Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter. These summer holidays have been pretty hectic for me so I'm really happy to get this chapter done. I go on holiday on Sunday though so I probably won't be doing any writing until halfway through September because I'll have to get settled back into school. Also, ITS RESULTS DAY ON THURSDAY SO PRAY FOR ME! I'm going into my second year of A levels but I get my maths results on Thursday so a lot of procrastination about that has gone into writing this chapter. Unfortunately this is more of a filler chapter but there's some cute CS moments so don't hate me too much for the lack of action in this chapter. I'm also aware that I haven't focused on Regina much in this story which irritates me a little so I've put a small Regina scene in there. To be honest, I find her really difficult to write but I'm going to try and focus on her a lot more in the coming chapters as we near the end of season one. Anyway, I've been rambling for far too long now so I'm gonna stop here. Hope you guys enjoy! ~WG

Chapter 20: Consequences

After many hours and pricked fingers, August was finally done with adding his story to Henry's book. If there was anyone who would be able to figure this out, it would be Henry. August knew it would be an incredibly hard job to make Emma believe on her own; she was a sceptic. And even though he knew the curse was wearing off on Killian, he also knew that the sheriff didn't like or trust him, so there was no hope in employing him to help break the curse on August's behalf. So it fell to Henry.

He turned the book over in his hands, admiring his handiwork. It wasn't exactly the woodwork he was used to, but August could pretty much turn his hand to anything. He learnt from the best after all. He could only hope that when this was all over it wasn't too late to return to his father.

Emma woke up at around 7am to a bright glare of sunlight streaming through the window. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she sat up in the covers and realised she wasn't in her own bed. The frown she wore gradually disappeared, as she remembered what happened last night. The date, the call-out, the make-out, going back to Killian's flat…

Emma knew she ought to be feeling terrified; she'd slept with a guy and hadn't made a quick getaway before daylight! But she didn't feel any of this. For once she was completely at peace.

The door on the other side of the room creaked open, and Killian popped his head round the door to see if she was awake. Seeing that she was sitting up, Killian opened the door fully and walked through with a plate of toast.

"Morning, Swan," he said, beaming at her.

Emma smiled back at him, allowing her eyes to trail shamelessly over his body. No one could blame her really, he was only wearing a pair of loose shorts round his hips, and his muscles were just so toned…

"Morning, Jones," she replied, moving along the bed so he could sit next to her. Thanking him for the toast he offered her, she hungrily bit into the warm bread and another comfortable silence fell between them as they both ate their breakfast. Emma was halfway through her second slice of toast when Killian spoke.

"Emma?" he said.

"Hmmm?"

"What happens next?" Killian asked almost nervously, turning his head to look at her.

Emma swallowed her mouthful of toast and thought for a minute. "Well, I guess we just continue doing… this. Going on dates and stuff."

"And stuff?" Killian repeated, raising an eyebrow at her so that she knew exactly what he was talking about.

Emma smirked back at him and blushed slightly. Last night really was something. Returning to reality, Emma turned to look at the clock.

"It's after 7, I should probably go back to the loft, I need to get ready for work. Give me a ride?" the blonde said.

"Of course, I just quickly put a hoodie on and we'll go as soon as you have some clothes on," Killian replied, leaning in to give her a quick kiss. As he walked out of the room he turned around. "Though I do prefer it with your clothes on my bedroom floor," he added with a wink.

Emma shook her head at him and started getting ready once he had closed the door.

Twenty minutes later, Emma had said goodbye to Killian at the station where he'd dropped her off so she could pick up her car. She was walking up the stairs to the loft when she heard someone at the top of the stairs.

"Damn keys, always manage to get to the bottom of my bag," Mary Margaret said, rummaging through her bag.

"Here, I've got mine," Emma offered from behind, making the school teacher jump.

"Emma, you scared me," Mary Margaret gasped, placing a hand on her heart above the neckline of her purple dress.

Emma unlocked the door and frowned. She turned around in the doorway and looked at her friend. "You're wearing the same clothes from last night," she stated, watching a deep red blush taint the woman's features.

Mary Margaret stuttered for a moment before a similar frown came over her own expression. "So are you," she retorted, staring at Emma's jumper.

A look of understanding passed between the two women. "You didn't come home last night!" they exclaimed at the same time.

They both giggled like teenagers. "Coffee?" Emma asked, indicating at the room behind her.

"Definitely," replied Mary Margaret, and they marched through the door and closed it behind them.

Once they had a shower and dressed, Emma made the coffee and they sat down at the kitchen counter.

"So," Mary Margaret began. "You and Killian?"

Emma couldn't help the giant beam that spread across her face, she was just so damn happy. That seemed to be all the confirmation Mary Margaret needed.

She clapped her hands together with excitement. "Oh, finally! You guys have been driving the whole town crazy!"

Emma giggled slightly. Had it really been that obvious that they had feelings for each other?

"What about you and David?" Emma asked, raising an eyebrow.

Now it was Mary Margaret's turn to blush.

"I take it you guys had a good night then?" Emma pressed.

"Probably about as good of a night as you and Killian," the teacher retorted, arching a delicate brow.

Emma smiled and finished the rest of her coffee. "I'd better go, I need to get to work. I'll see you tonight, if you're not at the B'n'B."

"I think it's you that's more likely not to come home," Mary Margaret shouted after her.

Emma practically skipped towards her car once she was out of the building. Today was going to be a good day.

Last night was probably the best night of Killian's life. Every detail stuck out to him in the morning, like everything was heightened. Every touch, every kiss, every caress… he could remember everything. Including the dream that followed once he had drifted off. This dream was the most vivid yet, but Killian knew that this time it wasn't a dream…

Killian was on his way home from the naval academy when he saw his sister running towards him. She wasn't exactly difficult to miss as the shock of navy blue in amongst a sea of drab clothing danced in his direction. A smile spread across his face as he watched her bound towards him. Jacquelyn had never been happier than in the past two years while they had been in the naval academy, and it really showed. Her smile was brighter than ever, and she always had a skip in her step.

"Killian, come on, could you walk any slower?" she called out when she was near enough.

The brother huffed slightly at his sister. "Why don't you try running after a full day of sword training with the admiral?" he retorted raising an eyebrow.

Jacquelyn giggled and linked her arm through Killian's. "You must be getting old, brother. Thinking of early retirement, are we?" she teased.

"Well you would feel like early retirement had you remained at the academy for the full day," Killian pointed out, arching an eyebrow at the short, raven-haired girl.

Jacquelyn smirked as she looked straight forward.

"Didn't think I would notice?" Killian guessed.

"Actually I knew you would, what would impress me is if you knew why I had the afternoon off," Jacquelyn replied, returning the arched eyebrow.

Killian frowned at her. He had known Jacquelyn all her life, and yet she still seemed to surprise him. "Enlighten me."

The girl beamed at him. "Come on, I'll show you," she said, tugging on Killian's arm as she dragged him into their house by the docks.

After she'd shut the door and made Killian sit down in the living room, she turned to face her brother and took a deep breath. "Okay," she began. "Before I show you, there are a few conditions you need to agree to. Firstly, you can't tell Liam."

Killian rolled his eyes at that. Trust Jacquelyn to do something their brother would disapprove of. "What have you done Jay-Jay?" Killian asked with a sigh.

Ignoring him, Jacquelyn continued her list of demands. "Secondly, this was my decision and you do not have the right to lecture me about it. And while I appreciate that you will say you're just looking out for me, I'm a big girl now and I can take care of myself. And, it's really not that important anyway but it's important to me, I guess, so really that makes it important and…"

"JACK," Killian shouted, interrupting his sister to stop her from rambling. Softening his voice at her startled look, he smiled at her. "Just tell me. I promise I won't tell Liam unless it endangers your personal safety in any way or it really is incredibly stupid. And I will try to refrain from lecturing you."

Jacquelyn smiled and once again took a deep breath. "Okay, are you ready?"

She unbuttoned her naval jacket and shrugged it off, tossing it callously onto the table. Then she yanked up her white shirt at the side, showing Killian the side of her ribs that was no longer bare.

Killian frowned as he got up from his chair and walked over to his sister to inspect the new markings on her ribs. It was a tattoo – a fairly basic design but something that Killian knew had a lot of meaning. It was an anchor that started at the base of her hip and was being lifted away by three sparrows.

"I know what you're thinking. 'Wow, Jack, that was rash and impulsive and…'"

"It's beautiful, Jack," Killian breathed, still stunned.

Jack blinked at him. "It is? I mean, yeah, it is," she said, smiling at her brother. She let her shirt fall and began tucking it back into her trousers. "I'd wanted to get something like this since we got into the navy. I thought about maybe something to do with our commissions, but I know I would never forget that day as long as I lived. But what I might forget is the struggle we went through to be where we are now. That what we went through was almost impossible to overcome, as impossible as three little sparrows lifting an anchor. And yet somehow we managed it," she said, a wistful smile playing on her lips.

Killian returned her smile. "Come here, sailor," he said, pulling his sister in for a hug. She sighed against his chest as she returned the embrace, however brief it may be.

"Alright, Kil. I have a reputation to uphold," she muttered gruffly, pulling away from him.

"Heaven forbid someone realises you're not made of stone, Jack," Killian pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm the only woman in the Royal Navy, brother. I don't have that luxury," she said with a bittersweet smile.

Killian shrugged at her. "Don't worry, Jay-Jay, you'll show them all what you're made of someday…"

Although he still couldn't remember her properly, Killian knew that Jacquelyn was his sister. And God, did he miss her! He was heartbroken when he woke up, until he saw the blonde-haired beauty lying next to him. Though he still felt the dull ache of Jack's absence, he had to focus on other things first – such as the fact that Gold was sitting in a cell at the moment. The sheriff would have to discuss this with Henry at some point soon though. Maybe the curse wasn't such a farfetched idea after all. Or maybe Emma had finally driven him nuts.

Killian met David outside of the station as they both pulled up in their respective cars. "Morning, Dave," Killian said cheerfully, getting out of the car and unlocking the door to the station.

"Hey, how did last night go?" David asked eagerly, following the sheriff into the building.

A small smile graced Killian's lips as he was reminded of last night, but quickly pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind. "I'll tell you later, mate. Got some business to attend to first."

David was saved the bother of asking what Killian was talking about when they turned the corner into the office and saw Mr Gold sitting patiently on the bed of one of the cells. The deputy frowned slightly, wondering what on earth had happened, but Killian wore a smug smirk on his face, clearly amused by the situation.

"I trust your evening wasn't a comfortable one, Mr Gold," Killian stated, the smile never leaving his face. He crossed the room and leaned on the desk in front of the cell.

"Well I see your powers of observation are finely tuned, Sheriff. What a relief to Storybrooke that is," Gold replied maliciously. Killian didn't seem bothered by this though, he was enjoying it far too much. After savouring the moment a little bit longer, Killian pushed himself off the desk and walked around it the retrieve the statement from Mr French.

"Lucky for you, Gold, Mr French hasn't pressed charges, though I have no idea why," Killian announced.

"Thank you for your input, Sheriff," Gold sneered.

"Which means that as long as you can put up your bail money – and I'm sure you can – you are free to go," Killian told him.

"Then why don't you stop telling me things I already know and let me out of this damned cell," the older man growled.

The small lapse in Gold's control gave Killian great satisfaction and his smile grew even larger. "As you wish."

Killian fished the key for the cell out of his drawer and walked over to the cell, taking his sweet time about unlocking it. Gold glared at him all the while he was unlocking the door, and never took his eyes off Killian, even when he walked out of the cell. The pawnbroker retrieved his cane which was leaning against the wall and turned around the face the sheriff.

"I expect the money by no later than noon today, or I'm afraid I'll have to come and arrest you again, and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" Killian said innocently.

"Indeed not," Gold replied frostily, his knuckles turning white on his cane. Before he did something he would regret, Gold spun on his heel and walked out of the station.

"Have a nice day," Killian shouted after him, not even bothering to hide the amusement on his face.

Once the door closed, Killian chuckled to himself darkly. The sheriff turned round to face his deputy, who was looking completely stunned.

"Wanna tell me what the hell happened there?" David said, a smile of his own creeping up onto his features as he watched Killian almost giddy with the thrill of having one over Mr Gold.

"Have a seat, mate," Killian said, slipping into his own office chair and placing his feet on his desk.

David sat behind his desk and leaned forward on his elbows, indicating he was ready for whatever story Killian was about to tell.

"Basically, Emma and I had just finished watching the movie when we had a call out from a civilian who heard some shouting coming from one of the abandoned warehouses by the beach. We got there and Gold was beating the crap out of Moe French – "

"The florist?" David interrupted.

"The very same," Killian replied. "It was pretty bad, he was tied up and everything. Still don't know what Gold wanted with him, he was saying that something was Moe's fault. Emma thought she heard Gold saying something about a girl but he wouldn't tell us anything," Killian finished with a shrug. "Anyway, how was your night off?" Killian asked suggestively.

Now it was David's turn to smirk. "Yeah, we had a good night. I took Mary Margaret to that Italian place and then we went for a walk by the woods."

"And then?" Killian asked, raising an eyebrow.

David blushed slightly. "Let's just say I didn't take her home until this morning."

Killian raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "David, I'm shocked. I thought you were a respectable gentlemen, not a seducer of women," he said sarcastically, causing David to roll his eyes. "Did you take her back to the B'n'B?"

"Well where else? I couldn't go back to the loft with her, Emma would have come back from the nightshift. And that would be an awkward moment that I really don't want to experience," David replied, cringing slightly.

"Actually mate, you could have went back to the loft last night because Emma didn't get back to the loft until this morning either," Killian said slyly, giving David a wink.

Now it was David's turn for his eyebrows to shoot into his hairline. "You're kidding! You guys…"

"Yep," Killian replied.

David gave a light laugh and shook his head slightly. "Wow, congrats, man. I can't believe you guys finally got together!" In any other circumstance, David might have felt a little… protective over Emma. She was one of his best friends after all. But he knew that Killian was serious about Emma, and trusted him completely.

"Yeah, well keep it to yourself for the meantime, alright? I'm not sure if Emma wants to make it a public thing, and we haven't told Henry that we're involved yet," Killian began.

"Relax, I won't tell anyone," David said, holding a hand up to stop Killian from rambling.

The sheriff smiled at his friend. "Thanks. Listen mate, I've been thinking."

"Well, that's a rare occurrence," David muttered sarcastically.

"Have you found a place to live yet? More permanent than Granny's Inn, I mean," Killian enquired, ignoring David's comment.

David grimaced slightly. "Not yet. There still isn't any vacancies in town."

"Actually there is one. I've been meaning to ask you for a while now; why don't you move in with me? It's pointless you being hauled up at the inn when I have a spare room at the flat," Killian pointed out.

For a moment, David was speechless. "But, that was Graham's room," he said after a moment.

Killian nodded solemnly. "Aye, it was. But he would have wanted me to move on, and I couldn't think of anyone more deserving of that room than you. There are a few conditions though," Killian replied, the beginnings of smirk taking over his face.

"Anything," David beamed.

"You're gonna have to tell me when you're bringing Mary Margaret back to the flat because I think that's a sight neither I nor Emma would really want to see."

David leaned back in his chair and laughed. "C'mon man, get your head out of the gutter."

"Believe me, David, I don't think he knows the meaning of that phrase," Emma said, catching the last part of their conversation as she walked in the station.

David and Killian exchanged a cheeky glance before Killian turned to watch Emma.

"Hey," he said, smiling softly at her as he leaned back in his chair. Emma walked over to him and bent down to plant a quick peck on his lips.

"Hey," she replied, smiling back at his shocked face. A quick glance over at David told her he was trying not to smile at them.

"Oh, that reminds me," David suddenly said. "Ruby owes me $20."

Emma frowned. "How does that remind you of your $20?"

"We had a bet on when you two would get together. I said Valentine's Night, and she said knowing your luck something would come up so you would have to postpone," David replied, grinning at the couple in front of him.

Emma and Killian gave each other a knowing glance and chuckled. Guess everyone else could see they were meant to be together before they did.

Regina was pacing in her office, waiting for Henry. The Mayor was starting to get a little anxious about her current situation now. With Snow White and Prince Charming in a public relationship – since Kathryn was completely useless in stopping them from being together – Regina could feel the curse wearing off and her grip over the town was loosening. Not to mention her grip over Henry. This was all her fault. The blonde woman who had no business here, and yet she'd wormed her way back into Henry's life and won the hearts of the townspeople. Even when she'd stopped Henry from seeing her, Regina could still tell he idolised the woman more than he'd ever idolised her. Even when Emma made a complete fool out of herself thanks to the set-up with Sidney over the playhouse, the town had still sided with their beloved deputy. Even when she literally had Graham's heart in her hand and he had still chosen to go with Emma. It wasn't fair! This was supposed to be Regina's happy ending and Emma Swan was ruining it while getting her own happy ending at the same time.

The sound of the door opening and Henry walking into her office brought Regina out of her thoughts. Plastering a smile on her face, she decided to dwell on her problems later, and turned to face her son. "Henry," she said brightly.

The boy offered her a timid smile in response, which made Regina's heart twinge a little. She knew he was still angry at her for not allowing him to see Emma, but this was for his own good. Besides, he'd soon forget about that once Regina gave him his present.

"Come sit down. I have a surprise for you," she told Henry, beckoning him over to her silvery, velvet sofa. The twinkle in Henry's eyes at the mention of a surprise sparked up as all young children's do. The way they're supposed to look when he sees me instead of her…

She pulled out a box from under the couch and placed it on his lap. Henry looked at it cautiously before shifting his eyes to gaze at Regina.

"Oh, go on. Open it!" Regina sighed.

"What's the catch?" Henry asked, arching his eyebrow at her. He'd had picked up far too many habits from that damned pirate for Regina's liking.

"The occasion is I love you," she replied, smiling fondly at him.

Seeming to accept the answer, Henry pulled the ribbon off and took the lid off the box. He reached in and lifted out the games console that was sitting in the box, staring at it.

"Now, I know you miss your book, but with this you can do the heroics," Regina explained. "You can save the princesses, you can be the hero. Henry, you have to believe me. When I tore down the playground I did it for your safety. Please, don't be upset with me. I really didn't mean to destroy your book."

Henry's face had grown solemn as Regina explained herself, his legs swinging back and forth over the edge of the sofa. "It's not just the book," he muttered glumly.

Regina frowned. "Then what is it?" she asked.

"It's Emma – I want to see her."

That sentence made Regina see red and if Henry wasn't here she probably would have smashed something. Once again, Emma Swan was ruining her relationship with Henry. She wasn't even here and she was still whispering poison in Henry's ears, causing him to turn against Regina.

Regina took a deep breath to calm herself and smiled at Henry slightly. "Henry, you should run along to catch the bus or you'll be late for school. We'll talk more about this later."

Sensing that this wasn't a good time to argue, Henry put his new console in his bag and made a swift exit from Regina's office.

The Mayor stared at the coffee table in front of her, in deep thought. If anyone came in at this exact moment they might think that she was trying to melt the table with her laser eyes, but in reality she was planning something far more sinister. If the curse was weakening, then it was only a matter of time before the hatter was able to leave his house, if he wasn't able to already. So long as he had any sense, he would go after Emma to try and get her to break the curse, and he was unpredictable at the best of times. He should be able to take care of Miss Swan for her, and Regina wouldn't even have to get her hands dirty. It was the perfect situation.

It was finally 3 o'clock, and since it was Monday that meant Emma got to knock off early. Which was a good thing too, because after not getting much sleep last night, she was completely drained. Just as she was about to walk into Granny's for a much needed coffee, the mystery man dressed in leather walked out. Although she gave him a polite smile, Emma really hoped he would just ignore her. Sadly, today was not that day.

"I've been meaning to bump into you," he said as Emma walked past him, causing her to groan internally. The blonde turned round to face him. "Matter of fact, I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised," he continued.

Emma mentally berated herself for ever agreeing to go for a drink with him. She knew she should probably say no, but this would only come back to bite her in the ass in the long run if she postponed it.

"Here's the thing – I don't tend to go for a drink with guys who don't tell me their name. I find it weeds out the ones who like to keep secrets, like they're already married or store body parts in their freezer. It was nice talking to you," she said, walking back into the diner. She knew he would stop her, but at least she'd dragged a name out of him.

"It's August. August W. Booth," he told her.

"Really? The middle initial?" Emma scoffed.

"Stands for Wayne," he smirked.

Emma returned his smirk. She couldn't help it, for all he was annoying, she kinda liked this guy. There was something likeable and familiar about him.

He got on his motorcycle and gestured to the seat behind him. "Well, are you coming?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at him. "Why can't we just grab a drink here?"

"I know a good watering hole, and you come here every day. Hop on."

Emma eyebrows shot up. "You want me to get on the back of that thing?" she asked incredulously.

"That's what 'hop on' means," August retorted condescendingly.

"How about if we go anywhere I drive," Emma suggested, really not liking the idea of getting on the back of a motorcycle belonging to a guy who's name she only found out thirty seconds ago.

"How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith?" he shot back. "You owe me a drink." He held out his spare helmet towards her.

Emma thought of Killian and how she shouldn't be scared anymore because she'd taken the biggest leap of faith possible and was so far unscathed. A few more risks couldn't hurt. Plus he was giving her a helmet so at least August seemed a little responsible. Knowing she would probably regret this later, Emma took the helmet off him and got on the back of the bike. She didn't notice the two pairs of eyes watching her from the Sheriff's station as she drove off with August.

After about twenty minutes of driving through Storybrooke, August parked his bike up next to the forest and walked further into the woods. Great, this is where you get brutally murdered, Emma thought, suddenly very thankful she still had her gun on her. As she cautiously followed August into the forest, he began making small talk with her. Just the usual, how long had she been living in Storybrooke, what she thought of the place, if she liked her job. All the focus seemed to be on her though, he didn't tell Emma anything about himself and always subtly directed any questions back towards her. Not subtly enough that Emma didn't notice though.

Once their destination was in view, Emma laughed and raised an eyebrow at August.

"A watering hole? Literally?"

August smiled as he brought her over to the well. "Say what you want about me – I always tell the truth," he replied, smirking to himself at his inside joke.

"I thought a drink was like wine, or at least coffee," Emma prompted.

"You want me to get you drunk? I don't think your sheriff friend would appreciate that very much," August replied.

Emma had to refrain from rolling her eyes. It hardly surprised her that Killian had made it clear to August that he didn't like him. "That's not what I meant."

"I might get you coffee the next time," he replied, pulling up the bucket of water.

"I told you once before that I already had someone to buy me a drink, and you just mentioned that Killian 'wouldn't appreciate it'. Why do you think there's going to be a next time?" Emma asked. She wasn't trying to push his buttons or anything, she was just genuinely curious about it.

"Two friends can't get coffee together?" he asked innocently.

"So we're friends now?"

"I think we could be," August told her, showing her a real smile instead of the condescending smirks he usually gave her.

"Well, maybe we could," Emma conceded. She grabbed a cup and filled it with the water from the bucket, taking a sip of it.

"They say there's something special about this well. There's even a legend about it," August began, repeating Emma's actions as he filled his own cup. "They say that the water from the well is fed by an underground lake. A lake that has magical properties."

"Magic? You sound like Henry," replied Emma, smiling at the thought of her son. She leaned against the well and looked out to the forest, lost in thought. It felt like forever since she'd seen him.

August noticed the bittersweet smile on her lips. "He's a smart kid," he told her, bringing Emma back to reality. The blonde flashed him a smile which he returned before continuing with his story. "So, this legend. It says that if you drink the water from the well, something lost will be returned to you."

Emma frowned at him. "You sure know a lot about this town for being a stranger."

"And you know very little for being a Deputy," he retorted in his usual manner. His dark blue eyes were boring into her green ones as if he was desperately trying to communicate something but she wasn't getting it.

"How do you know all this? Have you been here before?" enquired Emma, suddenly becoming curious. Of course she didn't believe in the curse but Henry was right, there was never any strangers in Storybrooke. She'd lived here for months now and August was the only new face she'd seen. Even Mary Margaret, who'd lived here all her life, had never seen a stranger come to Storybrooke. It was… odd to say the least.

"I know this for one very simple reason," August said, suddenly becoming even more intense. Suddenly, he cracked a smile. "I read the plaque."

Emma frowned at him before he pointed to the writing next to her, detailing the legend of the lake.

Emma almost laughed at herself for being so silly. "You actually believe in that?" she asked with an arched eyebrow.

August shrugged. "I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind."

"Yeah, but magic?"

"Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time have worshipped it. It flows throughout all lands, connecting the entire world. If anything had mystical properties – if anything had magic – well, I'd say it'd be water," August explained.

Emma looked at him sceptically. "That's asking a lot to believe on faith."

The biker sighed. "If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're going to find yourself stuck in one place for a long time."

"Maybe," Emma agreed. "Or, maybe I'll just find the truth before anyone else."

"Well, Miss Sceptic, there's one thing I can tell you for sure that requires no leap of faith, and I know you'll agree with me," he said mysteriously.

"What's that?"

"It's good water." And with that they both chuckled and finished the rest of their water.

After August had dropped Emma off at Granny's, she finally checked her phone and found three missed calls from Killian and two from David. Frowning at her phone, she decided to check the station knowing they would still be there. As soon as she opened the door to the station, she could hear the two officers running towards her, a look of relief washing over their faces.

"Emma!" Killian exclaimed, pulling her into a hug. He practically sagged on top of her with the huge weight that was lifted off his shoulders.

"Um, hi," Emma said curiously returning the hug nevertheless. She shot a questioning glance to David over Killian's shoulder but he seemed to be reacting in the same way as Killian. Finally the sheriff let go off her, but placed his hands on her shoulders and inspected her.

"Are you hurt?" he asked her, his eyes sweeping over every inch of her.

"Killian, I'm fine. Does someone wanna tell me what's going on?" asked Emma. Seeming to accept her answer, Killian and David led Emma into the office where they could all sit down.

"Where have you been, we've been calling you for hours!" Killian asked, still mildly erratic.

"I've been gone for less than two hours, Killian," Emma replied, arching an eyebrow at him. "What has gotten into you?"

Sensing that an argument between the new couple was about to occur, David placed his hand on Killian's shoulder as a way of telling him to calm down. Taking the hint, David felt some of the tension leave the sheriff's shoulders.

"We were worried about you, Emma, that's all. The guy on the motorbike, he kinda sets the whole town on edge," David explained, leaning on the desk opposite Emma's.

"August?" Emma asked incredulously. "That's what this is about?"

Killian blinked. "His name is August?"

"Yeah. August W. Booth."

"Really? With the middle initial?" he frowned, temporarily forgetting how anxious he felt about the situation.

Emma shrugged. "It stands for Wayne. Anyway, so a guy pulls into town on a motorbike, is that a crime? He's not the only biker dude in town," Emma stated.

"But no one knows anything about him. You only found out his name today and he's been here for weeks," Killian replied, trying to make Emma see reason.

"Yeah, and no one knew anything about me when I came to town either," she shot back. The two officers exchanged a defeated look.

"Look," she said, tucking a stand of hair behind her ears. "August is a bit… mysterious, I'll give you that. He clearly doesn't like talking about his past. But you know who else was like that? Me. The only reason I came out of my shell was because I had people like you guys and Mary Margaret and Henry. I've never seen August talk to anyone but me and the occasional flirting with Ruby! And you know what, sue me, I like the guy. I guess I just see a little bit of myself in him."

Emma finally breathed once she'd finished her rant and looked up at Killian and David. The latter seemed to accept her little speech, but Killian was still pensive and not looking at Emma. Seeing that he was no longer needed, David made his excuses and left the station, leaving Emma and Killian alone.

Emma got up from her chair and walked round her desk to stand in front of Killian. "Hey," she said softly, placing a hand on his cheek. He lifted his sapphire eyes up to look at her.

"What's really going on here, Killian?" Emma asked.

The sheriff sighed and took the hand that was against his cheek to hold it. "You just got on the back of that bike with no hesitation. None whatsoever. I couldn't help it, Emma. Seeing you with someone else and looking so happy, it hurt. And I know I have no right to be jealous…"

Emma cut him off my placing a kiss on his lips. Killian's arms automatically wound round Emma's waist as their lips moved against each other. After a moment, once Emma was sure that Killian understood, they broke apart.

"You do have a right to be jealous, Killian. You just don't have any reason. What we have is something that I could never find with anyone else. I did hesitate when I was getting on the bike, but more because I was wary of August that anything else. But I figured since I've already pushed myself to my limits with you, a bike ride can't hurt," Emma told him, a smile playing on her lips as he hands hung behind Killian's neck. "The reason I looked so happy was because I am happy. I'm happy with you."

All the while she was speaking, Killian was getting lost in her. Her eyes, her words, her touches. He mentally berated himself for even thinking that he should be jealous; he knew how Emma really felt. He pressed his forehead against Emma's as though he could transmit his thoughts without actually saying them.

"I'm happy with you, too, Swan," Killian whispered.

Emma smirked at him. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere for a long time, Jones."

After saying a long goodbye to Killian, Emma walked out of the station to her yellow bug. Just as she unlocked the door, a flash of red out of her peripheral vision caught her eye. There in the gutter was the box that Henry kept his book in. Hoping against hope, Emma bent down to open the box and found that the book was in there, still intact. A grin spread over Emma's face as she thought about the look on Henry's face when he saw that she'd found his book. Not being able to stay away from her son anymore, Emma made a stop by the school on her way home to see if she could catch Henry.

Sure enough, he was sitting on a bench outside of the gates looking at… was that a video game. Parking her car up, she all but ran to the bench to see him.

As she sat down next to him, he barely even noticed she was there.

"Wow, I love that game. Space Paranoids, right?" she said.

"Yeah, my mom got it for me," Henry replied, without looking at her. Something in Emma's head clicked. Henry was a special kid but he was still a kid, and kids got distracted by video games. It would be the only reason Regina would buy this for him considering she was kind of a strict parent to say the least.

"I used to play that all the time when I was a kid," Emma said, watching over Henry's shoulders. "Relax, it's all in the wrists."

"My mom's gonna be here in like five minutes," Henry warned.

"Alright, I'll be quick then," Emma replied, reminded of the permanent barrier between Henry and herself. "I just wanted to give you something."

She took the book out of her bag and placed it in front of him. The second he saw it Henry's eyes lit up and his video game lay next him, completely forgotten.

"You found it!" he exclaimed excitedly. Emma was right, the smile on his face was priceless. "Where did you get it?"

"I found it in the gutter. It must have fallen off the dump truck on its way to the junkyard, got tossed around in the rain and somehow made its way back to me," Emma guessed, frowning slightly.

Henry didn't seem very convinced. "Wow, that's crazy."

"What other explanation could there be?"

Henry thought for a minute. "I don't know," he admitted.

"Well, whatever happened, it came back to me," Emma responded, smiling at Henry.

"Maybe, it means our luck is changing. Operation Cobra is back on! Things are going to be better," Henry said brightly.

Emma had never been so happy to hear the words 'Operation Cobra' – it meant that Henry had his spirit back.

"I hope you're right, kid," Emma said, pulling her son in for a hug. She broke away all too soon, aware that Regina was picking Henry up any minute now. "I got to go," she told him, and picked her bag up to jog back to her car.