Burning Confessions Chapter 1: The Devil Is A Blonde, an once upon a time fanfic

This is a DragonSwanQueen story. Two characters in this pairing are G!P so if that's not your type of tea, I suggest you not bother here. Um, this story had drama, love and lies going on. Sometimes you just might hate the character, sometimes you won't. Love ain't ever easy, so have fun.

DSQ :: DRAGON SWAN QUEEN :: DSQ

Emma Nolan was sitting comfortably in her office on the sixty-fourth floor of the Williams tower. She was probably one of the few free lanced lawyers in existence that was able to afford to tenant in the tallest most exclusive building in Boston. Sure she was just a criminal defense attorney but she was good at her job—so good the district attorneys office made it their personal interest to take her down... But the DA's office couldn't crucify her career even if they had resources to do so. Emma Nolan defended the richest scum to ever commit a crime, to some it seemed like she enjoyed watching those type people walk free and that she enjoyed destroying victims in front of their family and friends like it was nothing. Criminals deserved to have decent representation as well but Emma Nolan took that sentiment to another level—she took the law and turned it into a game for her own entertainment and commission.

It's been a long held rumor that Emma defended criminals knowing that they were guilty—but proof of that fact is still being determined. As the years went on, Emma Nolan became more lethal in her profession though she managed to gracefully walk the fine line that separated legal from illegal when it came to tactics in the court room—earning the nickname The Swan. She's considered very wealthy for a criminal defense attorney in Massachusetts. She crossed lines other criminal defense attorneys dared not too.

Emma also had friends in high places...being the unofficial sword and shield for the usually guilty rich men and women (which were a lot...more than people would think) that could afford her legal services.

Not more than an hour ago, Emma got Will Scarlet out of trouble again for the fifth time this year. Same bullshit crime. He was the Richy Rich kind of person, never worked a day in his life; instead living off his parents money. They owned a chain of fishing and hunting stores across the country. Will thought he was the hottest thing since sliced bread. Thought he was invisible until the police catch him...then he would turn into a blubbering mess, often crying so hard Emma can barely understand him in the wee hours of the mornings when he calls from the jailhouse.

"So...is it done? Am I free to go?"

Emma rolled her green eyes, "Sure Will. Well, until the next time you decide to drive around drunk with a kilo of cocaine in the passengers seat. Do you know what I had to go through to make that disappear at 3 in the morning?"

Will had the nerve to look ashamed, "I'm sorry, really I am...but once again...you proved that you are the best lawyer in the world.", Will tried to smile charmingly but he gave it up, he knew he really fucked up this time. Emma was not happy with him, she managed to keep him out of jail but he still got stuck with substance courses. "I wired all of your money and..."

"Good. Now get out, and keep your nose clean Will. Next time I'm letting you go to jail." Emma cut him off before he could start rambling, his ramblings could last all day if she let him.

Will shrugged, holding up his hands as he stood from the comfortable plush leather chair. Not believing her for one second. He paid her too well, but he never took her warnings lightly. "Alright...alright...hey we still on for that date at the poker game next month right? You're the only friend I trust not to swindle me out of all my money."

"Looking forward to it" Emma dismissed softly, pulling out her HP notebook from her Giorgio Armani classic briefcase. She put in her password and pulled up her workload. There wasn't anything too important that called for her immediate attention, so she got up and went to her office mini bar and fixed herself a glass of vodka and cranberry juice.

Carefully slipping her feet out of her snake skin 4 inch Prada heels, Emma sat down on her leather sofa picking up the remote turning on the afternoon news. She adored her office, she had it designed to her liking and her own comfort—it was dark and comfortable. Well as dark as one can get with a giant window for a back wall with a fabulous view of the great city of Boston, Emma loved her office...it was the one of the few places she could actually relax.

Emma stretched out on her leather sofa, wiggling her now free and pretty black painted toes, the color matching her fresh manicure. Hiking her skirt a little higher up her toned pale thighs, Emma tucked her legs beneath her just as her door opened without a curtsey knock but she expected nothing less from the district attorney Zelena Greensworth.

"I hope you feel good about yourself right now."

"I'm not the one who didn't have the burden of proof.", Emma responded, taking the first sip from her cold mixed drink. "Thirsty? I know it's hot outside."

Zelena shook her head, "How do you sleep at night? There was a kilo of cocaine sitting in the evidence locker and suddenly it disappeared? He could be selling that crap on the streets of Boston right now and you're sitting here, drinking!"

"Save me the bleeding heart speech, what do you want?"

Zelena smirked, pulling a familiar three fold blue paper out of her handbag and tossed it on the sofa close to the defense attorney. "Read it and weep."

Emma set her glass down on one of her coasters on the small table behind her and picked up the subpoena, biting her bottom lip as she opened it. When she found out what it was for she was shocked and angry. "What the hell is this?"

"You're being sued."

Emma picked up her drink and stood, still reading the subpoena over. "Yes I can see that, I'm not an idiot. But for what?"

"Remember James Harding?"

Emma blinked, James Harding was one of her...more powerful clients, one of the few that pay her extra to travel to wherever they were with extreme discretion and to help them out of a sticky situation. He treated Emma well, like she was a rare ruby crystal. Emma tossed the three fold paper down on the sofa with a shrug, "Yes, I recall defending him once or twice. Why?"

"The victim is suing you for victimizing her more than James did...which is saying a lot seeing as he raped her.", Zelena said smugly, crossing her arms. "But don't worry, she is planning on suing him soon for promoting the video. So you're both screwed."

Emma ignored that last bit of information, "He didn't rape her, she lied because her 15 minutes of fame leaked all over the internet, then decided to claim rape. I smelled it a mile a way, and sold it to the jury."

"She's suing you for emotional distress."

Emma snorted in amusement and rolled her eyes, "Emotional distress? For doing my job? Let me guess...you're representing her aren't you?"

"Oh no not me, Ingrid Fisher personally saw to it that she would be the prosecutor for this case."

Emma almost lost her grip on glass, Ingrid Fisher was the Bureau Chief ADA and Emma's worse nightmare. That woman was out for blood when it came to Emma Nolan and the young lawyer hated her for it. When she was the judge, she would constantly shut Emma down at every angle possible and she could only imagine the damage control she be would doing in the court room against the older woman.

Emma managed a fake smile as she gestured for the door with her free hand carelessly, "Great...if that's all, get out. I have work to do."

Zelena just laughed, she may not be part of the minority group who had the talent for reading Emma Nolan but she had a feeling she just ruined the lawyers day. "Not sure what work you have to do, you're already prepared to be hung by a very...very long rope."

Emma watched Zelena leave her office who was still chuckling to herself, the defense attorney set her glass down on her desk harshly, and snatched up the phone. She flew through her contacts until she found the number she hardly ever used, taking a deep breath and swallowing her pride Emma pressed the call button and held the phone to her ear. The phone rang four times before the unmistakeable click cut off the start of the fifth ring. Neither attorney said a word, but Emma could ear the Chief ADA breathing softly over the line,reminding Emma that she too needed to breath. And she did so ungracefully, blowing out a loud lung full of breath over the line but she couldn't help it...the Chief ADA always brought out the worse in Emma and that was not a good thing.

"I take you got the news." It wasn't a question, more like an obvious statement and Emma rolled her eyes like a petulant child in the privacy of her office as she plopped down in her chair.

"Emotional distress is not your style Ingrid. Listen, why don't we both save each other the trouble and settle this out of court?"

"And miss the opportunity to humiliate you in court like you did my client? I don't think so. Besides once I get this case against you...you're going to be open for investigation and you're friends won't be able to help you this time."

Emma's jaw clenched, almost painfully. "You have no chance of winning this type of case in court, I hope you realize this." She was reaching, trying to get past the smugness the Chief ADA was oozing—trying to get something to call the womans bluff. Emma hated her.

"When you painted a rape victim as a whore in front of her friends, family and colleagues...you gave this case to any attorney willing to listen to this poor woman. You and James Harding are going to learn a very hard lesson. I just hope you're ready—but don't make it too easy." the DA disconnected the call and Emma placed her phone down with a small frown.

Emma stared out the window, into the blue skies and white clouds. With a final sigh, Emma packed up her things and locked up her office. As she rode the elevator down Emma tried not to think about anything work related anymore, especially the subpoena sitting in her hand bag. It could wait until later, she refused to worry herself over it. She knew she would have to call James later, since he was out of the country...it would take a while for him to get served. If they could even locate him—she couldn't even locate him, and she didn't want to either.

Emma stepped off the elevator and into the private parking garage that was beneath the building, it was reserved for the executive businessmen and women of Williams Tower that had their names listed in the plaque in the lobby. Unlocking and starting her cherry red Audi A7, Emma set her things in the tan leather seat on the passengers side of the car as she slid gracefully into the drivers seat and left. Emma didn't really live far from work, just seventeen minutes away, give or take the downtown traffic sometimes.

Emma lived better than most criminal defense attorneys in the state, but then again...she didn't let morals get in the way of her work either, she liked money...she was driven by it, that and winning. Emma Nolan is a winner. She went from a small town girl from Storybrooke, Maine to a grown woman laughing all the way to the bank in Boston.

Emma pulled out her cell phone and dialed a familiar number, she didn't have to listening to the annoying ringing for very long. "The Richy Rich case go as planned?"

"Perfectly." Emma answered without missing a beat, "But that's not why I called...something came up and I need you do something."

"What's going on?"

"I'm being sued over that James Harding case...I want you to dig into Marian Lochlyn's past, find every dirty little secret you can on the woman and her Sasquatch of a husband."

"Okay no problem, but what if I don't find anything?"

There was a possibility of that, Emma was aware but she knew Marian more than the woman knew herself. Emma knew cunning she saw it—hell she herself was the definition of the word. "Trust me, you will find something. Oh and Merida?"

"Yeah?"

"Be quick about it. The DA's office already put the noose around my neck." Emma disconnected the call as she leaned against her door, rubbing her forehead...of course she knew the risks of doing what she does, but she could go without the piercing headaches that came along with it.

DSQ :: DRAGON SWAN QUEEN :: DSQ

Well that's it for the first chapter, until next time my awesome nerds!