Your Case or Mine

Chapter 10

There was nothing more frustrating to Emma than feeling like she was stuck on the outside of her own case, waiting patiently for tidbits and updates. Patience wasn't really her thing. As soon as David had finished filling them in, over speakerphone, on the newest victims and what they knew so far, they hung up and Emma began pacing the kitchen.

Killian studied the notes he'd taken as David had given them all the details, glancing up and watching Emma pace for a moment before focusing back on the hurriedly scribbled words in his own neat cursive.

"Why did he kill the husband this time too? Is he spiralling? Or was it planned? Has his MO changed? And if it has...why? How long will it take Belle to send us what she has on the newest vics?"

Emma mused out loud, a frown of concentration creasing her forehead, as she turned and directed her last question to Killian.

"She's lightening fast on that computer, so the minute she finds anything, I'm sure she'll send it over to our phones. I could do with looking at these crime scene photos on the computer, rather than on this little screen. Upstairs?"

Killian gestured toward the hallway, and Emma nodded, immediately heading toward the study upstairs where both of their laptops had found a home. As frustrating as it was not to be right in the thick of it at the station, focusing on the case again felt good and much more within Emma's comfort zone...instead of being distracted by the lingering tensions between herself and Killian.

Once he'd booted up his encrypted, super-secure, fancy FBI-issued laptop, Killian pulled up the crime scene photos and the first files of information about the victims that Belle had sent through while they'd loaded everything up. Emma leaned forward to rest her elbows on the desk, a frown on her face as she squinted and inspected the graphic photos on the screen. There was nothing she could see that jumped out as being a marker of a frenzied, badly planned attack.

The same signatures were present - photos turned face-down and the female victim's heart removed with slightly more finesse now that the unsub was becoming more practiced with his rudimentary and inelegant surgical skills. But aside from the additional victim, the only male victim claimed thus far, there didn't seem to be anything glaringly obvious that was convincing them that the secondary victim had been an improvisation or that the unsub was spiralling.

Opening one of the secure files Belle had sent, Killian scanned the information and pointed out to Emma one thing that stood out to him immediately.

"Male vic had a trip planned next weekend. He would've been out of town for a few days, just like the previous victim's husbands. If he's observing his victims and learning their routines, he'd likely know about that trip. Which begs the question...did he alter his original plan with this couple? Did he initially plan to take out the wife the same way he did in every other instance, while her husband was away, but then decided to change his own plan in order to take out the husband too? And if so...why?"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip, reading and rereading the words on the screen as she put her brain into gear to try and come up with an explanation. But she could only come up with more questions.

"And we don't have any evidence that the husband even knew his wife had been pregnant. The crime scene photos seem to suggest he was shot while he slept, no signature or arrangement of the body, and no obvious trophies taken from him. He doesn't seem to have had beef with the husband, so why not wait til he knows the guy will be out of town, like he did with the other women?"

Before they had chance to try and figure out answers to their questions, the doorbell rang. Emma and Killian exchanged perplexed glances and Killian password-locked the laptop before following a cautious Emma toward the door.

"Are we expecting anyone? David didn't say he'd bring anything over in person, did he?"

Emma asked as they headed downstairs, eyeing the front door warily. Killian shook his head and had half a mind to draw his gun from its holster, but thought better of that instinct as Emma looked to him and reached for the door handle.

He was glad he hadn't been so hasty as Emma pulled open the door and they were greeted by the smiling faces of their extra-friendly neighbors.

"Hey, newbies!" Aurora beamed, brandishing a plate of cookies, "We thought we'd pop round and see how you're settling in! I baked you these peanut butter, banana and oatmeal cookies" She thrust the plate into Emma's hands, "They're vegan, gluten-free and totally organic. Oh, and the oatmeal is homemade!"

"Uh...thanks," Emma said, not daring to glance at Killian for fear that she'd burst out laughing like they had after their first encounter with their quirky neighbors, "We're settling in pretty well, yeah-"

"Oh, good! I'm making pot roast tonight and it's always such a hit at the Neighborhood Association barbecue. We were hoping you'd join us for dinner?"

Emma felt herself tense up, desperately trying to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why 'tonight just isn't a good night', but before she had the chance to blurt out the world's lamest excuse, Killian was stepping in.

"We'd love to," he grinned, and Emma practically gawped at him in horror, "I make a mean potato salad, so we'll bring that along, if you'd like?"

Emma swore Aurora was openly swooning over Killian and his potato salad-making skills, while her smiling, chino-wearing husband stood right beside her. But instead of rolling her eyes like she was so tempted to do, she simply offered a tight smile and nodded, silently planning the quickest and least messy way to murder Killian the second the neighbors had left.

"Wonderful! It'll be so nice to get to know you both. How does 6:30pm sound?"

"Excellent!"

At that moment, Emma's cell phone began to ring and she held back the urge to heave a sigh of relief and mutter 'saved by the bell'. Giving her best attempt at an apologetic smile, Emma pulled her phone out of her jeans pocket and glanced at the screen. David's caller ID flashed up at her.

"I'm sorry, work is calling me. I have to take this. We'll see you tonight?"

Philip gave her a thumbs up and Aurora nodded and smiled.

"Thanks for the cookies, love!"

Killian gestured to the plate Emma was still stood awkwardly holding balanced on one hand with her phone in the other. He waved as Aurora and Philip made their way back over to their own house and shut the door behind them while Emma answered her phone and shoved the plate of cookies into Killian's hands.

"You have perfect timing," Emma said tersely, walking through to the kitchen and putting David on speakerphone, "You gave us an easy out from the very friendly neighbors who just showed up on the doorstep with some hipster mom cookies."

David made a sound of confusion before chuckling at her explanation.

"Glad to be of service. But I was just calling because I forgot to remind you before about the public dinner thing Graham is so intent on pushing. Especially with the latest victims racking up this guy's body count."

"Public dinner thing?"

Emma repeated, a blank look on her face as she stared at the phone. Killian winced. It wasn't that he'd forgotten about Graham's suggestion, but there hadn't really been a good time to bring it up to her yet, between the awkward tension and the distress caused by her confrontation with Neal. He knew they needed to focus back on the case and going out in public and dinner with neighbors were part and parcel of that. They'd been distracted as they tried to adjust to their new, temporary living situation, but they had to put whatever was between them on the back burner as best they could, and he knew that. It was just easier said than done.

"I haven't talked to her about it yet, David. That's my fault."

"Talked to me about what? I really don't like being in the dark about anything to do with my own damn case."

She scowled, hands on her hips and shoulders squared as she shifted her glare between the phone and Killian.

"It was just something Graham had suggested the other day. It was more of a passing thought than a demand. He thinks - well, I suppose we both do, considering I'm the unit chief and I agree with him - that we need to have a more public presence. Catch the unsub's eye and put ourselves firmly under his radar. And if he then gets his hands on our planted file at the group home, it'll seal the deal."

Killian could see her mulling it over, the glare softening into something more contemplative as she silently acknowledged that what he was saying made sense.

"Fine. Public appearances - check. But smartass here signed us up for dinner with our cripplingly suburban neighbors tonight, so let's survive that first."

After that, David briefly ran through a summary of the files Belle had sent them, admitted that he and Graham had asked the exact same questions they had, and then wished them luck for their bonding night with the neighbors. Emma rolled her eyes and sarcastically thanked him, before hanging up and turning to face Killian, frown creasing her forehead.

"Okay, why the fuck did you sign us up for a dinner date tonight? We have work to do, Killian. We have files to go over and-"

"And this is part of our work, Emma," he sighed, "Making the world think we're some normal, happy couple is a big part of this job. And we have to get it over with sooner or later, so we may as well do it tonight and then get back to the paperwork side of things. Graham and the team are already going over those files and they have a lot more resources than we do here. Our main priority right now is getting that bastard's attention and the way we do that is by putting ourselves out there more. We're not going to catch his eye sitting around the house, twiddling our thumbs and simply waiting for him to take the bait with our planted file."

Emma's shoulders sagged and she ran a hand through her hair, nodding slowly.

"You're right. I'm...sorry for snapping at you. It's just...the idea of playing this part under scrutiny from some couple who seem like they stepped right out of a Black Mirror episode...it scares the shit outta me. People like them have always looked down their nose at me and now I have to act like I'm one of them. It's harder than I thought it was gonna be…"

"I'll be right beside you. If you don't want to talk much, or you're uncomfortable, just squeeze my hand under the table and I'll take the reins. We can just say you're under the weather, exhausted from the move, or dealing with some stressful things at work if they pick up on your discomfort. But I doubt they will. You'll be better at faking it than you realize."

"Yeah," she mused with a grimace, "I've done that enough times to be convincing."

Killian's eyebrows shot up and she quickly shut her mouth, her cheeks heating up.

"I-uh...said that out loud, huh…"

He suppressed a smirk and nodded, watching her with an earnest expression.

"Not with me though…right?"

Emma rolled her eyes and delivered a weak punch to his shoulder, muttering 'oh, shut up' and moving to brush past him, but he stopped her with a gentle grasp of her wrist. His expression was serious and much too vulnerable for her liking. She looked down at his fingers against her pulse, which had skipped at the unexpected touch and was now drumming away faster than usual under his fingertips. She wondered absently if he could feel it.

"No," she said softly, "Not with you. That was all real."

He let go of her wrist then and she didn't have to lift her gaze to know he was smiling. But she did anyway, meeting his eyes and reluctantly breaking the moment between them by canting her head to the stairs.

"I should, uh...shower and change. And you should get making that mean potato salad you promised the vegan, everything-free 'cookie' making soccer mom next door."

He chuckled and reached up to scratch his ear before giving her a soldier salute and turning toward the refrigerator while she made her way upstairs. Perhaps they wouldn't do so badly pretending to be a smitten, happy couple, Emma mused a few minutes later as she stood under the hot spray of the shower...because maybe some of it wouldn't be hard to fake at all.

CS

When 6:30pm rolled around, Emma found herself tugging nervously at the sleeves of her black and white striped off-the-shoulder shirt. She hated to admit how long she'd spent decided what to wear. She really didn't want to care what two strangers thought of her, yet a part of her wanted to feel like she belonged in their world, somehow. She'd always been an outsider to their seemingly charmed way of life, and she'd envied the kids she'd gone to school with who had parents like Aurora and Philip.

She'd eventually decided on black, high-waisted skinny jeans, which she'd tucked her striped shirt into, and slipped on reasonably high-heeled black shoes. She left her hair down, curling it into loose beachy waves and letting it fall delicately over her bare shoulders. Killian had opted for well-fitting black jeans and a brown belt (like Emma really needed to be distracted by his ass anymore than she already was), a white shirt with the top three buttons left open (because apparently the man had an inability to totally cover his chest, not that Emma would admit to noticing that fact) and a simple black suit jacket, along with brown leather Oxfords..

When Emma emerged from the bathroom fully dressed, more make-up on than she usually went for, she had to consciously hold back her instinct to give a low whistle. He looked good enough to eat, with his hair artfully mussed and just enough aftershave to make her want to lean in closer.

His reaction to her wasn't quite as reined in, and he swallowed hard, eyes unashamedly travelling the length of her and making her want to clench her thighs together with the rush of heat that shot up her spine.

"Bloody hell…"

He mumbled, the tips of his ears turning red. She remembered him having the same reaction to her wearing a sundress, and how she'd been flustered and retreated. This time, she pushed down the fluttering of nerves and stepped closer to him, suddenly feeling just a little bit unsteady on her heels.

"You scrub up pretty well…"

She said quietly, looking up at him from under mascaraed lashes. She watched as his pupils dilated with her closer proximity, and she couldn't help but enjoy the effect she was clearly having on him. A part of her brain was telling her to stop playing with fire, and that it wasn't fair to either of them to flirt at this precarious stage of their 'unrelationship', but she couldn't deny being drawn to him.

"And you...look breathtaking. Fucking hell, Emma…"

He was looking down at her, eyes focused on her lips, and for a moment she thought he was going to kiss her. But instead, he clenched his jaw and stepped back, putting more space between them.

"We...should go. Don't want to keep the neighbors waiting. I have a feeling they aren't fans of tardiness."

"Mmm," Emma mumbled, still watching him carefully, "Sorry if I made you uncomfortable just now. I was just trying to be a bit less bitchy and serious than I have been for most of this week. And uh...trying to get into the role I'm supposed to be playing."

Killian regarded her for a moment, his flustered moment seeming to have passed and his face softening. He stepped closer to her again, lifting a hand to gently tuck some errant curls back behind her ear. Emma sucked in a sharp breath at the unexpected touch, her eyelashes fluttering slightly as his fingers lingered against her skin.

"You haven't made me uncomfortable, love. But I find it extremely hard to fight my urge to kiss you seven ways from Sunday when you're looking like that and flirting with me. That's all. I'm trying to be a gentleman and you're making it very difficult..."

Emma swallowed thickly, her eyes locked on his lips as he spoke in a low tone, little electric sparks of desire prickling under her skin. The tension between them was so thick she was sure they could cut it with a knife, and her heart was thundering so loud she was sure he could probably hear it.

They remained locked in a heated stare until Killian dropped his hand from her cheek and broke eye contact on a shaky exhale.

"Let's get going, Swan."

He said softly, and Emma was a little grateful hearing that his voice was as unsteady as she felt. He led the way downstairs and she concentrated on each step, acutely aware of the fact that her legs felt like jello and not wishing to fall down the stairs and make a complete fool out of herself.

Killian paused at the front door, and Emma frowned in confusion. He turned to face her then and suddenly she found herself pressed up against the hallway wall, his hands framing her cheeks and his lips pressed against hers before she could process what was happening. She melted into him, her entire body feeling like it had been set ablaze, her hands finding his belt loops and tugging him flush against her. He groaned into her mouth and she shuddered at the sound, welcoming his tongue as it touched her own and deepened their kiss.

It only lasted a matter of heated seconds, but when they broke apart, his forehead resting against hers and his hands against her neck, they were both breathing heavily, hearts racing in tandem.

"Fuck…"

She mumbled, her lust-fogged brain unable to come up with anything more articulate. He chuckled and the sound went straight to her core, making her trembling fingers tighten momentarily where they remained hooked through his belt loops. It also drew her awareness right back to the hardened area of his anatomy that was still pressed firmly against her stomach...

"Sorry," he murmured, his voice husky, "I just...I wouldn't have been able to sit through an entire evening and concentrate on anything but the thought of kissing you otherwise."

He stepped back then, and Emma swept her tongue over her bottom lip, the taste of him lingering and making her feel light-headed.

"An impromptu hallway makeout session sounds like a reasonable excuse a married couple might have for being late to a dinner party."

Emma quipped, still breathless and knowing her cheeks were probably equally as flushed as Killian's were. He grinned at her then, nodding toward the kitchen as he suddenly remembered that potato salad offering he'd promised, quickly retrieving it before pulling open the door and gesturing for her to go first, pulling open the door and gesturing for her to go first. As they walked down their driveaway, Killian caught her hand in his, and Emma tried not to think too much about how surprisingly comfortable and natural it felt to hold his hand and slip fully into the role of his adoring wife.

CS

"So, how did you guys meet? I bet you've got an adorable meet-cute story!"

Aurora had launched right into the Spanish Inquisition as soon as they'd all sat down at the table, shovelling a large helping of her vegan version of pot-roast onto Emma and Killian's plates as she beamed at them.

"Uh, well, nothing too exciting. We met Freshman year of college. Had a class together and we got paired up. I thought he was a pain in the ass at first, but he grew on me."

She turned to smile at her fake husband, and he returned her adoring look as Aurora swooned and poured them generous measures of red wine. Neither of them were really wine drinkers but Emma thanked her and took a sip just to be polite.

"Well, that's not strictly true love," Killian smirked, and Emma tried her best not to look startled, "I distinctly remember that we met before that, when I accidentally scared you in the library a few days before class started. You instinctively whacked me over the head with a rather large psychology textbook. I swear to this day that you gave me a concussion with that thing, but all you had to say was 'well, you shouldn't have snuck up on me like that, asshat!' and I swear I was smitten with you from that moment onwards."

Aurora and Philip were laughing and Emma couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes at him. She'd thought she'd messed up their pre-planned answer, but it turned out that Killian was just intent on improvising and adding his own extra little details into their story.

"What about you two?"

Emma asked quickly, grateful for the opportunity to turn to the topic away from herself and Killian. Philip chuckled.

"I actually saved her life. She was engrossed in conversation with a friend and almost stepped out in front of a car. I very gracelessly tackled the poor girl and got myself a few very fetching bruises, but when I looked at her, I realized I'd saved the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen in my life."

Philip was gazing lovingly at Aurora then and she batted his arm coyly.

"Oh, stop," she giggled, turning back to Emma and Killian, "He loves telling the story of how he was my knight in shining armor."

Emma tried her best not to grimace, knowing the idea of Aurora identifying as some Disney type princess really shouldn't surprise her. She was sure she was nice enough, but Emma knew she'd never fit in with Aurora and her crowd. She was too rough around the edges and restless to ever feel comfortable as a traditional, 1950s style housewife, but a little part of her envied the woman for her apparent contentment with her chosen role.

"So, you were college sweethearts then? That's so cute. Philip and I got married about two months after we met, and we've never looked back. It sounds quick, but I guess when you know you've met the one...you just know, right?"

She leaned in then and kissed Philip, nuzzling her nose against his and Emma shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Casting a sidelong glance at Killian, she saw him reach for his wine glass and take a deep swig, and she knew she wasn't the only one counting down the minutes til their dinner date was over.

Finally, Aurora moved back into her own space and turned her attention back to her guests. Emma focused her gaze on the food in front of her and moved it around on her plate with her fork, just to give her hands something to do and avoid having to make eye contact. But that didn't deter Aurora.

"When did you guys get married?"

"Three years ago."

Emma answered immediately, not offering any elaboration or cute story to go along with it. But once again, their host was unfazed.

"And this is the first house you've bought together? Have you lived together before?"

"Uh...we...had an apartment. In the city. We moved in together at the end of our Sophomore year."

That was an answer they hadn't talked through, but Emma's improvisation skills were rather good, and Killian nodded along, adding his own embellishments to her story.

"Aye, it was the best option financially - Boston is not cheap, as we all know - but I'd been hoping to take that next step and ask her to move in with me. Emma beat me to it. I think I remember her exact words were 'I need a roomie cos rent in this city is a joke, and you're the person I can tolerate the most, so...wanna move in with me?' and how could I say no to such a hopelessly romantic offer like that?"

Killian chuckled and once again Aurora and Philip were laughing. Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes, despite the genuine smile on her face. Even though their history together was nothing but a pretty fiction, Emma found herself easily able to believe in it, able to believe that it was realistic enough that part of her wished it was real. Perhaps she wouldn't be so emotionally crippled if she'd had someone like Killian come into her life before she'd been irreparably damaged.

Taking a bite of her dinner, Emma tried to swallow down those thoughts and squash them. They were dangerous territory and she needed to stay focused. This was, after all, a job. Just a job.

"You two are so adorable. You should come to the Neighborhood Association Barbecue next month!"

Killian made a non-committal noise that Aurora took as agreement and Emma remained quiet, pretending to enjoy the meat-free pot roast to avoid seeming rude. But for someone who had generally survived on a diet of processed food and excessive sugar, the amount of vegetables on her plate was off-putting, to say the least.

"So, you've been married for three years and you have a beautiful home now, in a great school district...when are you planning to have a baby?"

Emma choked on the mouthful of Portobello mushroom she'd just taken a bite of, and reached for her glass of wine as her eyes watered. Killian cleared his throat and dabbed at the corner of his mouth with a napkin, buying time as he tried to formulate a diplomatic answer that would appease a likely-conservative, clearly-traditional suburban couple.

"Well, uh...we-"

"-had a baby. When we were still in school. We put him up for adoption."

Emma cut in. Killian stared at her in surprise, but quickly recovered when she subtly squeezed his thigh under the table, a silent "trust me on this". And he did. Following her lead, he schooled his face into one of mild sorrow, placing his hand on Emma's arm in a gesture of support.

Aurora and Philip were stunned into silence, the air suddenly very tense. Emma continued.

"We were barely at the end of our Freshman year and we just couldn't give a baby the life he deserved. So we made a decision to see the pregnancy through, and hope that the family who took him would give him the kind of life two eighteen year olds couldn't."

Emma downed the rest of the wine then, not enjoying the tart flavor or the acidic taste it left behind, but needing the liquid courage.

"Aye, it was...very difficult," Killian added softly, his hand now covering Emma's on the table and squeezing gently, "But it was his best chance. We weren't in the position then that we are now, with good jobs and a comfortable lifestyle."

"I suppose not," Aurora replied quietly, clearly struggling to empathize with them, and stood up suddenly, "I should clear the dishes."

She swept the plates away and disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Philip to awkwardly fumble for a lighter topic of conversation and avoiding mentioning his wife's lack of tact. Killian leaned back in his chair and hummed in response to Philip's rambling about baseball and football, and his preferences between the two.

Emma knotted her fingers together in her lap, feeling once again like her position as an eternal outsider to the Perfect Suburban Life Club had been solidified. She'd purposefully revealed their adoption story to Aurora, and even though it wasn't the whole truth, it still felt as though she'd bared a little of her soul to strangers who had formerly wanted to double-date to the Neighborhood Association Barbecue, only to be immediately judged and rejected.

It didn't take long for Killian to guide them effortlessly into goodbyes, and they made their escape within ten minutes of Aurora's cold shoulder. The second they got back inside their own house, the door firmly shut behind them, Emma deflated with relief, kicking her heels off and padding into the kitchen to grab a much-needed beer..

"Thank God that's over."

She sighed, pulling two bottles of beer from the refrigerator and popping the caps before handing one bottle to Killian. He gratefully accepted, taking a long drag from the bottle while shrugging off his jacket.

"I was surprised when you brought up the adoption thing so readily…"

Killian started, his words carefully measured. He was eyeing her cautiously, trying to figure her out while following her through to their prefered living room.

"Well, it kinda hit me...what better way for word to get around town about a perfect little suburban couple giving a kid up for adoption, than telling the town gossip. I bet you twenty bucks that the entire town knows within a few days. And maybe, if we're lucky, it might even catch the unsub's attention…"

"You are bloody brilliant."

Killian muttered, shaking his head in amazement at her smart, strategic thinking. He'd been able to see that Aurora's immediate change in demeanor and very obvious disapproval had made Emma shrink into herself a little bit, once more facing a rejection because of something in her past, but she'd still managed to maintain her role.

Emma gave him a small smile, dropping down heavily onto the sofa and reaching for the remote.

"Now, I guess, we just wait a few days and let her run off and tell all her little housewife friends about us and our dirty little secret. And we can chill and watch Netflix."

CS

I hereby hold Irene ( Katerine_Swann on Twitter, peggyyswan on Tumblr) fully accountable for that kiss happening. I was in two minds about including it, or leaving it with them resisting one another. But Irene wanted it, so Irene got it. Go scream your thanks/freak outs at her (she'll love it).
Yet again, thanks to that above demonchild for being my beta and soundboard, and for keeping my muse in nice things. Also thanks to Marta for the consistently INCREDIBLE essay reviews that make me want to weep with joy, and to Victoria, Tana, Michele & Krystal for fangirling over update teases. You give me warm fuzzies every single time.