Thank you to my readers - looks like my reading audience is picking up a bit! Welcome to all readers, new and returning! Feedback is appreciated, as always!

I do not own 'Once Upon a Time.'

Chapter 7

"Well, I'll leave the two of you to get to know one another. I have a meeting – you can use my office if you like." Graham said, and he ducked out of the room. Not saying a word, Emma walked into Graham's office and Walsh followed her.

"I swear, I had no idea who you were." Walsh said.

"No, I know you didn't. I'd have picked up on that if you had, I'm kind of – good at reading people." Emma said.

"I'll ask for a transfer." Walsh said.

"No. No, I mean – we're adults, right? Nothing happened, it was just – a little innocent conversation peppered with mild – whatever. So you just got your cop badge, huh?"

"Yup." Walsh said. "So you're the um – hard ass then?" Emma laughed a bit.

"That's what I've been told." Emma said.

"So – how scared should I be?" he asked.

"That depends. How easily do you cry?" Emma asked.

"I um – I bawled like a baby when I watched The Notebook with an ex-girlfriend once when I was in college. She dumped me the next day – although I think that had more to do with the fact that she was cheating on me with her TA than it did my crying." Walsh said.

"I think you'll be fine." Emma told him. "Come on – let's get to work."

"Grandpa, is this right?" Neal asked, showing Nick his homework. The boys had been coming to the shop every day after school for the past week. Nick looked at the paper.

"You got it." Nick said. "See, I knew you would figure it out if you put your mind to it."

"Thanks Grandpa!" Neal said. "Are we having dinner at your house again?"

"I believe so. Your mum has had a busy week at work, she said next week should be less hectic. Plus, she and your father are both taking a few days off for the gala." Nick said.

"My costume is so cool, wait'll you see it!" Neal said excitedly. "I can't wait to see yours."

"Yes – it's something to see." Nick said in a displeased tone.

"You don't like it, do you?" Neal asked.

"I would have preferred it to be something else, but – well, I don't get much of a vote in this situation." Nick said.

"That's 'cause Marty is the boss." Henry said as he strolled out into the main area of the shop from the back room.

"Excuse me? There is no 'boss' in our marriage. We are equal." Nick said, sounding a bit offended.

"Olivia, who's the boss in your house, your mom or your dad?" Henry called out to the back room.

"Mom!" Olivia hollered back without hesitation. Henry turned to Nick and gave him a smirk.

"Told you." Henry said.

"I can leave you here, you know." Nick teased.

"Yeah, but you won't." Henry retorted. "Marty would get mad at you and you'd be in trouble." Neal snickered a bit at the comment.

"I'll leave the both of you here if you keep it up." Nick remarked.

"I think mom and dad both think they're the boss. That's why they fight so much." Neal commented.

"That very well may be." Nick said. "They're still fighting then?"

"They're not really talking to each other right now." Henry said, and Nick sighed.

"Olivia, let's get a move on, you can finish your homework at home." Nick called out as he finished putting things away. "I'm really sorry, boys. I wish there was more I could do, but – I'm afraid that your mother and father are going to have to work this one out between themselves."

"Well, we made it a full week together – you haven't put in for a transfer yet, have you?" Emma asked Walsh as she drove their squad car through the streets of New York.

"Of course not. I don't know why people say you're a hard ass, you're just – honest. I respect that." Walsh replied.

"Yeah, most people don't." Emma said. She noticed some commotion in one of the alleys that they passed. "Over there. I think we should check it out. I'm on it, call it in." Emma said as she pulled the car over.

"What exactly am I calling in?" Walsh asked.

"I don't know. Gut feeling." Emma said.

"How do I call in a gut feeling?" Walsh asked.

"Just make some shit up, I don't care." Emma said as she got out of the car. "Make it quick then get out here with me." Emma cautiously approached the group – it was two young boys and a girl. "What's going on here?" Emma asked. It became apparent that she had interrupted a robbery and possible assault. The young boys shoved the girl down on the ground, and she began to cry.

"Come on, let's get out of here!" one of the young boys said.

"Freeze, right now, I mean it." Emma said, pointing her gun at them.

"You think I'm gonna let some woman cop stop me?" the other boy said. "Get her." Emma hesitated in firing her gun; she had seen too many trigger happy cops in her tenure and these were just stupid kids who were, as far as she could see, unarmed.

"Walsh, where the hell are you?" she mumbled to herself as the boys charged at her. Emma grabbed one of the young boys forcefully and tossed him onto the ground, but before she even had a chance to grab the other boy he threw her down onto the ground, causing her gun to fly out of her hand.

"Get it." the boy holding Emma down said to the other boy, eyeing the gun. The young man that Emma had thrown down was stunned and still struggling to get up.

"Walsh!" Emma screamed.

"Who's that, your boyfriend? You think you can take me, lady cop?" the boy said angrily.

"Yeah, I do." Emma snarled at him. She started to shove him off of herself, and just as she did, the boy pulled out a knife and plunged it into Emma's left arm. Emma screamed out in pain.

"You're lucky you're a pretty thing or that would have been your neck." the boy said. Emma noticed the other boy finally getting up and moving toward her gun. She fought back tears as she thought about Bae and Henry and Neal, and what if this was it? They were going to kill her and she would never see them again. Suddenly she heard a gunshot, and the young boy holding the gun cried out in pain and dropped to the ground, dropping the gun as well.

"Get away from her, or you're next." Walsh said, pointing the gun at the young man's head as he used his other hand to pick up Emma's gun. He had shot the other boy in the leg. The boy with the knife became distracted, and Emma had just enough time to knee him in the groin and break free of his grip. He dropped the knife as she did so, and Emma picked it up.

"Is backup coming?" Emma asked, wincing in pain as she sat up. "Cuff this asshole." Emma moved next to the girl, who was still sitting on the ground trembling. "It's okay. Everything is okay." Emma said to her, doing her best to comfort her. "What the hell took you so long?" Emma asked.

"I didn't know what to tell them." Walsh said.

"I told you just to make shit up, is it really that difficult?" Emma asked angrily, then she leaned back against a wall in the alley and groaned in pain.

"Are you alright?" Walsh asked.

"Perfect." Emma said. Walsh went to her side.

"They hurt you." Walsh commented, observing the blood on Emma's left arm.

"No shit." Emma said. "It's just a little cut, it'll be fine. You got any band-aids?" Emma joked. Walsh instinctive removed Emma's jacket and pushed her sleeve up. The cut was deep, and there was far more blood than he initially thought.

"That looks bad. We need to get you to the hospital." Walsh said. They could hear the sirens in the background.

"Get her first." Emma said, looking over at the traumatized girl.

"You're bleeding. You probably need stitches, you could get an infection." Walsh said. He tore off part of his own shirt and tied it around Emma's shoulder. "Here, this should slow it down a bit." An EMT came to Emma's side and began to examine her. "You want me to go with you to the hospital? Walsh asked. Emma shook her head no.

"Just finish up here, get the paperwork started, then bring it to me." Emma said.

"You want me to call your husband?" Walsh asked. Emma hesitated for a moment. She and Bae had barely said a word to each other in the past week, ever since their fight when she stormed out that morning.

"Yeah." Emma said, nodding her head. Despite her anger with him at the moment – she still wanted him there with her.

"I'm so sorry about this, Emma. This is all my fault, I should have been quicker." Walsh said.

"Rookie mistake. You'll get over it." Emma said. "I'll be fine."

"You got that proposal done for tomorrow?" Bae asked Tamara as he stepped out of his office.

"Yeah. It's right here." Tamara said, handing him a file. Bae took out his phone and sent a text, then looked at his phone and sighed, tossing it onto Tamara's desk. "Something wrong?"

"Just trying to get ahold of my wife. I'm supposed to pick up the kids from my dad's house tonight, but – I was hoping I could get a few more hours of prep in for that meeting tomorrow." Bae said. "I guess I'll just call my dad and see if he can keep them for a couple extra hours."

"Maybe they could just spend the night." Tamara suggested.

"They don't have any of their stuff with them. Plus – it's a school night." Bae said. "You know, would it kill her to just message me?"

"I'm sorry that she doesn't appreciate all you do for her and those boys." Tamara said, and she moved in closer to Bae, putting her hand on top of his. Bae looked down at her hand uncomfortably, and thought about the warning that both his father and Emma had given him about Tamara, which he chose to ignore. His train of thought was interrupted by the office phone ringing.

"Answer it, it could be about the meeting tomorrow." Bae said. Tamara looked over at the caller ID.

"It's the NYPD." Tamara said. "Could be your wife." Bae sighed and decided to grab the phone himself. "Hey, I was wondering if – what? Yes, this is he." Bae said into the phone. His face turned pale as he listened to the voice on the other end. "How bad? Yeah - yeah okay – I'll be right there. Thank you." Bae hung up the phone. "I have to go."

"What's wrong?" Tamara asked.

"Emma got hurt while she was out on patrol." Bae said. "She's at the hospital."

"Is she okay?" Tamara asked.

"I don't know. Can you go over my notes and email any suggestions to me? I'll call you later, sorry to put this all on you." Bae said.

"It's – it's okay. You go to your wife." Tamara said. Bae grabbed his jacket and darted out the door.

Emma sat in the bed at the emergency room looking over the notes from the incident report that Walsh had brought her. She needed to add her own notes and was frustrated at her inability to write more than two words without being in excruciating pain. The knife wound went deep, and if it had been even half an inch higher, it would have hit a major artery and she'd be in far worse shape than she was. As it stood, the injury required twenty stitches, both under and outside of the skin. She was told that she was very lucky that there was no nerve damage. They offered her some pain medication but she refused, figuring that she could just take those when she got home. Emma was looking over every detail of Walsh's notes when Bae entered the room.

"Emma. Oh my god, baby, are you okay?" Bae asked as he rushed to her side and pulled her into a hug.

"Ow." Emma said, wincing and pulling away. "My arm."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry – what happened?" Bae asked worriedly as he sat down on the edge of the bed next to her.

"Had an encounter with the wrong end of a knife." Emma said as she pulled up her hospital gown and showed Bae her bandaged upper arm. "Twenty stitches, and of course my luck it was my left arm. This is one time I actually wish I were right-handed." Bae looked down at the clipboard that was lying in her lap.

"What the hell, are you working?" Bae asked.

"Have to finish the report up." Emma said.

"Where the hell is your partner? Why isn't he doing that?" Bae asked.

"Because I want it done right the first time." Emma stated. "Bae, I'm fine, it wasn't that big of a cut, it just – was kind of deep, that's all. No nerve damage. I'm off active duty till the stiches come out but Graham said I can be on desk duty as long as I stay home for a few days and get some rest. The doctor wants me to keep it as immobilized as possible for at least the next forty-eight hours."

"And you're sitting here writing a report." Bae remarked.

"I just want to get this one thing done, that's all." Emma said. "Where are the boys?"

"They're at my dad's." Bae said.

"You haven't told them anything yet, have you?" Emma asked.

"No – I called my dad and told him you were in the hospital but not to say anything to the boys, I said I'd call him once I knew what was going on." Bae said. He reached out and touched Emma's cheek. "Emma, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry about everything, especially this past week. When I got that call – you don't know how many times I've wondered in the years we've been together when the day would come that I'd get the call that I got this evening."

"I know. Its okay, Bae. I'm fine, really." Emma said. Bae moved in to kiss her, and their lips were just about to touch when they were interrupted.

"Okay, I got you that Mountain Dew AND I was able to snag the last bag of -" Walsh began as he entered the room, then he stopped when he saw Bae there. Bae turned and looked at him.

"Who the hell are you?" Bae asked.

"Bae, this is – Walsh Osborne. He's um – he's my new partner." Emma told him.

"Since when do you have a new partner?" Bae asked.

"Since Frederick decided that I was um – a little more than he could handle." Emma remarked. "Walsh, this is my husband, Bae."

"Nice to meet you." Walsh said as he set the bag of chips and the soda that he had brought Emma down on the stand next to her bed.

"Were you with Emma when this happened?" Bae asked, looking him up and down.

"Bae – don't start." Emma said.

"You're her PARTNER, you're supposed to be looking out for one another!" Bae shouted at him.

"He was doing what I asked him to do, let it go." Emma told him. "Thanks for the stuff – can you open it for me?" she asked, looking up at Walsh.

"I got it." Bae said, grabbing the soda bottle before Walsh even had a chance to.

"I can't work on this right now Walsh, my arm is killing me. Can you work it up and bring it by my place tomorrow so that I can look it over?" Emma asked as she handed him the paperwork that she had been looking over.

"I haven't done one of these before, Emma." Walsh said.

"It's not rocket science Walsh, figure it out. Whatever you screw up I'll fix tomorrow." Emma said.

"You're not working tomorrow, you're staying home and resting." Bae interjected.

"Did you not hear me ask him to BRING IT to me?" Emma asked angrily. "Thanks for the snacks." she said, turning her attention back to Walsh.

"Least I could do. Get some rest, okay? I'll talk to you later." Walsh said, and he left the room.

"What was that?" Bae asked.

"What was what?" Emma asked in return.

"He has a thing for you." Bae commented.

"You are not seriously going there. Not while you still have Tamara at your beck and call day and night." Emma said.

"Fine. Whatever. So – you allowed to come home or what?" Bae asked.

"They just need to bring in some paperwork for my discharge. Oh, and I'm getting a couple of scrips – the doctor said he's giving me an antibiotic to prevent infection and some pain killers, we'll need to stop on the way home and pick those up." Emma said.

"Okay." Bae said in reply. Emma picked up the bag of chips and handed it to Bae.

"Can you get this, too?" she asked. Bae opened the bag for her. "Want one?"

"No thanks." Bae said. Still sitting on the edge of the bed, he turned and looked away from her, not knowing what else to say.

Henry and Neal darted into the apartment seconds after Bae opened the door. Bae had called Nick and informed him of the details of Emma's injury, and told him to tell the boys exactly what was going on before bringing them home. Bae suggested that perhaps the boys should spend the night with Nick and Belle, but Emma wanted them home. Given that her immediate thought when she faced a dangerous situation was her family, she wanted to see them again sooner rather than later. Emma was lying on the sofa but sitting up a bit when the boys entered.

"Mom!" Henry shouted, being the first reach her and give her a hug.

"Careful of my left arm, kid." Emma said.

"Does it hurt?" Neal asked as he followed Henry's lead and gave Emma a quick hug as well.

"It'll be okay. Yeah, it hurts, but – no worse than when I had you two." Emma joked.

"You gonna have a scar, mom?" Neal asked.

"Yeah. A big two-inch scar on my arm." Emma said.

"Cool!" Neal replied.

"So how are you feeling, Emma?" Nick asked as he entered the room.

"Pissed. Stupid punk kids caught me off guard." Emma remarked.

"Yeah, that wouldn't have happened if your partner had been doing his damn job." Bae said angrily.

"Bae – enough." Emma said. "Hey, can you guys go make a sandwich for me? I haven't had anything to eat except a can of Mountain Dew and a bag of chips, I'm starving." Emma asked the boys.

"What kind?" Henry asked.

"Grilled cheese sounds good. And Neal, do NOT touch the pan once you set it on the stove." Emma said.

"I did that once when I was seven, you don't have to keep reminding me." Neal said, and the boys headed out of the room toward the kitchen. Emma leaned back a bit and sighed, clearly in pain.

"You want one of those painkillers?" Bae asked.

"Not till I go to bed. I don't need the boys seeing me all drugged up and acting stupid." Emma said.

"I'll get the boys off to school tomorrow." Bae said. Emma just looked up at him in disbelief.

"No shit, really?" Emma remarked sarcastically.

"I've got a meeting in the morning, it shouldn't go past eleven, then I'll come right home, okay?" Bae said. Nick just stared at him in disbelief.

"Bae – I think Emma might need you home with her tomorrow." Nick commented.

"I'll be fine, I don't need sitter." Emma said.

"Bae, can I talk to you please? Privately?" Nick asked. Bae sighed as headed toward their bedroom. Nick entered after him and closed the door. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Nick asked angrily. "You can't seriously plan on going to a business meeting tomorrow. Your wife just got hurt and is very lucky that it wasn't worse than it ended up being. If that were Belle, I wouldn't leave her side."

"Yeah, dad, you know what? Not every couple is attached at the hip like you and Belle are." Bae snipped.

"I don't appreciate that tone from you. You need to call your client and tell them that you had a family emergency and you need to reschedule your meeting." Nick said.

"Dad, I've been trying for MONTHS to snag this client. Do you know how much revenue they'll bring in for me?" Bae asked.

"You really are turning into me, aren't you?" Nick said.

"I don't ignore my family. I am home EVERY NIGHT. I don't go traipsing all over the country to close a deal. So no – I'm not turning into you." Bae said.

"You are in many ways, Bae. You know, maybe having your own company wasn't the best plan for you in hindsight. You've never done well without preset structure. You know, Neal is a lot like you in that manner, not that you've noticed what your son is up to, I'm the one who's been helping him with homework for the past several weeks." Nick said. "You're welcome for that, by the way."

"What do you want dad, a medal?" Bae asked sarcastically, and then he sighed. "Look – even if I did cancel that meeting – I really don't think that having me around tomorrow is what Emma will want."

"Did you even bother to ask her?" Nick asked.

"You heard her, she said she doesn't need a sitter." Bae said.

"What she said and what she means aren't necessarily the same thing. Have you even talked to her about what I suggested? That weekend together after Belle's gala?" Nick asked.

"No." Bae admitted.

"The offer is still on the table. I mentioned it to Belle and she's glad to help." Nick said.

"Maybe she can come and stay here tomorrow morning." Bae said. "Belle, I mean – that way I can go to the meeting, Belle can be here with Emma if she needs anything, and I'll take over when I get back."

"Well, I'll ask her, I don't know if she any pressing plans tomorrow morning, but if she doesn't I'm sure she'll be glad to help." Nick said. "But you need to get your shit together, Bae. You have a lovely wife and two boys. Don't fuck things up like I did. You're better than that."

Next chapter sneak peek:

Belle makes a stunning admission to Emma

Nick and Belle's date is interrupted