A/N: I'm back with yet another installment of Another Scenario! This is one of my favorite stories I've written so far, and I hope you all are enjoying it, too!
Your reviews have all been incredibly kind, and I am so glad people are enjoying this story!
Listen to: 'Paint the Town Green' by The Script (it's a bit cheesy, yeah, but it'll get you in the Irish mood, I promise!) and 'Wait' by M83.
Enjoy!
By the time they landed in Ireland, Henry was sound asleep. He was still young, but with all of the other bags Emma had to carry, there was no way she could carry him as well.
"Hey, kid," She smiled, nudging his shoulder, "We're here."
Henry opened his eyes a little before smiling and looking out the window.
"Let's get off the plane and find a taxi that will take us to the house." Emma grinned.
Henry rose to his feet and collected his things before walking out into the aisle of the plane and waiting for Emma. She was right behind him, setting her hand on his shoulder affectionately as she led him off the plane.
They only waited in baggage for a little while before they were able to grab a taxi.
The man immediately knew the small town their home for the next two weeks was, which made Emma sigh with relief.
She knew Henry would be hungry when they'd get to the place, so she'd probably have to run out to the town and get some food.
Great.
The taxi pulled up right in front of the home, making Emma smile.
It looked just like the photos online.
Henry grabbed his things and rushed to the door, excited about being away. Emma smiled and grabbed her suitcase from the back, wheeling it up the snowy pathway and pulling out the keys.
She opened the door and flicked on a light, smiling at how homey it looked like on the inside.
There was a small, leather couch against the front window, with a plaid, warm-looking throw blanket over the top of it. Pillows sat on the couch as well, along with a sleeping beige-colored dog in the center (that Henry quickly woke up to play with). There was a wooden coffee table as well, sitting on top of a worn, colorful rug. Across from the couch was the fireplace, which already had wood in it and sitting beside it, just waiting to be burned. It was very quaint.
The kitchen was small, too-but, there was ample counter space and an island, along with at least five pans hanging neatly above the sink. There was an old-timey kind of fridge sitting beside the sink, with a few small potted plants on top.
She could see the staircase in the corner of the living room and made her way over that, ruffling Henry's hair as she walked by him. She carefully brought her suitcase up the stairs, then smiled at the two small bedrooms. One was connected to a bathroom, which was the one she chose for herself.
It was just a small and cute as the rest of the house-there was a full bed sitting in the center, flanked by two wooden side tables. There was a large chest sitting at the end of the bed, with a nice, furry throw on top of it.
Yes, she could certainly live with this.
She walked back downstairs to see Henry still playing with the dog.
"Mom, he's so sweet!" He beamed as she licked his face.
"Glad to hear that, kid." Emma grinned, squatting down beside him, "Hey, will you be alright for a little bit? I need to run to the store and get some food for the week."
"I'll be good!"
"Alright." Emma sighed, "Lock the door behind me, please?"
"I will!" Henry smiled, standing and following her to the door. She opened it and stepped out into the frigid air, then gently closed the door and watched to make sure Henry locked the door. Once she was sure, she walked around to the side of the house where a small car sat. She unlocked it with a sigh, shivering as she slipped in.
God, it was freezing.
She started it with ease, cranking up the heat and using the windshield wipers to get all of the snow off it.
It felt weird being on the right side of the car, honestly.
But, she could do this.
Bad idea.
The whole trip was a bad idea.
Emma nearly wrecked at least four times, she had no idea where the store was, and once she did find it, she couldn't figure out what kind of wine she needed to fix all of this.
Suddenly, she realized, alcohol was becoming an answer, and that just... Was not her. At all.
Fucking Neal.
She returned back to the house to find Henry and the dog sitting on the couch, with Henry reading her a book. He was such a sweet kid.
"Hey, I got us some dinner, if you want some." Emma sighed, setting the bags onto the island.
"I do!" Henry smiled, bounding into the kitchen to stand beside Emma.
"Perfect. I'll need a helper." Emma grinned, ruffling his hair again.
She wouldn't trade her kid for the world.
"What are we having?"
"I was thinking maybe some alfredo noodles?" Emma smiled, chuckling as Henry whooped.
"Yes, please!" He beamed, clasping his hands together.
"Good. Now, go wash your hands, then we can start, alright?"
Henry obeyed her request, standing on his tiptoes to turn the sink on and wash his hands thoroughly.
She smiled as she watched him, mindlessly grabbing things from the bags.
This was already a much better idea than she thought it'd be.
After dinner, Henry went up to his own room to sleep, and Emma stayed downstairs with her laptop, trying desperately to connect to the wifi, with no luck.
"Please, please, please connect." She sighed, taking another long swig of her wine. She wasn't quite buzzed yet (not that she was really trying to get buzzed, it was just that her stupid mind got to her late at night), but she could have sworn she heard a knock at the door.
Raising a brow, she set her computer on the coffee table and stood up to get the door. The person rapped again, making Emma furrow her brows this time.
"Who is it?"
"Liam, this isn't fucking funny!" A voice called out.
"Who is this?" Emma asked again.
"Let me in, or I'll take a leak all over your front-"
Emma whipped the door open to see a man in a dark peacoat standing on the porch. He turned to face her, and Emma stopped.
He had the most beautiful blue eyes, a hint of scruff along his jaw and around his mouth, and a curly smile. Handsome.
"Oh. You're not Liam." He said, "Or, if you are, I'm much drunker than I realized."
"I'm afraid not." Emma spoke softly, wrapping her cardigan around her tighter.
"I apologize for the, ah, profanity. I wasn't expecting... You." He grinned.
"I wasn't really expecting you either." She spoke with a smile.
They stared at each other in silence for a moment before the man took a deep breath.
"I hate to ask, but may I use-"
"Oh, yeah, of course." Emma replied, letting him into the house. He went immediately to the bathroom, and Emma waited awkwardly by the door, gently closing it.
He came out and washed his hands in the sink, occasionally looking back to Emma with a smile. He dried his hands off before walking over to Emma and offering his hand.
"Apologies, love," He smiled, "I'm Killian-Liam's brother."
"Brother?"
"Aye." He grinned.
"Well, I'm Emma Swan-I'm staying here, for two weeks." Emma offered.
"So, Liam-where is he?"
"He didn't tell you?" Emma asked, "He's staying in my flat... In New York."
"Oh, wow." Killian smiled, "New York City?"
"Yep. That's where I live." Emma sighed.
"That's impossible-Liam never goes anywhere."
"I guess he and I have that in common, then." Emma spoke with a small smile, "He put his house up on this... home-exchange website, and we both found each other last night and just decided to switch as soon as possible."
"No kidding." He chuckled, "You'd think he'd tell his younger brother."
Emma smiled and tucked her chin into her shoulder as he smiled to her.
"Well, I'd better leave you alone-I'm sorry for barging in, by the way. I didn't know."
"It's fine, really." Emma nodded, then pursed her lips, "You're welcome to stay for a drink or two, if you, um, want."
He raised a brow (god, that should be illegal) with a smile, making Emma grin and grab the wine bottle she'd been drinking from.
"I don't want to intrude-"
"No, it's fine-I'm a little buzzed, you're a little drunk-this could be fun." Emma smiled, shrugging her shoulders.
"Well, if the lady insists." He grinned, walking back into the kitchen to grab a glass.
Emma couldn't keep the smile off her face.
Oh, god, that was a headache.
A strong one, too.
She heard bustling around downstairs, then looked to her clock.
Shit.
It was just past ten. Henry was probably (definitely) hungry.
She sat up way too quickly and grabbed her forehead as she closed her eyes again to regain her senses.
With a sigh, she carefully slipped from the bed and walked downstairs, furrowing her brows as she heard Henry talking.
She hoped Neal didn't call.
He didn't. Henry was talking to that man.
Killian.
He was making breakfast for her son.
"Mom, I made a friend!" Henry beamed from his seat at the island.
"I can see that." Emma grinned, walking to the kitchen and patting the dog's head as she walked by the couch.
She walked to stand beside Killian, their backs to Henry.
"Morning. I hope this is alright." Killian spoke softly as she pretended to work beside him.
"It's, um, fine-thank you, actually." She replied with a sigh, "Did we...?"
"Do anything?" Killian finished, earning a nod from Emma, "No."
Emma let out a relieved sigh.
"Wait, why not?"
"I don't tend to have sex with unconscious women." He spoke with a small smile, making Emma's cheeks flare up.
Oh, god.
"I am so sorry." She whispered.
"No, it's alright, love. I brought you up to your bed. You were alright." He smiled, then handed her a small bottle, "For your headache."
"You are a lifesaver." Emma sighed, moving to grab a glass and fill it with water. She popped the pill into her mouth before taking a long drink and swallowing it.
"Mom, Killian's making us eggs!" Henry beamed as she moved to sit beside him.
"Henry, don't call him-"
"Killian's fine." He chuckled, "I promise."
Henry looked up to Emma with a smile, as she shook her head.
She'd been here less than twenty-four hours and she'd already made a friend.
This had to have been a record.
