When Emma takes her son to parent teacher conference night at his school, the last thing she expects to find is the guy she's been hooking up with for the past few weeks sitting at the desk across from her. CS Teacher / Parent UA
Looking back on it, she should have known something was wrong from the start. It started three weeks ago, after another long night of chasing down a bail jumper, only to have them escape. She was tired, had sore muscles, freezing cold, not in the mood to go home, and in desperate need of a drink.
And he was sitting there at the end of the bar like an absolute sin, all shining blue eyes, raised eyebrows, and rum. How was she to resist?
She didn't. And she didn't the next Saturday, or the following one, or the one after that. They weren't dating, they only texted enough to know when and where to meet, she didn't even know his last name, and she liked it that way.
Yeah, looking back she really should have known something was going on.
"Mom have you seen my math folder, I can't find it?" Henry called to her as he came practically running down the hallway into the kitchen where she sat at the kitchen table sipping on her coffee.
In response, Emma only looked at the super hero covered folder sitting on the edge of the table where he had left it less than five minutes ago.
"Oh," he said smiling shyly as he picked it up and shoved it in his back pack "I guess I forgot."
"Guess so kid." She responded standing up and placing her coffee mug in the sink.
"Ready to go?" He nodded, walking towards the front door bouncing on the balls of his feet before she caught up to him. For an eleven year old kid, he still was surprisingly excited to go to school. She might have found it a little strange, but she thought it was a good thing. If she had been as excited about school as he was she might have finished it.
"It's parent teacher conference night tonight." Henry blurted out as she closed and locked the door. She paused turning to look at him with raised eyebrows.
Really, the kid could remember entire chapters of a story but telling her about important things like this was just too much to handle.
"Why am I just now hearing about this?"
"Because I was going to tell you on Tuesday but I forgot?" She sighed thinking of how she could rearrange her stake out tonight to still be able to go to meet with his teacher.
"And you forgot every day after that too?"
"I'm sorry! I won't next time promise, but you'll be there right?"
"Yes, I'll be there." she smiled at him as they made their way down the apartment stairwell and into the car wondering what the teacher Henry thought so highly of was like.
After school she sat with Henry in the hallway outside of his teachers classroom waiting for him to finish with a parent and student. The fifth grade hallway was decorated in bright colors, the small lockers were blue on one wall, and red across from them. The floor a tiled pattern of a rainbow, and the walls covered in drawings and pictures that the students had made.
She smiled at Henry at he talked about his day at school telling her about a new art project he was working on, wondering how long this would take. She really did need to track down this guy, and her baby sitter didn't like having to work on such short notice.
Just as the clock dragged five minutes passed their scheduled time and she was starting to grow impatient, the door behind them opened, a mother and father along with their daughter stepped out of the classroom.
"Hi Henry." The little girl said, pigtails bouncing with her as she walked away.
"Hey Grace." he responded before heading towards the open door tugging on Emma's hand excitedly. She chuckled at his excitement.
"I'm coming kid no need to pull." She entered the class room first looking out the big windows that took up nearly the entire back wall, the desks were arranged in infuriatingly perfect rows, and the chalkboard rubbed clean except for the words 'Welcome Parents' written in crisp elegant handwriting.
"Would you mind closing the door being you please, it lets an awful draft in?" She turned around halfway to the door before it dawned on her. Before the words and the voice that was speaking them registered with her brain. She froze, slightly in panic not knowing what now to do.
"Is there something the matter?" He asked drawing closer. "Bloody hel-" He yelled, though managed to cut himself off apparently thinking of the confused looking Henry starring at his mother with concern.
Shit, shit, shit, shit. She thought to herself on a continuous loop turning slowly to meet him. How was it even possible that Killian, the guy she had been hooking up with the last few weeks was her sons teacher?
Well that's the problem with not exchanging any personal details. She thought to herself. Like last names, what you enjoyed to do, and maybe what you do for a living?
She turned around slowly eyes wide in both panic and surprise and saw that his face very much matched hers. He looked different than all the times she had seen him before. He always felt a little rough around the edges. Hair disheveled, wearing crisp black button down shirts, black pants, and boots. Accent thicker sounding than it was now, eyes sharper, his entire demeanor so different now that he was here.
Now he looked… softer. He wore a pale blue shirt, and a black blazer rolled up to his elbows. Dark jeans and black shoes. There was a pair of thick rimmed glasses folded in his jacket pocket, and aside from the obvious surprise written on his face, he seemed happy.
"Mom?" Henry finally asked, breaking the long and awkward silence. She turned to face him trying to plaster a smile on her face before she walked closer to him.
"Can you wait outside for just a minute kid?" She asked "I just need to talk to Mr. Jones" She fought back a laugh at the sick twisted humor of it "For a minute alone. Okay?"
"Okay." he shrugged, sounding if anything a bit confused but finding apparently nothing wrong with it.
As he passed Killian - Mr. Jones - he passed him a greeting to which he responded with a genuine smile.
"Hello Henry." he said as the young boy exited the room and closed the door behind him, leaving them alone.
For a moment neither of them said anything, both looking at each other afraid to say anything. But it really only did last for a moment.
"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked incredulously. She wanted to yell, wanted to scream, suddenly irrationally angry that he was here. She whispered it instead, yell whispered so that Henry couldn't hear on the other side of the wall.
"What the hell am I doing here? What the bloody hell are you doing here?!"
"You never told me you were a teacher!"
"You never told me you were a mother." She paused thinking that he was right. That was their unspoken arrangement, neither of them offered up any information about them selves and the other didn't ask. It worked that way, it was easy and simple.
But now this, this was anything but.
"I can't believe this is happening." She said placing her hands on her forehead, thinking that maybe if she hit her head against the wall this would all just disappear.
"You're the one who didn't want us to know any thing about each other."
"Well you certainly weren't arguing about it." She responded glaring at him, not liking the fact that he was starting to look amused. He was looking at her strangely, an expression she hadn't seen on him before -and she had seen quite a few.
"Alright, then what do you propose we do now love?" She shot him a warning look at the word love.
"This is over." She responded crossing her arms over her chest. He smiled brightly at her, moving closer to the door, stepping closer to her.
"Wonderful, shall I bring Henry back in?" He stepped closer again until he was about to brush past her. She pushed her hand against his chest, pushing him back slightly as he looked at her with a cheeky smile and raised eyebrows.
"No I mean I'm not sleeping with you again." He looked down at her hand, still resting on his chest. She pulled it back quickly angry all over again at the situation that she had found an unfairly attractive man that she now couldn't have a 'relationship' with.
"It's bad form to lie darling." He stepped closer again thought this time intentionally, invading her space as his voice lowered and there was the Killian that she knew. The change was instantaneous, merging from fifth grade teacher to sultry in seconds.
She tried not to get sucked into the pull of his gaze, but he was starring at her so intensely it was hard not to. His thoughts were basically screaming at her what he was thinking about, and the fact that he was looking at her so suggestively wasn't helping either.
Taking a large step backwards she crossed her arms over her chest again and looking him square in the eye, this time not getting lulled under his charm again.
"Look I'd appreciate if we could just keep things professional Killian." He smirked at her again, still not having returned to the teacher.
"That's Mr. Jones to you." He winked at her then, actually winked at her. If he hadn't had already pulled the door open and was busy apologizing to her son about their rudeness, she might have slapped him.
Or kissed him. Or slapped and then kissed him. Or really any combination of those things would have worked.
Sitting there for the next half hour watching as he talked to her son so happily and innocently, she found it hard to believe what had just happened. She played her part well, smiling when Killi- Mr. Jones complimented Henry and talked of how well he was doing in class. Laughed when Henry joked with his teacher and smiled proudly when Henry showed her his art project.
But all the while she could feel him watching her. Could feel his gaze slowing burning every place that his eyes touched until eventually, she thought she might be consumed by the flames entirely.
So here's the first chapter to my new multi chapter fic To Make Me Bright. The title comes from the song 'Make You Better' by The Decemberists that you really should listen to. This was originally a one shot I posted on my tumblr (youherotype) that I got requests to continue, so who knows how long this will end up being!
Hope you guys and enjoy and leave me a review telling me what you think!