Emma let out a deep breath as she filed away the last of the paperwork for that day.
It had been a few weeks since the theft at the Nautilus. The thief was now serving a prison sentence. While the police department wasn't able to recover all of the stolen money, they were able to retain a portion of what the business owners had lost.
When Emma turned back around, David asked her, "You ready to face Brennan?"
The blonde let out another breath before she determinedly stated, "Yeah, I am."
David sighed before he told her, "Just be careful, Emma."
She rolled her eyes in response. She then pointed out, "We've went over this. I'll be fine."
"I know you will - you're one of our best interrogators. You're basically a human lie detector. You can almost always tell when is lying or telling the truth. I know this is personal for you, but you need to know the truth. I don't want your emotions to stop you from getting it," David emphatically told her.
Emma ran her fingers through her hair as she thought over his words. David had a point - he pretty much always did.
But Emma could do this. She would do this.
She then responded, "Thanks for the concern. But I'll be okay. Really."
David nodded in response. He then told her, "I should get going. I'll see you later, Emma." He then paused and added, "I hope everything goes well."
Emma nodded at that before she spoke, "See you later." David then headed out of the office.
The blonde then straightened up her desk a bit and shut off her computer before she headed to the parking lot.
As she got in her yellow bug, she took a deep breath before she thought, "Here goes nothing." She then put her car in drive and headed toward the restaurant.
When she had arrived, she steeled her nerves before she parked and headed inside.
Emma casually walked to the bar and sat down. Brennan was currently fixing drinks for other patrons and had his back to the blonde.
When Brennan had served those customers, he walked over to Emma and tilted his head before he spoke, "You're one of the detectives who was working on the robbery. I thought that was all taken care of."
"It is. I'm just here for a drink," Emma told him.
He nodded before he asked, "And what can I get you?"
The blonde thought for a moment. While one glass of rum wasn't going to hurt her, she needed to be responsible. Besides the fact that she'd be driving home, she needed full control of her faculties.
"I think I'll just have a club soda. I'd rather drive myself home later."
Brennan nodded before he began fixing her drink. As he did, Emma couldn't help but think about the resemblance he shared with his kids.
While Belle was the spitting image her mother, she and Killian really did get their eyes from their father. It was unmistakable. There was also the dark hair that Brennan passed down to his son.
Emma was still lost in thought when her drink was placed in front of her.
"Can I get you anything else, Emma?" Brennan asked her. A moment later, the blonde answered, "Oh! Uh, no. I'm good, thanks."
Brennan nodded before he went to check on his other customers. He then proceeded to clean a few of the glasses that had piled up.
As Emma took a sip of the club soda, it hit her, and her emotions were somewhere between satisfaction, curiosity, and a bit of anger.
The blonde quickly downed the glass - shoulders sagging in relief that she had opted out of the alcohol - before she tapped it against the bar to get his attention.
He walked over and commented, "Rather thirsty, aren't you, lass?" He then asked her, "Do you want another club soda?"
Emma took a breath and remembered David's advice before she calmly spoke, "What I want is to know how you know my name."
Brennan's eyes widened, and he blinked several times. He then covered, "Perhaps you misheard me."
"I'm pretty sure I know the sound of my own name," Emma challenged, somehow managing to keep her voice even.
"I believe that someone called you that the morning you came here to check out the robbery," Brennan tried another excuse.
The blonde refrained from rolling her eyes. He clearly wasn't too thrilled about the fact that she had found him.
Still, she pressed on. "We were on a case. As such, I was only called Detective Swan," she pointed out.
She then took a breath and stated, "Look, I think we should just cut to the chase. You know who I am…"
"And you know who I am. Or at least, you know about me," Brennan finished with a sigh.
Emma raised an eyebrow at his tone before she commented, "You don't sound very surprised."
Brennan ran a hand through his hair before he slowly admitted, "Well, lass, when I'd discovered that my daughter's best friend, who is also my son's girlfriend, is a detective, I realized it would only be a matter of time before you'd find out that I was here."
This time, Emma narrowed her eyes at him, to which he responded, "You're not the only one with research."
As a hint of a smirk developed on his face, the blonde immediately knew that is where Killian got it from.
She then noticed that his expression changed to one she couldn't quite decipher as he suggested, "I don't think this is the place to have this conversation." He glanced at his watch before he continued, "We close in 15 minutes. Perhaps we can meet at Central Park?"
Emma eyed him warily for a few moments. She then realized that she knew he wasn't dangerous and that a public place was safe enough.
Besides, this was the only way to get the answers she was searching for.
"Fine by me. I'll see you there," she told him. She then paid for her drink before heading out the door without another word.
As she got in her car, she took a deep breath and let it out before leaning back against the seat.
She had found him; her gut had been right. Now the conversation she had been imagining was about to become reality.
She wasn't sure what the reality would be, but she was damn sure that she'd get the whole story.
Emma then pulled out and made her way out of the restaurant before she headed for Central Park.
Twirling her keys around her finger, Emma was waiting on Brennan. She pushed herself up from leaning against her car when a truck pulled in beside her.
Brennan stepped out and spoke, "Shall we?" as he motioned to a bench nestled underneath a tree.
Emma nodded before the two of them headed over to the bench and sat down.
Neither of them said a word for a while, just listening to the sounds of the park. When the silence had become deafening, Emma spoke, "I'm kind of surprised you wanted to talk. You weren't thrilled when you realized that I knew who you were."
Brennan sighed before he told her, "As I've told you, I knew you were a detective. Once I realized that you did know about me, I could gather what you thought about me."
"Can you blame me?" Emma snapped with crossed arms. A moment later, she ran her fingers through her hair and mumbled just loud enough for him to hear, "Sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. I understand why you feel the way you do," he assured her.
Emma simply nodded in response. She then took a deep breath before she admitted, "Just so you know, I wouldn't have given up on getting answers from you. I was expecting way more resistance from you."
She turned to look at him as she continued, "Why did you agree so easily? You're the one who suggested we come here to meet."
Brennan sighed before he rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. He then spoke, "I want to know how they are."
Emma narrowed her eyes for a moment before she simply gave him the facts: "Well, Killian owns and manages a coffee shop while Belle is the head librarian…"
Brennan put a hand up to stop her before he clarified, "I know all of that. What I meant was is how are they really doing? What are they like?"
The blonde narrowed her eyes once more. He seemed really sincere, but her protective instinct was taking the lead.
"They're fine - no thanks to you. Why should I even tell you how they're doing? So you can clear your conscience and leave?"
Brennan was calm as replied, "Despite what you may think, Emma, I really do want a chance to make things right with Killian and Belle."
"And why should I believe you? You've had 25 years to make things right, and you've only decided to grow a conscience in the last year," Emma argued, desperately trying to keep the anger in check.
Brennan sighed before he told her, "I've spent most of my life running from my past. Trying to get away from everything I had done between the embezzlement and abandoning my families. But it seems I could never quite run far enough."
His words struck a chord in Emma. She ran from every foster home she ever stayed in - no matter how much she felt she belonged, there was always the reminder that she was a worthless orphan, and she always would be. And that it was her fault that her parents didn't want her. Having her heart broken and trust shattered at 18 only confirmed that notion. Even after she had become close with Belle, David, and Mary Margaret, she had convinced herself she didn't deserve the chance to fall in love, and she sure as hell didn't deserve for anyone to fall in love with her. This fear made her almost lose the guy who would - and continues to - give her everything.
She then shoved those thoughts aside. They may cope in similar ways, but their circumstances and situations were totally different. She hadn't acted in her own self-interest.
She then asked Brennan, "How'd you even end up here anyway?"
He took a breath before he explained, "I realized that I had to stop running if I had any hope of building a real life for myself. I know it was long overdue, but I figured that it's never too late to do the right thing - the right thing being making sure that my children were alright.
"So, I did some searching. I was heartbroken to learn that Liam had passed on," pausing as the emotions welled up.
Emma had her arms crossed over her chest as she spoke, "I know it hit Killian really hard…"
"Because they were really close. I remember they were that way as children, and Killian always looked up to Liam. I imagine it was even more so when they only had each other," Brennan supplied.
"Yeah, it was," the blonde quietly agreed. She then took a breath and continued, "So, I'm assuming that you moved here after finding out that both Killian and Belle lived here."
"Yes, I did. And while I was a bit surprised that they had actually found each other and seemed to be close, I was so happy that they were, well, happy. Their jobs seemed to be going well, and they seemed to have a lot of people who cared about them. It was all I could have wanted for them."
"And yet, after finding all this out, you stayed," Emma pointed out. She then asked, "Why?"
Brennan sighed once more before he spoke, "I know I don't deserve a second chance after everything I've done - between the embezzlement that I used my sons as an excuse to try to rationalize my greed, abandoning them when I was afraid I would get caught, starting over after prison only to abandon my wife and another child when the guilt became too much, but I'd like a chance to make amends - to truly have a chance to make things right. But I don't know that they'd want to see me, and I can't say I blame them."
At that point, it had all become a bit too much for Emma. She wanted to believe him - she could see that he had been telling the truth. But the thought of Killian and Belle having to dredge up their pain was too much to bear.
"Damn right you can't blame them. They all went through hell because of you. God, Liam was only 14 when he had to try raise Killian, who was only 7 at the time and didn't even really have a damn clue what was going on. All that he knew was that you left, and he thought it was his fault that you didn't love him anymore. It was only by some miracle and a saint of a neighbor that they didn't get tossed in the system. Liam had to work whenever he had free time just to make ends meet, and Killian ended up helping because it wasn't always enough. Neither one them knew what it meant to really be a kid.
"And Colette and Belle? Colette had to work 2 jobs just to provide for the two of them, but she still did her damndest to make sure that she spent quality time with her daughter. But for a long time, a lot of that time was spent soothing a little girl who couldn't understand why her father would just leave her. Belle also believed that it was her fault that you didn't love her, and Colette had to have enough love for two people just to make Belle see that they didn't need you to be happy and to feel loved.
"This happiness that you see? It took them a hell of a long time to get there - it may not have all been your fault, but you left them both with a deep scar that took a long time to heal. Hell will freeze over before I let you anywhere near them, good intentions or not."
Emma then got up and stormed off, not even bothering to look at Brennan's expression that was somewhere between remorse, sympathy, and hurt.
The blonde jerked her car door open before plopping down in her seat. She slammed the door shut before white-knuckling the steering wheel.
How dare he waltz in here and think that he can just come back into Killian and Belle's lives after everything he put them through.
She then took a series of deep breaths, slowly feeling herself start to calm down. As she let go of the steering wheel to run both hands through her hair, a realization came to her mind.
It wasn't up to her as to whether Brennan came back into his children's lives. It was solely up to Killian and Belle. As much as she wanted to protect them, she didn't have a say as to whether or not they wanted to give their father a chance.
"So much for following David's advice," Emma grumbled at herself. She then sighed deeply before she got out of her car - she knew what she had to do.
Just as she started making her way back to the bench, she saw Brennan making his way up the concrete walkway.
"Hey, Brennan," she called out before he looked up at her. He then told her, "I'm surprised that you're still here."
"Yeah, well," Emma began before she steeled her nerves and admitted, "I realized that I needed to calm down, and I then saw that I needed to apologize."
"You don't have to apologize, Emma. I destroyed my children's lives, and I wrecked two families. I know there's nothing I can do or say that would take that back," Brennan spoke.
"No, you can't rewrite the past," the blonde conceded. She then paused and spoke, "But you're here in New York and you're trying - you've stayed. That's saying something, at least. You haven't made excuses for what you've done - you've owned up to the fact that you screwed up and you're trying to do something about it. And probably most of all, you've put up with me arguing and yelling at you."
Brennan couldn't help but chuckle at the last part before he acknowledged, "You're trying to protect the people you love - I can't fault you for that."
"Yeah, I am. I mean, Belle is my best friend, and Killian is my boyfriend. They're two of the most important people in my life," Emma began, choosing to ignore the fact that she'd pretty much admitted to loving Killian, "And I let my emotions cloud my judgment. I should have tried to hear you out instead of jumping to all these conclusions. I am sorry."
"It's quite alright, lass," Brennan assured her. Emma offered a small smile before she asked him, "How'd you end up working for Nemo?"
"Well, once I decided on staying in town, I knew that the temporary jobs I had been doing wouldn't work. I'd have to earn a steady living and find a place to live other than a cheap motel. Nemo was a good friend of mine, and he was looking to expand his food truck into the restaurant he has now. He knew all about my past and that I was looking to someday soon reconnect with my children. He wanted to help me out, and I was grateful for the chance. I had experience in both construction and bartending. I think you can figure out the rest."
Emma nodded before she commented, "Nemo sounds like a great guy and a great friend."
"He is. I think he's only true friend I've ever had," Brennan conceded before he spoke, "He helped me to realize that I needed to forgive myself if I ever wanted Killian and Belle to forgive me. He was right. It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do, and it's still hard on some days, but I've managed to come to terms with my past, and I'm trying to move forward. I really have changed, and I can only hope that Killian and Belle will one day see that."
Emma took a few moments to process Brennan's words before she commented, "You really are serious about this." She then took a breath and told him, "You'll have to give them time, but I think that they will."
He offered a small smile before Emma ran her fingers through her hair and admitted, "Once I tell them about you."
Brennan tilted his head at her as he simply observed, "They don't know that you're here."
She shook her head before she said, "I just couldn't let them get hurt again."
Brennan nodded before he shot her an understanding look. He then told you, "You know, Emma, I have to say that I'm happy that my children have you looking out for them."
Emma smiled as she replied, "They do the same for me. I don't know where I'd be without them." Brennan smiled back in response.
The blonde then told him, "I should get back home. I have some things to do, and I now have to think about how to tell Killian and Belle about you."
Brennan nodded in response, "Thank you for hearing me out, Emma. I know it was difficult for you."
"It was. But as soon as I found out that there was a remote possibility that you were in town, I knew that Killian and Belle deserved to know whether you were or not. And what your agenda was. If it turned out that you were selfishly motivated, I would have convinced you to just leave. It would have been hard for Killian and Belle to hear, but at least they wouldn't have had to see you again," Emma began.
She then paused and continued, "But I won't have to do any of that. If Killian and Belle want to give you another chance, I won't stand in the way. You really do want what's best for them."
"Thank you, Emma," Brennan genuinely told her. He then spoke, "I'll let you get going, lass. I have to go as well. I suppose we'll be seeing each other soon."
She simply nodded before she assured him, "I will tell them as soon as I can."
"I appreciate it," he replied. The blonde nodded once more before two of them headed to their vehicles.
As Emma sat down in the driver's seat, she let out a deep sigh. That was not how she had pictured that conversation going. At all.
But, she found herself being happy for Killian and Belle. Brennan really had changed, and he wanted another chance to be the father he should have been all along. Part of her hoped he would get it.
She couldn't predict how her best friend and boyfriend would react, and she couldn't predict how any of this would turn out. But, if there's thing she had personally learned, it was that sometimes, people who run are really looking for a reason to stop.
A/N: Hey, y'all! I hope you all are enjoying "Second Chance!" I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm taking a mini-break from "The Clash" to write a couple one-shots for "Together One-Shots." Until next time, my lovelies :)