Hello! This is my contribution to the CSSNS. Go to their tumblr and check out all the other amazing supernatural fics that are out there! I'll be updating every monday.

Emma was an Angel. No, this was not a metaphor. She was an actual Angel of the Lord, fallen from her grace and now living the life of a hunter, with a child who was hers in all but blood. It wasn't a very long story, but it was a quite painful one. She had spent centuries performing her duties, sticking to the rules and never straying. She had heard of the shenanigans that Castiel had gotten up to, she had scoffed at his insubordination, not understanding how he could give up heaven for anyone.

Emma loved humans; it was in the job description. But she did not wish to ever be one. In Heaven, she knew her role. She knew where she fit in, she knew what she was meant to do. It had already been written. She had been happy with the way things were, or as happy as an angel could be. But then she had met Henry; he had been only 4 years old at that time. She wondered sometimes, on the days she missed Heaven the most, if she should have just done what she had been sent to do. But then she would look at Henry - see how happy he was, how he had grown into a wonderful, kind young man - and she would hate herself for even thinking of Heaven.

You see, she had a mission to deal with a nephilim named Henry, and so she had come to Earth - and she saved him instead. She had seen just a small boy, where the rest of Heaven saw a potential threat. She saw fear, and they saw danger. She had to save him, and she did - and in return, she had lost her right to ever go back, her wings, and the only family she had known had forsaken her. Getting kicked out of Heaven hurt, physically and metaphorically.

At first, it had been lonely, just her and Henry on the run. But then, she remembered Castiel, and how he had started helping the hunters, Sam and Dean Winchester. After almost an year after she had been kicked out of Heaven, she prayed. She prayed to Castiel, and he answered her. Well, he answered his phone, to be more clear, after she had failed to reach him through angel radio. She lost her signal to angel radio as well. That one hurt quite a bit, too. Just metaphorically.

Castiel had told her all that she needed to about being a hunter, and she joined the fight against things that went bump in the night. She had a purpose in life again, and she had allies now. In case something happened to her, and Henry needed to be cared for, Jody Mills would always be there. She had been an angel, and now she was a hunter, and in some ways, a mother. It took her a while to understand how things worked here on Earth, but once she had gotten the hang of it, she did not just survive, she thrived.

Of course, some days were harder than others, when it comes to survival, she thought, grunting as she fought against the vampire that was attempting to bite into her neck - she was quite fond her vessel, thank you very much. But before she could reach for her machete, a blade came from behind the creature, lopping its head off in one clean swing. And spraying Emma in vampire blood.

"Ugh, thanks for that," she grumbled, wiping her face with the sleeve of her flannel shirt and glaring at Killian.

Killian Jones - British expat, hunter and a pain in Emma's ass most of the time. But he was reliable and provides great back up, so she couldn't really complain. Killian smirked, pushing the corpse of the vampire aside with his foot, his hand tangling in Emma's hair as he kissed her hard. Emma gasped into the kiss, before falling into a now familiar dance with Killian. His hand moved from her hair, tracing the curve of her neck, and her arms were wrapped around his, pulling him closer to her. They were both slightly out of breath when he pulled away; her eyes were still closed and she could feel his warm breath on her face. For someone who seemed to have his flask always at hand, his breath did not smell unpleasant at all. Astounding.

Alright, so maybe he meant more to Emma than just as a fellow hunter.

"Hello, love," he greeted, pulling away from her and sliding his machete back in it's seath. He pulled her away from the wall she had been cornered against, but she pushed him aside the moment she was upright, walking away from him in a wordless huff. "Oh, come on, Swan! I saved your life!" he called out. Emma could hear the amusement in his voice, which only served to frustrate her further.

Sometimes, she wished she had told him she was an Angel, just so he wouldn't try and save her every single time. Not that she needed his help most days; she could smite every single supernatural creature she hunted if she could. But as limitless as her Grace seemed, she was still in hiding from the angels and could not risk them tracking her. Not even when it seemed like they'd given up. She had to live like the humans - and hunt like them too. The only consolation she had was her Angel Blade.

"Swan, stop," Killian called out, jogging up to her. "Why are you upset, love?" he asked, bumping his shoulder to hers. "We just took care of an entire nest of the bloodsuckers. I thought it was a cause for celebration."

Emma stopped in her tracks, turning sharply toward him. "Celebration is a cold beer and chicken wings. Not- not what you just did."

"What I did? It did not seem like you were uninterested, Emma." Killian slid closer to her, his buttery soft leather jacket brushing against her knuckles. "In fact, it seemed like you were really into it."

Emma sighed. "Killian, I told you. We cannot keep doing this."

"Doing what?" he pressed. "Kiss?"

"Yes, that. And what usually follows when we kiss," she added, feeling her cheeks heat up.

Killian smirked, eyebrows jumping obnoxiously. "I don't see what's wrong with that, Swan," he said, trying to sound innocent - and failing.

"I have a son," Emma said in way of an explanation.

"Yes, I know Henry. I took him camping last weekend. What's your point?"

Emma groaned, stepping away from Killian, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "My point is I cannot keep jumping into bed with you whenever you feel like it. I need to provide Henry with at least a little stability, Killian."

Killian expression fell, turning from amused to serious in a matter of minutes. "Do you really think that's all I want? For you to just sleep with me?" he asked, hurt.

Emma scoffed, not buying into his act. Where does he get off, pulling that crap on her? she thought to herself. "Oh, please. Let's not pretend that you want something more." Emma turned her back to him, walking to her Bug.

But Killian was relentless, apparently. He pulled her back with a hand on her arm. "Emma, I do want something more," he confessed, pressing his knuckles against her chin, making her meet his eyes. "I want to go on a date with you, somewhere with a dress code and a wine list that goes beyond white, red and pink." Emma chuckled despite herself. "I want to fall asleep next to you. Possibly after great sex, but I would take just sleeping." Emma laughed, pushing him away.

"Could you just be serious for once?" she scolded.

"Hey, I am. I do want us to be something more than fuck-buddies," Killian stated. "Why can't you give me a chance?" he asked, looking earnestly at her. "We make a great team," he added.

"I don't know, Killian," she shrugged. In all honesty, the only thing that held Emma back was because of what she was. Killian was a hunter, and hunters don't take to angels. She had the chance to tell him three years ago, when they'd first met. But no one apart from Castiel even knew, and she had never expected to get close to any humans enough to tell them her truth. But all the hunters came to be some of the most important people in her life the past few years, Killian even more so, and it just became easier to keep her identity a secret. All they knew was she was a single-mother and that Henry was her son.

But Killian wasn't like the others. He wasn't just her back-up, he had been there for Henry, too. All Emma wanted was for Henry to have as normal a childhood as possible, but how could she when they were constantly on the run? It was only recently that she felt more safe - after the fall of all the angels from Heaven a couple of years ago, they had bigger things to worry about than track down a harmless nephilim.

"Let me take you out on a date. One date." Killian looked so sincere, and Emma could not find a reason to say no. Of course, there was the lying and deception and overall drama that would ensue when he does find out that she wasn't who she had claimed she was. But Emma was just so tired of denying herself everything - she wanted a human life; well, dating was a part of it.

"Alright, fine. One date," she agreed. Killian grinned so wide, the corners of his eyes crinkled adorably. "But we aren't sleeping together until then," she added, enjoying as she watched his face fall.

Emma left him standing there, loading up the trunk of her car. "I'll see you around, Killian."

-/-

Killian watched Emma drive away, his heart racing. Monsters, ghosts and demons? He could take those on any day, without batting an eye. But just a simple conversation with Emma Swan had his heart a-flutter. Liam would be having a riot if he had still been alive, ribbing Killian for his ridiculous crush.

Well, it was definitely more than a crush. This date had been three years in the making, and he was not about to fuck it up. He had met Emma for the first time when she needed back-up on a rugaru case and Rufus had sent him. She had been a hard-ass then, she was a hard-ass now - always challenging him. She was fierce, smart, strong and just- she was breathtaking. She made him want to hunt again, to help people again - not just because he had nothing else to do.

After Liam died and he had been, for the lack of a better word, dismissed from the British Men of Letters, he had lost all will to do anything. All he had know was how to be a hunter, all his life. Him and his brother, keeping the people safe from the monsters that lurked in the shadows. Until one day, when Liam went on a mission without him, and everything went to shit. It was a routine hunt, a wraith attack in the suburbs in Surry. Killian had passed on it, more fascinated by a cursed medallion and wanting to study it. If only he had went with Liam, maybe he could have done something.

Killian had read the report of his brother's death multiple times, questioned Liam's partner, Robert Gold, again and again. Things never seemed to add up and he could not shake the feeling that Gold had been hiding something. Killian had been relentless in his search for the truth and it had ruffled quite a few feathers. But the last straw had been when he'd accused Hess of murdering his brother. They had kicked him out without a second thought.

The British Men of Letters had been his home since Liam and him had been children. They had taken them in after their father had been murdered by a rugaru. They had been his family, and to know how easily they had forsaken him? It broke him.

So he packed up his bags and went to the only place that he knew those snobby prats would never come to - the United States of America. They had never found the American hunters worthy of the title and often used to scoff at the job that they had done. Killian was one of them - until he had come here and they had welcomed him with some whiskey and a shotgun. If it hadn't been for Bobby Singer's kindness, he would have struggled a lot more; that grumpy old man was the reason he survived.

And when he met Emma, he finally understood that surviving wasn't enough. She was a single mother, and she lived for her son. But that did not stop her from being a kick-ass hunter. She made him want to be a part of a community again, to want more than just surviving.

Killian mused about some of his old hunting days with Liam as he parked his car in front of the motel he was staying at. He was not expecting company - Emma had been pretty clear about that. Which is why it took him by surprise when he found a man lounging on a chair in his room - he stood up when he saw Killian enter, grabbing a cane that was next to the chair.

"Hello, Jones," Gold greeted him.

"Hello, sourpuss," Killian grimaced. "What the bloody hell are you doing here?"