Hello, Readers. This is my own version of what the Once characters could be like as mystery solving team. I want to thank colormyheartred for starting with Mystery Incorporated and inspiring me. Just to give you guys some background, I'm featuring my own character, Crystal Miller, she's Rumple's daughter from a previous relationship and he has sole custody since Crystal's mother has died. Also, Rumple's a womanizer. If you want to learn more about her, Read Once Upon Another Time on my page. Also, Neal, Graham, and all those guys are still alive. Emma and Neal share custody of Henry, Regina isn't evil, Mary Margret and David aren't Emma's parents, (as far as they know) but they do have baby Neal. There won't be a lot of magic in this story, it'll take place on a more realistic scale. Please review because like colormyheartred, I might turn it into a series. All rights go to ABC for the characters and location. Any characters I create are mine.

Enjoy

…

"I'm wanted… dead or alive."

Emma Swan moans and lifts her from the pillow. Her phone is buzzing and lighting up on her nightstand. With annoyance, she grabs her phone, her hand going past a picture of her, her ex-boyfriend, Neal and their son, Henry, whom they share custody of. She checks the ID.

Graham

Why is he calling? Today's my day off? She knows she always has to keep her phone on in case of an emergency, but what kind of emergencies exist in the small town of Storybrooke, Maine. The worst crime ever committed here was an overdue parking ticket.

"Hello?" Emma says groggily.

"Mornin' Emma," Graham's Irish accent comes over the ear piece. "Did I wake you?"

"No, I'm always up early on my day off," she mutters sarcastically.

"I'm so sorry darlin', but do you know where Joel put the keys for the back storage closet? We're runnin' low on file folders again." That is hard to believe

"Check the main desk, the second drawer on the left, under the box of paper clips."

"Thank you, See you tomorrow."

"Good-bye," Emma says before hanging up. She puts her phone back on the nightstand and rolls over, placing her head back down on the pillow. Why does it seem like I become the station 'mother' whenever Joel puts something away without Graham's knowledge? Emma likes her job, she works as a private investigator for the Storybrooke police force, she's under Sheriff Graham Humbert and Deputy Joel Sanders, but it seems that sometimes she has to run everything on the force. She wasn't even there very often, she mostly worked from home and yet Graham relied on her for knowing everything. Graham is distracted often by a certain young female woman, namely Lily Page, and the new guy, Joel Sanders... Emma didn't know a lot about him, just that he came from Boston and he looked a little familiar to her.

Just as her eyelids are getting reacquainted, the Imperial March from Star Wars comes on and her phone vibrates again.

What now?! She moans in anger and reaches over to see the ID.

Neal

The man she cannot believe that she's actually on speaking terms with and that's only because of Henry. Emma will do anything for her son.

She and Neal were partners in crime, literally. They met not long after Emma had run away from her final foster home, back when she was seventeen. She tried hotwiring the car that Neal was sleeping in, which turned out not to be his either. They grew close and only stole what they needed to survive. It all changed when Emma was arrested for something that Neal did and he seemed to vanish completely after that. It was a dose of reality for her and it wasn't too long after that she found out she was pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth to their son, Henry Swan. Emma didn't want to keep him, she didn't want to raise a child in prison, but when she heard his voice for the first time, she couldn't resist holding him. When their eyes met for the first time, she fell instantly in love.

After she was released from prison, she cleaned up her act and worked hard to make a life for her and Henry in Boston. She made an honest living, had little contact with Neal and shielded herself from any other harmful relationships for the most part. That is until Henry was older and started asking questions about his father, a subject Emma avoided like the plague. Her son then became determined to know his birth father. He tracked Neal down to the small town of Storybrooke and with reluctance, Emma went with him to see the man who broke her heart. Neal apologized and understood that Emma would probably never forgive him, but he did want to get to know Henry as much as possible. He told Emma that he also served time for the crime and when he heard she got pregnant, he even tried to make a case to let her out early, for Henry's sake. Neal knew Emma would never forgive him, so he cut all ties, never tried to get in touch with Emma and went back to Storybrooke to live with his father and step-sister. Emma and Henry soon moved to Storybrooke and she and Neal now shared custody of Henry, with visitations and such. Emma soon fell in love with the town, as did Henry and they never looked back. It was hard for awhile to adjust to small town life, but they made it work.

"Hello?" Emma says into the phone, not doing a very good job of hiding her annoyance.

"Hi, Emma, sorry to wake you, I just wanted to know if you were picking up Henry after school and when I have him again?"

"I am picking him up at 3:20 and I have him until Wednesday and then he's at your place until Saturday. Don't forget to pack his yearbook money today and make sure he wears a jacket."

"Yes, I will. See you later."

Emma hangs up and tosses her phone back where it belongs. She flops her head back down and closes her eyes.

She's about to drift off…

Every morning I think of you…

Emma wants to scream out. She rolls back over and fumbles to find her device. She looks at the screen

Killian

Finally, someone she actually wanted to talk to. Killian was a "sailor" on the docks and had his own boat known as The Jolly Roger, but Emma knew that he was a pirate, shipping things wherever they were needed. He was a drinker most of the time and had a bit of a tragic past, losing his brother in a boating accident. He mostly kept to himself until Henry and Emma moved into town, then he was instantly smitten with Emma. He asked her out over a million times and she turned him down a million times…at least. Emma didn't want a relationship, her history with Neal and the fact that she went from foster home to foster home didn't help either. She didn't want a boyfriend, at least not at the moment with Henry and work, and she explained this to Killian many times and still he pursued her. Eventually, he wore her down and she said yes. It wasn't long after that Emma realized that she liked Killian. The man, dared she say was "dashingly handsome," mischievous, kind and respectful. She felt safe around him and he treated her like a queen.

A few dates later, after one bad day at work and a LOT of liquor, she and Killian ended up in bed together. It wasn't her proudest moment, but it also wasn't her worst one either. Since then, she and Killian saw each other whenever they could, but kept it a secret, just for the sake of Henry and not making everything more complicated.

"I was hoping I'd hear from you," Emma says into the phone.

"Good morning Swan, did I wake you?"

"Not really, I've already been woken up by Graham and Neal about other things so it really doesn't matter."

"I'm sorry you're not having a good day Love," he says. Emma blushes.

"It's no big deal, I may have a better day if I see you,"

"So I was wondering if you might be interested in a night on The Jolly Roger. Candles, some wine, a little dinner and something else perhaps…?"

Emma smiles and blushes again. "That is very tempting, but unfortunately, I have Henry until Wednesday and then I agreed to work two graveyard shifts at the station after that."

Killian sighs on the other end. "That is disappointing, I miss you."

"You saw me two days ago,"

"Two days is different out at sea," Killian says.

"According to you, look I'm going to Granny's later today, maybe we can meet up there?"

"Maybe, and maybe I can greet you with a kiss?"

"You know how I feel about that," Emma says firmly.

"Aye, I do, but you do realize your refusals do hurt, a man can only take so much rejection."

"Said by the man who asked me out fifty times,"

"It was thirty and you did eventually say yes. You know you can't resist me."

Emma rolls her eyes.

"We can have lunch together, but nothing too public, agreed?"

"Aye,"

"I'll call you later," Emma says. "Goodbye, Captain Killian."

"Goodbye my beautiful swan," Killian says before they both hang up.

Emma sighs and stares at her phone for a long moment. Killian was great…but things were just too complicated. Living in the town with her ex, keeping her past under wraps, working as a private investigator and raising her teenage son; it was a lot to deal with. She didn't need a seaside romance with an actual pirate thrown into it too.

Emma showers and dresses before heading downtown. She promised to meet her friend Mary Margret there for coffee like they did ever morning before she went to school. Mary Margret was a teacher at Henry's old elementary school and she was married to David Nolan, who ran the taxi service in town. She was one of the first people to greet Emma and actually try to become friends with her. Emma grew to like Mary Margret, establishing a friendly connection she wasn't always known for. Emma looked up to Mary Margret, almost like a mother, but Mary Margret often went to Emma for parenting advice. David and Mary Margret had recently welcomed a son, whom they also named Neal. Why that name, Emma wasn't sure, but one could assume that since Neal and David ran the taxi service together and had been friends for years; the couple decided to honor him. There wasn't much confusion as the baby had a nickname, little Neo, mostly due to his babysitter. But regardless of the name, Emma adored baby Neal and saw David and Mary Margret as the family she never had.

Emma walks out the front door and locks the small two-bedroom house that was on the end of Main Street, Storybrooke. It wasn't perfect, definitely needed to be fixed up when they bought it three years ago, but Emma had made it a home for both of them. It had a lawn in the front with an ancient oak tree that Neal had hung a swing from for Henry and the two would play catch or read under the tree during their visits.

Emma walks into Granny's, the town's favourite restaurant and probably only restaurant within fifty miles. The food was good and the atmosphere friendly. The usual breakfast crowd chats amongst one another. She goes to the counter and sits on a round stool. A skinny waitress, with her hair streaked with crimson colouring, stands there in her apron and dressed in a rather skimpy outfit.

"Hey Ruby," Emma says. "Can you put a double shot of espresso in the coffee today, I had an early morning and get the usual for Mary Margret."

"Sure thing," Ruby chirps and writes it down on a notepad.

The door opens again and in walks Crystal, a friend of Emma's. She was eighteen years old but looked fairly younger. She had bright blue eyes and long brown hair that was often pulled back into a ponytail, especially when she was thinking very hard. She smiles when she sees Emma and hops up on a bar stool next to her.

"Coffee and the usual Ruby please," Crystal says politely.

"Coming right up," Ruby says and adds it to the order wheel above the kitchen.

"You look tired Emma," Crystal says. "You spend the night with Killian again?"

"Shut up!" Emma snaps and lowers her voice. "You know I don't want you to talk about him in public."

"Then why are you sleeping with him?' Crystal says in a hushed voice.

Emma goes bright red, but Ruby saves her by pouring both of them a cup of coffee and adding the espresso shots.

"I don't even know how you know this," Emma says, taking a sip of coffee.

"Because I'm your friend and friends notice things."

"Friends also keep each other's secrets," Emma snaps. "And don't announce who they're sleeping with in a crowded restaurant."

"You're right, I'm sorry, but seriously, why are you so tired?"

"Because my phone wouldn't shut up this morning! I got calls from Graham, Neal and…you know who,"

"You have too many men in your life," Crystal says with a good-humoured smirk. "My dad, on the other hand, has the opposite problem."

Emma rolls her eyes, not needing a reminder that Crystal speaks the truth. Calling her father a womanizer would be the understatement of the year. Mr. Gold was one of the better financially off men in Storybrooke, running a trades/pawn business. His motto was that everything had a price. This saying also applied to his personal life and to his relationship with Crystal. Gold was older Neal's father from his first and only marriage, but after she upped and left him, Gold kind of broke down after that. He began opening his bed up to as many women as he could and taking frequent business trips to the cities when the population of women in Storybrooke ran out. That is where Crystal came in. One of Gold's business trips ended up creating new life. Crystal's mother never had contact with Gold, for the same reasons that Emma had for Neal. That is until Crystal's mother died in a car crash when she was nine. The courts tracked down Gold and Crystal then became Gold's responsibility. Even with this new addition to the family, things hardly changed for Gold. He continued his rampage of one-night stands and broken hearts, which was partially the reason that Neal left home so young. He once told Emma that he had constant fights with his father about his relationships and finally gave up and basically ran away from home. Crystal, however, stayed with Gold; she tolerated his lady friends and simply grew to accept him despite his flaws. Her reasoning was that he and Neal were her only family left and no one ever dared to press her any further about it.

"We all know that," Emma says. "Who is it this week?"

"You know that new librarian?" Crystal asks while mixing cream into her mug.

"Lacey French?"

"Yeah her, he took her out to dinner the other night and then brought her home for some wine and…" Crystal doesn't need to finish and she sips some of her coffee. Emma grimaces in response.

"She must be new to the area if she doesn't know his reputation. I don't know how you stand to live with him."

Crystal shrugs and drinks some more of her coffee. "He's my dad and besides, I stay at Mary Margret's house most nights anyways." This was true as Crystal avoided her house at night like the plague, Neal also had moved into a small apartment to get away from everything. This worked out well for Crystal as she was able to babysit little "Neo" as part of her rent and work on her online classes for her college program.

Just as Crystal finishes her sentence, Mary Margret comes into the diner with Neal in his baby carrier. She is dressed in a pink sweater and simple black top and her matching pink skirt ruffles as she moves towards the counter. She has her briefcase in her other hand and diaper bag slung over her shoulder. Her dark hair styled up in a sleek bob and her pale skin accented with some pink blush, but also the flush of her face from running or stress.

"Speak of the devil," Emma says. "I got you your usual,"

"Thank you, Emma, I don't know what I'd do without you." Mary Margret says, practically panting.

"Hopefully, you'll never have to find out," Emma says with a smile. She then notices how flustered her friend looks. "You look like hell, what happened this morning?"

"David forgot to set the alarm this morning so I overslept and I had to print a math test out from the computer. I barely ate breakfast when I had to go out the door and I almost forgot Neal."

The tiny tot coos and gurgles from his carrier, smiling at the excitement around him.

"Sorry M," Crystal says. "I would've woken you, but I had to get up to get clean clothes and grab my laptop for class. I also had to make sure my dad didn't burn the house down and make sure that Lacey was gone." The way Crystal talked about her father, made it seem like Crystal was the adult and Gold was the teenager.

"Lacey?" Mary Margret says in shock. "He's seeing Lacey?"

"That might be a good story to write about," Regina Mills says coming up behind the group. Regina was another friend of Emma's, she was the editor of the town newspaper office and her mother, Cora, was the mayor of Storybrooke. Regina didn't like Emma at first and the feeling was mutual. For a long time, the two barely spoke, but that soon changed when Emma saved Regina from being hit by a car and after that, they respected each other and a friendship soon formed.

"You won't have enough paper in the world to cover all my dad's relationships," Crystal says bluntly.

The three women look Regina up and down. Her hair had not seen a brush at all, there were dark circles under her eyes, her clothes were wrinkled and dirty, there was a run in her pantyhose and her entire body was hunched over in exhaustion.

"I take it back, you look like hell," Emma says.

"I had to pull an all-nighter," Regina sighs and slumps onto a stool. "I downed two Red Bulls and six espresso shots just to keep myself awake. Sydney completely screwed up a story we were going to run, the one about the recent break-ins down by the toll bridge."

"I heard about that," Mary Margret says. "Some of the kids at school were talking about it."

"It's the strangest thing, though," Regina says. "The guy only ever uses the back window, most likely with a crowbar, he always does it when the people aren't home and he never takes anything. He only ransacks, it's as if there is nothing of worth to him. Expensive jewelry, gaming systems, even purses out in the open. It's the strangest thing."

Emma nods. These break-ins were the current news of Storybrooke and something the police force had to deal with. Emma, Joel, and Graham had been called to three houses in the past couple of days to dust for prints and get witness statements. There wasn't much evidence to really reassure anyone that they were in pursuit of a suspect and the only thing they could do was make sure people locked their doors at night. It was slightly unsettling for everyone, very rarely do things like this happen, but when they do, they scare the whole town. Regina had been pestering all of them to get details on the paper, but there wasn't much any of them on the police force could give.

"Or he could be looking for something and hasn't found it yet," Crystal suggests as Ruby brings the eighteen-year-old her food. "Thanks, Ruby."

"No problem, you need something, Regina?" Ruby asks.

"A hot shower and some Xanax if you have any," Regina mutters, her head in her hands.

"How about some regular coffee?" Ruby suggests, not really in the mood for any of Regina's complaints.

"That'll be fine," Regina sighs.

Mary Margret rocks Neal back and forth to soothe him and Crystal eats her breakfast.

"So Crystal, Ashley is having Baby Time at Aurora's house today as Sean is re-painting the living room and then maybe just take him around the neighbourhood today,"

"Sure," Crystal says. "I was hoping to check out the new park that Cora built last month. The one that looks like a castle."

"That's a good idea," Mary Margret says. "The kids in my class have not stopped talking about it and pretty much everyone makes plans to play there after school now."

"It was pretty creative on your mom's part," Emma says earnestly. Though Henry was a teenager now, he still liked to sit on the swings with his friends or play ball with Neal as part of their bonding.

"And it only took half the town's taxes to pay for it," Regina says. She runs her hands through her hair as Ruby pours Regina her coffee.

"What's your mom suggesting for this break-in situation?" Emma asks.

"I seriously doubt she cares right now, with the election coming up, she has enough on her plate."

Regina has the unfortunate privilege of living with her mother and being there for all the drama.

"It would work in her favor to show at least some concern," Crystal points out.

"She can do what she wants," Regina shrugs. "I'm not her campaign manager, that's Sydney's job when he isn't messing up the newspaper."

The door opens and Killian enters. Emma immediately tries not to blush as he comes to the counter, his leather jacket open and his shirt exposing his chest despite the chilly autumn air. He wore rings on his fingers and several chains around his neck, making him look like a member of a biker gang instead of a pirate. Emma knew that each of his accessories had a story, several of them were associated with his brother Liam. Killian was a pirate by trade, or so he claimed, but Emma saw him more as a man without a job. Along with his black leather jacket, Killian often wore eyeliner, which enhanced his already hypnotic blue eyes. Regina had gotten into the habit of calling him "Captain Guyliner."

"Morning ladies and lad," he says. "Swan."

Crystal shoots a side-glance at Emma and buries her smile in some of her breakfast. Regina and Mary Margret also smile knowingly. Like Crystal said, friends notice things.

"Can I get an omelet with home fries this morning please Ruby darling," Killian asks.

"Coming up," Ruby says and disappears into the kitchen.

Killian takes the empty seat next to Emma and does his best not to glance over at her. He respected her wishes to keep their relationship a secret, mostly because he didn't want to lose her. He saw her as beautiful, a woman who had stolen his heart, despite her constant warnings to stay away. He persevered, completely ignoring how complicated the situation was; to him, love was not complicated and he cared for Emma in every way.

Regina's beeper goes off.

"Oh…damn it!" she mutters.

"Sidney again?" Mary Margret asks.

"Know anyone else in this town who pushes me to the brink of insanity?"

"Emma used to," Crystal says light-heartedly. Emma shoots her and dirty look.

"He wants to change the front page story again; I've got to go."

"Don't work too hard," Killian says as Regina takes her coffee to go.

"I think it's a little late for that," Emma whispers as the reporter exits the restaurant.

"I have to go too," Mary Margret says, paying for her coffee. "I have to make photocopies of that math test."

Mary Margret hands Neal's baby seat and diaper bag to the babysitter kisses her son, says goodbye to Emma and Killian and then leaves.

Crystal knows when three's a crowd, she digs her purse out of her book bag.

"Here Ruby," she says, handing the money over. "Keep the change." Crystal also tips Ruby.

"You two have a nice breakfast; I'll see you later."

Crystal scoops up Neal's carrier and bag before heading out the door.

Emma is almost upset that her friends have left abruptly, leaving her with the man she's secretly dating. They were basically announcing to the whole restaurant that they were together. Ruby serves Killian his breakfast and the two sit in silence.

Killian takes a few bites of his meal before speaking.

"Would you like some Swan?" he offers.

"No thank you," Emma says.

"Breakfast is important you know,"

"I know, but I'm not that hungry right now."

"I highly doubt that," Killian says, he offers her some of his home fries. Emma reluctantly takes them. They eat in silence for awhile as the diner begins to clear out, people starting their days at work or school.

Killian finishes and then turns to Emma.

"Would you like to go down to the boat?" he asks.

Emma nods reluctantly. She pays for both their meals and then they walk towards the dock. They walk in silence most of the ways, Emma's arms wrapped around her upper arms as if she was cold and Killian's hands are in his leather jacket pockets. The streets were relatively quiet as everyone settled into their work day, but the two kept their distance to avoid suspicion.

The docks were deserted except for Killian's boat The Jolly Roger, tied to the farthest part of the shipyard. The masts of the ship tower over them, blowing in the morning breeze.

Killian hops onto the deck and Emma follows him. The ship rocks slightly with their movement, but the effect is soothing.

Killian stares out at the horizon for a few moments, gathering his bearings. He leans over the side of the ship for a moment. He takes in a deep breath, knowing he will hate what comes next.

"We can always call this off Swan…" he says sadly. "If you cannot handle the stress right now."

Emma's heart suddenly drops to her stomach and she becomes worried. She knew she had been keeping her distance, but it's just how she's always been to avoid getting hurt. Her relationship with Neal hurt and several of her other previous relationships did too. She wanted to avoid any more pain to an already complex situation And yet…she couldn't live without Killian; she can't imagine her life in Storybrooke without him. He made her smile, he made her laugh, he respected her and he didn't push her too hard. He loved spending time with Henry and overall, he made her day a little bit brighter. She cared about him too. She looks into his deep blue eyes and she's practically hypnotized by them. She can see her own reflection look back at her, a woman she did not like, someone who was resentful and detached…not someone that Killian deserved and yet.

Emma walks towards Killian slowly. She looks at him for a moment before kissing him passionately.