"Emma, can you please get me a copy of all the articles that are supposed to be in the features section of this month's issue before you go to lunch?"

David quickly passed her desk and made his way to his own office. As one of the managing editors of Reel Trouble, the biggest entertainment magazine in Boston, it was David's job to make sure that all articles for the month's issue were edited and ready to go to print within the next week. It could be a demanding job that turned any normal person into a cranky ass, but not David. Being Mary Margaret's husband and a mystical Prince Charming, he was the kindest person in the world, unlike the senior editor Regina Mills. To Emma, that woman was the definition of an evil witch, and for the past year that she had been working there, Emma tried her best to avoid Regina. Thankfully she had so far had close to zero contact with the infamous boss.

Emma quickly did as she was told, wanting nothing better than to get out of the office in order to clear her mind. Usually she was on top of her game at work, but today her mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. The night before she had barely been able to sleep, not only because of the usual nightmares she suffered from, but also from her thoughts of Killian. It wasn't necessarily him, more of what he had told her.

You're more than an alcoholic. We all are.

Such a powerful statement, but could Emma truly believe that about herself? Ever since her accident she felt as if being an alcoholic defined who she was, and that for the rest of her life that's what her friends would see her as. Could she really be something more? At the moment, Emma had no clue.

"Here you go Prince Charming," she said jokingly, placing the articles in front of David. He gave her that winning smile of his that made all the girls melt, except for Emma. Yes, there was no denying that he was unfairly handsome, but he was basically her brother, and she could never see him in that way. It would be unnatural.

"Thanks princess," he answered, flipping through the articles before putting them on his desk. "You are free to go and enjoy your lunch break."

"I assume you'll be joining me so that you can interrogate me about my meeting last night," Emma said. "I'm sure Mary Margaret wants you to find out all the details since I shut her out last night." Emma noticed that David slightly flinched at the mention of her AA meeting. Like his wife, he wasn't used to the idea of Emma being an alcoholic, though he would always give her his full love and support, no matter what. It was just the type of man that he was.

"She did mention that you were in a pretty bad mood when she picked you up," he said. "Wanna talk about it?" Concern clouded his face, and Emma was once again reminded of how caring he actually was. Maybe she shouldn't completely shut herself off from her friends, even if they didn't quite understand what she was going through.

"Well, I guess when you have some random guy embarrass you in front of a whole group of strangers at your first AA meeting, you're not exactly in the best of moods afterwards," she said, taking a seat across from him. "And then for that same guy to try to get in your good graces afterwards with his seemingly poetic and philosophical ideas, it doesn't make things any better."

"What exactly did he say to you afterwards that upset you so much?" David asked. "He didn't say anything inappropriate, did he?" To say that David was highly protective of Emma would be an understatement, and if Killian ever said anything awful to her, she was sure that David would beat him bloody. Especially since the incident involving him almost 2 years ago, before Emma started working at Reel Trouble.

"No David, he didn't, and you know I definitely would've taken care of him myself," she said with a smirk. "He just said some crap about me not hiding in the shadows and that I was more than an alcoholic, as if he knew who I was and what I had been through. So I gave him a piece of my mind and told him to mind his own damn business." David nodded his head in understanding, his face partly scrunched up in concentration. He waited a moment before responding.

"Well Emma, I know you'll probably want to kick my ass for saying this, but this philosopher-wannabe guy does have a point," he said, choosing his words carefully so that he didn't upset her. "You are more than an alcoholic, and you hiding in the shadows is no way to live."

Emma couldn't believe that David would actually take Killian's side when he didn't even know the man. What the hell is happening? she thought.

"But David, he basically made all these stupid assumptions about me and tried to tell me how I should be living my life," she complained. "He had no right to even talk to me after what he did to me in that meeting. I shouldn't have to deal with that kind of shit." Emma was trying her best not to get too upset, but her emotions were becoming more difficult to control without the help of alcohol.

David got up from behind his desk and moved to stand by Emma, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. The simple gesture immediately reminded her of why she saw him as her brother.

"Listen Emma, I know what he did wasn't right, but maybe you shouldn't have acted like a jerk to him either," he said, his voice soft. "I know it's not easy, but maybe you should apologize to him to show that you don't hold a grudge, and he'll return the favor. He could just be looking for a friend of sorts, in order to feel less alone."

Despite her emotions, she knew that David was right. There was no point in holding a grudge against Killian when they would have to spend the next year together in Alcoholics Anonymous. If she was supposed to get her life back together—which was looking somewhat impossible at this point—she would have to let some things go. Maybe apologizing to Killian would be a step in the right direction.

"Okay, I'll apologize to him at the next meeting," she said, getting up to face David. "I'll be the bigger person and make amends, even if I don't exactly like it." No matter what, she wasn't going to disappoint David, especially after all the hell she had put him through already.

"That's my princess," he said with a smile. He took her in his arms for a hug, which Emma gratefully returned. It almost felt like things were back to normal, and that she wasn't the alcoholic who had to attend AA meeting every week. If only that were the case.

"So, are we going to lunch or not Prince Charming?" Emma asked, pulling back from their hug. At the mention of lunch, David frowned.

"Sorry Emma, but I can't," he said. "I have a last minute meeting with the Evil Queen herself about finalizing the issue before we go to print. I swear Regina never smiles."

"It's fine, maybe we can go tomorrow," Emma said, feeling slightly dejected. "I can bring you back something if you'd like."

"Thanks Em, but I'll be alright," David said. "You just go and enjoy yourself. Maybe eat by the harbor and enjoy the view for the both of us."

The sun shined down on her as she took another bite of her sandwich and a sip of her hot chocolate. Emma sat on the bench with her legs curled under her, watching the different crews at work. Even though some people found it weird, Emma had this strange attraction to the harbor near Reel Trouble's office. There wasn't necessarily anything exciting over there, just a few shops and restaurants. And of course the many boats that were tied to the docks where cargo was loaded on and off throughout the day. Whenever it was nice outside she would come and escape from her troubles, letting the harbor's many activities distract her. This was especially true since she no longer had the benefit of drinking alcohol, which had helped her escape even faster.

The various crews working yelled back and forth at one another as they tried to unload the boats. They carried the cargo onto the docks where it was loaded on trucks to be taken to whatever warehouses they had waiting for them. It was a process that the crews did with ease, and for many of the men and women working, it was almost second nature. Emma held a certain respect for them, especially since she knew that there was no way she could do that everyday. Working for a magazine was more of her thing.

Emma finished her lunch and started to pack up her things, grudgingly starting to make her way back to the office. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy her job—she was actually very thankful for it—but she just wasn't in the mood to be around people. All she wanted at that moment was to go back to her apartment and curl up in bed, and hopefully get some sleep for a change. But she knew that wouldn't happen, especially since she had to rely on David to give her a ride home. And her past certainly wouldn't let her have a peaceful sleep. It never did.

She continued to walk along with her hot chocolate in hand, not really paying attention to her surroundings as she stuck her earbuds in so that she could listen to her music as she walked. The upbeat tempo of the song allowed her some relief from the stress that was weighing down on her, and soon Emma wasn't feeling quite as bad as before. It allowed a distraction, which seemed like a nice idea at the time. Of course, that was until she ran full-on into someone and spilled her hot chocolate all over them. She did have a reputation for being a klutz after all.

"I am so sorry, I wasn't paying attention to where I was going," she stammered out, feeling the embarrassment flood her body. "Here, I'll clean that up for you." She busily dug in her bag, trying to find something that would help this stranger who was a victim of her clumsiness. Not once did she even look up to see who the person was, but when she heard his voice, her heart dropped.

"Miss, don't worry yourself, it's just a shirt. I can always wash it."

It was Killian, standing right in front of her with a stained shirt. When he realized who he had run into, a look of shock settled on his face. He no longer wore the black leather that she had seen him in just the night before. Instead, he had on a plain white t-shirt (which was partly see-through because of the stain), dark jeans, and work boots. His hair was still messy, and his blue eyes shined even brighter because of the sunlight. He was almost breathtaking.

"Killian, what are you doing here?" Emma asked, nerves plaguing her voice as she looked at he man who had occupied her thoughts since last night. She thought she wouldn't have to see him until next week. How could he be here, in what she had always seen as her sanctuary? This wasn't supposed to be happening. You weren't supposed to see members of your AA group in the real world. It just wasn't right.

"I…I work here, down on the docks," he answered. "What are you doing here?" He looked at Emma as if she was a ghost.

"I come down here to eat my lunch," she answered, not fully understanding why she was telling him this. "I—here, let me clean up my mess." She handed him some napkins she had found in her bag, and went about picking up her fallen things. She was internally freaking out and had no clue what to do. This can't be happening, it's all a dream, she tried to convince herself. But she knew that this was reality and that she couldn't run from it.

Killian finished drying up his shirt, yet the stain still remained on it. Emma couldn't help but let her gaze linger for a second on where the shirt was now see through—a glimpse of his abs sent her heart racing. She shook herself out of it, and tried her best to focus on his eyes.

"Listen, I hope you don't think I'm stalking you or anything, I really do work down here," he said. "I'll get out of your way though." He started to walk away, just as he did the night before. Killian was just as shaken up as Emma was by their incident, and he was probably thinking that she was going to snap at him again. The thought of that made Emma feel terrible; she had definitely been in the wrong last night. This was the time to apologize.

"Killian, wait," she called after him. He stopped and turned around, a look of confusion on his face.

"What is it?" he asked, stepping a little closer.

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I treated you last night," Emma said. "I realize that you were just trying to give me some encouragement, and I should've thanked you instead of acting like a jerk. I was just…being there last night wasn't exactly easy for me." She didn't want to reveal too much about her struggles, but the last thought slipped.

"I guess I have some apologies to make too," he said. "I acted like a right ass during the meeting and shouldn't have brought attention to you like that. I promise I won't push your buttons anymore either; I won't even say a word to you if that's what you want." His apology was sincere, and despite her prior thoughts, Emma had a sense that Killian was more of a gentleman than she had initially thought.

"Maybe we can just start over," Emma suggested. "If we're going to be in AA together for some time, I don't want there to be any bad blood between us." She gave him a smile to show that she was serious, and for the first time in awhile, it didn't feel forced.

"Alright, I like that idea," he said, returning her smile and stepping closer so that there was only a few feet between them. Emma felt her heart falter for a second, but quickly dismissed it.

"Well, my name is Killian Jones and though I am an alcoholic, I am also an artist who loves to be out on the water," he said, his eyes sparkling. "And may I ask what is your name miss?" His eyebrows wiggled, making Emma giggle like a little schoolgirl.

"Well good sir, my name is Emma Swan, and I am a writer for Reel Trouble, and I love to eat my lunch at the harbor," she said. "And unfortunately I can't quite wiggle my eyebrows like that." He laughed loudly at her jest, and the sound made Emma laugh herself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Swan," he said. "I do hope we can be acquaintances during our time together." He stretched his arm out, his hand offered for her to take. She stretched out her own arm and grasped his hand with hers. His skin was callused yet there was a sense of softness that Emma couldn't explain. She thought it felt nice, and a part of her didn't want to let go, which scared her. Before her thoughts confused her even more, Killian brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly. Emma felt her heart falter yet again (she really needed to get that under control), but she kept her face slightly neutral so that Killian didn't realize the effect he had on her in that moment.

"I guess it's time that I head back to the office, I don't want David to be mad at me," Emma said, trying her best to hide her nervousness. "But I'll see you next week, or maybe even around here during lunch again." The skin on her hand where Killian's lips had kissed it was tingling, and Emma had to get away from him before she did something stupid.

"Okay, I'll see around Emma," he said, walking backwards a few steps. "It was a pleasure to rightfully meet you." He turned around and started to walk in the direction of the docks. Emma did the same as she made her own way back to the office, her thoughts running wild on what had just happened.

But for the first time in in months, Emma felt like she could get through the rest of the day with a smile on her face. Maybe the feeling of Killian's hand in hers had something to do with it.

It was a pleasure to meet you too Killian.