Chapter 3:

After giving Killian and Emma a short time to talk through their life changing decision the Officers Nolan re-entered the room to find them sitting on the bed next to each other, talking about seemingly nothing. "I thought we were leaving you alone to hash out some details?"

"Aye mate but do you really think I'd need that long to convince a lovely lass to be my wife? It was a breeze." He joked but she could see the twinkle in his eye. "So then since you seem to have lined up a bride why don't we get to the bigger issue of setting up your lives?" Emma nodded and looked down at the faded comforter on the bed. It was one thing to agree to uproot her life and to marry a complete stranger. It was something completely different to actually sit down and map out all the ways her life was going to change. Killian seemed like a nice guy. She felt a connection to him. Still she felt like she was losing all control of her life and she just wanted a moment to stop and collect herself. "I need to go to the bathroom first." She rose from the bed and quickly made her way to the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Once in there she slid down the door and putting her arms around her knees. This was too much, too fast. She felt like she had a choice but she didn't. Not really. It was this or die. Even Killian had a choice. She was just on this ride that she didn't understand and that she couldn't get off. Everything they had told her made sense. The reasons why this was the safest thing. Reasons why this was her only real option. She understood it all logically but in her heart she felt like she was being dragged off kicking and screaming to a life that was completely foreign to her. The tears had dried up. She was spent mentally and physically yet she knew that her day was just beginning. Decisions would be made, paperwork would be put in order, and by that evening Emma Swan would have been erased. All traces of her gone. Despite the trauma of her past she had tried to build something of her life and it was all for naught now. A rapping on the door pulled her out of her panic followed by a soft, accented voice. "Emma, love. I know this is a lot but we need to get these decisions made. Putting off the inevitable doesn't make it any less inevitable lass. It just makes it more dangerous for you."

"I can handle danger for me."

"And the ones you love? The ones I know you're doing this to protect?" Can you handle the danger for them?" It was blatant emotional blackmail and they both knew it. It was a cheap trick, one he had used far too many times for his liking. Part of him looked forward to leaving the field to live a life in hiding, even if it was with a stranger. He would be given a new career, even though protecting Emma would still be his primary career. It would be nice to be upfront about what he was doing and why he was doing it. Still he was not willing to silently let Emma make a choice that could hurt her. If emotional blackmail was what it took then this time it was worth it. "You know the answer to that and you've only known me twenty minutes but do you think possibly I could have another couple minutes to myself before you and your friends wipe my identity off the fact of the Earth like I never existed? I've had it for twenty eight years. I'm rather attached to it." He chuckled as he stepped back from the door. A woman who knew how to be passive aggressive with that much artful skill was a woman that he could enjoy getting to know. He sat on the bed across from David and Mary Margaret waiting for her to gather herself knowing that what they were asking of her was daunting. He was choosing to go with her and although she was choosing to go he knew that there was a big difference between telling her what she needed to do and her actually doing it. He gathered that her life hadn't been exactly strong on consistency and now they were ripping what little consistency she had found away from her. The bathroom door opened after another couple minutes and she stepped out, wiping tears from her eyes with the sleeves of her over-sized sweaters. He would have to file away the fact that she didn't like anyone to see her cry into his memory bank for future reference. "Everything good Swan?"

"I don't guess that you should take to that nickname since that won't be my name for very much longer." She moved to the chair by the desk and sat, her face devoid of any emotion. "In our home you can be whomever you want to be. If you can keep up our assumed identities in public, keep our stories straight, then I see no reason why you should cease to be who you are when we're behind closed doors." Her breathe hitched just a little when he spoke of their home. It appeared to come naturally to him, this notion that they would suddenly be sharing a life. "So I'll be able to call you Killian when we're not in public then?" He didn't miss that she seemed to avoid the word home, going out of her way to avoid the word. "Yes, when we're at home Emma we'll just be us. The ruse can fall away and we can be ourselves. You're not disappearing. Maybe to the rest of the world but not to me." David stood from his seat at the little table in the room and walked to the window. He seemed to be agitated by the fact that they weren't getting things moving at the pace he felt they should move but there was nothing that could be done. It wasn't him preparing to make a sacrifice. "Problem Dave?"

"I just think that all of this can be taken care of later. We need to get your new identities worked out so that we can get the paperwork started. I get that this is a big adjustment but there's just not time to work out all the emotions right now."

"Dave all due respect mate but where are you going when this day is done?"

"Mary Margaret and I will go home. That's not what I'm worried about. I'm pushing for Emma, not so that I can go home."

"That's not what I was implying mate. You and Mary Margaret get to continue your life. Emma doesn't. Perhaps show a little bit of compassion for the predicament that she finds herself at no fault of her own." Emma looked over at him, smiling in appreciation. Despite the fact that she was trying to hold herself together it was nice to know that he saw her struggling and that he was fighting on her behalf. If they were going to end up spending the rest of their lives together it wasn't a bad way to start. "It's okay Killian. Thank you, truly, but David is right. I need to get it together. I suppose there's always time to fall apart later." She half chuckled to herself and then got up to walk to the window. For a moment Killian's instinct was to tell her to move away, that being by a window was danger, but he stopped himself. At this point Gold hadn't even been arrested so she wasn't in any danger. "So what do we need to decide?"

"Well do the two of you have names that you'd like to go by?" Emma bit her lower lip and looked down at the floor. "I have a last name, if it's okay with Killian."

"Of course love. Whatever you wish." She nodded and looked out the window. "I'd like our last name to be Henry."

"Special meaning lass?"

"Yeah. Maybe someday I'll tell you about it." Her eyes never left the streetlights shining their light out onto the snow below. Whatever the meaning of the name it seemed to upset her but he wasn't going to argue. People rarely chose a name for themselves without it having a deep, sentimental resonance to them. "Sounds grand. Preference for a first name?"

"I don't really have one."

"Come on lass. There must be a name you can see yourself carrying. Besides Emma."

"I'd imagine Emily would be out of the question?"

"Sadly yes. I think that would be too easy to trace. Any others?" Mary Margaret sat on the other side of the room, mulling over possibilities as well. The name wasn't that important but she felt like Emma deserved a good name. She was a nice woman, a strong woman. In the past twenty four hours her world had fallen apart but she was handling it with grace and poise. She needed a name that honored that. "Emma, how do you feel about Jennifer? I knew a woman once, a distant relative, and she reminded me of you. Strong and brave. I've just always loved the name. Even thought if I had a daughter someday I'd name her that."

"I don't want to take your daughters name."

"If you don't like the name that's fine but don't say no just because you don't want to take the name for some future daughter of mine and David's. You carrying the name won't stop me from using it. She'll just be named after two strong and brave women."

"Jennifer Henry. I like it. It sounds good. What do you think Killian?"

"Sounds good to me lass. Although I'll still mostly be calling you Emma."

"That's not true. You'll mostly be calling me love and lass if the last half hour is any indication."

"Well I suppose that could be true." She chuckled and felt like maybe she was starting to thaw a little from the shock that the days events had caused. These were nice people and they were helping her to create a new life for herself. Maybe a new life wouldn't have been her choice but if she had to do it she was glad it was with the help of these people. Especially Killian. He had been so kind and he really seemed to understand the struggles she was having. "So we have my name. What about yours Killian?"

"Colin."

"That came pretty easy. Special meaning?" His face softened and his voice got quiet as he lowered his head. "Aye."

"Care to share?"

"Maybe someday I'll tell you about it." She laughed at having her words thrown back at her. "Touche. So Colin and Jennifer Henry. They sound like a delightful couple."

"They do. So where do they live then lass?"

"That I have no clue. Anywhere is fine for me." She looked out the window and watched the snow falling. "Maybe somewhere without snow. I'm not a huge fan. Do you have any preferences?"

"Not really. I'll follow you anywhere."

"Now you sound like a cheesy romance movie. Seriously, any ideas?" She shook her head and turned to look back at David and Mary Margaret, who already had a map out on the table. "Do you guys want to live in a big city or a small town?"

"I think a big city would be best mate. Perhaps in the suburbs though. Now that I think of it though it might be nice to be near the water, if we're getting to pick." Emma leaned over the map, pinning the hair falling over her face behind her ear. "Looks like maybe we're looking at the west coast or the south then. Preferences detective?"

"I've always liked the south. There's a lot of culture there but it's also very beautiful."

"So Colin and Jennifer Henry live somewhere in the south. How about South Carolina? Charleston maybe?" David pulled his laptop out of the satchel he was carrying with him and set it on the table to find a location in Charleston. After searching for a few minutes he slapped the table and shouted, "I've got it." All eyes turned to him and he looked uncomfortable under their gaze. "I mean, I've got it. I found a place for you guys. It's beachfront, three bedrooms, three bathrooms. You'll have a view of the South Carolina marshes as well as of the ocean. There's a marina nearby and Charleston is full of culture that you guys can explore. I think you guys picked a great place to relocate. I mean if you have to go into hiding for life this is the place to do it." They all chuckled as Emma and Killian leaned in to see the house that David had found. Emma was the first to start looking for problem areas. "So this is a really nice house. How did we afford it?"

"What type of career would you like?"

"Well I guess if we're doing that I'd like to be a neurosurgeon."

"Yeah, I see your point. Is there something you're trained in?"

"I'm a waitress. That's where I was heading to tonight. If I had a wider skill set I don't think I would have been doing that."

"We'll figure something out. You guys will be given a living stipend and Killian will still be drawing a paycheck as a police officer. He's going to be undercover essentially. We can't pay him twenty four seven but we can definitely pay for at least a good twelve hours a day." Killian leaned forward on the bed, leaning his elbows on his knees. "What about marketing?"

"What about it?"

"Emma and I could be involved in marketing. Work from home. Set our own hours. Learn the basics of the trade. Perhaps take online courses. It will keep us from having to work outside the home and it's a plausible career."

"For both of you?"

"Aye. I think it makes sense. Perhaps we met in a marketing course in college. It's not unusual for people in the same trade to be married. I like the idea of us not needing to be separating to go to an office job every day." As sweet as the words were Emma felt herself bristle and she shifted away from the window. "I don't mean to be ungrateful. I really don't. But am I going to be under twenty four hour inspection? Are we going to be together at all times every day?" A brief flash of hurt crossed Killian's features and she immediately felt badly at the tone in her voice. It was fine for her to be upset but it was not okay for her to take it out on someone that had been nothing but kind to her. "Killlian, I'm sorry for the way that sounded. Being with you doesn't sound that horrible but let's be honest. We're bound to get on each others nerves at least occasionally."

"I'd imagine so love. Eventually our lives will develop some normalcy and we'll gain a group of friends. In the beginning though we're going to be together a lot. Learning about each other and getting to know how the other works. It's just the nature of the beast." Getting to know him didn't sound so bad but she wasn't thrilled with the idea of him getting to know her that well. She didn't share her past easily and wasn't even really sure why it would matter. They would create their faux history and that would be their past. "So I guess it's you and me against the world then?"

"Not against it lass. This witness protection thing is a precaution. Eventually the world won't seem so bad anymore. We'll be able to have a normal life." Emma moved from the window to take a seat at the head of the bed. Pulling her knees up towards her chest she looked around the room and bit her lip. She knew that it was natural to be hesitant but she also knew that what she was doing as necessary. "Can I talk to Killian alone you guys? Give us an hour. I think we need to work a few things out."

"Emma, I really can't tell you enough that time is of the essence. We've located Gold and we're only holding off on arresting him until we've got you safely out of town."

"I understand that Officer Nolan. I really do. But I need to talk to Killian. We'll get the last of our story worked out and when you come back in I'll be ready to go." David nodded and turned to Mary Margaret, placing his hand on the small of her back as he escorted her out. Alone in the room Killian turned on the bed so that he could see Emma. "What do you want to talk about lass?"

"I want to talk about what comes next. As much as we say that we're not going to jump into a relationship right away just because we're fake married people have expectations about what a married couple is like. We need to talk about that."

"Aye, I supposed we do. Here's my take. For one we won't be fake married. There's going to be two marriage licenses. One for you and I. With our real names. That will go in a safe deposit box in the bank. No one will have access to it. Then we'll have the license with Colin and Jennifer Henry on them. That'll go in a prominent location in our house. People can expect what they will and perhaps on occasion we'll have to put on a show. Hold hands when we got out, a kiss hello or goodbye. But Colin and Jennifer aren't newlyweds love. They've been married a few years and it wouldn't be all that unusual for them not to be terribly affectionate all the time. It's your pace Swan and when we're alone we'll just be us. It'll just be Emma and Killian and we'll get to know each other."

"Do you want it to develop into something more?"

"Emma, we've known each other a couple hours. While you seem to be a great girl I don't know for certain what I want. I think it would be good for us to fall in love. It'll make being together the rest of our lives a lot easier but we can't tell our hearts what to do. So why don't we just start off at the beginning. We'll be friends and we can learn about each other and hopefully someday we'll wake up and it'll be everything we've every dreamed of." Her lips curved into a smile and he felt his heart beat just a little bit faster. He hoped that she couldn't tell that he had lied. From the moment he saw her he was fairly certain that being her husband would be no hardship. It would be pure joy, although it was clear it wasn't going to be a walk in the park. She got caught up in her own head often and he was more than willing to be the one to bring her out of it. "So you think Colin and Jennifer met at work?"

"No, I think it would be better if we met at a marketing class in school. College sweethearts. One thing. Do you want me to call you Jennifer, Jenny, or Jen?"

"I like Jen. It's simple. Easy to remember."

"Jen it is then. What college do you think that we met at?"

"We'll be in South Carolina so I think the University of South Carolina? Maybe we met in class and then mutual friends introduced us?"

"No mutual friends. We can have our names added to a class roster but if we say people were our friends and they investigate it'll be too easy prove we're not who we say we are. Perhaps we sat next to each other in class one day and we just kept bumping into each other around town until I ran into you at a coffee shop and finally asked you out?"

"I like that. It's simple but romantic. Like fate or kismet or something."

"Exactly. We're going to make this work Emma. I promise you we're going to make this work and I'm going to keep you safe. No one will ever hurt you." He reached across the bed and found her hand, taking her smaller one in his larger one. Despite all the ways that her life had changed in the past twenty fours hours and how her world was infinitely more dangerous now than it was just the day before with his hand holding hers somehow she believed him. Somehow she had never felt safer.