A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews, I read and appreciate every single one, this is a long one – hope you like it!

Chapter 4 – Special

"You awake?" Mary Margaret asked as she shifted in her bed so she could face Emma.

"Yeah" Emma replied, sounding pensive.

"What's on your mind?" Mary Margaret asked and Emma thought to herself that she would really miss Mary Margaret once she leaves.

On her first day in prison she was nervous to find out who her cellmate would be, cause something she didn't want to do was adding an annoying inmate or even worse, some kind of a bully, to the list of stuff she already had to deal with.

So meeting the sweet Mary Margaret was definitely a relieving experience. She was doing time for assaulting an evil woman that hurt the man she loved, it was illegal and wrong, but in Mary Margaret's book it was completely justified.

Emma couldn't believe it at first, that this petite hopeful woman was able to harm a fly, but when she learned how passionate she could get when it came to the people she loved, it didn't seem so far-fetched anymore. She was sentenced to six months and was about to get out in two weeks' time.

"Nothing" Emma lied, before they started to talk she was thinking about Killian and the other day in his office "Just can't sleep"

"As usual you mean" Mary Margaret teased "C'mon Emma, what's going on?" She pressed.

"Yesterday was my birthday – "

"Seriously? Oh Emma, why didn't you say anything?" She jumped up from her bed "Come here" she gestured with her hand for Emma to get up before she leaned to give her a tight squeezing hug "Happy Birthday" Mary Margaret congratulated her and Emma smiled in embarrassment.

"Thanks, but this is not what I was going for" Emma sat on her bed and Mary Margaret followed and listened intently "You know Jones right?"

"Yeah" She replied softly "What about him?"

"Well he knew it was my birthday and he kind of made a big deal about it"

"Really? That's great!" Mary Margaret smiled widely "Well isn't it?" She asked when her gaze met Emma's frowny face.

"It's weird"

"But why?" Mary Margaret raised her brows in wonder.

"I don't know" She sighed heavily.

"It's because you're not use to it, right?"

"What?" Emma replied sharply, still frowning.

"That someone cares" Mary Margaret rolled her eyes.

"It's not that"

"Well I think it is" Mary Margaret insisted "I think that your whole life you got used to being alone, doing everything alone, celebrating, or not celebrating your birthday alone, that yesterday made you feel out of your element. But – "

"It's not that!" Emma exclaimed and Mary Margaret's brows shot up and her eyes widened in surprise "I think I might be falling for him" She blurted out and felt the tears prick at the corner of her eyes.

"Oh" Mary Margaret said quietly as she was taken aback by Emma's sudden heartfelt confession.

"Stupid right?" She sniffled when the tears slowly started to fall.

"No" Mary Margaret said in conviction "It is not stupid!" Emma looked at her in disbelief "It's not. You like him. It's okay to like him"

"Yeah, me and every other girl in this place" She forced a chuckle "So pathetic" She sniffled again and wiped the tears off her face.

"Emma" Mary Margaret said softly as she soothingly rubbed her hand against Emma's shoulder.

"I just want to go to sleep" She covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned before she lay down in her bed "Thanks for listening. See you in the morning?"

"Sure" Mary Margaret replied sympathetically as she went to lie in her own bed.

"Mary Margaret?" Emma's tired voice broke the few minutes of silence as they both lay in the semi darkness.

"Yes?"

"Good night" Emma said as she shifted in her bed, burying her head in the pillow.

"Good night" Mary Margaret replied, a soft small smile lifting her lips.

…

"Swan, Blanchard, did I just hear a conversation about men?" Ruby popped into the seat next to Mary Margaret as they were eating lunch at the cafeteria "So?" Ruby's playful smile and mischievous eyes were urging them to spill.

"A man" Mary Margaret replied and immediately regretted when she noticed Emma's apprehensive expression.

"Finally wanna screw Jones ha?" Ruby picked up quickly "Told you so" She grinned in triumph.

"Ruby, come on" Emma pleaded, sounding so stressed that Mary Margaret bled for her.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. I already told you, all the girls wanna bed the bloody Irish" She emphasized the last two words, trying to mimic Killian's accent. Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and Emma leaned her elbows on the table as she buried her head in her hands and groaned in embarrassment "And you actually stand a chance"

"What do you mean?" Emma raised her head and lifted an intrigued eyebrow at Ruby.

"I've seen the way he looks at you, we all have, right Mary Margaret?" Ruby turned to look at her.

"What? I ah – " Mary Margaret tried to reply despite her confusion.

"See?" Emma told Ruby "It's only in your dirty mind"

"Well don't mind her" Ruby waved a dismissing hand at Mary Margaret who in reply raised her brows, seemingly offended "What?" Ruby shrugged and continued "If your man comes up to you and asks for some tacos, don't tell me that you don't actually offer him a bite to eat" The confused expression on Mary Margaret's face intensified "See?" Ruby turned to Emma and smiled in content, feeling that she had proven her point "Anyways, I've never seen Jones look at any one the way he looks at you, just thought you'd like to know, in case…well you know" Ruby shot her a wicked smile that seemed to be dripping with sin.

Emma rolled her eyes in reply "You don't know what you're talking about" She snorted "And besides, wasn't it you who went on and on about how he never puts out?"

"Well I heard that there was this one girl that he made out with, I think her name was Tink, so obviously his pluming works" Ruby laughed when Mary Margaret almost chocked on her salad.

"When is your next session with Whale? You obviously need to get laid" Emma teased.

"Well that makes two of us" Ruby replied with a smirk and Emma realized that she couldn't win that one, so she rolled her eyes and smiled wryly before she got back to eating.

…

They were in their usual spot on the hardwood floor of his office playing a game of fish. Each time his eyes were concentrated on his cards, she took the opportunity to stare and study his features. She thought he didn't notice but he did, which made him smile inwardly.

"So, do you give birthday presents to all of your inmates?" She finally worked up the courage to ask.

"No. Why?" He replied casually.

"I don't know" She shrugged "Just wondering I guess"

"You're not just another inmate Emma"

"What do you mean?" She sounded a bit surprised.

"It's kind of hard to explain" He seemed flustered for a moment, trying to find the right words "Let's just say that you're special" He smiled, content that he found a way to describe how he felt without giving too much away.

"Got fours?" She drew the attention back to the game, trying to avoid the flush of heat that had made its way to her cheeks.

"Go fish" He grinned and she rolled her eyes before she picked up a card from the pool.

"Do you have any sevens?" He asked and she grouched in displeasure.

"Here" She handed him the two cards "I just helped you get another book didn't I?"

"Yep" He placed all four sevens facing up on the floor in front of him "Your turn" He raised an eyebrow at her and grinned in triumph, completely anticipating her eye-roll response, he sure loved teasing her, seeing how serious and competitive she could get.

"How about eights?" She looked at him with concentrated eyes as he shook his head before he looked at his cards, contemplating his next move.

"Hey, I saw that" He suddenly growled.

"What?" She raised her brows in wonder, trying to look as innocent as possible.

"You took two cards from the pool" He pointed at the cards that she was holding in her hand.

"No I didn't" She said, her chuckle giving her away.

"I saw you" He rolled his eyes "No cheating" He waved a finger to scold her and she looked at him with that beautiful perfect smile of hers "Well put it back" He insisted, doing his best to ignore the warm and fuzzy feeling that came over him to the sight of her smile.

"And if I won't?" She teased and hid her hand behind her back when he tried to reach for the cards "What are you going to do? Are you going to make me?" She leaned back on her elbows, still hiding the cards behind her back and smiling widely at him. It seemed much more than a friendly tease, and if he didn't know any better he could have swore she was flirting with him.

He slowly pushed himself to his hands and knees and leaned towards her "No" He said softly "I'm simply going to take them" He reached behind her back for her hand with the cards and she quickly passed the cards to the other hand.

"Which is basically the same thing" She said as she brought her hand with the cards to the front and deliberately turned her head so her lips hovered over his stubble when he reared back "Looking for this?" She raised the cards in front of his bewildered face. He slowly reached for the cards and she pushed herself back to a straight sitting position, in the process closing the distance between their faces to only inches apart.

They stared at each other for a long moment, blue eyes looking deep into green ones, they both felt the tension building up higher, their fingers touching as they both still held onto the cards, her eyes flickering back and forth from his eyes to his lips, his eyes doing the same. He felt his breath hitch and he knew it was too much, he was afraid he won't be able to control himself, and he really needed to control himself, so he decided to pull away, but just when he started to, she dived in and crushed her lips against his.

He was momentarily taken aback, the voice in the back of his head telling him to pull away, but her lips felt so good, so soft and tender that he just couldn't seem to break away, so he completely gave into the kiss and they both simultaneously dropped the cards as his hands went up to cup her face and hers tugged on the collar of his shirt pulling him as close as possible "So wrong" He whispered against her lips as he buried his hand in her hair and tilted their heads to deepen the kiss, she opened her mouth in reply, allowing him to thrust his tongue into her mouth. Their movements were hungry and desperate, tongues dancing together in unison "But it feel so right" He said softly with a smile when they both gasped for air.

She seemed happy. She felt happy. He made her feel happy. She smiled back and her eyes sparkled along, although they were still flashing with a certain amount of uncertainty. He was kind and gentle, thoughtful and caring, and no wonder all the girls fell for him. His luscious lips fitted hers perfectly, as if they were made just for hers. His kisses made her feel warm and hazy, they were so intoxicating that it made her want to let her guard down and throw caution to the wind.

When their lips joined once again she moved in to straddle his lap (which caused him to fall onto the disorderly pile of cards in the process), smiling against his lips and threading her hands into his dark thick hair at the nape of his neck.

His movements stilled for a brief moment at the sudden closeness, before one hand moved in to cradle her head, the other hanging at the side of his body, fighting the urge to pull her close and wrap her in his arms. He tried to slower the pace, kissing her softly instead of hungrily as guilt started to fill his heart. She kissed his jaw line and he bit back a moan.

He didn't want it to end, he really didn't want to, but it was wrong, even though it felt so right, his mind kept on telling him that it was wrong, that he was in a position of power as her officer and he shouldn't take advantage of her, that she was fragile and vulnerable and he really really shouldn't take advantage of her.

Her lips trailed down his neck and she inhaled his scent that was a mixture of light masculine cologne and his own personal sweet scent. She ran her fingers through his crisp chest hair that in the most alluring way, always peeked out a little from the opening of his shirt. She began unbuttoning his shirt when she felt both his hands on her wrists "Wait" He said softly, a hint of an apologetic tone in his voice.

"What?" She pulled back a little, her face flushed and her eyes widened, feeling the insecurity creeping up on her.

"I uh – " He stuttered, struggling to find the words to say. He cradled the back of her neck, his agitated thumbs sliding up and down her cheeks "This is – " He smiled awkwardly.

"What?" She blinked slowly, a fearful smile lifting her lips.

She stared at his swollen red lips and in an anxious reply he leaned his forehead against hers and tightened his hold on her neck as if he was gently trying to prevent her from moving in for another kiss "You're amazing" He sighed heavily "This was amazing"

Was. What was he trying to say?

"But this was also – " He hesitated, guilt writ large on his face.

"A mistake" She said and immediately pulled away from him, quickly pushing herself up to her feet.

"I was going to say bad form" He said when he got up to his feet as well, trying to smile at her, hoping that maybe she will smile back.

Not amused with his comment, she rubbed her face with her hand, holding back a sob as tears started to prick at the corner of her eyes that squinted in pain. She felt stupid, so stupid.

How come he said she was special? How dared she believe him?

She clumsily headed to the door as tears started to blur her vision.

"Emma, sweetheart" He said softly, regret creasing his face as he went after her "Wait" He pleaded, holding her shoulders gently from behind. He wanted to tell her how much he wanted her, probably way more than she'd ever want him.

"Don't touch me" She whipped around to face him.

She asked not to be touched but all he wanted to do was to back her up against the wall and kiss her senseless. He fought the urge to do so, instead raking a hand through the messy hair of his in utter frustration.

"I don't know what kind of a twisted need you have to make girls fall to your feet just so you can turn them down, but I'm tired of men who are you using me to satisfy their own needs" She said in anger and he could see the pain in her eyes.

He knew she was now putting him in the same category with Neal.

This was bad, really really bad. What did he do? What an idiot.

"It's not like that" He said, desperation taking over his voice, his eyes pleading to regain her trust.

"Isn't it?" She asked in disbelief as she crossed her arms across her chest "I should have known better, should have known I'm just another inmate to you" She shook her head, scolding herself.

"No you're not" He took a step closer, his gaze falling to the floor when she took a step back.

"I bet you get a really good kick out of this, going home laughing with your buddies about the last fool that fell for you"

"Emma" He pleaded quietly, wishing he could have turned back time to when she smiled against his lips.

"Or is it your girlfriend that you're telling this about?"

"I think you already know that I don't have a girlfriend" He replied dryly.

I wish you were my girlfriend.

"Wife then?" She asked as he shook his head and sighed heavily in despair. They already talked about these kinds of stuff, and she was acting like he was some stranger that she knew nothing about.

"Love please stop. I meant what I said" He said softly "You are special to me"

"I bet you say that to all of the girls" She forced a chuckle as a treacherous tear fell down her cheek.

"You're the only one, I swear" He said honestly with a hand over his heart, the look in her eyes seemed to be softening a bit "For what it's worth you're the only one in this place that I ever kissed" He smiled in slight embarrassment.

The look in her eyes hardened again when she remembered the conversation she had at lunch with Ruby and Mary Margaret "Well what about Tink?" She narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion.

"What about her? I never kissed her" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair again.

"That's not what I heard"

"Rumors tend to get out of hand around here" He said softly as they locked eyes and she listened intently "Don't believe everything you hear love"

"So you're saying that the two of you never touched lips?"

"Not exactly" He replied and she immediately reached for the doorknob "But it wasn't like that" He tried to explain but she was already out the door. He wanted to tell her that he was caught off guard, that he did not kiss her back. He wanted to tell her that she was the only one that managed to make him lose his head and the only one that for a moment made him want to lose his values as well.

Perhaps that's exactly what he should have done.

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Reviews are always welcome.