Keep on Fallin'

A/N: I cannot tell you all how relieved and proud I am to finally be posting my csjanuaryjoy. This is the longest story I've written to date and I'm proud of my monster. I have a million people to thank, just give me one moment. First, a massive shoutout to katie_dub and lenfaz for organizing all of this. A huge thank you (AND HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!) to my fantastic beta hollyethecurious, I cannot thank you enough for helping me on this. Of course, thank you to rouhn for also taking a look at this and answering every late night panicked message that this story gave me. Also, thank you artistic-writer, for trying to teach me the ways of smut, I still have a long way to go but thank you! Finally, thank you to aye-captn, kymbersmith-90, winterbaby89, and everyone else who encouraged me throughout this process!

Please make sure to come say hi to me on tumblr (resident-of-storybrooke)!!! all the love ♥

"Emma please, just give it one more chance? I have a good feeling about this one!" Emma loved Mary Margaret, but her hopeless romantic of a friend had said that about the last three blind dates she had set her up on. Emma should have known when her friend was calling her during school hours that she had something up her sleeve, but alas, she answered the call anyway.

"Snow," Emma heard her friend huff at the old childhood nickname Mary Margaret had tried to distance herself from, "I just don't think now is the right time for me to be dating anyone. It's post holidays which means everyone is either together, dealing with an awkward break-up, or realizing that their "fake date" that they brought home wasn't fake and they're in love with them. I'd really like to stay away from all of those clichés."

"Oh, Emma, those walls of yours-"

"Keep me from getting hurt; I'm not going through that ever again." Emma felt her throat get tense, and all of a sudden, she was holding back tears. She had not shed a tear over that man in years, and she would be damned if she ever did again, especially at work.

"I know why you keep those walls up, it keeps out the pain. What happened to you, Emma, it wasn't fair and I know how badly he hurt you. But Emma...those walls, they may also keep out love."

Emma just sat there in her office as her friend's words sank in. It had been a long time since Emma had let anyone into her life, after everything with Neal it seemed like the best idea. That had been 13 years ago, of course, Emma scratched the itch whenever she needed to, but it never was anything more than that. Maybe one more shot at love wasn't such a bad idea, David and Mary Margaret seemed happy, so did Ruby and Victor. Then Emma remembered why she stopped. Love had made her weak, it lowered her guards and that's how she ended up in juvie. In addition, she thought she had gotten pregnant, but it turned out to be a false positive. Ever since she was released she tried to make something of herself; Emma was the most successful bail bondsperson in the area, she had a beautiful spacious apartment for her and her dog, Henry, and she had found friends she now called family. She would not let love wreck her again.

"Emma? You still there?" Mary Margaret broke Emma's train of thought, she snapped back into the conversation with her friend.

"Yeah I'm still here." Emma paused for a second; she knew Mary Margaret was waiting for her to say it.

"Listen, I wouldn't feel the need to set you up if you would just make a move on Mr. 521 already!" Now she was playing dirty. Emma thought that was a low blow.

"You know, I regret telling you about him every day." They both let out a short laugh; a smile once again graced Emma's face. "It'll never happen, besides he's too good looking M's, there's bound to be something wrong with him."