Where We Belong

Running Away

Emma was trying to put as much distance between her and that house as possible. No matter how right it felt being in... no. Emma couldn't entertain those thoughts – that wasn't part of her plan. As she was trying to calm the butterflies in her stomach, she felt herself run smack into someone – "Oh my... I'm sorry."

"Emma, are you alright?" Emma heard a familiar voice ask – David's voice.

"Oh, hey David. Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're a bundle of nerves," David said worriedly.

"It's nothing," Emma tried to reassure her overprotective brother – with a three and a half year age difference between the two of them, David had always been the big brother Emma never had being shuffled around foster care the first fourteen years of her life.

"Something is up, Emma – you know you can talk to me about anything."

Emma glanced down at the ground – part of her wanted to bury her feelings like she always did but the other part of her felt like she would explode if she didn't talk to someone.

"Ok, I'll tell you," Emma said just loud enough for David to hear. They both made their way to a bench not far from where they were standing. As soon as they sat down, David turned to his sister and waited for her to start. Emma blurted out everything in one breath – thinking it'd be easier:

"I went to help Killian with Regina's house. I climbed up on a ladder to paint over wallpaper. When I was climbing down, I fell and Killian caught me, and we, well, almost kissed."

"Almost?" David questioned.

"Yeah, I kind of pushed him away", Emma admitted, averting her eyes from David.

"Why did you push him away?" he then asked.

"I don't know" Emma unsuccessfully lied – David saw right through her.

"I think you do, and that's why you don't want to talk about it," David said, causing Emma to look up at him.

"We didn't even kiss – and even if we had, it wouldn't have meant anything. Killian and I are only just friends."

"Emma, judging by your reaction when you and Killian didn't actually kiss, I'd say there's a lot more than just friendship." Emma didn't say anything, so David continued, "And I don't see how that's a bad thing."

"Well, I'm not looking to be more than friends. You know I only planned on moving back here temporarily," Emma defended.

"Plans change. When you ran away from your foster home and showed up at our house in the middle of the night, Mom was going to drive you back and that would've been the end of it. Now look where we are. And I also know from experience that falling in love is not something anyone plans."

"Who said anything about being in love?" Emma retorted.

For a minute, David could only stare at her as he sighed – Emma could be so stubborn, especially when it came to her trying to deny something.

David considered his words, and then said, "Emma, I know it isn't easy for you to open up to people, but you and Killian had this immediate connection. Try to deny it all you want, but I've seen the way you look at him. And as far as how he feels about you, you're one of the most important people in his life. He absolutely adores you."

Emma didn't know what to say – her brother, as usual, was right, even though she didn't (and wouldn't) say it out loud. Instead, she just leaned in and hugged him – David placed both arms around her as well with one of his hands cradling the back of her head. They just sat like that for a while neither wanting nor needing to say anything more.