Title: Accidentally in Love

Author: Steph aka CaptainSwanLuver

Rating: PG

Pairing: Killian/Emma

Characters: Killian, Emma, Belle, David, Mary Margaret, Robin.

Category: Romance/Humor/Drama

Disclaimer: I do this out of a love for this couple. No infringement is intended.

Spoilers: Nope!

Summary: Emma Swan needs to be married by 30 in order to receive the money from her trust fund and save her failing business. Killian Jones is the thief who just tried to rob her store. The two strike a deal: Killian will pretend to marry Emma and she won't send him to jail.

Note: Thanks for your responses to the last part and for reading! Hope you enjoy this part! -Steph

…Accidentally in Love: Part 7/12...

~Look out for yourself and you'll never get hurt.~

The next morning, Belle practically attacked Emma when she walked in the door.

"Tell me everything. What happened when you went up to your room after the reception?" she asked excitedly.

Emma walked past her and went behind the counter.

"I don't want to talk about it."

Belle frowned. "I don't understand. I thought things had changed between you two."

"I said I don't want to talk about it," she replied sharply, as she took a rag out and began to wipe down the counter.

As Emma cleaned, she saw something sparkle in the corner of her eye and realized it was her engagement and wedding rings. She wanted to take them off. They were nothing but a painful reminder of him, but she knew that she could see her parents at any moment and then she would be forced to explain the absence of the rings.

Belle stood in front of her, trying in vain to remain silent, but failing. "Emma, please talk to me."

Emma sighed and threw the rag down on the counter.

"It's over," she said simply.

"What do you mean it's over?"

"I told him I love him and he told me he loves me."

Belle smiled. "I knew it." Her smile faded quickly. "Then what happened?"

"He said we can't be together."

"Why?" Belle asked, with a confused shake of her head.

Emma squeezed her eyes closed for a long moment. "He said that my parents will never accept the real him because of his family background and the fact that he's a thief. He said he didn't want to ruin my relationship with them, so we can't be together."

Belle reached out and placed her hand over her best friend's. "Emma, I am so sorry. What did you say to him?"

"I told him I didn't care about any of that. I told him I knew the real him and that I could make my parents accept him, but he wouldn't budge. I even told him that if they couldn't accept him, that I would still choose him, but he refused to change his mind."

Belle sighed heavily. "I think he was just trying to do the right thing."

Emma glared at her. "You're taking his side?"

"Of course not, but I understand his point of view. He was trying to protect your relationship with your parents."

"That's not up to him. He broke my heart, Belle. You know how hard it was for me to open myself up to love again, to trust again. And I made the same mistake yet again. I trusted the wrong man."

Belle shook her head. "That's not fair, Emma, and you know it. Killian is not the same as Neal. He loves you and he did what he did for you."

Emma shrugged. "It doesn't matter why he did it. The end result is the same. We'll never be together." She paused and then added. "But the silver lining is after tomorrow I can claim some of the money from my trust fund."

"Some?"

Emma nodded. "Yes, my grandmother put in a ridiculous clause that states if I marry less than six months prior to my 30th birthday, then I only receive $100,000 immediately. If I remain married six months, then I'll receive the rest."

Belle bobbed her head. "Well, at least you'll get enough money to save our business."

"But I have to pretend to be married to Killian for six months. I had already told him I never wanted to see him again."

"Emma."

"What?" she snapped. "It's too painful."

"So what are you going to do then?"

"If my parents require his presence at something, then I will contact him. Other than that, it's as if Killian Jones no longer exists to me."

"You don't mean that."

She swallowed hard and whispered, "I do. I wish I had never met him."

Belle opened her mouth to say something in response, but Emma turned on her heel and headed into the kitchen.

…

~I needed to see you one more time.~

It was her birthday. That was the first thing that came into Killian's mind when he woke up the following day. He wanted nothing more than to celebrate it with her. In a perfect world, he would get his wish. But he learned long ago that wishes never come true.

Still, he couldn't let the day pass without acknowledging it. He had thought of the perfect birthday gift and spent all day yesterday searching for it. He was so excited when he finally found it.

That morning, Killian had wrapped it carefully and written out the card. He then set out for the bookstore. He took a deep breath before entering. Belle stood at the counter, but Emma was nowhere in sight.

When Belle saw him, her expression immediately hardened.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I have a birthday gift for Emma."

"She doesn't want to see you."

"I know," he said softly.

"You broke her heart, Killian," she said.

He shook his head. "I never wanted to hurt her."

"But you did. And nothing you say or do can fix that."

Killian placed the gift on the counter. "I realize this won't fix anything, but I wanted her to know I was thinking of her on her birthday."

"She's not here," Belle said. "She went to meet a seller."

"Will you give it to her for me?"

Belle chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully. "No."

"No?" he repeated, his eyes widening.

"Give it to her yourself."

Killian's brow furrowed. "I'm confused. You just said she's not here and she doesn't wish to see me."

"She needs to see you, Killian. Today of all days, she needs to see you."

"When is she returning?"

Belle shook her head, grabbed a pen and pad, scribbled something down, tore off the sheet of paper, and handed it to him.

"Here's her address. I know she never gave it to you. I wouldn't let her in case you turned out to be an ax murderer. She'll be home by 6. She refused to go out for her birthday, so you'll find her there."

"Are you sure this is alright?"

Belle shook her head. "No. She'll probably kill me for doing it, but it's what she needs. Emma is smart and strong and kind, but she's also very stubborn. And she'd never admit that she wants to see you today, but I know she does."

"Thank you."

Killian picked up the gift and made a move to leave, but Belle's voice stopped him.

"I think you need to ask yourself if you made the right decision, Killian. You're giving up the best thing to ever happen to you and there's no going back. You better be sure you're doing the right thing and you better be certain of your reasons for doing it."

Killian stared at her for a long moment, then left without a word.

Emma returned home a few minutes before 6. She had bought herself a cupcake and put a candle in it. She sat down at her kitchen table and lit the candle. Then she squeezed her eyes closed, made a wish, and blew out the candle. A moment later, she heard a knock at the door.

Emma rolled her eyes and groaned. She knew Belle would insist on doing something for her birthday.

"Belle, I told you-…" she stopped, when she opened the door and found Killian standing behind it.

"Killian?"

He smiled. "Happy Birthday, Emma."

"What are you doing here? How did you even know where I live?"

"Belle told me. Please don't be angry with her."

Emma's eyes narrowed at him. "You really need to stop telling me what to do and how to feel."

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"No," she replied.

Killian sighed and held the gift out to her. "I wanted to give this to you. I came by the bookstore earlier, but you weren't there."

"What part of 'I don't want to see you unless absolutely necessary' didn't you understand?"

"I wanted to see you on your birthday, Emma."

"Why? So I know what it feels like to miss you on every birthday after this one?" she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

He licked at his lips. "I'm sorry I hurt you. These last two days have been absolute hell without you."

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a pointed look. "They haven't exactly been a walk in the park for me either."

"I know seeing me is painful for you."

"Yet here you are."

He paused for a few long moments, the words slipping from his lips without him even realizing it. "Belle said something to me today that made me think."

"What did she say?" Emma asked, her brow arching.

"She said I better be certain of my reasons for pushing you away."

He didn't know why, but he couldn't get Belle's words out of his mind.

"Your reasons seemed pretty clear to me, however misguided they may be."

He dropped his gaze and nodded. "You're right. Never mind. Forget I said anything."

He swallowed roughly and stuck his arm out again, handing her the gift. She stared at him, not reaching for it.

"That's it? Killian, if you need to say something, then just say it," she said.

"I have to go," he replied, as he took her hand and placed the gift in it.

"Killian."

He shook his head. "No, I'm sorry, I have to go. Happy Birthday, Emma."

With that, he turned on his heel and took off down the hall. Emma sighed heavily, as she closed the door. She went back into the kitchen and sat down at the table. She placed the gift next to her cupcake.

Emma wanted nothing more than to see him, especially on her birthday. But she had been right about having him in her life. Seeing him just made it hurt that much more.

She stared at the gift for a few long moments, before slowly removing the ribbon and the card. She opened the card and smiled at his writing.

Dear Emma,

I wish I could celebrate your birthday with you. I want you to know that you've changed my life. I want to be a better man, Emma. I am going to find a job, an honest job. I know it won't change things. I know your parents still won't accept me, but I need to do it. Before you, I never had anyone see me as more than a thief, Emma. You gave me the courage to try to be more. For that, I will be forever grateful to you.

I wanted to get you the perfect gift. I wanted to get you something to remember me by. I hope every time you look at it, you will think of me and one day it will bring a smile to your face, instead of tears. Happy Birthday, love.

Love always,

Killian

Emma didn't even realize she was crying until she saw a tear hit the card and blur the words on it. She took a deep breath, as she unwrapped the gift, revealing a box. She slowly lifted the top off the box and gasped at what lay inside.

It was a rare first edition of To Kill a Mockingbird. She had been looking for one for years. She lifted the cover, her fingertips running over the words he had inscribed inside.

To Emma,

No matter what happens, we will always have our favorite book in common. When I was a young lad, I used to read this book whenever I felt sad because it gave me comfort and hope. I hope it can give you the same.

Love always,

Killian

P.S. Don't worry, I didn't steal it.

Emma chuckled softly at the last part. She took the book to the couch and sat down on it. She spent the rest of her birthday reading it for the 10th time.

When she finished, she sighed contently. In her opinion, it was the best book ever written. Even after reading it so many times, she never got bored with it and always found some new meaning.

Something occurred to Emma as she sat there pondering the book. Her brow furrowed and she began to flip through the pages. She found chapter 3 and thumbed through it quickly. She ran her finger down the page, searching for those poignant words Atticus Finch had said to his daughter, Scout. She smiled, as she came upon them.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Realization washed over her. She glanced at the clock on her mantle. It was after midnight. She didn't care, as she slipped on her shoes and grabbed her jacket. She was out the door in less than a minute, the book in her hand.

…

~I can't lose you too.~

Killian bolted up in bed, the knocking at the door waking him. He rubbed at his eyes with his fists, as he ambled to the door and threw it open.

His eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Emma, the sleep now totally gone from them.

"Emma? What are you doing here?"

"You're scared," she stated simply.

"What?"

"You're scared," she repeated. "Maybe you convinced yourself that pushing me away was only about my parents not accepting you, but that's not the only reason you did it. Is it?"

Killian lowered his gaze.

"Emma, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say a thing. I know I'm right. It came to me after I finished reading the book you gave me. That quote from Atticus: 'You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . ."

"'Until you climb into his skin and walk around in it'," he finished for her.

"You remember the quote?" she asked.

He bobbed his head. "It's one of my favorites from the book. However, I fail to see how it relates to me."

"I wasn't looking at the situation from your point of view before, but I am now," she said.

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"You said you know how it feels to be alone and you didn't want me to end up like that. You've lost everyone you've ever loved, Killian, everyone who's ever claimed to love you. Your mother, your father, your brother, Milah. And now you're scared that if you let yourself love me, then you'll lose me too. So you decided it would be less painful to just end things now."

Killian's mouth hung open. She was right. He hadn't even fully realized it himself until right then. He thought he was protecting her, but he was also protecting himself.

Emma stepped forward and took his hands in hers. "It's okay to be scared, Killian. What's not okay is letting your fear control you. I let it control me for a long time and all it got me was loneliness and an unhappy life. I won't do it anymore. Love is worth the risk. We're worth the risk."

He shook his head. "Emma, I'm sorry. But I don't deserve you. And you're going to wake up one day and realize that. Perhaps your parents will finally convince you of that. Or perhaps I'll fail you and prove it all on my own. Either way, I know how the story ends this time. There is no happily ever after for us."

"No," she said firmly. "Listen to me. You wrote in my card that I changed your life. You said I made you want to be a better man. You said you were going to find an honest job. Did you mean all of that?"

He nodded. "Every word."

Emma smiled. "Well, then you're the man I've been waiting all my life for, Killian, and I didn't even know it. You want to be the best man you can be for me. What more can I ask for?"

Killian wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless, but he couldn't bring himself to. His fear was holding him back.

"Emma, I wish things were different."

Emma swallowed hard, as she blinked back tears. "I bought myself a birthday cupcake with one candle. And when I blew it out, I made a wish. Do you know what I wished for?"

"Emma."

"You," she said softly. "I wished for you. And do you know what happened a moment later? You showed up at my door. If that's not a sign, then I don't know what is."

Killian was speechless. It wasn't often that he was at a loss for words.

Emma smiled gently at him. "When you're ready, I'll be waiting for you, Killian. I'm not giving up on you. I'll never give up on us."

She took a step forward and pressed a lingering kiss to his lips. She pulled back and then whispered in his ear. "Thank you for the book. It's the best gift I've ever gotten. I'll think of you every time I look at it."

With that, she turned and left him standing in the doorway, his fingers upon his lips.

…

End of Part 7

Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought! ~Steph