The three weeks following Killian's talk with Emma were some of the happiest of his life. They went out for lunch together on Mondays, and he went to the clinic to eat with her on days when both of their schedules allowed it. Every evening, they either called or texted each other and chatted for hours, until one or both of them became too tired to keep the conversation going.
They'd gone on three more official dates, which they had planned together. One was to a nice restaurant for which they had to dress semi-formally. Killian had been speechless when Emma answered the door dressed in a red, figure-hugging sleeveless dress that hit her mid-thigh, and showed just a tease of her cleavage. She had been equally stunned to see him in a new, navy blue suit with a crisp, white shirt and red tie.
Both had stared at each other for a full minute before Emma finally said, "You clean up pretty well, soldier!"
Killian had finally been able to reply, "You look absolutely gorgeous, Swan." He couldn't seem to take his eyes off her as they walked to his truck, and for most of the evening. After dinner, they had gone to a local theatre production of "The Producers", where they'd laughed until they were in tears.
Mary Margaret and David had them over for dinner again, and were excited to see the couple had worked out their misunderstanding, and were very happy. After dinner, David had clapped his friend on the back and asked, "I take it she was worth fighting for after all?"
To which Killian replied, "Most definitely!"
They spent Sunday afternoons taking Evie to the park, followed by binge watching a Netflix TV or movie series that they chose together. The first set of movies they watched were all of the Indiana Jones films, after which they playfully argued over which one was the best and why.
Their relationship continued to move slow but steady. They still enjoyed kissing, but had not yet taken the next step to something more physical. Although they hadn't come right out and said it, they felt like they needed time to heal and sort out their feelings before becoming intimate. Both of them knew what their heart was telling them, but neither one had come right out and said it yet.
Emma was helping Killian in his search for an apartment. They'd looked at a few, but so far nothing seemed to meet his requirements. His hotel room was comfortable enough for now, but he was anxious to get a place of his own.
His job at the library was a refreshing change of pace from being in the Army. He enjoyed the work and his hours were flexible. He performed many different tasks throughout his shifts, which helped the time go quickly. He especially liked the days when he worked with Belle, who would fill him in on Will, Robin and the rest of the guys in his former unit.
His online classes were challenging, but he was doing well. Sometimes he would ask Emma to help him work through a particularly tricky problem. He was always in awe of her intelligence and ability to explain things so much more clearly than his professors, or any website that he used for reference.
Killian's life was great and he was extremely happy. He should have known it was too good to last.
xxxxxxxxx
Emma knocked on the door of Killian's room with a sense of unease. When he answered wearing a warm smile, she relaxed a bit, and the sweet kiss he gave her helped even more.
"We have appointments to see two more apartments today," he informed her, while handing her the printouts which described them.
She took the papers and glanced over them quickly, before dropping them on the bed. He noticed that she seemed preoccupied and raised his eyebrow. "Is everything okay, Swan?"
"Killian, have you noticed that dark gray car that's always in the parking lot? It seems like it's almost always parked across from your truck."
"Well, many of the people who rent these rooms stay long-term."
"Yes, I realize that, but whenever I pull in, it looks like there's someone sitting in it. Then when I walk past, it's empty."
"Maybe you're just seeing the headrest or something."
"I don't know. Today, I thought I saw someone duck down just as I got out of my car. It looked like they had dark, bushy hair. Oh, and the last two or three times I left here to go home, that car pulled out right behind me, and seemed to follow me all the way home. It's giving me a creepy feeling."
Killian pulled the curtains back to look out the window. "I can't say I've really noticed that car before. It has temporary tags." He peered a little closer. "I don't see anyone sitting in it, though." He dropped the curtains and turned toward Emma. "Maybe I should follow you home tonight."
"No, don't worry about it. I'm sure you're right, that it's someone who's staying here, and they just happen to leave the same time I do, and go the same direction. We should probably get going. What time is the first appointment?"
Killian checked the time on his phone. "In about twenty minutes, but it's only eight miles away from here, so we have a little time before we have to leave."
"We do? Let's see, how should we use that extra time?" Emma tapped her index finger on her chin, giving him a sultry look.
He let out a low growl, and pulled her into a hug. "I have a couple of ideas, if you're interested." He gave her a quick peck on the lips.
"Oh, I think that I'd be VERY interested," she giggled. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, fusing her lips to his.
In the last three weeks, Emma had grown even more fond of kissing her boyfriend. He was never demanding, but wasn't passive either. Their kisses were a mixture of give and take for both of them. Killian liked to explore, too. He would trail kisses down her neck, behind her ear, and across her collarbone to see what elicited positive responses from her. Once in a while, he would add a lick or a nip, or would tug her ear lobe or bottom lip between his teeth. It was all about what gave her the most pleasure, and Emma was sure that once they decided to move their relationship to the next level, he would continue to be the same way.
Killian backed her up against the desk and pulled her hair away from her neck to suck on her pulse point. She giggled as she gasped, "You're gonna leave a mark, and I'm having lunch with Ruby next week. She won't let me hear the end of it!"
"So? The two of you can compare your hickeys. I'm sure she's not shy about letting Graham leave his mark. Shall I make sure that you win the contest?"
Emma threw her head back and laughed out loud at his remark. He stood there grinning like a Cheshire cat, thoroughly enjoying her beautiful laugh and the blush that stained her cheeks.
Suddenly, they both heard a loud thump in the hallway. They looked at each other quizzically, then Killian moved toward the door. Throwing it open, he checked both directions, but the hall was empty. He thought he saw the back of someone disappearing around the corner, but it was just a quick glimpse. He shrugged and closed the door.
"What do you suppose that was?" Emma asked.
"Someone probably just dropped something."
"It sounded like it hit high up on the wall, though."
"Maybe somebody is drunk and they lost their balance. I don't know - there are some...rather interesting people staying here."
"That's another reason why I'll be glad when you find an apartment and can move out of here. Speaking of which, we should probably get going."
"Aye. Are you ready?"
"Um, you should probably comb your hair," she chuckled. "I might've messed it up a little bit!"
xxxxxxxxx
The first apartment they looked at seemed promising. It was located a short distance from the library, was a little closer to Emma's house, and was within Killian's budget. It was rather small, but since he was used to staying in the barracks, he didn't really consider that a problem. It was clean and freshly painted, and was on the second floor. However, it wasn't going to be available for another two months.
The next one that they looked at was crossed off the list immediately. The carpets were filthy, cabinet doors were loose, and the bathroom faucet dripped annoyingly. They also noticed that the bedroom window was cracked and the shower floor was disgusting.
"Why would they even list a place like this before fixing everything?" Emma asked. "I wouldn't step foot in that shower. I'll probably have nightmares about it tonight!"
When they were walking back to his truck, Emma thought she caught a glimpse of the same gray car from the hotel, pulling away from the curb further up the street. She almost said something to Killian about it, but she didn't want him to think that she was being paranoid.
As they drove to the restaurant that they'd chosen for that evening, he said, "I think I might sign a lease on that first place. I haven't seen anything better, and we've looked at just about every possibility."
Emma nodded. "I think that's a good choice. It's in a really nice neighborhood, and would be convenient for you to walk to work when the weather is decent."
"Yeah, and even though the second bedroom is small, I could put a desk in there and use it as my study room. I'll have to keep an eye out for modestly priced furniture."
"You should talk to Mary Margaret about that. She's an excellent bargain hunter!"
"That's good to know! I'll call her soon and talk to her about it."
After they pulled up to the Mexican restaurant, and as Killian was holding open the door for Emma to exit the truck, she once again thought she saw the gray car driving slowly down the street. Shaking her head, she thought, Get a grip, Emma. You've got to stop imagining that car everywhere.
xxxxxxxxx
The next day was Sunday, and Killian was leaving the hotel to go to Emma's for their weekly visit to the park and Netflix binge watch. When he exited the building, he noticed that the car Emma had pointed out to him was parked across from his truck again. He thought he saw someone slide down in the seat, but he couldn't be sure. He decided to walk a little closer than he normally would to try and peek inside, but he didn't want to get too close and make himself look suspicious.
He didn't see any movement inside the vehicle, so he continued on towards his truck and left. On the drive to her house, he checked his rearview mirror a little more often than usual, but didn't see the gray car following him.
By the time he arrived and Emma opened the door with Evie in her arms, he had completely forgotten about it in favor of paying attention to his girlfriend. It was a hot and humid day, so she was dressed in short shorts and a cropped tank, and was sporting a white straw sunhat.
"Hey, beautiful! Nice hat!"
"I'm trying to avoid getting any more freckles," she said, rolling her eyes.
"I adore your freckles," he chuckled, affectionately tapping two of them on her cheek.
He gave her a quick kiss and then took Evie out of her hands. The puppy loved Killian and was squirming with excitement. Emma struggled to clip her leash onto her collar, then he set her down on the ground.
"Ready to go?" he asked.
"Hold on, I need to grab my house key."
They started down the sidewalk and Emma waved at a couple who was pulling out of the driveway next door. They smiled and returned her wave as they started driving down the street.
"That's Gwen and Arthur King," Emma explained. "They were the first people I met when I moved here. They have a little boy named Lance, who is the sweetest little guy. I think he's about two-and-a-half. He loves playing with Evie."
Killian switched the loop of the leash over to clamp it in his hook, and reached over to clasp Emma's hand. He was familiar with the walk to the park by now, and knew that it would be interrupted several times when Evie stopped to explore.
They spent a half hour wandering around the park, chatting to a few people, and sitting closely together on a bench while Evie sniffed around to her heart's content.
On the walk back, they discussed their list of possible shows to watch. Emma was pushing her choice of "Supernatural".
"Swan, that show has almost fifteen seasons. We'll be watching it for months!"
"What's wrong with that? Do you think it's too big of a commitment for you?" she teased.
Actually, Killian quite liked the idea of making plans with Emma that would last for months. "We won't be able to check any other shows off our list for a while, if we start with that one."
"Maybe we could alternate by only watching a season at a time. I might need to recover from all the Jared and Jensen after several episodes anyway."
"Oh, you like them, do you? Should I be jealous?"
"Absolutely!" she giggled.
They continued their playful banter all the way back to her house. Once they arrived, Killian took care of removing Evie's leash and making sure she had water in her bowl, while Emma went into the kitchen to get the two of them some drinks.
As she went back into the living room, she noticed something odd.
"Did you knock that picture down?" she asked him, pointing to the end table where she kept a framed photo of the two of them that Mary Margaret had taken.
He looked over and saw it laying facedown on the table. "No. I didn't even go that direction when I came in."
"Huh. Maybe Evie bumped the table when she heard you knock. She was really excited." She set the bottles of water down and headed to the hallway, where the thermostat was located. "I'm going to bump the AC up a bit - it's stuffy in here."
He was adjusting the picture on the table when she came back into the living room with a bewildered look on her face.
"Is something wrong, Love?" he asked.
"It's nothing. I usually keep my bedroom door closed so Evie can't get in, but I just noticed that it's open. I guess when I went in there to get my hat, I must've been so excited about seeing you that I forgot to close it."
"Well, I do tend to have that effect on people," he smirked.
"Alright, buddy, don't push it!" She grinned and gave him a kiss to let him know she was joking, then said, "Let's start watching our show."
"Your show, you mean," he grumbled. "I'm not the one with a massive crush on the actors."
"Oh come on," she chuckled, leading him to the couch. "Maybe you'll take a liking to Misha!"
xxxxxxxxx
The next week, they followed their established routine, and soon it was Sunday again. Emma was pulling her hair up into a ponytail when her phone buzzed with an incoming text.
I have a flat tire on my truck and it will take me some time to get it changed. I'll be about an hour late. I'm sorry.
Emma sighed. She was disappointed, but she knew it wasn't his fault. That's okay. Be careful, and I'll see you soon.
She decided to do some dusting while she waited, but she'd just gotten started when she heard a knock at the door.
"I think someone is trying to surprise us!" she told Evie in a singsong voice.
She opened the door with a smile on her face that quickly faded in shock. "M-Milah?" she stuttered. Behind her unwelcome visitor, Emma could see the dark gray car parked along the curb. Suddenly, she realized that she hadn't been imagining things - Milah had been stalking them! "What are you doing here? Can I help you with something?" she asked, a bit annoyed and guarded.
Milah stepped forward until she was just inches from Emma's face. "You can help by staying away from Killian! I told you that he's MINE!" she spat. She shoved Emma with both hands, causing her to stumble backwards. Milah walked in and slammed the door.
"Get out of here! You have no right being here! This is my house!"
"Oh, but I've been in here before, my dear. I wanted to see where the SLUT that my Killian is spending time with lives!"
Fear spread through Emma's body. She thought back to the previous week when she noticed the picture that was knocked over, and the open bedroom door. She broke into my house!
"He is NOT your Killian! You threw him aside after he was injured! You called him a cripple! Why do you want him back now? Go find another soldier to use as arm candy!"
Milah glowered at her. "Did Killian tell you that? I never said that to him! He must have been sedated, or...or hallucinating! I love him! I need him back, but YOU'RE ruining everything!"
"You LIAR! Why do you want him back? So you can use him again for your own gain? To make yourself look important? He's got you figured out, Milah, and he wants NOTHING to do with you! He told me that himself!"
Milah let out a piercing yell and lunged at Emma, who ducked out of the way. Evie started frantically barking, and ran around the stranger's feet, nipping at her. Milah kicked the little dog, sending her flying into the leg of the end table. Emma heard her let out a sharp yelp, and then whimpers of pain.
"Oh, Evie!" Emma gasped, turning toward the puppy. Evie got up and limped away to her bed beside the recliner. Enraged, Emma spun back around and slapped Milah across the face as hard as she could, screaming, "How DARE you hurt my dog! What the hell is WRONG with you?"
"YOU'RE what's wrong! Killian belongs to ME! He loves ME! You are coming between us, and I'm NOT going to let it happen anymore!"
"He doesn't want to be with you! He told you to leave him alone! Why can't you understand that?"
Milah grabbed a metal coat rack that was sitting by the front door, and swung it at Emma. She tried to get out of the way, but the rack hit her in the side, momentarily knocking the breath out of her. Milah whipped it around again, this time missing her intended target, but hitting a picture on the wall, sending it crashing to the floor, shattering the glass.
Emma grabbed the end of the coat rack and tried to wrench it away from the intruder. They grappled with it, spinning around and knocking everything off the end table. Milah got her feet tangled in the legs of the table and tripped. Both she and the table fell over into a heap on the floor.
Emma used the opportunity to get the rack away from the other woman. She tossed it out of her reach, then charged at Milah, who was just getting back to her feet. Emma caught her with a right hook to the jaw, causing her to stagger. Then Emma jumped forward to claw at Milah's face, and felt her fingernails dig into her skin. Deep, red scratches appeared on her cheeks.
Howling with anger, Milah grabbed Emma's ponytail and gave it a sharp yank. Emma reached up to pull Milah's hands away, but the woman gripped Emma's arm and violently twisted it behind her back. Emma heard popping sounds and grasped her left shoulder, then Milah pushed her to the floor. Emma pulled herself upright, breathing hard and wincing at the pain.
Milah disappeared into the kitchen and returned holding Emma's biggest butcher knife. Emma looked up just in time to see her bearing down on her with the knife raised, ready to strike. She threw her right arm up to defend herself, and felt the blade slice into it. Crying out in pain, she rolled away and tried to stand up.
After cutting Emma, Milah lost her balance and fell, laying sprawled across the floor. Emma ran toward her, hoping to catch her off guard and take the knife away, but just as she got there, Milah turned over, swinging her arm wildly.
Emma jumped back, but not before the sharp blade connected with her side. She gasped, and kicked at the woman with all her strength. Her foot made contact with Milah's right elbow, and the knife flew out of her hand, skittering across the floor.
Milah was clutching her right arm as she screeched, "You BITCH! HE'S MINE! I'll KILL you before I let you have him!" She lowered her head and ran into Emma full-bore, knocking her backwards into the corner of the wall.
Emma's vision grew fuzzy, and she thought she heard sirens, before everything went dark.
xxxxxxxxx
When Killian turned onto Emma's street, he saw the flashing blue and red lights of several police cars, along with an ambulance. As he got closer, he was horrified to see that they were all parked in front of Emma's house. He quickly pulled his truck over, and jumped out to run to the scene.
Suddenly, he heard Milah's voice. "Killian! Oh, Sweetheart, there you are! We can be together now, Darling!"
He rushed over to where a police officer had her pushed up against his cruiser with her hands cuffed. He could see scratches just below her eyes that were oozing blood, and a deep purple bruise that was forming on her jawbone.
"What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?" he managed to choke out.
"I got rid of that horrible woman who was keeping you away from me! She won't come between us anymore!"
With his heart in his throat, Killian turned and stumbled toward Emma's front door, hoping and praying that when he got inside, he wouldn't find what he feared.
xxxxxxxxx