Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon a Time franchise.
Chapter Eight
"Momma," Henry rested his hands on his mother's shoulders as she squatted down in front of him, "it's just school." He told her with a look that reminded her slightly of his father. . . his real father.
Emma couldn't help it, she was nervous leaving Henry for the first time since they'd fled Arizona. Even if it was for school. Instead of responding, she busied herself with adjusting the collar of his light blue polo shirt. There was still a little chill in the air, so he had on the cutest sweater vest she'd ever seen with the school's emblem embroidered on it.
August was standing next to them and could see that Henry was ready for Emma to let him go so he could go into the school. Sighing, August knelt down next to Emma and Henry, "Ems, Henry's right. It's just school and he's in Mary Margaret's class." Over the weekend they'd discovered that David, Mary Margaret, and Leo lived on the floor above them, which was actually quite wonderful. Henry and Leo had gotten very close and they'd gotten to meet the other parents and kids who would be in class with Henry.
"See, Momma, Uncle Auggie says it will be fine, so it'll be fine." Henry hopped impatiently as the bell rang. "Got to go!" He called out before turning and dashing up the front steps where Mary Margaret was corralling children inside. Emma waved at the woman before letting August pull her to her feet. She felt her stomach churning a bit. Over the last two weeks she'd been with Henry all day every day.
"Come on, Ems, he's fine. Let's go get you a hot cocoa from the diner. Then maybe we can talk the sheriff into letting you come in for a few hours this week so you don't drive me nuts." He grumbled as he led her to the Bug. "I have some research to do, so I need to go to the library."
Emma chose to ignore him. She was actually going to enjoy having the week off. Everything they'd bought for the apartment was still in bags near the front door and no one had done laundry properly in a couple of weeks either. She had plenty to do and was looking forward to all of it. Back in Arizona she'd had very little to do during the work days because Walsh had a staff to take care of the home and he didn't want her working. She'd discovered early on that his charity work was a bit of a sham, he didn't really want her socializing with his friend's wives. She'd begun to think Walsh was ashamed of her upbringing and past. So, she stayed home, watching television, reading, going for runs, doing yoga in the living room. She'd been so bored not using her mind or body nearly enough. Of course, when Walsh started losing his temper she was happier home, where no one could see her.
Once August had left for the library, Emma surveyed the apartment. She decided to start with washing the new sheets for the beds. Henry had been right that the sheets were itchy. With the first load of laundry in, Emma started on cleaning the cabinets in the kitchen while the dishwasher ran a load of the new dishes she'd bought.
Three hours later, while she munched on some grapes and ran the vacuum, Emma was startled by a knock at the door. Hesitating, Emma considered running upstairs for her gun when another knock sounded. Taking a deep breath, she peeked through the little hole in the door and saw it was Deputy Killian Jones. With a frown, Emma opened the front door, "Deputy Jones?"
The Englishman smiled widely at her, the corners of his eyes crinkling pleasantly. She thought he had the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen, but quickly squashed the thought.
"Deputy Swan." He shot back cheekily. Emma just waited and finally Killian cleared his throat, "So Mary Margaret called David to the school to help her with some project with birds and Graham is off today, his wife has him painting or hanging paintings, I don't know, I stopped listening." He rambled for a moment before finding his original train of thought, "I know you're off, but I was wondering if you'd like to get the lay of the land." He shrugged, "I was out on foot patrol and passing your building. David told me you lived here."
Looking around the living room, she opened the door wider, "Come on in, Killian." She surveyed the chaos of cleaning supplies and thought about his offer, "You know what? I can finish this tonight. Let me go get my coat. Some fresh air would be nice."
Killian beamed at her and watched as she unplugged the vacuum, carefully winding the wire back up so no one would trip if they came home. After she ran upstairs, he took a moment to look around. He'd been in the apartment before when Victor rented it briefly. An altercation with Gold made the doctor move out of the apartment and into another one owned by their friend Jefferson. Emma had already put her own touch on the place. He could see it in little things she'd either brought with them or picked up in town. He liked it. It was simple. When he heard her boots on the metal staircase a moment later, he looked up. She was tugging her hair up in a ponytail and had shrugged on a short red leather jacket. "Ready!" She picked up her phone, wallet and house keys before leading them outside.
For a couple of blocks the two walked in a comfortable silence, finally Emma broke it, "So, Killian," he glanced down at her with a grin, "how long have you been in Storybrooke?"
He thought about it for a few moments, "It'll be five years this September." He shoved his hands in his jean pockets, "Best bloody decision I've ever made." He admitted.
Emma nodded as she looked around, "Yeah, I think it's already turning into that for us." The lapsed into another silence with Killian just pointing out small things he thought she may find interesting.
"Thank you for finding Scarlett, by the way." Killian found he was nervous, not quite sure what to say to the beautiful blonde walking with him. Emma was a bit skittish and standoffish, but he liked her. She actually reminded him a bit of himself. "Dragging him in from the beach while he's still drunk is no easy feat."
Emma chuckled, "That sounds like experience talking."
"Well, Scarlett does manage to find his way into a bottle of scotch while getting himself into mischief. We've all had to cart him around while he's drunk, or hungover, or sleeping off his liquor." Killian agreed. For the next fifteen minutes of wandering, Killian regaled with tales of Will Scarlett's shenanigans. Some she could barely believe, others made her believe Will was an eighteen-year old boy, not the twenty-six-year old he actually was.
When they stopped in front of Granny's, Emma motioned to the front door. "Can we patrol for something to eat?" She asked, "I haven't eaten anything other than grapes since breakfast."
Holding open the door, Killian nodded, "Of course, Deputy, after you." Emma studiously ignored Granny's look as the two sat in a booth.
When her hot cocoa was placed in front of her, and Killian had his coffee, Emma murmured, "Granny is watching us like a hawk."
Killian grinned, "Well, I never dine alone with a beautiful lass." He winked at her, enjoying the way she flushed prettily. "And I'd wager to say you, your friend, and your lad are still news in this small town." He took a sip of his coffee, "So what does Henry's father think about the move to Maine from Texas? Or does he live nearby?" Killian finally asked, "And how does August fit into the picture?" Killian had to admit that he was curious about the dynamic between Emma, Henry, and August, but so far Dave had been tight-lipped with whatever he knew about them.
Emma glanced down at the creamy liquid in her cup, the steam slowly rising up. The only reason she'd managed to avoid that question thus far was because she hadn't fully invested herself in the town yet. "Henry's dad isn't in the picture." Emma finally said, "It's just been the two of us since Henry was born." She paused, "And August has always been a support system. We've been friends since we were kids. The two of us were in the foster system together." She wasn't sure why she shared that tidbit, but she did feel a sense of safety with Killian that she hadn't expected, "When I was ready for a change, August just up and moved with us. He doesn't have a family either. We are each other's family."
When Emma looked up she found that Killian's blue eyes reflected an understanding that she hadn't expected. "I was raised by my older brother." Killian finally told her. "Our mother died when we were young. Our father was a criminal. He left us alone in the middle of the night. Liam was ten years my senior, so he just up and decided to take care of me. When he died, I didn't know what to do so I moved to the bloody United States. It was just me when I stumbled into town." He paused, "Now I have a support system much like you have. It's mostly Dave and his family." He admitted. "He's infuriatingly stubborn and wouldn't take no for an answer." Emma chuckled at that. She'd figured that out about the Nolans almost instantly.
"How'd you wind up as a deputy?" Emma asked as she picked a part an onion ring. She was finding she was less interested in the food on her plate and more interested in the handsome deputy seated across from her.
Killian took a bite of his cheeseburger, chewed, and swallowed, "I was drinking at the Hole. Trying to disappear, to be honest. Leroy and Will got into a brawl. I broke it up. I was holding Scarlett down with Dave and Graham showed up."
Laughing, Emma picked up her grilled cheese, "So David has a habit of getting Graham to hire people who take down the town's drunk."
"I guess so." Killian agreed. "Honestly, I'm glad Graham's brought you on now. Summer is so busy and we always have lost hikers, boaters who go out without enough fuel, and an occasional issue with tourists who Leroy disagrees with or who Scarlett pickpockets. We could use the extra hand."
Emma tried to hide her happy grin in her mug of cocoa. It felt nice to have someone indicate she was needed. And even more so, needed her for her work abilities. "Well, I can't complain. To have a job in a field I'm comfortable in is a gift. I honestly thought I'd be picking up shifts at a diner or a bar." Emma admitted. "And I wouldn't mind that, but this is better."
"Well, your friend August was right about your abilities. Also, Graham ran your background." Killian's brow furrowed as Emma's face paled a bit at that, "Standard procedure and all. Anyhow, he showed us your bail bonds record. It was quite impressive." He admitted. "Plus we have dental." He added to lighten the mood.
Emma flushed at the praise, "Thanks, I liked being a bail bondsperson. And I could be flexible to be with Henry. And dental will be handy as Henry gets older. The kid is going to need braces." She chuckled.
When Ruby dropped the bill on the table, Killian snapped it up before Emma could even protest, "Well, I look forward to getting to know you and your lad better." He grinned at her.
"I'm sure you will." Emma nodded toward the bill, "Thank you for lunch, Killian."
Killian tossed enough cash on the table to cover their bill and leave Ruby a healthy tip and stood. Emma followed suit, shrugging back into her jacket. "I should head back to our apartment. I need to finish tidying up before I go pick Henry up from school."
When they were standing back at her doorway a while later, Emma lingered for a moment, "Thank you for the tour, Killian. It was lovely and much appreciated. I feel like Monday won't be as intimidating now." She admitted.
Killian grinned at her, "Not a problem, Swan." He gave her a salute. He'd made it to the staircase to leave before pausing and turning around, "You know, on Tuesday the entire group of us is having dinner at Granny's. All the kids and all us grown-ups," He smiled, "even those of us without kids. Granny is closing early just for us. The three of you should come join us." Emma hesitated for a moment, "It's at 6. I hope you'll be there."
Twirling her keys in her hand, Emma finally nodded, "Yeah, besides, I think Henry would kill me if I said no."
Killian smiled, "See you tomorrow night, then, Swan."
"Tomorrow." Emma agreed.