Summary: Emma has been trying to pick up the pieces of her life after her boyfriend Neal died. After a string of bad dates that she reluctantly goes on, she's either ready to re-examine her lifes choices or swear off men altogether. She meets Killian Jones in a...memorable way and what follows is a roller coaster ride of crazy. Will Emma rise to the challenge or buckle under the pressure of her ridiculously complicated life?

Rating: Eventual Mature Content

Notes: Another BIG HUGE Thank you to charmingturkeysandwich (tumblr), this story would not be happening without her help and support! I want to give a BIG shoutout to her adorable puppy Duke, too!

Chapter 2

Killian Jones was a simple man with simple tastes.

He had but one vice in this world, and that was his coffee.

It had to be just right, and the side of right that he liked was extra sweet. So sweet that you couldn't taste the coffee but you got that wonderful kick of caffeine

Before he got that kick, he was a bit oblivious in the mornings.

So, when he stopped at the coffee shop this morning, and cut off that lovely blonde woman on the way to the counter, he didn't realize it. Had he realized it, he'd have taken notice that she had a particularly beautiful shade of green eyes. He may have even decided to chat her up a bit before taking his leave and heading to work for the day.

But he did not, in fact, notice when he cut in front of this beautiful, clearly busy woman at 8:15 on a rainy Tuesday morning

Not until she literally kicked him that is.

At first, it didn't really register in his brain. He felt a sharp pain in his shin. And then the throbbing started. He slowly looked away from this particularly interesting spot on the wall to the left of him to see a very angry blonde woman. He wasn't quite sure what was happening, so he looked all around to see who her ire was directed at. Looks like he was the lucky winner. That's likely why she apparently kicked him?

"I'm sorry lass, did you just kick me?"

If he would've had to put a comparison on the before and after of her facial expression right then, he'd have said the before was kind of cute and cuddly, and the after was decidedly not. "Why would I kick you? It's not like you came in, stumbled through the door, flung your damn rain all over me with your umbrella and cut in front of me in line."

"...I'm sorry-"

"You know what, I've had to deal with an uncooperative 7 year old, a neighbor with a dog from hell, and a slow leak in my tire this morning. Have you ever tried to put air in a tire in the middle of a rain storm? Have you ever had to get peanut butter out of a kids' hair before you've even had a chance to pee in the morning? How about have you ever had to run, in heels, down the road because your neighbor 'Norman Bates look-a-like' let Cujo out without bothering to keep him on a leash?! No? Ok. Great. Get your coffee so I can go about my day, Chief, I have things to do."

Since he was in the caffeine negative-zone, and it was an unusually befuddling morning, he wasn't really sure how to respond to such a verbal lashing at this hour. What he did notice was that she seemed to be having a bad day, and that she was bloody gorgeous. Sometimes, when he was in 'negative coffee zone' his mouth is a bit faster than his brain

"What are you doing later?" Nope. Bad idea. Her face was getting even more red (how is that possible?) Backtrack.

"Excuse me?!"

"Um, I like your hair?" What? Why did that sound like a question Jones? Hurry! Change tactics. "When you go red like that, your eyes really pop, love." Give up. Stop. You're making it worse. Abort! Abort! "Though, darling, you might want to keep that under control a little better. High blood-pressure is a silent killer." Oh for fucks sake, stop, please stop.

While he's internally hating himself, he's unable to stop the general ridiculousness coming from his mouth.

"I can see why the dog chased you!" Nothing. There's literally NOTHING he an do to save this.

"I apologize, let me buy you a coffee, please?" Maybe that?

"No." Oh. Well. I guess it was worth a shot.

"I'm sorry, what?" Yeah. He should definitely just turn around and pretend like he has amnesia or something. Maybe start walking into walls so she thinks it's a side effect of some kind of medication. Something. Anything. Literally anything but what he's currently doing.

"Look, handsome guy, I'm sure you're used to women falling all over themselves to accommodate you, especially in the mornings" she said as she smirked "but I am not one of those women. No. You know what?" She looked at her watch "I'm actually already late, thanks for a memorable morning."

She hurriedly left the coffee shop, to her credit, she did not slam the door, though he'd expected that with how exasperated she was. He'd never seen a person walk so fast this early in the morning. Perhaps she had her own coffee maker at home? He was stumped. What the hell had just happened?

Emma had been off to a stellar start for the day when this rogue British punk cut in front of her when she desperately needed her coffee and she just lost it.

What her mother would think of her behavior right then was not really that important at that moment.

So she did what any calm, rational, caring person would do.

She kicked him.

(This is what happens when Henry breaks the coffee pot.)

She was embarrassed. Incredibly, completely shocked at herself and embarrassed, and if she was being honest, a little bit mortified.

So, of course, she acted like even more of an asshole to the poor guy.

And then he flirts with her.

At first, he looked so confused. And she couldn't blame him, she was acting like a damn lunatic. His hair was sticking up all over the place, crooked tie and his laptop case was haphazardly across him. Blank stare and open mouthed at her actions.

But then, he went and opened that mouth and decided to hit on her. Badly. She'd almost feel bad for him if he weren't semi insulting to her with what he was saying. 'I can see why the dog chased you' what the hell was that? What did that even mean? Seriously. These kinds of guys flock to her. She's like a crazy magnet. Gorgeous guy, clearly serious issues.

She did almost turn around, though. She did kick him, after all. It wasn't his fault her morning went from shit to shittier. But what are the chances she'd ever see the guy again? And she was running late. So she'd just have to take whatever karmic shit came her way for that little act of insanity.

This is her life. These are her choices. She really should hire a life coach. Her luck Ruby and Elsa would apply, God knows they've been waiting for years to do so. She'll just keep this little interaction to herself. It's better that way, really.

She goes about her day, dealing with her paperwork and all the general fun that comes with her job. She really was just living the dream. Spending the whole day looking forward to-a.)getting Henry from daycare to squish his seven year old face because she misses him and b.)dealing with the inevitable tantrum because she has to go buy a new coffee pot after work.

They're on their way home when her mother calls her a little bit frantic, which is weird. Sunshine literally spills out of every pore of her mothers body 24/7/365 and if she's acting frantic something is definitely wrong.

"Emma, sweetheart, what are you guys doing right now?" her mother asked in a way that made her forced chipperness obvious to Emma, she could barely hear the shake in her voice, but it was there.

"I'm driving home from the store, is everything ok? You sound upset, Mom."

"We're fine. I do need you to come over though, can you do that?"

"Sure, we'll be there in 10. Are you sure you're ok?"

"Of course, I love you."

"Love you too." she hung up the phone and set it on the passenger seat.

Well, that officially makes her want to throw up. She can count on one hand the amount of times her mother has sounded upset. All the things that make her upset are BAD things. Her Grandparents passing away, Emma calling her about Neal, Henry being in the hospital with a bad bout of the flu. Never small things. Small things don't shake her unshakable mother.

She mulls over possibilities and worries herself sick the entire drive. All while making sure Henry is distracted by the radio. Yes, Adam Levine distracts her too, just for a different reason.

She pulls in the driveway and can barely pull it together, but reminds herself to be patient with Henry at the moment. No matter what she's feeling she can't let him know something is up. Poor kiddo has been through enough.

She ushers Henry through the door, reminds him to take off his shoes and he runs to the living room to go watch TV with Grandpa. Now that that is taken care of, she can go find her mother and see what has her so upset.

"Mom?"

"In here!" she calls from her bedroom.

Emma walks in and sees her mother sitting on the bed with an envelope in her hands. It's thick, and it looks official.

"Emma, this came for you." She says nervously "I need to tell you something before you open it."

"Mom, you're really beginning to freak me out, what the hell is that?"

"I don't know. The sheriff delivered it. I didn't know what it was, they just asked if I knew you. I panicked and all I could think was something happened to you and Henry, so I said yes. He asked me to sign something and then gave me this and left. When I asked him what it was he said it was a certified letter from a law office."

"You don't sound surprised," Emma paused, eyeing her "what are you hiding from me, Mom?" Emma was really beginning to get frustrated. For all her mothers wonderfulness, she did take her sweet time getting to the point. And what the hell even was her point with this?

"There was a man, he came to our house a few weeks ago asking about you. Asking about Neal. Henry. Your father threw him out of our yard, but he just kept coming back. He said he was Neal's father."

Well that was a punch to the gut. She sat down next to her Mom on the bed and tried to process what she'd just heard. Her mom automatically pulled her onto her shoulder. As if she could pull the pain from Emma's body just by holding her close.

Neal had no father, so he said. She'd been with him for 9 years, and she'd never heard any mention of the man other than a passing 'he knocked my Mom up and split before my testicles descended' (classy- on both counts).

"Ok, so, why does that matter? Don't get me wrong, I'm pissed that Neal kept it from me, but it doesn't surprise me. He kept a lot from me." Something wasn't matching up here. Her mother was seriously losing it. As much as she was trying to hold it together, Emma could tell.

"I know, but Emma, it's Robert Gold." Her mother said it so soft she thought she may not have heard it right at first.

"Robert Gold, high powered, never lost a case lawyer, Robert Gold?" Unbelievable.

She looked at Emma with tears in her eyes "Yes."

Fan-fucking-tastic. She better get it over with and see what's in the envelope.

The Offices of Gold, French, and Mills

Dear Ms. Swan,

This letter is to infom you that our client Robert J Gold is formally requesting companionship time with minor child Henry David Swan as paternal grandfather. Please contact our office regarding arrangments. If you wish to deny Mr. Gold companionship time with the minor child, be advised we will be exploring other avenues to assist in this matter.

Belle French, Attorney at Law

The breath left her lungs. This had to be a joke. This had to be a joke, it just had to be. She couldn't believe this. No one is going to take this seriously, are they? She's Henry's mother. There was no way in hell she was going to let her son go see a man he didn't even know, just because he was biologically related. Where the hell was he these past 7 years? Hell, where was he Neal's entire life? She had so many questions and not enough answers, or reference to even know where to start to find answers. She's totally blindsided right now and if she's being honest, a little pissed at her mom for it.

She knew about this and didn't tell her. She kept this from her and it took her legs out from under her. Where does she even go from here? What the hell can she do? And why on earth is this man doing this to her? He doesn't even know her or Henry. He likely barely, if at all, knew Neal. God, what was she going to do? Where does she even start?

After sitting there, completely disoriented for about five minutes, her mother spoke.

"Honey, I am so sorry. I didn't think he'd do anything. I didn't even know what his plans were. We didn't tell him anything. We just didn't want to add any more stress to your life." Of course she didn't. She took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before responding.

"I know, Mom. I have to be honest, I'm a little upset with you for not telling me. But I know you and Dad would never do anything to hurt me or Henry. What am I going to do about this? Mom, I don't know what to do. This scares me. This is a big time lawyer. Have you seen the ads? They call him the Dark One. Never lost a case... What the hell does this all mean? Henry doesn't know this guy. What if he does something and it ends up hurting Henry in some way? Where did he come from? Why am I only hearing from him now? Neal died over 2 years ago. I'm honestly a little scared." She was on the verge of hyperventilating and her fingers felt a little tingly. She needed to stand up and get moving or she was going to pass out.

"Emma, I know that it looks scary. How much can he possibly want? Maybe you should contact them, see what his intentions are. Go from there. Maybe he just wants to meet Henry and then he'll leave you alone. You don't know if you don't face it. It could be completely harmless."

"If it were completely harmless, you'd have told me about it. No. I don't think this is harmless. The tone of the letter is demanding. Like they've already decided my answer (and they'd be correct) and they're preparing to take me to court." She was pacing around her parents' bedroom like a caged animal. She felt like one right now. She had a bad feeling about all of this. Why couldn't she get a break? It's not like her life isn't shitty enough to begin with. Add this and stir and you have a complete shit show going on. She needed to get a hold of herself. Henry was in the other room.

"Ok, Mom, I'm gonna scream into this" she holds up a pillow "please close the door. When I'm done, we will go out there, have dinner because I'm starving, and deal with this tomorrow while Henry is at school. I'm taking the day off." She held the pillow to her face (you gotta do what you gotta do, right?) and screamed into it for a few seconds. Took a deep breath. Smiled a shaky smile at her mother and opened the door.

"Show time." As she walked through the door her mother put her hand on her shoulder and gave it a little squeeze.

"We'll get through this."

God, she sure as hell hoped so. Henry was her life. This needed to not be an issue at all.

She can't worry about it anymore until the morning, or at least until Henry was tucked safe and sound in his dinosaur bed.

What the fuck even is her life.