A/N: alright, one more time with feeling. The name of the company is MissMatched insert a dot com

It was a week before Emma found herself back in the MissMatched offices. The last time, she had left the place with a few files she'd randomly picked from Killian's file cabinet under his amused stare.

"What?" she'd asked half annoyed when she noticed him standing there with his smug smirk and cocked eyebrow.

"You're really a distrustful person, aren't you Miss Swan?"

"I'm thorough," she'd bit back, perhaps with a little more passion than necessary.

Killian hadn't seemed fazed by her reaction, instead he just said, "I'll add tough lass to your description then." He'd tipped his forehead with his fingers in salute as he'd walked her out of his office.

"I'll be seeing you soon?" he'd asked as if he had no issue whatsoever with her coming back and snooping some more in his affairs.

"I'll get in contact with your assistant and let you know which couple I want to interview."

"Please, have a lovely day, Miss Swan. Looking forward to see you again."

She spent the week going through his files, reading thorough description after thorough description, trying to make sense of margin notes and what sometimes seemed to be detailed nonsensical ramblings that only made sense as the person was paired up with a match.

There seemed to be no logic, no algorithm, not even a standard set of questions being asked of each client. It almost seemed like magic.

Which could only mean one thing - they were clearly not showing her everything. Emma refused to believe that just a few, seemingly random, questions and a sixth sense were enough to bring people together.

She took one look at the information now spread throughout her living room, strewn between her take-out boxes and empty glasses, and realized she needed to go back to the place where the action was and start talking to some people.

That was how she found herself back at their offices, being greeted warmly by Ariel on her way in.

"Good Morning, Miss Swan. It's wonderful to see you again."

"Please, call me Emma," she replied, trying in vain to stop her eyes from wandering around looking for Killian.

"He'll be here shortly." Ariel bit her lip to hide the hint of a smile. "They are finishing setting up the conference room for you."

"Oh, that wouldn't be need -" Emma started only to be interrupted by someone speaking behind her.

"Oh, but it would. We wouldn't want you to believe you're not wanted here, after all."

She turned around to find a broad-shouldered, blue-eyed man with curly brown hair giving her a warm, bright smile.

"Liam Jones, at your service," he said with a soft nod of his head. "I'm deeply sorry about not being able to meet you the other day. I hope my little brother wasn't a terrible burden on you."

"No he wasn't -" Emma started but was again cut off by yet another person coming into the room.

"Younger brother, LJ is the little brother remember?" Killian gave his brother an exasperated look before his eyes turned to her. There was something in his expression that made Emma's pulse quicken. "And I assure you, I was nothing but a perfect gentleman to Miss Swan here. I even offered her our services for free, as a way to show her we are the real thing."

"LJ is our baby brother, Killian," Liam teased before he looked back at Emma. "I hope Miss Swan finds our services pleasing then."

Emma marveled at how the brothers could carry on two different lines of teasing between serious business talk all without batting an eyelash, and while keeping an identical smirk on their faces.

And it seemed they were now waiting for her to say something, as they both turned and looked expectantly at her. Emma let her eyes travel from one to the other for a moment, trying to assess them for any hints of mistrust or deceit. She found none, only two fairly attractive men looking back at her with half-smirks and cocked eyebrows. OK, maybe they were laying the charm on a bit thick, but Emma had no problem dealing with that. It wasn't the first time - and it wouldn't be the last - one of her subjects tried to distract her from her job. It never worked.

She schooled her features into a teasing smirk of her own, tilting her head and biting her lower lip. She squared her shoulders to enhance her chest and mustered up her best honey-trap voice.

"How about you show me a sample of what you say you're so good at?"

Liam Jones widened his smile, seeming to call her bluff for exactly what it was, and gave another small nod of his head. Killian, on the other hand, seemed to need a moment to gather himself. His eyes darkened, carrying a hint of something clearly beyond professional admiration in them, and he swallowed hard. But the moment he had, he sauntered over her, crowding into her space. He glanced down at her, the corner of his mouth twitching with the threat of a grin.

"I'm willing to give you much more than a sample, Swan." His grin broke through and he licked at his bottom lip. "I'm sure you'd enjoy the full ride." He tilted his head to the side, raising one eyebrow in a clear challenge, one she knew she should refuse and suddenly realized she was not going to. "Question is, are you up for it?"

She resisted the urge to put some distance between them by curling her hand around his shoulder and giving a small shove. He was good, really good. "Sure, why not?" she said after a beat, giving a small shrug of her shoulder. "What's the worst that can happen?"

Killian gaped a moment and then shook his head, biting back the response that was clearly on the tip of his tongue. He took a step back and scratched behind his ear, looking away to avoid the scrutiny of his amused older brother. "Right, how about we continue this in our conference room?"

"I'm sure that's a wise idea," Emma replied as she followed them down the hall.

"We have everything set up and I'm sure Will and Belle are already waiting there. Would you like to interview them together or separately?"

Will Scarlet and Belle French were listed as one of MissMatched's success stories, and were their poster couple, considering they both now worked for the agency. Emma knew that as far as honesty went, she probably wouldn't get much from them, but they were a good place to start and were available on short notice. Besides, they were one of the oldest pairs Liam had brought together and she was interested in understanding how it all worked out.

"I'd like to have a few moments with them alone first, then I'd like to talk to all of you."

"Of course." Liam smiled and directed her to one of the conference table's chairs while Killian handed her a coffee mug and a piece of paper. "While you wait, please do me the courtesy of filling out this form so I can start your file."

Emma looked down at the sheet in front of her. It only had a few basic questions: name, gender, height, and personal contact address.

"This is all?" she blurted out.

"I don't need anything else for now."

"What about hobbies, preferences, ideals, politics, you know… everything?"

"I told you, Miss Swan, we don't work like that. I'll figure those out from my conversations with you, eventually." Killian winked at her and Emma heard that voice in the back of her head telling her this was probably not very professional, but his expression soon morphed into a pleasant smile as Belle entered the room.

"We'll leave the two of you alone, then," Liam said as he and Killian made their exit.

/-/

Belle took a seat next to Emma, hands folded in her lap and ready to answer any questions. She was a petite, sweet woman with huge eyes and a melodic voice. She explained how she had run into Liam one day and he had offered his services. There was a hint of sadness beneath her words as she spoke, but Emma didn't push. Belle went on about how when she first met Will she was shocked by the match, and five minutes into the date she almost bolted out the door. But she decided to trust Liam and his judgment, reminding herself how well she knew them. After the first cup of tea, she and Will eased into it, and by the third date she knew that, crazy as it was, she and Will were meant to be.

Towards the end of Belle's story, Will Scarlet sauntered into the room and took a seat opposite Emma, offering her a sarcastic smile. Emma had to hide her grin at the obviousness of his act that was written across his face. And the moment she asked about Belle, Will's eyes softened and his entire face lit up. His fingers toyed with the edge of a file as he mentioned he knew she was the one from the very first date, from the moment she walked into the place, but he could tell she was wary, that she'd been hurt in the past. So, he followed her lead, let her set the pace. He looked directly at Emma directly as he told her that before Belle, nothing really quite made sense and with her by his side everything did.

From there, they both mentioned how much they loved working together, helping others find what they found in one other. They saw it as a way of helping Liam and Killian do their magic.

There was not one ounce of lie in their words, it made Emma want to hit something. Nothing about this felt staged, and yet she refused to believe these two had been paired up simply on a hunch.

It. Was. Not. Possible.

She was lost in her thoughts when Liam and Killian walked into the room, sporting matching smiles. Emma wanted to groan at the sight of their smug faces.

"Well?" Liam asked eagerly, sitting in front of her while Killian leaned at the edge of the table, his eyes on her.

"It doesn't make any sense." Emma tried to control the frustration in her voice. "They don't make any sense and yet -"

"I know." Killian's tone was almost soothing and Emma turned to look at him. He was giving Emma a soft, understanding smile that shouldn't bring her any comfort whatsoever and yet she could feel the tension ease from her shoulders. "I felt the same way when Liam first suggested it. I laughed, thought he'd gone mad. But as you can see, he was right."

"As usual," Liam quipped and Killian rolled his eyes.

They were almost endearing. She couldn't deny it and any other investigator would have fallen for their charm, letting things slide. Emma Swan, though, wasn't any investigator. She turned to Liam and tilted her head.

"Why Belle French?"

"Beg your pardon?" Liam's brow wrinkled and he seemed confused by her question.

"Out of all the people who might ask for your services, why help her? In fact, she mentioned you volunteered to help her and not the other way around."

Liam met her stare dead on. "It seems from your tone that you think I shouldn't have helped her."

Emma crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back in her chair. "Please. Are you honestly trying to tell me that matching up Robert Gold's ex and then hiring her for your office wasn't a direct attack on the man's business and reputation?"

Liam's eyes widened for a second and Emma wanted to give herself a congratulatory pat on the back. She'd nailed it. But the feeling didn't last long, as Liam started to chuckle and shook his head. "Oh, that. It was not about Gold, Miss Swan. Belle and I go way back, actually. From before she even met Robert."

That was interesting. Emma leaned her elbow on the table and rested her head in her hand as she stared at him. She had the pleasure of watching a brief blush warm his face before he pulled himself together.

"Not like that, lass. We went to school together." He cleared his throat and reached to scratch behind his ear. "I ran into her after she and Gold had parted ways and I wanted to help her. She's one of the few people in this world who is actually kind to everyone. Everyone. I felt she deserved a bit of happiness for herself."

His earnestness was clear on his face and Emma had a hard time trying to look at this from a strictly professional point of view. "How did you end up choosing Will?" she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her. "That wasn't a clear match… at all. They are like oil and water. It makes no sense."

Liam shrugged. "It doesn't have to make sense."

Her disbelief must have been all over her face because he sighed and leaned back into his chair, taking a moment to exchange a look with Killian.

"Let me try to explain. It doesn't have to make sense to the brain - it has to make sense to the heart." He paused for a moment, trying to find the right words. "Yes, Will and Belle make no sense on the surface. She's as straight as an arrow and he had one or two encounters with the law when he was young. She's calm and collected where he's impulsive and reckless. And yet, the one thing he has never been is a liar. He's as honest as they come and that is the one thing Belle craved after spending years being lied to." He paused again and smiled at her. "As for all the rest, they fit together like two pieces of a puzzle. They simply complement each other."

He tilted his head as he let her ponder his words. "A relationship is not about finding perfect compatibility with someone who shares the same interests as you. It's about finding someone who fills the nooks of your life and makes you whole."

There was such passion in his speech that Emma was almost breathless by the time he finished. He was clearly a firm believer in what he did.

"That, in a nutshell, is what we do in here: we find the perfect shape for each of them." His eyes glinted and his tone turned into a playful thing as he stood up. "And we have a lot of fun doing it."

He winked at her before he excused himself from the room, leaving her to face an amused Killian Jones. He eyed her as he glanced over the form she'd completed earlier.

It was clear these two were no amateurs on matters of the heart, and yet there were no rings on either of their fingers. Emma had done thorough enough research and nothing had come up. Nothing too scandalous at least. It was clear that the brothers Jones were not inept at conquering what they wanted, and their combination of blue eyes, foreign accent, and light scruff clearly could do some serious damage at the bar. And yet, there was something about Liam Jones that seemed to deny that same thing. Something in his eyes that had hinted at a man who had seen it all - and maybe done a few things - and was now on the other side waiting for something to happen.

Unlike his younger brother, whose eyes still carried the look of someone who hadn't found what he was looking for.

"What are you thinking about, Swan?" Killian's voice brought her out of her reverie and Emma locked her eyes with his, studying him in detail. He didn't flinch at her inquisitive stare.

"It seems odd that you claim to be so good at finding the perfect match for your clients, and yet you and your brother are both single.".

"How do you know that?"

She gave him a smug grin. "I'm good at my job, Mr. Jones."

"Please, call me Killian." He pushed himself from the edge of the table where he'd been leaning and made his way towards her. "If you're going to be snooping around here, we should get better acquainted with one another." He leaned in, his eyes leveling with hers, his smoldering stare focused on her every feature. "And for the record, my brother knows perfectly well who his perfect match is."

"Really?" She rested her head in her hand and drummed her fingers against her cheek. "What was the problem then? She didn't fall for dashing looks and lilting accents?"

Killian laughed, shaking his head to the side to acknowledge the blow and taking the seat closest to her - much too close if Emma were want to admit anything, which she didn't.

"When you run a dating site and your perfect match is the best divorce lawyer in town with a nickname like The Evil Queen, let's just say it's not that easy."

She hadn't seen that one coming. "Regina Mills?"

"You know her?"

"I have done some PI work for a few of her cases." Emma tried to find the perfect description for Regina and she came up at a loss. "She's - something."

"Aye." Killian sighed, and Emma could see that underneath all his bravado, laid someone that cared deeply for his brother's happiness.

"I can see why it's not easy," she offered in a poor attempt at camaraderie.

Killian gave her a soft smile, nodding his head. "He hasn't given up yet."

"Regina doesn't seem the type to fall for a pretty set of eyes."

She realized her error the moment she saw his expression shift from concerned brother to flirtatious charmer.

"What about you, Swan? Do you fall for a pretty set of eyes?" He rolled the words on his tongue, the tip of it licking his lower lip in a move meant to throw her off base.

But two could play that game. She leaned in and waited for him to mirror her, giving him a sultry look from beneath her eyelashes.

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

His whispered reply almost took her breath away. "Perhaps I would."