So sorry for not updating last week. I was on Spring break and honestly had writer's block. After this chapter, the chapters are going to start getting a little longer to move the story along.

Now, some responses to some reviews!

Charlie 479-Thanks for reviewing! The time gap is something I am super excited to dive into, but it will take some time. Emma is still Emma! Hope you enjoy this chapter :)

fanfic333- Sorry for making you wait, but here you go! Can't wait for you to see what happens over the next few chapters.

NecieLauren-I love that you get excited reading this! That makes me so excited! Keep those fingers crossed. Good things are definitely coming (it just might take some time).

Andria- Thanks for always reviewing! I'm happy you liked the time jump. Enjoy!

Chapter 17: Long Time Coming

This was not the first time she ran from Killian. She had done it, more emotionally than physically, when they were younger. He was used to it, Emma knew that. Emma also knew, if Killian was the same as he had been nine years ago, he would follow.

The thick accent yelling "Swan" showed he was the same.

She was on the sidewalk in front of the diner when she felt his hand curl around her wrist, stopping her motion. She pulled it from his grasp, realizing that he let her go, not wanting to control her and giving her the choice of whether she stayed. She rationalized that he was in good shape and would catch her again.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked while trying to catch her breath and calm herself down.

"I should be asking you the same thing considering you are in my town."

"Your town?" Emma breathed out? "You live here?"

He nodded. "Aye." It was good to see his vocabulary had not changed. "Came here when I was twenty-one. I found a good job out on the docks."

"You've been here for five years?" Emma stood up straighter, finally relaxing.

"Strange for someone who always moved around, huh?" He completely read her mind. He had a thing for doing that. "You'll find that this town grows on back to my original question. What brings you here, love?"

She felt the same chill she had the first time he called her love. She shook the thoughts out of her head, reminding herself that was all nine years ago. They were two completely different people. "Work. I'm the new sheriff."

He raised an eyebrow. "You went into law enforcement?"

"Yeah. That shock you?"

He shrugged. " I always thought you would write. You know become famous and tour the world and give me an acknowledgement." Emma thought back to when they were younger and he told her that she must have been a "bloody brilliant" writer and that one day when she made it, he would say he knew her way back when they were kids.

"That just wasn't in the cards for me." Emma said nonchalantly.

"Would you care to sit, love?" Killian moved closer. "We could catch up."

Emma hesitated for a moment. "I do-"

"You don't have to tell me everything that happened over the past nine years love. Just come and sit with me like old times."

Emma nodded and followed him to one of the tables the dinner had set up outside for people to eat at when the weather was nice. They pulled out her chair, still ever the gentleman, and then sat opposite of her.

"Nine years." He said, almost to himself. "We finally run into each other again after nine years. Fate sure is funny."

"I don't believe in fate." Emma said, a bit too cynical for the tone of the conversation.

"I see that nothing's changed."

"A lot has changed." She pointed out quickly.

"I know, Swan." He reassured her. "I see you still like red."

Emma shot him a confused look, before looking down to examine her own red leather jacket she was sporting. "Okay, so maybe some things have stayed the same."

"Some good things."

Emma hummed and he took the silence as an opportunity to add. "You look wonderful."

Emma picked up on the topic change, but did not say anything. "Thank you." She said, gaining boldness. "So, where did they ship you off to after you left?" After she died lay on the tip of her tongue, but Emma suppressed it.

"Three other foster homes and a group home at the end until I aged out."

Emma remembered that Killian was seventeen when he left Mrs. Abernathy's house. With little less than a year until he was out of the system, most would think it would not be hard to find a place to stay, but that sadly was not the case. Most people were hesitant to take in the older kids out of fear of the unknown.

"Where did you end up, love?" He asked her, leaning forward on his elbow.

"Oh, you know." Emma leaned back to keep a distance between them. "Just hopped around from house to house like when I was younger."

He hummed, as if he was not buying it. Emma's superpower had only been heightened over the past nine years, given everything she had been through.

"Where did you go when you turned eighteen?"

Emma's head went into a whirlwind. The year that should have been her freedom was the one where she was locked away and held back the most. But he could not know that.

"This was a mistake." Emma said hurriedly, standing.

"Emma, if it's something I said-"

"Look" She cut him off. "It was nice seeing you again, but it's been ten years. We are not the same kids we were when we were in the system." We are worse, she thought.

"Swan!" He was now standing. "I get that the last ten years were most likely not pleasant. But you have trusted me before. Why should now be any different?"

"I can't take a chance that I am wrong about you." She whispered. Everyone Emma had ever gotten close to left her. He had even left her before, even if he had not wanted to. Her heart could not bear the pain of it all again.

"Love." He took a step towards her slowly, making sure not to frighten her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I have to be honest and say this freaks me out two. I put that part of my life behind me and it hurts to dig it back up. But you're important to me, Swan." His voice dropped. "I kept my promise."

"What promise?"

"I thought of you everyday. I wanted to forget the vast majority of my childhood, but my memories with you are something I never wanted to let go off."

Emma had thought of him more than she cared to admit, but his revelation shocked her. People did not remember her. People left her.

"All I am asking for is a chance, Swan."

Emma nodded. "I am not promising you anything, but I can try."

His face lit up like a young child on Christmas. Oh, how she had missed that goofy grin. "I should be getting back to work, but what do you say we grab dinner tonight at the diner and I can show you around town."

"Uh-"

"It's not a date, Swan." She was both relieved and let down. The latter emotion she did not know why she felt though. He was just a friend, just Killian. Emma Swan did not do relationships.

"Okay. It would probably be good for me to know my way around this town if I am going to be sheriff." She joked, trying to get away from any type of serious conversation.

"Good. Then it's settled. Tonight, at say, six?"He raised his eyebrow in the same way he had always done when they were teenagers.

"Six sounds great."

"Alright then." He seemed a bit nervous. She waited for him to reach up and scratch his neck like he always did when he was nervous, but he regained his footing, somewhat. "I will see you tonight, Swan."

"Tonight." She repeated softly, more to herself than to him.

Killian walked back into the dinner, most likely to grab something to go so he could actually eat know that Emma had taken up the majority of his lunch break. She stood still where he had left her, unable to completely process everything that had just happened. After nine years, he came back into her life. Emma never expected to see Killian again. She was never supposed to see him again.

But that was her life.