too little caffeine

Chapter 1: July 2 

A shadow.

A shadow moved over the surface of the moon where rested the Apollo 11 descent stage which bore a plaque that read 

HERE MEN FROM THE PLANET EARTH

FIRST SET FOOT UPON THE MOON

JULY 1969, A. D.

WE CAME IN PEACE FOR ALL MANKIND

The bottom of the plaque bore the signatures of Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and US President Richard M. Nixon. 

As the shadow advanced over the lunar landscape, Neil Armstrong's footprint - still clearly visible on the surface of the moon next to the spacecraft - slowly disappeared as the vibrations created from the advancing shadow caused the dust of the surface to fill in the bumps and ridges of the mark left by the astronaut so many years ago.

~*~*~

S. E. T. I., New Mexico

Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute

Sean Herman hated the night shift. Well, mostly. There was always more to do and people to do it with when SETI was fully staffed during the day. Plus the fact that he’d much rather be in bed with his wife, Ashley instead of doing nothing but practicing his putting and listening to ‘80’s pop, as the long night stretched out ahead of him. 

He leaned over his putter, The End of the World As We Know It by R. E. M. playing loudly in the background, and prepared his shot. A flashing red light caught the corner of his eye and he looked up, his mouth hanging open slightly as his brain caught up with what his eyes were seeing. 

He rushed over to where the music was playing and turned the volume down, his eyes widening in disbelief. A sound not unlike old Morse Code - but much quicker, almost like machine gun fire - came from the speakers and Sean hurried over to the red line to alert his boss.

“If this is not an insanely beautiful woman, I’m hanging up,” the man grumbled into the phone.

“Sir, Sir,” Sean stammered, “I think you should listen to this.” He rolled his chair from the screen to the speaker and held the earpiece of the phone to it, the sound still coming through crystal clear. He didn’t move for a few moments and then brought the phone back to his ear to hear his boss sputtering and cursing. “Sir?” he asked confused, his extreme excitement tempered a bit by the stream of expletives pouring from the chief’s mouth. It took a few moments, but when his tirade finally died away, Sean waited for directions. Once received, he hung up and contacted the rest of the staffers.

Ten minutes later - when the chief finally arrived, his hand holding an ice pack on his head - everyone was at their stations.

“This better not be some Russian spy job…” the chief muttered as he entered the command center.

Billy looked up from his screen and pulled the phone away from his face as he reported, “Guys from air traffic control say the skies are clear.” 

A wide grin broke out on Sean’s face. “It’s the real thing! A radio signal from another world!”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here…” the chief told Sean, making a placating gesture with his unoccupied hand. “Get on the line with space command.” Sean’s wife, Ashley nodded and turned toward her screen. “They’re going to want to know about this.” The chief moved toward one of the many screens in the room, but tripped over the golf balls Sean had been too excited to clean up. “What were you doing? Golf balls? Are you kidding me? You’re trying to kill me…”

“Wait, a minute,” Ashley murmured, typing away while she looked at her screen, her brow furrowed in confusion. “This can’t be right…” The room was silent as they all waited for her next words. But when those words came, they were all as stunned as she was. “The calculated distance from the source is only three-hundred-seventy-five-thousand kilometers…” She turned and met Sean’s then the chief’s eyes in turn. “It’s coming from the moon.”

~*~*~

Space Command, The Pentagon

General Lance Knight strode down the hallway of Space Command inside the Pentagon, Commander Arthur King by his side briefing him before they entered the secure area.

“Who else knows about this?” Lance asked.

“SETI in New Mexico, Sir,” Commander King replied, opening the door for him and waiting until he entered. “But they’re even more confused than we are.” 

The men made their way toward the large table in the center of the room as Major Percy pulled out infrared images of some object approaching earth that they were all rather at a loss to explain.

“It has an estimated diameter of five-hundred-fifty kilometers,” Commander King continued, “and mass roughly one-quarter the size of our moon.”

“Is it a meteor?” Lance asked, looking between the two men. They both shook their heads and answered simultaneously.

“No.” 

“Definitely not.”

“How do you know?”

“It’s slowing down,” the major answered.

“What?”

“It’s…” Major Percy glanced at Commander King, and at his sharp nod continued, “slowing down, sir.”

Lance left the table and picked up the red line. “Get me the Secretary of Defense.” He listened for a moment and then barked, “Well, wake him!”

~*~*~

First Family Residence, the White House

The phone rang on the nightstand, and President David Nolan picked it up, a soft and rather goofy smile touching his lips.

“Hi,” his wife, Mary Margaret, greeted him.

“What time is it there?”

“2:45,” she replied. “I know I didn’t wake you.”

David chuckled good naturedly. “As a matter of fact, you did,” he said, his smile still firmly in place.

“Liar.” He could hear her smile in her words, and he was reminded of just how much he loved and missed her.

“You need to get some sleep,” he cajoled.

“I know, I just wanted to tell you good morning before I did and that I love you,” she said.

“I love you, too,” he replied. “I’ll talk to you later. After you get some sleep.”

“Alright. Bye.”

“Bye.”

David got out of bed and left the room. The McLaughlin Group was playing on the TV as he tied his robe closed and sat down to his cream cheese bagel and coffee breakfast. His perfectly put together - even before six in the morning - Press Secretary Regina Mills entered, holding the morning newspaper just as John McLaughlin posed a question to his panel.  

“President Nolan’s approval rating has dropped below 40%. Is the honeymoon period over for President Nolan, Morton?”

David rolled his eyes as Morton Kondracke, a reporter for Roll Call - essentially a Capitol Hill newsletter - answered McLaughlin’s question. “Leadership as a pilot in the Gulf War is completely different than leadership in the political arena.”

Elenor Clift, pundit for Newsweek magazine jumped in. “That’s the problem, they elected a warrior and they got a wimp!”

“Regina, you’re up awfully early this morning,” he observed as she sat down across from him at the small table.

“They’re not attacking your policies, they’re attacking your age,” she ranted. “Listen to this. ‘President Nolan seems less like the president and more like the orphan Oliver asking, Please, sir, I’d like some more.’” She folded up the paper and shot him a glare across the table. “Your age was never an issue before. Not when you stuck to your guns. You were thought of as young, idealistic…” she continued, her hands waving about for emphasis. “A breath of fresh air!”

“Isn’t it amazing how quickly everyone can turn against you,” he interjected, before taking another sip of his coffee. A staffer entered the room, catching both their attention. 

“Good morning, Mr. President. The Secretary of Defense is on the line.” David stood from the table and picked up the phone.

“Good morning, Isaac,” David greeted. He listened carefully as his Defense Secretary, Isaac Heller spoke. But he still couldn’t be quite sure he was hearing correctly. “Would you say that again?”

~*~*~

Central Park, New York City 

Robin Locksley looked at the chess board, calculating his next move. His father, Marco sat across from him puffing on his cigar and staring at him as if his unblinking gaze could somehow get Robin to move before he finished smoking it.

“What’s taking so long?” Marco asked.

“I’m thinking.”

“My social security will expire and you’ll still be there thinking,” Marco groused, taking a sip of his coffee.

Robin didn’t even look at him. “Do you have any idea how long it takes for one of those styrofoam cups to decompose?” he asked, conversationally.

“If you don’t move soon, I’m going to decompose.” 

Robin made his decision and moved, Marco moving only seconds later. Robin looked up, his countenance clearly expressing his irritation. When his father simply looked back at him, completely nonplussed, he looked back at the board between them.

“Listen, Robin. I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Marco began. 

Robin had a pretty good idea of what his father wanted to talk about and shot him a warning glance before he could get going. “Don’t start.”

Unfortunately, Marco didn’t take the hint and plowed ahead. “It’s been four years, Robin. Come on. You need to take off your wedding band.”

“It’s been three years,” Robin reminded him. “And, no.”

But Marco wasn’t to be deterred. “This isn’t healthy, son. It’s time to move on.”

“No, this,” Robin said, pointing to the cigar in Marco’s mouth, “This is not healthy.” Robin moved his chess piece and looked up, a satisfied smirk on his face. “Checkmate.”

Marco’s mouth dropped open, and he barely caught the cigar as it fell. “What? No! This is not checkmate.” He looked at the board and traced Robin’s last few moves before clenching his fist and hissing in displeasure.

Robin rose from his seat and kissed Marco on the top of his head. “See you tomorrow, Papa.” Marco continued his complaints under his breath as Robin hopped on his bicycle and started toward work. 

Once he arrived, Robin rode his bike in between the desks toward his office. His assistant, affectionately nicknamed Little John - though the only time the bear of a man might have been little was the day he was born - called out to him over the din of an even more chaotic bullpen than normal. Everyone was on the phone, raised voices assuring whoever was on the other end of the line that everything that could be done was being done and that their cable would be restored as soon as humanly possible. 

“Robin! Where have you been?” Little John cried. “What’s the point of having a pager if you don’t turn it on?

“It was turned on,” Robin replied, grinning at his colleague. “I was ignoring you. What’s the big emergency?” He got off his bike and leaned it against the glass wall of his office, then walked around to his desk. 

“It started this morning,” Little John informed him. “Every station is acting like it’s the 1950’s. We’ve got static, we’ve got snow, all sorts of distortions.” The man tossed the Coke can he held into the trash bin just outside Robin’s door and waved his arms around in dramatic frustration. 

Robin shot him a glare and retrieved the can from the trash himself. “We have recycling bins for a reason, Little John! Use them!” He tossed it into the recycling container and sat back down at his desk.

The annoyed glare Little John sent him was so out of character, Robin was taken aback for a moment. “So sue me! Robin, we have a problem!”

“Ok, ok,” Robin tried to calm the extremely agitated man down. “Did you try switching transponder channels?”

Little John’s eyebrows nearly hit his hairline. “Seriously, Robin? Do you think I’d be this panicked if it was something simple?”

“Point the dish at another satellite, then,” Robin suggested, turning to his computer.

“We tried that,” Little John informed him, his shoulders slumping in defeat. “It’s like they aren’t even there.”

Robin picked up the sheet of paper from the printer and began to look it over, his forehead furrowing after a few moments.

“What?” Little John asked.

Robin looked back at his assistant, confused unease on his face. “This is impossible.”

~*~*~

Imperial Valley, California

Nicholas Hatter stood at the stove of the family motorhome, cooking scrambled eggs for his two younger sisters, Grace and Ava, the former banging the side of the small antenna TV, which showed only snow on the screen. Suddenly an old beat up Chevy truck pulled up outside the motorhome, honking furiously. Nicholas turned the stove off and they ran outside to see what all the commotion was.

“Michael?” Nicholas asked as a man threw open the door of the truck and stomped around to the bed. Reaching in, he picked up a double handful of greens and marched toward where Nicholas and Grace were standing. 

“I’ve got a whole field of rotting vegetables,” Michael seethed, tossing the vegetables to the ground at their feet. “If your dad isn’t dusting my field in twenty minutes, I’m getting someone else.”

“I’ll find him,” Nicholas assured him. “I promise.” Michael drove away and Nicholas turned to Grace. “I’ve got to find Dad. Make sure you both eat breakfast,” he told her. Grace nodded as he ran toward his motorbike. 

Nicholas first sped toward the only bar in the tiny town about an hour east of Los Angeles. When he couldn’t find his father there, he drove towards the outskirts of town until he could see the telltale plume of pesticides falling from a single engine plane toward the earth below. Nicholas waved frantically at the plane. 

“Jefferson!” he hollered as loud as he could. He could see his father waving back enthusiastically before he brought the plane in for a landing. Nicholas caught up as Jefferson climbed out.

“This is the wrong field, you idiot!” Nicholas hollered. “Darling’s farm is on the other side of town!”

His father just stared at him for a moment, rather bleary eyed. He grabbed a flask from his pocket and took a long swig before turning back toward him. “Are you sure?” he asked. Nicholas just shook his head and rode away.

~*~*~

The Oval Office, White House

Regina entered the Oval Office to even more chaos than she expected. White House staffers, Pentagon officials, and members of David’s cabinet were scattered around - some on telephones, others shooting ideas back and forth - the anxious tension in the room so thick it could be cut with a knife.

“We don’t know enough about what we’re dealing with to make any kind of informed decision,” David said, thoroughly exasperated.

“But, that’s not stopping the press from making up their own stories,” Regina informed him, her grim words and countenance getting everyone’s attention. 

“We may need to upgrade to DEFCON 3,” David declared.

“Absolutely,” Defense Secretary Isaac Heller agreed. “Contact NORAD and tell them we’ve upgraded to DEFCON 3.”

Regina moved in close to her boss and whispered, “Are you sure that’s the right plan at the moment? Seems a little premature to me.”

“I said may,” David allowed, his gaze settling on Heller. “Though Isaac is a little too enthusiastic about the idea.”

The door to the Oval Office opened again, admitting two Pentagon soldiers. They approached the President and laid the case one of them carried down on the coffee table in the middle of the room. 

“Our intelligence shows it settling into a stationary orbit,” he said after opening the case so everyone could see the infrared photos inside. “Part of it has broken off into nearly three dozen smaller objects. Smaller than the whole, sir, yet each over fifteen miles in width themselves.”

Silence followed the man’s words until Heller asked the question they were all thinking. “Where are they heading?”

“They should be entering our atmosphere within the next twenty-five minutes.”

The silence in the room was deafening and David’s face was grim when he finally spoke. 

“Take us to DEFCON 3.”

~*~*~

Downtown Manhattan, New York City

Robin typed away on his computer and then hit the print button as Little John entered his office. 

“Please tell me we’re getting somewhere,” he moaned.

“Oh yeah, we’re getting somewhere,” Robin informed him. “The problem isn’t our equipment. There’s some sort of weird signal embedded in the satellite feed. And it has a definite sequential pattern. So as soon as I find the exact binary sequence, then I can calculate the phase reversal with the analyzer I built you for your birthday and apply it. We should be able to block it out completely.”

Robin looked at his assistant amusedly. He looked completely lost until almost the last sentence he spoke, then broke into a wide grin.

“And we’ll be the only company on the east coast with a clear picture!” he exclaimed. Robin nodded in agreement. Little John pumped his fist. “Yes, yes, yes!” Then he picked Robin up off his feet and hugged him as tightly as he could. 

Robin was having trouble breathing but still managed to choke out, “Oof, oof, not necessary, Little John!”

~*~*~

People all over the world - in major cities across Europe, Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the United States - looked skyward as a phenomenon utterly foreign to all mankind occurred. 

The sky was split across the horizon - dark, rolling clouds lit up from within by fire - until even the clouds were split as a huge object emerged from the conflagration. The object - shaped like a round, flat disc - cast a shadow covering huge portions of each city, as the people poured into the streets to try and figure out what was happening.

Jefferson Hatter sat in a cafe in southern California, staring at the flask in his hand, until the sudden silence around him made him look up and outside through the front windows. He staggered to his feet, his mouth dropping open at the sight. His kids, back at the motorhome, thought it was an earthquake. Nicholas gathered his sisters in his arms and got them out of the shaking vehicle, before staring dumbfounded at the object in the sky over Los Angeles. 

Elsewhere, across America and around the world, children on the playground halted their games, vehicles came to a stop in the middle of the street, people left their desks, their houses of worship, their shopping, their homes, all to bear witness to the sight above. As one, humanity watched and then, aghast and terror-stricken, ran for whatever semblance of safety might be found when their entire world - and worldview - burned in the inferno of the skies above.

Inside the Oval Office, everyone was on a phone confirming sightings of the alien ships around the world. A submarine in the Persian Gulf confirmed two alien crafts heading for Cairo and Baghdad, while the TV showed a broadcast in Russia, panicked citizens in the background, reporting a craft moving toward Moscow.

General Lance Knight pressed the speaker button on the phone and hung up. “Captain, the President is listening. Tell him what you just told me.”

After a moment of static, the captain of a Boeing E-3 on the California coast came through. 

“We still have zero visibility. Instrumentation is malfunctioning. We can’t get any kind of reading on what’s in front of us.” The captain paused for a moment as the people in the Oval Office held their breath. “Wait a minute. There may be some clearing up ahead.” There was a longer silence, until shouts from the plane reached their ears. “PULL UP! PULL UP!” 

In the silent aftermath of the terrified shouts, Lance picked the phone back up and tried to re-establish a connection for a moment before hanging up and looking around, his face grim. “Line’s gone.”

Next to Lance, another general put down his phone. “They’re tracking two more on the east coast. One is moving toward New York. The other… here.”

“How much time do we have?” Lance asked.

“Less than ten minutes, Sir.”

“Mr. President,” Lance said, “I strongly recommend we move you to a secure location, immediately.”

Heller moved toward David to escort him out, but the President didn’t move. 

“No. I’m not leaving.” Heller, Lance, and Regina exchanged stunned and fearful glances.

“We need to maintain a functioning government,” Heller said.

David acknowledged the man with a nod, but still didn’t move. “I’m staying here. I’m not going to contribute to a panic that will cost lives. Get the Vice President, Joint Chiefs, the entire cabinet and move them to a secure location.” 

“You heard him,” Heller said to the aide at his side. “Take them to NORAD.”

“Regina,” David continued, “engage the Emergency Broadcast Service. Advise people not to panic. The best idea right now is to stay in their homes.” Regina nodded and, signalling to two other staffers, left the office.

Silence descended for a moment as everyone had their marching orders and hurried to carry them out. Lance looked at David with a proud, but resigned smile on his face. 

“Mr. President,” he said, “with your permission, I’d like to remain at your side.”

“I had a feeling you would,” David replied, a soft smile on his face as he looked at not only his mentor, but his friend.

“And what happens if they do become hostile?” the General asked.

“Then God help us all.”

~*~*~

Downtown Manhattan, New York City

Robin entered the bullpen, printout in hand, barely registering the voice of General Lance Knight on the TVs that encompassed the entire wall behind him.

“There is no evidence that these phenomena are endangering anyone,” the General said. “Thus far, reports of aggression…”

“Little John, listen to this…” Robin interrupted. “I got a lock on the signal so we can filter it out. But, if my calculations are correct, it’ll be gone in like seven hours anyway. It’s reducing itself every time it recycles… so eventually it’s going to disappear…” Robin looked up from his printout to see no one listening to him. Their eyes were all glued to the wall of TVs behind him. 

A moment later, Little John’s gaze met his. “Robin, haven’t you been listening?” he asked, gesturing forcefully at the monitors behind him. Robin turned to see his ex-wife, Regina Mills step to the podium in the White House briefing room.

“Good afternoon.” It had been three years since he’d seen her in person, and Robin’s heart still fluttered in his chest at the sight of the love of his life. She was the consummate professional, but he could see the strain around her lips, eyes, and shoulders that betrayed to him - though likely not to anyone else - just how unsettled she was. “So far, the phenomenon has not caused any damage. We have to ask you to please stay calm and not panic. One is heading toward Los Angeles, the two on the eastern seaboard are heading to New York and Washington DC.”

Robin looked around at his colleagues, his own alarm reflected back to him from over two dozen pairs of eyes. 

“There’s an old bomb shelter in the basement,” Little John called, “Everyone head down! Walk! Don’t run!”

~*~*~

Irvine, California, suburb of LA

Five-year-old Henry Swan ran down the hallway towards his mom’s bedroom, water gun in his hand, making shooting sounds. He burst into the room where she and her boyfriend were still asleep.  

“Mommy,” he cried, “lookit! Lookit!”

Emma sat halfway up, her eyes stubbornly remaining closed. “It's too early, baby,” she moaned before falling back to the bed.

Killian turned over and pulled her back into his arms, nuzzling behind her ear. “Earthquake?” he asked.

“Not even a four pointer,” she mumbled. “Go back to sleep.”

~*~*~

Washington DC

Six-year-old Leo Nolan sprinted into the Oval Office and straight into his father’s arms as a shadow from outside darkened the room considerably.

“What’s happening, Daddy?” he asked, burying his face into his dad’s neck in fear.

“It’s going to be alright, son,” David assured him as he and the other staffers moved out of the Oval Office to the balcony. The ship above them cast its shadow over the mall from the Lincoln Memorial in the west to the Capitol, Library of Congress, Supreme Court and beyond in the east, encompassing the White House to the north, to the Jefferson Memorial on the other side of the Tidal Basin to the south.

“Now what do we do?” Regina asked from behind him.

“Address the nation,” he replied, grimly. “There’s gonna be a lot of frightened people out there.”

Regina leaned forward, her chin inches from his shoulder, her voice barely above a whisper. “Yeah. I’m one of them.”

~*~*~

Manhattan, New York City

Robin took the stairs toward the roof two at a time as the other workers in the building moved as quickly as possible in the other direction. 

“Robin, you coming?” someone asked.

“I have to see it,” he said, hardly sparing them a glance.

He opened the door to the roof and emerged into the unnatural darkness caused by the ship above. He watched as it slowly moved across the sky - covering the heavens in every direction - until what looked like the center of the craft came to a stop over the Empire State Building.

Robin looked down at the printout still held in his hand.

“The signal…” he breathed as the puzzle came together in his mind. “My God…” He ran back inside and down the stairs to his floor as fast as his legs would carry him to find the floor empty but for Little John who was on the phone with his mother. The TVs were still running with broadcasts in between bursts of static from around the world showing the ships over London, Paris, Beijing, New Delhi, and Rome.

“I know, Ma,” Little John cajoled. “But could you please just try not to panic?”

Robin came to a stop in front of him. “Tell her to pack up and get out of town,” he said urgently.

Little John met his gaze, but didn’t question him. “Ma, pack up your things and go to Aunt Edna’s. Don’t argue with me, just do it!” he shouted before hanging up. “Robin, why did I just send my mother to Atlanta?”

“No!” Robin hollered from inside his office, “Not Atlanta! Out of town! Out of the big cities! Atlanta will be next!” He grabbed his messenger bag and bicycle and hurried back out into the bullpen to find Little John just outside his office door.

“What? Why? What’s happening?”

Robin didn’t break his stride as he moved with purpose across the room. “Didn’t you hear me tell you that the signal was winding down? In the satellite feed? That it’d be gone soon?”

“No, not really.” If the situation wasn’t so dire, Robin might have chuckled. As it was, he rolled his eyes in exasperation.

“It’s a countdown,” Robin informed him. Little John stopped in his tracks, confusion all over his face.

“A countdown to what?” Little John shouted as he chased his boss across the room. “Robin!”

Robin finally came to a stop just before climbing on his bike, resigned to explaining as much as he could to his assistant and friend. “It’s like in chess. You strategically position your pieces, and when the time is right, you strike.” He pointed to the TVs. “They’re positioning themselves all over the world, using this one signal to synchronize their efforts. And in approximately six hours,” he continued roughly, checking his watch, “the signal’s gonna disappear and the countdown will be over.”

Silence met his words. “And then what?” Little John whispered.

“Checkmate.”

The blood drained from Little John’s face, his eyes wide as saucers. “Oh, my God,” he breathed.

“Get out of town as soon as you can,” Robin urged him. “Stay away from the big cities.”

Little John nodded but didn’t move. 

“Go!” Robin shouted, finally prompting the man into action. Robin turned to the wall of screens behind him as President Nolan came to the podium.

“Good afternoon. A historic and unprecedented event has occurred. The question of whether or not we’re alone in the universe has been answered. Although it’s understandable that many of us feel a sense of hesitation, or even fear, we must attempt to reserve judgment.”

Regina was standing in the wings watching David address the nation when an aide got her attention, a phone in his hand. “He says he’s your husband.”

Regina’s eyes widened in disbelief, her lips pressed together as she took the phone, a whispered oh my God under her breath emerging from her lips. “What do you want?” she asked as smoothly as possible, hoping no one around her could hear her thundering heartbeat, now for a completely different reason than just a few minutes earlier.

“You have to get out of the White House,” Robin burst out.

Regina turned away from where David was still speaking, and moved further into the hallway away from the other staffers. “This is hardly the time or the place to have this discussion, Robin.”

“No, you don’t understand. You have to leave Washington.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, we’re having a bit of a crisis here,” she said, her voice now an agitated whisper. 

“They’re communicating with a hidden signal, they’re going to attack.”

Regina fought not to roll her eyes. “You’re just being paranoid, Robin.”

“It’s not paranoia,” he insisted. “The embedding is very subtle, it’s probably been overloo...” A dial tone met his words.

Robin’s attention turned back to the TVs as President Nolan continued. “My staff and I will remain in the White House as we attempt to establish communication. If you feel compelled to leave these cities, please do so in an orderly fashion.”

Robin gulped hard as he got on his bike, knowing exactly what he needed to do.

~*~*~

Irvine, California

Captain Killian Jones of the United States Marine Corp woke up some hours later and shuffled his way to the bathroom. Through the window, he could see the neighbors all the way down the street leaving their homes with suitcases in their hands.

When he entered the kitchen, the small antenna TV showed a news report that he still wasn’t quite awake enough to pay attention to. He looked at the screen and saw a map of the affected region with the news person urging people to stay off the roads.

“Hey, Emma,” he called. “The news is reporting on the earthquake. I think it might have been bigger than we thought.”

A small arm holding a water gun snaked around the edge of the door leading outside and a stinging stream of water hit his naked chest. Killian chuckled and grabbed the arm, as his other hand rubbed the spot where the water hit him.

“What are you doing, lad?” he asked, hugging the little boy to him.

“I’m shooting the aliens,” Henry replied, shrugging. He returned Killian’s hug, then broke away and ran back outside as Emma entered the kitchen, pulling her hair up into a messy ponytail. 

Killian couldn’t pass up the opportunity and grabbed her around the waist, nuzzling into and then kissing up and down the slope of her neck before capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Probably a bit too passionate with Henry right outside. But he couldn’t help it when she enthusiastically returned his morning greeting.

Killian finally released her, his eyebrows waggling at her flushed cheeks and kiss-swollen lips, and walked out to get the paper, tripping over Henry’s toys along the way. He stood in the yard and opened the paper before the shouts from the neighbors on both sides registered in his brain. 

“Come on, let's GO!” a man shouted, followed closely by a car door slam. Killian’s eyes cut to the right and left to see what was going on, then looked up to a helicopter flying toward Los Angeles in the distance.  Killian’s face went slack in stunned disbelief as his brain tried to register what his eyes were seeing.

A huge black disc - from this distance, looking to encompass the entire city - hovered over the valley. Killian stared, his mouth hanging open, as Emma ran out with a mug in her hand.

“You want this coffee, babe?” Her words registered, but he couldn’t respond. “Babe?”

She looked toward the valley in the distance and the distant shattering of the mug she had held in her hand reached his ears. Henry appeared between them both and shot his water gun at the ship in the distance.

Some thirty minutes later, Killian came out of the bedroom, in uniform, his bag packed. Emma paced angrily in the living room.

“They can’t do this,” she growled. “You have to call them back!”

“Yes, they can, Emma. I have to report to El Toro.” He knew she was angry, and disappointed - their limited time together lately responsible for their very late night the night before and lie-in this morning - but he didn’t have a choice. Not with the alien spaceship covering the horizon above Los Angeles.

“But you had leave for the 4th!”

“Well, they canceled it!” he shouted through grit teeth. “Look, the Black Knights are the first line of defense against them. I can’t just think about you and Henry! I have a duty to my country. Who do you think is gonna go up against them? Those idiots down there shooting their guns into the sky?” he asked, referencing a news report they’d listened to as he packed.

Emma stared at him, her stance as rigid as a board, arms crossed, the emotions parading across her face going between anger, frustration, and stunned disbelief, all over a layer of unadulterated fear, as he moved toward the door.

“I was a Marine and pilot before I met you, Emma, and this is what it means to be in the Marine Corp. I don’t have a choice,” he said, quietly looking out at the alien ship before turning back toward her again. “Look, I don’t think they flew ninety billion light years to come down here and start a fight, so just relax. I’m going to report to El Toro and find out what’s going on.” 

Killian chuckled when he saw Henry sitting in the driver’s seat of his classic Chevelle convertible - restored by his own hands - as he walked down the front walk.

“What are you doing in there, lad?”

“I’m a racecar driver,” the little boy said before resuming his vroom vroom sound effects. Killian chuckled again as he lifted him out of the seat and gave him a handful of sparklers.

“You be careful with these, alright?” he asked. “Don’t use them without your mom around. When I get back, we’ll go see some real fireworks.”

“Ok.”

“Hold on,” Emma called, running out of the house toward them. “I want to tell you something.”

He turned to her, trying his best to remain stoic, but he couldn’t help the surge of hope within him that she might tell him how she felt about him. How she felt about them. She’d been through a lot in her life, and he’d taken his cues from her as their relationship deepened over the last eight months. 

“What is it, Emma?” he asked, searching her eyes. Her chin trembled slightly and her own stoicism melted into vulnerability and fear before she spoke. 

“You come back to me, you hear?” It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, but he’d still take it. He knew she cared about him, and that was going to have to do for now.

“What have I told you, Swan?” he asked with a smirk. “I’m a survivor.” His smirk turned soft, and he tenderly ran his knuckles down the side of her face. “I’ll come back to you, Swan. I promise.” She smiled softly in return, and Killian could hardly breathe. “Listen, why don’t you go pack a bag for you and Henry and come stay with me at the base?”

The smile on her face was a mixture of joy and stunned surprise. “You’d do that? Really?”

His cocky Captain’s persona slipped into place with her question, masking his own vulnerability and fear of rejection in making the offer in the first place. “Well, I’ll just have to tell all my other girlfriends…”

“Oh, no, you don’t,” she interrupted, grabbing his tie and pulling him to her for a passionate kiss.

“Why, Swan,” he said, waggling his brows, his grin full of joy when she finally released him. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were jealous.”

“Jealous over you?” she asked, scoffing, with a roll of her eyes. “Pfft… you with those elf ears.” Her words were laced with affection as she stroked the tip of one, but then her countenance turned mischievous and smug. “But you are not as charming as you think you are, sir.”

He smirked and waggled his brows at her again. “Yes, I am.” Then he hauled her to him and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

~*~*~

The Bronx, New York City

Robin wove his bike in between the stopped and abandoned cars that littered the street. His father’s neighbors were in full blown panic mode, running down the street, their arms filled with everything they could carry. He took the steps up to his Papa’s front door two at a time and banged as hard as he could. Only a moment later, Marco threw open the door, a shotgun in his hand. Robin grabbed it.

“Papa?!” he shouted.

“They’re nothing but hoodlums!” Marco shouted right back, poking his head out and turning left and right, looking for whoever might be coming after him next.

“Do you still have the Plymouth?” Robin asked him.

That got his Papa’s attention. “You want to borrow the car?” he asked, completely dumbfounded. “You don’t have a license.”

“You’re driving. Let’s go!”

~*~*~

David sat down on the bed as the line connected him to Mary Margaret. 

“I really want you out of LA.” He didn’t have time for niceties, but he also knew his wife, who did not like to be told what to do. Even in a situation like this. His chances were maybe slightly better than half that she’d just do what he wanted her to do without questioning.

“You’re doing the right thing staying there as a calming presence,” she said, loyally. “I’m behind you 100%.”

“I appreciate you’re trying to help me,” he said, keeping his voice calm, though he was afraid he couldn’t completely hide his frustration from his beloved wife.

“Liar,” she accused, without heat. “Stick with the truth, it's what you’re good at.”

Her spirit made him smile. “Ok, I’ll tell you the truth,” he said. “I don’t want you anywhere near any of those cities.”

Mary Margaret sighed and stopped her pacing.“I’ll leave as soon as the interviews are done.”

“Thank you,” he said. “There’s a helicopter waiting to take you to Nellis. In Vegas.”

“And Leo?”

“He’s going to meet you there.”

“Alright,” she said softly. “I love you.”

“I love you.”

~*~*~

For some reason, the interstate heading south toward Washington DC was completely clear while the opposite direction was bumper to bumper traffic. Robin’s gaze bounced between the road ahead of them and his father, going a full ten miles an hour below the posted speed limit. 

“It’s the White House!” Marco exclaimed. “You can’t just drive up and ring a bell. It’s the president, my boy!”

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Robin asked. Marco carried on his monologue as if he hadn’t even spoken. 

“You think they don’t know what you know? Believe me, they know. They know everything.”

“They don’t know this…” Robin murmured.

“Ohhhh, you’re going to enlighten them…” Marco said, a hint of condescension coloring his words. “Tell me, if you’re so smart, how do you spend eight years at MIT to become a cable repairman? If they want HBO, they’ll call you.”

“Can’t you drive any faster?” Robin was having trouble keeping still, his own leg itching to hit a gas pedal that wasn’t there.

“I can’t go any faster, they’re cutting me off here!” Marco said, gesturing to the other cars around them.

“No one’s cutting you off!” Robin nearly shouted. “Nevermind, I don’t want to argue. Just get there! As quickly as possible.” He covered his eyes, hoping his blindness to how slowly they were moving would help lower the tension inside of him.

“What?” Marco asked, not a hint of sarcasm in his words. “You think we’ll get to Washington and it won’t be there?” 

Robin looked over at his father incredulously. Yeah, Papa, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of.

~*~*~

Imperial Valley, California

Nicholas, Grace, and Ava Hatter stared at the TV - various looks of shock and dismay on their faces - as they watched the police lead their father away from City Hall where he’d been arrested for dropping leaflets from his plane and then disturbing the peace by yelling at passers by about the alien invasion. 

“We’ve got to stop them!” he shouted into the camera. His eyes were bloodshot and crazed and Nicholas could do nothing but shake his head. “I was kidnapped by aliens ten years ago. They’ve been studying us for years! Finding out our weaknesses. We’ve got to stop them!”

Nicholas couldn’t watch any more. He stood up and snapped the TV off. “Come on, we’re leaving.” He settled himself into the driver’s seat of the motorhome and cranked it up. As he was pulling away from the camp, a pickup truck stopped and a very familiar silhouette staggered out of the passenger seat.

“You read my mind!” Jefferson hollered, flagging down his son. “We have to get as far away from these things as we can.”

Nicholas climbed out, not believing what his eyes were seeing. “They let you out?”

“You’d better believe it,” Jefferson answered, looking to the sky. “They have much bigger fish to fry right now! Let’s go!” He patted Nicholas on the shoulder and they both climbed back in the motorhome.

~*~*~

Squadron 314 The Black Knights Headquarters

El Toro Marine Base, California

Killian entered the squadron headquarters to find all his fellow pilots surrounding the TV. He found his best friend, Will Scarlet and tapped his shoulder, getting the man’s attention.

“I think we can do something better with our time, gentlemen,” Killian called out before heading towards his locker. When he arrived, he found an envelope sticking out. He turned it over and caught his breath. It was from NASA.

“Oh, no, no, no…” he all but moaned, handing it to Will. “I can’t do it… You’ll have to do the honors.” He turned his back to his locker and leaned up against it, not sure his legs were going to be able to hold him up. No matter what the official letter said.

“You wuss,” Will teased.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, just read it.”

“It says, Captain Killian Jones, loser.” His tone was playful and teasing as his friend pointed his finger at him. Killian banged his head against the locker behind him. “United States Marine Corp, blah blah blah blah,” he continued, before his tone turned abruptly serious and despondent. “We regret to inform you that in spite of your excellent service record…” 

Killian blew out his held breath and turned around to his locker, trying desperately to blink away the tears that threatened to spill. 

“I’m sorry, man,” Will sympathized. 

Killian opened his locker and glanced at the picture of the flag on the moon inside the door. All he’d ever wanted to be was an astronaut, and this morning, that dream seemed as unreachable as the moon itself.

“You know what you need to do?” Will asked, some of his cheeky spunk back in his words. “You need to kiss some serious booty to get ahead in this world. That’s what I’m trying to tell you!” Killian glanced over his shoulder to see Will getting down on one knee behind him. Killian rolled his eyes. “See, for me, I like the one knee approach. It puts the booty right in the perfect position…” 

Killian reached into his locker and a small box fell out. Will grabbed it, being closer to the floor, before Killian could make any move to pick it up. As Will opened it up, Killian scratched behind his ear in nervousness. 

“This is a wedding ring,” Will said, holding it in both hands, his eyes wide. He looked every inch the man proposing to his love as he held the box up toward Killian.

He took the box from his friend and stared down at the ring inside - a cluster of diamonds making up the body of a swan and a half-carat solitaire nestled in the curve of its golden neck. “I’ve been looking for months for a ring,” he murmured quietly, “But there was nothing out there… that was just her, you know? Nothing was exactly right. So, I designed this and had it made. I thought she’d like it.”

Will stood up and put his hand on Killian’s shoulder. “She’ll love it, man. You know I like Emma,” he said after pausing for a moment, no hint of teasing in his tone. “You know that, right? But, Killian, you are never going to fly the space shuttle if you marry a stripper.”

~*~*~

Robin could see the Capitol Building and Washington Monument in the distance as they drove into Washington, the familiar spectre of the alien ship hovering over the city. The northbound lanes of the interstate were bumper to bumper and unmoving, people abandoning their vehicles, taking everything they could carry with them, walking and running along the median. 

Robin pulled his laptop out of his messenger bag and opened it. 

“What are you doing?” Marco asked as Robin started typing.

“Regina always has her portable phone listed for emergencies.” Marco’s gaze bounced between his son and the road ahead as he typed in R. Mills, Q. Mills, EQ Mills.

“EQ?” he asked.

“Evil Queen,” Robin said, a smirk on his face as he remembered. “It was her nickname in college.”

“Did you try Locksley?” Marco asked.

Robin turned disbelieving eyes on his father. “She didn’t take my name when we were married,” he said. “What makes you think she’d be listed that way now?”

“Just try it,” he urged.

Not having anything to lose, Robin typed in R. Locksley, then EQ Locksley when that didn’t work. Regina’s number suddenly appeared on the screen and Robin looked over at his Papa, who looked quite smug. 

“So what do I know?” he asked his son.

They pulled up outside the gate of the White House, driving slowly to avoid all the protesters. Robin called Regina’s number and blew out a frustrated breath when he was met with a busy signal. He reached into his bag and pulled out a handy little gizmo that he affixed to the top of the Plymouth.

“She’s using the phone,” Robin murmured. “With this, I’ll use her signal to triangulate her exact position in the White House.

“You can do that?” Marco asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” Robin replied. “All cable repair men can, Papa.”

In the hallway outside the Oval Office, Regina hung up her phone and immediately it rang again. 

“Don’t hang up, sweetheart.”

“Robin!” she exclaimed in a whisper. “How did you get this number?”

“Look out the window.”

Regina moved toward the window at the end of the hall and pulled back the draperies. “What am I looking for?”

“See us?” Robin asked, waving as soon as he saw her beautiful face in the window.

“How does he do that?” she mumbled to herself.

~*~*~

Regina led Robin and Marco into the Oval Office.

“He’s not going to be happy to see you,” she said with a shrug.

“Then we’re wasting our time,” Robin replied. “You have the information, you can tell him.”

“You need to be the one to tell him,” she insisted. “You’re the expert.”

“Why won’t he be happy to see you?” Marco asked.

Not taking his eyes off Regina, Robin answered his father. “The last time he saw me, I might have punched him,” he said, pursing his lips and shrugging.

Marco’s eyes widened in surprised horror. “You punched the President?”

“He wasn’t the president at the time.” Robin did his best to downplay what had happened and refute Marco’s conclusion, but there really wasn’t any way around it.

“Why did you punch the President?”

“It’s not like that, Papa! He punched me back! It was a fight!”

“A fight that you started,” Regina reminded him before turning back to Marco. “Because he blamed David for me… for the breakup… for the divorce,” Regina stammered. “I’m going to get him. Don’t touch anything.”

“You punched the President?” Marco asked again as soon as she’d left the room.

Robin sighed in acquiescence. “I punched the President, Papa.”

Regina entered the cabinet room where David and the rest of the staff watched as reporters filled the screen and helicopters prepared to take off in an attempt to communicate with the alien ships. 

“Since we have been unable, so far, to communicate with our visitors,” the announcer began, “these Skylift helicopters have been retrofitted with a visual communication device.” 

“They’re just about to lift off,” Lance informed Regina as she moved quickly towards David and leaned over, whispering in his ear.

“I need you to come with me,” she said.

The broadcast continued in the background. “Welcome Wagon is in the air.”

David turned toward her, confusion in his eyes. “Now?”

“Roger, Welcome Wagon. Echo One, right beside you,” a voice came over the broadcast.

Regina nodded and motioned the President to follow her before turning and leaving.

David looked back to the screen and then got to his feet and followed her out.

“You’re leaving now?” Isaac asked. David ignored him and left the room.

~*~*~

Robin was typing away on his laptop when President Nolan and Regina walked in.

“I don’t have time for this,” the President snapped, turning back towards the door of the Oval Office.

It only took Marco a moment to approach the President, hand outstretched, while Regina crossed to Robin as he frustratedly closed his laptop.

“Mr. President, Mr. President,” Marco began, “Marco Locksley, Robin is my son…”

“I told you he wouldn’t listen to me,” Robin said, coming to meet Regina in front of the desk.

“You have to tell him now,” she insisted.

“Regina,” David’s voice contained a warning that she ignored, her voice raised above them all, silencing everyone. 

“Robin, tell him!”

Robin cut his eyes over to the President, who stood, warily eyeing him, his hands on his hips.

“I know why we have satellite disruption.”

Cautious attentiveness sparked in David’s eyes as he took a step closer to where Robin stood.

“Alright,” he said. “I’m listening. Go ahead.”

Robin grabbed a sheet of White House stationary from the desk and turned it over, drawing a rough image of the situation facing them - earth in the middle with three large objects forming a sort of triangle around their celestial home.

“Let’s say that you wanted to communicate with spaceships on opposite sides of the planet.” He drew straight lines from the apex of the triangle, missing the earth and the objects forming the two bottom angles, then held up the paper for David to see. “You couldn’t send a direct signal.”

“You’re talking about line of sight,” David said, nodding in understanding and taking a step closer.

 “Right,” Robin replied. “The curve of the earth prevents it. You’d have to bounce the signal off satellites to reach your other ships.” He drew satellites in position and then drew straight lines from the satellites to the two space ships on the other side of Earth and held it up again for David to see. “Well, I found a signal hidden inside our own satellite system. They’re using that to communicate.”

Everyone was silent as the implication became crystal clear. 

“They’re using our own satellites against us,” Robin continued. He opened his laptop and turned it around so they could all see the descending countdown which now read 27:59. “And the clock is ticking.”

~*~*~

David burst back into the cabinet room, barking orders. 

“General Knight, coordinate with Atlantic Command to evacuate the cities. As many people as they can.”

“Yes, sir,” the General replied, before picking up the phone in front of him.

David pointed at the screen. “Get those helicopters away from the ship. Call them back immediately. Johanna,” he continued, turning to the woman standing behind him, “my son.” She nodded and hurried away.

“What the hell’s going on?” Isaac asked.

“We’re leaving,” David informed him and the rest of the staffers scattered around the room.

Suddenly, from the TV, they heard the pilot of the helicopter speak. “Something’s happening.”

“They’re responding,” Isaac repeated, excitedly. They all stopped what they were doing and watched as an ice blue light could be seen in the opening crack across the middle of the ship.

“There’s some kind of activity here,” the pilot said. “Something is opening.”

From the other helicopter, they heard another voice. “We see it, too. Can’t identify it.”

Suddenly a beam of light came from the ship and the hovering helicopters burst into flames. Horrified silence filled the room before everybody moved towards the door, the announcer in the background expressing condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers.

It took only minutes for the President - holding his son - Regina, Lance, Robin, and Marco to emerge into the night to the waiting helicopters, followed closely by several Secret Service agents.

“We are evacuating,” one of the agents reported into his earpiece. “I repeat, we are evacuating the White House.” 

“Is my wife in the air?” David asked as he strapped himself and his son in their seats.

“She will be shortly,” Lance replied, doing the same.

As soon as Robin was strapped in, he opened his laptop. The countdown showed 9:11.

On the other side of the country, First Lady Mary Margaret Nolan stopped just before climbing into the waiting helicopter and turned toward a nearby skyscraper with people on top welcoming the alien ship. They were in a frenzy of ecstatic joy and couldn’t be bothered to obey the police helicopter circling ordering them to disburse. She couldn’t turn away from the scene, having a pretty good idea of what was about to happen.

“Mrs. Nolan,” the Secret Service officer called, carefully grabbing her arm to get her to move, “the President has ordered our evacuation.” 

“Yes, of course,” she agreed, turning once more toward the helicopter.

The moment Mary Margaret was strapped in, the agent closed and locked the door before speaking into his earpiece. “The First Lady is secure. We’re on the move.”

Emma and Henry Swan were stuck in standstill traffic in the Second Street Tunnel trying to get out of LA. Emma glared at the radio as the announcer informed the public that the authorities had called for a complete evacuation of Los Angeles County and to avoid the highways wherever possible.

“Great,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Now he tells me.”

Around the world, people in the cities directly underneath the spaceships saw what could only be described as a blooming flower as the ships opened up from the center, the unfurling arms looking like petals opening to the sun. An otherworldly blue light shone down on the earth beneath the craft, completely covering the largest and most prominent cities across the globe. 

At Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, David and the others disembarked from Marine 1 to load Air Force 1. Everyone rushed to a seat and strapped in. The moment Robin buckled his seatbelt, he opened the laptop. 

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

0.

“Checkmate,” Robin breathed.

Air Force 1 taxied down the runway, as a beam of blue light shot down from the alien ship to the White House. The resulting fireball chased Air Force 1 into the air, everyone inside the aircraft holding their breath and gripping their arm rests, absolutely terrified. The lights inside the plane flashed and the rattle from the vibrations of the explosion had more than one person breathing a prayer to God above to keep them safe. Would the flames reach them? Would they make it out alive?

Still sitting inside the tunnel, Emma became aware of people running past her classic yellow bug. She looked in her rearview mirror, to see nothing but fire coming at them. She turned around - just to see it with her own two eyes - before she scrambled out and grabbed Henry from his booster in the back seat. Holding him to her, she joined the other people and ran as fast as she could, in and out and between abandoned vehicles, until she caught sight of a utility closet in the wall of the tunnel. She ran toward it and kicked the door in - a flying motorcycle just missing them as they ducked inside the small closet - the fireball passing them by. 

Then there was silence.

~*~*~

@snowbellewells @teamhook @veryverynotgoodwrites @jonesfandomfanatic @lfh1226-linda @motherkatereloyshipper @stahlop @allons-y-to-hogwarts-713 @kmomof4 @ultraluckycatnd @undercaffinatednightmare @booksteaandtoomuchtv @jrob64 @tiganasummertree @anmylica @deckerstarblanche @gingerchangeling @hollyethecurious @laianely @exhaustedpirate @darkshadow7 @fleurdepetite @spartanguard @i-will-sing-no-requiem @soniccat @captainswan-kellie @insanelydeadlybookcollector @beckettj @thatdamnokie @whimsicallyenchantedrose @zaharadessert @bluewildcatfanatic @this-seems-familiar @hookedmom @thgpjohttydfangirl

She stared at the skin covered by the clear protective film, the color an angry red and slightly swollen. She tried to imagine that the black curling script spelled out some meaningful proverb (or even a pretentious one for crying out loud), but there was no mistaking the letters now marking the soft roundness of her boyfriend’s abdomen that he swore he was sculpting into the ‘rig’ of her dreams:

L-O-V-E-B-U-G

“What the fuck have you done, Neal!?” Emma shrieked, the sound waking her boyfriend of three years from the drunken doze he had fallen into while bare ass naked on the new suede sofa that Emma had just purchased with her promotion bonus, the curtains of their living room open for all to see from their fifth floor apartment that she had been lucky enough to secure in one of the chicest neighborhoods in East Boston.

“Babe, s’early. C’mere, we can snuggle up for a little longer and then you can make us your famous hangover cure breakfast.” The half-squinted leer Neal offered up to Emma only fueled the angry tirade threatening to explode from her.

Things hadn’t been working for them for some time; the constant fights about Emma working late back when she fought tooth and nail for the lead designer role at the graphics design firm where she worked, and Neal’s insistence on spending money he didn’t have now that his father - founder of investment conglomerate Gold Sports Group - had essentially blacklisted him from gaining employment with any sporting team or agency on the eastern seaboard being the main points of contention between the two.

Not that he had really tried hard to convince anyone to give him a chance or think outside the box and try something new…

Those were arguments that were too early in the morning to have again. Emma only had enough energy to deal with one problem at a time; namely the excruciatingly stupid pet name that Neal insisted on calling her splashed across his torso, the dark ink contrasting heavily with the pasty hue of his skin.

Looking around the apartment, she noted the empty beer bottles that littered the coffee table and the floor around it, as well as the beer can pyramid still standing precariously on the small end table next to Neal’s head. Glancing across to the open plan kitchen, more beer bottles were scattered amongst boxes of pizzas and the remains of what looked like barbeque ribs and buffalo wings. Clearly Neal had had his friends over for the Celtics game last night and opted to treat them all to ‘dinner and drinks.’ Emma sent a silent prayer of thanks to the weather gods for sending a small snow flurry to the city and causing her best friend and eternal worrier, Mary Margaret, to insist that she stay the night and let her boyfriend David, drive her home in the morning after breakfast. It had consequently given her the opportunity to miss seeing any members of ‘The Lost Boys’ - a stupid frat boy nickname bestowed on Neal and his friends in college that they refuse to let die despite now knocking on the door of thirty.

However, the mess didn’t explain how the hell Neal wound up with a fucking tattoo of all things. Emma had no idea how much tattoos generally cost, but she figured for something that large, it had to be a lot. A sudden fear swept through her that he had swiped her credit card before she left home yesterday which had her scrambling for her purse to check.

“Christ, babe, not so loud - it’s like six a.m.! Me and the boys had a bit of a celebration last night and I’m starting to really feel it now,” Neal grumbled into the cushion he had flung over his face to combat the late morning winter sun shining brightly into the room.

Finding that all of her cards - and cash - were still in their assigned holders within her purse, Emma turned back to Neal, her ire now well past boiling point and entering a new temperature not yet known within the world of thermodynamics.

“Two things: one, it’s eleven and you were supposed to be up two hours ago so that you’d have enough time to meet with that guy from the Bruins to see if you could get an in with them seeing as it is just about the only team that your dad doesn’t seem to have any influence over. And two, you still haven’t answered my question; what the fuck have you done?”

Neal lifted the cushion from his face and stared blearily into the eyes of his furious girlfriend. He knew that tone - at least he thought he did. She seemed angrier than usual; maybe he should consider Door Dashing some coffee and some of those pastries she likes? Either way, it was still way too early to deal with her lecturing him over how he lets off steam with the guys.

“We were watching the Celtics completely annihilate the Knicks and even though it’s the first game of the season, I just know it’s going to be another championship year, so I decided to get this.”

Neal pointed at the tattoo as though that was supposed to explain everything, including the fact that he was still lying naked on her brand new sofa.

Trying to remember the breathing techniques her friend Mulan had attempted to show her during her brief yoga class experience six months ago, Emma pushed away some of the beer cans from the coffee table, letting them clatter to the ground, gaining some satisfaction at seeing the wince of pain flash across her idiot boyfriend’s face.

Sitting on the now empty surface of the table, Emma closed her eyes, breathing deeply and attempting to shut out Neal’s groans as he slowly began to sit upright. She lasted all of thirty seconds before she heard Neal’s shout of dismay.

“What the fuck! That motherfucking British prick is going to pay for this! ‘Lovebug?’ How do you get ‘Lovebug’ out of fucking ‘Celtics Forever’?

“Yeah, because ‘Celtics Forever’ makes your decision to get a tattoo a logical investment,” Emma mumbled under her breath as she began to rake her fingers through her hair, trying to massage away the oncoming headache that was definitely brewing.

Neal looked up from the indelible mistake that he was only now comprehending with a scowl.

“Everyone was getting a tattoo! Peter has this awesome one on his back of a skull that looks like it was carved out of a rock! And Felix has one of a fairy, with huge-“

“I don’t care about what your idiot friends do,” Emma snapped, her eyes narrowing in disgust, daring Neal to finish what was sure to be an x-rated description of an innocent child’s character.

Neal fell silent, falling back into the sofa cushions with a sigh that left Emma in no doubt that he saw himself as a blameless victim and she was judging him way too harshly for the previous night’s events. The sight of his bare ass creating a firm imprint the lower he sank into the cushions forced Emma to consider what else had now been soiled into the fabric and how much it was going to cost her to get a professional to remove all traces of… whatever bodily fluids had desecrated it.

If Emma only had Neal’s drunk and naked form on her expensive furniture to worry about, perhaps she would have thought more carefully about why such a scene made her want to shudder and cringe instead of feeling incredibly turned on.

God knew she hadn't been getting any kind of release of late…

Searching across the floor of the living room, Emma spotted Neal’s crumpled jeans between the TV stand and a slim bookcase full of special edition DVDs that she refused to get rid of despite them now more or less becoming dust collectors ever since her first Netflix subscription years ago. She walked over and picked them up, shaking them out roughly, still not caring about her boyfriend's sensitivity to noise. A business card fell out of one of the back pockets and onto a stray pizza crust.

Swallowing back another curse at the mess, Emma picked up the card; a sleek black rectangle with a metallic sheen, the words, Rum and Hook: Tattoo Parlor and Piercing Salon elegantly printed across it in silver, adding a sophistication and professionalism that Emma wouldn’t have usually associated with tattoo parlors where no part of the human anatomy was off limits.

Not even the most delicate parts…

“Wha’s that, babe?” Neal asked, slowly removing himself from his languid position on the sofa and making his way over to her. Emma ignored him, simply shoving his jeans into his fumbling hands while she scanned past the list of the business’ socials until she landed on a phone number.

“Em?” Neal tried again, tentatively curling an arm around her waist in an attempt to regain her attention - no matter how hostile it had been this morning, it was better than complete silence. Silence from Emma Swan never boded well for him.

No sooner had he tucked himself in next to her, Emma flinched away, reaching into her back pocket for her phone, the glare she threw at him a warning that he had better keep his distance.

Emma dialed the number on the business card, turning away from Neal so she could get her temper under control. The chirpy voice at the other end of the line however, only ratcheted it back up.

“Rum and Hook Tattoo Par-“

“Yeah, hi, this is Emma Swan. I have a question. What is your policy on serving people who are past the point of being drunk and are flirting with being comatose?” Emma didn’t have time for pleasantries, she only had enough patience for answers - reasonable answers.

The voice’s bright tone faltered, confusion and wariness taking over.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I-“

Again, Emma interrupted, anything less than a proper explanation was only going to piss her off.

“My boyfriend and his friends went to your tattoo parlor late last night, completely shitfaced and wanting tattoos. I came home this morning to find said boyfriend sporting some new ink that I know if he had been sober, would never have asked for!” Emma glanced over at Neal, who had sat back down on her sofa, the black ink of the lettering even more striking against the angry red of the skin around it.

It didn’t look that red when she first saw it, did it? And what the hell is that rash on his… wait, since when did he shave down there…

“If-if I could have the name of your boyfriend, per- perhaps I can find out who took care of him last night,” the voice replied, the tapping of keyboard keys almost drowning the tremor in her voice out.

“Took care of isn’t the phrasing I’d use, but fine,” Emma muttered, desperately trying to hold back the tide of venom that she wished to hurl at the poor girl who was clearly trying to help her. After giving over Neal’s name, a moment or two passed before the voice spoke again, now sounding resigned and weary at finding the answer she had been searching for.

“Okay, I have found who took care- I mean, who served your boyfriend last night. Um, the owner of ‘Rum and Hook’ is here this morning. If you’re okay with being on hold for a few minutes, I can explain the issue and maybe you can discuss it with him?”

Emma didn’t bother taking a moment to decide what she wanted to do, no resolution would be possible over a phone call - this owner needed to know what a fuck up his employee had caused and he needed to hear it from her in person.

“We’ll be there in 30 minutes,” she answered before disconnecting the call and turning her attention to the reason she may need to start seeing a shrink on a weekly basis.

Neal was again slumped against the sofa, a self-pitying wince flashing across his face at every movement he made. Emma had no sympathy for him, he was still naked on her sofa, the sofa that she was definitely going to get professionally cleaned.

“Get up and get dressed. We’re going to the ‘Rum and Hook’.

***************************E&K***************************

The ‘Rum and Hook’ Tattoo Parlor and Piercing Salon was about five blocks away in the heart of East Boston’s nightlife scene. In the bright light of day, the street that would usually be packed with people looking for a good time and just a little bit of trouble was now quiet and unassuming. Most of the establishments were still shut, but there were some bars and eateries that were beginning to open their doors to welcome the more family friendly lunchtime crowds who were ready to order overpriced burgers and cocktails. The ‘Rum and Hook’ was nestled between a bar and what appeared to be a high end strip club - Neal’s nervous twitch as he quickly glanced past the business to their destination told Emma more than she wanted to know about what exactly he got up to last night.

Reaching the entrance to the parlor, Emma didn’t bother waiting to see if Neal was ready to go inside nor did she bother to allow him to show any kind of gentlemanly act by opening the door for her, instead she charged inside letting the door slam shut behind her.

“Welcome to the ‘Rum and Hook’ can I-“ the tiny blonde perched on a high seated office chair stopped mid sentence as she took in Emma’s expression of unabated fury and Neal’s misery laden posture. The little bells dangling from the receptionist’s earrings tinkled merrily as she turned her head towards the back of the shop.

”Kill-ian? I think Emma Swan is here…” she called out, her eyes flicking back towards Emma nervously, trying to determine if the woman standing in front of her with her arms crossed and a ‘don’t fuck with me’ stare was prone to throwing projectiles when angry and whether she should look for some kind of shield to protect herself with.

As Emma waited for an answer, she looked around the place, taking in the dark wood flooring polished to a high sheen and the semi-sheer green curtains that gave a measure of privacy and modesty to the patrons that came for their piercings and tattoos. Directly opposite to the receptionist area was a small nook containing a couple of overstuffed armchairs in almost the same colour green as the curtains, separated by a small coffee table laden with portfolios that Emma assumed contained the artwork of the tattooist artists that worked here. If she had been here under better circumstances, she would have been itching to open one and admire the artistry contained within. The lines of sailing rope affixed to the walls in curling patterns and other nautical themed wall art were carefully placed around the area - just enough to not overwhelm and become kitschy. It was tasteful, and probably quite inspirational for many patrons with an affinity for the ocean.

At that moment, another door - that Emma assumed were for more private appointments - opened and a dark haired man accompanied by a woman who had to at least be pushing seventy-five stepped out. Initially, Emma could only stare open mouthed at the man dressed in tight black jeans that seemed to cling to him and accentuate every asset he had, and a dark gray button up that he appeared to have no use for given the generous reveal of chest hair on display with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. A black vest however was dutifully buttoned up and it was all Emma could do to not think about what it would be like to remove the layers and find out what he was hiding beneath it all.

The man was gently escorting the older woman towards the receptionist area, a guiding hand on her back as he fixed all of his attention on her, a genuine smile gracing his lips at her ribbing quips.

“Mrs. Lucas, I have no doubt that your newest paramour will be entranced with your newest addition. It does break my poor heart, though, that you have moved on so quickly - how is a man meant to ask a woman such as you to dinner if you’re never available to court?”

The woman gave a side-eyed glance to her companion’s dramatics, a smirk forming on her lips as she replied, “I never said we were exclusive. You name the date and time, and I’ll be waiting.”

For a moment, the man appeared shocked, but then he barked out a laugh that echoed throughout the empty space, so joyous and delighted at having been soundly defeated in their game of banter.

“Oh, Mrs. Lucas, I’m a monogamist, much to my sad detriment it appears. Now, you let Tink here take care of you with all of the aftercare instructions and I will catch up with you at Ruby’s party next week.”

Leaning down to press a chaste kiss to Mrs. Lucas’ cheek, the man straightened and turned towards Emma where she was finally met with the full force of the most beautifully blue eyes she had ever seen, the color even more startling framed as they were by long dark lashes and expertly lined kohl. She could feel her heart rate speed up to the point that she was sure everyone else could hear it too, and although in the intervening minutes since entering the parlor she had shucked off her coat and scarf, she still felt the stifling warmth of too many clothes and not enough air flow. It seemed the man was taking in her appearance as well, his gaze darkening as he examined her from head to toe, another smile - this one more dangerous and tantalising than before - crazily putting Emma in mind of the roguish hero in one of her trashy romance stories that she had started reading so she would have something to focus on whenever Neal tried to initiate something with her. The carefully manicured scruff and jewelled stud in his ear only enhanced the danger he exuded, giving Emma all kinds of images of the marks his lips could leave upon her pale skin after a night of intense lovemaking.

A forceful nudge into the small of her back snapped Emma out of the daydream that had begun to take shape in her clearly overtired and unfulfilled mind. A daydream filled with warm hands, and even warmer words with an accent that she could get used to hearing regularly especially if he whispered filthy words-

“Babe!” Neal snapped, sharply nudging her back again. Emma startled at the short burst of pain that shot through her at the contact. Whipping her head around to face the source of her pain (in much more than the physical sense) she hissed, “Do that again and you can ask one of those strippers next door if they can put you up for the night!”

“Ah, you must be the Angry Swan Girl,” the still unnamed man stated, tracing his tongue along the bottom of his lip tauntingly, likely knowing the effect it would have on Emma - the bastard.

Shaking off the distraction that this incredibly hot guy was clearly trying to tempt her with, Emma tore her eyes away from her guilt ridden boyfriend and glared at him, pulling herself up to her full height so he wouldn’t mistake her next words.

”I’m a woman, asshole.”

”Hmm, you are indeed,” the man replied, his eyes again raking down her form and appreciating what was on display. Oddly, Emma felt relieved that she was wearing a nice bra and panty set under her fleece lined leggings and sweater - as if he had any chance of seeing them at some point during this set down. Giving herself an internal pinch and a reprimand to stay focused for good measure, Emma took a deep breath and unleashed all of the frustration and rage that she had been feeling since walking through her front door this morning.

Since Neal stopped trying to be an active partner in their relationship at least eight months ago…

“I’m going to ask the same thing that I asked Tinkerbelle this morning-“

”It’s just Tink,” the blonde receptionist muttered timidly from behind Mrs. Lucas who was watching the heated and highly entertaining interaction between this ‘Angry Swan Girl’ and her favourite tattoo artist. A knowing grin began to play at the corner of her mouth as though she knew exactly how the outcome of this argument would play out.

Emma didn’t take any notice of her audience, simply barrelling on without pause.

”-what is your policy on serving people who are drunk to the point of incapacitation? Because it seems to me like you don’t have one at all, and now my boyfriend has the stupidest fucking tattoo across his stomach! I don’t give a shit if his friends came with him and gave you or whoever created this abomination permission to do it, consent is a real thing and I don’t know how anyone could have given one last night. You had better hope you have an amazing lawyer, because if I don’t get some reasonable solutions to this shit show, I swear I will have this place shut down so fast, you’ll wish you had become a starving artist instead!”

The man stood completely at ease throughout Emma’s diatribe, a thumb hooked into the pocket of his jeans as he leant against the wall behind him, his legs crossed at the ankles, completely unconcerned by the gorgeously furious woman shouting at him. The only sign that he was paying any kind of attention was the assessing gaze that roamed over Emma as she yelled at him, occasionally glancing over to stare at her boyfriend who seemed to be trying to mark his territory by placing a possessive arm around his girlfriend’s waist and pulling her as close to him as possible. He thought it highly amusing to observe, given that the woman seemed to be doing everything she could to keep her distance - quite a feat seeing as they were practically plastered together. Once the “Angry Swan Girl’ - a fun title that he couldn’t seem to get out of his head - paused for breath, the man finally spoke again while continuing his character study of the couple before him.

“First of all love, allow me to introduce myself - Killian Jones, owner of ’Rum and Hook Tattoo Parlor and Piercing Salon’. Second, I appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns about how I run my establishment - feedback is always appreciated, even when such… colorful vocabulary is used. It really does help to understand the ah… gravity of the situation.”

Emma’s eyes widened as Killian spoke, at war with herself over whether she should continue threatening him with legal action or whether she should just wrap her legs around his waist and kiss the hell out of him and that sinfully British accent. A beat passed where they continued to stare at one another, a raging battle of wills passing between them as to who would bend first and in what way. Just as it seemed that Killian was about to suggest that they perhaps discuss Emma’s dissatisfaction somewhere a little less public, Neal stepped in front of Emma, lifting his ratty and mostly threadbare basketball hoodie up to reveal the source of his fortuitous meeting with the fierce woman who he knew he would have asked out in a heartbeat if she weren’t already attached to someone else.

Terrible to waste such beauty and intelligence on defending drunken prats…

“This is what your limey mate did to me last night! It was supposed to say ‘Celtics Forever,’ not ‘Lovebug!’ How the fuck do you screw up that badly huh? You will be paying to have this lasered off in compensation or I swear-“

”Yes, yes, you will sue me or some such, I understand. Although, I must say purely from a place of expertise, ‘Celtics Forever’ really isn’t that much of an improvement,” Killian interjected, a bored lilt to his tone making it clear that Neal’s tirade had zero effect on him whatsoever - unlike his girlfriend who immediately affected him as soon as he caught sight of her upon entering the reception area. Killian bent down to examine the work on Neal’s soft torso, as Emma’s mind raced at the fact that this dangerously charming man had basically voiced her own earlier opinion on her boyfriend’s hideous taste in body art. It was becoming impossible not to think about what she could be doing right now with this Killian Jones if she was single. Probably a lot of enjoyable activities looking at the length and strength of his ring covered fingers, she thought morosely, trying and failing to get the image of lying in one of those chairs along the back of the main room as he traced careful fingertips across her body, tortuously avoiding all of her sensitive zones as he used his ‘expertise’ to determine the best place to mark her with one of his works of art, either with his tattoo needle, or his lips - she wasn’t picky.

Emma had just decided that sinful lips and facial scruff creating works of art was the best direction to take her fantasy when the object of said fantasy suddenly called out, “Scarlet! Reception, now!” Emma jumped at the sound, her cheeks flushing as Killian straightened up, a curious brow raised in question at her reaction. Neal just scowled at her lack of compassion and obvious attraction to the other British asshole that was now making his life a misery. The last thing he needed was to compete with some pretty boy with his blue eyes and sharply cut physique for his girlfriend’s good graces.

Heavy, boot clad footsteps preceded the young man who sidled in from yet another door, his eyes bleary and a little bloodshot as though he had little sleep and a lot of energy drinks to keep him upright.

“Wha’? I said I would sanitize all o’ the piercing equipment didn’ I? I jus’ need a little nap fir- ha! Mr Lovebug! Ya ‘ere to thank me fer me masterpiece? I really think I did justice to the letterin’ - not me typical kind o’ art ya know, but when yer mates told me how much you wanted to show yer girlie how much ya loved her, well, I’m a bit o’ romantic sooo..”

Scarlet, of whom all traces of exhaustion was wiped away at the sight of his heavily intoxicated client from last night, jauntily rolled onto the balls of his feet, a wide grin stretching across his face that faltered as he noticed Tink’s frantic cutting motions to shut up. Finally catching onto the tense atmosphere in the room, Scarlet looked towards his friend and boss.

“I’m in the shit, yeah?”

“Bit of an understatement mate, but yes, you are. I’m sure Miss Johanna will be disappointed to find you back in her class for a refresher on conflict resolution, just as I will be at having to enroll you in it for the - what is it now? The fourth time?” Killian’s calm yet stern response wasn’t enough to curb Neal’s sudden fury that had bubbled up and boiled over at the sight of the man who had potentially ruined his life and lowered his girlfriend’s estimation of him to a level somewhere below rock bottom.

“What the fuck is wrong with you? You think this is funny? You pull this shit on any unsuspecting patron, is that it? If this is how you get your rocks off buddy, then the lawsuit I’ll be filing will wipe that smartass smile off your face. You have no idea who you’re dealing with, my father will own you!”

A silence descended upon the group, awkward and filled with resentment and shock. The only two people who seemed unaffected were Emma and Mrs. Lucas. The former rolled her eyes, an exasperated huff escaping her as she shoved Neal out of the way, a harsh whisper to “stop embarrassing yourself, your daddy isn’t coming to the rescue this time,” not quite inaudible enough to go unheard by everyone. The latter, from her place still in front of Tink, who was now peering out at the scene from behind her computer monitor, levelled Neal with an imperious glare from behind her half-moon spectacles.

“I don’t care who your father is, boy, but if he is someone worth anything on this side of the country, then he will know who Archie Hopper is - a close personal friend of mine. You had better watch your tone or I will be stepping outside to make a very important phone call.”

Emma was completely nonplussed as to who Archie Hopper was, but it was obvious Neal was not. Awkwardly clearing his throat as he shuffled further away from the older woman, Neal attempted to wrap himself around Emma again, stopping short at the look of contempt she still held especially for him.

“Well, now that we have all threatened each other with emptying our bank accounts on lawyer fees, perhaps some recompense should be discussed now?” Killian drawled, his blue eyes twinkling brightly in amusement and increasing admiration for the green-eyed, golden haired fury that seemed to embody her namesake perfectly - graceful and beautiful, and absolutely vicious when provoked.

“I won’t accept anything less than you paying for this idiot’s laser removal. And maybe because I’m more concerned about the other dumbasses in this city, I also want some proof that you will be instituting a ‘No Sobriety, No Tattoo’ policy,” Emma cut in before Neal could open his mouth again. Her cheeks felt hot and her heart was continuing to race at double speed as the man that irritated and excited her in equal measure crossed his arms over his chest, the delicate lines of ink that she had spotted earlier appearing to ripple like waves on the water. The smile that appeared on Killian’s face at her admiring perusal of his person forced her to draw her eyes away and refrain from trying to fan herself to calm down the overbearing heat that had to be obvious to everyone now.

“Wait, wha’ do ya want laser fer? Seems a bit like overkill if ya ask me. S’not like it won’ fade away in a week or two.” Scarlet looked confusedly between his boss, who had still not looked away from the hot blonde who looked like she could take down men twice her size and not even break a sweat, to his wanker of a client from last night who could not stop drunkenly boasting about how every stripper next door at ‘Tiger Lily’s’ wanted him. It was why he was more than happy to take his friends' money and use the temporary tattoo ink that Killian had planned to send back to their supplier, and use it to create something that would hopefully force a little humility - the ponce.

Killian let out a snort of laughter as he finally broke eye-contact with Emma, a hand flying to cover his mouth as he tried to regain some self-control. Rather than detract from his handsomeness, the unrestrained, full belly laugh only seemed to make him appear adorable. Emma could only stare in disbelief and despair that this beautiful asshole was out of bounds.

Surely he was already attached to someone… a model probably, or some fashionable socialite who had a thing for tattooed bad boys… yeah, fucking figures…

“Why the fuck are you laughing? I’ve been scarred by your fucking asshole of an employee! Look at this rash - it’s infected! I’m the victim of one of your dirty needles and you think it’s funny? Show some goddamn professionalism!” Neal roared, slamming a fist into a comically oversized plushy of an octopus that Tink had draped over one of the guest chairs to add to the nautical theme that Killian so favoured in his decor choices.

Immediately, Killian’s laughter ceased, and both he and Scarlet straightened their postures, the humor from seconds ago now replaced by a menacing atmosphere that threatened to suffocate everyone in the room. While Scarlet’s gaze remained locked on Neal, Killian quickly glanced over to Emma who appeared just as shocked and alarmed by her boyfriend's outburst as she backed away from him, bumping against one of the armchairs in the consultation area.

“Babe, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to…” Neal trailed off, his plea for her to not shy away from him failing as he tried to think of some excuse for why none of this was his fault.

“I’ve been told by many a tosser that I look like I was the spawn of a garbage bin and the arse-end of a dog, but I take real offence at bein’ accused of usin’ dirty needles, mate,” Scarlet growled, taking a step towards Neal. Neal warily eyed the younger man as he closed the gap between them, a wicked sneer on his face that promised retribution for the disrespect shown in his place of employment. As Killian had done earlier, Scarlet bent down to examine the tattoo that now indeed appeared to be showing more signs of infection. Tiny angry welts had formed around the letters, particularly around the letter ‘L’ as well as some significant swelling around the belly button where the letter ‘B’ almost seemed to be outlined by raised lines the colour of sickly gray porridge.

“Oi Killian, wha’ we lookin’ at ‘ere? Some sparkly dirt or is tha’ glitter tha’ the girls next door like to wear?” Scarlet stood up, his sneer from earlier transforming into a smirk that clearly said ‘You’re fucked’.

”Well Scarlet, I don’t frequent that establishment except to offer my services as accountant from time to time, but if I had to hazard a guess, then yes, I would say that looks very much like glitter,” Killian answered, his voice flat and hard. His dislike of Neal had been instant the moment he had walked into his parlor and had increased with every word and gesture that had come out of his mouth, especially as it seemed to cause his girlfriend so much trouble and pain. Now, it was all he could do to not haul off and land a right hook to this blubbering fool and be done with it.

Emma remained where she was, the heat in her cheeks from flustered attraction to Killian long since faded away to be replaced by cold humiliation at not having ended this farce of a relationship long ago. What was she even doing here, trying to get justice for a man who had no respect for her or the life she had tried so hard to build? For her and for them?

Scarlet continued his inspection as Neal tried to pull his hoodie back down and get Emma’s attention but he was hampered by the vice-like grip that the other man held on his arm.

“Now, now, let Doctor Scarlet diagnose the situation properly. Somethin’ tells me tha’ yer mates decided to take ya back for round two at ‘Tiger Lily’s’ even after I told ya to keep the tattoo covered an’ clean until the ink settled good n’ proper.” Will took a deep sniff, his face screwing up in distaste at the scent of sweat, infection and strawberries? “Ahh, strawberries is yer kryptonite isn’ it? Yeah, tha’ would be Tamara’s specialty; she does this act with strawberries where she puts one between her teeth and rubs it all over some sad sod while she gives ‘em a dance. I’ve ’eard tha’ for a little extra, she’ll go down-“

“Thank you William, that’s quite enough of a description. The poor girl doesn’t need a full rundown of that business’ secret menu of services”, Mrs. Lucas barked, her use of Scarlet’s first name a clear warning to stop talking immediately. It wasn’t as though Mrs. Lucas had anything against strip clubs; after all, it was her granddaughter Ruby, who owned ‘Tiger Lily’s’ and was earning quite the tidy profit from it. However, her heart went out to the poor woman who had burst in here in a flurry of anger in defence of her good for nothing boyfriend who had obviously used and abused her long before now, and was well on his way to breaking her spirit for good.

Well, not on my watch…

Emma slumped against the chair behind her, a hysterical laugh beginning to bubble up within her. That was it, she was done. She didn’t begrudge Neal a trip to a strip club with friends - hell, she went to one for her friend Ashely’s bachelorette party - but it was obvious that something more than looking and not touching had happened last night - she knew the proof went well beyond his midsection.

That’s why he fucking shaved down there…

Even the guilty look Neal shot at her as they passed by the strip club earlier was an obvious give away that he did more than pay to watch someone dance on a stage. She had put up with a lot from her piece of shit of boyfriend over the years, but now it was over. If it’s a choice of staying with him or becoming a spinster like her Aunt Ingrid, then spinsterhood had to be the better option.

It’s not like I couldn’t have mind blowing sex while being a card carrying member of the Sisterhood of Perpetually Single Ladies.

”Lass? Are- are you alright?” a soft voice murmured beside her, even as a heavily ringed hand gently touched her shoulder. Emma abruptly stopped her hysteria induced laugh (when had she started laughing?) to look into the dazzling blue eyes of the tattoo parlor owner whose day she had completely turned upside down and ruined with her misplaced anger and accusations.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Jones. I’ve been such a bitch to you and your employees.” At this, Emma turned to Tink who had finally come out of her sanctuary behind her desk and was now standing beside Mrs. Lucas, trying her best not to burst into tears at the sad turn this whole scene had taken. Emma turned back to Killian, who was again smiling at her, this time though it was one of sincerity that only wished to comfort and offer some kind of solace at how her own day had turned out.

“Killian, please. If you would like to take a seat, perhaps you will allow me to fetch you a glass of water,” he said kindly, gesturing to the chair she was still leaning against. Leaning toward her slightly, he whispered conspiratorially, “and if you would like me to see your… ex-boyfriend?” At Emma’s nod, he continued, “out, then just say the word love, and I will see it done.”

Emma shook her head in the negative, although she couldn’t help the flutter of butterflies that took flight within her at his gallant offer. He seemed so much like an old fashioned gentleman with his speech and chivalrous attitude despite his roguish, almost piratical appearance - the kind of man that could only be interested in someone as prickly and emotionally compromised as her in her wildest dreams.

Stepping away a little from the intimate space she had formed with Killian, Emma finally addressed her now ex-boyfriend who had had the presence of mind to stay quiet while she ordered her thoughts after her minor breakdown. Although, given the tight grip that Scarlet had on the back of Neal’s neck, perhaps it was fear of pain that had kept him silent. It didn’t matter, not now that she had decided on making him a firm fixture of her past.

“You have exactly five hours to get every bit of crap belonging to you out of my apartment and to delete my name from your contacts list. If I come home tonight and still find you there, I will be billing you for the professional cleaning that I’m organizing for my sofa as well as the last three months rent. I’m not sure you could afford it even if you gave up on your new found strawberry habit. Goodbye Neal. I don’t wish I could say that this isn’t easy for me because given the way you shit all over our relationship; I find it quite therapeutic to end it in the same way.”

“No! Em, you can’t just end it this way - I can’t go back to my dad, you know that-“ Neal’s plea for some kind of stay of execution was cut short by Killian stepping in front of him and roughly grabbing a fistful of his hoodie right above his tattoo. He couldn’t hide the wince of pain at the action anymore than Killian could hide his satisfaction at having caught it. Killian bent his head down so that they were nose to nose, their tips touching to the point that even a small puff of air would have difficulty passing between them - an image that from afar could be mistaken for a passionately intimate moment if not for Neal’s panic filled stare - his voice barely above a disdainful whisper as he imparted a final warning to the cautionary tale women the world over ought to take heed of.

“Miss Swan has given you an opportunity to exit her life unscathed which if I were you, I would take as the greatest of blessings. I, however, am not so gracious. You have precisely five seconds to leave my sight. If I even suspect that you have tried to enter this establishment again, well… Miss Swan again has the right of it - your daddy won’t be able to rescue you…”

Killian abruptly released his grip on Neal’s hoodie with a mocking chuckle, only for Scarlet to sharply yank on the back of it.

“C’mon, Mr. Lovebug, the clock’s a ticking now. I wouldn’ wanna be ya if tha’ woman comes home tonight and finds ya still there. Ya might lose a bit more than wha’s in ya savin’s account!” Cackling at the misfortune of the patron who would now be barred from ever entering the ‘Rum and Hook’ ever again, Scarlet cheerfully dragged Neal outside where the thump of someone landing on their ass on the sidewalk could distinctly be heard.

Trembling now that all of the adrenaline that had been fueling her since she first saw Neal sprawled out on her sofa this morning had finally dissipated, Emma took Killian’s offer and sat down in one of the armchairs, sinking into the sumptuous cushions and allowing all of her muscles to loosen. The trembling still hadn’t abated though, and try as she might, she still couldn’t master any of the yoga breathing techniques she had tried out that morning to help bring down her stress and anger.

Emma’s eyes were closed as she tried to normalize her breathing and bring back some stability to her exhausted body when she sensed a presence in front of her. Cracking open an eyelid, Emma saw that the man who had at first pissed her off beyond all measure while simultaneously awakening new fantasies that she could never have conjured up with Neal was crouching in front of her. His eyes were full of concern and she could almost hear the thoughts running through his head of how he could comfort her, discarding any option that didn’t immediately lead to her direct wellbeing. He needn’t have bothered; just staring at him seemed to slow her heartbeat and bring her breathing back to a normal rate. A glass of water suddenly appeared in front of her, offered by Tink who seemed to have regained her bubbly nature now that all of the drama had been dragged out the door by Scarlet and Emma no longer seemed like the scary lady who would sue anyone for even looking at her the wrong way.

“I don’t wish to presume anything love, as I’m sure there are plenty of other places you would rather be to wait out your ex’s removal from your apartment, but you are more than welcome to stay here as long as you like,” Killian said, his encouraging smile filling Emma up with warmth as though she had just wrapped herself up in her warmest and fluffiest blanket. All of his smiles so far had had the ability to elicit some kind of unexpected reaction from her and she now wondered how many more he had and whether she would see them all before she left.

I could always ask to stay for longer than a few hours and find out…

“Thank you. If you’re sure, then yeah, I’d like to stay here. Maybe I could look at some portfolios?” Emma nodded towards the coffee table where they were scattered across its surface.

“Do you have any interest in getting a tattoo yourself or are you more appreciative of the artwork itself?” Killian asked, reaching over for one of the binders and placing it on Emma’s lap. His question was one of genuine interest and he waited patiently as Emma thought over her answer.

“Well, I’m a graphic designer, so most art is always of interest to me, but I've always thought about getting a tattoo. I’ve just never been able to settle on one that I feel like I could always be happy with.”

Killian’s face lit up at her admission of what she did for a living even as he hummed in thought at her dilemma over finding the perfect tattoo. Opening the portfolio to the first page, Killian felt a little pride bloom in his chest at the gasp of surprise and wonder at his own work on display. Pages upon pages of stylised art that honestly would not look out of place in a high end gallery filled Emma’s vision, her fingers at times tracing over whimsical lines and intricate embellishments that appeared to be an obvious trademark of Killian’s talent.

When Emma flipped over to the section filled with all kinds of botanical marvels, she zeroed in on a tiny buttercup flower, the petals so delicately shaped and detailed that she couldn’t help her eyes lingering on it for longer than she had with the other pieces she had admired. Sensing her interest in one of the flowers, Killian twisted around so he was sitting on the arm of the chair and could see which one had captured her attention.

“Killian, these are just- God, I can’t even find the words. They’re more than beautiful, they’re-“ Emma furrowed her brow trying to find the perfect words to describe her admiration for his art. A frustrated huff at their refusal to materialize left Emma’s lips instead as she looked up at Killian in apology for her perceived lack of appreciation for his talent. Killian simply stared back, his mouth parted slightly in astonishment at the thought that this woman who had been on such a roller coaster of emotions today was sorry for not being able to convey in words what she felt about a small flower he had sketched from memory one cold and dreary afternoon. He had received many compliments over the years from patrons and friends alike; however, words never held as much meaning when they weren’t accompanied by a true and visceral reaction. Emma’s reaction? It meant everything.

I’m going to fall in love with this woman…

“Well, now that I’ve had my fill of drama for the day - no offense dear - I need to get home and get ready for my date tonight. I will see you at Ruby’s party next week, won’t I Killian?”

Emma and Killian’s intimate bubble burst immediately at the sound of Mrs. Lucas’ voice, their necks snapping in unison towards the older woman. The tips of Killian’s ears reddened as he nodded, a shy smile briefly taking prominence over his face before he quickly flashed a winsome one, adding a boyish wink for emphasis. However, Emma had already caught the first and was now adding it to her ever increasing catalogue of expressions by one Killian Jones.

“I would never forget such an event - not least because it means I may have another chance of stealing you away and pressing my suit for your affections.”

Mrs. Lucas returned Killian’s smile with one much more sedate yet no less teasing, her eyes flicking to Emma and back again as she replied, “I’m not sure you’ll have time to chase after me seeing as I expect to see the ‘Not So Angry Swan Girl’ there as well.”

Emma’s eyes widened and an embarrassed flush began to creep up her neck as she was reminded yet again of how badly she had handled her temper today.

“Oh, thank you for the invite, but I-“

“Don’t know my granddaughter? I wouldn’t worry about that. Ruby will love you and would be upset if she didn’t get to meet you - I imagine Scarlet is already gossiping about what happened here to her, so she will know all about you by the time Killian escorts you to her front door.” Mrs. Lucas raised an eyebrow in challenge, daring Emma to find another reason to decline her invitation. When none came, Mrs. Lucas’ face lit up in triumph and without another word, she turned and strode back the way she came, her hand lifted in farewell as she disappeared out the door.

Tink had disappeared somewhere out the back and Will had still not returned from his suspected gossip session with the aforementioned Ruby, which left Emma and Killian alone together once more, a silence descending upon them that should have felt awkward, and yet all Emma could feel was relief about the prospect of starting over once she returned to a hopefully empty apartment devoid of all the things that would remind her of the biggest mistake she had continually made over the last three years.

Absentmindedly, she had started tracing the little buttercup flower that had caught her attention only minutes ago, her thoughts turning to the shopping trip that she knew her friend Mary Margaret would convince her to go on so she could find the perfect gift for a woman she hadn’t even met yet. Killian was still sitting beside her, his gaze fixed on her profile. However, Emma was so absorbed in her thoughts of what her plans would be for the next few days that it wasn’t until he lightly cleared his throat that she realized her inattention to the world around her.

“Shit, sorry! Am I in the way here? I can always find a coffee shop somewhere and wait out Neal. You probably have clients waiting on you, right?”

Killian chuckled, a nervousness in its timbre that became more pronounced as he began to rub at a spot behind his ear. Emma’s heart - for the eleventy billionth time today - raced at the sight of this man that could switch from confident sex god to adorably nervous boy within a nanosecond. She wondered what he would be like in the bedroom with skills that matched those personalities and were just as interchangeable.

And now he’s being adorable again! God, I need to get a grip on my sex fantasies!

“I have some free samples of temporary ink that I have yet to try out. If you would like to, I would be happy to airbrush my buttercup onto an area of your choosing. Sometimes it’s easier to start with something small and temporary. If you decide you love it, then perhaps we can discuss a more permanent option; that is if you’re interested in taking that first leap into something new?”

Emma couldn’t look away from the intense blue of his eyes that were so sincere and kind without any expectation, and for a moment she hadn’t registered what he was offering. When she did, her stomach swooped and then flipped, another meaning to his words forcing its way into her mind: if she took a chance on something new with Killian Jones and decided she loved it, then perhaps they could be something more, something permanent.

***************************E&K***************************

1 year, 1 month, and 1 week later

“My Sleepy Swan, as much as I would love to sleep the day away with you, I’m afraid that would ruin all of your plans with Ruby and Mary Margaret today!”

Emma cracked open one bleary eye to observe her boyfriend of one year grinning down at her in all of his naked glory, the smell of his cologne and the hint of coffee that lingered around him letting her know that he had been up for some time. She had quickly become used to his early bird tendencies even after a night where they had both crashed into bed in a tangle of limbs that began a furious bout of lovemaking that she still craved whenever he looked her way.

Or read a book, or watched TV, or opened a jar, or gave her half of his onion rings…

She was pleasantly sore in all the best places and completely worn out; however, even in her exhausted state she couldn’t help thinking he looked different. His scruff was a little longer than usual but that was just because he hadn’t trimmed it yet this morning. His dark hair had that perfectly mussed ‘I just got out of bed after incredible sex’ look but again, nothing different there, especially as he purposely styled it that way so people knew he was taken and uninterested in whatever they were offering.

No, it was something else, something that wasn’t obvious unless you had had the pleasure of examining every inch of his body for one day shy of a whole year and knew every dip and plane, every scar and swirl of ink, and… oh!

Emma fumbled around on the nightstand - newly purchased when Emma moved into Killian’s apartment by the harbour two months ago and he declared they needed a new bedroom suite that was theirs - for her glasses. Quickly slipping them on, she ignored the darkening of her boyfriend’s eyes at her action, knowing his thoughts were drifting to memories involving games with no nonsense librarians and uptight CEOs that just needed to lose control every once in a while, to focus on the tattoos that she could recite blindfolded.

Just as Killian seemed to decide that he wanted to abandon his attempt to get his girlfriend out of bed and instead persuade her into a game of sexy college professor punishing her failing student, Emma zeroed in on the new bit of ink that wrapped around the side of his neck.

“I thought you weren’t a fan of neck tattoos,” Emma muttered hoarsely, her sleep-addled mind still trying to decipher what this new acquisition depicted.

“Hmm? Oh, well I was inspired by a former client of Scarlet’s. What do you think?” Killian leant forward to press a seductive kiss to Emma’s bare shoulder, his lips curved into a smirk that instantly gave away he was up to something.

With his neck fully exposed now in this position, Emma was able to clearly read the letters in an Old English font popular with ‘wankers who want to look tough while quoting their football team’s shitty motto’ - at least according to Scarlet.

S-N-O-O-K-U-M-S

“What is that on your fucking neck??” Emma shrieked, pushing Killian away from her, the force pushing him flat against the mattress where she could now see other cringe worthy pet names scrawled across his body in varying sizes and font types.

Pookie, Sweetie Pie, Babykins, Baby Doll, Baby Cakes, SUGAR LIPS!! He can’t be serious, he just fucking can’t…

“I swear to God, these had better not be real or so help me…” Emma straddled Killian’s torso, pressing her hands against his chest so he couldn’t escape her murderous glare.

“Wait, Swan! You- you haven’t seen my-my favourite one yet!” Killian laughed breathlessly, taking hold of both of her elbows and easily lifting her off him and to the side, his grin widening at her continued fury.

Bringing a hand to his chest, Killian slowly dragged it down his body, his eyes remaining on Emma’s, his expression turning seductive as his hand moved ever lower past his toned abs towards the thatch of hair between his legs and beyond. Emma couldn’t help following his movements, her seemingly ever present need for him sparking to life again and overpowering her desire to throttle him within an inch of his life.

Finally, he reached his destination, curling his hand around his erection which had begun to stiffen as soon as Emma put on her glasses that he thought were sexy as hell despite her protests to the contrary. He began to stroke it to full hardness, an involuntary groan escaping him as he did so. Emma was fixated on the action, her eyes watching the careful strokes with as much intensity as a predator stalking its prey, her ire from seconds before now non-existent - just an ache that wouldn’t be soothed until he slid inside her and let her ride him into breath stealing ecstasy.

“Killian…” Emma whined, her hand reaching out to touch him. Killian groaned again, his mind beginning to fray as it always did whenever his love encouraged him like this. The only thing holding it together was the promise of something even more enjoyable if he just remained patient for a little moment longer.

“Yes, sweetheart, take it, it always feels so good when you do it. Look closely, see why it only responds this way to you.” Killian had barely finished his command when Emma’s hand took over, her touch sending the most pleasurable tremors throughout his body. Emma shifted so that she was perched over his legs and his head fell back against the mattress as her grip tightened and her strokes quickened. He was just on the cusp of release when Emma gasped and her hand faltered. For a moment, Killian was confused, he was so close - surely she wouldn’t punish him now?

“Property of Emma Swan. Seriously!?”

Killian quickly sat up, tamping down the immense discomfort of his aborted release so that he could pull his outraged girlfriend onto his lap and smother her in loud smacking kisses all over her face and chest, causing a riot of giggles to erupt, even as she tried to push him away.

“Babe, I love you, but branding yourself as my property? Please tell me you didn’t suffer some kind of brain injury last night and decided to put a real tattoo on your dick? This will just wash off in the shower, right?” Emma ducked her head down to meet Killian’s eyes, her expression verging on desperate as her hands looped around his neck to keep herself steady.

“Darling, do you truly think I could have taken you in so many delightful ways last night and for so long a time, let alone let you touch me right now if I had decided to mar - what was it you called it last night? Ah yes, my exceptionally glorious cock?”

“I said it was glorious, not exceptionally glorious!” Emma laughed, as she half heartedly smacked the back of his head.

“I know it was what you were really thinking, no need to say otherwise, Swan. But be that as it may, yes, it will wash off after a good scrubbing in the shower as will the rest of these truly awful pet names - I just wanted to mark our first anniversary weekend with a little fun and plenty of make up sex once you forgave me for making you believe that you had chosen yet another dud boyfriend.” As Killian finished speaking, one of his eyebrows slowly rose until it was in danger of disappearing into his hairline before the other joined it, leaving him with an expression that was incredibly dorky, but still made Emma want to finish what she had started. She was just about to position herself to take him inside of her when his expression changed again, this time to something more serious. Emma swallowed nervously, wondering what had caused his playfulness to end so suddenly.

Killian threaded his fingers through Emma’s tangled mass of bed hair, massaging her scalp to ease the nerves he could practically feel vibrating out of her skin.

“Emma, I may not have marked myself as yours in so permanent a manner, but you must know that you left an indelible tattoo on me a long time ago. I am yours now, which means that there is not a person on this earth who shall ever see me again as I am right now, except you. I just needed you to know what you mean to me, with or without some representation etched into my skin. Do you understand?”

Emma nodded as her lips crashed into his, overwhelmed and so in love with her incredibly sweet boyfriend that she hadn’t even realized he had slipped himself inside of her until she was forced to pull away for air. With his fingers still tangled in her hair and her arms now tightly wound around his neck, slowly, they moved together, their hurry to find release tempered by their shift from playful teasing and shock worthy pranks to open vulnerability and deep and loving acceptance. Eventually though, neither could hold off their climax any longer. Emma began to quicken her pace as she ground down on Killian’s lap, her movements becoming less fluid as he began thrusting into her from below, hitting what felt like the deepest part of her over and over. With a whimpering sigh, she reached her peak, an exquisite feeling that she was riding a wave that was intent on forcing her to crash at great speed onto shore, muting all of her senses except her ability to feel Killian’s heat touching her inside and out and the headiness of their arousals mingling in the air.

Emma collapsed onto Killian’s chest and nuzzled into his neck, placing soft kisses of encouragement as he continued on for a moment more before his groan of satisfaction heralded the release of his seed inside of her, setting off another smaller orgasm within her at the same time.

For a minute, neither moved, content to stay wrapped up in one another as their breathing returned to normal and Killian began to soften and slip from Emma naturally.

“I wonder if Mary Margaret and Ruby would be too upset if I cancelled on them today. I really just want to stay in today, just like this,” Emma murmured softly, her lips grazing against Killian’s jaw as she spoke.

Killian pressed a loving kiss to the top of Emma’s head, his wish to agree with her plan strong. However, he knew Ruby and had come to know Mary Margaret quite well over the last year; those two would have no qualms about breaking into their apartment and forcibly pushing Emma out the door - clothed or not. Reaching for Emma’s left hand, he flipped it over until the inside of her wrist was visible; the yellow buttercup now permanently inked there never failing to make his heart thud in blissful contentment at the memory of the first time she had placed her trust in him to show her something new.

He kissed the tiny flower, leaving his lips there as he savored the moment of having the love of his life in his arms, his belief that they would always have this between them crystallising at Emma’s sigh of happiness as she burrowed further into his chest.

“Why don’t we start our pre-anniversary celebrations in the shower now and tomorrow, when Ruby and Mary Margaret have returned you to me after what I’m sure will be a satisfying spa day, we can barricade the door and celebrate all week long, just you and I?”

Emma lifted her head as Killian placed another kiss on her tattoo, her brain working overtime to get any words out that didn’t include “screw them, let’s just barricade the door now”.

How much sex is too much really??

“I thought you had to work tomorrow and that’s why you insisted on taking me on a vacation for our anniversary.”

“I told Will that I wouldn’t make him attend yet another class on conflict resolution if he covered for me tomorrow. I didn’t have any clients scheduled so all he has to do is take any walk-ins that come by.”

Emma knew Killian wasn’t lying, but she also knew he was leaving out some very key details. Right now though, she didn’t care. All she wanted to do was drag her amazingly hot boyfriend into the shower and scrub off each and every one of those temporary tattoos - among other enjoyable activities…

Scrambling off his lap, Emma pulled Killian up off the bed where he dutifully followed her to the bathroom. However, as they exited their bedroom to the bathroom with the shower that had more than enough room for two, Killian couldn’t help his eyes catching sight of the small decorative box on his nightstand with the false bottom where he had stashed the intricately elegant diamond and emerald engagement ring that he had started designing 11 months ago and had just picked up from the jeweller only last week.