Disclaimer: All Aspects of Once Upon A Time belong to ABC and the show's creators.

Mary Margaret, David and Ruby were all at Emma's house when she arrived around nine thirty, their cars blocking her driveway, forcing her to park on the curb, not that she was bothered by it. She had to laugh at them and their excitement for her, though she was a little nervous at how they would take her news. Emma let herself into the house and locked the door behind her.

"So are we having a sleepover or something?" Emma asked, finding her friends curled up on her couch together watching a movie after she hung her coat in the hall closet. Ruby grabbed her as soon as she walked within reach and tugged her down on top of the crew with an excited squeal.

"Don't stall. How was the date?" she demanded, giving Emma's shoulder a shake.

"Wasn't a date," Emma replied, wriggling her way into the space between David and Ruby. Everyone turned to Emma, shock playing across their faces.

"You didn't go?" Ruby asked, annoyance colouring her tone.

Emma shook her head and gave a nervous smile. "I went. We just agreed that it wasn't a date."

"What kind of guy wouldn't want to date you, Emma?" David asked, as if it were his own appearance he thought had been insulted. David could be such a big brother sometimes. Emma loved him for that.

Emma nudged his shoulder. "It wasn't a date because it was an old friend," Emma replied. "Jones was my best friend growing up-"

"Wait- Killian 'I-think-I-love-you-Swan' Jones was your blind date?" Ruby cut in, jaw dropping. She smacked her shoulder a few times out of excitement. Emma stiffened and turned to her.

"How do you know about Killian Jones?" she asked quietly. Emma was sure she had never mentioned her old friend to Ruby. It wasn't something she had ever told anyone. Emma wasn't big at talking about past relationships, or lack thereof in Killian's case. They only knew about Neal because Mary Margaret and David had been there and Ruby could be very persuasive when she wanted Mary Margaret to tell her something.

"Do you remember that party for Ruby two years ago?" Mary Margaret put in sheepishly. Wait, she knew too? "The one where Ruby got you really drunk?"

Emma nodded, immediately nervous. She had had a few too many tequila shots that night to remember it clearly. "What did I say?" she groaned, fearing the worst.

Mary Margaret laid a hand on her arm, placating. "Not that much, Emma. Just that you had a friend in the past, Killian, who told you he thought he might have loved you and then you were transferred. You told us how much you regretted losing touch with him, especially after how Neal treated you."

"That's it," Ruby confirmed with a shrug. "I couldn't get you to say anything more. We had no idea that's who Atlantic Captain was if you were wondering." Emma shook her head. She hadn't been wondering that because Killian would have said something if it was a reunion date her friends had planned. Killian had been just as shocked to see her as she had been him.

"So you ended up having dinner with a friend?" David summarized, scratching his jaw as he followed the story. "That's it?"

Emma shook her head and tried to explain how she felt. Killian was more than just a friend. "Jones was my best friend growing up. The first friend I ever had. We were fourteen. I lost contact with him after he told me he loved me. And there he was sitting at the restaurant waiting for me, just as shocked to find out who his date really was as I was."

"What was he like?" Mary Margaret asked, pausing the movie so Emma could continue with everyone's full attention.

"The same Jones I remember, I guess." Well, except for now he wasn't a teenager. Now he was most certainly a man.

"But smoking hot right? Please tell me he was smoking hot," Ruby practically begged. Emma blushed and Ruby cheered. "Knew it!"

"But you aren't going to date him?" David asked, confused. "I know I'm a guy so I don't really understand you three but I'm really lost with this one."

Emma shook her head, a twinge of regret twisting her stomach for a moment. "We agreed to stay friends. We missed each other too much to risk ruining something. I ran out on him ten years ago because he scared me. Now I just want to earn his friendship back."

She waited, braced for an argument that didn't come. Ruby slung her arm around Emma and gave her a little squeeze. "We're so glad you found each other again, Emma. It wasn't what we had in mind but if being Killian's friend makes you happy then that's all we ever wanted."

Emma squeezed her back. "Thank you. It was you two who arranged it. I'm glad you forced me to go."

"Remember that next time we try to make you do something." Ruby replied, shoving her arm.

Emma rolled her eyes and reached over, pressing play on the remote in Mary Margaret's hand. "So are we actually having a sleepover?" she asked as the movie started rolling again.

"Absolutely," Ruby answered, snuggling farther into the sofa cushions. "Mary Margaret and David already claimed your bed. Enjoy the couch, Emma."

Emma groaned as Ruby laughed. "You better keep it PG, David," Emma warned. "Remember, I own a gun."

"Duly noted," David replied, arms raised in surrender.

With a grin Emma settled down with her friends to finish the movie. Who would have ever thought that the girl Emma had been as a child, lost, shuffled from home to home, known only as the angry foster kid at every school she attended, would be surrounded by loving friends and in her own home years later. As Emma curled against David's warm side she realized that only one thing would make their movie night and sleepover better- Killian.

Emma was at work on Monday when her phone went off, buzzing several times against the wood desktop. She flipped it over and scanned the text. It was a number she didn't recognize.

REMEMBER THOSE COOKIES WE MADE TOGETHER ONCE? -JONES

Emma couldn't help but grin as she entered the new contact under Jones. Finally he was texting her. She had been beginning to worry that he didn't feel as strongly about their friendship now that the reunion bliss had worn off, not that she would admit that. YOU RUINED THEM she quickly typed back.

The two of them had been trying to make cookies for a school bake sale in Killian's kitchen. Killian had forgotten the sugar and they turned into a weird chalky mess that were promptly thrown out. Emma tried to convince herself that not having something for the sale was fine because no one had been expecting foster kid Emma to bring any, a fact which both of them were trying to rectify. Emma had been devastated. Killian surprised her the next day by putting in an entry for Emma. After a little arm twisting he admitted that he made Liam go buy a plate of cookies at a local bakery which Killian switched to his own tin plate and brought in with Emma's name taped to the top.

I REFUSE TO TAKE ALL THE BLAME, SWAN.

TOO BAD. WHO FORGETS SUGAR? WHAT MADE YOU THINK OF THEM?

IT'S MY WEEK TO COOK.

DON'T MAKE COOKIES THEN IF YOU WANT TO MAKE ANY FRIENDS. Emma typed back, grinning at the screen.

I'VE GOTTEN BETTER SINCE THEN... AND NOT JUST AT BAKING. The text came in two parts. Heat curled in Emma's stomach at the implication of his words in the second one. She didn't remember that aspect of his personality from before. Or that kind of bodily reaction to Killian's words.

Emma's radio went off on her desk, the operator calling in a disturbance by the high school, removing the need for Emma to respond to his heated comment. She answered the order, David's agreement that they were on it coming through a moment later.

GOT TO GO. DUTY CALLS.

YOU AT WORK? was his quick response.

YEAH. JUST GOT A CALL FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL. Emma answered as she stood, typing
quickly with her thumb while her other hand adjusted the gun holster at her belt.

BE CAREFUL, SWAN. DON'T WANT MY FAVOURITE GIRL TO GET HURT. The heat she had felt before turned into an all over bodily warmth.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, JONES. I'M A PROFESSIONAL. Emma slipped her phone into her pocket and hurried to the parking lot.

Emma slipped into the passenger seat of the police car as David started he engine. He radioed that they were on their way and started for the school. They were enroute when David turned to her.

"What's got you so happy?"

Emma glanced over, confused. "What do you mean?" She wasn't pleased to have to go work out an issue at the school if that was what he thought.

"When you came out the door you were grinning. Emma Swan doesn't grin, especially not at work. So what happened?"

Emma groaned. Had she really been running around the station looking like a fool? "Nothing," she answered quickly.

"Did Jones call?" David asked, looking towards her as they pulled into the school parking lot.

"Texted," Emma admitted, unlocking her door and getting out.

"But you're just friends," David drawled, slightly questioning, slightly sarcastic.

Emma scowled at him and started towards the school. "Shut up."

The next time Emma talked to Killian was on Wednesday when he texted her after she had gotten off work at nine. Emma had been sitting on the couch, a bowl of pasta balanced on her lap, while she flipped through various television channels.

NEXT TIME I AGREE TO SCRUB THE DECK MAKE SURE IT'S NOT WHILE WE ARE FISHING THE MUD FLATS.

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO DO THAT, JONES? Emma replied, grinning to herself.

YOU CALL MY CAPTAIN AND TELL HIM IT'S POLICE ORDERS.

DON'T BE LAZY.

ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS IS A COP. DOESN'T THAT COME WITH PERKS?

Emma balked at the tiny type crossing the screen. Killian was already calling her one of his best friends? After meeting for just one night after ten years apart and exchanging only a few texts? The suddenness of the gesture caused panic to rise in Emma. She knew she would disappoint Killian eventually if he was already this attached. Disappointing people was what she did. It was all Neal could say that final night. She didn't want to have Killian end their relationship like that too.

DID THAT FREAK YOU OUT? Killian's text lit up the darkened screen when she didn't respond. Well at least he still understood Emma's feelings around relationships, platonic or otherwise. Of course Killian only knew the issues fourteen year old Emma had had. Twenty four year old Emma was a completely
different ballgame.

SORRY, SWAN

DON'T APOLOGIZE, Emma finally answered when she was able to convince her fingers to type again. THEY'RE MY ISSUES NOT YOURS.

IT'S NOT AN ISSUE, SWAN.

THAT'S DEBATABLE. ASK MY EX. Emma froze after she hit send, realizing what she had added. She hadn't planned to mention Neal ever to Killian, and her she was throwing the bastard into a text conversation? Emma wished she could take back the words but Killian's answer buzzed against her leg before she could send another text to deflect the impact of her last message.

DO I HAVE TO SWIM TO SHORE TO CONVINCE YOU THAT YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM?

I WON'T LET YOU IN IF YOU DO. THE WATER WILL RUIN THE FLOORING, Emma replied in an attempt to inject some levity into the situation.

FINE THEN. I WILL TEXT YOU 'YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM' UNTIL YOU BELIEVE ME. Emma rolled her eyes and set her phone down, finishing her pasta. While she did she counted the number of times her phone buzzed. Twenty buzzes. Emma set down her empty dish on a side table and looked over the messages Killian had sent. Each one said the same thing; YOU ARE NOT THE PROBLEM.

HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND, JONES? she typed back, processing what he'd said.

HOW ABOUT YOU TRY SOMETHING NEW AND TRUST ME, LOVE?

Emma took a deep breath. Killian was determined for her to accept his messages. That was the Killian she knew, kind and caring and determined to make sure Emma knew that she was more than her foster system case file. She knew he would have said the exact same things ten years ago too if Emma had implied her intimacy and trust issues were her own problems, rather than the result of all the people who had treated her badly. If Killian still felt that strongly about her ten years on maybe he was right? At least partially.

I AM NOT THE PROBLEM, Emma typed back, trying to engrain the message into her brain. The problem was all the shitty people she had had to deal with over her short lifetime.

GOOD. I REALLY DIDN'T WANT TO HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO MY CAPTAIN WHY I WAS JUMPING OVERBOARD.

YOU ARE RIDICULOUS.

YOUR OPINION. NOT MINE. GOT TO GO, SWAN, CAPTAIN IS ABOUT TO TRAWL AGAIN.

AT NIGHT? She didn't want their conversation to end, as uncomfortable as it had been for her.

WE HAVE THIS MODERN TECHNOLOGY CALLED DECK LIGHTS, SWAN. THE FISH DON'T HAVE WATCHES OR GO TO BED EARLY. WE FISH WHEN CAPTAIN SAYS WE FISH. REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU.

BYE, JONES, Emma answered setting down her phone and wetting her bottom lip as she thought over their conversation. She quickly picked the phone back up again and typed out another quick text. BE CAREFUL.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT ME, SWAN. I'M A PROFESSIONAL. The familiarity of the words made Emma smile. She picked up her empty dinner bowl and made her way to the sink to wash up before getting ready for bed.