Emma can't believe she is actually doing this.
How in the world did she allow her best friend to talk her into streaking down Main Street in the middle of the night? Okay, so she's a little drunk, and certainly feeling the buzz of the few coke and vodka shots she recently threw back, but still, this goes above and beyond irrational thinking and irresponsible behavior.
Maybe it's the risk of getting caught, or the undeniable fact that the Boston Police Department is run by an evil, vapid invalid (okay, maybe it's more of a popular opinion than a fact), and even if there's the rare chance that one of the officers who works there decides to get the hell out of their chairs and donut-induced comas and catch her, well Emma will certainly consider it as an improvement in crime prevention in this wonderful city.
Although, there's also the possibility that the newest officer in town is capable of doing his job; she hasn't met him yet, but she's seen him around, and if he can catch criminals as well as he looks in a uniform, then he's already far better than any of his colleagues. Maybe it's the alcohol talking ( yes , it's definitely the alcohol and not the,ahem , fact that the Boston Police Officer is a freaking blue-eyed God in human form), but Emma decides she's more than willing to find out. He works the overnight shifts, after all, so who knows, maybe the guy's up for the challenge.
Emma, however, would never confess her reasons for accepting this really juvenile and very idiotic dare that Ruby so adamantly proposed during a casual night of drinking and a rather intelligent discussion of the male species. Ruby may have mentioned that the officer in question was a very hot piece of meat, and Emma may have admitted that she'd ride that dick like a pony (again, it was the alcohol talking) but the brunette is too far gone to put any pieces of a puzzle together - literally, they tried putting her kid brother's Fairy Tale puzzle together, but all of the poor Disney Characters' parts are now scattered all over the dining room floor.
Emma sucks in a few shaky, slow breaths as her eyes scan down the area of where she will be parading down in nothing but a pair of sandals on her feet. She only has to go down to the end of the block and back; easy as one two three, right? And, if she plans on running in the dark naked, the smartest thing she can do is keep her feet protected from any rocks, glass or other jagged objects that might be laying around. She'll be too focused on making sure no one sees her, to look at the ground.
With shaky hands and a speeding heartbeat, she slowly pulls loose the belt of the cotton robe that is currently covering her body. Ruby's standing (more like leaning) beside her, looking bored as ever, but also eager, apparently anticipating the idea of her best friend showing off her bare ass and making a downright fool out of herself, with a great deal of pleasure.
"Come on, Em. Quit drawing it out, just rip off the band-aid."
Emma scoffs, hearing the words echoing in her ear as she makes a scowl at her friend. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who has to run down the street bare-ass naked," Emma says, rolling her eyes, but at the same time, she's thinking that maybe the dead silence of the night is a good sign. Or maybe it's not. Silence makes the dropping of a pin noticeable. Suddenly, she fears that any disturbance in the still night will attract attention.
Emma draws in a sharp breath, taking her friend's words to heart. Just rip off the band-aid.
Pushing back the shoulders of the robe, she lets it fall and pool around her feet before launching off of the porch steps, taking off so quickly, she doesn't have time to see Ruby fall to the ground in hysterical laughter.
At least the evening air is warm on her skin as she runs, or rather, glides down the dark sidewalk, making sure to steer clear of any street lamps. Emma actually feels quite free running in the nude, of course the alcohol is causing her to feel mellow enough to not freak out or be too cautious, so she's able to ignore her insecurities and the voice in her head that's telling what an awful idea this is.
She sees the end of the block and there's a building on the corner, when she turns her head to glance in the other direction, but Ruby and their apartment building are no longer in sight.
Emma looks ahead again, but it's too late.
"Oomph..." she grunts, running directly into a solid figure that she would have ricocheted off of if it weren't for the hands that were wrapping around her arms to prevent her from doing so. She instinctively shudders, fear shooting down her spine as she warily peers up at the person, afraid and nervous to see who it is.
Seeing the police uniform, the sharp crystal blue eyes, and oh yeah , the familiar devilishly handsome face, her eyes widen in shock, and yet with her history and streak of bad luck ( ha , no pun intended) she should've known this would happen. Her first instinct is to escape his grasp and run away as fast as she can, but she's too frozen in her spot to do so. She tries to blink, but she can't seem to do anything but gawk up at him like an idiot.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but…" the officer pauses, keeping his eyes from drifting away from hers, although it's obvious he's quite aware of her lack of attire, "it appears you're not wearing any clothes."
"Wow, aren't you observant?" Emma snorts, unable to hold in the sudden burst of laughter from her lips. "Nothing gets past you, does it?" Oh shit , now she's smarting off to a police office?! Way to go, Emma!
The man flashes her a sardonic smirk. "And it appears you've been drinking…" With one hand holding her securely, his other one reaches for the leather gun belt, pulling take out a pair of handcuffs.
Emma is eyeing them as she gulps down her fear, wearing an amused expression. "I love it when a man puts me in handcuffs," she mumbles slyly. "How did you know I was into kinky shit?"
"Ma'am-" The man's voice is stern and unwavering, and Emma knows she's in trouble, and not just because the office is currently gathering her hands behind her back and slapping the handcuffs around her wrists. It's then that she realizes he might actually take her to the slammer.
"I'm so sorry, officer," Emma tries to apologize, but her words are slurring together as she turns her head to face him, attempting a flirtatious smile, "it was a dare."
The male officer is, however, not amused. "And you apparently weren't afraid to take it."
"I'm a little drunk, if you couldn't tell," she says with a lazy smile and a dash of sass laced in her tone.
"I'm aware, lass. I'm going to have to take you down to the station."
"But why?" she asks with a frown, but in all honesty, maybe she's not really that disappointed.
"For public indecency," he answers, pulling out his notepad.
"But, I told you, it was just a friendly truth or dare game between my friend, Ruby, and I."
He arches his brow, looking up from his pad, and she can't tell if it's out of irritation or amusement, or maybe both? "Oh really? And where is this friend or yours? Do I need to arrest her for public indecency as well?"
Emma shakes her head and tries to look back, but she can't see Ruby or the steps of their building where she had left her. "No, she's probably passed out inside of our apartment."
The officer sighs as he scribbles something down. "What's your name, lass?"
Emma smirks and bats her eyelashes. "It's whatever you want it to be, Officer."
At that, he rolls his eyes and tucks the notepad back into his pocket before escorting her to his police cruiser. She takes it as a win because she can see the slightest hint of a smile pulling at his lips.
Really, he should be thankful that she's not putting up that much of a fight, and besides, she's not a hardened criminal. For him, finding a drunk, naked blonde woman roaming the streets can't be all that bad.
"Wait, can I at least get my robe?" she asks at the thought of arriving to the Boston Police Department naked.
The officer opens the trunks and pulls out a pair of sweatpants and a parka. "Here, put on these."
Emma's eyebrows furrow, her lips falling into a frown as the officer unlocks her handcuffs long enough for her to put them on, but she's not really in a position to be picky.
After he puts the handcuffs back on her wrists, he opens the backseat door for her. As he waits patiently for her to get in, she attempts one last time to talk her way out of this, but honestly, she's not trying all that hard. "Have I mentioned," Emma murmurs, flashing him a seductive smile, although she's not sure exactly how attractive it is in her current condition, "you are very handsome?" She giggles, seeing the tips of his ears turn red, a soft hint of blush creeping into his cheeks.
"Actually, the name is Officer Jones. Killian Jones at your service." His voice is much more soft, and the carefree grin he offers almost makes her think that he's flirting back with her.
However, in the next moment, he's gently urging her into the backseat and shutting the door when she's all the way in. Emma curses to herself, sighing in frustration. She can't believe she's actually being arrested and taking to the station.
"It's Emma," she finally confesses when Killian is in the driver's seat and starts driving away from her street. He's going to learn it anyway when they reach the station. "Emma Swan."
He's driving through the quiet streets of Boston, and she can see his sparkling blue eyes looking back at her in the rearview mirror as he offers her a dazzling smile. "Pleasure to meet you, Emma."
She can't help but laugh again. "I don't know about that. There's certainly more pleasurable ways to meet."
Killian chuckles, and the low rumble from his throat is oddly comforting to her. "You might be correct, love."
She lets a quiet, yet sharp gasp slip past her lips, the word, love, and the silk tilt of his British accent tugging at her belly as she grips tightly onto the sleeves of the parka.
"Although, I've had worse encounters," he admits, looking back to the road.
They're quiet for most of the way there, and by the time this dreadful night is over with, she's mostly sober now, and from the way that her head is starting to ache, she's fairly certain she's going to have a hell of a hangover in the morning, or rather, late afternoon. She'll have a fine to pay and also a permanent record, but she's determined not to worry about that right now. Killian was only doing his job, and in fact, he let her off pretty easy.
She calls Ruby's grandmother, to pick her up, and with a subtle exchange of parting nods and blushing smiles between Emma and the handsome officer, she leaves with the not so amused granny.
"Officer Jones, your coffee's up," the barista calls out, pulling Killian from his daze. He lifts his head, acknowledging the coffee cup that is placed on the counter. He'd entered the Magic Beans coffee shop in a rather frazzled state. He's leaving for Tennessee to meet his brother and is already running behind schedule. On top of that, he's been hoping to be promoted to Lieutenant, but his boss has been harping on him pretty badly lately, and he's almost certain he won't get the rank.
There's also the fact that a certain green-eyed blonde has been haunting his dreams lately, and any attempts of sleeping has become very difficult to him. He'd done his best not to stare at her during their unexpected encounter a few weeks ago, but he is a male afterall, and she was wearing naught but a pair of handcuffs.
Killian again has to shake the memories from that night out of his mind as he brings his cup to his lips, taking a slow sip of the hot, soothing liquid. He needs the caffeine to make the drive to his brother's place after his morning nap.
As soon as he turns around, he runs smack dab into someone, and there's coffee spilling out and groans flying from two pairs of lips.
"What the hell?!"
"Oh gods, lass… I'm so-" Killian stops when his eyes lift to see the face of the person standing in front of him, and he has to blink several times to make sure he's seeing correctly. Her hair is just as long and blonde as he remembers, thick curls spiraling and falling over her shoulders as she looks down at her soiled shirt.
He can't believe that he literally bumped into her again . Only this time, she's dressed in clothes; a white top and tight, faded blue jeans to be exact.
After a brief assessment of the damage, the angry and impatient-looking woman peers up from her blouse that is now covered in hot, dark liquid. "Maybe you could watch where you're-" she cuts herself off when her wide, beautiful, emerald eyes meet his awestruck gaze. Suddenly her cheeks are turning as red as a tomato when she realizes who's staring back at her, because of course it's the same woman he'd arrested a few weeks ago for public indecency.
Killian can feel the apple of his cheeks flushing with what he can only assume is the same color as hers, and he flashes her an apologetic look. "Bloody hell, love… I'm so sorry," he stammers nervously, cursing inwardly and trying to reassemble himself.
"No, it's… it's fine. I'm sorry I… it's my fault. I was in a hurry and…" Emma expels a deep puff of air. "It's just been a rough morning," she finally mumbles out as she tilts her head back, closing her eyes in frustration. "Wow, I really do know how to make an impression, don't I?"
Killian has to laugh at that as he tears his eyes away and goes back to the counter to fetch some napkins before coming back to her in record time.
"Thank you," Emma says with a small smile and starts wiping the spill from her shirt before she glances back up at him. "I promise, I'm normally not so ungraceful," she assures with a shaky laugh.
He tries to gather his lips into a grin of his own, but her intense gaze is rendering him useless, and he can only offer her a half-grin. "No worries, love. It was my fault."
"No, it's not. I was too much in a rush to get my caffeine and the last Bear Claw," Emma admits, her cheeks flushing with an even deeper shade of red. It's rather adorable if he's honest. "Besides, you know I wasn't just referring to the coffee spill."
"I beg to differ, love."
Emma quirks a brow, her eyes gazing at him in confusion.
"I've never seen a drunk person running so gracefully, especially in the nude," he reassures her with an uneasy laugh, attempting to diffuse the awkwardness. "Your name certainly suits you, Swan."
"Thanks, but I highly doubt that," Emma scoffs and continues to scrub at the coffee stain on her shirt with a napkin, but it seems useless, and she huffs in frustration. "I was already running late, and now I have to go back home and change," she remarks in a rather flustered tone.
Killian scratches a spot behind his ear, his stomach full of knots. "Actually... I may have something in my car you can borrow," he offers with a frail smile.
Emma's eyes light up with surprise, but she declines with a shake of her head. "Really, that's okay-"
"It's not a problem, love. I insist."
She sighs in defeat. "Okay, that would actually be perfect. My boss would kill me if I'm late for work."
Without another thought, Killian leads Emma out of the coffee shop to his car and retrieves a red plaid shirt from his suitcase.
Emma furrows her brows together as she accepts the shirt suspiciously. "So, do you always keep spare clothes with you for the distressed… and the," she wags her eyebrows in a playful way, " un dressed?"
Killian titters, feeling the heat in his cheeks rise to the surface once again. "Actually, no. I'm leaving Massachusetts for the week, and I've packed extra clothes. My brother and his wife have two wee ones running around the house, so I like to bring extra shirts with me just in case. I hope this will do."
Emma nods with understanding. "It's perfect. I work at a clothing store, so I can just buy something else when I get there. Thank you so much."
Killian lifts a brow, thoroughly amused by this development. "You work at a clothing store?"
Emma laughs, and he can sense that she feels a bit silly, considering when they met the first time, she was wearing no clothes at all. "That's a bit ironic, I guess."
"I'd say so. Why don't you change and I'll get you a coffee… on me this time," he quips with a smirk. "And I'm not taking no for an answer."
Surprisingly, Emma doesn't argue. "Sounds like a plan."
"Although, I do have to ask that you use the restroom to strip off your shirt, love," he adds with a cheeky grin. "I really don't want to arrest you again for public indecency."
Emma raises a brow, and there's a bit of mischief buzzing in her eyes. "You know, I think you do. I mean, you did spill your coffee directly down my shirt. I think you were purposely trying to get me out of my clothes."
Killian has a response for that, but he also has a job to keep, so he takes the safer route instead, "Aye, you're correct, love. That's why I keep throwing clothes your way." They both share a laugh as they walk inside the cafe, but of course he wouldn't mind seeing her naked again, nor would he mind getting her in handcuffs.
Emma goes to the ladies room to change her shirt while Killian buys her a hot chocolate with cinnamon and the last Bear Claw. Emma comes back, surprised when he hands her the two items, and she tries to pay him back, but he refuses the money.
"Thank you Officer Jones," she says graciously as they walk outside.
"Please, call me Killian. I'm off duty right now, love."
Emma's eyes sweep down his form; he's wearing jeans and a cream colored Henley. "I'm well aware. I have to admit, though… you do know how to pull of a uniform."
Killian blushes, unable to hold back a smile. "And you know how to pull off my shirt."
A rascally grin slowly crawls across her lips as she stands in front of him, her eyes reeking of mischief. "I think we both know I can pull off a lot more than this shirt."
Killian has to suppress a groan, deciding this fiery lass is doing everything she can to test him. "Aye, love, that's true" he agrees with a smirk. "Well, I hate to say it, but I must be going. I'm driving to Tennessee to visit my brother."
"Okay, I hope you have a safe trip."
"Thanks, love." Killian walks Emma to her car and goes around to open the door for her. He clears his throat, suddenly nervous again as he tries to steady his breathing. "I'll need to get that shirt from you, so perhaps when I get back, you'll let me buy you dinner in exchange for it?"
She doesn't say anything at first, but to his utter relief, she nods and tilts her head to the side. "Well, just so you know, I don't pillage and plunder on the first date..."
Killian chuckles, cocking his head to the side as he steps closer to her, hearing her breath hitch. "Well, technically, this will be our third date.
"Third? Did I miss the first?"
"You most certainly did not."
Her brows furrow in confusion, urging him to continue.
"Putting you in handcuffs was the first and spilling coffee on you is the second," Killian says playfully, throwing her a wicked smirk along with a flirty wink.
Emma appears to agree with him as a smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "Well, then I guess for the third date, you better kick it up a notch." She pulls out her keys from her bag and steps closer to him, whispering in his ear. "But if you wanted to get me in handcuffs again, I wouldn't be opposed."
She slips into her seat, and shuts the door before waving at him and pulling away, leaving him utterly perplexed and undoubtedly smitten.
Killian may have been a man of good form, he's always lived by a code, but he doesn't believe that every person has one soul mate, he doesn't believe in karma or fate or love at first sight. However, he knows right then and there, that he's head over heels in love.
"Excuse me for bothering you, lass, but your neighbors called in a complaint about a noise disturbance."
Emma folds her arms in front of her, a small smile tugging at her lips as she stares at the man in uniform who's observing her with a firm jaw, his mouth pressed thin and so seriously. She just wants to kiss that sternness off of his lips.
"I'm not sure what they were complaining about, Officer. I was in bed sleeping." Emma bats her lashes, feigning innocence, a devilish grin curving her lips as she lets her arms fall to her sides.
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to bring you in for questioning."
Emma doesn't attempt to argue, and she lifts her hands to the belt of her cotton robe, pulling it loose. "Go ahead..." Letting it fall to floor, she's left standing like the day they met - bare naked from head to toe, only this time she's extending her arms and holding out her wrists in front of her. "Arrest me, Officer," she encourages him seductively. There's hunger flashing in his eyes as he drinks in her form from top to bottom. "I've been a very bad girl."
Killian is licking his lips, but he's still very businesslike as he pulls out his handcuffs and closes them around her wrists. "I'm going to need you to come with me, lass."
"Oh, I'm almost there already," Emma admits, letting a moan slip past her lips. "Please take me Officer." She lowers her hands to his package, finding it nice and firm for her. "Or should I say, Captain?"
Finally, his lips break out into wide smirk as he lifts her hands and pulls them over his head so they're curling around the back of his neck. "That's more accurate, Mrs. Jones."
He grabs her hips, lifting her up, and she giggles as she wraps her legs around her husband's gorgeous waist. "I knew you could do it, Killian," she appraises him proudly. "Now, what do you say we really give our neighbors something to complain about?"
Killian growls and starts carrying his wife upstairs. "Gladly." His lips crash into hers, kissing her breathlessly as he brings her to the bedroom where they celebrate his promotion between the sheets.
There's also many other things to celebrate that night.
Four years ago, Emma and Killian exchanged their vows as husband and wife, and exactly five years ago marked the night they met. They still have a good laugh every now and then, remembering the night Emma bumped into her future husband while streaking down Main Street.