Aaaaand I'm back! With a combination of my laptop going in for repairs THREE times in as many months (cos it's a piece of crap) and a whole lot of not-so-great stuff happening in my real-life, putting me in a not-so-great headspace, my writing time has been majorly delayed. Still dealing with a lot, but I had a rush of muse and motivation today, and the time to actually sit down and make the most out of it.
Thank you for the messages some of you have sent me in regards to this update. I hope it makes up for the delay. I appreciate you all massively.

Your Case or Mine

Chapter Four

Killian woke up feeling refreshed for the first time since starting the case; he even found himself humming a jaunty little tune in the shower, pointedly shrugging off acknowledging the fact that one little interaction with a woman he hardly knew could have such an impact on his mood.

But nevertheless, once he was dressed and ready for the day, he took the advice Emma had given him and dropped by Granny's Diner for breakfast. He found the place easily enough and slid into an empty booth. An attractive brunette, whose name he probably could have figured out without the aid of her name tag, approached immediately with a bright yet wolfish smile, and offered him coffee. Before he'd even accepted, she was pouring him a cup, and eying him curiously.

"Cop, right?"

She said, more a statement than a question.

"Indeed. In fact, one of your regulars recommended I come in for-"

"Emma, I assume."

Ruby said, cutting him off with a somewhat knowing smile. A grey-haired older woman with sharp yet kind eyes that inspected him over the top of her glasses appeared and shoo'd the young brunette off back to the counter. Killian raised his eyebrows and absently stirred creamer into his coffee.

"Excuse my granddaughter. She sometimes forgets when to respect boundaries. What can I get you?"

He was just done ordering his eggs and bacon, taking a sip of his surprisingly good cup of coffee, when the bell above the door jingled. Granny called out a greeting without even glancing toward the door.

"Morning, Emma. It's on the counter. And tell William we're out of the cherry ones. That's why he's got blueberry frosting today."

Killian snapped his head around so fast when he heard her name that he was pretty sure he would be feeling it later, and he didn't miss the smirk Ruby had levelled on him from behind the counter. But all he could focus on was the sight of Emma Swan, her back to him, dressed in shorts, a running sweatshirt and well-worn sneakers, with her hair piled into a messy bun atop her head, as she grabbed the brown bag and takeout cup with a grin and a cheery "thanks, Granny!"

She didn't seem to have noticed his presence until Ruby not-so-subtly cleared her throat and canted her head in his direction. Emma turned then, eyes widening slightly in surprise as she faced him. He offered an awkward wave and she seemed to hesitate before approaching, takeout in-hand.

"Uh...hey. So, I guess you took the recommendation then."

She seemed a little thrown to see him there, despite suggesting the place to him. But perhaps, he supposed, she hadn't counted on ever being there with him. And that thought had an unwelcome sense of disappointment that he couldn't really explain sitting heavy in his grumbling stomach.

"Yeah," he managed a small smile, "Coffee's good so far, which is always a reasonable measure of a place."

She smiled politely and nodded her head back toward the door.

"I'll catch you at the station later. Enjoy your breakfast."

He nodded, and watched her retreat. Once she'd disappeared out of the door, he deflated with a sigh, silently congratulating himself on a needlessly awkward exchange. He was kicking himself for how off-kilter this woman managed to make him feel, without even trying.

"I can put this in a take-out box if you wanna chase after her?"

Killian glanced up sharply to find Ruby holding his breakfast plate, the knowing tilt of her smile still firmly in place. As tempted as he was to agree and attempt to catch up with Emma, he wasn't entirely sure she'd welcome it, and he wasn't about to push his presence on her without invitation. So, he quickly shook his head and forced a smile, thanking Ruby politely as she shrugged and set the plate down in front of him.

Attempting to push the image of Emma Swan in running shorts out of his mind, and silently chastising himself for the fact that his brain so easily reverted to that of a thirteen year old boy's when it came to Emma, he focused instead on digging into his breakfast.

After devouring the bacon and eggs (which, he had to admit, were pretty damn delicious), Killian had been ready to make his way straight to the station...until a little storefront across the street caught his eye. A bakery.

"Maybe you should get me cupcakes that spell out 'you were right, I'm sorry'. They would be well-received."

Emma's teasing suggestion from their late-night phone call came back to him and, despite knowing full well that her comment had been made in jest, he couldn't resist entertaining the idea of surprising her with the sweet treats.

For a moment or two, he debated whether or not to actually go ahead and get the cupcakes she'd jokingly demanded of him, but he mused that making sure her sugar levels were kept sufficiently high was probably in his best interest. That was his excuse, anyway, as he crossed the street. He decided to forgo the apology piping, and instead opted for a mixture of plain icing, sprinkles and gummy bears. Of course, he'd never admit how long he actually spent in that little bakery on the corner, agonizing over which bloody cupcakes Emma Swan would favor most.

CS

"Cupcakes…nice touch. She prefers bearclaws in the mornin' though. In case you happen to piss her off again."

Will smirked over his take-out coffee cup, as Killian placed the box of six assorted cupcakes down on Emma's desk and rolled his eyes.

"Why are you here so early, anyway, Scarlet?"

Killian decided to shift the topic of conversation away from the sugary gifts, not wishing to say anything that would ultimately pique any further interest. It wasn't exactly hard to redirect Will's train of thought, thankfully.

"Cos I'm a bloody muppet and set me alarm too early. So I thought 'fuck it', may as well come in early and do the paperwork that Swan's gonna make me do today anyway. Not like I got owt better to do."

Will shrugged and took a bite out of the breakfast burrito that sat half-eaten in front of him and Killian shook his head with a smile. He couldn't help but find the young cop more than a little endearing.

"What are those for?"

Emma's voice from behind him took Killian by surprise and he quickly spun round to face her. She'd clearly arrived at the station a little before him and managed to shower and change quickly, if the pleasant scent of her vanilla soap and the fact that she was now wearing her usual work clothes were anything to go by. She had the bag she'd picked up from Granny's in-hand, though seemingly forgotten as she stared at the cupcakes.

"Oh-...well, I was passing a quaint little bakery after breakfast and recalled you threatening me last night. Something along the lines of how I better bring you cupcakes if I knew what was good for me."

Emma looked immediately affronted.

"Hey! I did not-" the amusement on his face quickly had realization dawning on her and she smiled sheepishly, "Oh...joking. Right."

She turned her attention briefly to Will, handing him the bag from Granny's and informing him that they were out of cherry, ignoring his huff of disappointment before making a beeline for the cupcakes on her own desk. She dropped down into her desk chair and wasted no time in flipping open the lid of the cupcake box, inspecting the contents. She hummed in appreciation and Killian pointedly ignored the thrill that ran through him knowing he'd scored some points for his thoughtful, possibly-diabetes-inducing gesture.

"Good choices. Thanks...you didn't have to do that, though. I was joking. Though I'm kinda disappointed there's no apology icing."

She turned her head to grin up at him and the air momentarily backed up in his lungs but he stifled it with a chuckle and a shake of his head, his only tell being that nervous habit of scratching behind his ear as the tips of them burned bright red. If she noticed, she chose not to comment on his blushing and bashfulness, instead firing up her computer and picking out a cupcake to munch on.

He'd been about to excuse himself to check in with Belle for any updates, but he found himself rooted to the spot, his gaze glued to her as she dipped her finger in the cupcake icing and licked it off. He was so fixated that he hadn't realized he was staring until she glanced up at him with her finger stuck in her mouth.

"Jones? You okay?"

He would have fully believed she was oblivious to what she was doing if her eyes weren't sparkling with mischief, and if she hadn't punctuated her question by sucking her finger back into her mouth while blatantly holding his gaze. Killian swallowed hard and stared at her in shock for a moment, before somehow managing to summon his composure.

"I'm just fine, Swan," he lied, his voice thankfully sounding much steadier than he felt, "You know where to find me if you want me."

With that, he turned on his heel and headed straight for the back office, desperate for a moment alone to find his equilibrium once more. This woman would be the death of him. She was unpredictable, a hurricane of curses and chaos, and yet at the same time, she was sharp and analytical, able to read a crime scene even better than he could, and puzzle together pieces at impressive speed. One minute she had her walls firmly up, shutting down even the slightest hint of flirtation and backing away from anything remotely resembling an interaction that wasn't strictly professional, and the next she was staring right into his eyes as she sucked icing from her finger, knowing full well what she was doing to him. She was a lesson in contradictions, was Detective Emma Swan. And God, did he want to learn.

Killian remained in his makeshift office for most of the morning, poring over all the analytics Belle had provided for him, which covered everything she'd managed to dig up on each of the victims, their immediate families and their friends, with an in-depth focus for around the time when they had each given up their babies. It was time consuming and somewhat ambiguous in the early stages, but necessary to build a picture of their victims' lives and how their killer had chosen them, out of the many couples who had given up babies to Regina Mills' group home.

Late-morning brought a phone-call he'd been waiting for. The judge presiding over the warrant request he'd sent in for recovery of the three files relevant to their case called with good news. As soon as he hung up, Killian made a few more quick phone-calls, and then headed out to the bullpen with a grin, making a beeline for Emma's desk, where she was deeply engrossed in whatever database search she was carrying out on her computer.

"Swan, good news. The warrant was finally approved so I've made an appointment to visit Ms. Mills at the children's home after lunch. I assume you wish to accompany me to retrieve the files? This was your lead, after all."

Emma immediately swung her chair around, and he could clearly see the surprise on her face. Whether it was due to the fact that the warrant had been approved so quickly, or that he wasn't going to fight her on chasing her own lead, he wasn't entirely sure. But either way, she wasn't going to argue, so she nodded eagerly and stood, grabbing her jacket.

"We can get lunch on the way. Let's go."

Killian followed her without pause, uncaring that they were far too early for the appointment yet. It gave them time to formulate interview tactics, he reasoned. It also gave him an excuse to grab lunch and some time alone with Emma without spooking her. He was already acutely aware of how easily she spooked when it came to seemingly-small gestures like sharing a meal together, so he'd take whatever he could get...all while telling himself that it was purely professional.

"How about we go to Granny's for lunch?"

Killian casually suggested as they headed out of the station. Emma glanced at him, and he didn't miss the flash of wariness in her eyes. He gestured toward his car, signalling that he'd drive, and she shrugged, stuffing her keys back into her pocket.

"Uh...I suppose we could grab something from there on the way."

"Well, we're in no rush. There's over an hour until the appointment with Ms. Mills. We can sit and discuss how we'll approach the interview. I only spoke with her briefly but she doesn't seem like someone who would willingly help if it doesn't benefit her. We need to use the right tactics with her."

Emma seemed to relax a little when he suggested the topic of conversation would be purely business if they sat and ate lunch together in the cozy diner, so she nodded her assent. Feeling like he'd somehow won a small victory with her, Killian did his best to hold back a grin and headed for the diner.

CS

"Twice in one day. For both of you. This is a pleasant surprise."

"Hello to you too, Ruby."

Emma rolled her eyes and Killian simply followed her toward the far booth without comment. He couldn't help but wonder if the smirk the waitress wore was a permanent fixture on her red-painted lips, or if it was reserved only for them.

"I'm guessing the usual for you, Emma, but what about Mr. Tall, Dark & Scrumptious?"

Ruby kept her gaze locked on him unflinchingly as he took a seat opposite Emma, and Killian tried not to squirm in his seat and silently wishing Granny had been the one to seat them instead. Ignoring her gaze and the nickname she'd bestowed upon him, and oblivious to the withering glare Emma was levelling her friend with, he skimmed over the menu and quickly settled on the first thing that grabbed his attention.

"Uh...I'll have a back coffee and...the grilled cheese with a side of onion rings, please, lass."

Ruby snorted and he glanced up at her with a questioning look. She simply shook her head, trademark smirk firmly in place, and muttered something about him being 'predictable', before wandering off to the kitchen. Still somewhat confused by her reaction to his order, he shifted his gaze to Emma...and found her staring at him with narrowed eyes.

"What's the matter?"

He asked, and she seemed to be trying to read him for long moments that had him shifting in his seat once more. So far, this hadn't been how he'd hoped their lunch together would go.

"Did you order that on purpose?" She finally asked, an accusatory edge to her tone, "Because you know finding out someone's usual order and then ordering the same thing just comes across as creepy and stalkerish, and not cute, as you were probably intending...right?"

She was rambling, leaning back in her seat and avoiding his gaze. For a moment, Killian was still baffled, until realization finally dawned. He'd unknowingly ordered the same thing she always did. And she was apparently under the impression that he'd gone all SIngle, White Female on her in an awkward attempt to woo her, somehow.

Holding his hands up, he quickly shook his head.

"Swan, I assure you, if I ordered your usual choice it is by nothing but coincidence. I know you're good at telling when someone is lying, so use that superpower on me now. See that I'm being honest with you, love. And for the record, if I wished to be cute, as you put it, I can think of a hundred better way to achieve that than by placing the same lunch order, which, I agree, does sound somewhat 'creepy and stalkerish'..."

He raised his eyebrow and grinned at her earnestly, challenging her to find any lies in what he'd said. She studied him silently for a moment and then seemed to be satisfied he was telling the truth, the tension in her face and shoulders visibly dissipating.

"Fine. Guess you just have good taste."

She shrugged, a small and somewhat shy smile tugging the corners of her mouth upwards. He had to force his gaze away from her lips as Ruby returned with their drinks, and this time he noticed the glare from Emma and the pretty blush rising on her cheeks as the waitress levelled her with an intense and knowing look.

Once Ruby disappeared again, Killian sipped at his coffee before attempting further conversation.

"Does she always smirk? Or is that look reserved only for you, for some reason?"

Emma glanced warily at him over her hot chocolate, indecision in her eyes before she finally sighed.

"She seems to think I need setting up, even though I've told her a million times to knock it off with the matchmaking. She does it anytime she sees me with anyone. Men, women...doesn't matter. She tried it with me and David, which just…" she shuddered and shook her head, "He's like a brother to me. Same with Will. He's probably the closest I've ever had to a best friend. She once even tried to set me up with a random guy who happened to hold the damn door for me. She just assumes that if I'm talking to someone, even if it's just one word, it must mean I'm willing to screw them."

She finished her rant with a heavy sigh and a roll of her eyes. Killian chuckled, scratching his ear and feeling the heat on his cheeks.

"So, she's under the impression we'd make good bedmates? Interesting…"

That blush he so loved was back on her cheeks instantly and he watched from under his lashes as she swallowed thickly, only just realizing what she'd said. Ruby was attempting to push them together, oblivious to the fact that they'd already been there.

"I-...uh...anyway. The Mills interview! You had ideas on how to handle her? She's a piece of work but she's, like, creepily perceptive too. Oh, and she already doesn't like me. So, unless we wanna use a 'push her buttons' tactic, she'll probably respond better to you."

She was talking a mile a minute and the blush still sat high on her cheeks, as she desperately tried to maneuver the topic onto one she was much more comfortable with. He bit back a grin at how flustered she'd become, hiding it behind his coffee and schooling his face back into an expression of nonchalance before he lowered the cup again. It was a little comforting to him that he could apparently knock her off-kilter just the same as she so easily did to him.

Acquiescing to her panicked change of subject, he channeled his thoughts back to the case, and once Ruby had placed their matching food orders down in front of them, they dove enthusiastically into planning their interview tactics while devouring the best grilled cheese and onion rings in Boston.

CS

"You must be Special Agent Killian Jones. It's a pleasure. Please follow me to my office."

Regina was already in the lobby when the pair arrived, and immediately directed her attention to Killian, shaking his hand and giving him a much-too-practiced and borderline-predatory smile, while pointedly ignoring Emma's presence. Determined not to let the woman get under her skin, Emma gritted her teeth and remained silent as she followed them down the hallway. She'd anticipated an icy reception after their last interaction, so it didn't come as much of a surprise that Regina was less than welcoming toward her.

"So, how can I help you, Special Agent Jones? Or may I call you Killian?"

Killian offered a wan smile as he seated himself in front of Regina's desk, practically able to see Emma mentally rolling her eyes beside him. There was no denying the falsely saccharine facade of compliance the Children's Home director was putting on for his sake, but he wasn't buying it. She didn't have to know that though.

"Of course, Killian is fine. Detective Swan and I are simply here to find out any information we can to aid one of our active investigations. We have reason to believe someone has targeted your agency and the families that have used your services. Rest assured, I'm not suggesting that you personally know anything about it, but we need access to the files of three particular children to enable us to continue our investigation. I'm sure you understand."

Killian kept his smile firmly in place despite the unease he felt as Regina's interested gaze swept over him. She was still steadfastly ignoring Emma's existence and he was surprised his smart-mouthed colleague was holding her tongue thus far.

"Oh, well yes, of course, Killian. Unfortunately, all our files are confidential though. And we treat our clients' rights to confidentiality with the highest regard, as I'm sure you understand."

Throwing his words back at him with an insincere tone of apology, Regina folded her hands on the table in front of her and gave him her best practiced expression of compassion. It didn't hit anywhere close to the mark.

"Too bad we have a warrant then."

Emma finally spoke up, eyes glittering with smug satisfaction as she slapped the signed warrant down on the desk and leaned back in her chair. Regina's smile wavered as her attention was finally shifted away from Killian and she eyed the piece of paper with barely-concealed disdain.

Shooting a sharp glare at Emma and snatching the paper up, she skimmed the page and then sighed, tapping away on her computer for a few moments. She then reached for her phone and dialed whom Emma assumed to be a personal assistant of some sort, considering the way Regina barked her orders to retrieve the three files listed on the warrant. After hanging up, Regina turned back to them.

"I'm having my assistant bring them through. But I assure you, my company has nothing to do with those women's deaths. On the contrary, we're in the business of completing families. Finding loving homes and parents for unwanted children. You won't find any discrepancies in our record keeping either. And I believe all of the the children whose files you've requested are still in our system. It seems they haven't found homes yet."

Regina's gaze moved to Emma then, her passive aggressive and vindictive jibe causing Emma to instinctively ball her hands into fists, nails biting into the skin of her palms. Regina was well aware she'd hit a nerve during their last encounter when she'd recognized 'the orphan look', as she'd termed it, and she wasn't averse to using it against Emma now.

Killian could clearly see the tension and fury bubbling beneath the surface, not missing the way she'd clenched her fists under the desk. Calmly and subtly, he reached across and covered one of her balled hands with his, glad he could do so without Regina witnessing the need for him to calm her down before she erupted.

She slowly unfurled her hand and slipped it out from under his grasp, folding her arms. Satisfied that he'd managed to dissipate her fury, at least for the moment, Killian folded his own hands back in his lap as the room was plunged into a tense silence. Just as Killian was about to fish for more information about the company, and request files on all her employees, Regina's assistant entered, a harried look on her face.

"Uh...Ms. Mills...they're gone."

Annoyance flashed across Regina's face as she stared at her red-headed assistant with an icy expression.

"What do you mean, 'they're gone'? What's gone?"

"The files...the ones you asked for...they're empty…"

The young woman held up three manilla files, empty save for a label on the front of each one, displaying case numbers, names and birthdates of the children. She approached cautiously, nervously holding out the empty files for Regina, who snatched them with an exasperated growl.

"This is impossible. Files do not just disappear, Ariel. What the hell do I pay you for? Go find them. They must be somewhere."

Ariel hesitated, considering assuring her boss that she had looked everywhere, before deciding against it and nodding, fleeing from the room as quickly as she'd appeared.

Killian and Emma sat silently, eyeing Regina carefully as slammed the empty folders down on her desk and stood up, pacing the room for a few moments before seeming to gather her composure. Returning to her seat, she crossed her legs and folded her hands atop the desk with an air of aloof calmness and a tight smile.

"My airhead assistant is apparently incompetent too. I assure you that our files do not just 'go missing'. They're all electronically registered and filed. Access is by employee passcard only, and anyone accessing a file has their card details recorded on our database. When we locate the files, and we will locate them, I'll have them sent directly to you, Special Agent Jones. I apologize for the inconvenience, but apparently my staff require further basic training on how to return files once they've used them."

Regina was clearly furious, and Killian studied her for a moment before nodding and standing up.

"Alright, Ms. Mills. Thank you for your time and cooperation. Please send the files over to Boston Homicide marked for the attention of myself or Detective Swan as soon as possible."

Emma looked aghast for a moment, unable to believe he was willing to leave without the files. He gave her a pointed look of 'I'll explain later, just trust me on this' and he was relieved when she followed his lead without argument. Regina escorted them to the lobby and offered a clearly-distracted handshake to Killian before disappearing back toward her office.

Neither Emma nor Killian spoke until they were safely inside the car. Then, Emma turned to him with fire in her eyes.

"Why the hell did we leave, Jones? We're giving her and all her people time to get their stories straight! We should be in there keeping the pressure on. She knows damn fucking well where those files are. She probably stored them somewhere and fed us that bullshit about them going missing."

Killian glanced toward the front of the building and shook his head.

"I have the distinct feeling that Ms. Mills isn't the only one involved in all of this. And this morning, I spoke with the judge who approved the warrant...I got him to amend the initial request to include telephone recordings from all of Regina's phones. It was added at the end of the warrant, and I do believe Ms. Mills simply skimmed it when you gave it to her. She'll give us our evidence without even realizing it, Swan. And us leaving will only make her more likely to expose anyone else we should be looking at, because she'll likely make some hasty phonecalls in an attempt to cover her own back."

Emma stared at him, her mouth open slightly in surprise and, he liked to think, a little bit of awe. After a moment she gave a low whistle and shook her head.

"Damn, I'm impressed, Jones," she admitted, "Maybe you're actually better at this whole cop thing than I thought."

With an affronted scoff, he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I'll have you know I'm excellent at 'this whole cop thing', Detective. I do lead an elite team of FBI agents, after all."

"Yeah, well, from my experience, you guys are usually all bureaucratic bullshit and not much action. Color me pleasantly surprised."

She punched his shoulder lightly and grinned, sending that familiar spark zipping up his spine at the sight of her smile. He was unable to hold back his smirk, his voice dropping low as he locked his gaze on her. The banter came easily and they were both in good spirits now, with their suspect about to play right into their hands.

"I can assure you I'm more than willing and able to keep up with whatever action you're willing to partake in, lass."

There was a drawn out moment of thick silence, the electric tension between them sizzling almost palpably, and he didn't miss the way her gaze flickered to his lips, her tongue darting out subconsciously over her own. His heart stilled in his chest for seconds that felt like an eternity, and he didn't dare to breathe as the thought of getting to taste her lips again had his blood roaring in his ears.

But as quickly as the moment had escalated, she snapped out of it and turned away, the tension still thick in the scented air of his car but the bubble they'd found themselves in now well and truly burst. Disappointment sat heavily in his stomach, his eyes still on her, and the gripping, eager desire to kiss her slowly tapering down to something more manageable. Something more like what he'd been dealing with since they'd been properly introduced after their night together.

"Let's...uh...we should get back to the station."

She said softly, staring out of the windscreen and knotting her hands nervously in her lap. If there was one positive development he was taking away from this, it was that Detective Emma Swan wasn't nearly as unaffected by him as she liked to make him believe. And that was more than enough of a development to slightly lessen any disappointment.

CS

A.N: Again, thank you for sticking with me and this fic. I've recently taken a 'mental health' break from all social media, after a whole boatload of things in my personal life hit me in quick succession over the month and did pretty awful things to my emotional wellbeing. So I honestly wasn't sure when I'd pick myself back up enough to be able to finish this chapter. But turns out that an emotional nosedive and a social media purge actually got my muse going again, somehow. (Also, due to said social media blackout, and the fact that I've deleted all my social media apps, I'll post this on Tumblr when I return, but I'm not quite sure when that will be just yet. So, for now, FFnet is any and all updates will be.) So...I'm gonna go start the next chapter now, because I'm rather excited about what I have planned for it *insert smirking emoji here*.