Prologue

It'd been several months since they put the arsonists who were terrorizing Storybrooke behind bars. The town was finally beginning to rebuild after the fires. Belle and Lacey were the last to sell their property to Gold at the lake front.

Belle's guilt won out and due to Lacey's criminal activity her claims and wishes were relinquished to her sister. With no obstacles in his path Gold began working on the new lake front towers. He promised Belle a nice condominium in exchange for signing the papers of course.

The sad part was that Emma knew that Belle still loved Gold in spite of everything that'd happened. She watched the way Gold looked at Belle when he came to the station to give his statement. It was clear that the man still loved her as well, at least he was trying to do something right by her, or so it seemed.

She still had that nagging suspicion that Gold had a hand in the fires. She overheard the Miere brothers fighting. Gaston wanted to speak out about how they'd chosen which of Gold's buildings to target. Lou was strongly against it. When she turned the corner both men quieted. Its amazing what you can learn if you happen to be in the right place.

There was also the fact that Gold owned the construction companies responsible for the rebuild too. He'd be getting fat checks from the insurance company to cover the rebuild and then re-pocketing the money when he used his own crews. He seemed to be making out like a king.

Killian agreed with her on this front but without actual proof of a conversation between Gold and those men there was nothing to pin this on him. The only other possible witness was Felix and he was no longer available thanks to Lacey so they had to let it go for now. She would keep her eyes open because if he was behind it or up to something she would be paying attention this time.

Killian continued working with David to examine the fire sites. She made him promise to let her know if he found anything that corresponded to their suspicions. David had to collect as much evidence as possible to build the case against Lacey and the Mieres. She hoped that evidence might lead them to Gold too.

Belle tried to reason with Lacey but she'd refused to see her. Emma felt that Belle was one of the strongest people she'd ever met. Even after her sister tried to kill her, she still tried to help her. Belle once spoke to her about how close she used to be with Lacey.

She felt sorry for Belle to lose a sister. She'd never had any siblings to lose and it made her appreciate David and Mary Margaret that much more.

Mary Margaret and David were ecstatically happy as new parents. She was also glad she found them again so she could both witness it and be a part of their budding family. Their little boy had the cutest dimples and a tuft of blonde curls. The adorableness distracted them from the fact that he didn't let his parents sleep through the night. Luckily Mary Margaret had some extra time off work that she could use until their little prince finally got on a good sleep schedule.

While Killian was occupied with David and continuing his job as a fireman, she had been working freelance as an investigator for the state police department. Elsa had recommended her services to help with some of their larger crimes. She'd been gathering evidence, disposing witnesses, tracking suspects for them and she continued tracing skips for herself as she could.

She felt good about the work she was doing. She actually felt like she was making a difference in the town, it could also be that she had quite the support system behind her. She and Killian were doing amazing.

Each day when she woke up and went to bed next to Killian she couldn't be happier. She'd never slept as well as she did while she was wrapped in his arms, tucked against him.

They found a rhythm and routine that worked for them. They ran every morning as he used to with a very rewarding shower together after.

They made breakfast and dinner together when they could. Killian was a much better cook than she was so most of the time she helped cut vegetables, prepared ingredients or uncorked wine while he did the actual cooking. She loved watching him work, but mostly she loved being with him.

Most of their nights were relaxing too over the past few months. They added a trip to the gun range to their routine one night a week to keep in practice. After the recent events David thought it was a good idea to join them too. They had a friendly competition going between them, so far Killian was winning. She noticed David's competitive side coming out again. She hadn't seen that since the academy. It was refreshing to think that her life was going so well but she knew that the bad comes with the good so she never let her guard down.

She found that to be a good thing because in a town like Storybrooke, there is never a dull moment.

Ch. 1

She'd kissed Killian goodbye early in the morning. She was usually still in a dream state when he left but she always remembered his sweet lips touching her cheek and the soft whisper of I love you in her ear. She had a lunch date with Mary Margaret and Little David planned so she was just going to run light errands and research the rest of the day. Everything started out so well. She'd gotten her favorite bear claw fresh out of the oven and her coffee was the perfect temperature.

She'd made it to the post office and from what she saw should be a quick in an out based on the short line. As she stood waiting her turn. She sipped on her coffee and looked down at her package once more to make sure the quick fix label was still affixed. She stood 4th in line behind an older gentleman who appeared to have a single letter in hand but also had the appearance of someone who wasn't in much of a hurry.

She looked up at the clock on the wall and then back to the line. She had a bit of time before her lunch with Mary Margaret but she hoped she wouldn't have to waste all her extra time waiting here. She decided to practice her favorite past time, people watching. It kept her mind sharp when looking for skips.

She looked to the front of the line and a stylish older woman appeared to be purchasing every type of insurance offered for her multicolored package. The second man in line was still packaging his item. She watched him pull a package of bubble wrap from the wall and hurriedly wrap a mini-laptop computer in it. Then he quickly stuffed the cable into the back of the box along with a wad of more bubble wrap before taping it shut.

She noticed the freshly inked tattoos on his bare arms that were much darker than the faded ones that seemed to have been a mistake at one point in his life. She couldn't make out the words but they appeared to be an inspirational quote.

His tan cotton overalls hung down low around his hips hanging over a belt. She surmised he must be in some type of construction. He was also wearing a pair of sports sandals over black socks. The older woman finally finished her business and the older man in front of her quickly moved to the front of the line bypassing the younger man who also seemed to have finally finished his package.

The younger man stepped forward in front of her to await his turn. He had the craziest red hair she'd ever seen, although somewhat familiar. The older man completed his business as she kept trying to make out the words on his tattoos. Up until this point she'd only seen the back of his head. She watched him approach the counter only a few feet in front of her.

He handed the package over to the woman and she diligently waited on him. It struck her odd though when the attendant asked him what was in the box and he declared Honey. She'd just seen him package up a mini laptop and there was no honey to be seen. At that moment her sixth sense seemed to be tingling. She watched the attendant handle the transaction and when he turned she finally caught a glimpse of him.

Her eyebrow rose as he definitely looked familiar when she finally put the face and hair together. She quickly started thinking about the photos she'd reviewed that morning scanning for the match in her memory. She would need to check the sheets in her car to be sure but he certainly had the mannerisms of a man on the run, and the face and hair looked familiar.

She looked down at her package and decided it could wait. Her completely normal day just got interesting. She quickly ducked out of the post office and looked to see if she could catch up with the potential skip. She saw him duck into a little hatch back a few cars up from her own.

She hopped into her car and waited until the guy pulled out onto the road before she started to follow. Her skip stack was sitting on the seat next to her. She was 3 cars back from the guy sitting at a red light. She picked up the stack and started leafing through them to look for the perp. She smiled when she saw his smug face 4th in the stack. Seamus Macintosh, he skipped out on his hearing 6 months back. The description listed his visible tattoos, which she'd already seen close up. He was new in her stack so this must be her lucky day.

She slid the stack back onto the passenger seat and moved along with the traffic, carefully keeping an eye on the perp. He turned into the parking lot of The Black Sheep Pub. This was not exactly the kind of establishment Killian would approve of her hanging out. It had a sullied reputation for the number of times the windows had to be replaced due to bodies flying out during fights. She parked in the lot next to it where the dry cleaner and pizza place were located to feign off suspicion. She watched as he eagerly greeted a group of hooligans in front catching a smoke.

Now that he had friends, he might not be so easy to tag. She looked at the time and realized she was going to miss lunch with Mary Margaret and the baby if she stayed. She picked up his perp sheet and reviewed the details. He was definitely not someone she'd want to see walking the streets. He had a history of violence and assault charges.

She sent her friend a quick message feeling too chicken to call her at that moment, mostly because she knew Mary Margaret would try to make her talk to the infant and damn if that little guy didn't pull at her heart strings.

Emma: Hi, A situation has suddenly come up and I'm going to have to take a rain check with you for lunch today.

Mary Margaret: Oh no, really? I hope it's not too serious. You'll be safe right?

She laughed. Emma: Of course I'll be safe. He's a nasty one. If I don't bring him in he may not be so easy to catch later. Give the little prince a kiss from me. I'll see you both soon.

Mary Margaret: Of course I will and I'll hold you to it.

She slid her phone back into her inside coat pocket and repositioned her car after the group went inside the pub so she could see him if he exited. Her best bet was to catch him when he came out since he seemed to be surrounded by trouble. She was thankful she'd grabbed a bear claw before she went to the post office. She was going to save herself for lunch but her stomach was already grumbling and she wasn't sure how long she'd be waiting.

She smiled when she thought of little David's toothless grin. He had the blended looks of both his parents so how could he not be adorable. He was also such a happy baby. She would definitely make time to see them. He was growing so fast.

She also had to admit she loved seeing Killian hold him. He would make a great father one day, not that she thought about that too much, or would admit to it. She took a big bite of the cinnamon delight and sighed. "MMMMM, why are you so delicious."

She quickly put the pastry back into the bag on the seat next to her when Seamus appeared again. He was yelling back into the bar and moving towards the little ashtray posted on the side of the building. He appeared annoyed, there were very few locations in town where a person could smoke inside anymore.

She decided that while he was alone this might be her chance and maybe she'd get to see those little drooling dimples after all. She put the car in drive and quickly moved from one parking lot to the other, parking on the side of the building opposite where Seamus was catching a smoke.

She checked her gun and made sure her cuffs were accessible before quietly exiting her car. She kept an eye on Seamus to be sure he didn't slip back inside. He was kicking dirt on the ground in front of him and intently talking on the phone when she approached.

She was just about to cuff him when he looked up with a surprised grin. She acted quickly and him pressed against the side of the brick building. He pushed hard back against her and tried to head butt her but she ducked, managing to get the cuff on one arm. As he continued to struggle she used the new move Killian taught her to subdue him until she could get the cuffs locked.

"You can't arrest me." Spat Seamus.

He tried to pull away and run but she pushed him to the ground with a thud. He was really strong and she had to kneel into his back to hold him down as she called into the police. "I have a perp here, Seamus MacIntosh. We're here in front of The Black Sheep, hurry would you please?"

Seamus struggled beneath her. "Bitch you're going to pay for this."

She grinned as she heard the sirens. They weren't too far from the station house. "I think you'll be locked up for a long time Seamus. You probably should have thought before you skipped out." she asked.

"I don't need to be outside to have you taken care of."

Seamus grunted as she pushed down harder holding him in place. She turned to see the black and white car drive into the lot and pull up in front of her. A familiar face was driving, Humbert. "Hello Beautiful. I should have known it was you."

She rolled her eyes. Same old Humbert. "Well, it seems it was my lucky day. Can't say the same for Seamus here." She grinned as she swiped the dirt from her hands.

Humbert's new rookie partner, Officer Darling pulled Seamus up from the ground and put him into the back of the squad car. "Bye Seamus." She waved.

"Don't worry bitch, when I tell the guys about you, I don't think you'll be smiling." Grumbled Seamus.

"Yeah, yeah. I've heard that before." She said shaking her head.

Humbert stood in front of her, arms crossed giving her the once over. "How's the fireman doing?"

"You know his name is Killian and he's great."

Humbert let out a sigh. "You know where to find me if you need me."

"Officer Humbert, the prisoner is secure." Said Officer Darling.

"Good work. Let's get back to the station. See you later Swan." Grinned Humbert.

"Please let Belle know I'll be coming."

"Of course. If I were you I'd get out of here now." He said as he peeled out of the parking lot.

Emma shook her head. Why did he always feel he had to show off, but he had a point. As she turned towards her car she noticed they'd had an audience watching everything that just happened. She didn't take Seamus's threats lightly. These guys all seemed to love their revenge.

She slipped into her car, picked up her phone and called Mary Margaret. "Hey, it's Emma. I'm going to make it after all. I'm coming now." Her friend sounded delighted at the news. She picked up Seamus's perp sheet, marked it and slipped it into her bag before taking off.

When she got to Mary Margaret's she carefully knocked, just in case the little guy was asleep. The door opened immediately. Mary Margaret looked a little tired but little David was wide awake, chewing on his teething ring.

She leaned in and hugged them both, pressing a small kiss on his little dimpled cheek. "How are you?" she asked.

Mary Margaret sighed and smiled as she looked at the little bundle. "Tired. I hope you don't mind sandwiches."

She slipped out of her jacket and placed it on the chair. "Love them. How can I help?"

"I bought them from the sub shop down the street. They delivered. Everything is ready. I'm so glad you could make it."

"We could have rescheduled. You didn't have to go to that trouble."

"Emma, seriously? You almost rescheduled today and I've missed you so it was no fuss at all. I'm happy to have you here. So is David."

She couldn't help but look at the little gurgling baby on Mary Margaret's hip. "Want me to take him from you?" she hoped.

Her friend smiled. "Sure, that would be great. He's all smiles right now but that wasn't the case earlier. I think he's cutting a tooth."

"Well, Hello little guy. Are your teeth hurting you? I'm so sorry." She said melodically.

He looked up to see her smiling at him and then over to his mom. He was looking back and forth between the pair. She suspected he was trying to determine if it was ok that she was holding him. She decided to stay close to Mary Margaret just in case.

"How's David?"

Mary Margaret placed the dishes on the table and unpacked the delivery bag. "He's great. Thankfully not too many fires lately. That means that he's been able to help me with this little man."

"Yes, tell me about it. I'm getting spoiled by how much I have actually seen Killian these past few weeks. I'm also happy that it means there have been very few fires."

"The construction rebuilds in town seem to be going well, except for the way they block traffic." Said Mary Margaret.

"Yeah, looks like Gold's business is doing better than ever." Said Emma.

Mary Margaret shook her head. "You still think he had something to do with the fires don't you?"

"You know I do. If I could just prove it." Said Emma as she bounced little David on her hip.

Mary Margaret set the table and turned to face her friend. "Just let it go Emma. That man is dangerous and I have a feeling that as long as he's building we won't see any fires."

"I know you're right and I promised Killian and David I would not pursue this, for now anyway."

"Good."

Emma rubbed David's chubby little foot as she watched him survey the room. He had one eye on his mother as she fluttered about in the kitchen. "Has he been letting you get any sleep? I remember how he was when he first came home."

Mary Margaret came up close and kissed her little baby on the head. "Yes, I've actually gotten a few good night's rest this past week, although I suspect these teeth might cause us some trouble again."

"You let your mommy sleep little man. "she said playfully as she booped his little nose. He looked at her and gurgled as he gummed his ring.

"Here, let me put him into his seat so that we can eat."

She carefully handed him over to his mother and sat in the chair next to his, opposite Mary Margaret. "This looks great. You say sandwiches and put out a spread like this. You have nothing to apologize for."

Mary Margaret laughed. "I just prefer to cook, you know."

She nodded. "This is fantastic, more than I would have had time for usually. Besides I'm here for the company, not the food. I'm happy to have lunch with you anytime. "

"That would be great. I'm starting to miss adult conversation."

"You'll be back to work soon and then you'll miss baby talk too."

"Oh, don't say that. I don't want to leave him yet."

Emma took a bite of her sandwich. "Alright. I'm all ears, what's on your mind. I promise, no baby talk."

They had a nice lunch, David only had one little fit while she was there and that's because Mary Margaret tried to feed him peas. He did not like peas. She had to give him a little bath but that made him sleepy so he went right down for his nap.

She left so that Mary Margaret could take a nap too. She promised she'd be back to see them soon.

She had a check to pick up and another friend to see. She was curious about what Elsa needed help with. She'd been assisting her with case work for the past few months here and there when the department needed it.

She liked working on her own but it wasn't bad working with them sometimes too. She and Killian were thinking about getting a bigger place together so the extra case work income was nice. At the very least they were going to move to an apartment that they could furnish themselves.

The thought of planting roots still scared her from time to time but he certainly made things easier for her. They were so alike, sometimes it seemed like he could read her mind. He always seemed to know what to say.

It had been awhile since they'd worked together. The lack of fires was good for the city but there wasn't really any work she could pick up with them. Their life had been normal since the arsonist adventure. It was actually very nice. She had a home with Killian, a fairly steady job and her friends too. She couldn't remember a time in her life that was ever this good.

She pulled into the familiar station parking lot and took a spot in the visitor's section. She grabbed her bag and head in to the desk. "Hey Emma, I heard you would be coming in." called Belle.

Belle was doing surprisingly well after everything that had happened. "Good, glad Humbert actually told you this time." she said.

"It was actually the new rookie that told me." Said Belle.

"He seems like a good kid."

"Oh he really is such a sweet guy. So green though." Said Belle.

Emma smiled. "Well, they all start out fresh and green. Believe me I know."

"I'll be right back, just sign here ok?"

She put her signature on the paperwork and stood in the lobby area waiting for her check. Two detectives were passing through while she waited. They seemed to be having a serious conversation. She listened in a bit closer and heard them mention a couple of missing girls before Belle reappeared.

"Here you go Emma. Thank you as always."

Ever inquisitive she decided to ask about it. "Hey Belle, what's going on with the missing girls?"

Belle looked over at the detectives and then back to Emma. "These guys showed up this morning after news of the second girl went missing."

"Any leads?"

"Not yet, I don't even know why I'm telling you this. They are trying to keep the information under wraps until they decide if it's a coincidence or a serial kidnapper. They don't want to alarm everyone in town." Whispered Belle.

Emma nodded. "Thanks for the check."

Belle smiled. "No problem. I'll see you soon. Take care of yourself."

"You too Belle."

Emma couldn't help but look back over at the two detectives talking as she left. She'd definitely be looking into this regardless of what they found. Never a dull moment in Storybrooke.