I'm sorry last week's updates got delayed, I've had to deal with some real life shiz which couldn't wait. I hope you're not too mad with me, and that you'll enjoy this chappie.

Don't forget to check out The Things You Do as well, if you haven't done so already. Its first chapter stands in direct correlation to this fic.

"Emma, a word please."

I barely had time to boot up my desktop before Jefferson invaded my forty-five square feet cubical.

"Sure," I responded, quietly praying his words would have nothing to do with last Friday evening.

"I need you to understand that I am you boss."

I looked up from my desk with a quizzical expression on my face. "Why, of course you are?"

"Outside of working hours, however, I am not. Whatever I do with my spare time is a decision made by private Jefferson, and it has no correlation to decisions made by boss Jefferson."

He was looking resolute, as if he'd been practicing his speech inside of his head for days. Perhaps he had.

"I am aware of that," I responded, unsure where this conversation was headed.

"Good, because the second you start questioning boss Jefferson, difficulties will arise. It's entirely up to you if you don't want anything to do with me on your free time, but while inside these walls," he gesticulated with his arms, "my wish is your command."

I had obviously hurt his ego pretty bad.

"I wouldn't ever question you, unless-"

"Unless what, Emma?" He interrupted me.

"Unless it happens again. Look, I'm willing to forget all about it and move forward. Are you?"

"You're already questioning me!" He exclaimed. Something dark sparked inside his otherwise so bright eyes. I felt them burn upon my skin. Knowing my boss was looking at me in that way made me feel everything but comfortable.

"Please," I sighed. "The question wasn't directed toward boss Jefferson."

"But boss Jefferson is the one you're working for. I hope we're clear on that from now on."

How was he able to make me feel guilty, when he was the one who'd clearly overstepped? No matter how much I wanted to, I decided not to fight back. It wasn't worth it. Besides, I liked Jefferson as my boss, and I wanted the awkwardness to go away as quickly as possible, if it was at all possible.

"We're clear," I added in a neutral tone.

"Good. Oh, and Emma, no pets in the office. You should know that by now."

Pets? I didn't even own any pet.

Before I had the time to ask, Jefferson turned his back on me and disappeared into his office, closing the door behind him anything but gently.

"Perfect," I muttered.

I had to make things right later, but before doing so, I had a whole bunch of emails to go through. My inbox was always overflowing on Monday mornings and I wondered why people spent so much of their valuable weekend hours working, when they didn't need to.

"Emma Swan?" A guy with a dark blue polo shirt was now stood exactly where Jefferson had been standing just a moment earlier.

"That's me," I responded, confused.

"We have a delivery for you. Sign this please," he said as he handed me a paper along with a pen.

I stared at letters 'FedEx' on the top of the paper before placing my signature on its bottom. A second later, another blue shirted guy with a cap appeared behind the cubicle corner, with a water filled glass box in his hands. I scratched my head out of confusion.

When he placed it on top of my black desk, I realized it wasn't just a glass box filled with water. It was a terrarium, and inside it was one tiny, black turtle bobbing around in the small waves that had been caused by moving his home around.

The FedEx guy with the cap placed a white envelope on the roof of the terrarium.

"That's all, I believe. Have a good day, miss Swan," the other guy said before they left me alone with my received delivery.

I didn't have to open the envelope to know whom had sent me the gift; yet I couldn't wait a second to read what the letter inside it actually said.

Emma,

Say hello to your new roommate.

His name is Steps, and I trust you'll be able to take good care of him, without flooding your apartment. If not, you and Steps are both more than welcome to stay with me when you have to or need to, or simply just want to.

Love,
Killian

"Why, hello there Steps," I giggled as I followed the turtle around with my index finger on the glass. "Pleasure to meet you, little fella."

Was I just talking to a turtle?

"I'm Emma, and you're gonna stay with me from now on. We'll get along just fine, won't we? And you're going to absolutely love Ruby."

I guess I was.

"What did I say about keeping pets in the office?" Jefferson dropped by my cubical just as I was about to head for lunch.

To my surprise. he didn't sound at all mad, which felt like a big relief. I remembered previous temper tantrums Jefferson had had with other employees, and imagined how angry he would've been at me right now if he hadn't liked me.

"I'll bring Steps with me in the evening, don't worry. Nothing much I can do about it right now, though," I replied.

"Steps?" He laughed.

"Well, yeah. That's his name," I smiled politely.

"If you say so, Emma", he said with an amused expression while running his fingers through his brown hair. "Care to join me for lunch?"

Oh no. I wouldn't have hesitated if he'd asked four days earlier, but his intentions were difficult to read, to put it mildly.

"Strictly business, of course," he added.

I considered my options for a moment, but decided to trust he wouldn't try anything this time around. I had to trust him if this was going to work, and I didn't want to hurt his ego any more than I already had.

"Sure, give me a minute."

I retied my boots before grabbing my jacket and my purse. I threw a glance at the tiny turtle resting on his platform and a warm feeling spread through my body. I smiled widely.

"I'm expecting a potential client to drop by the office tomorrow. I'm sure you'll know who he is, but I can't stress enough how important this possible deal with him is to the company," Jefferson said between his chews, unaware of the breadcrumbs on the unbuttoned collar of his black shirt.

I was all ears, waiting for him to continue while I was enjoying my meal. I finally got to still my cravings for garlic with the chicken aoili sandwich in my hands.

"It'll mean a huge boost to our sale figures as well as our reputation if we manage to seal a deal with him, and I trust you to do it." I paused my chewing and looked up at him as he added, "without my help."

I swallowed the food in my mouth so hastily my throat hurt. "Wait, what. Me? Why?"

"I want you to know that I trust you, and that you can trust me," he smiled at me.

"What's the catch?" I asked suspiciously as I put my sandwich back down on the plate.

"There is no catch, Emma. Either you manage, or you don't. Your position at the office isn't being threatened by anyone else, but you'll have another promotion to look forward to within a near future if you seal this deal. What do you say?"

I did not at all know what to say. A couple of hours ago, Jefferson had been anything but happy with me, and now he was giving me huge responsibilities along with a possible promotion. I supposed he was feeling guilty, after all.

"What exactly is this promotion we're talking about here?" I eyed him carefully.

"You told me you wanted to become an editor. The job is up for grabs. The question is, will you reach out for it, or should I consider someone else?" He said as he brought the last bite of his sandwich to his mouth.

Damn straight I would reach out for it.

"Wow. No. I mean yes. Of course."

"Well then, the job is yours. Don't disappoint me, Emma," he said with a serious expression on his face.

I hastily rose and pushed my chair back in under the plastic table.

"You done?" He looked at me, then at my plate, then back at me.

I hadn't eaten even half of my lunch, but I was too excited, too nervous, to finish it.

"I believe I've got work to do," I smiled.

"That's the spirit," he said as he returned my smile and accompanied me back to the office.

"Thanks for taking the time to see me," I said as I once again sat down in that green leather chair.

I sighed heavily as I realized I still hadn't gotten around to fix my nails. Was my brain really that preoccupied?

"Your request to see me so soon after your last session surprised me, miss Swan. I take it you have your reasons though. If you would share them with me, please," Dr. Hopper requested as he adjusted his reddish glasses.

"I've met someone," I replied almost instantly.

There was no point in dragging it out, for several reasons. The first being how these sessions with Dr. Hopper put a strain on my already suffering wallet - he wasn't exactly cheap. The second reason was his ability to always make me spill as good as everything sooner or later anyway.

I could tell Dr. Hopper was surprised by my confession as he unwittingly raised his eyebrows while waiting for me to continue.

"I really like this person, but the timing is quite shitty, and… and I guess I'm afraid," I sighed.

"Believe me when I say these kind of things have got no sense for space and time. Actually, they tend to show up when you the least expect them. I'm happy for you, though."

Did I hear excitement in his voice? To be honest, I didn't think the day I admitted to like someone aside from my friends would come so soon, and I guess he thought so even less than I did.

"You say you are afraid. Am I correct in assuming you're feeling that way for more than one reason?" He asked, his hand frenetically moving along the lines of his notepad.

I was afraid of myself, of love, of trust, of pain… To list all the things I found frightening would probably take a longer time than we had on our hands, so I kept it short.

"I'm afraid of what will happen when he learns about my past."

The more I told Dr. Hopper, the faster his pen worked its tip against the white pages. I wished I could see what he actually wrote, mostly out of curiosity, but he always kept the notes in an angle that didn't allow for sneak peeks.

"That means you intend to tell him, and that's good," he said after a moment of silence.

"The sooner the better," I added before he had the chance.

He nodded, a wry smile on his lips. "Imagine you're telling him. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"That he wouldn't be able to look at me the same way anymore," I replied after careful consideration.

"And what way is that?" He asked.

"He's treating me like an actual person, like someone who's lovable."

He looked up at me from his notes. "I don't think I have to remind you that you are a lovable person. One isn't their actions, Emma. If he sees you for who you are now, what makes you believe he'll change his mind?"

"Anyone would. And they should," I added.

"Your demeaning thoughts are the reason behind your destructive behavior, Swan."

Oh believe me, I know.

"You need to learn to love yourself to be able to let someone else love you."

I did like myself, but love was a very strong word in my dictionary. I had a logical, and perhaps cynical, approach toward love, and saw it as something that only appears between two people as a result of mutual respect, complete trust, and unbreakable bonds. I believed love at first sight was something made up by the pop cultural industry so that they would sell more books and movie tickets.

"I think it's time for some assignments," Dr. Hopper suddenly stated.

"Like homework?" I asked skeptically.

"If that's the word you prefer," he smiled. "As dark thoughts arise, grab pen and paper and write down your assets and your strengths. Only focus on the positive aspects, and try to push the negative ones away while doing so. It'll be anything but easy, but the most important thing to keep in mind is the need to be honest with yourself."

"Nothing harder? I can do that," I responded, self-assured.

Dr. Hopper rose and approached his mahogany desk to grab a second pen out of its top drawer. He then ripped an empty paper out of his notepad and handed it to me, along with the pen.

"Give it a go right away," he prompted.

I glared at the empty paper in my hands and soon realized filling it with positive adjectives was more difficult than he'd made it sound. I couldn't leave with an empty paper though, could I? I decided to at least try.

Was stubborn a good quality? It could be, but it could also be to a disadvantage if not knowing the right time and place for it. I did know when being stubborn paid off, but I also knew when to surrender. At least most of the times.

Smart. I was definitely smart. Perhaps not in the words truest sense, math and science had been my worst subjects at school, but I was logical, shrewd and had quite the amount of life experience considering my age.

I also decided to write down 'independent', 'selfless' and 'witty' before handing my paper to Dr. Hopper.

He studied it carefully, reading what I'd come up with several times. "It's a good start, Emma," he smiled, "but I want you to have doubled the list until next time."

"I wish I could say the turtle is cute, Emma. At least the gesture was," Ruby said while staring at my new pet from a safe distance.

"You're looking at him like he'd escape his terrarium and bite your fingers off," I stated.

"Perhaps he will."

She was being one hundred percent serious. She was honestly afraid of little Steps.

I laughed.

"Even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to do so, Ruby. He's the size of a matchbox, and I'm quite certain he's got no teeth."

"How fast do they grow?" She asked warily.

I had never before seen her this way; she was usually anything but scared, the kind of person who's afraid of nothing, including stuff generally considered as dangerous.

"I wish I was a turtle expert," I responded, unable to stop smiling at her.

"I too wish you were," she added.

Ruby approached the kitchenette to rid its sink of since two days neglected dishes. I followed in her footsteps to, with Steps in mind, check what the fridge had to offer. I reminded myself I needed to ask Killian what an optimal turtle diet consisted of, but iceberg lettuce had to suffice for the evening.

"Thanks for doing this," I told her as she finished washing the last saucepan.

"Doing what?" She asked, seemingly confused.

"Letting me, us, stay with you. I really appreciate it," I responded with sincerity. "And I should be the one doing the dishes."

"Don't worry about the dishes. I quite enjoy doing them; it's tranquil, helps me clear my mind. As for letting the reptile inside these walls - it's something I'd only ever do out of love," she smiled.

"I could always drop him off at Killian's. He's the one responsible for the situation anyway," I laughed.

"It's fine, Emma, really. I'll live as long as you keep Steps inside his cage," she said while gesturing toward the terrarium standing close to the edge of her TV unit.

"I wish I could leave him at the office until my apartment is sorted, but Jefferson made our no pet policy quite clear earlier. He's had the worst mood swings today," I sighed before letting Ruby in on the details of my possible promotion. "I think he's testing me."

"Of course he is testing you. He needs to know if you can manage what he wants you to be able to manage, Emma. Promotions rarely come for free, you know."

"I have a hunch it's about more than just whether or not I can manage," I responded.

"Because of what happened last week I assume." It wasn't formulated as a question, she knew what it was all about.

Throughout the day I had repeatedly been telling myself to trust in Jefferson's motives and intentions, but I slowly began to regret my decision to accept his offer. Trust had never been my thing, but up until that Friday, I had been trusting him. He'd earned my trust. I visualized Jefferson receiving a medal for his achievement on losing all of it in less than twenty minutes.

"He says there's no catch, but my instincts keep telling me there is. Why else would he give me this opportunity only a couple of days after I stormed out on him, not exactly on good terms? He's hiding something from me, I just wish there was a way to find out what."

"Perhaps you don't trust him, and I don't blame you for it, but you need to trust in yourself, hun. Just make sure to get that client onboard and there'll be nothing for him to remark upon. If I can be a hundred percent certain you'll be fine, then so should you."

Ruby was right, and her words brought back some of my confidence. I was going to give it my everything, but not because I wanted to make Jefferson satisfied. I was going to do it for myself. If I'd manage, it would serve as a nice boost to my ego, and I would be able to add some more positive adjectives to Dr. Hopper's list.

Thank you for your follows, favorites and reviews, dearies. They make my heart smile!

Miss Killian? There'll be plenty of him in the next chapter, which I'll post as scheduled on Thursday, so stay tuned! :-)