Disclaimer: I do not own the Once Upon a Time franchise.
Chapter Eleven
"You're going to be great." August stood behind Emma as she changed her shirt for the third time.
Rolling her eyes at herself, Emma groaned, "I don't understand why I'm nervous." But she was nervous about her first official day on the job. So far no one had made any comments about their IDs and she knew Graham had run a background check on her. It looked like August's guy came through.
"First days are always nervewracking." August reminded her, "Especially when you're working with a certain British Deputy. . ." He teased.
"Ugh!" Emma threw him an aggravated glance at him. "You're so infuriating!"
Picking up a simple white long-sleeved t-shirt, August handed it to Emma, "Wear this. It's the police station, not an attorney's office in a high-rise. Besides, I'm willing to bet you will have to hunt down Scarlett at some point today."
Throwing the shirt over her head, Emma nodded, "Yeah, probably." She agreed, "It's kind of nice that Scarlett is this town's biggest problem." She admitted. "I didn't know towns like that existed outside of Hallmark movies."
August chuckled and picked up Emma's blue leather jacket for her to slip into, "Yeah, I know. I really like it here. I'm going back to the library again today. Belle needs some help with a shelf that broke. Apparently, the town's handyman, Marco, can't get to it until next week. I told her I could fix it."
Emma arched a brow at August's words, "You do know Belle is married. Right?" She asked.
August shoved her out of her room, "Yes, I know that. Don't worry, Ems, I'm not going to make any stupid decisions."
"Mom! Uncle Auggie!" Henry's voice echoed upstairs, "Let's go!" Emma knew he was ready to go to school. She was glad he was enjoying it again. By the time they'd left Scottsdale, Henry hated school.
Emma laughed and motioned for August to go down first. "Come on, Kid, let's get you to school and Momma to work."
Henry took her hand as they walked out into the hallway, "Uncle Auggie, what are you doing today?"
Uncle August locked the apartment door, "Back to the library again. I got a new story," he admitted, "about some drama with the governor of Colorado. I decided to take it."
Emma quirked a brow at that, but August's look said he'd explain why once they were alone. Since the day was so nice, they decided to walk to the school. Henry darted ahead the moment he saw Grace. "Gracie!" He cried out. Emma cringed at the fact that her seven-year old son already had a nickname for a girl. And it wasn't a mean nickname to pick on her. It was a sweet nickname.
Grace stopped and dropped her father's hand, turning quickly and sprinting toward Henry to give him a hug. "Henry! Are you so excited to finish the big birdhouse today? Uncle David is coming to help us!" She hopped around, waving absently to her dad before dragging Henry to the front doors of the school.
"Bye, Mom! Bye, Uncle Auggie!" Henry called out. He didn't even wave goodbye as he let Grace pull him into the building.
"Wow," Jefferson ambled over to them, "I guess I'm not the only man in her life now."
Emma sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, "Yeah, I know the feeling. He's growing up. I feel like that now more than ever since he's met Grace."
Jefferson just shook his head, "I bet they'd love to have a playdate just the two of them." He grimaced a little bit at the thought, but continued, "What about Saturday? I could take them to the park." He led August and Emma away from the school, walking toward the downtown. Emma and August followed since they were all headed in the same direction. It was nice that they could walk everywhere.
Emma only hesitated for a moment before agreeing. Henry would be so happy that he would have a day with just Grace. "Maybe we could meet for dinner after?"
"Oh!" Jefferson, smacked his head, "I guess you haven't heard about movies in the park!" He grinned, "Now that the weather has turned, we try to do movies every other week in the park. It's something Regina started once she started dating Robin. She thought Roland would like it. And, of course, all the kids go. Why don't we meet for dinner and then meet everyone in the park for the movie? Grace wants to go. They're showing Space Jam."
August let out a whoop, "I love that movie! Emma can we go?" He asked, his blue eyes wide and begging.
Emma chuckled, "Jefferson, have you met my second child, August?" She joked. "And yes, we'd love to go. Henry really likes the movie too."
"Great!" Jefferson held out his phone, "Do you want to put your number in?"
Emma's hands shook as she dug into her pocket for her own phone. She hadn't used it since August had handed it to her back in the motel in Portland. She was still paranoid that Walsh would find her through the old-school burner phone. "Yeah, August, he should have your number too." She murmured as she typed her phone number into Jefferson's phone.
"Whoa," Jefferson looked at her phone, "I haven't seen a flip phone in a long time." He noted August had one too.
Emma shrugged, "I don't really use it. August doesn't either." She spoke for him. Jefferson shrugged and put his number in both of their phones and then accepted his back. He also noted that the only contacts in Emma and August's phone were each other's numbers and numbers from the people they'd encountered in Storybrooke. There didn't seem to be any other contacts listed. Emma stopped walking as the Sheriff's Station came into view, "Well, that's me. Killian's expecting me." She waved to them, letting August and Jefferson continue on together.
August and Jefferson walked in a companionable silence for a moment before Jefferson finally asked, "So with Emma working at the Sheriff's Station, what are you up to?"
August chuckled, "I'm a journalist. I'm going to be working on a piece about the governor of Colorado." He told Jefferson. "I'm probably going to have travel soon, but I want to put it off as long as possible. I want to make sure Emma and Henry are fully settled." And safe.
Jefferson nodded, "Well, at least Emma and Henry have a support system here now." He noted the protective edge in August's look and tone when he talked about leaving Emma and Henry to go to Colorado. "We'd all look out for the two of them." He promised August, "We always would."
August looked away, feeling the guilt wash over him once more at leaving Emma and Henry with Walsh to travel the world, "Thanks." He felt a little choked up at the promise in Jefferson's words. "This is me." August motioned to the library. "I'll see you later, Jefferson. And that goes both ways." At Jefferson's confused look, August clarified, "I'll be watching out for you and Grace too." Jefferson wasn't sure if that was a threat or not.
Jefferson gave him a mumbled thank you before crossing the street to where his grocery store was located.
Emma opened the door to the Sheriff's Station and found Killian seated at his desk, feet propped up, a file in his hand, and a pen stuck between his teeth. Using his legs as a table, Killian scribbled what Emma assumed to be his signature on a form before putting the pen back between his teeth. "Deputy Swan reporting for duty." Emma got his attention.
Killian nearly jumped out of his skin at Emma's voice. "Swan!" He greeted her with a wide grin. "Welcome to your first day on the beat." He tossed the file and pen on his desk and crossed the room to greet her. He hesitated before giving her a hug. Emma tentatively returned it, unsure of herself around him. Killian noticed how tense she was and how stiffly she held herself as he hugged her. Pulling back quickly, Killian gave her a wink, "Ready for your first day?"
Emma shrugged out of her jacket and hung it up on the hat and coat stand in the corner next to Killian's black leather jacket, "Yeah, I think so. Is it set to be a busy day?"
Killian shrugged and led her over to an empty desk, "Your desk, Deputy Swan." Emma noted that it was the only desk not piled with papers. It held a desktop computer, a desk phone, a stapler, a tape dispenser, and a Sheriff's Station coffee mug filled with pens, pencils, and highlighters. "And you never know what our days will entail. Sometimes nothing interesting happens and other days were hunting down Scarlett or breaking up a fight." He glanced at his watch, "How about some cocoa and coffee from Granny's?" When Emma nodded, Killian picked up an old school Nokia phone from his desk, lifted the receiver of the desk phone and typed in a few buttons before the little cell phone in his hand beeped. He seemed to double check something before shoving the phone in his back pocket. "Alright, calls are forwarded in case there's an emergency."
Emma made a mental note of what Killian had done to be able to leave the station unattended before she let him help her slip into her blue leather coat. "Thanks, and cocoa sounds amazing." She agreed.
The two walked down the street, greeting people as they passed by. Once inside, the two sat up at the bar, letting Ruby know what they wanted. Killian wasn't sure what to say at first, but finally he broke the silence once their drinks were in front of them, "So, how is this after growing up in Texas?"
Emma paused to think about it for a moment, "It's a lot different. The winters are going to be a lot." Emma grinned. She knew what northeastern winters were like from growing up in Boston, but she could pretend to follow along with August's backgrounds for them. "Everything is different from Texas though." Even though Emma had never been to Texas she knew that had to be true. "Honestly, this is way more beautiful."
Killian nodded, "Aye, I think it's even more lovely than London. That's where I'm from." Killian clarified, "But I like that it's all small and not some bustling city."
"What was it like growing up in England and then moving here?"
Killian turned to face her, their knees bumping together, "A big difference." He admitted, "I originally moved to Portland." He told her, "It was after my brother died in Her Majesty's Royal Navy." He paused, his eyes clouding over, "I just had to get out of London. I don't even know how I wound up in Portland and I was just drunk all of the time. Not working, just drinking and living in a shoddy motel." He paused, "One day I woke up and just decided I'd had enough of the motel. So, I hopped in the truck I'd purchased and just drove north. I was hungry and needed to fill up the tank with gas, so I stopped here at Granny's. I sat down there." He motioned to the bar stool at the very end, "And I drank coffee that I'd laced with whiskey. Vic sat down next to me and introduced himself and then he started babbling on about wanting to ask out Ruby." He paused, "I stopped listening, threw down cash and left. I wound up at The Rabbit Hole. I thought I could vanish there." The look on his face got even darker, "Then Scarlett started some sort of brawl that I decided to break up and Dave and Graham showed up. Then I was trapped in the Nolan's web." The look on Killian's face told Emma that he was hiding something else, but it wasn't her place to question what it was. She was clearly hiding the biggest secret of them all. . . a husband.
Reaching over, Emma placed her hand on his left wrist, her fingers tracing over a scar there, "I'm so sorry you went through all of that, Killian. No one deserves that kind of loss."
Very slowly, Killian withdrew his hand and wrapped it around his coffee mug, "Aye, thank you, Emma. We all have sordid pasts, I suppose." Emma had to agree with that.
After they finished their drinks, Killian tossed some cash on the table and led them out of the diner to the sidewalk. They walked quietly together down the street, both of them lost in their own worlds. "I know that was a lot, lass." Killian finally told her.
Emma smiled, "It's okay, Killian, it's your life. You can't change it and you can't control that kind of loss."
Killian seemed to be warring with something in his mind before he finally said, "You can't control it either." He reminded her, "I can't imagine what the foster system was like." She looked away at his words. "To not have a family," he hesitated, "you have a community now, though, Emma." Her eyes shot over to him, "Maybe one day you'll tell me more of your story?"
Emma was a little uncomfortable with how deep and personal their conversations were, but she was even more nervous with how comfortable she was with him. "Maybe, and maybe one day you'll tell me more of yours." She gave him a knowing look and he realized that she knew he hadn't told her everything. Maybe one day they would both share?