Thank you for your reviews and follows! I hope you like this chapter as well.
Some of you have expressed that you wish to see more detailed descriptions... I think this is the time to let you know that English is not my native language, so everytime I try to do long, detailed descriptions, they come out awkward.
This chapter is longer than the others, I hope you enjoy!
I want to thank my beta More ColourfulMoniker for her review and sandra70 for her constant support!

Chapter 4 - The Story

We crossed the line
Who pushed who over
It doesn't matter to you
It matters to me
So cruel, U2

"Detective Killian Jones, New Jersey State Police. At your service, milady."

She stood there speechless, trying to process the information. He called her by her name, so it meant he knew her. He had his memories. She looked at him one more time, her eyes going directly to his left arm, expecting to see the obvious. But the hook and the brace were gone, replaced by what it looked to be a state of the art prosthetic hand. She gasped in shock, her eyes scanning all over him, taking him in. Captain Hook in modern clothes was quite the sight: dark denim jeans, black shirt rolled up to his elbows, a brown leather shoulder holster carrying a gun on his left side. The shirt had a couple of buttons opened, showing the hint of a white t-shirt underneath. The necklace with his charms was still in place, but she noticed his rings were gone. His right hand was almost bare, featuring only a small silver engraved ring in his middle finger. And leather bracelets on his wrist. She took it all in, what she always imagined finally confirmed: Killian Jones in modern clothes was as sexy and breathtaking as possible.

She finally found the courage to look at his face. It was the same as she remembered: incredible blue eyes, only a slight shadow of eyeliner below them; very subtle, almost imperceptible, but she could recognize it. He had traded his flashy earring for something smaller, but it was still there. Somehow, the smug pirate still lived underneath the modern exterior. And the combination was taking her breath away, her heart beating faster and faster as it dawned on her that he was standing right in front of her.

He smirked at her, eyebrows waggling, head tilting.

"Like what you see, princess?" He teased and she could have crumbled just from hearing that tone in his voice again.

She blushed and was about to reply with something sarcastic when one of the officers interrupted them.

"Thomas got away, Detective."

"Bloody hell" Killian cursed and she could not help but smile at the familiarity until the words sank in.

"You are after Thomas?" She asked, "I'm after him."

"That explains why he was running away instead of walking into the trap we had set up for him." Killian said. "Well, thank you, Swan. You've just ruined my operation and months of police investigation." He sounded pissed.

"Detective, we should get back to the station and debrief. And she should come to give her statement." The officer said. "You'll have to come to the station with us, Miss."

"She comes with me, officer. I'll take her." Killian said quickly as he turned away and started walking. He stopped for a second, slowly turning around and giving her an intense glare, "Are you coming?"

She quickly caught up with him, "Are you going to tell me what it's going on?!"

"Let's get to the car, Swan." He replied as he turned around the corner and headed to some cars parked in the street.

Killian opened the passenger door of a brand new black mustang and motioned her to sit, before closing the door and heading to the driver's seat. Emma was speechless again. A brand new mustang was not something within the range of a cop's salary.

As soon as he sat and closed the door, she started asking questions, "What is all this about, Hook!?"

"Killian." He said looking at the steering wheel.

"What?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled deeply, finally looking at her, "Killian. No one has called me Hook in almost three years, I'd like to keep it that way." There was a hint of sadness in his voice, as if it pained him to hear his moniker.

"Fine, Killian. Can you explain what is all this? How come they think you are cop?"

"Because that is what I am, Emma. That is what I've been for the past three years. Detective Killian Jones, Homicide and Brutal Crimes Division. NJSP." He sighed. "This is who I am now."

"How?"

"Like everybody else, Regina fabricated an identity for me." He smiled sadly. "When I decided to leave Storybrooke, I asked her for guidance on how to navigate this world and she offered me this chance. She'd create a past for me, one that would help me get myself on track and start over. She infused me with a few memories that I know are fabricated, but they are close to the truth of my previous life so it's not that hard to keep it all straight. She also gave me knowledge about this world and this profession. And she fabricated some credentials so I could get this job. A good chance to start over."

He sighed, starting the car, "And now that that is out of the way, we need to head to the station. I need to know everything you know about Thomas and how you got caught up in all this."

"You can drive one-handed?" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

The look he gave her was enough to make her blush, "Swan, I might have been willing to endure your comments back then; but I've lived in this world now long enough to know that is not good form to comment on a person's disability like that. So please, I know it's hard for you, but try not to insult me again, sweetheart." There was repressed anger in his voice as he bit his upper lip.

"I'm sorry, H—Killian, I'm just shocked about this." She apologized.

"Still not ok to comment on it. I'm as shocked as you are, Swan. I never thought I'd see you again."

And just like that, the cat was out of the bag. He never expected to see her again. He lived in New Jersey, very close to where she was. He actually knew where she lived, as she moved back to the same apartment she had during that year she spent without her memories. But he never went to find her.

That realization tore her apart in a way she had not expected. It shattered her in a million pieces. She'd always thought he'd find her, that no matter how much she'd pushed him, he'd always come back. He always came back: he turned his ship around to take her to Neverland, he defied a curse and crossed realms to find her; so she kept pushing and pushing, because he'd always come back.

Until the day he didn't anymore. And it wasn't until now that she realized how much she regretted that he didn't.

They remained silent the rest of the ride, as she observed how Killian drove with incredible dexterity considering his missing hand. He parked near the station and Emma exited the car. Killian was by her side in an instant, guiding her into the station, past the counter and into the back. At some point, almost by reflex, his hand was on her lower back and she felt a jolt of electricity pass through her body. She tried to hide it, but he caught on it and smirked, his eyebrows rising of their own accord. Before she could say anything, a tall brown haired guy approached them.

"Killian, what happened?"

"He got away, Mac. We had an unfortunate incident with a cross chase." Killian sighed as he took Emma to one of the desks in the back and pulled a chair for her to sit in.

"And she is…" The other guy inquired interested.

"Swan, this is Detective Mac Sanders, my partner. Mac, this is Emma Swan. She was chasing Thomas when I crashed into her, sending our entire operation down the drain." Killian said sighing, his hand going through his hair and making a mess of his hair.

Emma smiled at Mac and then her gaze focused on the desk. It was neatly ordered, all paperwork filed away. It put her desk back in the Storybrooke station to shame. Then she saw the little plaque in it.

"Lieutenant Jones?!" She could not help but ask that question a little too loud.

Killian's stare told her he did not appreciate the comment. "It is my rank, Swan."

"For now. Killian here is up for a promotion with how well he's been doing. I'm pretty sure once we close this case and put Thomas behind bars, he'll finally become Captain." Mac said proudly, his hand clasping Killian's shoulder.

Killian smiled at his partner, almost sheepishly. He was leaning on another desk, right in front of her, arms crossed on his chest and Emma was having a hard time concentrating on anything that was not him. With the leather coat and vest out of the way, she could finally appreciate how slender Hook actually was. Tall and slim, she could admire the sharp lines of his shoulders and take in how strong his arms seemed, the fine hair that covered his forearms. She shook her head as Mac's words sank in.

"You are about to become Captain Jones?" She could not help herself again but this time he smirked at her and held her gaze daringly.

"It seems so."

"Not only that," Mac kept bragging, "Killian will be the youngest detective to become Captain."

Emma chuckled and Killian raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you ok there, Swan?" He asked pointedly.

"Wait a minute… you know each other?!" Mac asked intrigued.

"Aye, yes. I know her from the time I spent in Maine." Killian replied calmly. "Emma was the Sheriff of a town and our paths crossed a few times."

"This is when you were working as a private investigator, right?" Mac looked at Killian.

"Exactly."

Emma looked at Killian and smirked. It seemed Regina covered most of the basics and Killian was quick on his feet to fill in the blanks. Of course he was. Once a pirate, always a pirate. He was looking at her intently now, as if he was defying her to break his cover. She only smiled and turned her attention back to Mac, who was asking another question.

"You're still a Sheriff?"

"Oh no," She replied. "I quit and moved to New York. I am a bailbonds person."

"That's why you were chasing Thomas." Killian asked her.

"Yes, he skipped his meetings and we need to take him in to recover the bail."

"You should perhaps stay out of this one." Killian said

"What do you mean by that?"

"We've been chasing him for months, and we suspect he's involved in several violent crimes. Let me handle this one…" Killian told her.

"I can't do that." She replied stubbornly, which only fueled Killian's anger.

"He's dangerous, Emma." He continued, trying to control the anger in his voice.

"I can take care of myself, Hook."

And that was the last straw for him. His eyes quickly scanned the room and saw only the three of them remained. He turned around and addressed Mac.

"Can you give us a moment, mate?" He asked.

"Sure, I was heading home anyway." Mac sensed something was up but he let it slide for now. "Nice to meet you, Emma." He said before leaving them alone.

Once Mac was out, Killian turned around so fast that Emma did not see him coming.

"Are you out of your mind, Swan?" He sneered at her, controlled rage in his voice. "This guy is dangerous, fucking dangerous."

"And I know how to defend myself!"

"This is not Storybrooke, lass, where a badge and a sword where enough to face a villain. There is nothing of the sort in here. We are talking guns, drugs, torture, beat ups, possible rape." Killian almost chocked at the last part. "I'm telling you to back off."

"I will not." She said stubbornly.

"I'm not asking you, Swan. I'm a police officer; you are interfering with my investigation. I'm giving you an order."

Emma lost her temper as well, "You are going to pull rank on me, detective? You are aware that all this was created by Regina, right?"

She stood up and he invaded her private space instantly, like old times. It was almost intoxicating to be this close to him. "It might have been Regina's creation at the beginning, Swan. But I've been doing this for years now, this is my life. You don't get to tell me if it's right or wrong."

"I don't care if this is your life. This is my life too! My job! What I do! That doesn't matter to you?"

Killian could see it in her eyes: the contained rage, the stubbornness, he remembered her reactions all too well. And they were unnerving him. She was getting under his skin again and he had to do something. He had to make her listen to him. As shocked as he was about seeing her again and reliving all the hurt and the pain of her pushing him away; he could not put her life at risk.

But he knew that she was processing all her emotions about seeing him again and was not dealing with them well.

Emma was blinded by her emotions, "You listen to me, Hook, you are going to let me be part of this, you cannot push me away and act like I cannot handle this. I am more than capable of-"

And that was when she heard the click sound of the handcuff on her wrist. Before she could react, Killian had dragged her to the cell at the end of the room and cuffed her to the bars. He closed the door and looked at her daringly.

Emma could not believe what just happened.

"Killian, you can't do this to me... uncuff me NOW!"

"You left me chained on the top of that beanstalk for 10 hours. Now you are going to sit here and wait and cool off. I'll be back in a few hours."

He grabbed his black leather jacket and headed for the door.

"HOOK!"

"Not my name, love."

"Killian!"

He turned around, walked back and pressed his face on the bars, really close to hers.

"Payback is a bitch, princess. And you should know by now, I am nothing if not a man who seeks his revenge. See you later, Swan."

And he left the room.