Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time

AN: Thank you to the wonderful GranddaughterOfCaskettAndTivia for all her help on this chapter. Also, she has a new short story out! I'm so excited she's getting back into writing again! Everyone should go to her profile - GranddaughterOfCaskettAndTivia - and read her new fic "(Not Going) Home Alone Tonight." Do it now! Right now! ~ XOXO MAS

So let the words slip out of your mouth

Killian banged on the door of Emma's loft at 9:45 that evening. He was sure she would be winding down and Henry was probably asleep. It took a moment for Emma to reach the door. She opened it, wrapped up in skin tight leggings and a man's t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a messy braid that was coming undone and she had no makeup on. Once again her glasses were sliding down her nose. She looked absolutely perfect. "Killian?" She asked.

"Ryan and Esposito found something," he grinned.

Emma's brow shot up and she opened the door fully for him. "Come on in," she murmured. "Henry's already asleep upstairs." She motioned to the metal staircase in the middle of the loft.

"Sorry, I just thought you'd want to know that they know who owns the car." He followed her into the kitchen.

"I'm making cocoa, do you want some?" She asked tiredly, a little more deflated than she'd been earlier in the day.

He stepped forward, right into her personal space. "Are you alright, Swan? Did something happen after you left?"

She bit her lip and turned away from him, shaking her head. "Everything's fine, Killian."

He noted the way her voice cracked as she spoke. Instinctively, he stepped forward, drawing her into his arms. "It's okay to miss him." He held her tightly to him. "You loved him very much."

She nodded against his chest. "I did, and now I feel so guilty."

"Guilty?" He glance down at the crown of her head. "Why? You're finding out who killed him."

"That's not why," she whispered. Pushing back, she turned towards the stove. "So, the car, who owns it?"

"You're not going to believe this name." He moved to stand next to her, trying to catch her eye. She nodded for him to continue. "Her name is Carol De Vil. She's known as Cruella in Upper East Side crowds. I've actually met the woman a time or two. Her husband thinks he belongs in the literary world. And yes, she does like to wear fur."

Emma snorted. "Clever. Okay, so what did this woman have to say about her car being used as the getaway car in a murder?"

"Well, she didn't have anything to say to the cops." Killian raised a dark brow at her suggestively.

"Why do I have the distinct feeling you have an alternative plan?" She asked tiredly.

"Do you happen to own a dress fit for Sunday brunch?" He asked with a grin.

"Sunday brunch?" Emma echoed.

"The De Vils host a brunch every Sunday. I have a standing invitation to bring a guest, as does Castle. Carol didn't meet Beckett, she met Ryan and Esposito. Castle is bringing Beckett and I was thinking I'd take you and we'd see what we can dig up. Who knows who else may be in attendance." He grinned at her hopefully.

Emma thought about it for a moment. She'd been feeling guilty all evening for spending the day with Killian. Yes, she was looking into Graham's murder, but it was more than that. She could lie to everyone else, but in the quiet of her loft, she couldn't lie to herself. She was attracted to this English author. And on more than just a physical level. He was smart, and kind and apparently quite loyal. He actually reminded her a bit of Graham in some ways. He was good. And she liked the way he made her feel. "Let's do it. We can leave after Henry's soccer game tomorrow. He can stay with Regina and Robin I'm sure." She bit her lip and poured the cocoa into two mugs. "Thank you, Killian. Again."

Reaching out, he tucked a strand of hair that had fought its way free behind her ear. "Don't mention it, Swan. I'm just going to call Castle quickly to tell him it's on."

OUAT

The next morning, Emma sat next to Killian in his truck as they drove down to New York City. They had a five hour drive ahead of them. Emma almost suggested they fly, but either way she'd be spending copious amounts of time alone with Killian stuck with her thoughts. "You're quiet this afternoon, Swan," Killian noted as they continued down the highway.

She shrugged. "Just thinking about the game," she lied.

He snorted and she raised a brow at him. "You're a terrible liar. At least to me." She narrowed her eyes at him and he grinned. "Don't be too angry, Swan, but you're somewhat of an open book."

She groaned. "Wonderful, now you'll know all my darkest secrets."

He leaned over the console, "I would be honored to know your deepest, darkest secrets," he murmured in her ear.

Emma shivered involuntarily at his words and close proximity. Turning her head, she latched onto his gaze. "I'm sure you would," she whispered back.

His grin was positively feral as he turned his eyes back on the road and Emma felt a certain thrill accompanied by a jolt of lust shoot through her.

OUAT

They arrived at Killian's apartment just over five hours later. "Just so you know, I doubt that the place is empty," he murmured as he carried up their two small overnight bags (he'd been insistent even as she objected and she found herself flushing at his old-time gentlemanly ways). "I would imagine Castle has done something to the place," he grumbled.

Emma chuckled. "You're not really upset by the prospect, are you?" She teased lightly as he dropped their bags to shove his key in the door.

Sure enough, when he opened the door they were greeted by the smell of Chinese food and the sound of voices coming from the living room. He shot her an 'I told you so' look before leaving their bags by the entryway and leading her inside. "Hey! Jones!"

Killian's face split into a wide grin. "Ricky!" The two men embraced, immediately diving into a conversation.

Emma rolled her eyes at them before stepping around the two. "Kate?"

"Emma!" Kate Beckett stood up and crossed the room, embracing the blonde. "It's so good to see you again."

Emma grinned, squeezing her tightly. "You too. Henry was jealous he wasn't going to get to see you. I told him next time," she murmured as she pulled back. "How are you?"

Kate nodded. "Good." Emma noted the sparkle in her eyes, and it told her that Kate had found out a bit more about her mother's murder.

Giving her hand a gentle squeeze, Emma nodded understandingly. "That's fantastic." The two had spent countless hours pouring over her mother's case file and had come up empty on every lead. Emma had been the one to suggest therapy after two years of digging and finding nothing. About that same time, Kate had made the suggestion that Emma needed to let go of Neal and find something new. That was how Emma wound up in Storybrooke.

"I can't believe you two know each other." Killian's voice tore them away from the silent conversation. "The world really is small." His hand fell to the small of Emma's back. "Swan, this is Rick Castle, Detective Javier Esposito, Detective Kevin Ryan, Captain Roy Montgomery, Castle's mother, Martha Rogers, and his daughter, Alexis. Of course you know Beckett. Everyone, this is Sheriff Emma Swan from the Storybrooke Sheriff's Office," he introduced everyone.

"Oh, it is just so lovely to have you here with us." Martha Rogers pulled her into a hug.

Emma was surprised by the action. "Oh, well thank you for having me," she murmured, taking in the entirely animal print outfit the flamboyant redhead had on.

"We're just happy to help. Putting dirt bags away is one our favorite past times." Captain Montgomery grinned at her.

Emma nodded. "It's always been one of my favorites, as well," she agreed.

"Come on, Emma, sit, eat. You must be starving. I know Killian refuses to stop for food on road trips." Castle took her arm, guiding her over to the plush dark leather sofa.

"Oi, you're one to talk, mate. You stop at every exit to buy useless things like a child," Killian objected, taking his own seat.

Kate took a seat next to Emma. "They're both obnoxious pains in the ass," she muttered under her breath. Emma snickered and reached forward for the carton of kung pow chicken.

OUAT

The next morning Emma tugged a peach dress over her head, reaching around to zip it up before threading the belt through it. She'd slept like the dead the night before, which surprised her. The road trip, plus the late night update on De Vil, coupled with the heavy Chinese food had been enough to put her to sleep on Killian's shoulder the evening before.

A knock at the door sounded just as she was slipping into her heels. "It's open," she called out.

The door opened and Killian stepped in, wearing gray slacks, a light blue button down and a gray coat. "Swan, are you, wow, you look amazing, love." His eyes widened as she stood up.

Emma's own eyes trailed down his body. "Killian, you look..."

He grinned at her. "I know."

She snorted and rolled her eyes, adjusting the sleeves on her shoulders. "You ready?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Castle and Beckett are meeting us there." He held out his arm gallantly. "Shall we?"

Emma eyed his arm skeptically for a moment. "Oh, what the hell," she muttered, slipping her hand through the crook of his elbow. "Let's get this over with."

Chuckling, Killian's eyes sparkled as she picked up her clutch. "That's the spirit, Swan."

OUAT

A town car dropped them off in front of the De Vil's building. "Wow," Emma murmured. "The rich really are different," she murmured.

Killian frowned. "Didn't you live in New York?" He asked.

Emma snorted. "The guys I hunted down were bail jumpers, Jones, they didn't exactly frequent the Upper East Side that often, and I'm not from money, I couldn't afford to breathe up here, let alone live or eat," she muttered.

Killian's hand came to rest over hers. "Don't worry, Swan, just stick with me. These functions are always a bloody nightmare. I hate events like this; they're far more Castle's speed than mine." Emma quirked a brow at that and Killian sighed. "Believe it or not, Swan, I am not from money either. My mother died when I was young, my father was a thief who abandoned me with my older brother. He died while serving in Her Majesty's Navy over in the Middle East. I've made my own way."

Emma swallowed hard at his story. "Foster kid," she murmured. "My parents left me on the side of a highway and a boy found me. I jumped from home to home, never really had a place until..." she swallowed hard, her voice dropping off.

"Neal?" He asked as they approached the doors of the apartment complex.

"Yeah." She tugged him through the doorway as a doorman held the door open. "So, do you and Castle have some plan that Kate and I need to know about so we're not blindsided by it?" She asked as they stepped onto the elevator.

He gave her a smirk. "I don't have any idea what you could possibly mean by that, Sheriff Swan."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "That's what I was afraid of."

When the elevator opened they were immediately faced with Castle and Beckett. "Thank God," Kate murmured. "He's like a kid in the damn candy story over here."

Emma loosened her grip on Killian's arm enough to lean towards Kate. "I have a feeling the two of them concocted some scheme we're not going to like," she admitted quietly.

"That's always the case with Castle," Kate admitted with a grin. "If I can, I turn the tables on him."

"I'll help you," Emma agreed, glancing over at the two men who also had their heads bent together.

"Love," Killian tugged Emma back to him. "We should mingle. I think there are mimosas."

"I'm on duty," Emma protested.

He snorted. "Yeah, right. You're drinking a bloody mimosa with me." He drew her even closer to him and she sucked in a breath at their proximity, but it didn't seem like he was going to let her go. Instead, he tugged her towards a waiter, picking up a glass and handing it to her. He nodded to Castle who did the same with him and Beckett. Emma could see the protest at the alcohol die on Kate's lips too. With a sigh of resignation, she tapped her glass to Killian's. The next moment a young blonde came dashing up to hug Killian. She greeted him with such enthusiasm that it startled Emma. Killian hadn't warned her that he had friends here. He made it sound like this was the worst possible place to spend a morning.

He grinned down at the tiny blonde, nodding along as she talked a mile a minute. When she paused to take a breath, he cut in, "Hello, Tink," he greeted her warmly. "How goes the world of fashion design?"

She snorted. "Same as always." Her eyes finally landed on Emma. She gave her an appraising once over before extending her hand. "Tink."

"Ah, yes, Tink is a designer," Killian explained. "Originally from Australia." He grinned. "Tink, this is my girlfriend Emma." Emma's mouth fell open, but she promptly snapped it shut. "She's from Boston; we just got back into town yesterday."

"Boston?" Tink asked, "Oh, I love Boston, it's so beautiful there." Emma just smiled and hummed at her words. "What do you do in Boston?"

Emma smiled widely at her. "Oh, just work the circuit. Ballet, whales, or is it dolphins?" She murmured the end question to herself. Biting back her grin as Killian glared at her. Clearly he hadn't expected her to play the dumb socialite.

"Ah, yes, up here we do know." Tink's eyes narrowed. "Well, Killian, it's nice to see you here with someone," she admitted. At Emma's questioning look, Tink elaborated, "Killian finds socialites and models, he doesn't usually bring them as dates. It's nice to see him settle down." Killian let out a grunt, steering them away from Tink.

"Models and socialites, huh?" She asked with a grin.

"You didn't have to act so daft," he muttered.

"What, I'm a socialite from Boston, not a sheriff from Maine," she snapped.

"I didn't want people knowing who you are," he murmured. "Now, time to meet Cruella."

"She's not here." Castle and Beckett appeared behind them. "And I think Beckett ripped my ear off, is it still attached to my head."

"He wanted me to be a dumb socialite," Kate muttered.

"Wait, what do you mean she's not here?" Emma interrupted their bickering.

"She's at their house in the Hampton's." Castle bounced on his toes. "We should go, we can spend the night at my house and-"

"And nothing, I have to go back to work. I can't leave the station in the hands of David and Robin for that long," she interrupted, "Not to mention the fact that my son is in Maine. I can't just leave him at Robin and Regina's. Do you know what kind of child he could wind up being with Regina's influence?" She snapped.

"Breathe, Swan." Killian rubbed her back gently. "Look, we'll go back to Maine. And we'll figure out another way to get her to talk. Okay?"

Emma bit her lip and nodded. "Okay," she agreed.

She looked so crestfallen. "Come on, love, let's go home and change. I think we've both have had enough of life on the Upper East Side," he murmured.

OUAT

Killian insisted they eat before they got on the road. While he was downstairs in the kitchen whipping something up, Emma moved upstairs to change. She wasn't sure what she was hoping to find out at brunch, but she was hoping to get to talk to Carol De Vil. Not having that opportunity was more of a blow to her hopes than she'd thought it'd be. As much as she wanted to just head out to the Hampton's for the night, though, she knew she had to get home.

"Swan?" Killian tapped on the door to her room. "I thought you were changing." He motioned to the dress she still had on.

She sighed. "I was."

He studied her for a moment, curled up at the head of the bed in his guest room. Toeing off his shoes, he crawled up the bed towards her. "Want to tell me about it?"

Shaking her head, Emma let him pull her towards him. "I guess I thought I'd get some sort of answer from her."

"I know, darling, but she's not actually going anywhere. We can go down to the Hampton's next weekend or once you make a better arrangement for your lad. We can even take him. Castle's not the only one with a home there. I have a small cottage."

She snorted. "A cottage? You expect me to believe it's that small?"

"Aye, love, actually it is. It's where I prefer to spend my time." He paused. "I have a sail boat, we could take Henry if you'd like," he offered hesitantly.

Emma rolled over slightly so she was hovering above him. "We'd both like that." Her gaze flicked between his blue eyes and his lips. "We'd like that a lot, Killian." He waited for her to move, knowing what she was thinking, but unsure if she really wanted it.

Looking between his lips and his eyes, Emma decided that she was simply tired of overthinking every decision. Reigning in her hesitance, Emma leaned down and brushed her lips lightly over his at first. He was the one to move after that. Reaching up to curl her ponytail around his hand and tug her back down to him. She let out a slight grunt of surprise, the grunt turning into a soft moan as he tugged her bottom lip between his teeth. She adjusted her position, throwing a leg over his lap to straddle him, her fingers scraping over his scruff as he hauled her even closer to him. She let out a mewl when his lips slid over her chin and down her neck, teeth scraping at her pulse. "Killian."

His mouth moved back over her pulse. "Say it again," he murmured, nipping at her neck until she did. "I like that." His hand moved from her hair down her side, fingers slipping up her thighs.

She pushed him back, her own lips latching onto his neck, sucking at the skin there, grinning when he groaned out a version of her name when her teeth scraped over his collar bones. "Again," she ordered softly.

"Fuck Emma," he muttered.

She ground down into him and they both groaned. "You'd like to, wouldn't you?" She asked, her breath warm against his ear. He let out another groan, his hands sliding her dress up. What was supposed to be one kiss had escalated quickly, and Emma couldn't find the will to stop. It felt so good. He felt so good. She could only imagine what he would feel like inside of her. When his hands reached her ass, giving the round globes a firm squeeze, her eyes fell shut. "Fuck."

He let out a dark chuckle, flipping them over. He latched onto her ear with his teeth, giving it a sharp tug. "I do believe you'd like to," he murmured darkly.

She raised her legs, tugging him down by the hips. "God, yes," she moaned.

He rutted forward, feeling her heat even through the layers of their clothes before he pulled back. She let out a whine of protest. "We shouldn't, Swan." She frowned, opening her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "When we do, if we do, I don't want it to be with this hanging over our heads." He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly over hers. "When I win your heart, Emma, and I will win it," he promised her, "it won't be through any trickery. It will be because you truly want me."

She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, nodding slowly. "We should go eat then," she whispered.

"Aye, then we'll head back to Storybrooke."

OUAT

XOXO

MAS