Chapter 2
Neither Regina nor Henry noticed a man standing up from the booth behind mother and son. He walked away from the table and the conversation he just eavesdropped on. He climbed the stairs back up to the room he rented from Granny, his hook dragging up the wooden banister. So the Evil Queen thinks she has a shot at the Savior, does she? We'll see about that.
Captain Killian "Hook" Jones after unsuccessfully trying to seek his revenge had convinced the blonde haired savior to give him a job as one of her two deputies down at the sheriff's station. The perks were good; he got to work closely with the Savior and his fellow deputy, Ruby Lucas. She wasn't bad eye candy at all. He often considered what it would be like if he got both women drunk enough to play around of good cop/bad cop/naughty cop.
Fantasies aside, Sheriff Swan could possibly be a sure thing. Her young son may be on to something with how to connect with the closed-off woman.
He picks up his duty belt and heads off to cover the afternoon shift and relieve Sheriff Swan from the morning. Entering into the building, he sauntered over to his boss's office and leaned against the door jam. "Swan!" he says loudly startling her from the report she was writing.
"Killian!" she exclaimed with annoyance. "You scared me!"
"I apologize, love, it's just about time for me to start my shift. What are you working on?"
"Reports for Gina," she said shortly and returned to her work. "You've got yours done right?"
"I've got all afternoon to get it done, don't you worry," he said with a confident smile.
"Good because any shit I get, I give out double fold." She looked up pinning her green eyes on his outfit and asked, "Didn't Ruby take you shopping? The leather suit is a little…"
"Distracting? Tempting? Captivating? Intriguing?" he supplied with a devilishly handsome smile.
"Much." She scoffed, "Seriously though it would help put people more at ease if you didn't look like a pirate."
"Why do I care if people are at ease? We are the harbingers of justice," he said with a twinkle in his eye.
"We are their protectors Killian, not their wardens." Emma shook her head at the man's world view.
"Well I'll see what I can do Swan, perhaps you care to help me blend into this strange world?" he said dragging his finger up the wooden door frame.
Emma took a deep breath, held it and then let it out slowly before asking, "And what would you have me do?"
"How about you let me come over to your place tomorrow night, and I cook you dinner?" He stepped closer and sat on the corner of her desk, forcing her to sit back in her chair.
"That isn't a good idea Killian. I'm your boss, this town maybe filled with storybook characters, but we still have policies to follow, and one of those policies is no fraternization between a superior and their subordinates."
"No one mentioned fraternization, Swan! Get your head out of the gutter, lass. I'm simply looking for a home cooked meal; it has been dreadfully long since I've had anything but the swill from that eatery everyone in town seems to enjoy so much. If I had a kitchen in my room perhaps I wouldn't need to offer my vast culinary services to my superior," he looks up at her and flashes sincerity in his baby blues. "A simple meal couldn't possibly be against your valued policies, now could it?" He pouts out his bottom lip and then goes in for the kill, "I've been trying so hard to let go of my vengeance, and I could use a night where I'm not trapped in my little room at the inn thinking nothing but skinning crocodiles and such."
"Tomorrow is no good, I have... a thing I do," she quickly mumbles.
"Does this thing have a name? I'm terribly jealous, Swan," he curls his lip up in an amused sneer.
"It isn't a who, it really is just a thing I do on Fridays. I go down to the pub and-"
"You mean to tell me there is a proper pub in this town and I've been getting Granny to serve my drinks for all these weeks? I'm truly hurt Swan. You owe it to me to show me around this elusive pub you speak of."
Emma looks away, not really wanting to give into the man's persistence, but it might be a good idea to encourage the straight and narrow path he has obviously been trying to take these past few weeks. That had been the entire point of having him join the sheriff's station to begin with; so she could keep an eye on him.
"Alright, fine. Do you know how to play pool?"
"Of course I do!" He scoffed, "Perhaps I can teach you a thing or two."
"Right. Well okay. I'll pick you up at the inn, and we'll go-"
"The least you can do is allow me to cook for you, love, to show my appreciation," he cut her off, and she rolled her eyes a little, knowing she was going to seriously regret agreeing to this.
"Fine, but I mean it Killian, this isn't at all a date. I take my job as sheriff seriously; this is just a couple of coworkers getting out from behind the badge and showing you around town a little bit," she said wrinkling her brow with worry.
"Of course, Sheriff Swan." He stood backing away from the desk he was perched on and waved his hook to his forehead. "I'll come by around 6 after Ruby relieves me."
"Fine. Seriously finish up your paperwork so Gina doesn't tear a strip off of me," she points to his desk out in the bullpen. She watched him leave her office, and she shakes her head hoping this wouldn't turn into a disaster.
Regina Mills stood in front of her body length mirror and checked over herself. She shook her head in disbelief at what was staring back at her. "I can't believe I let him talk me into this."
She turned to the side and gave a little shoulder shrug at the sight of how the tight black jeans formed to her ass. She ran her hands over the swell appreciatively. She turned back to face the front and started to tuck in the baseball jersey that has the word Nirvana written across it in bold white letters and a naked baby swimming towards a dollar bill hooked to a fishing line in faded print.
"Don't tuck it in mom," Henry said behind her as he entered her bedroom.
"But…"
"Trust me," he said with a smile. "You look great. She likes your hair down so good choice," he commented as he rummaged through her jewelry box looking for a couple of rings and the earrings he wanted her to wear. Regina turned to look at her son, "How do you know how she likes my hair?"
"She always compliments your hair when it's down," he said as he dug through the next box of trinkets and asked, "Where are the earrings I got for you two birthday's ago? They'll look good with what you have on."
Regina pushed a bit of her hair from the side of her face and tucked it behind her ear. She asked with a smile, "These?"
"Oh great! Yes! I knew they'd work good. Here put these on too," he said and handed her the rings he pulled out of the box.
"Well. You knew they'd work well, dear," she corrected as she takes the rings he handed her slipping them on their designated fingers.
"Whatever. You look great, mom." The pride in himself is evident through the smile he shoots his mother's way. "Your makeup is perfect; you don't need all that gunk Mom, you're so pretty without it. She's going to love it."
"Thank you, my Prince." She pulled him in and kissed him on the forehead. "Really Henry, thank you for believing in me. I never would have done this on my own."
"I know. Both you and Emma deserve to be happy. I know this will work out; I can feel it. Operation Swan Dive is a go."
"Operation what?" she asks with a chuckle.
"Swan Dive. You know, because, Emma Swan and dive bar. Get it?" he asked expectantly.
"Oh, I get it." She laughed shaking her head. She turned back and gave herself a final once over, viewing the finished product. She felt entirely under-dressed, but she did look non-threatening and that was what their goal was. To remove her armor and open herself up to her son's other mother in hopes that the woman would do the same with her. She felt an apprehensive excitement at the prospect of bearing herself in such a way, but her son, whom she trusted more than anyone in the world, assured her the blonde Sheriff would be receptive.
She fluffed the side of her hair one last time before steeling her nerves and finished getting ready to go.