#csromcom18

Somehow, in a string of events quite beyond her comprehension, Emma knew that she was in this whole wedding farce well over her head, and with no way to swim back to the surface. All that time ago, when she’d jumped onto the rails and saved Liam Jones’ life, she had believed herself in love with him… or, at least the idea of him as he had appeared from afar. In all actuality, now that she had gotten to know him a bit beyond casual hellos and goodbyes in passing, he was every bit the pleasant and engaging gentleman she had supposed he would be, if a bit predictable and excessively proper at times.

For someone who really hadn’t even known her name or anything about her, he had been the model fiancé since waking up and being told she was his intended bride. The trouble was with Emma’s own disloyal heart - and of course, her uneasy conscience. She couldn’t escape the harsh truth that deep down she was deceiving Liam, that someday it would all come out, and he and his whole family would hate her for the hurt and unhappiness she could have prevented simply by being honest with them.

It wasn’t only that either. The other niggling reality which wouldn’t let her alone was that she knew now she didn’t truly love Liam Jones. Oh, he was still every bit as handsome as she had ever thought him; just as desirable and accomplished and successful - a true catch in every way but one. He wasn’t it for her. She couldn’t have known it when this whole fiasco began, but the Jones man she had longed for from afar was not the one who made her heart pound and her cheeks heat. He wasn’t the one who had shared his secret hopes and fears with her or come to know and understand her as she rarely allowed anyone to do. That was all Killian - and she had made it well nigh impossible for the younger Jones to love her in return.

Now, here she was in a side hall off the hospital chapel, wearing a ridiculously lacy confection of a white dress, about to marry the wrong man and quite possibly wreck both their lives because she couldn’t bear to stop being a part of something - a family - that she had never been allowed to experience before. Blowing out a short breath, Emma shook her clammy hands and tried to steel herself for the ceremony ahead. It suddenly seemed as if she couldn’t go forward or back, she was merely frozen where she stood with no right way out.

At that moment, David Jones, Liam and Killian’s father, appeared in the doorway that led through to the front of the small chapel, offering her a warm, comforting smile as he came to stand before her. He was happily standing to give her away (and gain her as one of his own at the same time), and he reached out to grip her upper arms bracingly as he faced her in the narrow hall, a calmly affectionate look on his face - just the sort of look Emma had always imagined a father of her own wearing when she had made him proud. ‘If he only knew the truth, he’d be anything but…’  her inner voice whispered unkindly, and Emma felt confession bubbling up her throat, just barely managing to clench her teeth and bite back the words that would make that accepting warmth on the older man’s face go cold. This was exactly how she had gotten into this mess. These people had given her the chance to know what a real family felt like, and she couldn’t give it up - no matter what kind of a liar it made her.

“Ready for the big moment?” David asked gently, his motions soothing as he first enveloped her in a hug, then straightened and offered her his arm to lead her down the aisle.

Emma merely nodded wordlessly, her mouth unbearably dry all of a sudden, and she found that her hand was trembling as she looped it through David’s crooked elbow. She could only hope he would chalk it up to normal wedding jitters rather than her emotions going haywire or her guilty conscience.

As if she didn’t already feel badly enough for all her repeated falsehoods, just as they reached the double doors that lead into the chapel down its center aisle, the Jones family patriarch leaned in to murmur softly, but with heartfelt sincerity, “I’m glad to have you joining our family.”

Drawing in a tight breath, Emma smiled, actually wanting little more than to be one of them as well. However, she also swayed on her feet slightly, wishing it weren’t with these sorts of strings and deceptions attached. Somehow it seemed she barely blinked and they had slipped through the entryway arm-in-arm and they were halfway down the aisle, an off-duty reception nurse Nick had enthusiastically enlisted playing the Wedding March on the organ in the corner to accompany their steps.

This was her wedding! And yet, Emma felt herself breaking out in a cold sweat, wishing there were some way she could pause, even for a moment, to bring things back under control. As they neared the altar at the end of the aisle, the spot for once witnessing a happy occasion instead of pleading, broken family of the critically ill and injured, Emma’s gaze landed on Liam, standing tall despite still having an IV pole next to him, fluids still feeding into his right arm. He, or someone in his overzealous family, had attempted to tame and slick back his normally riotous curls, and he offered her a hesitant but hopeful, genuine smile as she came to stand beside him, offering her his large and steady hand.

She placed her fingers in his grasp, hoping he would also forgive the trembling he must feel just as his father had. Biting her lower lip, Emma offered a tentative smile in return. The prospect of marrying this steady, caring man - one whom she had blatantly admired for some time - shouldn’t be filling her with hesitation and dread, and seeing his willingness to stand up with her, even not knowing how they had come to be together, nearly made her resolve to carry this whole thing through.

And then her eyes caught Killian’s over his brother’s shoulder where he stood as best man. The enthralling blue she’d grown used to glimpsing, gazing into her soul, was muted and pained, even as he too offered her a crooked smile. Clearly, he was doing his best to step out of the way, to help her keep her secret and to support his brother’s happiness, and so he said nothing. Yet Emma had come to know him well enough now to understand he had all the same doubts she was holding in, and unless she was only reading what she wished to see, a measure of the same pain and regret she wasn’t going to be able to ignore.

Standing there one moment longer, Emma let her eyes trace over Killian’s features once more before moving to Liam, David, and the faces of the rest of the Jones clan seated to her left. If she was about to ruin everything, she wanted to be sure to fix in her mind everyone she would be giving up, the family she could have had. Then she drew in a breath, squared her shoulders and faced her groom to finally admit the truth.

“Wait, please…” she interrupted, halting the music and drawing the rapt attention of everyone in the room. “There’s something I need to tell you...all of you.” She forced herself to meet Liam’s eyes steadily - he deserved that much from her - but gestured to the rest of his family around her.

Liam, for his his part, nodded kindly, indicating she should go ahead and that he was listening. Emma swallowed hard, trying to tell herself he wasn’t about to hate her. “I’m not who you think I am. I mean, I am Emma Swan, and I did save your life after you were mugged, but ...we were never engaged. One of the nurses misunderstood the situation when you were brought in. I only wanted to know that you’d be alright - but then everyone believed I was your fiancé before I could correct them. And then I met you - all of you - “ she glanced at Ruth, Margaret, Nick, and David. “You welcomed me into your home, made me a part of your family, and I - I just fell in love. I didn’t want to let you go.”

She ended with her eyes on David, a father figure like she’d never known before, and he had a near-comical look of stunned confusion on his face. “With me?” he repeated densely, trying to catch up and absorb all she had just told them.

A rather undignified snort escaped her - half laugh, half sob - as her eyes fell to her feet. Shaking her head, Emma raised her face once more to answer him. “Well, your entire family…. A-and your son.”

David Jones nodded, still not quite grasping her meaning, or the real problem. “Well, yes, obviously. Isn’t that why we’re here?”

With a teary smile, Emma had to shake her head ‘no’ once more. Gesturing around Liam’s solid form toward Killian, she clarified, “Not that son...that one.”

She heard gasps from their assorted audience, even as Killian took a step forward, eyes sparkling mischievously and one corner of his mouth tilting upwards with more confidence. “Killian, what did you do?” she heard his mother admonish, scandalized. Emma’s eyes met Killian’s despite the chaos quickly growing around them, and it was all either of them could do not to burst out laughing.

Even as the others began to stand and press forward, all asking questions and talking at once, Emma forced herself to turn back to face the older Jones brother, truly sorry if she had hurt him and needing him to understand that she had never intended any of this. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, under the hubbub rising in the room.

To her relief, Liam merely nodded in quiet understanding and stepped to the side, allowing Killian to move just a bit closer. The elder brother went to his gran, who looked to be swaying on her feet a bit stunned, and was clinging to Nick’s arm tightly. Emma bit her lip, relieved and desperately anxious to speak to Killian, hoping against hope that maybe all was not lost, only to have his mother accost him just before he could reach her.

Their eye contact broken, Emma’s heart fluttered anxiously in her chest, all her fear and self-doubt welling up once more. The room seemed to be closing in as questions flew and the ludicrous nature of what she’d done settled upon her. She needed to get out of there before she did anymore damage. Honestly, her decisions so far had caused Killian’s whole family enough stress and difficulty; hanging around hoping that they would let her back in after this was more than Emma felt she deserved.

In the midst of the clamor, there was suddenly a loud thump as the doors at the end of the aisle swung open again and hit the wall with the force. The sound of quick, determined footsteps charged down the aisle toward them. The small crowd of guests and family hurriedly parted to reveal a tiny spitfire of a brunette, hands on her slim hips and eyes crackling ferociously. Her petite frame was heightened by sky-high gold heels and a short, pleated skirt, but Emma sensed immediately that despite her deceptively fragile appearance, the woman was not one to be trifled with.

“Liam Jones!” the brunette demanded sharply, her voice causing the man in question to pull himself up straight as if snapping to attention. From the moment she had appeared, this woman had arrested Liam’s gaze completely, but now he was breathlessly focused on her awaiting her next words like air to breathe. “What is going on here?!?” she continued, her tone harsh with indignation, but a tremulous quaver almost lost beneath that made Emma wonder if this newcomer’s true prevailing emotion were not hurt more than anger. “You - you proposed to me!”

Liam’s mouth fell open for a moment, aghast, and even as he was floundering for words, he stepped forward to reach her saying, “Belle, let me explain…”  The room’s other occupants erupted in movement and exclamations once more.

Emma saw a break in the people nearest her and a clear path to the door. The woman, whom she now knew to be the elder Jones’ aforementioned first love, was her deciding sign. She had done more than enough to disrupt their lives, and the best thing she could do for the Jones family now was to get out of the way. Before Killian or anyone else could reach her to question her or try to convince her otherwise, Emma slipped out of the chapel, swiping uselessly at the tears that were already streaming down her face.

~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~

One week later…

Emma Swan was once more at her post in the Riverside terminal, listlessly checking tokens in a monotonous routine that she didn’t dare upset. The excitement that had broken her usual days had nearly undone her, and she would be better off simply doing her job, going home to Tink, some hot cocoa and Law & Order reruns, and leaving well enough alone.

Yet, despite her best intentions, Emma couldn’t help wondering how all of the Jones clan were doing. Had their gran recovered from the shock? Did David, Margaret and Nick hate her for her false pretense? And even more important, what had happened with Liam and Belle? Had the other woman understood what occurred? In truth, did Liam even understand himself how the convoluted sequence of events had led to her being his mistaken fiancé? Above all of these concerns however, the worry that truly pressed on her mind, pained her heart, and wouldn’t even allow her a peaceful night’s sleep was her concern for Killian. Did his family know he had kept her secret? Did they blame him for it? Did he, now that he’d had time to think? Initially, Emma had clung to the faint hope that Killian might still want to see her, might come to her apartment and find her again. She had thought there was something between them on the verge of acknowledgement when she didn’t go through with the wedding. But, as two days became three, then four, then five, she had resigned herself to the fact that she must have been wrong.

Reaching out to take the next commuter pass, Emma didn’t even look up to see the waiting passenger’s face. “Go on through,” she directed, beckoning  with a wave of the hand.

“Actually, Love,” a warm and familiarly accented voice addressed her clearly, “I’d prefer to remain with you, if you don’t mind.”

Emma’s eyes shot up in stunned realization to meet the brilliant blues of Killian Jones, sparkling playfully as he gazed back at her, wide grin stretching across his face with glee.

Seeing that he now had her full attention, Killian cocked his head to the side, playfully waggling his dark brows at her as he asked, “Well, Swan, did you miss me?”

Even as a loud bubble of laughter escaped her, a haze of unshed tears swam before her vision as she nodded vigorously, completely at a loss for words. It was as though she had dreamed him there before her and she couldn’t make herself believe he was real.

When Emma still didn’t give an audible reply, a chorus of voices began to chime in, causing her to realize they weren’t alone.

“Come now, Killian, don’t tease the poor girl,” Ruth’s gentle voice chided to his left.

“Yeah, let’s do this already!” came Nick’s impatiently excited addition. “Show Emma what you brought.”

“Aye, brother.”  Emma spared a glance just over Killian’s right shoulder to where Liam stood, the brunette from their near-wedding cuddled to his side and now smiling at her genially. “After all, if you’re afraid to go after what you want, you deserve what you get!” His words were obviously meant in jest, though she could see Killian straightening his shoulders as if galvanized into action, but Liam only gave her a small, forgiving smile and winked, letting her know things were well between the two of them.

She saw now that Killian’s entire family was with him, flanking him in support. And not one of them looked anything less than pleased. None seemed to be harboring her a bit of ill will, and a fear than had been weighing on her almost constantly slipped off her shoulders at the sight. Margaret Jones even had tears of sincere joy twinkling in her eyes right along with Emma as she nodded to  acknowledge the younger woman’s glance with a friendly smile.

“You - you’re all...here…” Emma stumbled to get out, flabbergasted with surprise and gratitude, and simply happy to see them all again.

“Of course we are, Swan,” Killian murmured, leaning in closer to the window that separated them, words meant for her alone. “However, I would like to come in there with you now. I’ve a question for you that requires at least a bit of privacy.”

Her wits finally restored enough to play with him a little in return, Emma smirked before shaking her head in mock regret. ‘It’s not allowed, sorry. You don’t have enough tokens.”

Killian gave a short nod, grin recognizing what she was doing and happily calling her bluff. Reaching into his pocket, he removed his hand, fisted around something Emma couldn’t yet see, and slipped it into the same slot where he had placed his token before. Letting his mischievous eyes glimmer at her in a way that couldn’t fail to take her in, Killian ran his tongue along his full lower lip, knowing Emma’s eyes were following the motion, and asked, “What about this? Will it do?”

To her astonishment, Emma looked down after hearing a tinkling metallic sound to find that Killian had dropped, not another few tokens as she had assumed, but an engagement ring, unmistakable in its beauty and meaning.

“Now will you let me in?” he asked more seriously, as she meet his eyes while blinking back tears, already nodding ‘yes’ vehemently and depressing the button which would allow him through into the small kiosk with her.

As soon as she was within his reach, Killian swept her up into his arms, and Emma wrapped hers around his neck, kissing him back and laughing for sheer joy as he rained kisses across her cheeks. “Can’t believe I nearly let you get away,” he whispered against her skin.

Emma offered him the most brilliant smile she could manage. “I’m so glad you didn’t,” was all she could really say in response.

~~~~~***~~~~~~~~***~~~~~

Liam asked her once when it was that she had fallen in love with Killian instead, and she’d answered him simply and honestly. Shrugging her shoulders, she replied, “That’s easy. It was while you were sleeping.”

"I know," she smiled back, tilting her head to the side. They had just finished dinner and the waitress asked if they wanted desert.

"I can't eat another bite," Emma replied, leaning back and rubbing her hand over her completely full stomach.

"Oh, come on! You have to have their ice cream! You love the ice cream here."

That was true, but still..."Walsh, I couldn't."

"Fine, I'll take the ice cream."

After he told her what flavor he wanted and the waitress walked away, Walsh excused himself to go to the bathroom. Emma was fiddling with her phone, checking Facebook and Instragram when he returned. "Everything alright with work?"

"Yeah, yeah. I haven't been assigned a new case yet."

"You will be soon."

"Well, I just closed one today."

"And that is why you are the best detective here in Storybrooke."

Emma gave a small chuckle. "I wish that felt like a big victory, but...I want to go where there is real detective work. Like in New York. Or Boston."

"You want to leave Elsa? And Henry?"

She shrugged. "It's a dream right now. I'm sure that I'm not gonna..." Just then her cell phone rang. Usually she would ignore it, because she was on a date with Walsh and it wasn't her work ringtone. But it was Anna's face that appeared on the screen. And Anna rarely called Emma. And right then, Emma's stomach dropped.

"I should take this," she muttered before picking up and phone and turning slightly to the side before swiping her finger along the bottom. "Hello?"

"Emma?" Though it was Anna's voice, it...wasn't. Because Anna was usually chipper to the point where you wanted to tie her down and read her horrible stories about how magic really works in Disney World until she loses that innocence. But right now it sounded like she had found it all on her own. "Emma...I can't..."

She's crying. Why was she crying?

"Anna? What is it? Are you okay? Is it Henry?" Oh no, please let it not be Henry. Please say Henry is fine. Because Elsa and Liam would lose it if something happened to Henry.

"He's..." Anna sobbed so loud, Emma pulled the phone away from her ear, but she quickly replaced it, in case she continued talking. Emma wanted to jump out of the chair and start pacing, but since she was in a public place, she couldn't. But her body wanted to move while her mind was trying to focus on Anna.

"Anna? Anna, is it Henry? Is he okay?" Emma asked, anxious. Anna was not answering her questions and she was starting to freak out.

"Henry's...he's fine...but Emma...Come to the hospital. Now!" Before she can say another word, Anna hung up.

Emma slowly lowered the phone, Walsh's ice cream placed in front of her on a lovely dish. But she barely saw it before she gathered up her belongings. "I need to go."

"I gathered," Walsh said, signaling to the waitress for the check. "Is Henry alright?"

"I don't...Yes, he's okay. But I don't understand why she called. I need to go to the hospital."

"Wait, I'll drive you."

Emma stood up, ready to run out of there and run to the hospital if she had to. "Walsh, I can't--"

"I'll take you. You're in no condition to drive." The waitress appeared with the check. Walsh handed her his credit card and said, "We need to leave now, so hurry up." Usually he's so considerate to waiters and waitresses, but he knows that Emma's in a rush.

"It has be something to do with Elsa," Emma says, trying to figure out what got Anna so upset. "If it's not Henry, than it's Elsa. It has to be."

The waitress returned with the receipt and Walsh signed it before the two of them ran out of the restaurant and towards his car.

The drive to the hospital took forever, but they were also there in record time. Emma ran towards the doors when she saw someone running out of the corner of her eye. She didn't stop, even when she recognized Killian's profile. When he saw her, he came closer before asking, "Henry?"

She knew what he was asking: was Henry hurt? She shook her head. "I don't think so."

Walsh was right behind the two of them as they entered the hospital. Emma and Killian went straight to the front desk. They spoke at the same time. "I want to see my brother, Liam Jones." "I need information on Elsa Jones."

The nurse looked at the two of them. "You must be the family members. Let me page the doctor for you." She turned around and picked up the phone.

"This is not good," Emma whispered. "If we need to talk to a special doctor, this is not good."

"Think positive Emma. They could be in a minor accident. Anna is a bit overdramatic."

Killian turned to look at Walsh, but didn't say anything. At that moment, the nurse turned around and said, "Dr. Whale is on the third floor."

The three of them went speeding towards the elevators. But they were taking too long, and Emma was jumpy, so when she saw the staircase, she went towards them instead. She thought that she heard Walsh and Killian behind her, but she wasn't certain. Everything felt like a dream, a really awful dream where you can't wake up. It felt fuzzy and uncertain and all Emma wanted to do was going back to the restaurant with Walsh and finish their date.

But when she threw open the door and saw Anna sobbing into her friend's shoulder, she knew that life was about to change forever.

Anna could barely speak, but her friend, Kris, filled them in. Elsa and Liam were in a terrible car accident. Their car slid and went over a bridge. Another car saw them go over and called the ambulance, but both of them were unresponsive when they were brought in. Henry was not in the car; he was at home, currently sleeping in his bed, a neighbor watching him.

Emma barely heard the words coming out of Kris's mouth. She heard their names and "car accident" and everything went fuzzy. She grabbed onto someone, she wasn't sure who, who helped her sit down. Her legs felt weak and her brain was numb and she just sat there, staring off into nothing. Because she couldn't lose Elsa. Elsa was the only family she had. She had literally no one but her.

Killian sat beside her, but she felt him rather than saw him. He leaned forward and rubbed his hands against his face before standing up and screaming, "Fucking hell!" as loud as he could. If people stopped and starred at him, Emma didn't know. She only heard the sound of his voice, not the actual words.

But she couldn't lose Elsa. She just couldn't.

When Dr. Whale walked into the hallway, Emma could feel the Earth beneath her feet moving and she had nothing to hold on to. Because he told her the one thing she did not want to hear.

"I'm sorry. We did everything we could."

Anna screamed. Killian collapsed. And Emma pulled herself up in a ball and wept. She wept for Liam Jones, the most wonderful (sort of) brother-in-law a woman could ask for. She wept for Elsa, her best friend, her almost sister. They were going to travel the world together. They were going to live next door to each other and have a special pathway put in so someone could get from one house to the other easily. Their children were going to grow up together.

And now she was gone.

Both of them.

Elsa and Liam Jones were dead.

Oh God, what about Henry?

What was going to happen to him? He was an orphan. Two hours ago he was a part of a loving family, one that would do anything to protect him. Now? Now he was an orphan before he could even talk.

Emma knew what that was like, and it was the most awful feeling in the world. The only difference between Henry and Emma is that Henry's family didn't leave him by choice. Emma's did.

But now wasn't the time to wallow in pity. Now she had to help Anna plan not one funeral, but two.

Emma's nights and days became a huge blur. She helped Killian and Anna set up the funerals, and the wake, and what should they bury Elsa and Liam in? She helped take care of Henry, but she was so out of it, a neighbor more often than not took care of him. Anna and Kris were staying with him until they spoke to the lawyer. Even though Elsa and Liam were so young (just over 25), they did in fact have a will. Emma remembered Elsa insisting she and Liam get one when they found out she was pregnant with Henry. "Better safe than sorry," she had said.

Unfortunately, she was right.

The day before the funeral, Anna called Emma to say that the lawyer wanted to speak to Emma at her earliest convenience. Emma wrote down the office address before hanging up.

She looked at her own handwriting. Archie Hopper. What an odd name. Emma wasn't certain why she was so focused on the name, so much so that she sort of just zoned out for a moment.

"Hey, you okay?" someone asked her.

She looked up to see Mary Margaret Nolan and her husband David looking down at her. Mary Margaret and David were Elsa and Liam's neighbors. Emma has of course met them numerous times, and they were certainly nice enough. Slightly older that Emma (by maybe two years), they were married straight out of college and have been by each other's side all the time. Emma wasn't certain whether she has ever seen one without the other.

Mary Margaret was a pretty woman, with a pixie cut black hair and bright green eyes. And she had a full face, though the fact that she was seven months pregnant might have helped with that. And her husband David was the picture boy for the Boy-Next-Door trope. He had sandy colored hair that was always cut short and blue eyes. Both of them were extremely easy to talk to.

"Yeah," Emma said, shaking her head before looking up at them. "I'm okay. How are you doing? How's Henry?"

Mary Margaret and David were the neighbors who had been watching Henry the night of the accident. They were thankful - like everyone else - that Henry wasn't in the car with them. There would have been no way that he could have survived.

"Henry's okay." Mary Margaret looked down that the paper in Emma's hand. "Do you need to go see the lawyer?"

Emma quickly got up, making Mary Margaret and David back up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm suppose I do," she said, sort of in a daze. She's been in a daze since this whole mess started. She wondered if she would ever truly come out it.

"When?" David asked.

"Um, soon."

"You going now?"

"Um...I guess."

"I'll drive you," David suggested. Normally Emma would have objected, stating that she can obviously take her own car, but since she was so out of it, David driving would have been the smarter option.

When they pulled up in front of the law offices, Emma weakly thanked David before getting out. She opened the door and walked towards the correct offices before opening that one. When she walked into the waiting room, she saw the receptionist behind her desk and Killian Jones sitting on one of the hard chair, playing with his phone, a flask barely tucked behind his back. Emma didn't comment. Everyone deals with grief in their own way, and right now a drink sounded like a good idea.

When the receptionist saw Emma, she picked up the phone and called to the lawyer. He must have told her to tell them to come in, since when she hung up, she said to them, "You can go in."

Killian and Emma looked at each other. "Which one?" Killian asked.

"Both of you. He's needs to speak to you both."

Emma wondered what precisely the lawyer needed both of them for, but she figured that she would find out soon enough. Killian let her walk in first before following.

The lawyer's office was spacious, even with the amount of furniture it had in it. He had at least five filing cabinets against the one wall and his desk sat in front of a row of windows. He had a couch and a coffee table sitting in the middle of the room, and in front of his desk sat two chairs. When he saw Emma and Killian, he gestured to them.

"Sit, sit," he said in a soft voice.

Once they were both seated, he introduced himself. "My name is Archie Hooper and I am Elsa and Liam Jones's lawyer. Do you know why you were both called here?" They both shook their heads. "Okay, well, I have their will here and it contains both of you." He took a deep breath before folding his hands on his desk. "Has Elsa or Liam told you what would happen to Henry in the unlikely event of both of them dying?"

Emma's fingers started fidgeting and her heart pounded. What was going to happen to him? "No," she muttered. Killian shook his head.

"Well," Archie continued, "they have both stated that the legal guardians of Henry K. Jones would be...you."

Silence. And then both Killian and Emma leaned forward in their chairs and spoke at the same time.

"What do you mean, 'you'? Like both of us?" Killian asked.

"There has to be misunderstanding somewhere," Emma replied.

Archie held up his hands. "I know this is confusing, and I tried to talk them out of it. Having two people who are not in any form of relationship raising a child...it's complicated. But they insisted that it had to be you. Both of you."

"But I'm his brother!" Killian spoke up with more passion than he had in a week. "It makes sense for me, but for her?"

As much as Emma wanted to smack Killian, he did have a point. Emma wasn't Elsa's true sister, that was Anna. So while it made sense for Killian to take responsibility for Henry, why Emma and not Elsa's actual sister?

"I love Henry just as much as you do," Emma hissed at him.

"But you're not his true aunt, love, no matter how you think otherwise," he replied.

Before Emma could so much as inhale a deep breath to fight back, Archie said, "Now, please. Let's be civil about this. Elsa and Liam have it in their will - both of their wills that if something happened to both of them and they were unable to care for Henry, that--" The lawyer opened the will up to the right page and read it. "'Emma Swan and Killian Jones would be the legal guardians of Henry K. Jones.'" He looked up. "Of course you can think about it."

"How long do we have? To think about it," Killian asked.

"24 hours."

"And then what?" was Emma's concern.

"Well, if you two both decide that you are not fit to take care of Henry, he would go to Elsa's younger sibling, Anna."

"She's only 22," Emma pointed out. "And still in college. She can't raise a baby."

"Well, it would be her decision. However, if Anna too feels that she is not fit enough to take care of Henry, he would go to social services."

"And be put into a foster home? No." Emma sat back and crossed her arms. "Henry is not going anywhere near a foster house."

Killian raised an eyebrow at Emma's outburst, but otherwise said nothing.

Archie nodded. "I understand. But you have to also understand that if no one in his family wants him--"

"I want him," Killian interrupted.

Emma sat up straighter. "Me too. I want to take care of Henry."

Archie raised his eyebrows before saying, "I need you both to understand something of vital importance. Henry is not a toy. He is a living, breathing person who is only barely begun in life. This will not be easy. Being a parent is not an easy job and it is not for the faint of heart."

"Two seconds ago you're telling us to raise Henry, and now you're telling us not to?" Killian's eyebrows creased together. "I don't understand, mate, which is it?"

"I want to do what is best for Henry. Elsa and Liam felt that the two of you were capable of raising their child." Emma and Killian looked at each other from the corner of their eyes, but otherwise said nothing. It was definitely not a secret that Emma and Killian tolerated each other at best, and Elsa and Liam knew that. Why they would want to two people who can barely look at each other to raise their child was unbeknownst to them.

"How--How does this work?" Emma leaned forward. "Like...do we adopt him or...?"

"Well, they named you guardianship. So I just set up a court hearing to grant you temporary custody, and that's it.

"What if one of us wants to adopt him?" Killian asked.

"Well, that would be something that the two of you would need to work through. But, yes, if the judge rules that you, one of you, is capable of raising Henry, then you can adopt him. But let's not get ahead of ourselves." Archie looked at the two of them. They both looked so unsure of what was happening. Like two lost puppies trying to figure out a way home. "Can I make a suggestion? Maybe you two should move in, you know, until things get settled. They did, after all, leave you their house as well..."

"Wait what?" Emma asked.

"Live in their house?" Killian wanted to know.

"Oh, did I not mention that? You would be living in their place."

Emma's eyes opened wide. "We would live in their house?"

Gesturing to a small table just inside the lobby, Emma headed that direction and took a seat. She snuck an envelope from the pocket of her jeans and placed it on the table. “Here’s the cash from my first night. I know the rent is due, so I wanted to make sure you had the money.”

“Thanks,” Ruby slid the envelope from the table into her raggedy purse. She looked back up at her friend, examining her features. The smile Emma had was much…brighter than Ruby had ever seen her wear. She appeared brilliant; full of energy and life. This was new for the previously-cynical girl she had met on the streets.

“You kissed him, didn’t you?” Ruby asked suddenly, her eyes focused on the blonde across the table.

Emma blanched. She stammered slightly, shaking her head and diverting her eyes. “Ruby, it…”

“Oh my God, Emma,” Ruby hissed, leaning forward and slamming a hand onto the table. “Did I teach you nothing? You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

“Shh,” Emma looked around, wringing her hands slightly, “people will stare.”

Ruby’s eyebrow raised. “You never had a problem with anyone staring, before.”

“Listen,” Emma sighed, “Things are different now, okay? I don’t want to do this anymore. I’m gonna take the money from Killian and I’m gonna go to college. I think I’d be kinda good at this businessy stuff he does.”

“People like us don’t go to college, Emma,” Ruby sighed. “Listen, you’ll change your mind when this gig is over. I’m sure we can get a nicer apartment with all the cash he’s giving you.”

“I’ll…I’ll stay with you in the apartment we have, but I’m serious. I’m going to get a legitimate job and I’m gonna go back to school,” Emma shrugged. She begged Ruby for understanding with her gaze. “Please, I need to do this.”

Ruby watched Emma closely for a moment, then nodded. “Okay, fine. You just gotta make the rent with this other job. Remember how much you made parking cars?”

“I can find something,” Emma nodded with a smile. She paused, thinking back to earlier in the conversation. “And…I’m not…I’m not in love with him. I can’t be. It won’t work out.”

“You never know, Cinderella,” Ruby winked before standing. “I gotta catch me a big fish. See you back at the corner in a few days, babe.”

Emma watched Ruby saunter from the lobby and frowned.

--

“Fantastic, thanks love,” Killian ended the call on his cell phone and sent off a couple of text messages just as Emma was re-entering the room. “Hey, there you are,” he grinned to her, tucking his phone into the pocket of his jeans.

Emma gave a half-smile. “Did you get everything done?” She took a seat on the sofa, adjusting her jacket, which she wore over a plain white t-shirt.

“Aye,” he grinned, moving to her side. He offered his hand. “I have a few surprises planned for you, if you’re ready to go.”

Glancing at his hand, Emma bit down on her lower lip before taking it and standing along with him. Killian leaned in, giving her a slow kiss, his free hand moving to press against her lower back. Emma hesitantly responded, remembering Ruby’s admonishment. She pulled back with a nervous grin and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “Let’s go.”

The limousine ride was quiet as Emma gazed out of the window, admiring the sides of the city she had not yet seen. Killian held her hand, rubbing the back of it slowly with his thumb.

“How was your friend?” He asked finally, glancing toward her. He was dressed in a blue and green checked shirt and a pair of jeans. The look was definitely unorthodox for him, but she was totally into him being a bit more casual.

Somewhat distracted, Emma turned back to him and lifted an eyebrow. “Sorry, what?”

With a smirk, he nudged her with his shoulder. “I asked how your friend was. Ruby, I think you said?”

“Oh!” She blushed slightly and shook her head. “She’s fine. I gave her the rent money and she made a scene. Typical Ruby.”

“Made a scene?” He chuckled.

“She was…dressed like me, when I first came with you to hotel. So, she drew some attention. And seeing as how she loves attention, she made sure no one forgot their encounter with her,” Emma rolled her eyes and squeezed his hand in return.

Killian smiled. “You were charming,” he noted. Emma blushed and turned back to peer out of the window.

As the limo pulled up outside of the city, a huge man made his way toward the pair.

“Where in the heck are we?” Emma asked, looking out over rolling hills of pasture. “This is like the middle of nowhere.”

“Well,” Killian noted, clearing his throat, “I saw the way you looked at the horses when we were at the Polo match. I thought perhaps you’d like to ride one.”

Emma’s eyes widened and she grinned broadly. “Horseback riding! Oh my gosh, I think I’ve wanted to do that since I was a little girl,” she giggled excitedly and hopped out of the limousine the moment it came to a stop.

“Good mornin’,” the man said to them as he tipped his cowboy hat, revealing a mop of dark, curly hair, “my name is Anton. Welcome to Beanstalk Ranch.”

“Thank you for meeting us, Anton,” Killian responded, offering his hand. “Killian Jones.”

Emma offered her hand as well, the back of which Anton kissed with a wink. Emma laughed as she introduced herself. “Emma Swan.”

The large man placed his hat back atop his thick mane and gestured toward a barn off to the left. “Shall we? I believe we have a nice afternoon picked out for you.”

The trio made their way to the barn, where Anton introduced them to their rides for the day. Emma’s was a beautiful mare of a honey color with a mane like the snow. Killian’s brown bay stallion had a black mane and tail. Together, the pair appeared regal.

“What’s her name?” Emma asked, petting her mare’s mane as she sat nervously astride the beautiful creature.

Anton nodded from his own dapple mount. “That is Buttercup. And yours, sir, is the Captain.”

Emma grinned and pretended to doff a hat toward Killian. “Aye-aye, Captain,” she teased him.

“Oh, you’ll pay for that later, Princess Buttercup,” he winked at her and tugged slightly on the reins. “Are we free to roam, Anton?”

“Absolutely,” Anton grinned, nodding to the pair. “Stay within the fences, since my neighbors don’t seem to take kindly to strangers on their property. But other than that, you’ll be free to do as you please. My wife will have the picnic lunch ready in an hour.”

Emma tilted her head slightly at the thought of a romantic picnic lunch. He really was trying to impress her. She wondered why he continued to do so, when she was merely a plaything.

There was a warm breeze throughout the trees surrounding the ranch. Emma and Killian rode slowly side-by-side, admiring the view of the place.

“Gorgeous,” he said, shaking his head. “I think I’d like some property like this, someday.”

Emma laughed, “But would you ever take the time to enjoy it?”

With a shrug, Killian glanced back over to her. “I think I could be persuaded.”

Closing her eyes and sighing slightly, Emma gripped the reins on Buttercup a bit more tightly. “Killian, today is our last day together,” she opened her eyes and licked her lips. “I don’t know if it does any good to pretend that I’ll have any influence on your life after today.”

They had reached a hill, atop which a view of the city could be seen. Killian pulled the Captain to a halt and folded his hands onto the horn of his saddle. “That’s something I’d like to talk to you about,” he smiled slightly. “I’ve arranged for you to have a very nice apartment in town. All expenses paid. You’ll have a credit card in your name for which I will always fit the bill. You’ll have a car service at your disposal, and you should never need to work the streets again.”

Staring at him from her mount, Emma took in a deep breath. “Why? To be at your beck and call?”

Blinking slowly, Killian shook his head. “No, I…I don’t intend…”

“So when you pass through, you’ll leave a few hundreds next to the bed?” She frowned and clenched her jaw. “Killian, I don’t want to be your kept woman.”

Swallowing hard, Killian looked down at his hands. He nodded slowly. “Sure. I can…you don’t need to...” he sighed, “Emma what is it that you do want?”

Glancing out over the city, Emma smiled slightly. “I want a chance to be better. I think I want to go to school and get an actual career. I don’t want to do…this job anymore. I deserve more than this. I deserve the fairy tale, and that’s what I want.” She looked back to him. “Thank you for your offer. But I can do this alone.”

There was a flash of hurt in his gaze as Killian tugged slightly on the reigns of the Captain and turned his horse back toward the stables. “Well, shall we have lunch then, Love?”

Emma forced a smile and rode alongside him, back toward Anton’s lovely picnic lunch.

--

Anton was a jovial man. He told clean jokes with a broad grin and laughed so hard from his belly that tears streamed down his face. His wife Belinda had created a wonderful spread of wine country goods, with cheeses, meats, olives, fruit, and pickled vegetables. They all shared glasses of wine, Anton perhaps more than anyone else, and before they knew it, it was dark outside.

Lanterns were strung over the picnic table, and a cool breeze had come in through the pines. Killian sipped at his glass as a young boy wandered up to the party of four.

“Wendell!” Anton boomed, reaching out and scooping the toddler up into his arms. “Did you escape from Elizabeth? These are my friends, Killian and Emma.”

Wendell offered a shy smile, burying his face into his father’s massive shoulder.

“Sorry, he’s almost three, and still kinda clingy,” Belinda apologized, brushing crumbs from the tablecloth. She glanced up as a teenager called out for the boy, presumably his nanny.

“He’s here,” Anton smiled. He looked to Killian. “Do either of you have any little ones? Wendell is our first.”

“No,” Emma gave a slightly sad smile. “Not yet.”

Killian watched her, then shook his head in agreement. “Me either.”

“Well they’re a joy,” Belinda smiled. “I hope you’re so blessed, someday.”

A blush rose into Killian’s cheeks. He watched Anton sweep the boy out into the lawn, hoisting him up over his head and wiggling him around. The child giggled and clung to his father, squealing each time Anton pretended to drop him. He felt a pang deep inside and pulled his wine glass back to his lips, downing the contents.

--

The next morning, it was time to be off. Emma had taken a luxurious bath, made sure to do her hair just right, and dressed casually from the new wardrobe Killian had insisted she keep.

“Thank you,” Emma smiled to the bellhop as he took her final suitcase down to the lobby. She turned and grabbed her old handbag, inside which she had her old flip phone and the jewelry with which she came to the hotel. She had left a neat placement of jewelry Killian ‘borrowed’ on the dining room table. Looking around the room, she drew in a deep breath and smiled, remembering the whirlwind week that was behind her.

Once he returned, she’d say her goodbyes and head back to the crummy apartment near Hollywood Boulevard. It wasn’t much, but it was home. At least they wouldn’t have to worry about rent for a while, and she could get a decent start on her schooling.

--

At the office, Killian was sitting at the head of a long conference room table, rocking back and forth slowly in a comfortable leather chair, his fingertips tented.

“Hello?” Neal Cassidy asked, raising an eyebrow. “Earth to Mr. Jones.”

Blinking, Killian offered an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, daydreaming.”

“Hah! Since when do you daydream? Right, now, we have drawn up all of the paperwork for the acquisition.” Neal began handing out thick stacks of paper to the forlorn-looking Mr. Gold. His nephew August sat beside him, arms crossed defiantly across his chest.

“You don’t have to do this. We can hire lawyers,” August insisted one last time, desperate to allow his uncle to keep his company.

“Good luck with that, Buddy,” Neal snorted and picked up a glass of water, sipping from it. He glanced back down the table at Killian, who seemed to be ‘daydreaming’ again. He snapped his fingers at his client.

Killian waved him off with a frown, then stood as Mr. Gold grabbed the pen before him.

“Mr. Gold,” Killian began, tugging his suit jacket closed and buttoning it carefully. “That military contract of yours, what was the deal?”

Gold looked up, eyes narrowed, processing the thought. “I was under the impression that the contract was dead.”

With a shameful smirk, Killian shook his head. “Just buried,” he replied, “not dead.”

Neal glanced to his partner and stood as well. “What the fuck are you doing?”

Gold and his nephew glanced between one another. August looked down at the paperwork and then to Killian. “It was a two-billion-dollar deal for aircraft carriers. Extension available upon delivery of the first. Why?”

“Mm,” Killian nodded and gave a smile. “Neal, I think that sounds like…something we can get behind. I mean, sounds like a good investment to me.”

“Investment?” Neal sputtered and leaned forward, slamming his hands onto the table. “This is not about an investment. This is a hostile takeover, remember?”

Moving toward Mr. Gold, Killian offered up a hand. “I’d like to offer you an investment of ninety million, to start. How does that sound?”

“Is this some kind of joke?” August asked, standing behind his uncle.

Shaking his head, Killian left his hand hanging out to be shaken. “No, not at all. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to buy and break up your company, Mr. Gold. I believe you have excellent opportunity ahead of you. Let’s make it so no one else can attempt a takeover while you work on your contract. I’ll have Senator Michaels pull it out of appropriations.”

Neal was nearly tearing his hair from his head. He moved to Killian’s side, grabbing his expensive jacket and giving it a firm tug. “No, no, that is NOT what we are here to do! We’re here to take over Gold Industries and sell it off in tiny chunks for a profit!”

“I’ve changed my mind, Neal. It’s time I got into some real business. This contract gives me an opportunity to do something…productive with my life,” Killian smiled brightly. “If you’d be so kind, could you draw up the contract for the investment procedures? If not, I can have another one of my attorneys see to it. I have another meeting today.”

Gold stood slowly and took Killian’s outstretched hand. He gripped it with a slowly-building smile. “We’re gonna make great big ships together, Mr. Jones.”

“Indeed we are!” He shook the man’s hand firmly and gave a wave to his dumbfounded attorney before grabbing his suitcase and leaving the office.

--

There was a chime as the elevator to the penthouse opened. Emma was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, a pen in-hand as she looked over a community college application. Glancing up, she smiled, expecting to see Killian.

Neal stomped into the room. “Where is he?” He asked furiously.

Blinking, Emma put the application aside and stood, adjusting her red leather jacket. “Sorry?”

“Where is Killian?” He looked toward the balcony and then the bedroom.

“Oh, um, he’s not here. He should be home any minute,” she said idly, moving toward the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink?”

Neal paused and chuckled, shaking his head. “Are you serious? ‘Home’? Do you think this is some sort of little love shack for you? This is a hotel room. It is not ‘home’, and you are not Killian’s ‘little woman’. You’re a hooker.”

Pausing in the kitchen, Emma tapped her fingernails on the marble island. She turned and shook her head. “You know, maybe you should wait in the lobby.”

Neal continued forward, a predatory look in his eyes. “A cheap hooker. You know, maybe if I do you, I won’t feel so bad about losing out on that deal your John just scuttled.”

Emma took a step backward. “Please leave.”

Lunging forward, Neal grabbed Emma by the wrists and pulled her to him. He turned, pinning her against the kitchen’s island, slamming the side of her face hard into the countertop. The marble was cold against her face, and the hardness made her cheekbone ache.

“Get off! No!” Emma screamed as he pawed her body, unbuckling his belt.

She reached furiously for anything to grab for defending herself. Nothing seemed within reach. Neal tugged at Emma’s jeans, pulling them toward the floor.

“Stop!” Emma cried, nails digging at the surface. Her cry was echoed by another voice as Killian darted into the room and grabbed Neal, throwing him backward.

Neal fell backward into the hard wooden back of the sofa as Emma scrambled to make herself decent once more. There was a small cut on the side of her eye, from which a trickle of blood was pouring down her cheek.

Killian grabbed Neal by the collar and dragged the man toward the elevator. He shoved him inside it. “You’re fired. You’d better be gone before the cops get here, you disgusting sack of shit.”

Leaning in, he pressed the button to the lobby and stepped back. Neal scrambled to his feet.

“You’re making a huge mistake, Jones! She’s a fucking whore, that’s all she is!” He shouted.

With a step forward, Killian stopped the doors and moved in, slugging Neal square in the jaw. The man slumped against the railing inside the elevator, groaning. The doors closed and the car made its way to the lobby.

He turned and rushed to Emma.

She was wiping her face with shaky hands, not noticing the blood until she glanced down at her fingertips. “Oh,” she whimpered and turned to look for a towel.

“Emma, shh,” he cooed, bringing a chair to her. He sat her down carefully. Fetching a cold, wet cloth, he knelt in front of her and reached up to touch the cut on her cheek. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

Sniffling slightly, Emma shook her head. “Not the first time that’s happened,” she muttered, wringing her hands. “Guys always know how to hurt you.”

“Not all guys hurt,” Killian said quietly, dabbing at the cut. He leaned forward and blew gently on it with a frown.

Reaching up to his hand, Emma guided Killian’s cloth away. “I should go.” She gave a sad smile and moved to stand up.

“Emma, please, I wish you’d reconsider…” Killian stood, stepping back from her. He bit down softly on his lip. “Just let me put you in a nice place, please.”

“I can’t be that for you, Killian,” Emma shook her head slowly.

“Then stay with me. Not because I’m paying you. Because you want to,” he stepped slightly forward, eyes focused on hers. “Please, Emma.”

Emma gazed back at him for a long, silent moment, then shook her head. “I need to do this for myself. But thank you.” She walked to the sofa and grabbed her bag, slinging it over her shoulder. She grabbed the notebook and application she had been working on earlier. Moving slowly, she pressed the button on the elevator. As she turned to get one last look at him, Emma felt a tear roll down her cheek. “Goodbye, Killian Jones.” The doors closed slowly, and her view of him disappeared.

--

In the lobby, Emma made her way across the grand marble-tiled floors toward a brass revolving door. It seemed as if Neal had left before she made her way down.

“Um, Miss Swan?” Came a familiar voice as she walked. Emma slowed to a stop and smiled.

“Archie,” She moved forward and reached out a hand.

Mr. Hopper grasped her hand in both of his. “I heard Mr. Jones is leaving, so I thought maybe you were going with him? Oh...oh my, are you alright?” He gestured to the cut next to her eye, his expression becoming concerned.

“Nah, I’ve got digs here in Hollywood,” Emma said cooly, brushing away his concern. “I’m cool. I’m going home.”

“Take care, Emma,” Archie smiled, nudging his glasses up on his nose after he released her hand. “You’re always welcome here.”

Stepping forward, Emma wrapped the man in a tight hug before stepping back and heading for the exit. She raised a hand for a cab.

“Ah,” Mr. Hopper interrupted again, “Charlie will take you wherever it is you need to go. On me.” He gestured to one of the hotel’s town cars. Emma blushed and nodded. She climbed into the back of the fancy car and settled into the warm leather seat as it was loaded with her belongings.

“Of course,” Liam affirmed, not even hesitating.  This was Killian, whom he had grown up with. The man before him had refused to rat him out, even when falsely accused of cheating at school on the one test Liam had ever cheated on (thought two years younger, Killian had possessed a gift for languages which far surpassed his elder sibling’s, even if it was Liam who brought home the straight As). Killian had woken at dawn to milk cows with him before the bus arrived, even willingly taking the chore over during Liam’s senior year when Liam had found an early internship in his field to beef up his college aps, and Killian had been the one who’d saved with him to buy their first vehicle - a truck they had shared until Liam left for college and that he knew Killian still treasured.

“Good,” Killian murmured in a gravelly voice, a warmth in his eyes conveying just how glad he was to see his brother, regardless of what else might be on his mind. “Do you remember fighting off muggers? Or being pushed from the platform at your usual commuting station?”

Liam felt a slight pounding behind his eyes when he scrunched his forehead in thought, letting out a pained hiss and resolving not to try that a second time. He vaguely remembered standing on the platform, some stranger getting in his space, flipping his scarf, yelling, and the sensation of falling, but it was all a bit jumbled. Bringing a hand up to his temple, Killian leaned back to stand and seek the call button before pressing it anxiously. Turning his eyes up to his darker haired sibling, Liam mused, “Possibly? ...At least, maybe parts of it, I think.”

Killian ran an agitated hand back through his already disheveled hair, making Liam want to chuckle at the way the strands were beginning to stick out at all angles and in every direction. For his part, the younger brother did not look amused, but more flustered and upset with himself before finally saying, “I’m sorry, Liam. We should have been calling to have you checked out first thing, and here I am, like a bloody fool, bombarding you with questions the moment you finally wake…”

Something about his brother’s self-remonstrating rant set off further little alarm bells in Liam’s mind. “Wait, so I was mugged? At the station? How long have I been out?”

Killian shook his head, coming back to take his brother’s hand and squeeze tightly, gaze catching his and boring into Liam’s intently. “Long enough to have us all worried, Liam. Let’s just say I’m very glad you’re talking to me, that you know me, and leave it at that until a doctor arrives.”

Liam didn’t like it, but he could see that he wasn’t going to get any more information on his health from his sibling at present - Killian could be every bit as stubborn and bullheaded as Liam knew himself to be when determination was called for, and so he was wise enough to realize that pushing directly wouldn’t get him anywhere. Blowing out a breath in frustration, he swiped a hand through his mussed - despite their close crop - curls and forced himself to focus on his second point of confusion. “Fine, we’ll leave my condition to the doctors, if you insist… but Killian, at least tell me who that lass was who just ran out of here. She seemed upset.  Did you - or did I unknowingly - do something to cause her distress?”

Killian bit his lower lip in deep thought for a moment, weighing his options. Liam might not have remembered being engaged, even if he had been; of course, Killian now knew it wasn’t the case anyway, but also that the whole mix-up (though it had gotten out of hand) had begun as an innocent mistake. Something within him, in annoyingly close vicinity to his heart, couldn’t bear to have Liam, and then their whole family, blame Emma as he had mistakenly done, and then turn her out of their affections. His chest ached at the lonely yearning in her voice and expression when he had confronted her - as if she were just waiting to be rejected once more, even as she clung to some fragile hope that this time might finally be different.

Liam’s eyes were beginning to narrow suspiciously, and Killian knew he had better speak up before his brother deduced just how carefully he was weighing his words. Clearing his throat, Killian plunged in with a version of the truth that he hoped might spare everyone - well, everyone but his own traitorous affections. “You don’t recognize her? She’s a toll booth operator at the station you go through every Saturday. According to her, and the police for that matter, you were mugged while waiting for your train and pushed onto the tracks. She… Emma, her name’s Emma… jumped down as well, and somehow managed to roll your unconscious self out of the way before you were both run over.”

Liam’s eyes were wide in shock by the time Killian got that much of the tale relayed, but he was also nodding along with at least some degree of recognition. “Aye, you’re right,” he said softly, eyes somewhat unfocused as he thought back. “I do remember a bit of that altercation - shoving, one of those crooks making off with my briefcase, and the sensation of falling…”

“Exactly,” Killian confirmed, with a dip of his chin in a definite nod. He hesitated as his older brother’s brow furrowed in consternation, clearly frustrated as to why he didn’t remember his - to Killian’s mind anyway, angelically beautiful - savior. Here was where he could stop and let the rest of the chips fall where they might. However, the aching need he had seen on Emma’s face - to belong, to matter to someone, to be a part of something, even something as taken-for-granted by most as a family, pushed him further. His voice was still low, more of a hoarse croak really, because some part of him wanted Emma to be free and unattached, to know if he could enchant her as Liam had done from afar, but still he spoke up trying to comfort himself with the belief that he was sparing everyone else pain - Emma, his family - and giving his brother a gift if the driven sod took his head out of work long enough to recognize and grasp it. “Not only that though,” he added, seeing that he had Liam’s focus once more. “She tells us the two of you are engaged as well.”

“What?” Liam questioned, looking (if possible) even more perplexed than he had been already. “Engaged?”

Killian nodded again, succinctly, calm on the outside, even as his stomach churned. None of what he said was untrue, and yet he was being a bit misleading - not that Liam seemed exactly opposed, merely confused and surprised.

“Brother,” Liam began slowly, “why is it that I seem to remember most other people and things, but not this Emma? At least not beyond vague smiles and greetings as she took my tokens for commutes. Are the rest of you certain she isn’t lying? I would have thought I’d remember proposing to someone; not to mention that if I had, I had always imagined it would be Belle.”

Again, a part of Killian wanted to bite his own tongue off as he prepared to speak further, but he had committed to his course of action now and plunged ahead, all the while still trying to convince himself that he was doing what was best for everyone. “To be honest with you, Liam, I had always supposed you and Belle would return to each other as well,” he answered honestly. “You’d be the one to know what happened there more than I. What I can do is tell you what I’ve learned of Emma while you’ve been sleeping…” He attempted to inject the offer with a bit of teasing humor, and did in fact draw a rueful chuckle from his older brother.

He then proceeded to share details of the dinner Emma had spent with his family, their reactions to her and affection they held for her, and even his own impressions and how much he genuinely liked her as he had gotten to know her. Before Killian realized, nearly an hour had passed, and Liam wore a thoughtful, but much more at ease, expression on his face as Killian’s words finally ran out.

“You know, Brother,” Liam spoke slowly, deliberately, “perhaps I shouldn’t be so worried about remembering every detail, and instead thank my lucky stars someone who sounds as enchanting and wonderful as you make Emma Swan sound has wound up in my life. Maybe I had better get to know her and see if she still wishes to be my wife rather than trying to recapture the past and allowing her a chance to slip away.”

Killian nodded in agreement, relieved to see that Liam didn’t seem particularly troubled or reluctant at this prospect. He honestly wanted to simply feel relief altogether; this was the response he’d hoped for after all. His brother was alright, Emma wouldn’t have to leave their family and return to her solitary life; things could work out for everyone. But, for someone who was getting what he wanted, why could he feel nothing but heaviness and dread in his heart?

~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~

When Killian stepped outside the hospital onto the busy sidewalk, the chilly bite to the New England air had sharpened further still with the coming of evening. He didn’t have to search long though to discover that Emma was still nearby, clearly having lingered despite her hurt and disappointment, as he could see her huddled against the cold on a bench in the bus stop shelter a mere few yards away. As he neared her and stood in the entrance, as if asking permission to join her with a cocked head and arched brow, Emma glanced up and met his eyes almost sheepishly, before shrugging and nodding her assent.

She didn’t actually speak aloud until Killian flopped down on the bench beside her, offering him a quirked half-smile in tired self-deprecation before asking, “So, now that Liam’s all caught up, how huge of a crazy stalker does he think I am?” she asked lowly. “Did you guys call the cops, or should I just be prepared to be carted off to therapy?”

Her head bowed again after that, as if she didn’t want to - or couldn’t - keep holding his gaze. Killian sucked a surprised breath into his throat and nearly choked on it. He had long since realized she was sincere and no scam artist after all, but he hadn’t really grasped her level of shame and contrition.  Unable to leave her in that sort of turmoil any longer than absolutely necessary, he reached over to cover her cold bare hand with his own where it rested on her knee. Keeping his voice equally low, he still hoped it would convey some warmth and cheer, as he could feel shivers tremoring through Emma’s wiry frame next to him. “Actually, Liam’s decided he’d quite like to get to know you, Lass. He doesn’t remember you - or proposing, for obvious reasons,” he winked at her there and she gave a surprised snort of laughter, even as she also tried to surreptitiously swipe away a few tears, “but after hearing how you saved his life and how much we all love you and how well you fit in, he seemed to see it as an opportunity to get to know someone amazing rather than just letting you vanish.”

It was Emma’s turn for her breath to catch in stunned disbelief. Shaking her head, she did look back at him then, a tentative smile curling her lips even as she returned his stare in pure awe. “How did you…? What - Why would you do that for me, Killian? You know that it was all a big misunderstanding.” She stammered, at a dazed sort of loss, before her protest faded.

“Because I didn’t want you to have to be alone,” he offered simply. “You clearly already think a lot of Liam; he seemed to want to get to know you. You two can handle it from there - but it didn’t seem necessary to cause a lot of hurt feelings and embarrassment when it might all work out for the best anyway.  Besides, my family would hate to lose you….and so would I.”  He shrugged his shoulders, not sure what else to say in explanation.

It was a gesture that Emma mirrored sheepishly, a tiny smile crossed her face, even as her cheeks blushed bright red. “Who knows?  We might end up married in the end after all, huh?” she responded playfully.

“Exactly,” he smirked back. However, he had to swallow hard around the growing lump in his throat to do so - more certain than ever that the perfect happily ever after for her and his loved ones was going to pain him even more than he had realized at first.

Pressing her lips together, Emma seemed to be carefully gathering her thoughts for one more thing she wished to say, not noticing Killian’s inner conflict before he schooled his expression and kept it from showing on his face. “You know, not so long ago, my adoptive mom, Ingrid, was in the last stages of terminal cancer. We’d done all we could to fight it, but her body had taken enough...it was shutting down on her…” She paused, licked her lips, and then straightened herself in her seat and plowed on.  “I was sitting at her bedside, clinging on for dear life, cursing the world, and cancer, and Fate, that I would be all by myself in the world again… and she reached over, touched my face, and in just barely a whisper, said, ‘You’ll find a family again, my girl.  I know it.’  Those were… h-her last words.  And I - I didn’t believe them until right now.”

Blinking rapidly, she looked up into his eyes with her teary green ones shining. “Thank you, Killian. For giving me a chance. I adore your family, and I certainly don’t want to hurt them… You know that, right?”

He could tell she was about to start rambling in reassurance, and so he reached out to cover her lips, shaking his head with a humored grin. “Emma, Emma,” he soothed, breaking in before she could get on too much of a roll, “It’s okay. I know.”

For a second he stared into her eyes, shocked, and his hands darted away from her mouth quickly, feeling almost heated by the spark of chemistry that ricocheted from where their skin brushed. They were both silent, waiting, until the moment nearly passed.

Licking her lips once more, Emma nodded as if in acceptance of all they had discussed, then finally murmured, “Well, I’m grateful….So let’s see what happens… Unless….” She almost trailed off, looking away and then back to him again, “Unless you can give me some reason I shouldn’t see where this thing with Liam might go?”

Killian shook his head, barely even hesitating before he answered, “Of course not, Lass. Liam is the very best of men - my brother or not.  I wish nothing but happiness for the both of you.”  And that was that - even if he felt his heart sink inside him as he said the words.