She couldn't believe it. She had especially waited until 3AM, because who would be awake at this ungodly hour? But as always, fate worked against her, in the middle of the Laundromat stood an idiot dancing with his eyes closed, in his underwear. He mouthed along with the music coming from his iPhone.

Just as she was about to leave again he locked his blue eyes with hers. Embarrassedly stopping in his tracks, in the silence of the Laundromat she could clearly hear him clear his throat as he looked down, realising she had just seen him dancing in his underwear.

Right, Emma thought, raising her eyebrows and walking over to the back of the room, hoping she would be hidden away enough from him. It wasn't like she could leave now, he had seen her already, so. She placed the bag of clothes on the machine next to the one she was gonna use, walking over to the soap machine. When she returned with soap she saw the guy standing closer, his iPhone and EarPods in his hands.

"So what's your story?" He said, twirling the cords of his EarPods around his fingers and back again.

"Excuse me?" She asked, glaring at him as she walked past him. He turned around but remained on the same spot, keeping his distance.

"Well, anyone coming to a Laundromat at this time has either something to hide or is trying to avoid other people."

"Listen there is a reason I came at 3am okay? I really don't want to see other people now," Emma sighed, pouring in the soap and fabric softener in the separate compartments.

"Yeah me too," The man grunted and sat down on a washing machine, leaving three between them. "I was hoping no one saw me in my underwear. My roommate kicked me out because his girlfriend thinks I am a bad influence because I lost my job and I only got like two outfits now."

"Good for you," Emma sighed, growing slightly annoyed, she eyed at her bag of clothes, noting that spots of red were showing on the bag. Great.

"So why were you hoping to be alone?" Emma took a deep breath, leaning onto her washing machine and finally looking at him.

"Okay buddy," She started, "I'm sorry about your roommate but please," she stressed the word, it didn't sound polite, more like beg for solitude. "Stop bothering me." The man nodded once, as if finally realising that she really wanted to be left alone. Emma took her clothes out of the bag, when she saw he was far enough away, but of course he looked back one more time.

"Woah!" he exclaimed. Fucking perfect. And naturally, her first instinct was to look around for something to hit him unconscious with. So doubted the could actually lift a washing machine. "Is that blood?" he stood next to her faster than she expected. "Bloody hell that is a lot of blood."

"Get out!" She hissed, elbowing him in the stomach, it was hard; all right, so he was muscular. Yet, if she took him down now, he wouldn't see it coming. But out of the corner of her eye she saw it; security camera's. She was quite hidden away from them now, but if she started a fight, it would be on camera. So much for that plan.

"Not until you tell me," he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"I don't have to tell you."

"I could call the cops?" He shrugged, his arms still crossed.

"Do that and the next time I'll be here, it will be your blood I'm trying to wash out of my clothes," Emma hissed, his intrusion was making her nervous, especially because there wasn't anything she could do about it. Not here at least.

"Fascinating," he said dryly, "So whose blood is this?" He wasn't scared of her, that was a first. Usually they begged her for their lives.

"None of your concern," Emma said, raising her chin. He was slightly taller than her, but she wasn't intimidated. Although the lack of space that he had given her, by locking her in this dark corner was a little unsettling.

"You just betrayed yourself, you could have said it was an animal." Emma rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Animals don't spill that much blood." Wonderful, her urge to correct people who were wrong had just brought her in an even worse situation. She sighed, giving herself those few extra second to think quickly. "Fine, I'm a forensic anthropologist," that part was true. Sort of. "They usually only call us for skeleton remains, but this time there was another body, only just killed. I saw the blood and fainted. It was gross and embarrassing enough to fall in it, I honestly didn't want to share this embarrassing story with strangers, that's why I came in the middle of the night." And that part was not.

"Aha. That's a good lie. And honestly you would have gotten away with it if you hadn't threatened to kill me first."

"It's the truth," Emma shrugged.

"It's not. So what are you really? A hit man?" He smirked, "Or woman, in your case."

"I wouldn't be a very good one if I told you huh?"

"No, true," He laughed. Emma couldn't help herself; she liked his laugh, she liked his carelessness. She liked that even if she had just threatened to kill him, admitted to having human blood on her clothes; he didn't care, he laughed it away. But perhaps it was also kind of sad. She had seen it in others, after losing their home and job, they started not to care. They started not to care if they died or not. Emma was being pulled out of her thoughts by a machine sound, indicating that it was finished. "So, what is it?"

"Your clothes are ready," she looked on her own machine, nineteen minutes.

"Don't care. Tell me."

"You know what, you keep sitting there, I'm just going to do my laundry and leave."

"And then I'll turn you in to the cops?" He smiled empty.

"On what base?" Emma asked, looking at him once more. He looked tired, yet he also looked like he could be the kindest person you'd ever met. If only his smile hadn't been so empty now. "What if the story is actually true, have you considered that? Do you know what a fool you'd look like? To accuse a special agent of being a murderer, to my own people?"

"I really, really don't believe you," the man shrugged. Emma pursed her lips, she couldn't have him go to the cops. Surely he didn't know her name, but he could easily just say 'look at the security footage', and they'd know what she looked like, she'd have to move to another town, start all over again. Perhaps she could ask him to come home with her. She'd never killed in her own house and had preferred to keep it that way, but she couldn't have this random stranger make a mess between all that she had kept so tidy for years. She decided she would make him the offer, if he accepted, she'd do it. If he didn't, he would leave her alone and they would part ways. And then she gave him a challenging smile.

"Fine, come to my place. I'll show you my badges and my working stuff. If I still turn out to be a lunatic murderer, you can call the cops on me and you'll have my address."

"But wouldn't you kill me first?" Emma raised the right corner of her mouth into not quite a smile, knowing she had a little of a mischievous look going on right now.

"I'm afraid that that is a risk you're gonna have to take if you want to find out."

"Ah, what do I have to lose? Apart from my life, that is," he shrugged, walking away from her to his own washing machine. She felt sadness for him and while she had considered killing him for intruding, at first, she couldn't anymore. The stranger hadn't done anything wrong, he was just a little too curious for his own good, he didn't deserve to die, he deserved fixing.

He disappeared in the bathrooms, coming out wearing a dark blue shirt and jeans.

"So tell me, why has your roommate kicked you out?" She asked, moving her clothes from the washing machine to the dryer, watching him as he sat back down on the washing machine, this time one closer, but still leaving three between them. He frowned, clutching his bag of freshly washed clothes to his chest. "Ah come on, you just pried into my life, I believe I have earned the right," she gave him a charming smile - one she knew always worked.

"The company I worked for did some reforms. Since was part of the ten youngest, I had the misfortune of being fired. My housemate has this girlfriend that feels like she is entitled to everything because she works for this fancy ass company of her fathers, and she decided that because I had no means of paying for my share of the rent, I had to leave. He is crazy in love with her, he'd do anything for her, a bit like a lovesick puppy. Pretty much kicked me out before I even could take my stuff. But well here I am, homeless, jobless, no clothes. Get a degree they said, it'll help you in life," he snorted and shook his head, staring at the ground. "You know that if I hadn't had my degree, I would have been working there for three more years, which means I would have still been working there."

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, he looked up at her, frowning at her genuine sounding words, and Emma realised that this was probably indeed the most genuine she had sounded all night.

"I suppose I could always sell my iPhone and get a motel room for a few nights, but right now I'm just clinging onto it and hoping that someone will call me back with a job offer. And when I do, I'm gonna sue them and take back all they took away from me." Emma looked away from him to hide her smile, so he wasn't completely ready to leave life behind.

Perhaps if he saw her old stuff, and believed her story, she could offer him her couch for a few nights. Emma frowned, she didn't like planning ahead, especially not this stuff. They spent the next minutes in silence, waiting for the dryer to finish.

When it did, they walked out of the Laundromat together, towards her apartment.

"All right, here we are," she said, walking out of the elevator, taking her key from her pocket to open the door, walking inside with him right behind her. "Just wait here, I'll get my badge," she said, placing her bag on the table before retreating to her bureau, taking the badge out of the drawer. She turned around to find him standing in the doorway. "Didn't I say to wait there?"

"Yeah, but I wanted to make sure you didn't have a body in here..."

"Okay..." Emma frowned, handing him the badge. He looked at it carefully. "And do you want to check the cupboard or something?"

"Maybe..."

"Go ahead," Emma shrugged, watching him carefully as he opened the doors, revealing little bottles with all kinds of liquids and working equipment. "This is my degree," she pointed at the framed degree on the wall. "Is there anything else I can show you? Pay slips, my lab coat, shall I call my co workers?" He looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed, and shook his head.

"No, I believe you," he sighed as he handed back her badge.

"Good," Emma nodded, placing the badge back into the drawer of her desk. "Listen it's late -"

"Right, I'll take my bag and -"

"No. I'm not inhuman, it's late and cold outside. You can sleep on my couch for the night, if you want."

"I just accused you of being a murderer, and now you offer me a night on your couch? For all you know, I could be a murderer. You trust me to stay here?"

"I don't. But don't take it personally, I trust no one," Emma explained, taking her bag from the table. "And you look to kind to be a murderer. Believe me, I've met a lot of murderers along my path of being an anthropologist. And you're right, I don't know you, but I'm not inhuman, I wouldn't be able to fall asleep properly if I knew I had sent you out on the streets in this cold weather."

"Okay, well, thank you," he smiled. She gave him a small nod and a smile as she took a blanket from the cupboard, handing it to him.

"Goodnight," she smiled, and left for her bedroom, closing the door softly behind her. Slowly realising what she had done. She'd invited a complete stranger inside her home, to make sure he knew she wasn't a murderer. Which she was. By showing him stuff that used to belong to her, but not anymore. And then invited him to sleep on her couch. She had dug a hole deep in lies and buried herself. Well done, you've done messed up, she told herself, feeling under a pillow, her fingers touching the blade of the small knife, feeling reassurance it was still there.

About an hour later after she had almost fallen asleep, he knocked her door.

"What?" She grunted, not bothering to be her kind self. She could kill a man just for depriving her off her sleep.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, walking inside. "But I really need to know the truth."

"Honestly," She sighed, burying her face into her pillow, wanting to fall asleep again. "Is the badge and work material not enough? Murderers don't use that kind of stuff."

"I suppose it could have been, but the thing is. Your badge has expired for three years, and some of the bottles have expired for a couple of months. Now I'm no expert, but I'm fairly certain you shouldn't be using that in your work area." Emma sighed, running her fingers over the handle of the knife under her pillow.

"Okay fine, you got me. I'm a hit woman. What are you gonna do now, call the cops?"

"No, because I know that badge is real. Or was. I'm sure that you have done a lot of experience at work. You'd kill me before I even picked up the phone. I want to know something."

"Oh dear," she muttered into her pillow, holding her knife so tightly her knuckles surely must have turned white by now.

"Just... Why? Forensics get paid really well? Why give it up to murder people?"

"I didn't just give it up. As a woman, my talents were often overlooked, even if I had always been best of my class. I worked as one for seven years, getting a first row look to all the injustice. Not just the injustice done to me, but the injustice of the system. I don't just kill everyone when they ask me to, I do research, I only go for those who deserve it. Those who got away with murder and never even felt remorse. The rapists that didn't even make it into the system. Those murderers that court let get away with it."

"Again, no expert, but I'm sure court doesn't let people get away with murder."

"Yeah, they do. They're called cops. And rich white men."

"Oh," he softly said.

Emma scoffed, "Yeah. Now listen just go to sleep, take something to eat before you leave but be sure to be gone by the time I wake up."

"You trust me to just -"

"I already told you," she interrupted him, "I don't trust you, I just hope you're smart enough to know that I can track you down and make you disappear without anyone ever wondering why you never came back."

"I could take you," his voice sounded playful, like he was smiling.

"Try me," she grinned. Emma heard him move behind her, and she knew exactly what he would do: he'd reach for her throat. Emma turned around, lying on her back, allowing him to come close enough so that she could reach for him as well. Using her legs she blocked him from moving, flipping him over so that he now laid underneath her on the bed. She sat on his stomach, her hands around his throat. Lightly; just a warning.

"Don't be so obvious, you're gonna have to try better, really," Emma shook her head in disapproval.

"Surely there must be a way to catch you off guard," he grinned, sitting up, she slipped down, onto his lap, their chests touching, his hands on her thighs.

"No, there isn't," She assured him, refusing to be intimidated by the way he held her now. Instead, she rocked her hips slightly. Pressing down harder each time, until she felt him harden underneath her. "You should know that I hold power over you, even when you try to intimidate me by holding me like that. Men are weak when it comes to sex."

"I am so turned on by you right now," he laughed, taking his hands away from her thighs. Somehow it seemed like a respectful move. He could have touched her right now, but he didn't, instead he made a joke and let go of her. Maybe it was exactly that, that made her want to continue, because she couldn't deny that feeling him harden underneath her made her long for the pleasure of sex.

"I do believe," Emma started, "that there is one way you hold power over me."

"Really?" He arched his eyebrow, "and what's that?"

"Your name. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"I know your name?" He mumbled confused, trying to think of when she had told him her name.

"The name on the card. That's my real name."

"Emma..." He spoke softly. Emma nodded once. "All right, well then, let's keep it that way."

Emma snorted, "Give me five minutes, and I'll find out."

"Really?" Emma nodded confidently. "Okay," he looked on his watch. "Start," Emma laughed, getting off his lap quickly, coming back two minutes later.

"Hello, Killian Colin Jones."

"Oh wow, middle name and all," he grinned, "how did you do that?"

"Your wallet, idiot. I was also planning on stealing your money, but all you have is like two quarter dollar."

"Unfortunately," he shrugged and got out of her bed, but Emma stopped him, laying her hands on his chest. That damn muscular chest.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"Back to sleep, as your ordered?"

"And what about that little problem in your pants?"

"It's not little, thank you very much."

"No, I felt that," Emma whispered seductively. "Do you intend to jerk off on my couch?"

"I'll be careful," he winked. Emma took off her top without hesitation, never taking her eyes off his. "Oh," he muttered, finally realising where she was heading. Emma smiled devilishly, laying her hands on his chest once again to take off his shirt and push him into the bed. She kissed him without warning, feeling his surprise at first; but it didn't last long. His hand reached for her hair, his fingers woven into her blonde locks, pulling her closer as he deepened the kiss. His tongue explored her mouth while his other hand cupped her breast, kneading it softly, playing with her nipple between his fingers.

And like she had done before, he turned the two of them around, leaning over her.

"I believe, Emma," he kissed her once more, "that I have caught you off guard."

"Yes, I believe you did," she smiled, reaching down to undo the both of them of their underwear. Killian kissed her neck, collarbone, her breasts, taking her nipple between his teeth and playing with it with his tongue. Emma laughed softly, making him look up at her, crashing his mouth into hers.

"I didn't know dangerous people could be so beautiful," he mumbled as he entered her with ease, leaving her to moan softly as he did.

"There is no need to be gentle with me," she whispered in his ear. Killian grinned, kissing her neck softly.

"Good," he whispered and bit her skin as he made his first thrust. The sound of her moaning with each thrust was a delight, kissing her as he slowed down a little, and having her kiss him back, must have been the most gentle she had been with him.

Her nails dug into his skin, Emma knew she had marked her territory, and she knew he didn't even mind. His thrusts became firmer as she felt herself coming to her climax, he buried his face in her neck, whispering her name over and over, and with that final thrust they both came undone.

She felt her legs weaken, her toes starting to grow numb - a secret of hers, she had never told any of her sexual partners. Because with some she felt it, but with most, she hadn't. Killian rolled off of her, laying down next to her, his chest heaving just as much as hers did.

"Fuck," Emma grunted wiping her hand over her face, it was sweaty, and she felt like she could really use a shower right now. If only she trusted her legs to hold her up as she walked. But her toes still hadn't regained all of its feeling. "So um, I'm assuming you need a place to stay since your roommate kicked you out." Killian laughed softly.

"You don't know me, I could a murderer... Oh wait."

"Shut up," she rolled to her side, watching his sweaty chest rise and fall as his breathing finally went back to normal.

"I have no means to pay you for my stay right now."

"I can think of a few ways," Emma grinned. "No but I understand, you don't know me, I don't know you. Between the two of us, who would be the one with the highest potential of being an axe murderer?"

Killian laughed but grew serious suddenly. "Probably me," he said dryly, trying his best to stay serious, to give his joke more depth. Emma smirked and shook her head.

"Killian? I absolutely understand that this was probably just a onetime thing, but I need you to promise me that you never, ever tell anyone what I have done, and what I will be doing for a long while. Because no one who has ever learnt my secret has ever lived to tell anyone. When you step out of that door again, for all you know, I don't exist. This may seem like threat, but it's just a warning. I like you, something has drawn me to you, something about you made me do something I have never done before.

And frankly I am scared of myself for crossing the lines I have drawn for myself a long time ago. I understand that you may decide not to take my offer to stay here for longer, but if you don't take it, I still want you gone by the morning. If you do... Well feel free to sleep in late, because that's what I like to do. You don't have to tell me right now, but I suppose I'll see which choice you have made in the morning." Killian nodded slowly. "Good night." She turned to her side, feeling him shift behind her pressing his chest against her back, wrapping his arm around her.

"Good night," he whispered against her shoulder and kissed it softly. And there she was, falling asleep in the arms of the guy she intended to kill at first. The lioness had grown a weak spot for her prey.

She woke up to a knife slightly cutting against her throat.

"You were right not to trust me."