Sometimes she hated her job. Maybe hate was a strong word, but somedays, Emma Swan wished that she would have picked something else. Something simple, easy, boring. Ordinary. Something that was the embodiment of everything she lacked while growing up. Like an actuary, or a financial clerk, or even a data processor.

But no, she had to live on the edge and choose to be a PI, because after a stint with the law and coming out of it almost unscathed, risk was the way to go. After all, the only one who showed any interest Emma's life had been the bounty hunter who had tracked her down two states. Following in her footsteps and choosing a life with a certain amount of danger seemed like a natural choice. Which wasn't a bad thing, per se. No one was waiting at home with baited breath for her to come back.

Sure, she had a few colleagues here and there that she'd meet for drinks. A few regular clients that would invite her to Christmas parties and Thanksgiving dinners, but no one would miss her terribly if she went. No one's life would be torn apart in pieces if something were to happen to her.

And most days, Emma Swan was ok with that, it was the hand that was dealt to her by life and she was ok with it.

But not today. Today she was standing outside the building that held the headquarters of her new case and she was not ok.

Who knew the world of dating services could be so lucrative? And cutthroat? Apparently, it was - so much so that everyone had up in arms when a somewhat new and innovative site had started to take away their clientele. Their advertisement - a sworn oath that they didn't use any type of data analysis or algorithm to find your perfect match - had most, if not all, of the competition screaming bloody murder - or fraud.

The scandal had been so big that the local chamber of commerce had decided to hire a private - third party and impartial - observer to investigate whether or not the site was advertising under false promises.

Enter Emma Swan, local PI, to see if was telling the truth.

So there she stood, taking a deep breath before she made her way into the building that supposedly held a heap of happy endings Emma Swan wasn't looking forward to seeing. It was one thing to know you were alone in the world, but it was another thing altogether to be reminded of it by sugar-sweet stories of happenstances and meet-cutes.

She really should have recommended the case out to another firm.

At first sight, 's headquarters were nothing out of the ordinary. A few signs with the company's logo here and there, and - unlike some other sites' offices she'd visited while doing her pre-case research - an almost healthy absence of anything red or that resembled a heart. If anything, the place looked more like a regular tech company than anything else. Big white boards on the walls, a few conference rooms where people were hanging out and working out of, printed sticky notes and pics, and a couple of wooden doors that held what Emma guessed were the co-founders' offices.

She quickly approached the front desk. It was a mahogany and it seemed to be vintage, with lovely wood carvings around the edge and down the legs. A redhead was sitting at the desk, slowly flipping through a few folders and reviewing some files. She lifted her head and smiled at Emma.

"Welcome to , here to find your soulmate?"

Emma started to snort before she quickly covered it in an unlady-like cough as she realized the woman's face was shifting from helpful to disheartened. "Actually, I'm Emma Swan, I have an appointment with -" she checked the post-it in her hand - "Liam Jones."

The woman nodded in understanding. "About the investigation, right? I'm not sure what they think they can find," she said with a shrug. "We're the real thing, you know? Completely legit. We know, you know. We just know."

Her fervent defense was starting to give Emma a few goosebumps - and not the good kind - before the woman seemed to get ahold of herself. "Apologies, Killian always tells me to tone it down. I'm Ariel." Emma shook the hand that was held out to her, a polite smile on her lips. "So... Liam Jones?" she asked, bringing the attention back to the matter at hand. She didn't have time for small talk, this was business and business only. Besides, Emma Swan didn't get paid by the hour, so she needed to get this show on the road.

"Right! Right! Sorry about that… well, I'm afraid that there was a situation downtown and Liam is stuck in traffic. He won't be able to make it." Ariel bit her lip in a silent apology.

Of course he couldn't make it. This was not off to a good start if the owners were already avoiding their first meeting with her. Emma could already foresee having to struggle with them each step of the way to get them to release information, or let her interview staff and clients.

She was already so caught up planning ahead on her alternatives that she almost missed the fact Ariel was continuing to talk to her. "Which is why Killian freed his schedule for the day to meet with you and cover for his brother."

"Killian?" Emma squinted at Ariel, who nodded.

Killian Jones, co-founder of the site."

"Oh, yes yes." Emma shook her head, she knew that. She'd read that the site was founded by two brothers, but Liam Jones seemed to be the one handling the commercial and business side while Killian Jones ran the actual matching department, according to the information she was given.

"Alright, let me ring him for you and he'll meet you here in a second. Please have a seat or feel free to start looking around. We've got nothing to hide" Ariel grabbed her phone and Emma took the time to look at some of the pictures framed on one of the walls. Happy couples of all shapes, ages, colors, and genders smiled back at her. Some of them even had thankful messages written underneath.

Thank you for bringing us together!

Who knew true love was just one town away?

I can't believe our friends never thought we'd be a good match!

As advertisements went, it was effective. Emma tried to see if her usual built-in lie detector worked on pictures, but she wasn't getting any vibes off of them. They seemed real.

She was so deep in thought about that, looking attentively at the pictures, that she didn't notice the footsteps behind her.

"Miss Swan?" an accented male voice spoke and Emma turned around.

The first thing she noticed was the man's blue eyes. The second was his dark hair. And the third was the overall package of what was the most handsome man Emma had ever seen in real life. A handsome man who was now approaching her, his hand extended to shake hers.

"I'm Killian Jones." His hand was soft but firm as he shook hers. "It's a pleasure to meet you."