Before starting this chapter, I'd like to address a concern one of my guests left in a review regarding my author's note in the previous chapter. I had said there would be mentions of darker subjects as this story continues b/c it is in essence a crime/mystery/romance story. I wanted to give that "warning" in case some readers would consider these themes as potential triggers. However, I would never ruin the integrity of these awesome characters. I hope you all will continue to read and trust these characters to metaphorically punch me in the face if I attempt to do anything stupid ;) Thanks all!

Chapter 7: Start

Ten years earlier

"David stop!" James yelled, trying to pull him off of their step father.

David's forearm was on the older man's chest, forcing him up against the wall of the dining parlor. David used his free arm to shake his brother off, his eyes never leaving Albert's. His step father smirked, cold eyes unflinching at David's outburst.

"If you ever touch her again.." David warned, blue eyes flashing.

"You'll what, boy?" Albert sneered as he brought his face closer to David's. "Careful, now. You may be acting like a child but in the eyes of the law you are a grown man. Do.. not.. test.. me."

David clenched his jaw, closing his free hand into a fist. He knew Albert was right and that nothing would have given the old man more pleasure than to call the police and have David arrested. His step father's position as DA meant that he had his hands in much of the city's inner workings, including law enforcement ranks. If it was David's word against Albert's, David would lose. That would help no one, least of all his mom. David shoved off of Albert, taking a step back from him. James took this opportunity to force his twin further away from their step father, standing between the two as David continued to glare daggers at Albert.

"Smart boy," Albert jeered, straightening his collar.

"Father," James hissed, casting him a warning look. David looked about ready to launch himself at Albert again at any moment. Hearing his twin, David looked at James incredulously before shoving him away. James backed away a couple of paces, gazing at David warily.

"How can you still call him that after what he did?" David asked in disbelief.

"We don't know the whole story," James replied evenly.

"The hell we don't!" David spat. "Our mom has a black eye because this," he gestured to Albert, "arrogant asshole got too drunk to handle himself again."

"David Nolan!" came a high pitched voice that automatically sobered David's tumultuous thoughts. All three men turned as Ruth entered the parlor and her eyes took in the scene before her. Even at eighteen years old, his mom's reproachful glare made David avoid her gaze. He could practically feel Albert's smug smile burning into his back.

All three men stood silent, unsure of what to say. David looked up at his mother, anger renewed when we saw the vivid purple bruise surrounding her right eye.

"David..." his mother began softly.

"That boy needs to keep himself under control," Albert interrupted, steely gaze on David. "He'll end up in a bad way indeed if he continues this way."

James stepped between the two other men once more, looking uncomfortable. David could see his twin was unnerved by their mom's appearance and wasn't sure why he was the only son upset by what happened. Then again, James was their step father's favorite. Albert filled the role of father for James whereas David had never really seen eye to eye with him. He'd only tried to be amicable this long for his mom's sake.

Tensions had been especially high lately due to the twins graduating high school. Albert wanted them to go to law school, follow in his footsteps. To David, that plan felt like selling his soul. Especially with the incidents that had happened between Albert and Ruth. This wasn't the first black eye she'd had and the thought of other injuries that may have been hidden from him made David feel physically sick.

"Albert, I'll handle this," Ruth replied shortly, leaving no room for debate. Her husband sniffed and, shaking his head, exited the parlor towards the bedrooms upstairs. James stood uncertainly, looking both confused and apologetic.

"James, could you leave us for a bit? I'll come talk with you as soon as I'm done with your brother," she said reassuringly. James nodded, glancing at David before striding out of the room. David stood in silence, looking anywhere except at Ruth. He was torn between anger and shame as he waited for her to speak.

"Son-" she started.

"Mom, please don't even think about making excuses for Albert. He doesn't deserve them and you know it," he interrupted. His mom looked slightly shocked, brown eyes wide as she gazed at him, but tilted her head signaling he could go on. He took a deep breath.

"Why haven't you left him, Mom? You're miserable, I can see it."

"David-"

"He hurt you," he rasped, unable to keep his emotion out of his voice as he felt tears sting his eyes. Ruth exhaled, eyes filling with tears of her own, and slowly approached her son to draw him into a hug. David marveled at how small his mother felt to him now, but her hugs were still just as comforting to him as when he'd been a small boy. They remained that way for a few minutes before either of them could speak again. Ruth stepped back, crossing her arms over her middle.

"We could go back to the farm," David suggested hopefully.

Ruth shook her head sadly. "I can't leave James."

"Make him come with us."

His mother took a shaky breath. "You're both adults now, son. He won't come with us, you know that. I need to stay for him, make sure he doesn't.. lose himself in all of this." She wasn't meeting his eyes, looking like she was seeing something far away.

"What are you talking about?" David asked softly, brow furrowed.

Ruth looked at him sadly, but shook her head. David exhaled, not liking the feeling of being in the dark very much. Especially when it came to the two people he cared about most in this world. He knew his mother had intended good things when she'd married Albert and things were fine, even good, for a couple of years. At that point, David began to tire of the pomp and circumstance Albert required, as well as the control he demanded from his family. James was easier to please and, while he loved their mom, his loyalties lay with their step father. David didn't understand it, but there was nothing he could do to change his brother's mind for him. He could only hope to plant the seeds of reason and hope they grew one day.

"Mom, you can't change Albert. He is what he is and he's made that clear. I can't do this anymore. I can't live under his iron fist, watching how he treats you. Every time I even think about it.." he paused, gritting his teeth against the anger he felt welling back up again. He took a deep breath and continued. "It's not right. The fact that you feel you need to stay for your grown son's sake says a lot about his character."

Ruth opened her mouth to speak but David kept going, knowing he'd probably never have another opportunity to say these things if he didn't do it now.

"Come with me. We can be free, we can leave all this. We can go home. And I promise, I'll do everything I can to make James see reason."

Ruth's lips lifted into a water smile as she cupped David's face in her hands.

"Oh, my boy. We both know your brother is as stubborn as you."

David couldn't disagree with that. It was pretty much the only thing they had in common, besides their looks.

"I'm not leaving," she said softly, "but I want you to."

David opened his mouth to argue but it was Ruth's turn to interrupt.

"I want you to live, David. Live the life you want. You don't want this big house. You don't want to go to law school. You were meant for more than just taking orders from someone who doesn't see you for you."

"Mom-" he started, shaking his head.

"All I've wanted for both of you is for you to find happiness. James has found his, now I want you to find yours." She took a deep breath, bringing her hands down to squeeze his shoulders. "We both know you won't find it here."

Again, David couldn't disagree with her. He could only stand there staring, words failing him.

"I'll be fine," she insisted. "You don't always need to be a knight in shining armor, my boy."

David let out a humorless laugh. "Good job I've done" he replied regretfully, eyes glancing at Ruth's bruised eye. "Imagine what it will be like if I leave."

Ruth knew she needed to choose her words carefully. Most of the arguments with Albert had to do with David. Albert wanted to force David into being something he wasn't and Ruth would not back down when it came to either of her children's happiness. She knew James had benefited most from her marriage to Albert, gaining a father figure he so desperately craved. James was calculated and intelligent. While he had many leadership qualities, he needed guidance to feel comfortable in that position. Albert was grooming him for the courtroom, and James was perfectly suited to the lifestyle they currently lived in. David felt deeply and would do anything to help anyone. He was a leader through his actions, a man of honor even at this young age.

"Always trying to do what is right," she sighed, lowering her hands from his shoulders and giving him a wry smile. "What you boys both forget is that you didn't inherit your stubbornness from your dad."

"Mom-"

"I want you to find a place of your own. It can be in the city. The farm if you so choose. But I want it to be yours. I've seen you sneak up those college letters you don't think I know about to your bedroom. I hope you have an idea of where you'd like to go."

David felt a kid who got caught stealing a cookie for the cookie jar.

Ruth laughed at his expression. "Don't look so guilty, I'd rather you be sneaking college letters than girls, like your brother."

David groaned and rolled his eyes, the unwelcome memory of accidentally walking in on James and Kathryn Aureus having a makeout session in the shower coming back to haunt him. He'd kept quiet about it at James' plea, but their mom always tended to know everything that went on regardless.

While the thought of freedom lured him, David's loyalty to his mother was screaming against the idea of leaving. He brought his gaze back to hers, inner turmoil plain in his expression. Ruth smiled in understanding, knowing she almost had him convinced. She tilted her head towards the living room as she started walking.

"Come, I have a few apartment ads to show you. If you insist on staying here in New Haven, I found a little one bedroom you might like..."

Present day

David pulled into the parking lot of the station like he did every morning except, today, he felt like everything was different. His smile hadn't left his face since he'd left the coffee shop. They'd only just met but he felt such a strong connection with Mary Margaret it almost scared him, like he was magnetically drawn to her. She was witty, smart, head strong, and beautiful. There was also a broken part of her, hidden behind those walls she'd built, that he desperately wanted to help repair. He hoped she'd one day trust him enough to let him in, but knew that it would take time. The long dormant, hopeful romantic in him declared that it would wait forever if it had to.

David felt silly in a way, becoming so smitten this soon. It didn't make any logical sense. David had dated a few girls here and there but this was different. It felt so...right. The best part about it was, she seemed just as perplexed and interested in him as he was her. The look she'd given him when he told her to call him David was one of guarded longing and just the possibility of her feeling that for him turned his stomach to knots. If he was honest with himself, though, his favorite look of hers was her coy smile when she bantered with him. The picture of it was burned into his memory, and he had to focus on heading in to work to keep his own longings in check.

He strode through the station doors, glancing at the clock to see how late he was. 8:15A.M. Not too bad, considering. He skipped checking his e-mail and headed straight down the hall to R-7, hoping he hadn't kept Sean waiting too long. He reached the door and keyed himself in, seeing his partner rifling through some boxes of case files.

"What're those?" he asked his partner, not recognizing them. He closed the door behind him.

Sean looked up at the sound of his voice, eyebrows raised. "More case files Lance wants to add to our pile. Why were you late?"

"More?" David asked, ignoring the question. He wasn't sure he wanted to disclose where he was, but didn't want to lie either.

Sean stared at him a moment before continuing. "Yeah I guess Lieutenant King told him to add these in case we could figure out any patterns. Basically, they're the entire cold case file room."

"Lucky us," David replied dryly, shuffling through a few of the new files. He was hoping against hope his brother's file wasn't in there. He cleared his throat, careful not to show any emotion on his face. "Lance say anything?"

Sean shook his head. "Not really, just "don't want any stone unturned", that sort of thing."

David let out a breath, shaking his head. He just got in and felt years behind already, not to mention a bit on edge. A few weeks ago Lieutenant King had been against Sargeant Lance assigning them to cold cases. Now he was throwing more at them? It seemed odd.

"You still haven't told me why you were late," Sean prodded, watching his partner closely.

"I was late yesterday," David pointed out, avoiding eye contact by opening a file to look at it.

"That was a few minutes. You're never this late. Ever. Look," Sean continued, concern lacing his voice, "you don't have to tell me details. Just let me know you're ok. You've been acting off since yesterday. Distracted, quiet.. it's weird."

David chuckled at Sean's wording as he tossed the file he was holding back into the box before meeting the younger man's gaze.

"I'm fine," David insisted truthfully.

Sean raised his eyebrows at him as if to say "But?"

David exhaled, rolling his eyes. Why not? If anyone would understand...

"I uh.. might have met someone yesterday," he began, definitely not meeting Sean's eye now.

Whatever Sean was expecting, it clearly wasn't that. He looked at David blankly for a minute, opening his mouth once and then quickly closing it again.

"Gee, don't look so shocked," David joked, lifting the box of files closest to him off of the table to the floor.

"No, I just.." Sean began, watching David begin to assemble the stand for their evidence grid. "I was just expecting something more.. serious I guess. I mean, not that that wouldn't be serious but-"

"Sorry to disappoint," David quipped. It didn't feel as awkward to admit it as he thought it would. In fact, he almost felt like a small weight had been lifted from his shoulders. It felt like he could finally admit that what was happening was real.

Sean observed his partner, unsure of what to make of this new bit of information. David wasn't one to disclose much personal information which was partly why Sean hadn't been expecting it.

"So, where'd you meet?" Sean asked, sensing David needed help sorting through whatever was going on with this mystery person. He wouldn't have been thrown off so much, otherwise.

David stilled a moment, as if debating whether or not to keep the conversation going, before answering, "Remember that coffee shop yesterday?"

Sean nodded, grabbing another other box of old files from the table and setting it down on the floor by the first.

"I literally ran into her right inside the door."

"Oh, seriously?" Sean asked, trying not to laugh but failing.

"Ha, yeah. Not my best moment," David responded, a small smile on his face. He could picture it like it was yesterday. Wait, it was yesterday. It seemed much longer...

"She was.. great about it though," David continued, finishing up the stand and moving to place the board on it. "She has a good sense of humor."

"So, what happened, you just bowled her over then asked her on a date?" Sean joked, knowing that wouldn't have been David's style. The way his partner looked when he talked about this mystery woman made Sean think David was already a goner.

"Yep, pretty much," David replied sarcastically. He looked up and saw Sean staring at him expectantly. He rolled his eyes again before continuing, "Nothing really could happen because I had leave to meet our informant."

Sean nodded in understanding before asking, "But you saw her this morning?"

"Yeah. I wasn't sure if she'd be there, but she was." He still couldn't believe his luck.

"So, what happened?"

"Anyone ever talk to you about curiosity and a cat?"

"Once, but I didn't pay attention. Don't change the subject."

"You're ridiculous."

"And you're already so far gone over this woman you can't see straight."

David laughed, and Sean looked triumphant when his partner didn't deny his accusation.

"So what are you, the pot or the kettle?" David asked.

"I'm not partial," Sean quipped with a shrug.

David chuckled and shook his head as he finished the stand before turning to grab more files. They continued moving boxes in silence for a few minutes, David appreciating that his partner was giving him the option of continuing the conversation or not. He'd never been one to discuss his personal life with anyone, and that had decreased even more so since James' death. David trusted his partner, though, and Sean seemed to understand where he was coming from with this.

"She's guarded. I'm surprised she even talked to me at all really," David admitted. "She made it seem like she wouldn't mind meeting up again at the coffee shop, though," he added, replaying Mary Margaret's expressions in his mind.

David," she said softly, making is heart feel like it was beating out of his chest. "S..See you around?"

She'd looked so hopeful, yet frightened of what his response might be.

"Well, that's a start," Sean replied, pulling him out of his reverie.

"Yeah," David nodded, clearing the last box off of the table. "Yeah, I guess it is."

Thanks again everyone. Hope you like it so far!