Chapter 5

Emma woke early the next morning. Sitting up on the couch, she scanned the room. Her parents were still asleep. So was Neal. Looking at her phone, she saw that it was 6:30. Eva always woke up at this time, so Emma was programmed to wake up as well.

Groaning softly, she silently cursed her parents for being lucky to have a kid that slept later. Obviously the early rising didn't come from her side of the family, and Emma made a metal note to thank Killian for passing it on.

Emma considered just falling back asleep for a couple hours, but she figured getting an early start to the day wouldn't be such a bad idea. She did need to rent out a room form Granny, and get settled there.

Her dagger was still in her hand. She got up, and unfolded it slowly. Looking at it, she thought about how much of a burden it was to her. Yet, holding it… she felt an almost elated feeling. It was a burden, but she couldn't help feeling safe. She was immortal and powerful. She could protect everyone around her from anything. But those thoughts were dangerous. Those kinds of thoughts always led somewhere bad. Those are the sort of thoughts that caused her to run away before.

Getting dressed in a puff of magic smoke, Emma smiled at how fast it was to get ready with magic. She put the dagger back into her inside pocket, and tiptoed out the door, and closed the door softly.

She decided to walk to Granny's instead of poof herself. Walking through town in the early morning seemed almost heavenly. She could spend as much time as she wanted savoring how great it was to be back.

She walked out into the fresh air. It was early enough that there weren't many people out and about yet. It was a little chilly, but nothing that bothered Emma at all. As she made her way down the street to Granny's, she looked around at the town, taking note of how everything was the same as when she's left.

Emma made it to Granny's Bed and Breakfast, and walked in. She found Ruby and Granny coming downstairs, getting ready to go to the diner to open. Ruby smiled brightly at Emma, and rushed over to her.

"Gosh it's great to see you! For a while there, I thought you weren't coming back." Ruby said, hugging Emma.

"Yeah. You completely disappeared from the grid!" Granny said, a little less enthusiastic Emma noticed. Emma realized that even Granny was hurt by her leaving.

"I'm back now." Emma replied.

"So you are." Granny nodded.

"We totally wanted to talk to you yesterday, but you seemed to have more important people that you needed to catch up with!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Your daughter is absolutely breath taking." Granny said softly.

"Thanks." Emma said softly.

"Well obviously. I mean look at Killian. That's basically a genetic goldmine!" Ruby pronounced.

Emma pushed her hair behind her ear awkwardly in response. Granny sensed her awkwardness and changed the subject.

"So how can we help you today?"

"Um, I wanted a room. I can't exactly stay with my parents. Especially when Eva and Henry get here." Emma said.

"Of course." Granny replied. Setting her up with a room quickly, she handed Emma the key. "Same room we set you up with when you first got here. I trust you can find it yourself, me and Ruby do need to get going."

"Of course I can. Thank you so much." Emma said, taking the key from her.

"See you later." Ruby said, waving. Then Ruby and Granny headed out to the diner.

Emma walked up the stairs, finding her room quickly. She then used magic to get her belongings there from David's truck. She didn't bother unpacking, but she lay on the bed for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling. It felt weird having time to just lounge around. She hadn't really had much time since Eva was born. It was nice, but it also made her miss her baby.

Checking her phone again, she saw that it was a quarter to eight. Figuring it would be a good time to go have breakfast at the diner; she sat up and headed out the door. It didn't take long until she was there. She noticed it was a bit early, so there wasn't a big rush. There were only a couple people.

She instantly saw Killian, sitting at the bar with some scrambled eggs in front of him. He didn't seem to be eating them though. He just kept twirling his fork around through them, not really focusing. Taking a deep breath, Emma walked towards him, and sat down next to him.

He didn't look up at her, even after Emma ordered. Ruby smiled and walked away slowly, perhaps not wanting to miss out on a conversation they might have. Killian looked at Ruby briefly, a small smile appearing on his face. He shook his head slightly. Ruby came back after a few minutes, handing Emma her plate, then wandered off again to help other costumers.

Killian looked up at her, finally. She tried not to avert her gaze. It was so hard looking at him, seeing all the pain she had caused, but she forced herself to keep eye contact. She owed that to him at least, to be here and not run away again.

Killian just looked at her for a few minutes, finally saying, "Good morning."

"Is it?" Emma looked away, and instead focused on her breakfast.

"I've found it to be adequate. There was really no point in me pretending to get any sleep, so the sun was a relief." Killian looked at his plate, taking his first bite since Emma got there. "So, how have you been? I never got the chance to ask last night."

He was trying small talk, and it hurt Emma more than she ever imagined. The fact that things were so awkward and they couldn't just talk anymore. He was trying to act casual, putting a barrier up around himself; something she'd done so many times to him in the past.

"Fine I guess. Busy."

"Yes, of course. How's Henry been?"

"Great. He's grown up a lot. Still has the same optimist attitude. He loves being a brother." Emma spoke softly. Their conversation seemed so forced, it tore her up inside. "How have you been?"

"Emma…" His voice broke. She could hardly bring herself to look into his eyes. When she did, his face softened slightly, allowing her to see everything he had been trying to hide before. "I survived."

It took all the self-control she had not to grab him and hold him. She hardly knew why she was restraining herself, except that she knew she had lost the right to. She wished that things would've just fallen into place; that they could start where they left off, but she knew that was unrealistic. Emma could tell that something on her face gave her away to him. He had always been able to read her.

Killian forced a smile, "So where are you staying? Your parents' place?"

"No, I got a room here at Granny's." Emma said, taking another bite of her breakfast.

"Well if you didn't want to stay here, I have an extra bedroom at my place." Killian offered.

"You mean you don't live on your ship anymore?" Emma teased softly.

"No. Alas, I would've just stayed, but your father convinced me it was impractical. Although I do spend most nights there. Most days too, for that matter." Killian explained.

"I would love to see it sometime, your place." Emma replied.

"You can stay there if you want. It's plenty big." Killian suggested again.

"That's okay. I'm set." Emma said.

"It's really no trouble."

"No. I'm fine really. Thanks for the offer." Emma smiled at him. He returned the smile, but it lacked its sparkle. Emma wondered if she'd ever see his old smile again. "See you around, Killian."

Getting up, she left her half eaten food still sitting there, and Killian going back to swirling his fork around his plate without eating anything.