Thank you all for your reviews and follows!

Ok I have to be honest here. This is one of my favorite chapters: it has some of my favorite lines, my favorite scenes and the last scene is truly one of visual images I have for this fic. If some talented person ever wants to draw something in this verse, it would be the final scene of this chapter.

A/N: I'm heading for summer vacation next week, so I might not be able to update for the next 10-15 days. I am sorry, but I need some time off with my family :)

Chapter 21 – The interrogation

It must have been love but it's over now.
It must have been good but I lost it somehow.
It must have been love but it's over now.
From the moment we touched, 'til the time had run out.
It must have been love, Roxette

Emma was waiting by Killian's desk that afternoon when she saw him entering the room, bringing in a handcuffed man forcefully. He handed the man to a couple of officers.

"Sign him in and put him in an interrogation room." Killian said before walking towards his desk. Mac was right behind him, carrying two ice packs in his hand.

"Here you go, mate." He said as he threw one package at Killian who caught it with his hand and brought it to his face as he sat in a chair next to Emma, trying to avoid her eyes. She sighed and grabbed the package from his hand.

"Let me…" She said.

"Thanks, love." He said sheepishly.

"Don't thank me yet." She retorted as she pushed the package forcefully against his bruised face, making him wince. "That was for this morning." She whispered at him.

"Fair enough." He replied before losing himself in her eyes for a minute. Mac cleared his throat to get them out of their daze.

"We caught Thomas' right hand." He told Emma. "That was the guy we just brought in. We think he might know where Thomas is. We have to interrogate him."

"We should do it right away." Killian said. "I don't want to waste any time."

"So, good cop, bad cop?" Mac asked.

"Actually," Killian said. "I was thinking I'd like Emma to be present in the interrogation." Emma looked at him surprised.

"So it's bad cop, hot cop instead?" Mac smiled raising an eyebrow.

"Isn't it always? You play the bad cop and I use my charm. I'm devilishly handsome after all," Killian smirked and Emma scoffed.

"Right…" Mac was still waiting for a real answer and Killian knew it.

"Mate, I'm going to let you in on a little secret…" Killian grabbed Emma's hand as he removed it from his face along with the ice package and leaned in towards Mac. "Emma here is great at spotting lies. If you think you and I are good – and we are – we are amateurs compared to her. She never fails." He smirked.

"So you are telling me that she's never fallen for your bullshit?" Mac asked looking proudly at Emma.

"Never. Actually, that is how we met. I tried to lie to her once." Killian looked at Emma with a fond look, the memories coming back to him.

"And…" Mac asked intrigued.

"And I called him on it and tied him to a tree until he told me the truth." Emma smiled fondly at Killian.

"Aye, she bested me… and it wasn't even the only time." Killian admitted looking sheepishly at her. She smiled back in the same way.

"I'd love to have seen that…." Mac said amused. "Ok, I'll go see if our prisoner is ready for interrogation." He said as he got up and left the room.

Once they were alone, Emma turned to look at Killian.

"Are you sure?"

He looked at her with a confident stare, "Emma, regardless how much we've fucked up our personal lives, we do make a hell of a team. I need you in this interrogation. You are simply the best to go into that room with me and spot if this bastard is lying to us. He's the best chance we have to get Thomas' location. I intend to use the best I've got to get that information. And the best, is you."

She nodded at him, a timid smile on her face. It was only then that both realized that Killian was still holding her hand. He quickly let go and scratched his neck behind his ear… "Sorry…" He said softly.

/-/

They headed for the interrogation room and Killian held the door open for her. The guy looked positively disgusting. He had a lascivious stare and a cocky smile and Emma could feel his eyes roaming all over her body. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable, but she was used to it as well in her line of work. From the corner of her eye she saw Killian's hand flexing in a fist. It was clear he had noticed the stares she was getting. He looked briefly at her, concern in his eyes, but she nodded and smiled at him to let him know she was ok.

Killian walked towards the table and put his hand on it, giving the guy a menacing stare.

"Where's Thomas?" He asked determined.

"I don't know… he never tells me." The guy shrugged. "He probably left the state. He knows the police are after him. He'll be in Canada by now."

Killian turned around, facing Emma and spoke next to her ear.

"What do you think, love?" He whispered. The nearness of him was a little distracting for her, the memories of those same lips all over her body the night before awakening feelings she never remembered having before. Ever. She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate.

"He's lying…" She whispered to him and it was his turn to feel the heat all over his body. He honestly considered pulling her into an empty interrogation room and taking her over the table before he shook off those thoughts. Distractions. This was exactly what he'd meant before. One night with her and he knew it'd be months before he'd be able to even start to forget her. But he had to concentrate on the case now.

He turned around and gave the guy a cocky smile, his pirate mask as up as possible. It was breathtaking to watch, Emma had to give him that. Killian Jones, with his three hundred years of pirating experience, closing in on a lowlife who thought that actually had a chance against him. She almost felt sorry for the guy. Almost.

"The lady here thinks you are lying, mate. I tend to believe her word on these things." Killian stated in a calm, calculated voice that gave her chills.

"And who is she? I've never seen her before… is she a new cop?" The guys' eyes were all over her again.

"That's not important, mate." Killian's voice started to get a little more threatening. "Do you really think Thomas will reward you for your silence? If he were here, he'd throw you to the wolves. He probably already knows we caught you and he's replacing you at this very instant. You'll no longer be his first mate. Hell, I think that he might already be plotting how to get rid of you. He was never one to trust others, right?"

The guy shrugged and looked to the side, pretending to be unimpressed, but Emma could see that Killian was getting to him.

"After all, remind me how you got to be his right hand? Didn't you take it after the last guy appeared dead in an alley? And wasn't that two days after we released him from custody?" Killian's voice got even lower "Do you really think you have any chance to make it out of this alive if I let you go?"

"He knows I won't say a fucking thing."

"Does he? Really?" Killian tilted his head to the side, a ruthless smirk to his face. "I wonder if he'd believe that after I let my informants know that you've singed."

The guy looked at him defiantly. "He won't believe you."

"Oh, but he will. He won't take a chance that he's wrong about you. The problem with you bastards is that you have no code. You've stabbed each other in the back so many times that you don't know where your loyalties lie, if you have any left. All I need is one rumor to reach Thomas' ears and you'd be dead the minute we let you walk out of the station."

He had him. Emma looked at how the guy's physical response had changed and turned to look at Killian. He knew he had him, he knew he had pushed into the exact place he had to push in order to get to the guy, and he was ready to deliver the final blow. And it was mesmerizing to watch. He was good at this. Scratch that. Killian Jones was fucking incredible at his job. An intense sense of pride ran through her.

Killian looked briefly at Emma and he couldn't believe his eyes. Was she looking at him with pride? She seemed... amazed. By him. And it made him want her even more than before. He gave her a quick smirk before turning back to the guy.

"You know, you are as good as dead if I let you go. And you know it. Do yourself a favor… keep loyal to the only person you've been loyal your entire life: yourself. Tell me where Thomas is and I might consider keeping you here long enough to save your life."

"You wouldn't send me to die… you still need to know where he is. I want to make a deal."

Bingo. Emma thought.

"NO." Killian stated. "No deal. You've harassed and molested a girl, we will press charges against you. There will be no lesser sentence; there will be no special treatment."

"Then why should I tell you anything!"

"Because I'll make sure you are released within the hour if you don't, walking right into your death." Killian said calmly. "Now, tell me where Thomas is and you get to live. Behind bars, but you get to live." He sneered.

"Alright, he's hiding in a warehouse on the outskirts of town."

"Write it down." Killian pointed to the notebook and he approached Emma for confirmation.

"He's telling the truth…" She confirmed.

"Thank you, love." He said and his hand squeezed her arm in gratitude. An electrical shock passed through both of them, the tension almost bearable.

"You are a fine piece of ass, aren't you?" The guy's lascivious comment pulled them out from their daze. Killian's hand tightened in her arm as his jaw clenched. Emma looked at the guy, who was currently licking his lips and giving her a disgusting look. "Come on, bitch, when it was the last time someone fucked you properly?"

It happened faster than she could have seen it. Killian had turned around, pure rage pouring from his every pore as he grabbed the guy by the hair and smashed his face against the table.

"Apologize to the lady, mate." He spat with a ruthless tone Emma had not heard in him in years. Captain Hook has just entered the building.

"Killian…" She tried to get his attention, but she knew it was pointless.

The guy scoffed. "Is he doing you? Cops have no imagination, sweetheart… You need a real man." Ok, that idiot really did not know when to shut up, Emma thought. She stopped Killian's arm before he was able to smash the guy's face again.

"Hook…" She spoke intently, her eyes boring into him. She held his stare until she saw the anger leaving his eyes and Killian was back. She arched an eyebrow at him, speaking silently.

Let me.

Killian nodded and took one step away, as she approached the guy. He still remained close. Emma looked at the guy smirking as she leaned down almost face to face to the lowlife.

"Actually, I can barely walk after how thoroughly he fucked me last night." She whispered before rising up and looking at Killian, biting her lower lip in a daring expression.

Killian's look was almost indescribable, a mix of surprise, awe and pride. And then he gave her that smug smile she knew so well.

"I think we are done here, love." He said smugly.

"Lead the way, Detective." She replied as she followed him to the hall.

"Was that necessary?" He asked her as they reached a secluded spot in the hallway and they were alone.

"Well, I felt the need to defend your reputation. And it's not like I had to lie." She smiled at him. He gave her a confused look. "Don't read that much into it, Killian…" She deflected as she walked past him and headed to the door.

"It was great for me too." He whispered and she stopped in her tracks to turn around.

He looked wrecked and she knew the feeling. She smiled at him before turning around and heading to where Mac was waiting for them. Killian took a deep breath and followed her.

Distractions. Brilliant idea, mate.

/-/

Mac and Killian were standing on his desk, studying a map. Several officers were scattered around waiting for instructions.

"We will make two teams." Killian said. "I'll lead one and Mac will lead the other, as usual."

"Half of Killian's team will come from the front, smoking them out and forcing them to go to the back, where the rest of his team will be waiting." Mac explained. "My team will act as back up and provide cover for Killian's team. We'll also catch up any of them that get pass them."

"Are we clear?" Killian asked and they all nodded. "Alright, we meet again in 30 minutes. Be ready." He said. The officers started clearing the room and Killian approached Emma.

"Come with me, Swan." He said as he grabbed her gently by the elbow and started walking.

"Where are we going?" She asked intrigued.

"This way…" He said as his hand went to her lower back, guiding her to one of the rooms.

It was a storage room: she could see guns, handcuffs, ammunition, all neatly ordered.

"Are you planning to handcuff me in here so I don't get to be part of the operation?" She asked directly.

Killian smirked, "Tempting…" He said as he removed his shoulder holster, grabbed a bulletproof vest and adjusted it on. He grabbed his gun and another gun and secured them on his waist at the back. He turned to look at her. "But I have no intention to handcuff you anywhere, Swan." He said.

Unless it's to a bed.

"Unless it's to a bed?" She asked mischievously, as if she was reading his mind. He chuckled.

"Keep saying things like that and I might handcuff you here and lock the door so we don't get interrupted…" He bit his lower lip. He knew he'd beat himself up over this for weeks, but he just could not resist it anymore.

"We still have thirty minutes..." She raised the bet arching an eyebrow at him.

"The only problem, Swan…" He said as he got closer to her, invading her personal space; that personal space he'd claimed as his years ago… "Is that I don't think you can keep quiet." He smirked at her and took two steps back. "I trust that you are still allowed to carry firearms?" He asked as he pulled two guns and ammunition from a closet.

"Yes." She said. He handed her the guns and grabbed another bulletproof vest.

"You have to wear this. It's not open to discussion." He commanded.

"I wasn't planning to fight you on it." She said as she adjusted both guns on her back as well.

"Here… let me help." He said as his hand went to her shoulder and started to peel of her leather jacket slowly. She could feel her body igniting at the simple touch and she held her breath.

He took off her jacket and slowly put the vest on and started to adjust it. There was such intimacy between them at the moment that it was hard to remember that in less than thirty minutes they'd be risking their lives. He shook off his own desires at the moment and continued talking.

"You heard us back there. I'll go first, and Mac will cover me. He will stay behind… that is how we do it. That is how we've always done it. I get on the line of fire; he covers me from behind and stays mostly out of harm's way unless it's absolutely necessary for him to risk his life. Do you understand?" He looked at her intently.

"But what about you? It's ok to risk your life?" She asked, her voice less sure than she intended to, but his hand and arm were on her body and it was impossible to concentrate.

"Mac has a wife and two kids, Emma. I'm not going to let him take the bigger risk. I have no one waiting for me. If something happens to me, there might be people that would miss me, but I would not be leaving a child fatherless. You know how it is to grow up without your parents… I cannot let that happen to these children if I can avoid it." He said as he finished adjusting her vest and his hands, real and prosthetic, rested on her hips. When had he gotten this close to her? There was literally no space between them… he could feel all the places where his body was pressed to hers.

"And Mac is ok with it?" She asked, her hands going to his upper arms on their own accord and resting there.

"No, he's not. He hates it but he lets me do it because he knows I'm right. And it's the same reason why you are staying behind as well. You have to think of Henry, Emma. He already lost his father… don't put yourself unnecessarily at risk."

"Killian…" She whispered breathlessly.

His eyes bore into hers with such intensity that the rest of her sentence died in her lips. He cradled her face, his hand slowly caressing her cheek and she lost herself in his blue eyes. She couldn't resist any longer so she leaned in to press her lips softly against his. He responded to her lips, his body pressed fully into hers. Her hand went to his hair as they kissed slowly, almost tenderly. He broke the kiss sighing, his lips still brushing into hers, his forehead against hers, his eyes closed.

"Don't do anything stupid, Swan." He pleaded.