The following chapter is the first time that Emma and Killian have an exchange that is close to 'real time' so remember as you read that Killian is in the year 2012 and Emma is in the year 2014.

Just as Emma Swan had said in her last letter, power in the Upper Keys came back on after three days. Killian had sent a quick text to Liam and his father letting them know that he was safe, but decided to stay in the house by the beach instead of moving back to his ship. He told himself it was because he didn't want to leave the house without any electricity and protection but whom was he really fooling? He knew the ship was no place he could keep the dog and he was waiting for the flag to go down on the postbox.

If he were honest with himself, and he was really trying to be, he was waiting for Emma Swan. She had mysteriously come into his life and after growing up listening to his mother talk about fate, he had to wonder just exactly how fate was involved in this. Even after the difficulties his mother faced in her life, at the hand of his father and with her health, she still believed that her life had been her destiny. The life that she was meant to live that had been created for her. After reading the letters he found in his mother's things, he had to wonder if people's destinies weren't somehow intertwined. If maybe fate landed you somewhere but like Ebenezer Scrooge, in Charles Dickens' Classic, A Christmas Carol, you chose your own destiny, from several presented in front of you. He tended to think the latter and that while fate had put his parents together, that for whatever reason, once together their destinies had diverged, and never crossed again. Another tragic love story but this time not a piece of classic literature, but reality. "Stop being maudlin, Jones," he muttered, just as the dog came around the corner to see what he was missing. Killian stopped his musing and looked over at him, "What? Never known anyone who talks to himself?" The response he got, on a person would have been an eye roll, before turning around and trotting back into the bedroom. Shaking his head at the dog's antics, he got up to go check the flag on the postbox again.

The box had played a large part in his activities over the past few days. It had started the morning after the power went out and he had written a simple question and after sealing it in an envelope, had put it in the box and lifted the flag. Then as he worked around the house, several times a day, he would stop whatever he was doing and go see if the flag had been lowered. He called himself every name he could think of when he felt disappointment that it was still up, so when he looked and it was down, he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. Rubbing his eyes, to make sure his vision was clear, he tried again, and just as before, the flag was down. Mentally giving himself a fist bump, he opened the door and was almost bowled over by the dog who raced past him barking wildly, as he ran straight to the postbox, sat down, just to the left of it, as if waiting for something.

After leaving the letter and box of candles for her mystery correspondent, Emma and Rumple had gotten in the car and driven back to Miami. She took him down to the beach and they walked a while and then once he was tired, as they headed home, she picked up some orange chicken and lo mien at a little Wok & Go for dinner. Once back home she fed Rumple and gave him some fresh water and took her meal out onto the balcony, not surprised in the least when as soon as she sat, there was a black and white head in her lap. Emma looked down at him, "Really? Yours is in there," she pointed with her thumb to his bowls. He just lifted his eyebrows at her but didn't move his head. Trying her best to ignore him, she started eating.

As she ate her meal she thought about this person, this Killian Jones. She wondered if he had needed her candles, and then giggled thinking of the look on his face when he opened the box. She couldn't quite put her finger on why she wanted this person to be real. Was it the name? Was it the house where she had felt safe and relaxed? Was it the anonymity, which made him safe? Was it a combination? She wasn't sure but knew that she found the whole idea exciting, even though it required a lot of believing. And if there was one thing that she knew about herself, it was that believing in this felt a little like believing in magic. And everyone knew magic didn't exist.

Of course, when she thought about magic, she thought about love and how elusive that feeling had been for her. She knew there was love in the world. She had felt it as a child with her parents and knew that M&M's parents loved her even before she lived with them. She loved M&M and was quickly coming to love David and she saw the love that they shared. But for herself, while Graham had said he loved her, there had been something missing. She wanted that spark. She wanted the heart racing and while she couldn't explain why she felt excitement at the thought of a new letter from Killian. Butterflies some might say. "Imaginative thoughts Emma. Must be time for bed." Cleaning up, she closed down for the night.

The next few days passed by quickly as she caught up on a few things around the house and worked. There were still a few boxes, mostly books that she had not unpacked and every time David and Mary Margaret came over they teased her mercilessly. Vowing to end the teasing she bought a small bookcase and put it together. Taking a walk down memory lane she pulled out the tattered copies of her books one by one and put them away. Looking over her own copy of Crime and Punishment and Persuasion, she smiled at the memory of the discussions that Leo used to try to engage her and M&M in and more often than not, she ended up shaking her head at the two of them and their endless debate over seemingly harmless statements. No wonder M&M followed in her father's footsteps, she thought. With nothing else left to do, she allowed herself to realize it had been more than three days. Patting her leg for Rumple, she clipped on his leash and took the elevator to the parking garage to see if by some chance there was a letter waiting.

Traffic was light and they made good time and soon they were exiting the interstate onto US 1 and looking for the driveway. Turning between the palms, Emma felt the same sense of home she always felt arriving here and this time the feeling was accompanied by butterflies. "Emma, really?" Giving herself a good talking to, she pulled up to her usual parking space and turned the key.

As soon as the car stopped, Rumple started whimpering to be let out. Emma opened her door and pushed up the seat and he took off toward the mailbox at a sprint, barking wildly. Looking around, she didn't see any reason for the barking and making her way to where he was sitting, on the right side of the box looking up at the flag, goosebumps ran up and down her arms. "The flag is up," she said to Rumple. "Do you think he liked our gift?" He barked once, stood up, turned around, barked again and sat back down. Emma opened the box. Inside was an envelope with her name on it. She removed it, shut the door and put the flag down and with as much self-control as possible, opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. He had written:

How did you know?

Running back to the car, she grabbed her day planner, wrote an answer, and ran back to the mailbox. Rumple was still sitting in exactly the same spot, on the right side of it, following her every move. She opened and closed the box, with the letter inside and put up the flag. She had taken but a few steps back toward her car, when Rumple barked once and the flag went back down. Looking around, she saw no one but felt as if she weren't alone. Not moving, she waited, for what she wasn't sure.

When he was almost in front of the box, the flag suddenly went back up. She's here, was his first thought and smiling he opened the box and pulled out the piece of paper that was inside. It read:

I would say magic but I don't believe in that.
 You're asking, how did I know about the power going off?
The time frame tickled a memory and I looked it up to see why. That's all.

Killian rubbed his hand over his face trying to decide what to ask next. Finally, he settled for something simple and quickly wrote it out. Putting his response into the box, he lifted the flag and waited.

Looking at Rumple, who continued to sit unusually still during all of this, Emma wondered what he was thinking. He would look at the mailbox at exactly the same time the flag would go up or down as if he were watching whoever was on the receiving end of her letters. Thinking maybe it was time to leave, she turned to go when the flag suddenly went back up. She pulled open the lid and lowered the flag. His letter read:

You don't believe in magic?

Shaking her head at the strangeness of this entire conversational exchange, Emma smirked and this time just wrote on the envelope and hurriedly put it back in the box and lifted the flag once again.

Killian stood there, feeling like an arse and watched the odd behavior of the dog, which maintained his position to the left of the mailbox. "What do you see mate?" Killian whispered to his friend. "Do you see someone, hear someone, sense someone?" The dog tilted his head as if listening carefully to the words that Killian had uttered and then, whimpered softly just as the flag was once again lifted. "Bloody hell" he exclaimed pushing the flag down and reading what she wrote.

Can this be happening?

Quickly answering on the same envelope, he pushed it back in and lifted the flag. Hoping that she would respond again, he walked back into the house to pick up a notepad for which to write his responses. The dog stayed in his guard position, next to the mailbox, eerily still.

When the flag went down this time, Emma wasn't as surprised but still a bit weirded out. She was standing next to a mailbox, watching its flag mysteriously go up and down, and when it went down a new comment was inside waiting for her. She wanted to get in her car and drive back home and pretend this wasn't happening, yet she found she couldn't leave. Couldn't leave as even when she wasn't standing here next to this crazy mailbox, she couldn't get it and these strange happenings out of her mind. Things like this happened to her, oh like, never, and now it had happened multiple times in the span of just a few minutes. Throwing her hands up in exasperation, and preparing to continue her inner tirade until all thoughts were halted with the magical lifting of a flag with a letter inside saying;

Why not? Don't you believe in fate?

Deciding to be practical to see if she could get to the bottom of whoever was obviously playing a joke on her, she opened her day planner, responded, and ripped out the paper to stuff back into the box. Stepping back to wait, she was startled when Rumple barked at her. Looking down at him expecting to see him staring back she was surprised when instead he was focused on the box. Checking to see what could be so interesting, she was amazed with what she saw, "thanks boy," and she flipped the flag back up.

Coming back out of the house with a notepad full of clean paper, Killian wasn't surprised to see the dog had remained in the same position, but he was to see the flag was down, and just as he returned to his watchful position, right next to the dog, it went back up. Inside was a piece of paper and as he picked it up, he read:

Where are you?

"I see you, Swan, answering a question about fate, with a much simpler one. Must be a practical lass." Answering her question and pushing the flag back up he waited.

Emma had been expecting it so as soon as the flag went up, she recovered the letter, and laughed at the response;

The Beach House, you?

Throwing her hands up, this time in frustration, she remarked, "The beach house? The beach HOUSE? I'M AT THE BEACH!" getting more excited with each word, and then because her scientific, practical mind needed to process all of this information, she practically stomped to her car, and tugged open the door. Rumple still sat patiently in place until Emma called to him several times, and then with apparent reluctance, he trotted to the car, jumped into the back seat, and stared forlornly out the window. Throwing the day planner and the notes she had exchanged in the passenger seat, she left the beach house and its mystery behind.

After the flag went down, Killian thought, Emma would answer straight away and so when the dog walked away from the postbox toward his SUV, he was surprised. He watched him sniff around, bark a few times and then walk back into the house, tail down. Double checking the box to make sure he hadn't missed anything, he followed the dog back inside. "Why so sad boy? It's me she didn't answer." Thinking to move on, he went to get ready to go into the office.

All the way back to Miami, Emma thought about the notes that had been exchanged. Glancing at the passenger side and seeing them sitting there haphazardly spread across the seat, she repeated out loud, "those aren't fake, they are real, but a parallel time?" Well, wrapping her mind around that concept was a little too much to handle. Forming and testing a hypothesis on that might be a stretch for even the strongest scientific theorist. Deciding to put it out of her mind she drove rest of the way home.

The sun was setting as she drove into the parking garage and noticing a strangely dejected look on Rumple's face, she decided to take him down to the dog park so he could run with other dogs. Clipping his leash on and gathering up her day planner, she crammed the notes inside and walked to the park. Once inside the fence, she unclipped his leash and he took off like a flash. Running circles around benches on one end and then looping back around the benches on the other, all that she could see was a black and white streak. Several other dogs joined and since he was otherwise occupied, Emma sat down and pulled out the notes.

How did you know? You don't believe in magic?

Why not? Don't you believe in fate?

….

So does he think it's magic or fate or is it all a big joke?" she wondered. But as improbable as the possibility was, a part of her really wanted it to be probable. Wanted some man who left letters, real hand-written letters in a mailbox to be real. Because as much as she found the talk of fate or magic scary, she couldn't deny those indefinable butterflies that were present. Deciding that it might be wise to introduce herself the next time, she promised to write an introductory letter and take it back the first break she had from work. Since she had to work for several days yet, she had plenty time to think, as not jumping into things was something in which Emma Swan excelled.

Killian walked into his office and tossed his keys on his desk. Tink looked up from the forms that she was filling out, saw the disgruntled look on his face and promptly looked back down. Rolling his eyes at her, he fell into his chair making as much noise as was humanly possible for one person to make. Finally, deciding that she'd had enough, Tink put down her pen, folded her hands on top of the papers and looked over at her boss.

Several long minutes went by until finally, unable to stand it any longer, he said, "What?"

Reaching into her drawer, Tink picked up a set of keys and held them out toward him, "She's free."

"That's bloody marvelous," he answered as he took the keys and drove to the docks. Setting sail on the "Schwan" for several hours allowing the sea breeze to clear his head and for the next several days he was able to push Emma Swan out of his mind, for some of the time anyway.

Arriving home after an overnight trip as the Captain of his Bahamas cruise, Killian turned off the SUV, stepped out and stretched his arms over his head to drive the kinks out of his back. He was having second thoughts about not stopping to pick up his friend, that he had been calling Bob, but when the usual Captain for the overnight trip came down with the flu, he'd had no option but to leave him with Tink. He didn't think the passengers would have appreciated a dog that was a bit barmy at times. Walking by the postbox on the way inside, he noticed the flag was up. He couldn't help himself but a smile lit his face. "Miss me, Swan?" he couldn't help but quip. Taking the letter inside, he got comfortable and read;

I'm not good at this but maybe I can get better. I think it's time we had a proper introduction. My name is Emma Swan. I'm a doctor. I love being a doctor because I like to see them get better. So as a doctor, I study science. As for believing in magic? Do you?

You said in an earlier correspondence that you were curious about the paw prints. I checked and they are still by the door. I don't know what more I can tell you except they were there when I moved in. The blue looks like it matches the railings if that helps.

I do have a dog that showed up the day I moved into the beach house. He's black and white and I call him Rumple. He's interesting.

Emma

After finishing the letter, Killian brought it close to his nose and sniffed, "Cookies," he murmured the first thing that came to mind. Humming approvingly, he answered her right away.

It had been several days since she had driven to the beach to drop off her introduction letter for Killian and Emma was curious if he had responded, but work had been crazy and after long shifts, she had wanted nothing but her warm bed. Even her time enjoying walks on the beach with Rumple had been limited and since getting engaged on Valentine's Day, M&M had been after her to go wedding dress shopping so her first weekend off in June they set out.

Of course shopping with Mary Margaret wasn't as easy as one might think. And wedding dress shopping added a whole spin on top of that but after eight wedding dress shops and trying on more dresses than Emma could count, she was hopeful by the look on her face that this was it. Looking at her sister, who was standing in front of the mirror staring at herself, Emma felt a lump forming in her throat, "That's it, isn't it?" she asked quietly.

Mary Margaret looked at her through the mirror, "Oh Emma, yes, this is IT!" She ran her hands over the silk skirt and turning each direction looked at herself from all directions. "I think David would approve."

Nodding her head, Emma agreed, "Now that's settled, can we please go eat? That pastry we ate hours ago is gone."

M&M dimpled at the long-suffering tone coming from Emma's mouth but had to agree food did sound good, "Sure, but just wait until you get married. You'll see, the dress has to be perfect."

Rolling her eyes at her sister as she, guided her into the dressing room to change, Emma quipped, "I'm getting married on the beach M&M, so a fancy dress won't be my priority, now the negligée for the wedding night, that's another story." She winked at the embarrassed look on M&M's face, "Get dressed," she quipped and after shutting the door went to let the salesperson know what M&M had decided.

After leaving the bridal shop, the girls stopped at "Coconuts" to eat. Waiting for their food, M&M filled Emma in on a few other wedding arrangements that she had made, and they talked about her vacation with David to meet his parents, who lived in a small town in New England, quaintly called Storybrooke. It was a relaxing meal after a busy day but once home, Emma wanted nothing more than a hot bath, a glass of wine and her bed.

Up early the next day, she walked with Rumple down to the beach and picked up a bear claw and a cup of coffee. Once done, she loaded him in the car for the trip south. Feeling anxious, she had to watch her speed but driving up to the house, the butterflies became a full swarm, especially after seeing that the flag was up and waiting for her. Her hands shook as she opened the box and pulled out the letter, and the opening line caused her to snort, but as she read, she couldn't keep her smile away.

Emma, a lovely name for a lovely lass,

My name is Killian Jones. I am from the UK and have been in the states for only a few months. I am the Captain of several yachts that are docked here in South Florida.

I've been thinking about the paw prints, and especially after reading your letter, I think we have the same dog as difficult as that is to comprehend. Mine is also black and white and is eerily perceptive. He often goes to work with me but seems to always know which days he has to stay home. It's as if he can read my mind, which sounds fanciful I know. But you said his name is Rumple, from the fairy tale, Rumpelstiltskin? I thought you said you didn't believe in magic? But aren't fairy tales often about believing in magic? Dare I dream that a little glimmer of hope continues to reside inside you, Swan?

As for how the paw prints came to be, that's an interesting story and happened on the day he showed up here. I was painting and right through the tray he walked, tracking the prints, all the way up to the front door. So, my lady, you're the only connection I have with the future. Are things much different?

I was pleased when I received your last note. I trust I will have the pleasure of receiving another.

Your man from the past,

Killian

Emma reread the letter from Killian several times over the next week as she went about her life. Carrying a notebook in her pocket she found herself writing silly little things about her week, wishing not for the first time, that they could text but excited that they had a way to share, even if a bit unorthodox. She was frustrated that by the time she was able to get back to the beach, several weeks had passed but as she put the letter in the mailbox and raised its flag, hope took flight.

Killian walked into the "Irish Fado Pub", in downtown Miami to meet Liam for a quick nightcap before heading home to Rumple. It was already the third week of June and he hadn't seen him for a few weeks and after running late had almost cancelled, but was glad he was here. Although from the looks he was getting as he strolled through the bar, he was afraid he was never going to hear the end of this from his older brother.

As he approached the corner where the hostess had directed him to Liam, he put a little extra swagger in his step and winked at several lovely lasses that were eyeing him as he passed by their tables. Seeing Liam's head on the other side of a half wall he started to say something clever but stopped himself when he realized it was his father sitting to his brother's left. "Father, I'm delighted you could join this nit and I for a bevvy." With a flourish he swept the tail of his long leather coat aside and straddled a chair.

Liam looked over at him with a glint in his eye, "Captain, delighted you joined this lowly deckhand and his father this evening," and then burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, Brennan was looking back and forth between the boys, as if they'd gone mad, and when the laughter died down, asked Killian, "Is there something you've failed to mention?"

Picking out a peanut that was in a bowl on the table, he cracked it, and side eyed Liam, "nothing as nefarious as your tone seems to indicate father," and then he went on to explain about the cruises his company offered. Conversation flowed with relative ease after that until Kilian made mention that he needed to get home to let Rumple out and then both Liam and Brennan turned and gave him the oddest looks, "What, I didn't tell you about Rumple?"

Liam raised both eyebrows, "Rumple? No, I believe I would have remembered that story."

Giving them the short version, which they both found amusing, closed out the evening and when he drove up to the house and saw a raised flag on the postbox, he felt that tonight it seemed, his stars were aligned perfectly. Emma's letter just happened to add to an already bang-up night.

Dear Man from the Past,

I am sorry I haven't been in touch for a few weeks but my shifts at the hospital have been long and when I go home I only feel like crashing. Poor Rumple has even suffered but thankfully my sister is able to take him out on days when I am working.

Things are not much different in the future, except gas and food prices are higher, technology continues to improve and they recently started filming the latest Star Wars movie. Why I know that, I'm not sure, I think I must have heard it being spoken of at the hospital.

So I'm gathering you're asking why I named the dog Rumpelstiltskin and that's simple. In the fairy tale, he was clever, yet sneaky, and for some reason, those two words perfectly described my black and white dog. And from your comments, it sounds like you too have discovered this.

And yes, you caught me, Fairy Tales were a large part of my youth, so maybe at one time, the belief that magic existed was a large part of who I was, but people change which is a story for another time. I will say though that somehow these past few months, my hope seems to have been ignited once again.

Do you believe in Fairy Tales Killian?

Closing for now,

Emma Swan

Killian finished the letter and read it through a second and even a third time, "Am I a part of your hope being reignited, Swan?" he said quietly, thinking that for someone he's never met, he spent quite a large portion of his free time thinking of her. Rumple had lifted his head when he heard Killian's voice and detecting a sadness, walked over and placed his chin on his owner's knee. Killian absentmindedly scratched him between the ears, "What do you think Rumple, do I believe in fairy tales? I believe I do, Swan, and you are my princess."

It took him a few days to pen just the right letter to her, but finally, it was complete. Closing it in the postbox and raising the flag, he hoped she said yes.

Emma spent the week after leaving the letter for Killian, working long hours and spending free time with her dog. Summer was in full swing and as the temperatures rose so did the number of sunburns, drunken brawls, and jellyfish stings. The annual Fourth of July celebrations were just around the corner and Emma knew with that often came firework burns. Life in South Florida at its finest. After seven days she couldn't stand it any longer and even though she had worked all night, she packed Rumple in the car and drove down to check the mail.

And even though she was totally exhausted and knew it was risky and she needed rest, she felt a strange sense of urgency to read the letter now. So settling against the hood of the bug, she opened the envelope and pulled out a single sheet of paper. Killian had written;

Swan,

You asked if I believed in Fairy Tales and I haven't always, but lately, magic feels like it's all around me. I think that maybe the fates have dropped another path in front of me.

And some things are meant to be fought for, and this magic that brought us together, Swan, this magic feels real. This magic I want to fight for.

The second Saturday in July, I'm hoping you will save for me. Will you Emma? Will you do me the honor of spending the day with me?

Yours,

Killian

Hugging the letter to herself, Emma reached into the bug and ripped a page from her day planner. Writing an answer to Killian's letter, she used his envelope and left it in the mailbox for him. The last thing she did before leaving for home was to lift the flag.

Killian had been routinely checking the postbox in hopes that Emma had been by to answer his letter but after a week, he was still waiting. Needing to clear his head, he took Rumple and they walked along the beach, allowing the waves and the warm summer winds to blow his troubles away. Once back up on the beach, Killian fed Rumple and watched as a summer storm blew onto the beach. Just as the rain dried and last vestiges of light were leaving the beach, he felt that Emma had been there. Almost slipping on the walk still wet from the rain, Killian ran to read her response. Once opened, he couldn't stop his smile. She had written only four words;

Of course, Killian. Where?

Thank you for reading Chapter 5. Let me know what you think of their journey so far.

Sleep was elusive that night as Killian thought about the many ways they could spend a Saturday in July. Once all was decided, he set out to make the day perfect.