A/N: In typical me fashion, I had another story inspiration strike at an inopportune moment but it's fine. We're making it work. And the good news is that I have largely mapped out the fic. It will be seven parts (for each day of the vacation) and then an epilogue. Expect fluff, people. And smut. But wow so much fluff.

"I have to hand it to you, Ruby. This is exactly the get away we needed this week." Mary Margaret's comment perfectly set up a slow whistle from Emma as she dropped her suitcase in the entryway of the expansive condo and looked around.

Clearly being the top PR rep in Boston had its perks. Ruby told them about the chance to host their annual girls trip here a few weeks back but Emma didn't realize just how nice this place was. Ruby was getting the 'god send discount' thanks to her work for the owners in a minor would-be crisis recently, but without it this place would cost a pretty penny to say the least.

"Is eleven in the morning too early to start drinking?" The seemingly random question from Belle was met with a chorus of 'hell nos' and a round of mimosas was quickly made and distributed. As was their typical custom, they each toasted something before starting their week away together.

"To vacation," Ruby said.

"And healing," replied Belle.

"To friendship," added Mary Margaret.

"And new beginnings," Emma continued.

"Oh I like that! I'd say we could all go for a new beginning." Ruby raised her glass, and the other three women followed suit. After downing the mimosa in an impressive show, Ruby led them further into the condo.

"Now, let's get a better look at this place and then we can go to the lodge." Suddenly, from below there was a loud thud that cut through Ruby's proposed plan.

"Did you hear that?" Emma asked.

"Hear what?" Belle asked. Another thud sounded.

"There it is again. Where is it coming from?" Emma looked out through the sliding glass door towards the back of the condo and headed out to investigate.

"Emma, don't go out there without a jacket, it's freezing." Mary Margaret's mothering was well intentioned but fell on deaf ears as Emma opened the door.

"Damnit! Will, would you quit it? We've got neighbor's!"

"Fuck no – Graham said I couldn't do this, and I'm not proving that wanker right!"

"Bloody hell Scarlet, why do we invite you anywhere?"

Emma heard the distinctly male voices and stepped to the edge of the cleared off balcony only to be greeted by one of the men in question's hands coming over. Just then the glass door slid back open and Emma heard Belle scream.

"What the hell is that?" Her crying out made the man loosen his grip for only a moment but it was long enough to lose his footing and fall back to the ground.

"Oh, shit!"

Emma looked over the side and saw that the man had fallen hard on the ground. Assessing her options, she noted a railing that looked sturdy enough. This was one of the moments when her teenage misdemeanors came in handy. Comfortable that the boots she had on possessed enough traction, she hopped over the side of the railing and scaled down in seconds. Meanwhile she could hear Belle calling Mary Margaret and Ruby outside.

"Sir – despite the fact that you so rudely tried to get to our balcony, I'm a doctor and I can help." The strange man tried to get up and she watched as he grimaced in pain. "Look you can try to be the hero, or you can let me check your ankle for a break. It will take all of two minutes."

Emma stared at him until he finally nodded and then she removed his shoe gently to check the integrity of the bone there. She looked over to one of the other men in the group for information and was momentarily dumbstruck at the sight of him. Tousled black hair, piercing blue eyes, and a lopsided grin made him easily one of the hottest guys she'd ever seen. But she was in doctor mode. She had to stay professional.

"Did he hit his head or anything when he landed?" The man shook his head.

"No, he landed on that ankle a little too soon and then went down butt first." Emma laughed as a means to cover up the instant attraction that came when his accented voice made its way to her. This man was dangerous.

"Oi, maybe not the time to be laughing, doc." Emma shifted her eyes back to the patient.

"Since you have a minor sprain after some display of what I'm guessing is your own stupidity, it is exactly the time. Now," Emma rose up and brushed off some of the snow from her jeans. "Keep it elevated and iced for the next few days and you shouldn't have an issue. They should have crutches down at the lodge but don't put any pressure on the foot for at least 72 hours. Got it?"

The man looked a bit flighty if she was honest, but hey, he could deal with the fall out of a worsened sprain. Not her problem.

"No worries, we'll watch out for him." This came from the lighter haired man in the group and Emma nodded before assessing how she wanted to get out of there. She could ask to be let through their apartment, but the scaling back up shouldn't be too bad and would likely be faster.

"Way to go Emma!"

The call from Ruby brought Emma's attention back up to her floor. There were her three friends smiling widely at her but she noted that all three of them kept looking at different men out on the balcony. Oh Jesus, there goes the quiet girl's week she'd been anticipating. Knowing her friends, this would soon dominate all of their talk.

Emma felt a hand on her arm through the material of her sweater and looked to find the hot guy from before. The crackle of awareness that came from this slightest graze was trouble with a capital T but Emma still met his gaze, unwilling to be cowered by this attraction. She was a professional damn it – a grown woman who was above this kind of instant infatuation. Wasn't she? It was hard to stick to that defiance when he looked at her this way with a soft smile.

"No need to risk your life on your return, love. You can go through the front door this time if you like." His hand was still on her arm, and though Emma would never admit it, the warmth from it was coursing through her body sending zings of pleasure in their wake. But she stepped back and shook her head.

"Thanks but I got this." And did she ever. She made the climb back up look like nothing and when she reached her own balcony again her friends cheered a second time. As they turned to head inside, Emma noted that Ruby stayed behind, whispering to the men below.

"Ruby?" she called to her friend, who looked like she'd been caught red-handed, but the woman merely came back in and pretended that nothing had happened. If history served, this would likely come back to bite her in the ass.

"A mimosa for the fearless savior?" Belle asked. Emma sighed but she accepted all the same.

"Sure, why not?" After all, why should she fight what was coming when things had just gotten very, very interesting.

….

"How do we even know that woman was a doctor?"

Will's droning on about needing to use crutches had been never ending since the moment he procured them from the health center here on the mountain and Killian was past the point of sympathy. In fact, sympathy had lasted all of about thirty seconds, right until she'd scaled down to help Will.

Emma Swan, that was what her friend Ruby said her name was, and the golden haired doctor had completely consumed Killian's thoughts since they met that morning. She was the reason he was here at this blasted lodge at all though he really should be working. Vacation or not, he had responsibilities as the head of his company that he shouldn't abandon for a full week.

"I looked her up. She's not just a doctor. She's the doctor. She's the leading sports medicine specialist in New England working out of Mass Gen."

Killian shouldn't have been surprised that Graham had done his research. His mate was a BPD detective after all. Instead Killian was surprised that he hadn't thought to do it himself. He spent much of the afternoon imagining what Emma might be like upon further acquaintance, and in an internet-age he could have just found out for himself. But he was glad he hadn't. Emma Swan seemed a woman best known through experience, not the work of an hour's perusal on some stupid website.

"Did you happen to get anything on the friends?"

The question from Dave intrigued Killian enough to push thoughts of Emma away for a moment. Killian noticed his mate staring at the small brunette with the pixie haircut standing amongst Emma's other friends on the ledge. Chances were, that was the woman he was most intent to learn about, but before Graham could answer Dave looked past Killian to the entrance of the lodge.

Killian turned and saw Emma amongst her friends, but the world seemed to fade away around her. All he saw was her standing there in a black dress, looking effortlessly beautiful. What was it about this woman that had him so ensnared? He felt like he'd been put under some sort of spell but he never wanted it to lift. He couldn't recall ever feeling this sort of pull to someone before and though a bit unsettling, it felt like something inside him had clicked. He unknowingly took a step towards her in an effort to be closer.

"Holy shit!" The swear from Dave was an anomaly and kept Killian grounded in the moment, allowing him to check himself before making his way to Emma unsolicited.

"Oh hey guys!"

This came from Ruby who waved the four of them over and only then did Emma and he make eye contact. There it was again, the strange sense of stirring to life that came from their interaction this morning. Within seconds, the two groups were brought together and official introductions were made. When it was Killian's turn to take Emma's hand the spark between them only increased. He watched her for a reaction and saw that she too was affected which filled him with a rush of wanting he hadn't felt in years.

"I see you got your headstrong friend to use the crutches," Emma nodded towards Will who was now speaking with Belle and Killian nodded.

"Aye, all it took was the warning of a right arse kicking and he came to heel."

At his joke Emma genuinely laughed and Killian watched her transform into an even more beautiful creature than she'd been just moments ago. A strand of hair fell into her eyes at the motion and instinctively he moved to bring it behind her ear. Too late he realized how inappropriate that was. They barely knew each other, but she seemed surprisingly okay with it. She merely cleared her throat and posed a question.

"So, Killian Jones, what brings you and yours to the lodge this week?"

"Ah that's an easy one love. You see before Graham went on to be a detective he was a competitive skier. He and the owner of this resort are good friends and one week a year the bloke invites us up to stay."

Emma nodded, looking over to Graham who was engrossed in conversation with Ruby. Killian took the moment to admire Emma's profile. This woman was truly something else, and the most startling part of it was she seemed not to notice. How could she be moving about the world leaving it so totally changed without even being aware?

"Now my turn. May I have the honor of procuring a drink for you?" Emma smirked at his phrasing.

"It's an honor to buy me a drink, huh?"

"Anything that grants me more time in your presence is by definition an honor, Swan." Her smirk faded and he watched as a questioning sort of hopefulness crossed her features but only for a second before she secured her cool collectedness back in place.

"Did anyone ever tell you that being so charming can come across as suspicious?" Killian laughed heartily. She was skeptical and that was smart. It did nothing to detract her appeal in his eyes though. Strength like Emma's was endearing, and to make any claim to the contrary would be equivalent to lying.

"Honestly? People rarely deem fit to mention my charms after a few moments in Dave's company." Killian looked over to where the man in question seemed to be making some good headway flirting with Mary Margaret. "Do you find me suspicious, fair Emma?" She considered for a moment.

"I find you… intriguing." She cleared her throat as if to undercut the statement. "Now, about that drink." They went to the bar and she had him order first, and he opted for his old favorite, rum, pulling another laugh from her. "I thought only pirates drank rum."

"Perhaps I am a pirate, love."

"I thought all pirates had a ship."

"Sadly, some of us are displaced – land bound in a sort of personal hell." She laughed again and the musical intone of it wasn't lost on him. It left him more intoxicated than the drink he just ordered could that was for sure.

"Are you terribly despondent, Captain Jones?" She teased him with the continued pretending about his being a pirate and for whatever reason the endearment of Captain set Killian's blood simmering. It heightened his senses and made him want to lead her far from the busy bar atmosphere to somewhere more isolated.

"How could I be when a siren has followed me from the sea to keep me company." There was the flash of surprise in her features again and Killian was about to take advantage of it with a kiss when the bartender put forth both of their drinks, breaking the moment.

"So, what would a pirate toast to?" Emma asked righting herself and putting just a fraction of an inch more space between them. She didn't fully pull back though and Killian swore he'd get back to that same intimacy. He craved it more than he could say. Until then he'd keep the ruse of piracy up a little longer.

"Storm-less seas and a big bounty, I'm sure." Emma shook her head in disagreement. "You disagree, Swan?"

"What's the fun in pillaging and pirating without some natural interference?"

"Excuse me, love. You're very right. How about we drink to surviving the storms… together." Emma smiled genuinely amused with his reply.

"To surviving together."

"Surviving together?" Ruby asked from behind them. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Can't tell," Emma responded. "It's a pirate secret."

Then she winked at Killian and he felt himself falling for the woman. In the course of one day, he had managed to get himself in serious trouble and for whatever reason, that prospect didn't seem nearly as terrifying as it should. Years of no one catching his eye and a quiet (yet lonely) form of living were undermined by one remarkable woman and her seductive but sweet smile that spoke of endless possibility.

"Care to dance, Captain?" Emma asked after they'd both finished their drink and he nodded immediately. There were few things that he'd like more than the chance to be closer to Emma.

They spent the rest of the night largely torn between dancing and drinking with their friends, and at the end of the evening when they all parted ways Killian took Emma's hand and kissed it. The groups had agreed to meet up on the slopes the next day, but Killian had a particular need to hear the confirmation from Emma's mouth.

"See you tomorrow, Swan?" She shakily nodded and then surprised him with a kiss to his cheek that sent a blooming sensation of warmth and rightness coursing through him.

"Tomorrow."

Post-Note: It's February 3rd and in the fifties in New England. So yeah, I needed some actual winter fluff, because I have been denied my snow in reality. Anyways thanks for reading and as always, any and all feedback always welcomed!