'Emma, can you open the door, please? I am just about to take a shower!' Mary Margaret called after the ringing sound of the doorbell startled them both.

'Sure!' One eye on her textbook, Emma walked down the familiar hallway to the door. It was probably the mailman, delivering some package Mary Margeret had ordered and forgotten about, as usual. She quietly whispered the text as she reached out to open the door. One more year, one more year and she would finish her Law studies, against all possible odds. She almost wished she could rub it in the face of N- No, she would not allow herself to think that name.

The doorbell sounded again. 'Calm down man, I'm here already-' she muttered, grumpily swinging open the door to reveal-

'Hello!' A handsome stranger, most certainly not a mailman, stood in front of her. Emma only barely managed not to drop her book.

'Hi?'

The stranger held out his hand. 'Hello,' he repeated. 'My name is Killian. I just moved in next door, wanted to say hi. Is this a good time?'

Emma stared for a moment at the man in front of her. Black hair, intensely blue eyes and cheekbones you could cut yourself on when just looking at it, and British? That was just unfair. She suddenly felt awkward about her casual clothes, messy bun and glasses. Suddenly her eyes fell on the still outstretched arm and moving her textbook from her right to her left hand she quickly shook it.

'Hi, I- I'm Emma. Nice to meet you.' A melodious sound came from behind her as Mary Margeret started singing her favourite song of the day. 'That's my roommate, Mary Margaret. Did you move in with David?' She had heard the man talk about his search for a new roommate to share the costs of the rent. Graham, his previous roommate, had moved out and taken a job as a Sherriff in a small town a little while away.

'I did, a friend of mine knew him and heard he was looking for someone. I just started my masters here and was looking for a bit more permanent place to live. My previous place was on the other side of town, and extremely expensive. This Mary Margaret is David's girlfriend, right?' Emma nodded. The story of how the two had met was actually quite funny. David had lost his keys and was waiting for Mary Margaret to come home, as their balconies were connected. He had hoped to be able to enter his home through the balcony door, but Mary Margaret had panicked when she saw a stranger leaning against her door when she came home from doing groceries and she had hit him with a packet of butter. After the situation was properly explained she felt so guilty she had invited him in for a cup of tea, and the rest was history.

Yeah, she is. You'll see her around soon enough, she's busy now. What do you study?'

'Marine biology, you?' he eyed the textbook she was still holding. Emma flashed the cover, revealing the dark, bold letters Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

'Law. I have an exam tomorrow, sorry, I was studying.'

'Then I will not disturb you much longer. I just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.' he smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. 'I'll see you around?'

'Probably.'

'Good luck with your exam!' he turned and walked away as Emma stared. Shit. She was in a lot of trouble.

/ / /

'Who was at the door?' Mary Margaret asked as she came back into the room, all washed and ready.

'David's new roommate. He came to say hi and introduce himself. His name is Killian.'

'Oh! David told me, I am sorry, I forgot to tell you. You were so busy studying and I had to prepare for classes, it totally slipped my mind. How was he? David showed me a picture, he is very handsome.' Emma looked up and saw a familiar expression on her friend's face. It was Mary Margaret's personal life mission to get Emma happily married, sooner rather than later.

'He's nothing special, honestly.' she told her. 'He studies Marine biology. You'll meet him soon enough.'

Nothing special. That didn't exactly cover the mischievous smirk, bright eyes, handsome beard, bulging arm muscles she was sure were hidden underneath the leather coat. But she kept repeating the words to herself anyway, as she resumed studying. Nothing special, nothing special, nothing special. She didn't really know who she was fooling. She knew she couldn't fool herself. But she couldn't, shouldn't, wouldn't allow herself to make that mistake again. No love for her. Not after Neal. She shouldn't think about Neal. Nothing special, nothing special. Focus on her studies instead. Law was something she was able to handle. Rules, logic, argumentation. As a lawyer, she would be in a position of power. She would be able to defend those who couldn't defend herself, give others a chance she didn't get. 'No,' she berated herself, 'don't think of Neal.'

/ / /

A laughing voice echoed through the hallway as the door swung open and Mary Margeret entered after her date with David.

'Emma?! Why are you still awake? You have an exam tomorrow, you should be resting!'

'Hey MM, just revising the last chapter.' MM was the nickname Emma had given her closest friend. It was shorter, and 'Emma and MM' sounded nice. 'How was your date?'

'It was so romantic! He took me to Granny's Diner, the cute little diner on Main Street, do you know it? There were fairy lights everywhere, it was gorgeous.' The brunette opened the fridge to grab some OJ but halted in her tracks. 'Pancakes?' she looked at Emma with a curious face. 'Why did you make pancakes?'

'I received my grade for the Criminal Law exam I sat last week. I got an A-! I thought we should celebrate.' A high scream pierced her ears as Mary Margaret enveloped her in a hug. 'That is so great! Congratulations! We should definitely celebrate that! You know what, I'll put on my PJ's whilst you revise your last chapter. Then I'll warm up the pancakes when you get dressed and we can have a PJ party.'

'That Killian lived quite a dramatic life.' MM said as Emma shovelled a blueberry pancake in her mouth. 'Apparently he got his BA in Marine Biology in England, and he got offered a job at his fiancée's research project.' Emma felt her heart drop. He was engaged. Of course he was, how could anyone as handsome as him still be single? Not that it mattered, he was nothing special after all. 'That was two years ago.'

'Two years? That's a long engagement. I mean, I assume they aren't married because he's living with David now.'

'She died. Something involving her jealous ex-boyfriend, some completely mental guy who broke out of prison several times.'

'Wow.'

'Yeah. And he had lost his brother just a year before that. The two grew up together, they were orphans.' The 'just like you' hung in the air, unspoken.

'Shit man.' Emma simply said. 'Why is he here?'

'To get away from everything, I guess. Britain probably drags up too many painful memories. And the masters Marine biology offered here is the best in America, so I guess that helps.' MM shrugged as she drowned her own pancake in Maple Syrup. 'But what an awful life. I don't envy him.'

/ / /

"Happy birthday David!" Emma smiled and hugged the tall blonde. 'You're getting old, man!' she teased. 'Here is your present, but I should have bought you a rocking chair.' David laughed as he opened the package, hugging her tightly when it revealed a gorgeous watch she knew he had wanted for quite some time.

'Thank you so much! It's gorgeous! How did you know?' The apartment was already filled with people and Emma carefully made her way to the table with snacks. As she arrived she suddenly heard a British voice behind her.

'Hey! Emma, right?' She turned to face the handsome stranger that had rang the doorbell only a small week ago.

'Hey Killian.'

'How did your exam go?'

'Okay, I guess. I am not sure, I don't have the grade back yet. How are you settling in?' Before she knew it the two had talked through the night, and when she woke up the next morning with a huge hangover her phone somehow contained his number and her planner reminded her that in two days she would go on a date with one Killian Jones. She groaned and chugged a big glass of water before facing herself in the mirror. 'He's nothing special.' She told her reflection, 'You will not make another mistake again. Remember Neal. Remember-' she ran towards the toilet to puke her guts out. Forget Neal. Forget Neal.

/ / /

She had hoped that he would have been drunk enough to forget about it, but the following morning she had met him in the hallway and he had made it clear the date was still on. She didn't have a good excuse not to go, so she was stuck with it for the time being. She tried not to think of Neal and she reminded herself, once again, that he was nothing special. It seemed to have become a personal mantra. Nothing special. Don't think of Neal. Nothing special. He picked her up at home right on time and took her to a little Italian restaurant hidden in an alley off Main Street. As they sat down a small man with a heavy Italian accent, apparently the owner, approached the two, carrying a stack of menus.

''ello Killian, 'ello beautiful lady!' He greeted loudly, handing them each one menu. 'Killian, 'ow are you? Where did you pick up this beautiful lady? What is 'er name?' She smiled and introduced herself. 'Emma? What a beautiful name, fitting a beautiful lady! You are one lucky man!' The man turned around and started to leave them, but he bumped into a new customer that had just entered the store and dropped all of his menus. 'Mamma mia! Mi dispiace, I am so sorry!' Emma started to smile at the fact that the man actually used the phrase 'mamma mia', but she soon froze as she saw the face of the person who entered.

'Emma.'

'Neal.'

As if it couldn't get any worse. She was on a date she couldn't even remember going on, with a man that she found way too dangerously attractive, the first date she had been on since Neal- And now he was there, right in front of her. She hadn't seen him since- She didn't want to think about it. She practically felt Neal's eyes bore into her skin as he looked at her and Killian. A wicked grin spread across his face.

'Emma, I haven't seen you in ages. How's the baby doing?' The words cut straight through her, piercing her heart like poisoned arrows.

'You- You know perfectly well. What are you doing here, Neal?'

'May I introduce you to my finacée? Tamara, Emma. Emma, Tamara.' She suddenly noticed the woman behind him.

'Hello!' Tamara greeted happily, completely ignorant of the tension in the air.

'Tamara, be a dear and get a seat. I'll be there soon, I just want to catch up with some old friends. Nothing interesting to you.' The woman smiled and turned, walking towards a table on the other side of the room.

'So, Killian,' Neal now turned towards the Brit sitting opposite of her. They knew each other. Of course they did. Because why would Emma ever be allowed to travel anywhere or meet anyone that was not somehow connected to her awful past. The universe didn't allow her to forget. Not that she ever could. Her hand briefly brushed her abdomen. 'How is it to fuck a used bottle?' Neal continued.

'Perfectly new once you're 3 inches in.' Killian simply replied, his jaw tense.

'Oh really? Well, I suppose you are used to second-hand girlfriends, aren't you?'. Emma blinked and suddenly the two men were on the floor, throwing punches. The owner, who had finally collected all of his menus, dropped them again and tried to tear them apart, but the man was way too small to have any chance of success. Emma simply stared at the chaos, frozen in place, unable to move, or think, or do anything, really. Neal was here. He knew Killian. He was fighting Killian. Now Kilian knew about- Neal was here. She could never escape him. He had a new victim. Neal was here. She wasn't safe. Neal was here.

After what seemed like ages, but must have only been seconds, a tall man rose from a nearby table as his red-haired wife looked at the fight in shock, and before Emma could take another breath Neal and Killian were separated. 'What the fuck is wrong with you two?! If you want to fight you can go take boxing lessons, don't do it in a restaurant where I'm trying to have a romantic dinner with my wife.' The stranger spat, obviously disgusted at the sudden outburst of violence. 'What are you two? Twelve? Get out of here, and take your fiancée. The blonde lady and her date were here first.' It seemed like Neal wanted to protest, but as he looked at the man towering over him he changed his mind.

'Tamara, let's go. I don't want to eat at the same place whores go for their date. Let's go somewhere else.' The diner seemed to hold its breath after the door slammed shut behind the pair.

'Thank you sir, you will get your dinner on the house.' The owner was the first to break the silence. 'Thank you so much for saving my restaurant, Mr...?'

'Eric. And there really is no need.'

'I insist!'

Emma and Killian ate in silence, but the mood for the night was pretty much ruined. 'I'm sorry about that.' He said as they were parked in the McDonald's parking lot with their McFlurries. 'I knew him back in the day. I assume Mary Margaret has informed you about my past?' Emma blushed and nodded.

'She's not very good at keeping secrets. And David shares everything with her.'

'I assumed so. He is the son of- of the man that killed my fiancée. He and I- We don't get along.' It was silent for a long time.

'I knew him when I was younger.' Emma started, not sure why she was telling this story to someone who was, for all intents and purposes, a complete stranger to her. But once she started, she couldn't stop. 'He was my boyfriend. I met him- I met him when I tried to steal his car. I- I am an orphan, I grew up in the foster care system. But I ran away a lot. I didn't have anything, so I stole to get by. We were a team, or so I thought. I loved him. I got pregnant. When I told him I thought he was happy, but less than a week later he framed me for stealing over $10.000 worth of watches. I only ever stole to survive, never- never something big, like this. He made sure I got caught, and I ended up in jail. He claimed he didn't know that I was a thief, and he broke up with me.' Tears were streaming down her face. 'I got an abortion whilst in prison. It was either that or let the child grow up in foster care. Death is a kinder fate.' They ate the rest of their ice cream in silence and then drove home.

'I'm sorry for everything that happened tonight. I hope you still enjoyed the food.' Killian waited for a moment, and then looked down and whispered, 'and my company.' Emma smiled.

'I did. Thank you. And thank you for hitting him, I am sure he will have quite some bruises after what you did to him.' She bit her lower lip. 'And thank you for listening. For not judging. I haven't really told anyone about that before, save for Mary Margaret.' Killian looked up. 'Thank you for your trust.' It was silent once again.

'So-'

'Now-' they both started.

'Sorry, you first.' Killian hesitated, then nodded. 'Are you free, tomorrow night? Maybe we can do this over again. I mean, not this, but another date. Better. Somewhere where I don't have to punch someone to the ground. Don't get me wrong, it was very cathartic, I have been wanting to do that for ages, but-'

'I'd love to.'

Not a single thought in her head focussed on Neal. Only on the soft lips touching hers.