AN: Sorry for the delay guys, had surgery on my arm and then the week just kinda got away from me. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Emma found herself stumbling into the hotel she was staying at later that night; her mind had receded into a stupor, still unsure of how to process the earlier events. Now it was clouded in a liquor induced haze. She had felt the need to have a stiff drink after watching Will be hauled off into the afterlife. It wasn't that she had felt any connection to him, but rather that he had died because of her actions. She knew that was part of her job when she agreed, but she hadn't really thought of the consequences if it meant she'd get to stay alive. Her life was worth more than the lives of those who had already lived long enough; at least she thought they had been around long enough. It wasn't a question that had previously crossed her mind; she just simply assumed they had been around for centuries if death couldn't find them. Though Will didn't seem out of place, maybe he was still young. Emma shook her head, ridding herself of the thought.
She really didn't want to contemplate these things right now. A quiet sigh escaped her lips as she realized that the fog in her mind was starting to clear. The effect of those earlier shots was already wearing off. Maybe there was a mini-bar in the room that she could raid… Her thoughts trailed off there as she stepped into the elevator, eyes locking with the brunette from earlier, this time without the kid.
Emma wasn't one to eavesdrop, but confined in such a small space, she couldn't help but overhear part of the conversation. "What do you mean you lost him? You were supposed to follow him. Find Scarlet. Now. We can't afford to start over. He was our only lead. No, you lost him, you find him. It better be soon or it's your ass on the line."
There was definitely some anger there, she could practically feel it radiating off the brunette even in her drunken stupor. It wasn't until the other occupant raised an eyebrow in her direction and asked "Can I help you?" that Emma realized she was staring.
She stuttered out a "No", but it came out weaker than she had anticipated and she quickly turned her head in hopes to avoid further confrontation as a blush quickly spread up her neck, discoloring her cheeks even more than the alcohol had done earlier.
When the ding sounded at her floor, she rushed off the elevator, almost running into the doors as they creaked open, leaving a confused brunette watching her. She failed to notice that she had also stepped off the elevator a few seconds later after collecting herself and resuming her conversation.
The bit of information that Emma had gathered from the conversation was swirling about her drunken mind, not quite making complete sense. She had actually questioned if they were talking about the same Will Scarlet that she had killed earlier that night. But in a city this size, she guessed it wouldn't really be the same one, there had to be more of them, and there wasn't a first name given. It was actually the name that had caught her attention, not the breathtaking beauty of the other woman, at least that was what Emma kept repeating to herself. That and she would, in all honesty, never see the other woman again. She was leaving tomorrow, returning back to Boston now that there was no reason to stay in New York.
After a drunken, sleepless night, Emma found herself slowly packing, her meager belongings had never truly been unpacked, but she was still dragging her feet on the few changes of clothes that had littered the floor. It seemed the reality of never seeing that brunette beauty was setting in. Emma had to laugh at herself, she didn't even know the woman's name, and she was probably married, that is if that was her son in the elevator. She mentally cursed herself for feeling so drawn to the strange woman as she really had no reason to feel this attraction. It had to simply be physical attraction, that pull was simply her lusting after the beauty of the other woman. But still, she found herself, standing in her hotel room, trying to decide if she really wanted to leave today or stay for another and hope for a chance encounter. Maybe she could have another run-in with her mystery woman. Emma found herself daydreaming about how this "meeting" would go. It seemed this woman had sparked her inner child once again as she found her self-control dwindling. Or maybe it was the liquor hadn't lost its effects yet. She had been up most of the night drinking. Yeah, that was it, it was probably still impairing her judgement.
Emma jumped as her phone vibrated next to her, the screen lighting up to display a text.
Good work last night. Next assignment will be Killian Jones. Last known location was Houston. Two weeks, and you'll need every second of it to find him. Payment for your last assignment has been sent.
Emma was left curious, and she quickly pulled up her bank account. Her jaw hit the ground quite literally as she saw what her full pay was. She thrust a fist up in the air and then quickly went to book a first class flight to Houston. Who knows, maybe this time she'll even rent a Mercedes. Her thoughts had quickly moved on past the brunette from the elevator.
She quickly grabbed her remaining items and stuffed them into her bag, before pulling it out of the room, she was about to head straight to the airport. Her flight left in five hours, just enough time to make it to the airport and through security.
The elevator dinged at its destination, the hotel lobby, and Emma stepped out as the doors slid open. Making her way to the front desk, she saw the same brunette, and Emma assumed, her son. He was holding on to a red and blue Spiderman bag, his back to the desk. He smiled brightly up at Emma as she approached the desk, starting a line behind them. The boy looked up at her large brown eyes slightly covered by his shaggy brown hair, and without the least bit of hesitation, he asked "Are you leaving too?"
Emma smiled down at him, deciding to try and make a good impression with the kid, especially with his gorgeous mother there. "Yep, look's like vacations over."
His eyes sank to the ground, "Mine too. I asked mom if we could stay, but she has to go to work." His tone was sullen, and his mother noticing the conversation turned to him, "Henry, quit bothering this nice young lady."
Emma didn't like hearing him chastised for being friendly and quickly said "He wasn't bothering me at all." She wasn't sure if she should take offense to being called a "young lady". But to further her point, she squatted down and continued talking to Henry. "So, your names Henry? Mines Emma. Nice to meet you."
Henry smiled at her and held out his hand, "Nice to meet you too Emma." She smiled and shook his hand firmly, just as his mother turned around once again, "We're all finished here, time to go Henry." She placed her hand on his shoulder, pulling him closer and ruffling his hair. Emma stood up and smiled at the gesture of affection from mother to son. She waved at Henry who had turned and waved at her as he walked out the door.
Emma stepped up to the desk to check out as well. It seemed fate was determined to have her constantly bumping into the nameless brunette.