Chapter 2

During her pregnancy, Granny let her work every day after school as a waitress, allowing her to earn that extra money she needed to raise a child. When she got closer to her due date, Granny wanted her to move behind the counter, but she refused because she would lose a huge amount of her tips. She was stronger than she looked and being almost nine months pregnant wouldn't stop her from serving a plate of chili fries to a customer…especially when that customer tipped generously.

The diner was empty now, but earlier it had been packed with customers winding down after a long week. Her feet were aching, her back was sore, but her pocket was heavy with tips so she was happy. Tired…but happy.

The tables had been wiped down, the floors gleamed after a good mop and all the chairs were placed upside down on the tables. All but the one she occupied with all her books and spirals spread out in front of her, as she poured over her notes. Finals were coming up and she was determined to ace them.

Granny had already went up, leaving her alone in the diner with the lights on full to beat back the dark and to keep her awake. It was just shy of midnight and she was dying to go up to the spare room Granny had gotten ready for her, but she made herself stick with it for at least another hour.

She was right in the middle of highlighting some key points of her notes when she heard the door open and jingle behind her. "We're closed," she said out loud without turning around.

"Then you should have locked the bloody door."

Her back went up, her highlighter froze mid-stream and her heart twisted painfully in her chest. She slowly turned in her chair, gripping the back of it for support and the sight of Killian nearly took her breath away. It simply shouldn't be allowed for a single human being to look this gorgeous…this…dangerous.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and then cleared it. "Um…I…forgot."

He gave a little smirk as he ran his hands through his dripping wet hair. "Good for me, then…I got caught in this torrential downpour on my way home."

"Oh." She looked out the window to see that it was in fact pouring outside and she had been so involved in her studies she didn't even notice. She looked back over at him and realized that he was indeed soaked from head to toe. His blue shirt beneath his leather jacket was sticking to his stomach like a second skin and she could actually see the outline of his abs.

"Can I use the phone?" he asked, breaking the silence. "I can ring my brother to come pick me up."

"Sure…it's over by the counter."

He quickly shrugged out of his wet jacket, hanging it on the hook by the door before making his way over. Emma winced at the wet trail he left behind on the freshly mopped floor. With a heavy sigh, she scooted back from the table and slowly got to her feet, making her way over to the janitorial closet while Killian was on the phone.

His back was facing her as he leaned over the counter, talking in low voices as she only partially listened while she mopped up his trail. She couldn't hear everything he said but now and then she could hear certain words or phrases and could follow easy enough.

"…come get me?….Granny's… no….Emma…"

She froze her actions and her heart tripped….of course he knew her name, they lived in a small town…but she never heard him say it before and it made her feel…tingly…all over.

"…Oh, sod off…can you or not?…no…no I get it…just…when you can…bugger off!"

She was smiling softly to herself as she noticed the sound of sibling bickering and found it endearing. She grew up an only child of course and always slightly wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?"

She jolted as she spun around and her eyes widened when he stalked over to her. "I'm…mopping the floor…you left a wet trail."

He was by her side in two long strides, snagging the mop from her hand. "I'll do that, you go sit back down."

"It's my job," she said as she tried to take it back.

"And it's my mess," he pointed out pulling the mop out of reach. "Go sit down before you slip and fall."

"Fine!" she exasperated with a roll of her eyes as she tried to make her way back over to the table as gracefully as she could manage without waddling. "Just because I'm pregnant, doesn't mean I'm completely invalid you know."

He grinned as he finished the last of the mopping and then leaned slightly against the handle. "And just because you're a stubborn ass, doesn't mean you should deny help once in a while."

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "I am not stubborn."

He snorted out a laugh as he made his way over to the closet to put away the mop. "Sure you're not, Blondie."

"You don't even know me."

He closed the door and slowly turned around to face her, slipping his hands into his back pockets. "Perhaps I'd like to."

Her cheeks flushed at his words, her heart stammered at his stare and she desperately reached for her water to relieve her incredibly dry throat. "There's not much to know," she finally murmured, clearing her throat as she became suddenly interested in her textbook.

"I doubt that," he murmured so softly she almost didn't hear it. "Mind if I help myself to some coffee? My brother is going to be awhile."

"Sure."

"Thanks." He nimbly jumped up onto the counter and then smoothly swung his legs over and plopped down on the other side. "Do you want some? I can make decaf."

"No thanks," she said, giving him a polite smile. "I'm good with my water."

She tried to pay attention to her notes but her eyes couldn't help but drift his way now and then. And sometimes their eyes would meet and she would blush like an idiot and quickly look back down at her work as she nervously tucked her hair behind her ear.

The wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the air and she smiled lazily as she began to idly doodle in the margins of her notes. She didn't know Killian Jones that well, but it was nice having him here and he certainly wasn't bad to look at. He had always been a mystery to her…a mystery she was desperate to solve. She'd like to crack through some of those walls tonight, but at the same time keep her own walls up in the process. She promised herself after Neal had left, that she wouldn't put herself through that again.

"Have a thing for swans?"

She gasped as she jolted in her seat. "God! Don't you know better than to sneak up on a pregnant woman?! Do you want me to go into early labor?"

He laughed softly. "Apologies, love…I thought you heard me."

Emma watched him set his mug down and grab the nearest chair off a table, flip it right sight up, and then straddle, resting his forearms on the back. "You have a bunch of swan sketches in the margins."

"Yeah, so?" Slightly embarrassed, she shrugged it off as she closed her notebook. "I like swans…ever since I was little."

He took a sip of his coffee and lifted a brow. "Why?"

She nervously began to tap her pen against the table. "I don't know, I just…I've always thought they were pretty…and I remember my parents reading me The Ugly Ducking when I was little."

"Is that why your dad calls you Duckie?" he asked with a grin.

Emma's jaw dropped. "How…how do you know that?"

He chuckled softly as he gave a little shrug. "I overheard him calling you that a few times…it's cute."

She recognized the teasing tone and rolled her eyes. "Oh, shut up."

"Although I wouldn't call you a duckling anymore, Blondie…you're more like a swan."

His words send her stomach a flutter, but she tried her best to laugh it off. "Right…nothing more beautiful and graceful than an eight month pregnant woman that desperately tries not to waddle when she walks."

The laugh rolled out of him and it was so infectious she couldn't help but laugh in return. He had this weird way of making her nervous for one minute, and then putting her in complete ease the next.

He nodded at her books. "What are you studying? Chemistry?"

"Yeah," she said with a defeating sigh. "Final is Monday morning."

He gave her a sympathetic wince. "Brutal…does Mrs. Hackman still teach it?"

"Unfortunately."

Understanding, Killian just laughed. "She couldn't stand me…tried her best to fail me, but I made sure she wouldn't get the satisfaction."

"Mrs. Hackman doesn't like anybody…its part of her charm, however, she's the only teacher that doesn't pity me and treats me like the rest so, that's refreshing."

His brows furrowed. "The other teachers pity you?"

"They try to make things easy for me…considering my…situation." She was now fidgeting with her pen, tangling between her fingers. "It's frustrating…I'm don't want any handouts."

"Most people would take that advantage."

"I'm not most people," she answered quickly and strongly with a look of determination on her face.

"Aye," he said softly as his eyes flickered over her features. "I'm gathering that."

She held his gaze for a moment, completely getting lost in his deep, blue eyes. No one had ever looked at her like that, not even Neal and she felt completely exposed. She cursed herself as she looked away. She had planned to break down his walls and here he was breaking down some of her own without even realizing it.

She cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. "Um…I'm sorry about your mom."

His eyes flashed, holding her stare before finally looking away, clenching his jaw as his grip on the coffee mug tightened. For a moment, all you could hear were the soft patter of the rain from outside and distant thunder and Emma began to worry that she might have overstepped.

She was just about to apologize when his rough, deep voice echoed through the room.

"She died long before we buried her in the ground." His eyes flickered back to hers. "I mourned her a long time ago."

She didn't know what to say next, so she simply reached over and gently covered his hand with hers. His skin was still slightly cold from getting caught in the rain, so she tried to warm it up a bit with gentle sweeps of her thumb.

He was looking down, transfixed on their joined hands and his chest began to move rapidly, as if he was having trouble breathing. And when those bright blue eyes locked in on hers, she could see the emotion swirling inside them. Her own heart started hammering in her chest when he started to shift closer to her…his head began to lean in, so she found herself leaning in.

His eyes fluttered to her lips. "Emma…"

The loud jangle of the door flying open made them jump apart, completely startled and shaken to the core. Emma placed her hand on her rapid heart, while Killian cursed as he scowled at the door, where is brother stood.

"Man, is it coming down out there," Liam said with a laugh as he set his umbrella aside and walked over to him.

Killian sighed when he saw the wet trail he left and spared Emma a look. "I'll get the mop," he grumbled before getting up.

She laughed softly before turning towards his brother. "Hey, Liam."

"Hello, Emma," he said with a devilish grin. "I appreciate the hospitality you've given my little brother."

Still slightly shaken up by the almost…something…Emma tried her best to hide it with a breathless laugh. "It was no trouble."

"Here." Killian tossed the mop to Liam, who caught it inches from smacking him in the face. "You left a mess…clean it up."

"Oh." Liam turned around to see his wet trail. "Apologies." He quickly began to mop up his mess and spared his brother a quick glance. "So…are you all packed, baby brother?"

His eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Just about."

Emma felt something unpleasant twist deep in her belly. "Packed?" Her eyes looked to Killian in question. "Are you…taking a trip?"

"Going to travel the world together," Liam answered for him, grinning like a fool as he wrapped his arm around Killian. "Adventures in the open sea…just like we dreamed of when we were kids."

"We also said we'd one day sail away to Neverland on the Jolly Roger," Killian teased.

"Aye…and maybe one day we will, brother," he said and just to annoy him, he ruffled his hair.

"The Jolly Roger?" Emma asked with a little laugh. "Isn't that the name of Captain Hook's ship from Peter Pan?"

"Sure is…it was always Killian's favorite story growing up." He hooked his arm back around Killian's neck. "We named the boat we built together The Jolly Roger…just seemed to fit."

Impressed, Emma lifted her brows. "You two built a boat?"

"Aye," Killian said sheepishly. "We started when we were kids…just something to keep us busy, but…the older we got, the more serious we took it."

"Finished it just a few months ago," Liam said proudly. "And tomorrow morning, she's going to take us far away from here…adventure awaits, right brother?"

"Right," he said as he took the mop away. "I'll go put this away, you go out to the car, I'll be right behind you."

"Sure," he said and then reached for Emma's hand and kissed the back of it. "Good night to you, Emma."

She couldn't help but smile…he was quite the charmer. "Good night, Liam…I hope you enjoy your adventures."

"Count it," he said with a wink.

Emma watched him go and then put on a smile for Killian to hide her sadness of him leaving. "I'll walk you out."

"You don't have to get up."

"I need to lock up behind you," she said as she began to lift herself off the chair, belly first.

He had started to reach out and help, but she was already on her feet, so he awkwardly shoved him in his pockets as he walked to the door. "Thank you for letting me stay here," he said as he shrugged on his jacket. "And for the coffee."

"Sure…anytime." She watched him open the door and the smell of fresh rain swept over her and as he stepped out on the covered stoop, she quickly followed. "Killian?"

He turned back around, popping up his collar. "Hmm?"

"Will you…do you think…" She took a deep breath as her eyes fluttered to his. "Will you ever come back?"

His lips turned up slightly as he shook his head in disbelief. "If someone asked me that an hour ago, I'd have said, no."

"And now?" she asked softly.

He took a step closer to her and then reached up to snap off a buttercup from one of the hanging pots and gently tucked it behind her ear. "I hope so."

He then took a step away and then another, keeping his eyes on hers as if he was drinking her in. "I'll see around…Swan."

She laughed at the nickname and he gave her one last smile before finally turning his back to hers…and disappeared into the rain.

He would eventually return home…five years later…for Liam's funeral.