compared to Killian, Victor was coming off as more creepy, than he was sweet and charming.

But Emma knew better than to voice that opinion.

"Oh, come on, Emma," Mary-Margret encouraged, as she held out a hand for one of the empty plates. "He's a nice guy. Has a stable job. Owns his own home… You could do a lot worse."

Emma didn't miss the look that clearly showed her friend thought she already had.

"I could also do a lot better," she said instead.

To put an end to the conversation, Emma began moving the now-full plates over to the dining room, knowing that Mary-Margret wouldn't push the subject in public.

Ruby cocked a brow in the direction of her best-friend, but Emma simply shrugged off her concern. She knew, deep down, that her friends were only trying to help. And Mary-Margret couldn't know that she already had someone in her life. So, Emma tried her hardest not to be irritated by their meddling.

Thankfully, conversation throughout their main meal was mostly led by Ruby, who was able to pick some of the best gossip she had heard, working at the dinner that week, to share with her friends. Ruby had one of those faces, that always made her customers want to spill their secrets to her. Yet, as much as she enjoyed a good gossip, Ruby also knew when to keep things to herself. Emma knew that her friend was probably told more about everybody in their town, than she would ever let on.

It was one of the reasons Emma loved her so much. There was nobody else in the world that she trusted, the way she did Ruby Lucas.

It was as dessert was served that things started to go downhill.

While Victor might have been a smart guy; he really couldn't read the situation around him, as he asked, "Emma, how would you like to go for a nightcap when we leave?"

"Um…"

Emma's panicked eyes met Ruby's, over the top of Victor's head. She knew the guy had a reputation for sleeping his way through the town, but Emma also knew that he was a damned good doctor, and he really wasn't that bad of a person. She didn't relish the idea of hurting his feelings, but she also didn't want to lead him on.

"Thanks for the offer," she began carefully.

Victor cut her off before she could continue. "Excellent news. The Rabbit Hole should still be open. Or… we could always go back to my place?"

"Oh, Emma, I completely forgot," Ruby interrupted loudly, from behind him. "John called while you were in the shower, this evening. He wanted to let you know things at work had run a little late, so he wasn't gonna be able to call at his usual time. But, if you were still awake when he finished, he'd call then."

"John?" Mary-Margret asked suddenly. "Who's John?"

"He's someone I've been seeing recently," Emma replied quietly, thankful that Ruby had chosen to use Killian's middle name, as his alias. She knew the name Killian wasn't common enough to not raise red flags with her friends. And, if they happened to checked her Facebook profile, they'd see enough of 'John's' recent comments to make it look less suspicious.

"Why didn't you say anything?" David asked, looking a little offended that he hadn't been told about such an important development in Emma's life.

Emma hated that she was having to lie to David and Mary-Margret, in that moment. But, she also knew that so much was still so uncertain. She didn't want to have to explain her relationship with Killian, that night, only to have to explain how it had ended, the following month.

"It's new," she finally decided. It wasn't exactly a lie, either. "We're just taking things slow, at the moment. So, there's not really much to talk about."

Mary-Margret reached across the table, to take her friend's hand into her own, and offer it a gentle squeeze. "Well, I hope this John treats you much better than Neal did."

"Oh, trust me," Ruby scoffed, "He already does."

"Should I be worried about this Victor guy?" Killian asked, as Emma flopped back onto her bed. She'd called him as soon as she'd gotten back to the apartment, even though Ruby had assured her that she'd lied about the call he'd supposedly made. Emma had missed hearing his voice all day, and she'd never pass up an opportunity to listen to that accent again.

"Not at all," she chuckled. "He left fairly soon after Ruby announced that I was dating 'John.' I'm sure he'll find someone else to share that drink with."

"Poor guy. I kinda feel bad for him."

"You do?" Emma questioned, her voice rising with disbelief.

"Sure. I mean… there he was, thinking he'd have a shot with the most beautiful woman in town. And now… he's going home with the knowledge that she's off the market. That's gotta sting a little."

"I doubt many people in this town would argue that I'm the prettiest woman in it. Maybe Ruby? But certainly not me," Emma protested, even as her heart soared at the sweetness of his words.

"I don't know," Killian hedged. "I mean, Ruby's lovely and all, but she's not exactly my type. I prefer beautiful blondes; with stunning green eyes, that sparkle when she's excited; and a brain that's not quite capable of fully filtering her thoughts, when she's around me."

"Wow. You have really specific tastes," Emma giggled. "How will you ever find someone to meet those requirements."

"It's a good job I already have."

Emma's week progressed much the same as they always did in Storybrooke.

During the day, she would busy herself at work, making arrangements for a new delivery of computers, that she had ordered to help speed up their archaic processes. Or, pushing the usual paperwork, that always came with her job.

At night, she and Ruby would take it in turns to cook for each other, before they sat down to binge a show together on Netflix. Emma would always end her evening, curled up in bed and talking to Killian, until one of them began yawning so much, that they had to say goodnight.

"I think we should go out tonight," Ruby suggested, as she was making coffee Friday morning. "It doesn't have to be anything crazy. I just feel like I might be developing cabin fever in here."

Emma chuckled a little, at her friend's dramatics. Truth be told, she didn't really fancy a night at The Rabbit Hole. It was hard for Emma, to switch off her role as the town's Sheriff. And The Hole could attract some of the worst behavior in town.

But, Emma knew that she owed her friend, after Vegas.

So, if Ruby wanted to go out, and have a few drinks at the local bar, Emma wouldn't say no.

"Sure, I don't see why not," she replied. "David's on call tonight, so as long as I don't have anything too heavy to drink, it should be fine."

"Excellent news," Ruby cheered, as she made her way over to kiss her friend, on the cheek. "I'll be finished at around six, so wait for me here? We can head out as soon as I've showered off the grease?"

"It's a date," Emma promised.

"Okay, Mr. Clarke, what seems to be the problem?" Emma asked, as she pushed her way into the small pharmacy, later that afternoon.

The rather harried looking pharmacist was glaring in the direction of two teenagers, who had been locked in his office.

"Those two," he explained, with a nod of his head. "I caught them shoplifting."

Emma sighed to herself, as she took a good look through the window. She recognized both of the kids. And, while neither of them had ever caused trouble before, she also knew that every once in a while, a game would go around Storybrooke High, daring the kids there to steal something from Old Mr. Clarke, in the pharmacy.

Which meant that it was time for the Sheriff to schedule her annual trip to the school, to lecture the kids on why it wasn't such a great idea to turn to a life of petty crime, just to impress their friends.

"I'll take care of it," she assured the older man. "I assume you don't want to press charges?"

"Nope. I caught them before they could leave the building. They handed everything over pretty quickly, when I called you."

They usually did, when they'd been caught.

Mr. Clarke might have been known as a rather docile old man, but he'd grown up in Storybrooke, much like the rest of the town. He was well aware of the game the kids liked to play, in his store. While he didn't want to cause them trouble, he had found, over the years, that having the town sheriff come out, to reprimand the kids for their behavior, was far more effective than when he did it, himself.

"Okay," she sighed, before making her way over to the office.

"Afternoon kids," Emma greeted, as she pulled open the door. "It's your lucky day, today. We're going on a little trip back to my office now, and you get the pleasure of explaining to your parents why I have you locked in one of my holding cells," she told them, with forced cheer.

Although, the smile that crossed Emma's face, at the look of absolute horror that developed on theirs, wasn't forced, at all.

Emma spent most of the rest of her day dealing with the two teenagers who had been caught in their game. As their parents both worked, she kept them in her holding cells, for the rest of the afternoon, while they waited for their parents to come and collect them. It was something that both sets of parents were more than happy to agree to, in the hopes that it would scare their kids straight. And, given the way they both left the station, with their heads down, and full of apologies, Emma imagined that it had certainly had the desired effect.

She also used her time to place a call, to the Principle of Storybrooke High, to make arrangements to speak to the pupils of the school, on Monday afternoon. David had never delivered one of the lectures before, so Emma made a note to send him instead, for a change.

It took her a little longer than she would have liked to finish filling in the paperwork associated with the incident. All calls placed through the system had to be officially recorded. Even if they did involve a silly game, and no criminal charges. So, Emma was relieved to finally lock up the Station for the evening, and head back home, only an hour later than she had planned.

David would be on call that evening, with all emergencies rerouted to his cell phone, should it be needed.

But it rarely was.

"Ruby?" Emma called out, as she let herself into their apartment. The answering silence of the loft told her that Ruby hadn't yet finished her own shift, thankfully.

Emma took a moment to make herself a quick sandwich, before she headed for her shower. She had no idea what the plans were for that evening; but what she did know was that drinking on an empty stomach always ended with her head in the toilet bowl. So, Emma figured it would be a good idea to eat a little something, just in case Ruby hadn't factored food into her plans for the night.

Without her friend in the loft, Emma ran into further trouble, when it came to actually dressing for the night ahead. She had a few nice dresses in her closet, that she had purchased for the occasional party, or night out with Neal. But Emma was positive most of them wouldn't be the kind of dress she'd need for a night out with Ruby.

After pulling virtually everything out of the cupboard, she finally stumbled over a dress she'd bought a few years back, but had never actually worn. When Emma had first shown it to Neal, he hadn't been exactly wowed by the design, like she had hoped. So, Emma had shoved the dress to the very back of her closet, and never thought of it again.

As she pulled it out, and smoothed down some of the creases in the skirt, Emma realized that, with the help of an iron, it could be the perfect dress for her evening out. It didn't take her long to steam the garment into a more acceptable condition, and, once she had, Emma slipped it over her head, and shimmied the black fabric down her body, before she stretched for the zip at the back.

"Fuck," she cursed, as she realized that, without Ruby around, she couldn't reach to pull the zip up completely. The dress was so tight on her, that Emma doubted she'd be able to pull the old, zip-and-twist maneuver, either.

To make matters worse, it was at that moment that a firm knock rang out through the apartment.

"Shit," she cursed again, before looking down at herself, to make sure everything important was covered.

Emma debated ignoring whoever it was. But, when another two knocks sounded, in quick succession, she let out a small huff, before storming over to pull open the door.

It took her a moment to work out what she was seeing. But, when it finally clicked, all of Emma's frustration disappeared, as she let out an amused chuckle. The poor delivery boy, waiting on the other side, was almost completely hidden behind the arrangement of flowers that he was carrying.

"Um… come in," she told him, opening the door wider. She gestured in the direction of her kitchen, before adding, "You can set them down on the counter."

Emma turned away from the open door, and headed back to her bedroom, to grab her phone. She watched, from the corner of her eye, as the delivery boy headed towards the kitchen, to set the flowers down on the counter, as she had asked.

She knew that Killian had hinted at sending Ruby flowers, to thank her for what she had done. But Emma didn't think he'd go that crazy over the arrangement.

Just had a delivery boy show up at my door.

You know that Ruby would have been happy with a small bunch that she could ACTUALLY fit into a vase, right?

Emma tapped out the quick message, and hit send, just as she made her way back towards the lounge.

The small chime of an incoming notification had her stopping to check her own phone.

Killian was usually quick at replying, when he wasn't on set.

But he wasn't that quick.

When Emma saw no new notifications on her lock screen, her brow furrowed in confusion, before she turned her attention to the delivery boy, who was still stood in the middle of her home, with his own phone, in his hand.

"You do know these come with a vase, right?" he asked.

Thanks for reading.

I think I got all the review replies out this afternoon, but I apologise if I missed anyone.

I wanted to say a special thanks to thecaptainmissy, Alexa, candycane56, JoAnne, Jrob64, Pixie Paws1 and all the other guests and reviewers who have their PMs turned off.

If you'd like your own little teasers for the next chapters, I'll add them to my tumblr account (Kymbersmith-90) so you can read them there, when they're ready.