"I think this guy holds a record for most places lived," Emma quipped as she filled out yet another flash card.

She then slid back her rolling chair and pulled out the poster board from underneath her desk. When she had taped the flash card beside the others, she surveyed her research.

Ever since Brennan left Belle and her mother, Colette, twenty-five and a half years ago, he never stayed in one place longer than a couple months. Yet, he had stayed in New York City for almost a year.

"Why did you decide to stop running?" Emma wondered aloud as she crossed her arms over her chest.

She then heard a knock at the door, so she placed the poster back under her desk and switched over the tab on the computer.

She then called out, "Come in." Chief Williams then walked in and greeted, "Morning, Emma."

"Morning, Paul," she replied. She then questioned, "What brings you by so early?"

"Well, I knew you were here, and I thought I'd give you the good news before the day starts," Paul began. He then smiled and continued, "You're officially back on field duty."

Emma smiled as she told him, "Thank you, Chief. I can't tell you how happy I am about this."

Paul grinned as he told her, "I think I might have an idea." The blonde rolled her eyes in response.

Her phone then beeped in the pocket of her jeans. She then spoke, "That's my cue. I'm gonna go see Killian and grab some hot chocolate and a bear claw."

The chief nodded before he turned to head out of the office. He then stopped and asked, "Speaking of Killian, how's that research on his father going?"

"It's going good. In fact, I think I have everything I need," Emma told him. She then paused and continued, "I wanted to thank you - again - for letting me do the research."

Paul waved his hand in dismissal before he assured her, "I could see how important it was to you to find answers." Emma smiled before he added, "And as long as it didn't interfere with work, and since it was all public record, I didn't see any issues."

Emma nodded before she offered a grateful smile in response. Paul nodded as well before he headed to his office.

The blonde then grabbed her keys and wallet before she headed to her bug.

When she arrived at the Cove, she stepped out of her car and walked inside. She waited in line for a few minutes before she was face-to-face with her boyfriend.

Killian's blue eyes lit up as he greeted, "Good morning, love. And how is my lovely Swan?"

Emma smiled as she responded, "I'm great." She then asked, "And how is my handsome barista?"

"I think you mean devishily handsome," Killian teased with a grin as he prepared her order. Though Emma rolled her eyes in response, she couldn't help but grin back at him in response.

A couple minutes later, he handed her the hot chocolate and a bear claw. She then fished out some money and spoke, "Don't you dare argue with me on this, Killian. I am paying for my breakfast."

"Alright, love. You are a stubborn one," he responded with another grin as he took the money from her.

Emma offered a satisfied - and smug - smile in response. When he had handed her the change, she told him, "I should get to work. I'll see you later."

She then kissed his cheek and began to walk off when he asked, "Wait, love - why do you have dark circles under your eyes? Are you alright, Emma?"

"Great. One of the only reasons he calls me by my first name is when he's worried," Emma thought. She then took a breath and assured him, "I promise you I'm fine. It's just, you know, stuff, but it'll work itself out. Just trust me."

Killian stared at her for a moment before he told her, "I'm not sure that's exactly reassuring, but I do trust you, love."

She smiled at him, and they bid another goodbye before she headed out of the coffee shop.

When Emma arrived at the station, she straightaway went into her shared office, where she saw her partner cleaning up a small coffee spill at her desk.

David immediately saw her and explained, "Sorry about this, Emma. I had to print something off, and the tech guys are still figuring out why mine won't work."

"Don't worry about it. Accidents happen," Emma reassured him with a wave of dismissal. She then chuckled lightly and added, "At least you missed the keyboard. I doubt that the chief wants to deal with two half-functioning computers."

David couldn't help but grin before he conceded, "I doubt he would," as he tossed the paper towels in a nearby trash can.

As he stepped back, he noticed the brown liquid dripping down a poster board. He tilted his head before he commented, "Some of the coffee did get on, uh, your, poster board," sounding a bit confused.

Emma couldn't help but widen those green eyes. She rushed over to her desk and pulled out the poster board.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the coffee had only got on the corners of some of the flash cards. She grabbed a paper towel and quickly wiped down the poster.

When she had thrown the paper towel away, David asked, "What is all that?"

"Uh, nothing," Emma covered. Her partner crossed his arms and told her, "It looks like you put a lot of work into it for it to be nothing."

The blonde ran her fingers through her hair before she placated, "It's just personal. I'm not really up to talking about it."

David uncrossed his arms before he sympathized, "You know you can trust me, Emma. You can talk to me about anything. That being said, I won't push you - I know you can handle whatever it is."

Emma smiled in response. She was glad to have found someone like David - someone she saw as a brother - to count on.

"Thanks, David. I think it'll all work itself out," she responded. He nodded in response. Both of them then sat at their desks.

Emma had only taken one bite of her bear claw when the station got a call about a robbery.

The blonde rolled her eyes before she complained, "You know I wouldn't trade this job for anything, but I haven't even had breakfast yet."

David couldn't help but chuckle at that before he teased, "I thought you'd be a little happier to be back on field duty." He then told her, "You can eat it on the way. I don't think anyone wants to deal with the Emma who hasn't had her morning hot chocolate and bear claw."

Emma rolled her eyes once more before she got up from her desk, grabbing her breakfast as she did so. David couldn't help but grin before the two of them secured their guns and badges. They then headed out of the station.

A short while later, Emma and David - as well as some other officers - arrived at the site of the robbery. When they stepped out of the car, Emma tilted her head and planted her hands on her hips.

She then commented, "I know this place. Killian and I ate here with Belle and August a few weeks back. I don't think it's even been open six months."

David nodded before he surmised, "That's probably why our thief thought it was an easy target."

"I'm sure he did," Emma muttered. She then stated, "Let's go figure this out," before heading inside, with David right behind her.

Nemo instantly approached them and spoke, "Thank you both for coming. I hope you two can get to the bottom of this."

"I'm sure we will," David assured him. He then took out a small notebook from his back pocket and continued, "I'm Detective Nolan, and this is my partner, Detective Swan - Chief Williams couldn't join us because he's following a lead. Can you tell us what happened?"

"I came into the restaurant this morning, and I went over to open the register. I noticed it had been tampered with. Once I had opened it, I counted the money, and I realized I was $500 short," Nemo explained.

When David had finished writing, Emma continued, "I know you manage the restaurant - where was the owner?"

"I own the Nautilus as well," Nemo answered. Both David and Emma nodded before the blonde asked, "Had any of your employees made it in yet?"

"Just the bartender…" Nemo began, but Emma stopped listening for a moment and cast a suspicious - but discreet - look toward said bartender, who was wiping down some glasses.

Her attention shifted back when she heard David question, "Do you have any security cameras?"

"I do," Nemo replied. He then ran his hand over his head and sighed before he resigned, "I don't know why I didn't think of that myself."

"You'd be surprised how few people actually do. It's a normal reaction for people to be distraught when they've been robbed," Emma assured him.

He offered a small smile before David added, "And in situations like this, it's often best to just let the police handle it."

"A wise course of action indeed," Nemo agreed. He then told them, "If you two will follow me, we'll head for my office."

Emma then instructed the other officers to check the cash register and the doors for fingerprints before she followed David and Nemo.

The three of them then headed toward the back and walked into his office. Nemo went over to one of the desks in the room and pulled up the security camera footage.

David then sat down and spoke, "We need to back up the tape to see if we can catch our thief." He then pressed a few keys on the keyboard and isolated the cameras at both doors and the one near the cash register, backing it up to before Nemo called the station.

Both Nemo and Emma leaned on the chair behind David, eyes intently focused on the screen. Pretty soon, a man came through the back door, having evidently picked the lock. He began swiftly walking and soon appeared in the frame where the cash register was.

Just as he slightly stilled his movements to break into the register, David paused the tape, zooming in on the perpetrator.

"Not this guy again," Emma complained with a groan.

Nemo looked at her curiously as he asked, "You recognize the thief?"

"Yeah. He's a known thief - he escaped prison on a technicality. He became smarter after that; he started having one of his tech buddies shut off the cameras, so he doesn't get caught. That, and he makes sure no one is around," David explained.

"Along with wearing gloves," Emma stated a bit exasperatedly. She then added, "He assumed that you wouldn't have any form of security because you haven't been open that long. That's where he made his mistake."

"And that mistake will cost him his freedom," David spoke. He then set the security cameras back before he stood up and reassured Nemo, "We will get this guy this time. He will pay for his crimes. I can't make any promises about the money, but we'll do everything we can for you and the other business owners."

"And that you guys can all have some peace," Emma continued. She then stated, "Our other officers are currently looking for any evidence we can use against this guy - the tape will be the most useful in bringing him down. We'd like to have a copy of it."

Nemo took in the information before he told her, "I'd like to do what I can to help the station catch this man."

Both Emma and David nodded before the latter spoke, "I think we have everything we need, and the other officers will be finished shortly. You can then open as usual."

He then paused and continued, "You need to make sure you get your back door and register fixed as soon as possible."

Nemo nodded before he thanked the detectives once more. They both nodded before they headed back out to the car.

Once David and Emma were both settled, she commented, "I think we should head back to the station until Paul tells us how the lead checked out."

David nodded his agreement before he pulled the car out. Once he was in route to the station, he commented, "Now that it's just the two of us, I'd like to talk to you about something, Emma."

The blonde raised an eyebrow as she asked him, "And just what would that be?"

David took a breath before he told her, "I'm just gonna come out with it. You casted a suspicious look toward the bartender as soon as Nemo mentioned him."

Emma crossed her arms before she pointed out, "You can never be too careful. You know as well as I do that it's better to be cautious."

David only shook his head before he spoke, "I thought you weren't listening, but I knew it wasn't the right time to bring it up." At his partner's glare, he continued, "Nemo told us - or rather, me - that he and the bartender, whose name is Brennan, by the way, were having coffee at the time of the robbery."

The blonde huffed and ran her fingers through her hair. She then took a breath and placated, "I just, uh, thought, it'd be better to not rule anyone out until we knew for sure who our guy was."

"That is a good way to think, Emma, and I know I can always trust your gut," David conceded. He then took a deep breath and pointed out, "But you automatically threw suspicion on Nemo's bartender without any real reason. It isn't like you."

"It's nothing," Emma tried to dismiss with a shrug. David leveled her with a knowing look before he told her, "I know you better than that, Emma."

She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair once more. She didn't really see a way out of this one.

So, she resigned, "Fine. Let's nail this thief first, and I'll tell you what's going on," slight agitation in her tone.

David caught the agitation and sighed. He then told her, "You know I only want to help you, Emma."

Emma smiled softly as her resolve weakened. She then told him, "I know you do - that's what older brothers are for." David smiled back in response before he turned down the road leading to the police station.

By the time the thief had been apprehended, booked, and processed, it was nearly lunch. David and Emma had both just sat down in their office.

David then suggested, "How about we order in from Granny's, and you can tell me about those suspicions."

Emma sighed before she nodded. She then answered, "Okay."

He then grabbed his cell phone and dialed the diner. The blonde then told him, "I want…"

"A grilled cheese with onion rings. And a hot chocolate," David interrupted with a grin.

Emma rolled her eyes at him. But she couldn't help the grin that emerged as David put the phone to his ear.

When he hung up, he told her, "It'll be around 30 minutes on the food." The blonde nodded in response.

She then took a deep breath and told him, "I guess the waiting time is as good of time as any to tell you why I, well, jumped the gun on Brennan."

David simply nodded before he looked at her expectantly. As a response, she grabbed the poster board before making her way over to her partner.

She laid the poster across his desk and told him, "First things first, you need to see this."

He looked at her curiously before glancing over the information in front of him. He then looked up and asked her, "You've researched Brennan? But why?"

Emma took a breath before she explained, "Because our bartender - Brennan Jones - is Killian and Belle's father."

David's blue eyes widened before he asked, "He's what? Are you certain?"

"It's all there in black and white," Emma told him. She then paused and continued, "I think I was just as shocked as you are."

David was quiet for a moment before he questioned, "Why were you even doing a search on him?"

Emma took another breath before she began, "It started at the Nautilus, actually. It was that night Killian and I were there with Belle and August. Nemo came around and introduced himself and asked after our meal. He then offered us a round of free drinks on behalf of the bartender. I thought that it was really odd, but Belle and Killian assured me that I was just being over cautious. At the time, I thought they were right."

"What changed your mind?" David interjected.

"When Belle believed she had ran into her father," Emma started. She then paused and continued, "She immediately went to tell Killian, and they both agreed it was best to leave it be since they weren't entirely sure who or what they were dealing with."

David then perceived, "But you couldn't leave it be."

Emma sighed before she shook her head. She then told him, "With the chief's permission, I starting doing research. I found out that the bartender and Killian and Belle's father is one and the same. And that he's been in town for nearly a year."

"That's a lot a to take in," David commented after a moment of silence, running a hand through his hair.

With crossed arms, Emma quipped, "You're telling me."

David simply nodded in response. He then tilted his head before he pointed out, "That still doesn't explain why you thought he was guilty of stealing."

As a response, Emma gestured toward one of the flashcards on the poster. As David moved his eyes toward it, the blonde stated, "Shortly after moving to the states with Liam and Killian, Brennan got a job with a fishing company in Albany. He soon began embezzling money from the company and keeping it for himself - he ran when things got suspicious, leaving his sons behind. He was caught a year later, and he spent a year in prison."

"I guess I can see why you would be suspicious," David conceded. He then told her, "But it was over 20 years ago," pausing to look over Emma's research before he continued, "And he hasn't been in trouble with the law since then."

"I know," Emma simply agreed. She then defended, "But like I told you earlier, it doesn't hurt to be cautious," with a shrug.

David took a breath before he crossed his arms over his chest. He asked her, "How did Killian and Belle take the news?"

The blonde turned to take the poster back so that David couldn't see the panic rising. She then covered, "Uh, well, they were, you know, a little shocked, but they were, uh, pretty okay. I think."

When she had turned back to face her partner, he was staring at her with a slightly accusatory expression.

"What?" Emma asked, trying her best to feign ignorance.

"You only fumble through your words when your nervous," David pointed out. He then pointedly asked her, "You haven't told them, have you?"

Emma looked down and picked at the sleeves of her red leather jacket. She then slowly admitted, "Uh, well, not exactly."

When she slowly raised those green eyes, David was shaking his head. He then asked her, "Emma, how could you not tell them?"

"Because I have to find out what he's doing here and what he wants," she defended.

David sighed before he told her, "That isn't your decision to make. This is between Killian, Belle, and Brennan."

"And let Killian and Belle get hurt again? Hell will freeze over before I let that happen," Emma vehemently argued.

"This is exactly what I was worried about as soon as you told me what you were doing," David replied, concern in his tone.

Emma took a breath before she assured him, "I'm fine, David. It's not like I haven't dealt with situations similar to this one."

"Yeah, you have. But you didn't have a personal stake in those cases," David told her. At Emma's raised eyebrow, he continued, "Belle is your best friend - you two are sisters. She's the first person you decided to open up to again. And Killian is your boyfriend - the first you've had in a long time, and he makes you really happy. Both of them are two of the most important people in your life. If Brennan does hurt them again, you will be hurt, too."

Emma couldn't deny that David had a point. She was emotionally involved - probably too involved to be rational. Shewas vulnerable, and that meant she could easily get hurt.

However, her mind was made up. She was determined to find out why Brennan was in New York before he had a chance to screw up his kids' lives - again.

She took a deep breath before she determinedly stated, "I appreciate your concern, David, but I have to talk to Brennan first. As detailed as my research is, it doesn't give me his reasons for anything. It doesn't tell me why he's here. I have to know for Killian and Belle's sake. Wouldn't you do the same for Mary Margaret?"

David stared at her for a moment before he spoke, "You know I'd do anything to keep Mary Margaret - or Leo - from being hurt." He then rose from his seat and placed his hands on her shoulders before he told her, "I had a feeling I wouldn't be able to talk you out of this. I know how stubborn you are, but I knew I had to try. You're like a sister to me, Emma. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will, David. I promise," Emma reassured him. He nodded before he asked, "When will you go see him?" as he moved to sit on the edge of his desk.

"I think I should let this robbery situation die down a bit. Then, I'll go talk to him," Emma responded.

David nodded once more before he told her, "Well, good luck. I think you'll need it." He then glanced at his watch and spoke, "I'm gonna go grab our lunch."

"Alright - make sure there's marshmallows in my hot chocolate," Emma spoke as he began walking off. "You got it," he replied before he headed out of the office, closing the door behind him.

Emma then moved to sit at her desk. As she surveyed her research for the second time that day, she couldn't help but let out a long and slow breath.

"I think I'm gonna need way more than luck to get through this conversation," she bemused before she crossed her arms on her desk and laid her head down on them.

I hope you guys are enjoying "Second Chance" so far! I thought I'd leave y'all wondering how things go when Emma talks to Brennan :) Until next time!