Emma: Help me!

Elsa: What's the matter?

Emma: You know that guy that I bumped into in that furniture store? Well he's here and he won't leave!

Elsa: Just tell him to leave

Emma: Not all of us are as bossy as you

Elsa: I am not bossy!

Emma: Please just get over here as soon as possible

Elsa: I can't, I'm busy

Emma: Busy doing what?

Elsa: I've got wedding preparations for Anna today

Emma: Likely story...I'll just text Mary Margaret then

"Is everything alright?" Walsh asked her turned his head around from the tv and to Emma in the kitchen tapping furiously on her phone.

"What?" she said tearing her eyes away,

"I said are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine," she gave him a quick smile and then turned to look at her phone as it beeped.

Elsa: Mary Margaret and David are on their weekend break, remember? Just get creative Emma!

"Haven't you got work today?" she asked Walsh,

"No, I'm as free as a bird," Walsh smiled,

"Brilliant," Emma said through clenched teeth. She was racking through her brain, trying to think of the most believable excuse to get him out of her flat. When there was a gentle tap, for a moment her heart leapt at the thought that Elsa had actually come to her rescue but reminded herself that there was no way Elsa would be able to here that quickly.

"Jones!" Emma sighed happily as she opened the door, "I am so glad to see you!" It had been a couple of weeks since the whole drunk incident and they'd seen each other fleeting in the stairwell and had exchanged words and whatnot but that had been in. They had just done the typical neighbour things.

"You are?" he said and his face lit up.

"Who's at the door Emma?" Walsh called out, Emma rolled her eyes. Her one-night stand was acting like he bloody lived in her flat.

"Sorry, love, didn't realise you had company," Killian's face had dropped at the sound of the male voice calling out from within.

"What! An emergency!"Emma exclaimed loudly and slightly too melodramatically. She pleaded with her eyes at Killian to understand and to roll with it.

"Oh, yeah," he nodded quickly catching on and grinning at her like an idiot as he continued with their role-play, "Will's got himself in a spot of bother, I need your help. He listens to you more than he does to me."

"Walsh," Emma said quickly turning around to the man that was watching them, "I am so, so sorry, but it's our friend Will, I need to go. Look I'll, um, show you out."

"Is everything alright?"

"It will be, I just need to get there,"

"Should I call a taxi?"

"It's fine, mate, I can drive," Killian called out, and gave Walsh a winning smile as the man stood up and peered around Emma.

Emma quickly ran around her flat to grab her phone and keys and then hurried Walsh up with getting ready. "Emma we've got to hurry," Killian said tapping his foot impatiently. They were soon all outside Emma's apartment and Killian and Emma quickly hurried downstairs with Walsh trailing behind them.

They left the complex and Killian walked over to his truck and Emma followed behind him. Killian unlocked him car, and climbed into the driver's seat. "I'll see you around," Emma said turning around to Walsh, "I would offer you a lift, but we've got to get going."

"Of course. I'll call you?"

"Um," Emma said, trying to think of the best response but before she could Walsh was kissing her goodbye. Killian's hands tightened around his steering wheel as he watched the exchange; he wanted nothing more than to get out of the car and punch this man.

Emma leaned back in order to break the kiss and fumbled around for the door handle and pulled it open. "I've really got to go. Will needs us," she didn't wait for Walsh to say anymore and so quickly hopping into Killian's truck. "Hurry up and drive," she told him as she fumbled with her seatbelt.

"As you wish," he told her as he turned the ignition on. Emma didn't bother looking at Walsh, she kept her eyes forward, as Killian drove out of the car park. Once he was out on the road she let out a sigh of relief.

"Thanks,"

"No problem," he told her. "Was that the guy you went on the bad date with a couple of weeks back?" Killian asked trying to sound nonchalant, as if he didn't care.

"No, different guy,"

"Oh?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"So what was wrong with him?"

"I mean he was perfectly alright, but, you know," Emma shrugged, "I don't do serious. My love life consists of one-night stands, and he was...clingy."

"I see," Killian nodded. "Glad I could assist in your rescue,"

"Elsa, wouldn't help me. I was trying to think of a way to get him out my flat, but he just wouldn't leave. Thankfully you knocked on my door. Why were you knocking anyway?"

"I was coming round to, I was going to ask if you'd like any flower food for your Orchid,"

"Flower food?"

"Yes, to keep her healthy," he nodded. "Wait! She isn't already dead is she?"

"No, she isn't. I might have forgotten to water her though," Emma said as the realisation she'd forgotten to look after her plant.

"What? The poor thing will be parched!" he exclaimed. "When we get back you are going to water her and I am going to supervise, to check that you do."

"Okay," Emma laughed. "Where are we even going?"

"Will's in trouble, we have to go help him," Killian joked eliciting another laugh out of Emma. He turned her head to watch her laugh and shake her head of beautiful blonde waves at him. "Have you not got any work to do Swan?"

"I've just got some research, but nothing urgent, why?"

"Would you mind if I headed up to my allotment?" he asked her. "I just need to collect some plants and then bring them to the shop."

"That's fine," she told him. "Who am I to object anyway? You did just help me out."

"I feel like this is becoming a daily occurrence now Swan. I'll have to start charging you for my services,"

"I say thank you don't I?" She turned her head to look at him, his eyes were on the road but there was a twinkle in their blue depths as he smiled.

"Is a simple thank you all my help is worth to you?" he teased, he turned to look at her through his eyelashes, "surely my help is worth more than that, love?" His finger was tapping his lips as he save her a sultry yet playful look.

"Please," she scoffed. "A delicate florist like yourself, you couldn't handle it,"

"Perhaps, love, it is you not I that couldn't handle it," his voice was almost a whisper, like a siren's song tempting her and drawing her in.

"Eyes on the road, buddy," Emma told him and turned her gaze from him licking her lips as she did.

As she sat there in comfortable silence as he drove she realised she had a new answer for his drunk question "are we friends?"– yes, they were friends.

Usually she distanced herself from people; she didn't easily trust people or make a connection with them but with him she had. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to actually be friends and neighbours; maybe she didn't need to try and distance herself from him, and purposely try and avoid him around their apartment complex. Because she had been doing that and she had been the one to always cut their conversations short when they had bumped into one another. She didn't want to do that anymore.

Killian turned left into an empty grassy patch and parked up alongside two other cars. From the grassy patch there was a metal fence with a high gate that was locked, which led down a path that led off to the array of allotments. All marked out by various different fences.

"Follow me Swan," Killian told her as he led her down the path.

"So, do you come up here every day?"

"Virtually," he nodded. "You know you're the first person to see my patch,"

"Really?"

"Yeah,"

"Well, I feel very privileged," she told him.

Killian's allotment was a large plot surrounded by mesh fencing. Emma was surprised just by the sheer amount of flowers there were. Like she knew there would be a lot but she didn't quite envision what that meant. "Wow," was all she could say as she walked down the path he had created in his allotment which led down to the large shed at the bottom of it.

"Yeah, so this is my own little flower field,"

"You were right," she told him a smirk playing on her lips, "You do grow other flowers as well,"

"Oh Swan, it's bad form to remind a man of his past idiocies,"

"I thought it was funny, and adorable when you said that,"

"You did?"

"Yeah," she smiled with a slight tilt of her head, that he could call nothing but flirtatious. Was Emma Swan really flirting with him? First the car and now here. He should really knock on her door more often he told himself.

As Emma admired the array of flowers growing, Killian walked down to his shed and retrieved the cart that he had inside which allowed him to take his plants from his plot to his truck with ease. As he pulled on his gardening gloves he noticed the way Emma was standing carefully between the flowerbeds, her right hand, which he had tended to weeks ago was brushing carefully against the flowers. The sun lit both her and the flowers beautifully and he wished nothing more than to be able to take a photo of the scene and treasure it forever.

"You like the forget-me-nots?" he asked her. Emma turned and nodded. "I like them too,"

"They're my favourite flower,"

"Are they?"

"Yeah," then she slowly moved the shoelaces that he had tied around her wrist the reveal her tattoo, and held up her left hand and shrugged her shoulders as he looked at what she was showing him.

"I never noticed that before Swan,"

"Just something I got done when I was young," she told him as she moved the shoelaces back and dropped her arm. "So what flowers are you moving today?"

"I prepared them yesterday," he told her gesturing the buckets and pots of flowers in the shed. "I was up here late last night, so thought I may as well do them then instead of this morning. I needed the distraction."

Emma's eyes widened in question but she didn't actually ask him.

"So you supply both potted plants and just the flowers,"

"The ones for bouquets? Yes," he nodded. "But I don't make up the bouquets myself, Ariel does that."

"Ariel?"

"Aye. She owns the shop, she's my best customer. I mostly only deliver to her but sometimes if a particular flower is in demand other shops will contact me. It's quite a big circle really."

"I see. Would you like any help moving them to your truck?"

"That would be greatly appreciated. If we load up the cart you can take that and then I'll carry some."

"We make quite the team, Swan," Killian said once the final crate of flowers was loaded onto the back of the truck. "I should have you helping me more often, gets done a lot more quickly,"

"Well if I ever decide to leave my current job I'll know where to go," Emma told him.

Killian walked around to the door of the truck and opened the door for Emma, "Your carriage milady,"

"You're an idiot," Emma retorted fondly as she hopped into the truck.

"Others would call it charming, gentlemanly if you will," he told her. Killian closed her door and then got into the truck himself, once they were back on the road he turned to her and asked, "Once these have all been delivered do you fancy going for lunch. You know, because it's lunchtime now, and I'm sure you'll be hungry, well, I'm hungry. But of course if you need to get back home, it's fine. But if you would like lunch, then lets go get some, once all these plants have been delivered. Only if you want to though. I'm not forcing you!"

"I could go for some lunch," she nodded.

"Great!" he grinned. "There's this really great diner I often go to, when I can't be bothered to cook, we can go there if you like."

"Sounds perfect."

Thank you again for everyone who has reviewed or followed or favourited, it is honestly the best motivation in the world. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and will continue to