Killian passed the next few days in a fog. At times, life took on a brilliant clarity, as if the sun had suddenly burst through. Killian would look around, whether out in the woods at the cabin or on the deck of the Roger, and feel a deep contentness. But mostly, time passed in a haze with Killian moving from one task to the other automatically. Occasionally he would be surprised to find himself in the middle of the cove, or on the cabin's couch. Life had lost its focus, its purpose, its beauty.

Killian tried not to dwell on why this was happening. He especially did not dwell on how the darkness always seemed to be a problem lately. He certainly never thought about how the moments of sunlight had coincided with a certain blonde woman. No, no, Killian was simply in a funk. He just needed to work hard and focus on his routine.

The problem was he was a lobster fisherman and it was winter. So there wasn't really work to be done right now. He could only tidy his ships so many times before even he had to concede that that everything was in its proper place. He started doing some minor repair work to the hull but even that only required booking an appointment with Marco to come do some sanding and sealing.

It was after going to Marco's shop, that Killian was granted another moment in the sunshine. He was passing Granny's diner and coming toward him was Emma. She looked a little dazed herself and seemed to mumbling under her breath. Her hands were jammed deep in the pockets of her coat and she wasn't exactly stomping through the snowy sidewalks but it was a close thing.

Killian stopped walking and was unsure of how to proceed. Emma had told him she wanted to try being friends but what did that entail exactly? Was he supposed to just keep on walking and give her a nod as they passed? Did their level of friendship allow for a chat so Killian could ask what was bothering her? He knew he was overthinking things but Emma had always been able to send Killian into a panic about propriety.

Emma was about five feet away when she finally looked up from glaring at the sidewalk and saw Killian. His mouth was slightly open, halfway towards calling out her name in greeting. She was visibly startled to see him and Killian could see that she was unsure how to proceed too. Perhaps they should have laid some ground rules for what this post-relationship new-friendship would look like.

They were both standing on the sidewalk outside of Granny's regarding the other with uncertainty. The tension was unbearable to Killian, even after only a few seconds, and he mumbled out, "Hello, Swan."

Emma took a deep breath and briefly closed her eyes, obviously collecting herself for a moment, before she offered a small smile and said, "Hi, Killian." There was another half-beat of awkwardness before she went on, "How are you?"

"I'm…mostly good. How are you?" He took a tentative step forward, annoyed with how much space was between them. He kept his eyes on her though, trying to silently convey that he was wondering what was wrong.

"I'm fine," she said too quickly and Killian raised an eyebrow at her. She huffed and looked across the street as she folded her arms. "I just had a frustrating morning with paperwork and I'm feeling grumpy. David actually kicked me out of the station and told me that I couldn't come back until I had some onion rings." Killian flashed a grin but stopped himself from outright laughing when Emma trained her eyes back on him with a glare. "You do know I'm sheriff right?"

This time Killian couldn't hold in a laugh. "I do, but I also know you can't arrest me for agreeing with my mate about how best to get you out of a paperwork glum. Everyone knows onion rings are your happy food." Emma's face was twitching into a smile but she still rolled her eyes. She marched past him as he laughed again.

Killian kept walking too, relieved that their interaction hadn't been a disaster. He had only made it three steps though when he heard Emma calling his name. His heart lurched uncomfortably but he shoved the feeling away. He turned around to see that she was only at Granny's gate and he wondered if she had hesitated before calling back to him.

"Have you eaten lunch yet? I wouldn't mind the company if you haven't."

Killian hesitated, not sure how to respond. On the one hand, of course he wanted to have lunch with her. On the hook though, he wasn't sure if their friendship was ready for a lunch encounter. It would be a lot of talking and companionship. Was it too soon to push their friendship towards this level of familiarity? He made the mistake of making eye contact with her and he heard himself say, "I haven't eaten."

"Good." She smiled at him and turned to walk into the courtyard.

Killian cursed his lack of self-restraint but moved quickly to catch up with her. Emma opened the door and Killian moved to follow her through the doorway. Killian saw her pause for a moment to take in the seating options and focus slightly longer on what had been their normal booth. A sadness swooped down onto Killian and he let out a small sigh at the knowledge that things were irrevocably different now. Emma must have heard him and once again she was in motion, moving towards the counter. She picked a stool and sat down decidedly, offering a smile to Ruby, who of course was working.

Killian slid into the stool next to Emma and caught the look of surprise on Ruby's face before she offered him a menu and her standard greeting ("Hello, pirate" with wink). Killian only ever ordered the same thing at Granny's but he appreciated having something to hold, something to focus on rather than Emma sitting only a handful of inches away from him.

Emma gave Ruby her order (she only ever ordered the same too). Killian gave Ruby his order and reluctantly handed back his menu. Ruby left to get their drinks and they were left in an awkward void of conversation.

Killian wasn't sure what exactly was a safe topic anymore. He wanted to know how Henry was doing. He hadn't seen him since The Fallout and Killian had started sleeping at the cabin. He hadn't seen David since their talk a week ago but he wasn't sure what to ask regarding David. Ruby plunked down their drinks and Killian decided to try asking about work.

"So, you were doing paperwork?" Emma turned her head to look at him and he was relieved she took the conversational bait.

"If by doing paperwork you mean wrestling and losing to paperwork, then yes, I suppose I was." She continued on, detailing how much research on municipal codes she was having to do in order to canvas Storybrooke and get everyone's permits in order. Ruby brought their food as Emma launched into the apparently sticky particulars of boating and fishing permits. It took hard work to be able to enforce the law.

Killian probably would have been bored to tears if anyone but Emma had been explaining the differences between different commercial zoning standards. As always though, Killian could feel himself being drawn into her atmosphere. He knew he was on faulty ground but it was worth it to him to enjoy Emma's company and her company. He could dwell on his increasingly complicated feelings for this woman later.