Wow, so that was a longer break than anticipated. I suppose all I can do is apologize for disappearing for the last seven months. It's amazing how life gets in the way. Any who, I can't promise that I'm back like I used to be, but today for whatever reason just led me to post this. So this is a VERY alternate universe. It's actually loosely based on real events.

35. Friend

A smile spread across Emma's face as Henry ran out of the door of the school building. All around them, other parents were picking up their children, beaming in excitement; it was the last day of classes, marking the start of the upcoming holiday season.

"Excited for break?" Emma asked; she couldn't imagine how much work a ten-year-old had to do, but he was always surrounded by books anyway.

"I'm excited to sleep in," he replied, looking up at his mother with a grin. "And for Grandma and Grandpa to come over for Christmas."

"And by Grandma and Grandpa, you mean Grandma's chocolate mousse that she promised to make?"

"No," Henry replied with a mischievous grin, dragging out the 'o' sound. "I mean both, of course."

Emma laughed, ruffling her son's hair. "I am too," she admitted while wrapping an arm around his shoulder and hugging him close as they walked. And she was; according to David, it was the recipe that his mother used to make, and Mary Margaret managed to perfect it the exact same way.

"Henry, what are you doing?" She looked down and noticed her son's hand up, his body directed towards the building across the street.

"I'm waving at the man."

Emma's head snapped up in that direction. "What man?" she questioned, trying to keep sharpness out of her voice while she searched with her eyes.

And then she saw him, leaning against the sill at the second story window in the building across the street. Emma hid her discomfort with a small wave. The man hesitated, his hand pausing in the air. But then he smiled, and waved back at her.

"He's usually at the window, not in the morning but when we walk home," Henry explained simply. "He's my friend."

"Right," Emma mumbled, not entirely sure how comfortable she was with Henry's new friend. She placed her hand back on her son's shoulder protectively. She glanced at the street and realized they were at the corner of Snow and Gold street; it was the same building where Emma's father worked, and made a mental note to ask him if he knew anyone that worked on the second floor. "But he probably has lots of work to do and we shouldn't distract him, okay?"

"I guess so." Henry gave one last wave before dropping his hand, retaking Emma's, and continuing the walk home.

Killian couldn't help but smile as the boy spotted him and waved once again. He could still remember the first time he had seen the boy's mother, tall and blonde and breathtaking, and he hadn't been able to look away. She didn't notice, but the young boy did. Hoping he didn't come across as creepy, Killian had chanced a wave. A huge grin had spread across the boy's face, and he waved back.

For a few weeks, that continued, most days when Killian managed to time his break correctly.

And then she saw.

And then she waved.

Killian's mind went blank; his hand froze in mid-wave before he remembered the natural thing to do was respond in kind. He smiled.

She didn't. She actually seemed to pick up her pace a bit, and placed a protective arm around her son. It was an unsure, wary kind of reaction, the type that could be expected when a strange, unknown man waved at a young woman's son. Killian dropped his hand, grimacing to himself; no doubt she was on her way home, and he would be a conversation topic for her and her husband.

"I'll admit, Jones," Killian's boss said, moving to stand next to him at the window, "she is beautiful. But you know what else is beautiful?" Killian turned to face his boss, a sigh on his lips. "That pile of paperwork sitting on your desk."

"You know," Killian replied, taking one last glance out the window at the woman's retreating figure before standing upright and walking back towards his desk, "for some strange reason, it's really just not the same."

Fun Story Time! So, as I said, this is based on true events. It's actually the first part of the story of how my grandparents met (with some embellishment). My grandmother was a school teacher and she would always walk her nephew (her brother's son) home from the school. My grandfather would see her from his office window (he didn't wave though) and thought she was beautiful, but he also assumed that her nephew was actually her son, and that she was married. The details are a little fuzzy for me, but there was a work-related party where they met. He ended up getting her number, and he called a day or so later. Problem: My grandmother wasn't home when he called. Solution: My grandmother's brother's wife WAS home, answered the phone, pretended to be my grandmother, and accepted the date. They got married six months later.

Today happens to be my grandfather's birthday, and when I suddenly remembered that I had written this, I felt the need to post it.