A/N: Hello everyone! We are back with another chapter because I just couldn't seem to stay away. This one brings the usual fluff with it, the first taste of scheming friends (which most of you know I love to include in my stories), and movement towards a first date finally. I hope you guys enjoy!

Never in her life had Emma been so excited for a Monday. In fact, she'd spent all weekend (a time when most people were luxuriating in their lack of work and responsibilities) waiting for today. Two days had never dragged on so long and all because of one slightly mysterious, yet still very charming, Killian Jones.

It was more than a little high school of her to be this caught up in a guy, but Emma couldn't help it. The butterflies were real and present, fluttering away at the prospect of seeing Killian again this morning. It was totally foreign to Emma, someone who prided herself on being above these cutesy displays and stereotypes, but there was only so much denial for her to cling too. At the end of the day she had to face the facts: Killian Jones had snuck his way into her life and she was genuinely excited to see him again today after a weekend of no contact.

Since the moment she walked away from him on Friday she was more than a little remorseful. It was instinct for her to retreat and try to find some space, but by the time she'd gotten home again, she was already wishing for a redo. Not of the way they'd finally broken the ice (because as awkward as they'd both been at moments, it felt real and genuine) but at her not sticking to her original plan and asking him out. She'd needed just a little more bravery, and a weekend away filled with the musings of her friends and lonely nights that felt just a little lonelier than normal provided that clarity.

In the light of this new day, however, Emma was ready. She was going to handle this. She needed to get in front of this attraction and to see just how far it went. Her initial hope was that it could be casual, that her heart would stay uninvolved despite the undeniable chemistry between them, but the more that time went by and the more her want to see Killian grew, the harder it was to think that was the case. No, try as she might to avoid it, Emma was giving into this pull between them and it didn't upset her nearly as much as it should have.

Actually it didn't really bother her at all, not when she was practically buzzing with excitement about seeing Killian in just a matter of moments. She'd woken before her alarm, gotten ready at a reasonable pace, and was now descending to her train stop with more than a few minutes to kill. But when she arrived at the track after moving through the turnstiles that separated them from the stairs, she was greeted by the same smiling face that had haunted her all weekend.

"Good morning, love."

The easy way that he used the endearment sent that same pang of longing through her that it had on Friday night and it took a moment for Emma to cut through the rush of wanting that his easy smile set off and to realize that seeing him right now was not their normal routine. Why was he here, at her stop, when they were bound to run into each other in just a few minutes?

"Hey! Wait what are you…?" Emma's question faded away when she saw the two coffee cups in his possession and what appeared to be a bag from one of her favorite breakfast places (that wasn't run by Elsa) in his arm.

"Things have unfortunately changed. I have an unanticipated meeting uptown this morning, but I didn't want to miss you. Not when we had a date."

Emma felt herself flush at his words and she had to admit this guy was good. Like better than good. He had the whole unassuming nice-guy thing down (and seriously could he be any sweeter by going out of his way to get her coffee and to see her when he had to be across town?), but in those blue eyes of his there was this hint of bad-boy intensity and the uptick of his smile to one side always sent a thrill through her. It spoke of risks and stolen moments and set off fantasies about him being a little roguish, which apparently she was seriously into despite her past forays into love. It was messing with her head a little bit (and her heart an awful lot) and when Killian handed her a coffee made to perfection just the way she liked it, Emma was lost. She pretended to be cool though, even if on the inside she was a swirling mess of uncertainty.

"So this is the first date play, huh? You buy a girl her morning life-source and a Danish and what, she falls at your feet?" Because Emma was getting there. All right, so maybe she wasn't planning to fall to his feet, but she was thinking of taking that frustratingly endearing smirk of his and kissing it away just to prove he wasn't as in control as he was playing at.

"Forgive me, love. This is neither a 'play' nor a date. We had an agreement to see each other this morning, but I was too much a coward to ask you for a proper evening out on Friday like I should have. Allow me to fix that. Come to dinner with me."

There was no question in his proposal, and in the past that might have turned her off about a guy, but Killian wasn't standing here certain of his influence over her. He was staring at her earnestly, allowing every ounce of vulnerability to shine through those blue eyes of his. He wanted her, that couldn't be denied, but he was also giving her a choice even if he didn't explicitly spell it out.

Emma sipped her coffee, buying herself a little bit of time, and the flavor on her tongue was perfect. He'd gotten it just right, and she smiled, thinking that in order to do that he'd either had to beg one of the waitresses for her order (which they probably would never tell him) or he'd been paying attention to her over the past few months. The thought sent a zing of pleasure through her, and she wondered what else he might have picked up on.

"I'm free Saturday."

Emma was dying to say that she could do sometime earlier this week, but the last thing she wanted was to have to reschedule. With anyone else she'd consider that par for the course. If a guy couldn't handle the busyness of her career he wasn't worth the time, but Emma didn't suspect Killian would hold her schedule against her. This time she was doing it for herself as an act of self-preservation, because she was already too invested in this date and she'd be disappointed if it fell through for whatever reason. Still it was hard not to immediately recant her offer and switch it out for tonight.

"Saturday it is, love. And in the meantime, we've our usual moments to tide us over. My sojourn from this fine mode of transport ends tonight."

Emma laughed at the obvious hyperbole (because at best these trains were passable and at worst they were… well Emma didn't even want to say) and then felt a smile tugging at her lips. It would be weird for sure, having him on the train and being able to talk to him. They'd probably get a lot of that requisite first date small talk out of the way because of it, but Emma couldn't remember the last time an idea had sounded so good to her. For once in her life she wasn't stressing out over change, but embracing it and hoping she could trust wherever this would lead.

"Who knows, maybe I'll get coffee next time. But you prefer tea right?"

His eyes lit up at her roundabout admission that she'd been paying just as much attention to him as he had with her, and Emma's eyes flicked down to his lips. She was so tempted just to go for it and kiss him like she'd been dreaming about for far too long, but then the familiar screech of an incoming train told her that this interlude was close to ending. Killian seemed to catch it too and he scratched behind his ear a little uneasily.

"I believe that's your queue, Swan."

Emma watched with barely restrained fascination at the expressions that crossed his all too attractive face in that moment. He was sad to see her going, and maybe a little frustrated at how fate wasn't going to allow them to ride together, but underneath it all there was happiness. He was glad for having seen her and she was equally thrilled for getting this chance. It was that good feeling that she clung to as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, something she couldn't recall ever doing with any man before.

Somehow it almost felt more intimate than a normal kiss might have been, because it was one of those comfortable things established couples or happy families did. Since Emma avoided monogamy like the plague, and was more than a little stunted in the family department, it wasn't a move she was familiar with but she couldn't ignore the rush that came when she did it. Plus Killian's face when she pulled back was priceless. She could have sworn that he got a little red and the bashful smile that appeared at his lips was almost as endearing as that cocky grin of his.

"See you later?" She asked, hearing the bit of breathiness in her voice as she did.

"Nothing could keep me away, love." Emma smiled at that and turned around to slip onto the train, but as she looked back out the scratched glass she saw Killian staring after her, not turning away until the train was out of sight and back in the darkened tunnels once more.

Emma did her best to get her smiling under control. She allowed herself the length of the train ride to linger in how good this felt, but if she didn't get a hold of her self-control by the time she got to work, she would never hear the end of it. Emma already knew her friends would be expecting details and that there would be no way around giving them, but she also felt this need to keep some of these things a little more private. She was protective of this so far, even if she and Killian had yet to even go on a first date. Not that she thought her friends were a real threat to things working out, but she also didn't want to get too inside her own head and somehow trigger those long-standing instincts to push people away.

She thought she'd largely tamped down her external gleefulness when she walked through the front doors of the shop, but the knowing look from Ruby the second she walked in had Emma doubting herself immediately.

"My, my. Doesn't someone look chipper this morning?" Emma waved her coffee and attempted to play it off.

"Caffeine early will do that." Ruby looked at the cup and then her grin grew.

"I'm sure. Especially when it comes with a phone number and a note."

Emma quickly glanced down and saw that Ruby was right. How had she missed that? She must have been too busy replaying her morning interaction to notice. She was so tempted to look at said note now, where it was located underneath the sleeve, but she didn't dare risk it with Ruby right there.

"You're going to tease me mercilessly about this all day aren't you."

"That depends. Did you set a date?" Emma smiled and nodded.

"Saturday." Ruby looked positively forlorn in spite of the good news.

"Saturday?! Jesus Emma, move slower, why don't you?"

Emma rolled her eyes but was spared responding when another person, someone unfamiliar to Emma, knocked at the front door. Emma and Ruby both looked back and Ruby lit up, excited and rushing to let the newcomer in.

"Belle you're timing couldn't be better. Belle French this is Emma Swan, my best friend and designer extraordinaire. Emma this is Belle, one of the single most kick-ass journalists in this whole damn city." Emma smiled at Ruby's introductions and offered her hand to Belle to greet her.

"It's nice to meet you Belle. I really liked your article a few issues ago on those older ladies in Harlem leading self defense classes." Belle looked pleasantly surprised that Emma knew about the article.

"It was pretty great wasn't it? But I meant what I said in the article. Any of those women could have taken me down, fifty year age difference or not."

Emma laughed easily and noticed Tiana from the corner of her eye. Emma gave her the one-second signal, but when she looked back at Belle, the woman's eyes were on her coffee cup. Emma instinctively shifted her hold on it and Belle shook away whatever she'd been thinking about.

"Excuse me. I'm just slightly jealous that you managed to get coffee already. I hit a few roadblocks this morning so I'm operating at a deficit." Emma felt some of the tension that had unconsciously gathered in her shoulders ease away. She offered another smile to Belle sympathetically as Ruby chimed in.

"Well the great news is that we've got you talking with Elsa first. Coffee is definitely in your future. Ems, I was thinking you and Belle could touch base tomorrow? You have a little more time in the morning because the Fullers rescheduled." Emma nodded.

"Sounds great. I guess I'll be seeing you around then."

Emma finished saying her goodbyes and then headed into her segment of the store, finding (as expected) that Tiana had a whole list of things for them to attend to today. She absorbed all that she could, but knew that Tiana would be on top of things and that Emma could trust her to keep the ship afloat. In the first free moment she had, though, Emma removed the sleeve from her coffee cup and read Killian's note, smiling as she did.

Emma,

On the off chance that you've completely rebuffed my advances, feel free to disregard this note. However, if you feel as I do that it'll be a long day away, here's my number. I'd be forever indebted to you if you were to reach out. You'd be doing me a real kindness by putting me out of my misery.

Sincerely,

Killian Jones

His number was listed below and Emma had to laugh. This guy was smooth and yet simultaneously such a nerd. Who signed off with 'sincerely' and then their first and last names on a note like this? As if she was going to get him confused with the abundance of other Killians in the world. The thought had her shaking her head, but she still entered his number into her phone and sent a quick text.

E: If you're not currently in the throws of despair then your note was very misleading. Sincerely, Emma Swan.

In seconds she had a response to her purposefully playful (and slightly mocking) message.

K: I was utterly beside myself, Swan. You have fast become my own personal savior.

"Emma? The Parsons are here for their consult a little early. Want to get started?" Emma looked up at Tiana and nodded, feeling like she'd been caught red handed when Tiana sized her up and particularly paid attention to her phone.

"Yeah. I'll be right there."

Tiana closed the door again and Emma stood up, smoothing out her dress before trying to find a way to tell Killian goodbye. It felt impossible to do so, even if it was only for a while so she rephrased.

E: Well don't thank me yet. I have a crazy day, and I'm locking my phone away just to be safe. I won't be here to save you in the meantime.

Again his response was instantaneous and she wondered if like her he was neglecting a bit of work to talk to her.

K: Afraid I might distract you?

Emma could picture that cocky smile of his as he typed this out and imagining that sparked a few other half-baked fantasies that were far from work appropriate. This was exactly why she could not carry her phone today. He had too much of a call on her attention.

E: More like assured that you would.

K: Fair enough, love, especially since the distraction is mutual.

Emma decided to leave it at that, putting her phone in her drawer and stepping away from it and from Killian for the time being. She then channeled all that energy he'd brought forth this morning into doing the best she could all day. She blew every consult away, found necessary inspiration for a few more dresses, and solved problems among her team like it was nothing. And in the back of her mind Emma knew that was very possibly thanks to Killian who though not here, was never very far from her thoughts all through the course of the day.

If Killian weren't already aware of the change that getting to know Emma was having on his life, the confounded stares of his employees would have been a good indication.

To be fair, he was acting a little out of character today, but he couldn't seem to help himself. Killian was by no means an overly stern or strict boss. He merely took this job and this publication seriously, which often meant conducting himself in a purely professional manner. Today however, he'd been different. He caught himself smiling more and laughing to himself over remembrances of Friday and this morning. He'd even had the audacity to hum a favorite song of his a few times and it was in one of those moments where Tink finally broke.

"Okay, I stayed quiet all day, but something is up with you. Why are you so happy?" Killian grinned from behind his desk.

"It's just one of those all-too-rare, phenomenally good days. Surely you've had a few yourself."

"Yeah, but they come in the midst of a Hawaiian vacation or three drinks in at an open bar at the office New Years party. Not on a random day when all I've done is sit in boring meeting after boring meeting, and definitely never on a Monday." The last part was uttered with an accompanying dramatic shiver and Killian laughed at his assistant. This only made Tink's eyes widen more.

"Is this one of those abducted by alien things? Or did you join a cult over the weekend?"

"Come on now, love." This came from Will who appeared at in the doorway beside Tink. "There's only one thing that makes a man that happy and it's not a bloody cult." It took barely ten seconds a for Tink to catch up.

"You met someone didn't you?! And you didn't tell me!" It wasn't a question, but an accusation and Killian groaned.

"Excuse me for trying to keep my personal life private." Will laughed at that.

"As if, mate. You've practically been walking around the place with a sign on your forehead proclaiming the news."

"Is it serious?" Tink asked and Killian merely gawked at her. "What? I've been working with you for years and I've never seen you like this. Plus if you get married I can probably get an extra couple weeks of vacation while you're honeymooning. My boss is good like that."

The mention of a wedding should have been repugnant to him, but instead it triggered some wild imaginings that were all together inappropriate. It was way, way too soon to be considering a forever with Emma. Or was it?

"Okay that's enough." Killian was about to plead for mercy when Belle popped her head into the door and he sighed in relief. "I have an actual meeting, as you can see. So you two can make yourselves useful elsewhere."

"Actually, it might be good if Will stays for this," Belle said, and Killian quickly looked to his friend who lit up at the idea that Belle wanted anything to do with him even if it was for professional reasons.

"Hold my calls, Tink." His assistant grinned wickedly.

"You should probably tell me her name you know. That way if she calls I know to break that order." A rush from wanting such contact from Emma flooded him but he kept his face blank and shook his head.

"Nice try, love." Tink sighed and closed the door, returning to her station and leaving Killian with Will and Belle.

"So. What's going on then? Is the story shaping up all right?" Belle nodded as she took a seat.

"The story is great. Just like I thought there's a definite angle there. I even managed to get most of the interviewing done today…"

"But?" Killian asked, knowing there was something else coming.

"But I just got a call from Terry on the Politics beat. I'm assuming you've got one coming if it isn't already here." Killian looked to his desk and noticed a note from Tink stating that Terry had a family emergency – his wife was going into labor earlier than expected.

"Bloody hell," Killian muttered as he handed the note to Will.

"We could get Rogers on it. He's been vying for a transfer from Business," Will offered, always ready with a solution in times like this.

"Actually… there's a reason Terry called me. The mayor is super picky about who he lets interview him as you know and he told Terry point blank that he won't let anyone write the story here aside from me." Killian felt a tension headache coming on, but he resisted the urge to wince.

"Which means we need someone to cover your story then, or we lose the feature we've been promoting."

"I want you to do it," Belle said, her tone final but still pleasant. Both Will and Killian scoffed.

"You want me to write it?" Belle nodded.

"This one is really important to me and I want to see that it's written the right way. I made promises, assurances to these women that I'd protect their story and I need someone I can trust if I have to walk away from it."

"But surely there are others on the staff you could entrust this to, Belle." Belle shook her head.

"You are way too busy, Will, and I know Killian is too but he owes me for not taking up that offer from Time a few months ago."

Killian knew she was right. Belle had been offered what was arguably a better, more prestigious position, but she'd passed it up and he'd told her if she ever needed anything, anything at all, that he'd make good on her loyalty.

"And this is how you want to cash that in, love? A story on a one-stop wedding shop?" Belle grinned and nodded.

"You'll know why when you write it. Trust me. There's something special there."

Killian weighed his options, which were relatively non-existent. He hardly had the time to do this, but he also could not afford to lose Belle. Rescinding on his promise might create bad blood, and she was too valuable an asset long term for Citizen NY for him to turn her down. But more than that he considered Belle a friend, and if she was asking for this favor, he would do his best to grant it. He pressed the intercom button to call for Tink and his assistant immediately replied with sass.

"So you decided to give me her name after all. I knew you'd cave, boss. They always do." Killian smiled but hoped his voice didn't convey that.

"Tink, I'm going to need a miracle and it is entirely unrelated to my personal life." Belle made a strangled sort of cough, but waved both of Killian and Will off when they asked if she was all right.

"Well good news. My magic is in full effect at the moment. What's the problem?"

Killian, with the help of Belle, made clear the predicament and the precise times he'd need to be at this shop through the week. Though it was a difficult proposition, Tink seemed undaunted and she was convinced they could make it work, which instilled a little more faith in Killian. In a matter minutes they'd gotten things squared away and Belle was handing him a file of what he assumed were notes.

"Cool, old school." Will's attempt at a joke was terrible in Killian's eyes but Belle laughed as she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. That was definite flirting if he'd ever seen it.

"What can I say? I'm a traditionalist." Belle looked back to Killian after staring at Will a moment too long and he couldn't bite back his smile. "Everything you need is in there but if you have questions I'll be around. I'll be neck deep in new legislation on school lunches and city worker overtime, but I'll be around."

Killian was tempted to take a look now, but before he got a chance to delve in he was called away by Tink for another meeting and the rest of the day passed by rather quickly. This was of course a godsend because it meant he was all the closer to seeing Emma and by the time he made it to the train he was as close to bliss as one could be. That barely compared to the moment when he saw Emma though, looking just as lovely as she had this morning. He stood from the seat he'd found and she smiled, scattering every thought he'd had on how to greet her when she did.

"Hey. Fancy running into you here." Killian ran a hand through his hair, urging himself to get it together, though it was difficult when his worst fear was somehow screwing this up.

"Imagine that." Emma looked to the seat beside him and smiled.

"This seat taken?" He moved his jacket and mumbled that it was for her. "Well this is a definite plus. Usually all the good seats are gone by the time I get here."

"And you'd define this spot as a good one, Swan?" Emma looked around and pretended to consider before looking back at him.

"The air flow leaves something to be desired, but the company's not bad."

Killian smiled, willing to take any affirmations she would send his way. If he was doing something right, he wanted to make sure and continue on such a path, because seeing Emma happy and keeping her close was more important to him than damn near anything. It also occurred to him that they were in the same precise seats as the couple that had pushed him last week into saying something. It felt like a sign, one he hadn't realized until right at this moment.

Their conversation shifted, but unlike with so many people just getting to know each other, they didn't run the whole 'what do you do?' 'where are you from?' gambit. Instead Killian listened as Emma explained the dynamic between her best friends and how their personal lives kept infiltrating into work when that probably wasn't the best thing to do. Killian couldn't help but relate and he told her about how people had been teasing him all day.

"Why would they do that?" Emma asked, truly curious.

"Seems I was bizarrely cheery for a Monday." Emma laughed and the sound shot straight to his heart. "They all eventually sniffed out the truth though."

"Which is…? Emma asked, leading him on.

"That after this morning with you I couldn't be anything less than elated."

Emma's green eyes filled with emotion and he could tell that she was warring with herself. Killian wanted more than anything to know what she was thinking. He wanted to help, or at least to tell her that he understood. He'd never faced feelings like this in his life, but he just knew that as long as they were in it together they could find a way through.

It appeared that Emma wanted to find the right words to say, for she started and then stopped formulating a question a number of times before finally expelling a breath and smiling. It was a shy smile, one Killian instinctively knew that she was unaccustomed to bestowing, but it somehow felt more real because of it. This bit of vulnerability made him feel like he wasn't alone in this.

"I know I said we should do Saturday, but if you're free tomorrow -,"

"Yes!" Killian immediately replied to what he was hoping was going to be a potential change in their timeline. When he saw Emma grinning at him though he had the good sense to be a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, love. But if you were asking about dinner tomorrow that would be great."

"You sure? You hesitated a little."

He felt a little stricken at the idea that he was being so obvious, but then her hand reached for his and their fingers intertwined and he felt like every missing piece in his life suddenly appeared and clicked into place. Killian could see the surprise in Emma's eyes, as if she was shocked that she'd taken his hand at all, but she didn't move away and Killian couldn't help but feel like being here with Emma was what he was meant to do, like all of this was somehow fate making good on a promise.

"I've never been more sure of anything." Emma looked reassured at his words and then her eyes flicked over across the car. He didn't know what had snagged her attention until she looked at him again and smiled.

"You don't want to miss your stop… again."

Killian bit back the automatic thought that came to him saying that he damn well would to spend a second longer with Emma, but he didn't want to push this too far. With Emma he needed to be careful. Whatever this thing between them was, it was precious and the last thing he would ever want was to jeopardize it because he couldn't be patient.

"Until tomorrow then." Emma's eyes widened as he raised her hand to kiss it gently. He was flying on instinct now, because lord knew he'd never acted this way before, but seeing that happy flush against her cheeks made it all so worth it.

"Goodnight, Killian."

He wished Emma a goodnight too, and felt the power of her presence and the promise of their date tomorrow all evening long. Eventually, after securing that everything for their date could in fact be moved from Saturday to tomorrow, he found himself needing something more to distract him and so he took to Belle's notes, trying to immerse himself in the story that awaited him tomorrow.

They were thorough for sure, and already he had a feel for each woman in question. There was just one thing that was startlingly out of the ordinary: Belle didn't have any names listed. Just subjects A, B, C, and E. He searched for a D somewhere in there, but turned up blank, and E… well there was very little about her aside from her being a designer. It was all very strange to say the least, and yet he found it didn't really matter. Nothing could frustrate him. Not tonight. Not after the day he'd had and the one he was bound to have tomorrow.

As a reporter there had been many a moment in Belle French's life when she'd been able to savor cracking a case or finding the story. But up to this point in her career, she hadn't had something unfold quite like this.

When she arrived this morning at Bliss Boutique, she didn't expect much more than an interesting tale of old friends launching new business models and reconnecting with Ruby, but that all changed as soon as she saw Emma Swan's coffee cup. While most of whatever note was under there was obscured, Belle couldn't help but see the number, and at first it seemed unimportant. A lot of people around here had a (212) are code, but there was something about it that was familiar, as if she'd typed it out before or seen it somewhere. Then she noticed the bottom of the letters just above it and it dawned on her: those lower edges would match up eerily close to the name Killian Jones.

Of course she'd been shocked, and she couldn't help but ask Ruby before seeing Elsa for their interview if she knew anything about the cup. Ruby immediately started gushing about how excited she was and how Emma, a person who was stringently against forming meaningful romantic attachments, had met someone on the train who might just change the game.

"We called him 'hot guy' at first. Hot foreign guy actually, but finally, after forever and a day, he made a move and introduced himself."

All of this was interesting to Belle because she'd been talking at the end of last week with Will about Killian's current situation. Apparently he'd met a girl and it had something to do with his riding the train in the morning, and based on the location of the Citizen NY offices and this store, it was more than feasible to think that they could be on the same subway line. Besides, New York was a huge city, but how many people were realistically finding romance that involved trains?

"His name wouldn't happen to be Killian would it?" Belle had asked and Ruby gaped at her.

"How the hell did you know?" Belle explained and when Ruby found out that Killian not only was the editor in chief but a part owner of the magazine she was outrageously excited. The revelation had then sparked an idea: they should somehow find a way for Killian to take on the interviews and write the story.

Belle hesitated at first, because she cared Killian and appreciated all that he'd done for her in this job and outside of it. She didn't like the idea of deceiving him, but then Ruby made a very good point. Emma, it turned out, was a really guarded person. She had a past that made trusting people difficult, and it would be far easier for her to talk about herself under the guise of an article than organically.

"And what if you're wrong? What if she hates that he's writing it and we mess everything up?" Ruby had waved away the worry.

"Listen, I know Emma, and I know that she was half way to being in love with this guy without so much as a 'hi, how ya doin?.' But right now she's still up to her usual tricks. He asked her to dinner, you know. And she told him she could do Saturday. Saturday!"

Belle hadn't really seen the issue, but she took Ruby's word for it that this was a problem.

"All we're doing is giving them a little push to move faster. Why wait when you've found the one?" Belle asked Ruby how she knew that Killian was the one and noticed her friend's thoughtful look.

"Because I know what love like that looks like and Emma is definitely feeling it."

A knock startled Belle from her thinking about all of the illicit matchmaking and she looked up from her desk to see Will Scarlet. Immediately her heart rate kicked up and she smiled, hoping she didn't look too obvious as she greeted him.

"Hi Will. Everything alright?"

It was late for him to be here, though Belle knew that he often stayed after everyone else was gone. It was something she admired about him, that he was always here even after she was when she considered herself an exceptionally hard worker. Right now, however, Will looked a little worried and when he asked to take a seat she said of course, feeling her own second hand anxiety as he did.

"Look, Belle, I'll just come right out and ask: what was really going on today?" Belle's brow furrowed.

"I'm sorry?"

"I spoke to Terry. He didn't call you. You called him. He said you begged him to take his story when anyone else would have done just fine." Belle felt herself blush and she bit her lip. She noticed that Will tracked the action and immediately she released it and took a deep breath.

"I found Killian's girl."

"You – you what?" Belle typed into her computer as she explained.

"You know the girl you told me about – the one that Killian likes from the train? She's a part owner of the shop in my story. The designer." Will grinned, and she could sense this immense amount of relief at her confession, which was unexpected. Belle would think he'd be angry at her lie, but there was nothing but interest in his expression.

"Is she now?" Belle tilted her monitor towards Will and made note of her name, Emma Swan, and his grin grew. "Well what do you know? But why give him your story?"

Belle explained to Will her conversation with Ruby and the good intentions behind everything. They'd decided it would be best to give Killian it under the guise of some other problem, and she'd been careful in her notes, covering over names like this was some sort of redacted CIA briefing instead of a features piece. That way, Ruby reasoned, he wouldn't turn it down and they'd be assured of his coming in tomorrow to interview Emma. Will considered all of this new intel and finally nodded.

"I think you made the right call."

"You do?" It meant so much more than Belle could say to think that. She was worried he'd think her somehow unethical. The last thing she wanted to do was hurt anyone, especially Will.

"Of course. When we're dealing with love we have to do what we can right?" Belle's stomach fluttered at his words. He was obviously speaking of Emma and Killian but that didn't stop her mind from wishing he was speaking of them. This was one of the great downfalls of crushing on one's boss, but to be fair there were many.

"My thoughts exactly. So you'll keep the secret then? He'll realize it all tomorrow, but until then…"

"You have my word. I'll say nothing of it." Belle smiled at that and thanked him so much. "Were you heading out? Maybe I could walk you down."

"Yeah that would be great. I just have to do one last thing." Belle pulled out her phone and sent off a quick text to Ruby.

B: All systems are a go!

Two seconds later Ruby replied.

R: You are a goddess! I'll tell you how it goes.

B: You better!

"Filling in your co-conspirators?" Will teased as Belle grabbed her stuff and she smirked.

"Technically their our co-conspirators now." More of that same emotion from earlier crossed Will's face at that moment. It was intense and something Belle couldn't really define, but she could feel it all the way down to her toes.

"Right you are, love. Right you are."

With that they left, exiting the office speaking of the merits of this plan and what might happen between a certain wedding dress designer and an editor in chief in the light of tomorrow's morning.

Post-Note: Okay I really could not help myself. I had to just be problematically cutesy with this update. I doubt most of you will mind that though (as many of you realize what you are getting into by reading one of my stories). I also don't think I will be including many non-CS POVs in the future, but for this chapter it felt right. I wanted you all to see the way the friends are getting involved and that's why the chapter is a little longer than usual. Anyway, let me know what you guys thought and as always thank you so much for reading!