A/N: Hello there! Once more, I am attempting to start a new multichapter au. I kind of need to apologise in advance because I will probably have late updates (my schedule is a bit too full at the moment). Still, I will do my best to ensure you enjoy this new story! Love you all and welcome aboard for this!

Disclaimer: (which i forgot to add to other stories) I do not own the characters, Eddie and Adam beat me to it...

"Ugh!"

Emma raised her head which was resting against the kitchen table between her folded arms, a sharp pain piercing through her head and making her wince. She fell asleep on the chair again. Her hands went up to support her head, elbows still against the wooden surface, as her fingers threaded in her hair, lightly tugging. She noticed a piece of paper was stuck against the skin of her forearm and ripped it off, her legs pulling the chair away from the table. She took a look around to the view of a great mess of papers, folders and empty cans of beer covering the entire kitchen.

The idiot had gotten away! As if sitting through an entire dinner at that restaurant, listening to him boast about his precious belongings, failing terribly whenever she tried to turn the conversation around to something more relative to the clues she was trying to accumulate, she had to run after him in her stupid high heels the instant he realised who she really was. She was so close to catching him and then the heel found resistance, making her trip and giving the rat bastard the time he needed to run away.

She slowly pulled her hurt leg on the chair and carefully examined her ankle. It was still quite a bit swollen. She sprained it pretty bad when she fell, it was basically a miracle she managed to walk to a main street and find a cab to get home. She had lost yet another lead to the case she was working on and she now had a hurt ankle as a little gift. Those are the perks of being a bail bondsperson. She spent the entire night going over every single thing they had gathered so far, only to reach the same verdict once more. Not enough evidence.

The man's words still echoed in her mind when she got home. "And what would you know about family? The stench of orphan is clear from miles away." So she accompanied her research with a few (or maybe more than a few) cans of beer. Which she now regretted. She would have to report another failure, admitting to returning empty-handed. Again! She stood up and walked into the bathroom with heavy steps, staring at herself in the mirror.

Emma looked as awful as she felt, hair a wild mess on her head, dark circles beneath her eyes and smeared makeup all over her face. She took as much as she could off with a wipe, thanking all the gods for having removed her contacts the night before. She tried to brush all the knots out of her hair and started the shower. Discarding her clothes quickly, she got right beneath the hot water, allowing it to wash the previous night off.

What would you know about family?

Emma got on with everything she had to do to feel more comfortable and took an Advil to get rid of the headache of her hangover. She called the office and said she needed more time, getting her hair up in a loose ponytail. Pulling on a pair of leggings, a long comfy sweater, her boots and topping everything with her red leather jacket, she popped her glasses on and walked out the house. Her ankle was much better now and she couldn't stay in any longer. She felt like she was drowning in her apartment. She took her files and laptop with her and was ready to get to the coffee shop located a block away.

That coffee shop was the place she always went when she couldn't stand the deafening quiet of her house or just to get her morning coffee on her way to work. Small and cute, it was always the right amount of loud and quiet and there was always a really cosy ambiance in the space. She practically had her own little nook at the back of the shop. A soft and fluffy armchair-sofa with a nice table of the proper size to allow her to lay out things properly without enough space to create a mess. There were vinyl discs hanging on the brick wall and many more in their cases resting on the long , thin shelf right below them, starting from the entrance, pausing to accommodate the bar and then starting again to reach the large bookcase at the back of the shop. There were also shelves and bookcases and stacks of books in all corners .

"Good morning, Swan." She was greeted with a bright grin as soon as she walked inside, blue eyes sparkling as they examined her face.

"Really not in the mood, Jones." She frowned and started making her way to her little corner. Nearly sweeping the cups at the edge of the bar off with her bag as she went.

"Uh oh." He opened the door of the bar and followed her to her table, as she placed her handbag of her things down and took her laptop out. "Let me guess, double dose of espresso in your latte today."

"Is it that obvious?" Emma pinched the bridge of her nose and then her eyes returned to his face, as he raised an eyebrow at her.

"What can I say, love. Open book." He shrugged with a grin and turned around to get her coffee. Shaking her head with a small grin, she turned her laptop on. Her gaze was subconsciously averted, searching for the dark head she had secretly grown quite fond of. She still remembered the first day she walked into the coffee shop on her way to work, heading straight to the bar to order two coffees to go. One for her and one for Ruby, her partner in all cases.

Looking up, she saw a pair of eyes staring at her. He wetted his lips and his gaze locked with hers. Damn, that man was gorgeous, all dark dishevelled hair, bright blue eyes, scruffed cheeks and lean body. He was practically sex on legs.

"Hello gorgeous. What can I get you?" he spoke with his Irish accent and she swallowed, giving her brain some time to switch on again.

"Two espressos to go, one regular one double, with a little sugar. And could you add some milk to the second one?" She briefly grinned and took a seat on one of the stools as she waited. He started the espresso machine and turned on his heel, quickly adding sugar to the bottom of both cups.

"You know, I can add quite a special ingredient to one." He said, his tongue pushing the inside of his cheek. Emma raised an eyebrow and looked at him curiously.

"And what would that be?"

"My phone number on the side of the cup. A woman as gorgeous as you could use it." He wiggled his brows suggestively.

"Wow!" she winced, shaking her head. "Really bad pickup line, my friend."

"It was worth a try." He shrugged and added the coffee to the cups, placing the lids on and handing them over to her, but not entirely letting go of them to stop her from leaving. "You should pay a visit again sometime, love."

Emma just smirked as she gave him the money, turning around and walking out of the shop. She checked the coffee cup. When she opened the lid, he had formed a little heart in the liquid with the milk. Normally, she would take it back, saying it's too much milk just to make a point, but, this time, she thought it was a cute gesture. Placing the lid back, she walked down the street and off to work.

The next day, without even knowing why, she was back, with the same order. The man grinned the instant she walked in, starting the coffee machine before she even ordered.

"So you knew I would order the same thing?" she folded her arms and placed them against the surface of the counter of the bar. He kept on working, with the same grin on his lips.

"I know a thing or two about people. I see many in here for sure. And you, darling, are an open book." He looked up and into her eyes then. "I was hoping I'd see you again."

"Well I liked the coffee." She replied, playing nonchalant.

"Sure. So, love, if I add a muffin to your order on me, can I at least get your name?" he stopped everything he was doing and mirrored her position on the counter. There were people walking in, ready to order and Emma told herself she only told him because she needed to go.

"Emma. Emma Swan." She said hastily pointing to the people behind her. "And I'd hate to get between these people and their coffees."

"Ooh, you're a tough lass. Alright, here's your coffee. And I'm Killian by the way. Jones." He handed her the cups, his hand brushing hers and waited for her response, staring straight into her eyes. Her heartbeat rose.

"I believe I earned myself a muffin." She smirked and he placed a muffin inside a small carton box with a handle on the top.

"Aye, fair and square." He replied taking the money she gave him and giving her the box. "Farewell, then, Swan."

"Thanks for the coffee" Emma turned around with a grin on her lips as she noticed a heart in the middle of her coffee again.

After her first times there, Emma became a more regular customer. She found out that Killian owned the shop, but he also liked to not leave everything to others, so he worked the bar and hired a few waiters to help. When she decided to actually have her coffee there, she was with Ruby and another friend from the office, Elsa. She found that she enjoyed her time there so much, she hardly ever had coffee anywhere else.

One thing certainly never changed, there was always a heart shaped from milk in the middle of her coffee. She and Killian became...friends, of some short. They talked, but he always found a way to throw in a compliment, or innuendo. In general, Emma knew he was flirting with her, but he was a nice man and he seemed to be flirting with everyone in the shop, so his comments obviously meant nothing. That is what she had been telling herself ever since she walked in two months ago. Besides, she sucked in relationships and she had promised herself that she would never risk getting her heart broken again.

Killian looked up and gave her a wink, pointing to the waitress taking the cup of her coffee on her tray and to her. As she took a few documents out of her file, her eye caught him getting one of the waiters behind the bar and approaching her.

"Okay, love, spill. What's wrong?" Emma looked up as he took a seat next to her. "Not that I don't love your new look. Glasses suit you very well." He smiled moving closer to her.

"I need them to see, I'm not trying to get a new look. I was too tired to put contacts in today." Her hands rubbed her temples, before her back touched the soft pillow behind her.

"Fell asleep on the chair again I gather. Swan, it's okay if something went wrong with one of those fools you have to run after. You will find a way, you always do." Killian's voice was deep and husky and when his fingers removed an errand strand of hair that had fallen from her up-do and tucked it behind her ear. Emma had to bite the inside of her cheek to stope herself from shivering. Their gazes locked and she found it impossible to look away. "I bet that, by the end of the night, you will have worked things out." He added before he was on his feet, wishing her luck and returning to his spot behind the bar. Her eyes followed him all the way there and she managed to rip her gaze off right in time to avoid getting caught. She breathed in hard, trying to focus on her work. Damn him and the way he makes her feel.