A/N: Back with a new CS!au story based around the idea that Emma and Killian are lawyers and are sort of rivals, it may be a little one sided;) We'll see but I hope you enjoy reading this. I'm so excited to start writing!

Hopefully to be updated weekly as the chapters will be slightly longer than this one:)

Please review?

- Shauna!xo

Emma seethed outwardly, her features pulling up into a nasty scowl, forehead creasing with each movement with her green eyes narrowing into slits, determined on killing off the man in front of her with a cold look.

He looked placating, his demeanor calm and collected as he waited with a pokerface, lips pressed tightly together, looking away to give her the moment she needed-

-that pissed her off the most. Could these people not know her this well, please? It was irritating as hell when they knew how to calm you down and be rational when you just wanted to rage at the world.

"No," she got out between gritted teeth, "We've discussed this before previously. You knew what my conditions were when you took me on to be a part of this unit and they will not change just because you think I've been fraternising with-"

He cut her off immediately, "I never suggested in the slightest that the two of you were fraternising. I trust both of your judgements entirely, believe it or not. I merely implied that the two of you had struck up some sort of friendship which is not a negative thing, especially when our two units are so closely linked together despite the rivalry that sometimes exists. Everybody in this unit, including myself, just want everybody to get on as peacefully as possible."

She hated him at times. She hated how reasonable he could be and how much he could rationalise with her. The gift and a curse all in one, she was sure, of knowing someone for that many years.

She'd met him (her captain, Graham) when she was barely sixteen, before the whole Neal fiasco (and don't get her started on fucking Neal) and he'd been there for it all so she supposed she owed him one, owed him thousands really but this wasn't really something she felt like budging on.

It was Killian. Killian Jones. Her sworn enemy since she first started in this business and she really didn't feel like partnering with him on a case just because it was a bit more difficult than ones they usually handled-

-and they handled a lot. Just last month she'd convicted a reproductive abuser who had over 80 children, the pig, and never spent time with a single one of them and did she mention how much she hates men who can't be there for his kids?

Shaking her head, she comes out of her little trance before she has time to fully go down that route. Seriously. Don't get her started on fucking Neal, another asshole of her past.

"But it's Jones," she commented dumbly as if that somehow explained everything which it obviously did, to her at least but by the look on her captain's face, it wasn't to him.

"A well established lawyer, such as yourself, Emma," he reminded her, looking meaningfully at her, brown eyes focussed on her face as a small smile appeared over his lips.

She just sighed.

No. She didn't have to do this. Not in the slightest. They knew the terms of her conditions when she started working here and she told them they were non negotiable: she worked alone. Always. Why did that have to change?

"We've been through this. It is a very tough case which is clearly more complicated than anyone else is letting us know and it could be dangerous. Very dangerous. It wouldn't hurt to have an extra set of hands, especially if it helps us sway the case," her captain told her, now glaring slightly though not unkindly. He'd always been good to her and-

-oops. Had she been speaking out loud? She really needed to stop doing that.

"Captain-"

"So it's settled, I'll make arrangements for Mr Jones to arrive within the next twenty four hours. I'm sure he is very eager to begin and you are expected here at 8am sharp in the morning, don't be a minute late. Your partner may be even here before then," he added when he saw her about to walk off, the scowl still present on her face.

She had no idea why he had to make arrangements for him since he lived in the city but well, did she really care?

"Fine," she muttered, looking withdrawn before something suddenly occurred to her, glare directed at him.

"Did you just say eager to begin? As though he already knew about this case and you've already asked him, Graham?" she screeched, her voice echoing off of the very thin, dark walls, her face scrunching up into a snarl as she growled.

His eyes had widened comically as though he hadn't quite realised he'd said that out loud and in any other situation of circumstances but right now she was pissed and rightly so if the look on his face was any indication.

She growled at him as he stepped forward, rubbing the soft skin of her arms in a comforting manner.

"I have, yes," he admitted, expression sheepish, small smile on his face as his dark blue eyes peered at her.

She restrained herself from growling at him a second time. Barely. Instead she glanced back at him, curiosity plastered over her face as her eyes narrowed into slits, "Why? Why wouldn't you just tell me? I thought we were friends and friends can talk to each other."

He sighed at that, pity reflecting through his dark orbs, making her groan inwardly. That look was never followed by anything good, more likely a lecture of something. Damn Graham and his ability to make her feel emotions she didn't want to.

"We are friends, Emma," he insisted, eyes narrowing in on her face.

"But sometimes I have to things for the good of our unit and that's what this was. It was," he insisted, adding that comment at the unbelievable look on her face, "Whether you believe that or not, that's entirely down to you but we do need Jones for this case. I barely like it more than you do, obviously, but he is experienced, like yourself, and we are going to need all we can get to win. And we have to win this case, there's nothing else to it."

She sulked, slumping slightly as she resisted the urge to pout, "I still don't like it."

He smiled at that.

"I don't expect you to but I do expect you to be friendly. Okay, Emma? We're all professionals here with the same responsibilities so it shouldn't be a problem, right?" he added, quickly forming back into the captain (leader of their unit) that she knew him to be. It almost made her smile. Almost.

"Fine," she muttered.

Growling at the pleased look on his face at her annoyance, she bumped his shoulder with her fists, grinning to herself as he outwardly winced. She was still grinning as she strode out of the precinct and right into her favourite bar where she planned on getting a little drunk. What? She' need it, especially if she had to deal with Jones.

XXX

"Fancy seeing you here, Swan," his voice rung out, announcing his very irritating and annoying presence, making her seethe internally.

"Go get run over by a truck," she muttered in reply, never flinching as she kept her eyes forward, glaring at the bartender as he tended to a group of rowdy blonde's and sighing when he came over to pour her a drink. Scotch. Just what she needed right now.

"Now, now, sweetheart, no need to get testy."

Growling, she downed her glass in one, wincing immediately afterwards as it burned her throat.

Did he seriously have to follow her? She just wanted one night. One night of peace, of acceptance before she had to deal with her real life. And his sudden appearance did nothing to grant her that.

The man in question suddenly plopped down in the seat beside her, his blue eyes sparkling down at her as she turned around in her seat, determined on motioning the bartender down once more when he leaned towards her, smirk widening as his teeth gleamed into the unclear light of the bar.

"That wasn't an invitation to stay," she grumbled.

He just grinned at that, "Why when are you going to learn my dear, Swan? Everything is an invitation."

He'd leaned forward halfway through his statement, twirling a blonde curl around his pinky finger, eyelashes fluttering upwards at her in temptation, his right dimple protruding as he smiled up at her. A true Killian Jones I'm New York's most infamous bachelor smile, teeth digging into his bottom lip unconsciously as he scratched that one spot behind his ear that he always did, tongue swiping across his bottom lip in a seductive move.

She huffs at him, smacking his wandering hand away from his face just as it was drifting down to caress the soft skin of her cheek and glares at him, her eyes narrowing.

He grins once more at that, winking at her with those beautiful blue eyes of his to which she rolls her eyes dramatically at-

-would he ever take a hint?

"What are you doing here, hook?" she emphasises his moniker which she knows he hates, his eyes narrowing into slits as they zero in on her face to which she shoots him a smug look, lips thinning out.

She still remembers the day he'd got that. It was the eighth or ninth case he'd won and he'd got into a habit of blaming others for the crimes that he knew his client had committed so he'd hooked others in, playing the innocent card to get them there. She'd started calling him Hook and one way or the other it had caught on as everybody starting using the nickname. Now, he was known as the infamous Hook, the brutal lawyer with one of the highest rates in New York much to her dismay.

He didn't seem to mind the name, she had first thought. He never corrected people when they called him that anyway but after a while, he'd demanded she call him Killian to which she had smirked at, shook her head and marched away.

When she shook herself out of her daydream of the past, she found him glaring down at her, baby blues piercing into her as he gritted his teeth, upper lip curling in on itself.

"Swan," he warned, his voice low and husky as he snarled, the words so biting you'd think they were the world's biggest insult.

"Whatever," she muttered in reply, turning back towards the bar when the bartender arrived, pouring her the sixth glass of the night or was it her seventh? before disappearing once more in pursuit of tips.

She felt his heated gaze on her as she sipped at her drink. Slowly this time, she had to remind herself. There was no need in getting smashed the night before work, was there?

He sighed, hand reaching up to drill his fingers on the bar top, waving the bartender down for himself some rum, typical down to the last moment, she mused.

"Word is, we're about to be partners, love," he commented as he looked towards her, expression cool and collected once more, the perfect definition of a poker face.

She almost groaned out loud, she really did not want to discuss this right now. Or at all. But of course he did.

Screw it, she inwardly thought before downing the glass in one, "Well, this has been great but I'm gonna take off now. We should do it again sometime," her voice leaked with sarcasm and she knew it. Sarcasm she could deal with. Sarcasm meant she was in control, in check of her feelings.

And so with that, she fled, marching out of the door without looking back, muscles rigid as she hauled a taxi back to her spacious apartment and well-

-if she heard a yell of "Emma", she just ignored it, increasing her pace to the taxi slightly.

XXX

She arrived at work the next morning half an hour before her boss had demanded she be there because if there's one thing she hated, it was tardiness and she knew Graham felt similarly to her.

She regretted her decision almost immediately when a certain Killian Jones was resting casually across her desk, arm propping his head up as he grinned at her when he caught her sight of vision, making her sigh loudly. Be nice, she had to remind herself, Graham told you to be nice.

"Fancy meeting you here, Swan," he grinned, blues sparkling up at her as she got closer, immediately pushing him off her desk with a huff and plopping down in her very comfortable, red, cushioned chair.

He merely gave her his infamous smirk, resting against her desk at the side of her once more, much to her dismay.

"And you've used that line one too many times on me," she told him with an eyeroll.

"Don't fix what's not broken."

She snorted that and he looked like he wanted to say more, his mouth opening on lost words-

"Good morning," a loud voice rung out, making her groan, out loud this time much to Killian's amusement. If there was one thing she didn't want to deal with more than an annoying Killian, it was an irritating upbeat Belle. There was just no need to be that happy about, well, anything this early on a morning especially not without coffee.

The girl in questioned just smiled at her, luckily Belle had been in the department long enough to realise she didn't do mornings. Ever.

"No need to be rude to the employee's, Emma, I do believe the captain told you to be nice," August's teasing voice rang out as he stepped forward to embrace her in a tight bear hug.

"You know I don't do mornings," she grumbled, hand clutching the starbucks coffee cup he passed her, sighing in delight at the hot, warm taste. Starbucks was a way of life, she'd swear by it.

Killian (who had been watching the exchange rather silently with an odd look on his face, one she couldn't list) spoke up, "So that's why you're even more irritable this morning."

August looked almost startled at the voice before shaking out of it and regarding Killian with cautious eyes who seemed to catch on immediately.

"Sorry," he grinned, "Guess I never really introduced myself, did I? Killian Jones."

He held out a hand which August immediately took, grasping his hand firmly as he grinned at the lawyer.

"August," he said by a way of introducing himself, "It's so great to finally put a face to the name. Graham says you're one of the best lawyers in New York, sorry Ems," he added, shooting her a sly look to which she rolled her eyes at.

"I certainly try," he laughed and it sounded almost... nervous?

She snorted before retorting sarcastically, "Wow? You're actually going to show modesty?"

"First time for everything," he sniped back.

"Now, didn't I tell you to be nice to our guest, Emma? He is doing us a favour, after all he doesn't have to be here," Graham's loud I'm the captain voice rung out, making her groan once more, outwardly rather than inwardly if the matching smirks off Killian and August were any indication-

-and they so weren't allowed to spend any time together. They'd be ganging up on her in no time.

"Sorry," she muttered in reply, gaze drifting to the floor with no sincerity in her voice.

Graham sighed at her half assed apology before shooting an apologetic glance at Killian to which he nodded greatfully at.

"Well, let's get to work, shall we? No time like the present. Conference room in ten. Everybody," and with that he turned around and marched back up the stairs to which he had previously walked down with Belle following.

The current bane of her existence was suddenly forced into her line of vision, holding out an elbow in a show of oldfashioned gentleman nicety which she had no interest for at all. Or him.

"Shall we, Swan?" he was grinning at her like he was proud of himself. Proud of himself!

She merely huffed at him, barging past and started stomped up the stairs before twirling around when she was half way up them with the lack of heavy footsteps, "Well, are you coming?"

She soon heard the heavy, masculine footsteps behind her that time which she chose to ignore, only meeting his eyes when he held the door open for her to step into the conference room as he shot her a smile and damn him into the deepest pits of hell because it actually looked genuine. And that was not good for her emotions of feelings. It stirred something inside her, something deep. And she didn't like that.

So being who she was, she burried it deep where no one would ever find it, lips pressed tightly together and covered it over with fake bravado, immediately diving into the case. And well, if the look of pure disppointment on his face broke her heart a little, she never registered it.