Chapter 2:

"Nolan, mate. What's this I heard about a murder case last night?"

"A guy named Bobby Bailey was killed last night in the parking lot of his apartment complex. It was pretty brutal."

"Details mate. It's not often that a real crime like this makes its way into the storybook town of Storybrooke." David pushed down a chuckle. Leave it to Killian to be almost morbid about a murder. He was always itching for something real to happen in Storybrooke but he was also the first to show up to help out in any situation. He seemed to always be looking for something, although he never let on what it was. "So what do you know about this Nolan?"

"We already know who the murderer was. It was a man named Robert Gold. Apparently it was a romantic rivalry gone bad. He had a knife on him and during the altercation he reached for it and stabbed the victim repeatedly until he bled out and died." It sounded like a common enough scenario for a murder. Crimes of passion happened all the time. For Killian though it made his blood run cold. "Mate, what did you say the name of the murderer was?"

"Robert Gold. Why?"

"Tell me more about him."

"He has ties to a local crime family. He's got a front at a local business, a pawn shop. He's been arrested a number of times but a charge has never stuck."

"What do you know about his past?"

"Just that he moved here from Boston about twenty years ago. We've never been able to find out much about his time before moving to Storybrooke. It seems like the mob has some ties that were able to erase any record of him before his appearance here. Why all the questions about Gold though? You seem more concerned about him than about the victim."

"The victim is gone. The killer isn't. Better to focus our attention on him yeah?" David nodded and looked back down at the file on his desk. Killian stepped out of the room and leaned against the hall. He had never discussed his person life with David, even though he was one of his best mates. He remembered very clearly the history he believed he shared with this particular criminal. He was just barely eighteen when he started investigating his past. He had been adopted by Leora and Brennan Jones when he was a newborn and they promptly moved him and their older son Liam back overseas to Britain. Things had been great for the first few years until Leora had gotten sick when he was eight years old. On his ninth birthday they gathered around her bedside as she died from a rare form of cancer. She had never stood a chance and years later he realized that his family had never stood a chance either. He was twelve when Brennan crawled his way out of the bottle he'd spent the last three years in long enough to decide that his children didn't need their remaining parent. Liam was eighteen years old and suddenly a parent to a twelve year old. To his credit he never acted like he resented him. He knew, more than anyone, what losing their parents had done to Killian and he was endlessly patient with him. He supported him always and when Killian had decided to find his birth parents Liam had helped him deal with the adoption agency and all the red tape. At eighteen years old Killian finally found his birth mother. Well he found her death certificate. She had died ten years earlier, right around the same time as his adoptive mother. According to the records he had found on her death she had been murdered in her home. A knife plunged into her body over and over again until she bled out and died. The police had found her hours later after an anonymous tip that something bad had happened in the house. She had another son, two years older than Killian, who had disappeared that evening. It was largely suspected that he was the one that made the call to alert the police. Despite their promptness in getting to her she was gone, her son was missing, and they never found her murderer. He had disappeared almost as if into thin air. Now there was this case and it was making all of his senses tingle. A man with no past killing someone in the exact same way that his birth mother was killed. He wasn't sure how but he was convinced that the two cases were connected. Stepping back into David's office he cleared his throat. "I want on this case."

"There's not really a ton of a case to be put on Killian. We already know who the killer was. We have an eye witness who picked him out of a photo line up."

"Wait, there's a witness?"

"Yeah, a waitress. She was outside clearing the snow off her car when she heard yelling and went to go investigate. Gold didn't see her."

"How can you be sure?"

"She's pretty sure and honestly I think that if he had seen her he would have killed her. The fact that she's alive right now means that he didn't spot her. He's not the type to leave loose ends."

"I want to see her."

"I don't think that's a good idea Killian. She's pretty shaken up."

"I want this case David. Please."

"What is this about Killian? Why are you so invested?" He had never told anyone about his mother. In his line of work he knew that having a vested interest often meant that cases went to other people. So he kept the fact that he kept a file about his birth mothers murder in a locked box inside his desk drawer to himself. "I just am Dave?"

"No. You're overly interested."

"It bears a striking similarity to a case that I heard of a while back."

"What case?"

"Milah Stilts. She was killed about twenty years ago from multiple stab wounds to the stomach. They always suspected that it was her husband but he fell off the grid. Now there's this case with a suspect who has no past from before twenty years ago and a victim who was killed from stab wounds to the stomach."

"That's a great coincidence Killian but I don't know that it means anything. Stabbings aren't exactly rare. I mean I know that her husband going missing and this attacker not having a past is definitely odd but it doesn't mean it's the same killer."

"It doesn't mean it isn't either. I want to look into him."

"We've got this guy. If he's killed before we'll find out. The data I gave you earlier was preliminary. We've got some of our most seasoned detectives on this case."

"Dave I want on this case. I don't care what capacity." David's eyes dropped to the desk as he thought about what he had talked to Emma about earlier came to mind. She would go into the witness protection program but she couldn't go alone. As strong a woman as she seemed to be she wasn't prepared to take on Gold and his mob buddies. She was going to need someone to protect her. "Bodyguard?"

"For what?"

"The witness."

"I can do that."

"I don't think you understand what I'm asking you. I haven't given you all the details yet."

"Then give them to me."

"The girl is about twenty five. She has no family and just a few friends. She's already said good-bye to them."

"Why would she do that mate?"

"She's going into witness protection Killian. This guy isn't an isolated threat. It's not as simple as eliminating him and eliminating the threat. He's well connected and if he gets taken in, when he gets taken in, he's still got people that would hurt her. He's not just going to sit back and roll over. She told me he told the victim that the woman he was with that she was lucky he knocked her around to toughen her up. This man is not going to think highly of a woman getting him locked up. She's not safe, no matter what what we do. We'll do a satellite feed with the prosecution and defense in a secure location. She can never come back here."

"So what do you mean by bodyguard then?"

"It would be forever Killian."

"You're asking me to take a case that would take a lifetime?" Nothing's forever mate." He chuckled as he mulled the thought over. It was ridiculous. A case that lasted a lifetime. What did that even mean? Until the day he died? "This case would be. It's unheard of I know. But there's no way of knowing how far his reach is going to be."

"Isn't he just some two bit front man?"

"He is a two bit front man. But he's a two bit front man who does a lot of behind the scenes stuff for the mob. He's not afraid to get his hands dirty. He's a goon. A hired goon and they take care of them, especially if they prove themselves loyal." David stood and walked over to the coffee pot he had on a desk in the corner of his office, pouring himself a cup before lifting the pot towards Killian in an attempt to find out if he wanted some. Killian shook his head and walked to the window in the room. "I want to meet her."

"Does that play a large part in your decision as to whether she deserves your protection? Her appearance? She's cute."

"That's not why. If I have to be with her potentially for the rest of our lives shouldn't I see if the lass and I can tolerate each other?" Just put me in the room with her to shoot the breeze. See how we get along." He sat and picked up the paperweight on David's desk, tossing it back and forth in his hands. Their was a part of him that didn't take seriously what he was considering and then he thought about what David was saying. She was going to leave her life and she would never be able to back to it because a lecherous old man was keeping her running scared. She would need to be protected and he was able to do it. All of the other men on the force were married or in serious relationships. If they weren't they at least had emotional connections. He didn't. Liam had died eight years earlier on a mission for the Navy. It was his last family. His birth mothers son had gone missing and stayed missing after her death and he had no idea where to go looking for him. So he was alone in the world. It was shortly after Liam's death that David had found him. More accurately, arrested him. Apparently putting his fist through the window of a bar that was refusing to serve him anymore liquor was against the law. When he had been asked who he wanted to call for bail purposes he had broken down in tears on the cot in his cell. It was a small town so David talked the bar owner into cutting him some slack and took him under his wing. They'd been best friends ever since. David and Mary Margaret saw him through the police academy and shared their lives with him like he was family. "So you're considering this for real then?"

"Do I really have any reason not to? I've got no family here. No friends besides you and Mary Margaret. What would that mean for our friendship?"

"We're the point people on her reassignment but it won't mean anything great. We won't be able to be in contact a lot in case we're being watched. As the years progress, particularly after Gold dies, we'll be able to lighten up a bit and perhaps be a little less stringent." For the first time Killian stopped and thought about what he was willing to give up. He felt for her but she was a stranger. How could he just leave his friends behind? "She's alone in the world. I know more than anyone else what that feels like. When I was alone you and Mary Margaret were there. It changed my life. Gave me a reason to go on. How can I turn down the opportunity to do that for someone else?" Not prone to words or sudden bursts of emotion David reached out and grasped Killian's shoulder in his hand. The gentle squeeze served to let his friend know how much his words had meant to him. "Well worth the investment my friend." An awkward moment of silence filled the space until Mary Margaret came in. "David we need to get Emma squared away. We've got to find someone to be her bodyguard and get her new identity started. The sooner we get her out of town the better. I don't really want to leave her alone in that hotel any longer than we need to." She turned her attention from David and smiled at Killian. "Mary Margaret I think we've already found someone to be her bodyguard?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Killian is thinking about doing it." In an instant the smile left her face. He was one of her closest friends and she knew that she was definitely David's best friend. Knowing what she knew about witness relocation she knew that it was highly likely that she would never see her friend again. If she did see him again it would be a long time. "David, not Killian. I mean he'd be a great bodyguard but there has to be someone else."

"Do you want it to be me? What about Leroy? There's a list of people I can go through and you know that the person you'd trust most is standing right here in this room."

"Out of our staff sure but we can contact the FBI. There's no reason we have to assign one of our officers."

"You yourself just said that we need to get her out of Storybrooke as soon as possible. If we pass this off to the FBI it could take way longer than we have. We're not a huge metropolitan city. Gold will find out that he's on our radar and it won't be long before he finds out who it was that identified him. I'm not willing to take the risk that she's still in town when that happens. Are you?" She took a deep breathe and her shoulders fell in resignation. "Killian, what do you think about all this?"

"Well lass I'll not lie to you. It's a daunting thing knowing that I'll be leaving the few familiar things that I have in my life. But I would assume that she's feeling the same. I have no ties here. I have to reason to stay."

"David and I are here."

"Aye, that you are. But you two are each others family and as much as you've made me feel that I'm part of it fact is I'm not. I lift out better than anyone else here. My transient past will make it look less suspicious when I disappear. The truth of the matter is that I am the most obvious choice to do this."

"And you're okay with it?"

"Aye. This is the job that I signed up for. To protect those that need protection. There were no time limits on that. This case will just last a very long time." He laughed before turning his attention back to David. "But first mate how about I meet the young lady that I'll be protecting. As I said before I'll not commit to anything until I make sure that we're compatible. I can't pull out in the middle of this because her and I are no longer getting along."

"Well then. Let's take you to go see the lady you'll be spending the rest of your life with." Killian attempted a smile as he followed behind David, feeling just a little bit like a caged animal. He had agreed to this, to a point, but whether he had the ability to actually see it through was a matter yet to be seen.

When they entered the room Emma's head was down on the desk with her blonde hair splayed out like a halo. She was still and her breathing was even. "David, I think she's sleeping. Perhaps we should let her. She has had a rough night."

"It's a nice thought Mary Margaret but we need to get this ball rolling. The longer she stays here the more danger she's in." The sound of voices roused her and she grumbled slightly. "I'm awake. Trust me, I don't think I'll be sleeping any time soon. I was just resting my eyes."

"Emma, I want you to meet someone." She sat up and turned to see Killian standing there. In a pair of pants that fit him perfectly, a black button up shirt, and a black leather jacket he was the bad boy from every woman's dreams. Without thinking she wiped her mouth and smoothed her hair, wondering if she looked as much of a mess as she felt. "This is Detective Killian Jones. Killian, this is Emma Swan." He smiled as he took her hand, leaning down to kiss her hand. "I'm sorry you've had such a rough night love. We'll do our best to get you out of here so that you can start to recover."

"Thank you."

"Now, you've already given your statement to the Detectives Nolan so I won't have you go over it again with me. I'll just review their report to familiarize yourself with the events of the evening."

"I'm sorry. How are you involved in the case? Are you taking over?"

"No, love. I am here for you." Emma turned to David, confusion clouding her features. "Officer Nolan I'm not sure what he means." David took a step forward and pulled up another chair. Setting his elbows on his knees he leaned towards her. "Emma we've mentioned to you that we're not going to send you into witness protection alone. We've arranged for Detective Jones to go into witness protection with you."

"But you said that I was going to be in witness protection for the rest of my life. Was there a change?" Hope flashed across her face before she saw the look of sadness on his. As quickly as it appeared it disappeared, masked again by the tired expression she'd worn most of the evening. "No, no change. I did say that you'd be in witness protection for the rest of your life and you will need protection during that time. Detective Jones is going to go for the rest of your life as well."

"You have got to be kidding me. He's just going to sacrifice the rest of his life to protect a women from violent people that may or may not be coming for her?"

"In essence yes. He's going to be your guard."

"How is that even supposed to work? When he goes home at night I'll still be alone. I mean unless you're going to put him up in the house next door. Even then he won't really be able to stop anything."

"Which is why he's not going to be in the house next door. Emma, he's going to be your husband." A look of shock perked up her face before anger took its place. "Excuse me? He's going to be my husband? I must have heard you wrong."

"You didn't. It's the only way. We need it to make sense why you're together and we need him around you to protect you."

"So what? I get it. I did nothing wrong. I was in the wrong at the wrong time and now not only do I have to sacrifice my family and friends I have to sacrifice any chance I might have at finding real and lasting love with someone? How much is this night going to take from me? Can you tell me that? At this rate why shouldn't I just let this Mister Gold person find me and take care of me?" Tears had filled her eyes and were starting to spill down her cheeks. Her back, which moments ago had been straight while she raged against yet another demand on her life, had bent as though the weight she carried on them was too heavy to hold up. What they were asking of her was a lot. More than they would normally ask and quite possibly more than they would normally do. If she had anyone else they would have let her go and assigned her a new identity, leaving her long term care in the hands of the FBI. From the moment David saw her though he had felt a connection to her. A strong desire to protect her and take care of her. If there were no Mary Margaret, no family here, he would have offered to care for her. To say that he was her older brother and make sure that no harm came to her. There was a Mary Margaret though. He couldn't just leave with Emma, no matter how much he wanted to keep Emma safe. Which is why he was entrusting her care to Killian. If he didn't believe that Killian could take care of her he would find someone else but there was something about her that he knew would speak to Killian. Something just a little lost, a little bit lonely. "So what? No love for Emma then?" Before David was able to speak Killian took a step forward and waved his hand in her face. "Hello love. Detective Jones here. The man willing to sacrifice his future as well. Just thought you'd like to meet me before you departed down your pity path. Perhaps I could join you on that as well."

"Excuse me. What did you just say to me?" Anger sparked in her eyes and he knew that he had found the right button. She did not like to be thought weak and he could use that to get her to see the necessity for being strong. "I said that before you went down your pity path you might want to consider that I'm giving up my life here. I have a family. I have a job. Yet I'm willing to give all that up to play husband to a woman that I don't know."

"Well maybe you're crazy but I'm not."

"You don't have to be crazy love. Just open. Look, I know the situation is hardly ideal. We've barely met and we're being told that we're to be wed. It's a scary prospect but another scary prospect is letting Gold get away with what he did. If you let him come after you and he gets to you before you can testify all of the evidence tying him to this case will disappear. You are the key element to the prosecution. I know that you're giving up a lot but you're not giving it up for nothing. Gold killed last night and my guess is that he's probably killed before. If he's not stopped he'll keep killing. Any time anything gets in his way he'll just eliminate it. It might be another man, a woman, possibly even a child. The sacrifice of your life, and by extension mine, saves those lives. I believe that that makes the sacrifice worth it." She looked down at the hands that she had clenched in her lap. His words affected her. The desire to rise up and promise that she would fight the good fight to keep others safe settled into her chest but the words wouldn't come. She pictured Ruby and Granny sitting on the bed earlier, saying goodbye and not understanding fully why. She imagined never going on a date and falling in love, never having children. Rationally she knew that what he was saying made sense and she knew somewhere in the pit of her stomach that she was going to go along with. She couldn't give in yet though. It felt like she was giving up a piece of herself and there were so few to start with. Leaving behind the few people she had found to love was the worst pain she could imagine and on top of that were the images of the horrific crime she had witnessed. In one day her entire world had been turned upside down and she just needed a moment to catch her breath. "You're willing to be saddled with a stranger for the rest of your life?"

"David, Mary Margaret. Can I have a moment alone with Miss Swan?" They nodded and stepped outside the door. As soon as the door clicked behind them he turned back to her. She had pulled her blonde hair back in a messy ponytail and her eyes were still red rimmed. The day was clearly taking its toll on her and despite barely knowing her he just wanted to pull her into his arms and let her rest. "Now repeat your question."

"You're willing to be saddled with a stranger for the rest of your life?"

"You won't be a stranger for the rest of my life Emma. Nor will I be a stranger to you. This is daunting now. I understand that but this needn't be a terrible thing."

"What are you asking? I mean what does we're going to be married mean?"

"It's going to mean exactly whatever you want it to mean Emma."

"You're not allowed to get involved with the person you're protecting. I've watched enough crime procedurals to know that."

"Normally those rules would apply yes. In this case because it is a permanent assignment it wouldn't be frowned upon."

"So you're wanting a real marriage then? With a woman you barely know? And I'm just supposed to what? Fall in love with you because I was told to?"

"Not at all. I don't have any expectations at the moment. My expectation is to get you out of here and to get you some place safe. To get you some rest. My expectation is for us to get our new identities, be assigned a home, and so on. Romance and relationships are far down the line but it is not necessary for us to focus on it right now. I believe that the phrase is we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Until we reach it though I'll be your friend and your protector. How does that sound to you?" She bit the inside of her lower lip as her eyes darted around the room. It wasn't how she imagined getting engaged, for lack of a better way of defining her current state. Yet here she was staring into the deep blue eyes of a gorgeous man who was willing to sacrifice the rest of his life to protect her. How could she resist? A smile spread across her face as she said, "Sounds great." She about choked when he responded with a wink back at her.