Emma recalled a cartoon she watched as a kid where a son and father were cursed such that on contact with cold water, the boy would change into a girl, and the father into a Panda. It was one of the few things she enjoyed in the foster care system, even if she had to sneak downstairs in the early hours of the morning to watch it. It never failed to make her laugh.
Well, she's not laughing now.
In fact, she's meowing.
Because she's a cat.
More precisely, a kitten.
(And she's in a puddle of her own clothes which means she's naked. Or as naked as a kitten can be.)
Her current predicament is not helped by the fact that her least favourite person witnessed the whole ordeal and is currently staring at her, clearly flabbergasted and speechless (thank goodness for small favours).
Eventually Killian clears his throat, still staring at the kitten before him. "Emma?"
"Of course it's me, you idiot." She snapped, then gaped at the realisation that she can actually talk.
Killian's eyes widened even further until they were in danger of rolling out of its sockets. He shook his head as if to clear his mind before murmuring, "Of course."
Feeling somewhat bad (but honestly, who can blame her), she asked, "Are youokay?"
"Well, I'm conversing with a talking cat. However, I appear to have retained my human limbs so I might be losing my mind but saved my good looks." His glazed eyes betrayed his glib response to his stupefaction.
Emma rolled her eyes and made her way over to the gluggy liquid on the floor where it had spilled on her. (It was conveniently placed in a precarious position in the cabinet that was not only unlocked, but ajar. Apparently these people don't understand the concept of 'top secret' or even workplace health and safety). It took her a few moments to adjust to the fact she now has four extremities instead of two as she tripped and stumbled her way over.
Ignoring the amused snort from behind her, she examined the almost florescent green liquid, taking care not to step on the glass shards of the smashed bottle.
"At least we now know how they're performing animal experiments even after they got their licence revoked. All that talk about using plant life with the same DNA structure was just a load of rubbish."
With a sense of elation she grinned up at Killian. "We've got them."
The man quirked an annoying eyebrow at her. "We? Since when did this become a united front when you were so vocal in your need to work alone only mere minutes before?"
"You were the one who followed me here!"
"Yes, and you eloquently claimed that you did not need my so-called incompetence hindering you."
Emma felt herself flush at the words. Yes, she did say that. She's not the type to hold back punches, or soften the blow for that matter. Nor apologise, which would be the appropriate thing to do in this situation. Yet she only felt her ire grow at the thought that he was here to take this from her too. Months of investigation, false leads and dead ends have finally led her here. She'll be damned if she lets this slip away, cat or no. And if he's going to abandon her because of her transformation, well, at least she's justified in her approach.
She located an empty bottle on a lower shelf and pawed it onto the floor with a gentle clink and proceeded to nudge it with her nose towards the spill. That was the easy bit. Getting the evidence into the receptacle was another matter.
With a sigh, a hand reached down for the bottle.
"I thought you weren't going to help."
"I never said that. I'm a gentleman and I always help." He gave her a wink as he grabbed a pair of gloves and a disposable pipette from a bench. "Plus, as adorable as it is to watch you work, it's also torturously slow, and dangerous."
Emma huffed. "Careful Jones, you actually sound like you care."
"Maybe you should try seeing the good in people once in a while. It'll do you some good."
Chucking the pipette and gloves into the nearest biohazard bin, he examined the content he managed to get into the bottle. "Hopefully someone will be able to reverse engineer this to get you back to your usual charming self."
The sudden wail of the security system saved Killian from his companion's inevitable responding snark. "Looks like we've overstayed our welcome. Time to go."
Emma yelped as he scooped her up, along with her satchel. "What are you doing? Put me down!"
"Faster this way, love, if you're willing to trust me."
He grabbed a spare lab coat from a nearby rack and shrugged it on, slipping nonchalantly out the door. His attempt at casual stealth was ruined, however, by the approaching sound of footsteps, the crackle of a two-way radio and the yell of "Hey!" from two burly security guards. Spinning around, Killian teared down the hallway and skidded around the corner. Emma hung on for dear life, claws firmly attached to the soft material of his leather jacket despite being held securely to his chest (the man's inability to understand the use of buttons has his chest hair tickling her whiskers).
In the end, they found themselves ensconced inside a janitor's closet to wait out the pursuit, despite Killian setting several fake getaway routes on the way.
Emma started to hack something fierce.
"You alright there, Swan?" Killian peered at her in concern.
"Urgh, hairball." She said with disgust, dislodging the content of her stomach.
It took her a while to figure out she was shaking from Killian's silent laughter.
"Shut up, it's not funny." But there's no heat behind her words, tempted as she is to use her newly found claws.
Sliding down to the floor with his back to the door, Killian place the kitten on his lap. Noticing her ears have drooped a little, he lightly tapped her nose, earning himself a glare from familiar green eyes.
"What's bothering you, Swan? Besides being a feline of course."
She sighed in frustration. "I honestly thought we would have more time. I had the security override set for twenty minutes." It was the most she could manage without raising suspicion of a repeated loop cycle. "I was hoping to at least get some data to back up our find. I didn't count on becoming… furry."
Killian snorted. "I doubt anyone could have predicted that. But if it helps," he produced a thumb drive from his pocket with a flourish. "I bypassed their system and obtained your desired information."
That had the desired effect he hoped for as Emma's whiskers perked up. "If that's a pretty way of saying you hacked into their system and stole their files, then thank-you." she said with feeling.
"Glad to be of assistance."
Companionable silence descended before Emma broke it. "You know, you're not such a bad investigator, Jones."
"Was that a compliment, Swan? Should I have recorded it for prosperity?" Genuine surprise coloured Killian's voice despite his joke. There was a pause before he asked, "Then why, pray tell, do you despise me so much?"
Settling down fully in his lap, Emma examined her paws and debated between an honest response or shaking him off with a flippant one. She's exhausted and admittedly terrified by this transformation (questions and what-ifs screaming for attention) so she does what she's excelled at and pushed it to the back recess of her mind.
"I've been an investigative journalist for seven years, four in this current office and it hasn't been easy." Especially when the department is filled with testosterone, she thought. "You waltzed in a year ago and manage to get everything you wanted without batting an eye, including the position I was aiming for and the stories I'm after."
"I don't hate you." She added quietly. "I hate myself for not looking for something better when I'm being overlooked for something I've worked harder than anyone for."
Killian sighed, running his hand over his face. "You do deserve better, Swan. But if I may – perhaps if you don't alienate yourself so much, you'll find that more people will be more open to your personable approach when you're not scaring the majority of them witless."
Emma felt a surge of irritation, coupled with a sense of guilt. She knows the grains of truth in his words but after a lifetime of thinking the worst of everyone and often being proven right, her faith in humanity is more than a little tainted.
"If you talk to them, you'll find that your colleagues do look up to you when they are not looking for the exit." Killian eyed her in amusement. "The icy glare does that."
Emma should be affronted but she found herself chuckling. "Are you saying you're not scared of me?"
Killian smirked. "I know a good thing when I see it and I love a challenge."
He leaned his head back against the door. "And for the record, Swan, I was just the fill-in for this case that you have so ardently taken as your own. The boss has been eyeing you for the position for a while. It's just a matter of approval from the pompous lot upstairs."
Emma felt her heart leap at that but kept her expression neutral as she licked her paw. "Well thank goodness it's not going to be because of my furry cuteness."
"Who knows Swan, that might just speed up the process."
He cursed as she innocently retracted her claws and gave him a feral grin (she definitely owes him some new clothes now).
(For anyone interested, the cartoon I mention at the start is a Japanese anime called Ranma ½)