England, 2004
"So, when do you think you'll be home?"
"I don't know, Killian. Mark didn't show tonight so if his hours are going free, I think I'm gonna take 'em. You'll be okay feeding yourself, right?"
"Yeah, I'll pick something up from Tesco while I'm there."
"Okay. Great. Look, I've gotta go. My break's almost over but I'll be home when I can - and if you're headed to Tesco, make sure you grab some mayo. I used the last of it for lunch."
"I'll. See you tomorrow."
Killian disconnected the call and then slipped his phone back into his pocket. It looked like he was in for another lonely evening of ready meals for one, and whatever was on tv. He knew that deep down it was for the best. They needed all the money they could get if they were going to keep the lights on. But that never seemed to help ease the loneliness he felt these days. He made a sharp turn left into the closest Tesco Express and headed straight for the chilled ready meal section. Killian had already sampled most of what the store had to offer, so he simply picked up the cheapest option and then headed over to the condiments aisle.
The selection available there was smaller than the one Liam's store had to offer, but it would do in a pinch. Killian didn't fancy walking all the way across town to a bigger store, and he didn't want to waste bus fare on the journey either. With only a handful of coins in his pocket, he perused the small section, intending to grab the cheapest offering and get out as quickly as he could - but something familiar caught his eye.
"Nu'mann?"
The squeezy bottle of mayonnaise was new… or maybe it was just really old… because Killian was sure he'd seen that exact bottle somewhere before. He picked it up to check the best before date on the neck and then froze as flashes of a woman with short blonde hair, dressed all in black, assaulted his memory.
Liam had said it was a dream. Killian had believed in his big brother's assumption because a woman dropping out of nowhere just to visit him had seemed so strange when he'd finally explained it to his brother. But now that he was holding the bottle in his hands once more, he wasn't entirely sure if Liam had been right. The memories he had of her were vague, and yet, so realistic at the same time.
Turning on his heels, Killian headed straight for the nearest checkout with the ready meal in one hand and the bottle of mayonnaise in the other, as he tried desperately to recall more details of the mystery blonde.
The moment he had the front door closed behind himself, Killian dropped his school bag to the floor and headed through to the kitchen. He'd been intending to put his dinner in the fridge so that he could heat it through later, but something about the mayonnaise he was still holding was calling to him. After setting the meal down on an empty shelf, he made a snap decision and pulled out what was left of the ham; cheese; and butter, dropped them onto the table, and then snagged the bread from beside the toaster.
He buttered each slice with a kind of care he'd never really taken before, smoothing the spread into each corner and right up to the crusts, before he slapped down the last slice of ham. After wiping his palms on his trousers, Killian picked up the bottle once more to examine it carefully.
"No man?" he repeated, sounding out the odd brand name in the silence of his home. "Noo mann?" Neither pronunciation sounded right to him, but then again, he couldn't imagine calling a mayonnaise something so stupid to begin with.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he quickly unscrewed the lid on the new bottle and removed the safety seal before replacing it once more. He suddenly remembered that he'd been obsessed with the stars the last time the bottle had been in his hands. He'd used it to draw one on his sandwich. So after giving the bottle a little shake to make sure it was ready, Killian opened the cap and began to squeeze, drawing out the three lines that formed his first triangle, before he turned his plate to add the second. When he was finished, he stood back and frowned down at his sandwich.
Something was missing…
And then it hit him.
Killian gave the bottle another small squeeze which left an undignified splat in the middle of his star.
He could sense the change in the room almost instantly.
Turning slowly on his heels, the teenaged-boy found himself face-to-face with a woman dressed once more in a black suit. This time, she had paired it with a white shirt and a long, skinny black tie, and her longer hair had a slim braid across one side which had been pulled back into a high, sleek ponytail.
"It's you," he gasped out, as memories of their afternoon together came flooding back. "Emma!"
"Hello, Killian."
"I… I… my brother said you weren't real. He said I'd dreamt you."
"Dreams are often easier to understand than reality," she replied cryptically, making her way around the room.
Killian's eyes tracked her every move.
"What, no sandwich for me this time?" she teased, eyeing the half-made creation sitting on a plate in the middle of the table.
"I don't have any more ham - but if you want, I could make you a cheese one? Or there might be some tuna in the –"
Emma held up a hand to stop his ramblings as she cast a critical glance around the room.
"Where's your father?" she asked.
"I dunno." At her raised brow, Killian hastened to add, "He took off a few days after Liam turned eighteen. I haven't seen him in years."
Emma's eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment before she pulled out the same chair she'd sat in six years earlier, and took a seat.
Killian seemed a little lost for what to do, so instead of sitting down to eat his sandwich without being able to offer her one, he made his way over to the kettle and began filling it with water.
"How are you and your brother doing?" she asked softly.
"We're okay, I guess… the hardest part is the money," he reluctantly admitted. This wasn't a conversation he'd ever had with his friends, but for some reason, he felt like Emma was someone he could open up to. "Liam does the best he can and I work weekends too. But it's not the same as when dad was bringing home a somewhat-steady salary."
Emma nodded her head in understanding as she watched him drop a tea bag into each of the mugs standing in front of him, and then fill them with water.
"Do you take sugar?" he called over his shoulder, pulling open the refrigerator door to grab the milk.
She didn't miss the way he gave it a quick sniff before he added a splash to each of the mugs.
"No, thank you. This is perfect," she told him. She couldn't actually remember the last time she'd had a cup of tea, and she was pretty sure the last person to make her anything was the teenaged boy carefully making his way back to the table with a steaming mug in each hand.
They sat in silence for a moment, the two of them sipping at their drinks as the weight of Killian's confession settled between them.
"How come you haven't aged?" he asked suddenly, startling Emma out of her thoughts.
"Excuse me?"
"You haven't aged since the last time I saw you. Your hair's just grown a bit."
Emma chuckled as she lifted the mug to her lips and took a deep sip. "Just because I haven't physically changed doesn't mean I haven't aged. All things age, Killian. Even if we don't want them to."
Killian's face screwed up a little with his confusion and Emma focused on her mug of tea so as not to laugh at him. She had a feeling that it wouldn't go down well, given his age.
"So, what are your plans for tonight?" she asked instead.
"I don't have any," Killian scoffed. "Liam's gonna be at work late so I was just gonna stick a ready meal in the microwave and watch some tv."
"You don't sound terribly excited about that," she noted.
"Yeah… well…" Killian threw himself back in his seat as he stared down at the cup cradled between his hands. He might not have voiced his concerns, but at that moment, Emma could read each and every one of them in the stiff lines of his body.
"You know, I'm sure I read that there was a place around here that made the best Fish and Chips in England," she suddenly declared. "We could order in and watch a movie if you'd like?"
"I um… I can't afford that," he mumbled quietly. "And you, uh… you probably have better things to do than entertain a teenager all night."
Emma drained the last of her tea and then reached for Killian's empty mug. After rinsing them out in the sink she set them down on the draining board and then turned back around to face him.
"Do you remember what I told you the last time I was here?" she asked suddenly.
Killian shook his head, but she could tell by the glazed look behind his eyes that he was trying hard to recall the details of that night.
"I said that I think you'll find that most people will have plenty of time for kind children like yourself. You might not be the child you were back then, and I can't promise how long I can stay, but my point still stands. Come on." She nodded her head in the direction of the lounge and made her way over to the small sofa inside of it. Killian followed soon after, his eyes widening with surprise the moment he caught the enticing scent that was beginning to fill the space.
"How did you…?"
"…Magic," Emma chuckled, ripping open one of the paper-wrapped packages on the table to pop a chip into her mouth.
Killian shook his head in disbelief before he took a seat in the corner of the sofa, and then reached for the other package. Somehow, Emma had managed to order his favourite – fish and chips smothered in curry sauce.
"Now, let's see what's on, shall we?" She grabbed for the remote and began flicking through the planner, looking for a movie that would be suitable for the two of them to watch together.
"We uh… we don't have access to those channels," Killian blurted out, when he saw what she was looking at.
Settling on a classic that she was sure wouldn't be inappropriate for him, Emma completely disregarded everything he'd said and hit play, before dropping the remote back onto the coffee table.
"I guess there must be a glitch in the system," she said, as Killian eyed her curiously while the opening scene of the movie began to play out across the screen.
"Yeah. I guess so."
The two of them sat mostly in silence as they ate their meals and watched the film. It was comforting in a way that Killian had never really expected it to be. Being able to trade small comments about what was happening on-screen with someone else, helped drive away the loneliness he'd been feeling ever since his father had run off in the middle of the night.
Emma had just balled up the greasy paper in her lap when that all-too-familiar tugging sensation began filling her gut once more.
"You have to go," Killian stated, clearly reading her mood from the look that had quickly flickered across her face. He set his own, almost-finished, meal down onto the coffee table and quickly wiped his hands down the front of his trousers in an effort to clean them.
"I do. I'm sorry. But thanks for keeping me entertained tonight. I had fun."
Killian pushed himself up to his feet as Emma did the same, and then stuffed his hands into his pockets. At that moment, he looked the picture of teenaged awkwardness.
Emma dropped one of her own hands into her jacket pocket and summoned the small slip of paper she knew would help make things a little easier for the boy standing before her.
"Here," she said, pulling it out to offer to him. "I think you need this more than I do right now."
Killian took it from her and frowned down at it in confusion. "Thanks," he said, in a tone that clearly indicated he wasn't sure how a lottery ticket was supposed to help him.
"Take care of yourself, Killian. And you know how to reach me if you need anything."
She was gone before Killian could ask exactly how he was supposed to do that.
Three days later, the demon named Amaline smiled to herself as she heard a teenaged boy's whispered prayer of thanks, before she turned her attention back to the businessman standing before her.
"Well, Johnathan, your time has come," she said, reaching for his hand.
Johnathan hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Will it hurt?"
Amaline laughed a delicate, simpering laugh. The kind that she knew would be completely at odds with what she was about to say.
"It's Hell, Darling. What do you think?"
Emma/Amaline's look for this chapter is based on Jen's look for Honoring "Once Upon A Time" at the PaleyFest 2012 on March 4, 2012.
Thanks for reading and reviewing.