Throughout the rest of the day, Emma found herself opening up Killian's email and re-reading it before closing out of the app. While she wanted to adopt Granny's nothing-to-lose attitude, Emma knew better. Killian had somehow become a significant part of her life for the past few months, and she knew that if his visit ended up disappointing him, she'd miss not having someone in her life to confide in. It was incredible just how much she'd come to rely on their messages in such a short space of time. Emma had a feeling that if she never heard from him again, she'd never find someone else to fill the void he'd leave behind.

Yet, the possibility of what his visit could bring was just as thrilling as the fear she felt whenever she thought about it. Henry would love to get the chance to talk to his friend in person. Emma had a feeling that her son would probably monopolize more of Killian's time than she would. She also knew she'd enjoy being able to see her friend, to actually sit down and talk with him over coffee in a way that she'd never been able to do with anyone else before.

She just couldn't seem to decide if the risk was worth the potential reward.

By the time she made it home that evening, she still hadn't come to a decision. Emma was a little surprised that Killian hadn't messaged again just to see if she'd gotten the first one. After all, she'd received marketing emails that were more aggressive than he was.

"Did Killian write back?" Henry asked, the instant he burst through the front door, and Emma's heart stopped for a moment. She'd been so worried about his email that she hadn't even stopped to see if he was still communicating with her son. Thankfully, a brief check of her Instagram account showed that he wasn't taking his frustration at her lack of response out on Henry. After skimming through the content of his messages, Emma handed the phone to her son while she pulled out some chicken she'd been marinating overnight.

As she set about the process of searing the fillets, Emma allowed her mind to drift a little. She'd never quite met a guy like Killian Jones before - if you could call their emails a meeting. Every other man Emma had ever been in contact with would have demanded an answer to his question two hours after he had asked it. Most of them would have proceeded to bombard her phone with progressively more aggressive messages until she was forced to block them. She wouldn't have even entertained the notion of someone like Walsh returning Henry's message while waiting for Emma to reply to his own. And yet, Killian had surprised her on both accounts. He wasn't what she'd been expecting from him, and for that reason alone, a small part of her head was whispering that she should make the arrangements for him to come to Storybrooke. However, the much larger part of her brain was still far too worried about her son. Henry had become attached to the Captain since they'd started exchanging messages, and the last thing she wanted was to inadvertently ruin that friendship.

The more Emma watched Henry message back and forth with Killian that evening, the more she came to realize that maybe she was wrong. Maybe she didn't need to be worried about ruining Henry's friendship with Killian by accepting his invitation. Maybe she should be hopeful about it developing further with a chance for them to meet each other in person.

As she tucked Henry into bed that evening, Emma decided to test the waters a little with her son.

"Hey, Kid, would you like to meet Captain Jones one day?" she asked, pulling the blankets up to tuck around his shoulders.

"Really?" Henry exclaimed, leaning forward until all the sheets fell off to pool around his waist. "When?"

"I'm - I'm not sure just yet," Emma stammered out. "I mean, there's so much to consider, and Killian lives so far away. I just wanted to make sure you'd be happy with it all."

"Of course, Mom. Oh! We could go and see him! I've always wanted to fly in an airplane."

Emma chuckled bitterly as her son turned the full weight of his pleading stare her way. "Nice try, Kid, but I don't have any vacation time coming up just yet, and we can't really afford one after buying this place."

Henry deflated a little at her words, falling back against his mattress with a thud.

"I'll um… I'll talk to Captain Jones and see if we could arrange something," she promised.

"Okay, Mom."

"Now, get some rest," she instructed, tucking the blankets around his shoulders once more before she leaned down to brush a kiss to his forehead.

She'd just switched out the light and was reaching for the door handle when Henry called out, "You're the best, Mom," then rolled over to fall asleep.

Emma lingered in the doorway a little longer, watching as sleep claimed her son before she finally whispered, "No, you are, Kid," then gently shut the door to head back downstairs.

After pouring herself a large glass of wine and lighting a small fire in the old fireplace, Emma made herself comfortable on the sofa and then opened up her inbox once more.

Killian hadn't messaged again, but his email still sat at the very top of her list, waiting for her attention. Emma read it through once more before she finally hit the little arrow to reply. Setting her glass of wine down on the coffee table, she took a deep breath in and slowly let it out before she began typing.

Killian,

I'm so sorry it's taken me all day to get back to you. I'm not going to lie and tell you it's because I was busy - because that's not fair to you (and I'm pretty sure you'd see right through it). I just needed some time to think about your request. I've gotten somewhat used to your messages now (and Henry lives for them!) I didn't want to alienate you with a response I'd end up coming to regret.

I've given your request some thought, and if you'd still like to visit next month, Henry and I would be delighted to see you. There isn't really much to do in Storybrooke, but I'm sure we'd have fun showing you around.

You really don't need to bring him any gifts, though. Your presence alone will be more than enough.

I hope you've had a wonderful day,

Emma.

She read the message through twice to make sure there was no epic autocorrect failures waiting to trip her up, then hit send before she could talk herself out of it. After dropping her phone down to the sofa cushion and reaching for her glass once more, Emma settled back in her seat to find something interesting to watch on tv. Before she could decide on a channel, the chime of a new message sounded from just beside her.

Emma's fingers were trembling as she reached for the device and quickly unlocked it to open her inbox. Killian's reply was sitting right at the top of her list once more, waiting for her attention.

Emma,

Please don't feel guilty about that. I had a feeling you'd need some time to think about it – and I'm glad you did. Inviting a stranger into your child's life is never an easy decision to make. Especially when you've never met me before - but maybe we could change that before I come? A phone call, perhaps? Maybe even a video chat? It would be nice to put more than just a blurry profile picture to the name.

I would like to get your approval on the gift I wish to bring with me for the lad. I know he had "puppy" written at the top of his birthday list, and he's told me in messages that you said the apartment you used to have wasn't big enough for one. Is that still the case because I have a client whose dog gave birth recently, and if you're amenable to the idea, I'd like to purchase one of the puppies for the lad for his Christmas gift? I'm not a big animal fan, but even I have to admit they're the cutest little balls of fur. (I've attached a picture to this message so you can see that for yourself.)

I spent most of my day out on the water, so it's definitely been an enjoyable one. How about yours? I hope my proposal didn't ruin it too much.

K.

The moment she'd finished reading through his message, Emma clicked to open the attachment he'd sent with it. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but the picture of the man on her screen - smiling as he was attacked by a litter of puppies - was not it.

Emma assumed the guy in the picture was Captain Killian Jones. While she couldn't see his left hand as it was obscured by fluffy cuteness, there was something about his windswept hair and carefree smile that screamed ocean breeze to her.

He was much more handsome than she'd expected. His dark hair stood in contrast to his bright blue eyes, twinkling with absolute joy. The scruff that covered the lower half of his face made him look a little more dangerous than she usually pictured royal naval officers looking, and yet, somehow, it also managed to soften his features. Killian was wearing a simple white t-shirt that stretched deliciously over the muscles Emma could see hidden beneath it, and a black leather jacket was discarded around his folded legs. If she had to guess, Emma would say he looked to be around her age – possibly a couple of years older, and until that moment, she realized that she'd been thinking of him as somehow close to retirement age.

Then, of course, there were the five little bundles of joy climbing over his lap and licking his face. Emma didn't know much about dog breeds, but she was pretty sure she was looking at a litter of Dachshunds. The black and tan markings on each of the tiny puppies felt in keeping with what she knew of the breed (which was, admittedly, only that.)

She spent a moment longer staring down at the image before she allowed her eyes to close and picture a world where she and Henry opened their home to one of the little puppies in the picture. It was embarrassingly easy to imagine the longer-haired dog licking Killian's nose curled up beside her son on his bed every night, or Henry taking him out for a walk down to the docks in the evening, the little puppy practically running to keep up. But it was even easier to imagine the man in that picture handing the dog to Henry, sitting down with him at a table outside of Granny's to explain how to care for him, and helping to choose a name.

Emma finally clicked away from the image and took a long pull from her glass of wine before she sank back into the sofa cushions to type out her reply.

Thank you for being so understanding. There aren't many people who would have been - so thank you!

A phone call from you sounds good. It would be nice to put a voice to the name and face I now have for you. (I'm assuming that's you with all the adorable puppies and not some random stranger.) I'm sure Henry would be thrilled to video chat with you one night, too - if that's okay?

Speaking of puppies, you really don't need to get him one. Now that we're in a bigger place, I'm sure he will grind me down eventually. Puppies are expensive, and you don't need to waste your money on a kid you barely even know. Henry would just be happy to see you. That's more than enough for him.

Your proposal didn't ruin my day at all. Leroy, however, came close. I swear that man loves to push my buttons. Would it be terribly unethical of me to shove him in a holding cell overnight just to teach him a lesson?

E

While she waited for Killian's response, Emma picked up the remote for her TV and flicked through the stations before she finally settled on what appeared to be repeats of early episodes of Grey's Anatomy.

The thought of speaking with Killian before they met in person was a little more comforting than the idea of meeting up with him blind had been. Hopefully, even if she didn't live up to the expectations the man held about her, Henry would. Emma knew she was biased when it came to her son, but she was also pretty certain Henry was one of the best kids out there, and she knew he could charm the pants off anyone at any time. Hell, he frequently did it to her during the week. But she couldn't deny the little flutter of nerves that had formed in her stomach at the idea of speaking with Killian in person. Emma would be the first to admit that she didn't have much experience when it came to making friends. She'd been constantly betrayed as a child and a young adult. That hurt and betrayal had left its scars upon her heart. All she could do was hope that Captain Killian Jones turned out to be just as sweet and understanding over the phone as he came across during their emails because, if she were being brutally honest with herself, Emma could use a good friend in her life.

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