It was not a hard thing to do, finding her one true love.
It was harder, however, figuring out who this Emma woman was that was usurping her place as Killian's one and only.
Using her best smile and charm, Tink asked around and somehow managed to find her way to the Sheriff's office.
Stupid bumfuck little town; no police precinct, just a Sheriff's office. How backward…
Behind the desk sat a handsome, tall guy with piercing blue eyes, an ashy-blond head of perfectly combed hair and a smile capable of melting the ice caps. Tink grinned at the sight of…. 'Sheriff David Nolan', her eyes read on the plate at his desk.
If she didn't have her Killian, she'd probably fall head over heels for this guy.
"Hello there, ma'am, can I help you?" He smiled his finest Colgate grin.
Tink smiled back. "Sheriff Nolan?"
"Indeed, how can I help you?"
Tink sat down on the chair before him and after he mirrored the action, she charmingly oiled her charms across the desk. "I'm new in town. From Boston. My name is Tanya Bell."
"Well! Welcome to Storybrooke, Miss Bell."
"Tink, please, everyone calls me Tink." She shrugged. "Because… you know, T. Bell… Tinkerbell… Tink."
David smiled. "That's pretty cool. So how are you finding the place so far, Tink?"
'Stupid pea brained small-towners…'
"Oh, everyone's so kind and friendly!" She smiled. "Quite a difference."
David narrowed his eyes and smiled. "Your accent… you strike me as anything but Bostonian." He rubbed his jaw. "Australian, perhaps?"
"Oh, you're good!" She laughed. "Yes, absolutely!"
"Well, you've come a long way!" He smiled with a nod. "So, what can the Sheriff do for you today, Tink?"
She sighed and looked up. "Well, I have a room at that Inn, Granny's. But I was wondering if there's a bulletin board or an employment agency somewhere where I can… you know, maybe see some job offers?"
David pressed his lips together. "Town hall…"
She raised an eyebrow. "Town hall?"
"Yep. There's a bulletin board just outside town hall. There's always a job offer or two there. You may want to have a word with the mayor, Regina Mills. She's not the friendliest woman, but she will appreciate learning who's new in town. I don't know…" He shrugged. "Perhaps she could even recommend you with someone, get the job a lot quicker." David narrowed his eyes with a friendly grin.
'Damn, this sheriff is hot!'
Tink smiled and looked down at his hands atop the desk. Beautiful hands, she thought. Fingers, long and slender and…. A wedding band.
Fuck. It's always the same.
"Is there anything else I can be of assistance with, Tink?"
Yes, father my children please.
"Actually, yes." She scratched the back of her ear, perfectly mimicking Killian's movements. "I'm looking for an old friend. He was the one that recommended me to move here. This is a small town and you're the sheriff, perhaps…" She shrugged with an awkward grin. "…you can tell me where I can find him."
"Who might that be?"
"Killian Jones."
David chuckled. "The solitary Mr. Jones, yes… He was quite the hermit till recently. My wife is a great friend of his girlfriend." Tink smiled and swallowed a large gulp of bile. Wives… fucking wives and girlfriends… "I'm afraid I'm not allowed to disclose his actual address, but I do know where you can maybe find him. He works as a teacher in the elementary school, just up the road." He nodded. "If you hurry, you might just catch him, class today is almost over."
She smiled a full, toothy grin and reached her hand out. "Sheriff Nolan," She stood up as he shook her hand. "You can't begin to know how much help you've been. Thank you."
"Not at all, Tink. And again, welcome to Storybrooke."
Damn, that smile…. How the hell are you so pretty?
I'll have to find out who his wife is. Just in case.
Tink rushed out of the precinct and felt the upturned commissures of her lips turn into a sour frown. With a lowly glare, she scoured the town in her field of vision and tried her best to return every smile from every stranger. She reached the elementary and stood around, watching as the children left the front door, some meeting parents, others climbing on their bicycles and others rushing to claim a seat in the school bus. Her eyes burned through practically every head of every brunette little girl, looking for Megan Jones.
Bingo.
The girl had grown.
She looked just like Milah.
Her blood boiled something awful.
And then…
"Darling, don't run!" The smiling face of Killian Jones caught up with his daughter. "What's the rush, my love?"
"Didn't you say we were eating at Granny's today, Daddy?"
"Aye, but why the haste?"
She winked at him. "If we hurry you might still catch Emma in her shift!"
Killian rolled his eyes with a smile. "You are one cheeky little…"
"Please don't tell me you weren't thinking about it!"
He stopped his paces and looked at her. "You are as nosey as you are wise, princess…"
He swiftly picked her up and slung her over his shoulder as the girl squealed playfully. "DADDYYYY!"
"Come along now, if we run, we will definitely catch the Lady Swan!"
Seeing him again made Tink feel like her innards were all on fire. Even if he did look a bit different, he was still Killian. He had cut his hair; and he had also aged a bit, for sure; he was slightly crinkly around his eyes when he smiled.
Nothing a couple shots of Botox can't fix. And Megan's easy to get rid of.
"Killian?"
The man stopped dead in his tracks and swung around. His jaw nearly dropped. "Bloody hell…"
Tanya's ears nearly went ablaze when his voice reached her eardrum. She smiled. "Surprise…"
Megan raised her head up and looked over Killian's head. "TINK!" She shouted with a smile.
"Hello, Meg…"
Killian's smile could not be bigger. He placed Megan down and both father and daughter ran to her, suddenly embracing her hard.
She wanted to kick Megan away… hard. Hopefully hard enough to cast her into the harbor to join her pathetic mom and sibling. But the feel of Killian's embrace was enough to almost undo her completely and she was once again able to contain herself.
He then held her at arm's length. "It's so bloody great to see you!"
She shrugged, unable to conceal her smile. "And… you!"
"Oh, Tink!" He shook his head and sighed smiling. "This is great! Wha… I mean, how on earth did you even find us?"
She inhaled sharply with a wiseass smirk. "One can never be too sharp when it comes to finding the people that mean something to her."
"You came all the way from London?" Megan asked, her eyes glowing.
"Actually… y… yes." She nodded. "I wasn't about to let my former teacher and best friend go completely astray now, was I?" She sighed. "You look good, Killian, really good."
He shrugged and sighed, a legitimate smile adorning that perfect face of his. "The fresh air and life away from the media has done wonders for us, right love?" He turned to Megan, who nodded sharply, before he turned back to Tink. "It's a quiet town, Tink. Friendly people, no heavy demands…"
Tink frowned playfully. "Well, you've certainly changed! Quite different from the quirky socialite artist I used to know… did you perhaps kill Killian J. Jones and take his place, you smarmy little impostor, you!?"
Both he and Megan laughed soundly. "Look, we're about to have some lunch at Granny's love, care to join us? There's someone else I'd REALLY like you to meet and…"
Feeling the bile rise up her esophagus, Tink swallowed hard and shook her head. "No, no no no. Actually…" she fidgeted. "I was on my way to town hall, to see about jobs..:"
"Jobs!?" Megan gasped excitedly. "Are you staying in Storybrooke?"
Killian frowned. "Tink… did you… move here?"
"I'd like to stay in this town for a bit, you know… I know you don't paint any more, but I was hoping you might still... teach me?" She shrugged. "Only a couple of months. Maybe then I can go back and… I don't know, perhaps I can shamelessly plug YOUR name to get my own gallery back in London!"
Killian chuckled. "Ahhh Tink, Tink, Tink! Just as wild and crazy as I remember you." He nodded. "Do you… have a place to stay?"
Yes…. Your bed.
"Well, for the time being, I'm lodged at the inn, precisely over the diner. But who knows, eventually? Let's see what I can find, workwise!"
Killian nodded. "If you need help…"
"I might."
"I live right over there. " He pointed at his building by the dock. "Just turn left and there's a door there, one doorbell, one apartment… it was the old watch-house of the harbormaster like, one hundred years ago." He sighed. "That's our home."
Home… Home is with you. My Killian, at last.
"Yep. That's home!" Megan echoed.
NO! Not yours!
"Perfect! I might badger you later on, perhaps?" She shrugged and winked. "I brought some of that wine from France you loved!"
"Oh…" He winced. "Sorry love, tonight's a bit… hard. I've a date."
"And… he doesn't drink at all anymore." Megan added proudly.
A date… No wine… Tink felt something was close to snapping in her heart. She hadn't come all this way to be bested by some… some… small-town redneck floosy!
"Well, well, must be quite a woman!" She smiled. "Who is the lucky lady?"
"Why don't you come meet her?" Megan tugged her. "She'd like you!"
"Oh but…"
"We insist!" Killian smiled and took her hand. "My treat… for old time's sake."
He was holding her hand… He could have asked her to murder the Pope and she would have said yes.
"OK…"
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"So, she's here?" Emma sneered. "So what? It's good he has friends, I'm actually kind of glad! He needs to break out of that shell."
"Do you EVER check your messages, Swan? For the love of GOD!" Ruby whispered.
Emma shook her head and took a plate in her hand. "Come on! She's an old friend of his, I'm sure it's not such a big deal, besides, she's just a kid."
"Emma…" Ruby grabbed her arm. "For once in your life, PLEASE listen. She's weird. Stalker, weird. Like, she comes from Australia, then London, then Boston… now here? What the hell! Too much of a coincidence, if you ask me. She's following him!" Ruby huffed. "Trust me, honey, that girl is up to no good. I'm worried about you. Just… do your 'super-powered eyes' thing, you know? Put it to good use for once… Please!"
Emma sighed through her nose and slumped her shoulders slightly. "Ok, tell you what… I'll check her out. If I feel anything fishy's going on…"
"Tell David Nolan to do a background check on her!"
"God, you really lay it on thick, don't you?" Emma chuckled.
"Emma!"
"Ok, cool it kiddo, I'll keep my eyes open, ok?" she took another plate in her other hand and shook her head. "Sheesh…"
The bell over the door rang and Ruby sighed. "Speak… of… the … Devil…"
Killian and Megan had smiles the size of Pecos as they entered the diner, followed by the skinny, young blond, who had her arm hooped into his. Megan rushed to a booth and asked (begged) Tink to sit beside her.
The sight of the little pixie-faced girl's arm around Killian's elbow made Emma feel very slightly queasy; while barely detectable, the feeling was there. And it wasn't just a pang of jealousy; there was something else, something… strange. The girl was strutting like a peacock, almost looking proud to be in the company of Killian and his daughter.
Too much of a queen bee.
"Roobs…" Emma ,muttered, staring straight at the girl on booth four.
"Yep?"
"I'm gonna need her room number."
"Nooooo problem." Ruby sighed and side-smiled as she picked up her order and walked past Emma. "I'll give you the master key when you check out and I'll turn off the security cam."
"Thanks…"
"You got it."
Emma produced her finest, biggest smile as she took the plates to the bar and then grabbed the coffee jug to walk to Killian's booth.
As soon as he saw her, his gaze brightened something awful and Tink swore she'd be sick any second. He stood up. "Swan…" He smiled, as if he hadn't seen her in years.
Emma smiled and paced to him, gently pecking his lips. "Hey…"
Megan giggled and pulled Tink. "She's so pretty, isn't she?" She whispered into her ear.
For a brief second, Tink really did think she'd puke.
Killian pulled Emma by the elbow and smiled excitedly. "Emma, this is Tink… Well, her name is Tanya Bell. She's a former student of mine, took care of Megan and my late son when they were babes, and a good friend. Tink…" He smiled at Emma. "…Meet Emma Swan."
Tink stood up with a grin. She could tell this was to be quite a worthy opponent: The woman was not just extremely beautiful, but she looked like she meant business. This Swan woman wasn't, as she had originally thought, a dumb, redneck, small-town pushover.
This was not going to be a picnic.
Emma grinned. "Tink! Interesting name!"
Tink shrugged as she shook Emma's hand. "Tanya Bell is the name."
"Tanya Bell… Tinker-Bell… Tink. I get it. Clever." Emma nodded with a cold smile. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise. Both Killian and Megan say you're an amazing person, so…" She shrugged. "I suppose we could be friends."
The friction and the animosity were instantly perceived by both.
Killian and Megan seemed oblivious.
Ruby was right; there was something completely off about this girl.
"Love, what time are you off your shift?" Killian grinned shyly, his eyes flirtatious as he bit his lip, fiddling with a strand of Emma's hair, his body swaying.
Tink REALLY wanted to hurl.
"In about ten minutes…"
"Are we still on for tonight?"
She grinned. "Pick me up at Tony's. I'm sure if he sees someone's there he'll at least simmer down a bit."
The name of the fat Italian made Killian's gut twist. "I'll go in with a cutlass if need be… Wanker."
"Daddy!" Megan gasped, wide-eyed.
"Oops, princess, apologies!" Killian gritted his teeth and shrugged. "Sorry, Swan."
She shook her head with a grin. "Pirate potty-mouth…"
"I just don't like it when others want to get a hand on my treasure, is all, especially not that bloody Toni Dinapoli, love. Ugh…" He shivered and then grinned shyly as he took a strand of her hair in his hand, twisting the lock between his fingers. "Just look at all this pretty gold…"
Emma blushed and chuckled. "He won't touch me."
"Aye, that he won't ever do. I promised you and I'll hold to it. We'll have a word with Nolan later on, all right?"
"Ok…"
Tink pretended not to listen. But suddenly the conversation between them had gotten interesting.
She listened.
Intently.
"So… ten?"
"Ten it is, darling…"
Emma grinned and leaned in to kiss him again, this time for a little bit longer, knowing full well Tink was watching. And while she was unable to see Tink's reaction, it was easy to feel the shifting energy emanating from the young Australian girl. Emma turned to Megan and smiled sincerely. "Sorry about that, kiddo. Not the kind of display you kids want to see, for sure."
While Killian smiled to himself, licking his lips and blushing, Megan shrugged. "That's ok. I'm not Henry. He's the one that goes 'eww' when you two kiss, I don't mind. It's a boy thing."
Henry? Who the fuck is Henry?
"Speaking of Henry, lass…" Killian raised a finger. "I'd like a word with you about him…"
Emma tilted her head to the side. "Oh no… he's not acting out, is he?"
Killian smiled. "No, no he's not. Actually, I was wondering if you'd allow me to tutor him… privately."
Wait, what? Hell, no!
"He's unbelievably talented, Swan." Killian shook his head. "The boy has a future, a happy one, as an artist. I've the name and the connections, perhaps I can eventually even recommend him, and get him into a good school if you'll allow it…"
Emma looked on sheepishly and proud as hell. "I… really? You'd really do that?"
"Aye. Could help the boy deal with his situation… and mine."
So the usurper has a son… another usurper. One takes my man and the other takes my career with him. Ok, they're just asking for it, for sure.
The door once again sounded its bells and the young Henry Cassidy walked in smiling. "MOM! I got an A in English! Look!" he reached the booth and looked at them. "Hi, Mr. Jones."
"Hello, m'boy."
My… boy. Ok this is serious. REALLY serious.
"Wow, what?" Emma took the paper from the boy's hand. "Was this a pop quiz?"
"Yup!" He beamed like a million dollar baby. "And, I got a B-plus in Spanish class as well."
"Ok, who are you and what the heck have you done with my son!? We have to celebrate!" She hugged him. "Ruby! Ice cream for the kids here!" Emma shouted. "The three of them."
Ok, you really ARE asking for it.
Killian smiled at Emma. "Tink only looks younger than what she actually is, Swan… She's genetically blessed with a youthful glow. Must be all that time in Neverland." He chuckled.
"Oh…" Emma smiled at the young girl. "I'm sorry Tink, I really don't mean to be condescending."
"Oh, it's fiiine…" Tink smiled back with a wave of her hand. "I actually love Ice Cream. Especially chocolate." She held Emma's stare.
Emma stared back with an equally wide smile and eyes that spelled disaster. This little bitch is going down.
"Pity. We only have vanilla fudge…" Emma shrugged. "Hope it's ok."
"I could use vanilla fudge." Henry shrugged and turned to Tink. "Hi. I'm Henry…" He held his hand out with a friendly grin.
"Tink." She shook his hand, sizing up her potential foe.
Emma fumed internally.
"Erh… Henry, I gotta do a few things in the kitchen before the shift ends, why don't you sit down and let Killian fill you in in an amazing idea he has?" She turned to the handsome artist and touched his face. "Will you?"
"By all means! Come now, lad, how would you feel about attending class with me? Privately, at your home, or mine?"
Emma smiled and turned to Tink. "Well… Tink. Pleasure to meet you. Hope you enjoy your stay in Storybrooke."
"Oh, I shall…" She smiled back.
Emma walked away and looked from the counter as Killian explained his idea to Henry; Megan looked on with a pleasant smile on her face, her legs dangling from the seat as she drummed her fingers on the table.
Tink was staring straight into her eyes, a side grin so cold on her face it sent a shiver way up and down Emma's spine.
Charles Manson probably had a friendlier glare.
"What did I tell you?" Ruby said to her discreetly.
"Hmm…" Emma nodded, also looking down at the dishes, pretending to be moving them around. "Yeah, she's a little psycho."
"Stalker?"
"I'm sure of it. She's lying through her teeth to Killian. Her whole vibe is just… ugh. I get chills."
Ruby turned to her and discreetly handed her the master key. "You're gonna check her out?"
"You bet your ass I am."
Emma removed her apron and hung it up. She once again walked to the table. "You guys, Ruby will be taking your order. I'm taking Henry home."
"Swan, I can take him for the afternoon!" Killian smiled widely. "No problem at all…"
"Actually, I…" Emma shrugged. "I wanted to have some mother and son time. You know, in view of that A in English, I think we might go buy a new video game, how's that?" She looked up at him. "Maybe he can go with you while I'm at work at Tony's?"
Killian nodded. "Very well, love."
"Thanks. Henry?"
"New video game?" He stood up beaming. "I'm yours!" He turned and waved bye. "Bye Meg. Nice to meet you… Tink."
Tink merely grinned coldly and stayed on the table, charting with a starry-eyed Killian.
Henry and Emma walked out the back through the lobby. "We're totally going to spy on her, aren't we?" Henry chuckled.
"Yep."
"Cool. I don't like her one… little… bit."
Emma chuckled. "Me neither. She's up to something. Calls for a new Op." She turned to look at Henry. "Give it a name, kid."
Henry smiled fully. "Operation Phony Fairy has begun."
"Perfect." She walked up the stairs. "You know what to do…."
"Yep. I'll keep an eye out and if the Fairy comes, I'll lean on the door, like…"he wobbled. "Just… you know…."
"Great. You got it." She stopped at the door. "Room seven. This is it." She opened the door and Henry stood outside diligently.
Emma looked around and was stunned by the austerity of the place. She opened the closet… Nothing. "Damn…" She whispered. She found a single back pack, and an easel leaning against the window frame that overlooked the harbor. She noticed immediately that the window had a clear view to the building where Killian and Megan lived. "Convenient coincidence…" She shook her head. She looked into her backpack and found nothing out of the ordinary: clothes, toilet goods, money… toilet goods? "Why didn't she put these in the…?" She turned her head to the bathroom door, and then saw an odd glow coming from within. "What the hell…?" She paced slowly and opened the door.
Her jaw slacked immediately.
That was NOT a bathroom.
"Holy fuck…" She gasped.
In the single night Tink had spent there, she had managed to redecorate the bathroom and turned it into a shrine; Killian's paintings, photographs of him and his family both printed out from the internet as well as taken probably by Tink herself… lit candles… and newspaper clippings. "Famous artist loses family in boating mishap; foul play suspected by Scotland Yard." She read one and then went to another. "Jones family tragedy deemed accidental; inquiries dropped." She moved to another. "Milah McMillan-Jones found dead in South Bank River Thames. Probable suicide currently under investigation." Emma shook her head as she went to the next. And the next, and the one after that… and every time she came face to face with a story on Killian's late wife, she also found the name to be underlined several times. In red ink. "This is one… sick… puppy…" She stepped out, closed the door behind her and left things as close to how she found them as she could. She then rushed out and found Henry still looking out. He turned with a grin. "Found something interesting?"
Emma was pale. "That's… putting it lightly…." She grabbed Henry by the shoulder and dragged him out. "We gotta go, now."
"Where? Mom, what the hell did you find?"
Emma shook her head. "You wouldn't believe it, kid. She could practically sacrifice a lamb in that bathroom, it's a friggin' altar to Killian and…" She gulped as she hugged him, gasping for breath. "I don't know, but she's obsessed with what happened to his family. She's got newspaper clippings from every goddamned newspaper of the time. It's sick."
"No way…" Henry bit his lip. "Who do we tell first? Killian or the cops?"
Emma shook her head. "Killian won't like that I snuck into her room…"
"Neither will David Nolan, mom."
Emma nodded. "Good point. Ok, here's what we'll do…" she went back to the room and flipped the 'Do Not Disturb' sign around to 'Please do housekeeping'.
"There… Ruby and Granny will call the cops. I'll just tell Ruby to be on the lookout."
"Mom…" henry shook his head. "You have to warn Killian!"
Emma nodded; if her new kind-of-boyfriend was willing to look out for her against Tony Dinapoli, she sure as hell was more than willing to keep this little psycho at bay… for his sake and Megan's.
She only hoped Killian wouldn't be spooked or turned off by her warning. She would probably be the one to look like a stalker.
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She certainly did not want to be around Killian when he had not only Milah's mini me, but also that brat, Henry.
She paced gingerly into the Italian joint a block away from the pier.
Probably the only Italian place in this Podunk Village.
She walked past the people dining and was met by the maitre'd. "Bonasera, bella ragazza, welcome to Toni's. Table for one?"
Tink shook her head with a grin. "Is there a Mr. Toni Dinapoli here? I wish to have a word with him."
The head waiter stiffened and completely lost his Italian accent. "If you have anything you wish to say to Mr. Dinapoli, you can tell me about it."
"I don't think so." Tink shook her head with a grin. "This does not concern you at all."
The man eyed her from head to toes. "Who should I say is calling?"
She grinned. "No names. Just tell him we have a common interest: Emma Swan."
The man nodded with a sly grin, turned, and walked into the office, only to emerge ten seconds later. "Right through that door to the left."
"Thank you." She pushed past the man like she owned the place, while the waiter recovered his Italian grin and accent for the next customers in line.
She opened the door and found Toni Dinapoli. She sneered; as much as she disliked Emma, she had to admit the guy was kind of disgusting to look at.
He looked up at her. "This had better be worth the interruption, miss…" He looked up at her.
"My name is irrelevant." Tink sighed and sat in front of him. "Like I said, we have a common interest."
He huffed and sat back. "And what might your particular interest in Emma Swan be, Miss anonymous?"
Tink swallowed hard. "She's in the way of my happiness. She and her little brat."
He chuckled. "Is she, now?" He nodded.
Tink shook her head. "I've come a long way to meet my love. A fellow she happens to be dating."
Toni felt his blood boil. "She… has a boyfriend?"
Ting sneered and shook her head. "Don't… say that word, he's not her… b… Anyway, you want the girl, I want the man. There's our common goal."
The man swallowed and licked his lips. "I'm listening."
Tink laughed briefly and shrugged. "I thought I'd be the one to listen to you."
"Emma Swan… has a history. There are a few badbloods looking for her. Now, I don't want her harmed… I want her in my bed."
Tink cringed again at the thought of ANYONE in that man's bed, but she simply nodded. "Well, she looks like a bit of a tough nut."
"You have NO idea."
Tink licked her lips. "What if I told you… I'm willing to maybe allow you to use her affections against her? I can tell you, for instance…" She smiled and leaned into the desk. "…he has both his daughter and her son with him today…. And they will be going on a date later tonight after he picks her up here?"
Toni smiled. "You are vile…"
"I'm not. I just don't like it when others mess with my treasure…"
Toni nodded. "I might just… threaten to hurt the man."
"As long as you don't actually act upon it." She shrugged. "Although I wouldn't mind if that little daughter of his also went MIA for a little bit."
"He has a child as well?"
"Indeed he does. Dislikable little bastard girl."
He stood up and leaned over. "You do realize… this is actually a reputable place of business, and you could very well find yourself in deep, deep trouble…"
"I suppose my actions are just as reputable as sexually harassing a working mother…"
He held her stare…
"Tonight the children are alone?"
"Indeed."
"Where?"
"Most likely, his home. I heard something about him wanting to… teach the boy how to paint." She stood up and, in spite of her petite stature, Toni felt she meant business. "Killian Jones is a highly reputed artist, a genius of his time. Do whatever you want with Emma Swan and the two little runts… but so help me, if you as much as harm a hair on the man's head… the deal is off, as are the gloves."
Tony smirked. "Well… we wouldn't want that, would we?"
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Liam reached home and heaved with relief. Running both hands through his hair, he called out his wife's name. "Greta?"
Smiling, the blue-eyed woman paced down the stairs and embraced him, inhaling deeply, as if she were trying to remember the smell of her husband. "I missed you…"
"Home is bliss…" He kissed her gently, holding her by the waist and pulling away.
The woman smiled. "You look… happy."
"Plenty of reason to."
She smiled. "How's Killian?"
"Surprisingly well. That's my plenty of reason."
She nodded. "He stopped drinking?"
"Not only that…" He pulled away and unbuttoned the top of his shirt. "He has a sweetheart."
"Oh…" Greta sighed with relief, heaving. "Finally. Is she good for him?"
Liam smiled and sat on his favorite couch with a groan. "Absolutely perfect, and a bloody beauty to boot. Emma Swan. She has a son more or less Megan's age, as well."
"Oh perfect!" She smiled, turned around and then turned her head with a quirky, mischievous eyebrow raised. "He still owes me a Faberge Egg."
Liam cackled. "I did tell him that; you're not bound to let it go any time soon."
Greta took her seat on her own armchair in front of her husband's. "He's got a good heart, Liam. I do hope he really does mend his ways…" She sighed. "Such a brilliant talent, going to waste."
He reached out his hand and held hers acr5oss the little coffee table between the two chairs. "Well, it will gladden you to know he's also started to paint again. And… he's teaching art in a tiny little grammar school."
"Oh, lovely!"
"They adore him, apparently."
"Killian does have a way with children…"
Liam grinned. "He's an apt instructor. And he knows his craft." He looked out his window to the bay. "Becoming a teacher has done worlds of good to his self-esteem. He should have thought of this a long time ago."
Greta shook her head. "He's taught before, hasn't he? Wasn't that… Tanya Bell girl his pupil once?"
Liam sneered. "Complete and utter basket case. She wasn't too much of a good artist. Even Killian knew it. But he rather pitied her. She had left her home in Australia at a very young age just for a chance to meet him, so…" He shrugged. "You know Killian; it was hard for him to say no. Then she really snaked her way into his life. I can't seem to escape the idea that she might have had something to do with the accident, Greta…"
"Really? You think she's obsessed?"
"I don't think it, my love, I KNOW it for sure!" We nodded adamantly. "I got a call from Maggie, asking me if I should allow her to let on to Tanya where Killian lived now." He chuckled and shook his head. "She's bold. The nerve on that girl, calling my personal assistant to try and…" Liam felt Greta's hand go limp and when he looked at her, she had paled a couple of shades. "Greta?"
"Oh, Liam…" She gasped.
"What's the matter?"
"I … thought you would have been called from the office."
Liam sat up. "No, nobody did. What happened?"
He could feel his stomach tighten.
Greta swallowed. "Maggie mysteriously failed to show up to work one morning. They tracked her down to the hospital. She doesn't remember much, other than being chased by a car into an alleyway. Someone also ransacked her workplace, her address book was missing." She swallowed. "You don't think she'd be capable of…?"
"Yes I bloody well do!" He jumped up. "Fuck! Killian, no…" He ran his hands through his hair. "She's probably on her way to Storybrooke right now, if she's not already there! Miss Swan, her son, Megan, they're all in danger, even Killian himself…" He turned to look at her. "Love, I need to get back to Maine. I'm sorry, I…"
"Yes you do." Greta nodded, standing up fiercely. "And I'm coming with you."