Author's Note: Because the cliché coffeeshop AU is actually adorable and I was in the mood to write SwanFire

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It was raining outside when Emma Swan entered the small coffeeshop. Her hair and clothes were soaked because she hadn't thought to bring an umbrella, or even wear a jacket with a hood. Then again, it was not supposed to rain today, so Emma had ignored the dark grey clouds and continued on with her day like normal.

The only other person in the small shop was a man who was reading a newspaper. His sweater had a few specks of water on it, so he must have arrived before it started raining so heavily. A waiter placed a steaming mug of coffee next to the man. He set the newspaper down and thanked her. She nodded before walking back behind the counter.

Emma hadn't come here for coffee or whatever else they served here; she had come to get out of the rain. But she felt rude coming in just for shelter, so she stepped up to the counter to order. The man behind the cash register smiled at her, "What can I get you today?" Emma read his name tag. Graham.

She skimmed the menu until her eyes rested on hot cocoa with cinnamon. "I'll take a small hot cocoa with cinnamon please."

Graham nodded, "Alright, that'll be two dollars and fifteen cents." He had a think accent, and Emma wondered what had brought him to this small town in Maine. Emma paid and sat down at a table near the other man, who was sipping his coffee cautiously.

When he saw Emma sit down, he looked up at her. "Hi."

"Hello," Emma replied politely.

"Did you come to get out of the rain too?"

"Yeah. I thought it wasn't supposed to rain today, but apparently the weathermen were wrong."

The man nodded understandingly.

It didn't take long for a waitress with a name tag that read 'Ruby' to give Emma her cup of hot cocoa with cinnamon.

"Thank you," Emma told her. Ruby smiled, nodded, and walked away.

Emma dipped her finger into the whipped cream that topped the cocoa before bringing it to her mouth, something she had done ever since she was a child. It felt wrong now to drink a glass of hot cocoa without tasting the whipped cream on top first.

A few minutes later, the man switched tables so he was sitting at the one right next to Emma. She set her cup of hot cocoa down and glanced outside to see it was definitely still pouring rain, as if the sound wasn't reminder enough.

"Do you...want something?" Emma tried to not sound rude.

"Just someone to talk to while I wait out the rain. I'm Neal, by the way."

"I'm Emma."

"So, what do you do for a living, Emma?"

Emma was hesitant to tell Neal too much, but she answered his question anyways, "I'm the sheriff, actually."

Neal nodded. "Interesting. I'm a teacher at the elementary school. I was on my way home when it started raining."

"Oh, really? I was too, actually. You were a bit obviously luckier than I was and got here before it started pouring."

Neal laughed. "Yeah."

The two talked until the rain stopped. They talked about work, about life, about whatever they found to be a good topic to talk about. When the rain slowed to a stop, Neal stood up. "Well, I'd better get home. But...ah, we could talk again sometime...?"

Emma smiled and nodded. "Sure. Why don't you call me sometime? I'll write my number down for you." Emma pulled a pen from her jacket pocket and scrawled the numbers down on a piece of scrap paper before handing it to Neal.

"You sure you don't mind giving your number to some stranger you met in a coffee shop?" Neal asked as he took the paper from Emma and carefully folded it up.

Emma shrugged. "I'm the sheriff, I can deal with a creep. If you turn out to be one."

"Well. I guess I'll have to do my best not to turn out to be a creep," Neal smirked.

"I guess so."