A/N: Hey everybody! So first and foremost, thank you all so much for your responses to the first chapter of this fic. It has been exciting to wade into new waters, and this AU is exactly that for me. As promised last time, this chapter represents a jump into the future, and many of you might think to yourselves, wow, Emily, you really skipped a lot of stuff here. No worries, there will be some flashbacks and plenty of explanations going forward. I just don't love angst so much, and wanted to get us to a better place before we relive some of the earlier parts of this CS love story. Anyway, thanks to you all for tuning back in and I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Three Months Later
Packing up the last of his things in this shithole apartment, Killian was struck by how easy it was to say goodbye to a place he'd lived for months on end.
It was no hardship to close this chapter and to bid farewell to this hollow and lifeless space. Oh it had flair and style, and many would see it and acknowledge that by New York City standards this flat was a castle in the sky, with clean white lines and ample room considering the density of the city. But it would never be his style. His home – his real home - was nothing like this. It was free and open and warm. It was removed from the hustle and bustle, nestled away in a place of calm. Not like this place.
From the jump, Killian made sure to keep nothing of value stowed away here. There were furnishings included when he signed the lease, ones that spoke to his higher status in the syndicate, and which gave the right air of self-importance, should anyone ever come to check up on him. Yet there were no traces of him at all, despite the privacy and protection the place provided. He brought no remnants of his past or his real life to New York. There were no pictures, no mementos, nothing that he looked at and saw any real value in. Everything here was part of a façade designed to keep up with the lies he told to stay alive, and even that was kept to a bare minimum. Lies were easier to manage when there were less of them to own, and to an outsider, this place looked exactly like what it was – the crash pad of a man with very little time and little attention to decorative details. That never bothered Killian though, as this place was not important; it was merely a means to an end.
That end was grounded in one goal: kill the man they called the Crocodile. It was the only reason he'd ever come to New York, the reason he'd started this descent into the underbelly of society. It had driven him for years, the need to get revenge on a beast so sinister he couldn't even be called a man. Slowly but surely, Killian had ingratiated himself into the world of this monster, climbing up the ranks of the man's operation, earning tiny morsels of Gold's trust, and getting ever closer to a moment where he could kill his enemy, ridding the world of one of its darkest beings. But then something unexpected happened – in the midst of total darkness, he'd found an angel, the only one capable of pulling him into the light. Emma.
Emma Swan was a rare gem in the midst of soot and ash. In the New York underworld, where Killian had been operating for over a year, he had never run into anyone like her, but three months back, when he was returning from a run, he'd encountered her for the first time. It was all a matter of chance really. He had only just arrived from his assignment monitoring a shipment of guns from the Irish to the Crocodile. His job was to survey the transaction, to make sure the Irish held up their end, and to ensure the guns made it from point a to point b. Then, right as he was reporting back for duty, another member of the crew was busted for skimming profits by Gold. Gold's normal enforcer was tied up with a cartel issue, necessitating Killian's retrieval abilities to be used for the first time. It was at first a sign from a higher power that he was moving up the ranks, and Killian appreciated that movement if it meant justice would come sooner. But then he saw Emma, and in the sight of such a heavenly gift, his whole world shifted. He hardly deserved her, stained as he was from the choices he had made and the things that he'd done, but from the moment they met, he was dead set on trying to be better for her and for the sake of their future.
Closing his eyes even now, he remembered that night so clearly. Emma was dressed in the bar's uniform of a short black skirt and a revealing gold top. It was barely decent, designed to be leered at by patrons, and certainly not made for the long, grueling hours that she worked. But as he watched her strut about the place in those matching black heels no woman should be able to maneuver, Killian felt the pierce of cupid's arrow at his breast. Her long blonde hair hung loose around her in cascading curls that tempted his fingers. He wanted to run his hand through it and see if it felt as silky smooth as those golden strands appeared. His eyes trailed down her body and he'd taken in her mix of slender curves and undeniable allure. Then he looked back to her face again, struck by its charm and classic beauty.
Just the sight of her was enough to leave him breathless, but when she looked at him and he watched her cheeks flush and her lip catch between her teeth, he was gone. She didn't seem aware in the slightest of the situation she was causing just by existing. Maybe she thought she was attractive, she must, given the ogling eyes that emanated from every corner of the Lair, but the truth was Emma was temptation made flesh. It was like a star made of hope and possibility had come down from heaven and graced this dismal place with one of its own. Though the bar was dark, every light seemed to find its way to her and the rest of the world faded away. For a moment Killian had wondered if he were suffering from some kind of hallucination, but after blinking a few times Emma remained where she was. Thank Christ.
That first night, their meeting was too quick. They had no time to delve deeper or see if the spark of their first interaction was more than a moment, but Killian knew it was. The second he touched her, a thrill coursed through his veins, lighting him up in ways he'd never been before. At that moment, he realized he could never truly walk away from this woman. One subtle graze of skin on skin and he was hooked, addicted to her light and vibrancy. That made leaving her that night and every other night the past few months so damned regrettable, but now that was over. Tonight they'd be leaving New York, never to come back to this hell on earth, and for the rest of his days he'd stay with his Swan, protecting her, adoring her and loving her forever more.
Those thoughts of forever stayed with him as he double checked the apartment one last time. A final scan revealed what he expected – there was nothing of import to leave behind. His whole life fit in one small rucksack, and that was for the best. He didn't want to prompt suspicion as he left, and his neighbors were used to seeing him with bags of this shape and size. It needed to look like any other night, and thanks to his carefully plotted attentions, it did.
Sitting behind the wheel of the vehicle he'd been using this past year, Killian started it up and heard the tell-tale purr of its sport ability. It was purposefully subtle, but anyone who knew cars knew this model was a beast on the road. Made for daring speeds and fast getaways, this car had been an accessory to a number of questionable moments, but none held the stakes he was facing tonight. He pulled out of the car park and drove, his awareness at an all-time high as he looked down at his watch. He had an hour to get somewhere twenty minutes away, but he used every minute to make sure he was safe and undetected.
Though no one was following him at any point of the drive, Killian made sure to take precautions. He took mostly side streets and alleyways that he'd studied now for weeks. Gold knew all the details of this car, and he was notorious for keeping track of his soldiers, so Killian had to be prepared. Gold had a connection to the police department and an all access pass to their street-search camera grid. More than 90% of the city was hooked into this means of surveillance, but Killian had studied that grid for weeks, and by now knew how to avoid nearly every camera.
When he finally arrived at the drop site, he was certain that no one had followed him and he was confident his movements were not noted. He then moved to the side of the dilapidated building he'd parked behind and took out his supplies. He had a crowbar to remove the license plates, and a blasting gun to cut out all trackable VIN numbers and different parts identifiers. He eroded those trackable features and then took the gasoline can he'd hidden in this building days ago and doused the car. He lit the fucker up, and watched the flames rise. With a blaze this high there was always a risk, but he knew this was out of the way and the burn would hurt nothing and no one. In ten minutes enough damage would be done to destroy any evidence, but even that wasn't enough. His contact's men would be here tomorrow to drag the wreckage to impound and have it compacted. There'd be no trace left of this car for anyone to find.
When enough time had passed for Killian to be certain the blaze would stay strong enough to work, he walked half a mile to the nearest bus stop. He traveled five stops rather quickly given the time of night, and then walked another quarter mile to the warehouse where he was set to meet the man who could get him out of here. By the time he walked up to the back door, the timer he'd set on his watch buzzed. He was exactly on time, but from what he could tell, he was the first to arrive.
Moving forward, Killian saw the shoddy looking tarp along the back wall and smiled. He moved to the object with purpose and pulled off the covering to reveal his bike. Damn he'd missed the old girl. He couldn't keep any trace of this motorcycle while on his quest for revenge, but he couldn't bear to give her up. Call him sentimental, but this machine was too beautiful and capable to abandon. It was the first splurge he'd allowed himself when he got out of the service, and the closest key to freedom a man could possess. For a long time, this bike had been his greatest love in life. But remembering that fact struck him in the gut. Now that he thought about it, that was pretty pathetic. He had never really understood love until Emma, and this moment made that all too clear.
"Is this the part where you tell me you're having second thoughts?" a voice asked from behind Killian and without turning he knew it was Will Scarlet, his ticket out of what would otherwise be a sticky situation. Killian cursed at his lack of attentiveness. For Will to be able to walk in here without him knowing was not good, even if Will was a specialist at doing exactly that.
"Never," Killian replied, finally meeting his friend's gaze.
"Well, if you're going to righteously piss off the most powerful man in New York, you might as well have conviction," Will joked. Killian couldn't join him in the lightheartedness, because he understood that under the teasing tone was all truth. The Crocodile would be pissed, but it didn't matter. He'd be weighed down in a trap too strong to break out of, and while he wrangled with the crumbling of his empire, Killian and Emma would break away once and for all.
"You get the files?" Will asked, his face searching for good news. Killian laughed and produced the small flash drive Will had given him a month ago. He tossed it across the room to Will's waiting hands.
"Have I ever failed you?"
"Not once," Will said truthfully. "Makes me happy you changed your mind on all this. I know this wasn't your first plan."
Will was hinting at Killian's original intention, which was to kill Gold, not turn his allegiances to the feds. Once upon a time a legal take down of this monster had been considered deeply unsatisfying. The only thing Killian thought he would ever accept was the knowledge that Gold was dead and by his hands, but that all changed with Emma. He couldn't have his revenge like that and have her too, for a multitude of reasons. For one thing, logistically he'd never survive an assassination against the Crocodile. The man was highly guarded with too many fail safes in place for it to be a clean and easy kill. For another, he'd never be able to look his sweet Swan in the eyes again if he killed in cold blood. He'd taken lives before, but never in vengeance. It was always for honor, to protect the living, not avenge the dead.
"Plans change."
"That they do, especially when there's love involved."
Killian didn't even try to argue with that assessment from Will. He made no attempt to hide his feelings for Emma. In fact, he'd been candid from the start. When he reconnected with Will three months ago, a few days after meeting his Swan, he was honest from the start. He would help to bring Gold in, but his price was absolute.
"Did you hold up your end of the bargain?"
"You know I did," Will said, producing papers that Killian looked over, knowing they'd be burned in a matter of minutes.
They said everything he needed to see – official signed approval from a judge that he had total and full immunity from all actions he'd taken as a member of Gold's crew. An exemption of identification from the impending trial, and a promise that he and Emma would never be called to testify. Their names were so far out of this, the FBI had no server that held their names. Will had told exactly no one who they were except the judge, and the judge was clean and able to be trusted.
"It didn't hurt when he saw your military record," Will admitted, causing Killian to flinch. No one was supposed to see that. His work was always too classified for anyone to know. "But don't worry, all history of that being accessed were completely erased. I used data protection NSA couldn't crack."
"And the reward money?"
"The funds have all been wired to the specified account. Emma is the only one with access, all of it under her new last name."
Killian lit the pages on fire, trusting all of this to be above board. He didn't dare to take them with him as they were traveling and he knew Will would have deposited needed copies somewhere they'd be safe. In the meantime, Will produced a pouch with new passports and IDs as well as a stack of cash. Killian raised a brow at the money and Will shrugged.
"I wasn't sure how much you were taking with you, and that's 3 months of CI pay I never gave you. Maybe you can stay in some half decent places. Treat your girl to something better than a Motel 6."
Killian didn't bother arguing with Will. He didn't need the money, he'd brought plenty already, and he had more than enough stashed back home. But he accepted Will's generosity and knew he'd use it to spend on Emma. God knew she deserved it, and he would find a way to make her happy, providing him the only reward he could ever want.
"What's the temperature looking like this evening?" Will asked, and Killian took the question for what it was – Will wanted to know how much heat Gold and his men would be packing.
"Six Hungarians, two Russians, and the Irishmen. Anywhere from four to seven. Gold will be there, but not his son."
"Neal fall out of favor again?" Will asked.
"He's leaky," Killian said, repeating Gold's exact words.
The irony was not lost on him – it was only though Gold's son that Killian had managed to get access to the server Gold kept hold of containing all of his extensive blackmail accounts for decades. Even with that though, there had been a need for hacking the system and Killian had needed Neal to get that done. Gold's son was given just enough to think he mattered, but nothing near the whole scope of any issue. Still, the bust was going to focus primarily on the things Gold's son did know, and subsequent prosecutions of Gold and his allies would be explained away as revelations that came from those initial breadcrumbs.
"Can't deny that. His big mouth is the bedrock of this whole case. Well at least it was, until this. I owe you for this, Killian."
"And I owe you. Without you I couldn't have done this. For Emma and for me."
"Well, the bust goes down in thirty more minutes. And you've got places to be. Wouldn't want to keep the little missus waiting," Will said, and though the words slammed into Killian, he had to push through. If he wanted to make that title a reality for Emma, not just on the papers they'd been given, they had to get out of here. The stakes were too high for them to mess around.
With a last goodbye to Will, Killian revved up his motorcycle and shot out into the night. He had one last spot to go to, and he just prayed that when he got there Emma would be there safe and sound. It was a risk, what he was asking her to do tonight, but she was so damn smart and savy, and above all, she was a survivor. He had to believe that she could do this and that it would all go exactly as it should.
What if she was discovered leaving? He thought, as he got closer to their hideout. What if the Crocodile has somehow discovered our plan? Hell, what if she's changed her mind, or if she's realized that she is worth so much more than a man who bears the scarring of a criminal?
These thoughts plagued him as he raced to the abandoned garment factory that was ten blocks from The Lair. It was way too close for comfort, but just outside of Gold's highly surveilled radius. Ten blocks in New York at night was a worrying trek for anyone, but for Emma, a 'ward' of Gold's who owed a debt, it was potentially fatal. The fear at what might happen if she was caught grabbed hold of his heart, and when his anxiety was about to take him over, he heard the soft echo of Emma's knock on the wooden door. It was a sound pattern only the two of them knew and his heart leapt in relief as he moved to let her in. When he saw her there on the other side of the door, safe and looking like she could hardly wait to go, Killian felt like the luckiest man alive.
"You're here," he whispered, pulling her into him, his arms encircling her and pulling her close so he could breathe her in and convince himself he hadn't dreamed her up.
"Of course, I'm here," replied sincerely, her hand coming up to cup his cheek as her eyes searched his. Her smile was the most beautiful thing the world over, as was the soft laugh she let escape in the fact of his needless worry. "You promised me forever, Killian, and I intend to collect."
Her words pushed him to action, and without thought to the fact that they needed to get going as soon as could be, Killian kissed her. It wasn't a tame expression of his love either, but a scintillating symbol of his unyielding devotion to Emma and her pleasure. He would live every day of his hopefully long life worshiping her and trying to make her see how much he loved her. She was a miracle – his saving grace – and if he could make her feel even a fraction of the joy and happiness she brought into his life he would be happy. All of that promise he threw into this kiss, and when they finally broke apart, Emma's responding expression told him she'd understood him completely and that she wanted him just as much.
"Forever isn't enough," Killian said honestly. "No amount of time could ever be enough with you, Swan."
"I know," Emma whispered before pressing one last soft kiss against his lips. "So let's not wait any more. Let's go home."
Killian loved the sound of that, and though he had to keep his wits about him as they left the city, Killian couldn't recall ever being so happy. With Emma's hand in his, he felt like the king of the world, and when they both got on his bike, with her body pressed tightly against his back as they sped off in the night, he knew he was invincible and that he'd do whatever it took to get them out of this darkness and towards a life truly worthy of his love.
Post-Note: So there we have it. I know that these first two chapters have been shorter. I think there's a very good chance that the chapters will get longer as the story develops. I just wanted to get us out of the darkness before I really delve in. Next chapter we will also go back to Emma's POV and we will get her perspective of what freedom means to her, and what she wants in a life post-Gold. I am still really excited for this story, and I think it's offsetting my muse well. Going back and forth between this and 'Feels This Way' which is like the opposite story line, is awesome, and I hope it keeps me on a good path writing wise. Anyway, I want to thank you all so much for reading. I would love to hear what you think, and as always, hope this chapter finds you well and enjoying your weekend!