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Killian has been playing the role of Deputy for about two weeks now. Lucky for him, he’s noticed, not much goes on in that quaint little town of theirs without a big bad around to wreak havoc. So far, he and Emma have only had to respond to a handful of calls.
Their first task was to track down a lost pup. It didn’t take long to find the little bloodhound sniffing around the patio of Granny’s diner, and she spent the entire ride home snuggled in Killian’s lap, gnawing at his leather jacket. “Quit it, you,” he tried to say sternly, but his soft laugh indicated that he didn’t entirely mind. “She likes you,” Emma teased.
They’d also handled a few noise complaints, caught a couple of teens in an attempted robbery on Gold’s shop (though they weren’t in time to prevent the front window from being smashed open), and broke up a bar fight where they had to lock up Grumpy and a couple of smug tourists in a cell for the rest of the night. In his most interesting task so far, Killian was obligated to handcuff one of his own crewmen, who had been caught utterly wasted, streaking through the forest.
Most of the gig, however, simply involved driving around town with Emma, waiting for a sign of trouble, or filing paperwork over at the station, just the two of them. This worked splendidly to his advantage, considering he could finally learn more about her and her past, and perhaps sneak in a bit of affection in private... It hardly felt like a job to be alone with his beautiful wife and occasionally catch some troublemakers on the side.
It was another slow day. They'd spent the last hour or so just talking about food. Emma told him about all her favorite spots to eat from every place she'd ever lived in. Her favorite candy shop was in Minnesota. She had creme brûlée french toast on the weekly from this one diner in Oregon, but said that wasn't nearly often enough. In Arizona, she discovered her love of chimichangas. Boston creme pie was a favorite from her time in Massachusetts, "obviously." She had so many stories New York, from her favorite pizza place to that one time she tried sushi, "Never again, Killian." Tallahassee had an "unforgettable" key lime pie. Then she went on for a full ten minutes about a hole-in-the-wall barbecue joint that she treated herself to once in a while, when she could afford it. But it was when she was rambling about the best onion rings to ever grace her taste buds, that she revealed another little piece of herself- another place that she'd briefly lived in, that Killian had yet to learn of.
"I'm not saying the whole state of Rhode Island has the best onions rings," she clarified. "It was just this one shack on the side of the road near where I was staying. I don't know what it was that made them so perfect... but the guys who ran it always gave me a second bag for free, so I may be a little bias."
Killian laughed at this. "Perhaps we could sail there for our honeymoon," he proposed.
Emma paused, retracing the steps of their conversation, trying to make sense of what he'd just said. "Sail where, exactly?"
"Rhode Island," he beamed. "We could take my ship across the seas, drink rum on the shore, perhaps even find that old shack while we're there. I'll find out what makes their rings so much better than Granny's, and I shall have her update the recipe when we return. What do you say, Swan?"
"That you need a geography lesson," she laughed.
Killian chuckled halfheartedly; he cherished every detail of Emma's stories, but they also served as a reminder that the two of them were of different worlds. "Then perhaps you could show me."
"What, like a road trip around the states?"
"Just you, me, and this trusty old bug!"
"I don't think it could handle that kind of mileage, Killian," Emma said. "But don't worry, we'll think of something."
Their shift was coming to an end just as the sun was starting to come up. Killian couldn’t help but stare at the way the soft morning light caressed Emma’s face. She caught a glimpse from the corner of her eye. “What’s that face for, Deputy?” she asked coyly.
“Taking in a most gorgeous sight is all,” he said simply. Her eyes flickered over to his, still surprised by how candid he could be with her. “Talking about the sunrise, of course.”
“Of course,” she scoffed.
Emma pulled the bug over to the curb in front of their home, and pressed a soft kiss to her husband’s cheek. “Good work today, partner.”
Killian eagerly reached for the nape of her neck and was pulling her in for more, when Emma suddenly made an uneasy face and pulled away. “Dad?”
Killian peered over his shoulder and, indeed, saw David waiting for them on the steps. He let out a heavy sigh, waved a brief hello to his father-in-law, and reluctantly got out of the car.
“I remember when you used to hate the night shift,” David called to Emma.
“Yeah, well, it’s not so bad anymore,” she replied, giving a nod to her new deputy. When she met him at bottom of the stairs, David held her in a nice, long hug.
With the lack of a big baddie, her parents had finally been able to get some proper rest and spend quality time with their baby at home. They still phoned every night, though… mostly so David can gush about his son’s so-called “milestones.” For example, the first time he reached for Snow's hand, or the time he was being fed and he reached for his bottle, or that one time he was in his crib and reached for his favorite stuffed animal. And let’s not forget the time he was in David’s arms and he reached up towards his nose... Milestones!
Then there was their new dog, Pal. Pal is a handful. They picked him up from the shelter three weeks ago, and between him and the baby, quiet moments have become all too rare. Pal has this boundless energy that never seems to quit. He loves to play and run around the farm. Unfortunately, he also loves to chew up shoes, newspapers, even baby toys- but David says they’re breaking him those nasty habits. And while he's sweet with David and Mary Margaret, and he's especially gentle with the baby, Pal nearly makes it nearly impossible to have guests over. He's very distrusting of other people coming into their home... including Emma and Hook.
Needless to say, Emma’s time spent with her parents has recently gone from slightly overbearing to far and few between. “Not that it’s not great to see you, Dad, but, um- what are you doing here?”
“Actually," he grinned, as he reached for something in his back pocket. "I have something for you."
She felt a sudden twinge of guilt for not visiting lately. “What?? Dad, I-“
But he turned to Killian instead, revealed an envelope, and extended it towards him.
Killian shot Emma a quick, puzzled look, to which she shrugged her shoulders. “For me?” David nodded. Killian took hold of envelope, flipped it over, and paused before opening it. “What’s this for, mate?” he asked skeptically- though not unhappy to be receiving a gift from his father-in-law.
David’s grin widened. “Just open it.”
After another beat, Killian slid the tip of his hook along the inside crease of the envelope, carefully tearing It open. Inside was a check made out to “Deputy Killian Jones.”
“Congratulations,” David said, giving Killian a proud pat on the back. “It’s your first official paycheck.”
Truthfully, he’d almost forgotten he was supposed to be getting one of these. They never really discussed the pay. Killian was just happy to be doing good in the town, to finally bury the reputation that hung over his more colorful monicker, Hook. And spending time with his Swan was a mighty fine incentive. As was impressing the in-laws.
He didn’t really know what to do with it. None of the other realms he’d traveled to involved these "paycheck" things. He was used to payment in the form of jewels and other riches. Still, the gesture brought a smile to his face.
And to Emma’s as well. She slipped her arm around Killian's waist and nuzzled into him so she could get a look at the essentially symbolic piece of paper. It’s not like he could deposit this. She was sure it was meant to get hung up on the wall, or to be put up on their fridge.
“Thank you, David,” Killian said finally, extending his hand.
David gave it a firm shake and said, “Yeah, well, you earned it… mate.” He crossed his arms and looked over at Emma. “And I may have taken the liberty of setting you two up with a joint bank account. It's all taken care of, let's just say the bank owed this Sheriff a favor or two.” Killian and Emma just stared up at him, eyes wide with surprise. “Oh god- Emma-“ he looked sheepish now. “I totally overstepped. I should have talked with you about it first. I’m sor-“
But she leapt at him before he could finish, wrapping him up in a tight hug. “Thank you,” she finally said as she pulled away. “Really, Dad, this is amazing. Thank you for this, for believing in us.” She reached for Killian, and he quickly took hold of her hand.
“I don’t know what to say, mate.” Truthfully, Killian could not find the words to express his gratitude. To think that not too long ago, this Prince Charming character looked down on him and told him he’d never win over Emma's heart, that he’d never be good enough for her… they’d come a long way. “Drinks on me!!” he exclaimed merrily, spinning on his heels, ready to lead the way to the nearest bar.
Emma couldn’t help but laugh. “Babe, it’s 6 o’clock in the morning.”
Killian furrowed his eyebrows at her. “What’s your point, love?”
Emma and David rolled their eyes in unison. “You know you can’t just hand the bartender that check, right?” David chimed in. “You’d have to actually go to the bank first, deposit the check, withdraw the money...“
The look on Killian’s face was reminiscent of when Emma had first tried to show him how to use a cell phone.
“I’ll walk you through it later,” she assured him. Then she slid her arms up around his neck, gently running her fingers through his hair. “How about we save this for now? Maybe put it towards our honeymoon...?” Killian clearly perked up at this. “What do you say?”
“That it’s time for me to go,” David said, as Emma and Killian kissed. Even if he was thrilled that his daughter had found her happy beginning with the love of her life, it didn’t mean he wanted to watch it unfold right in front of his eyes.
The two shied away from each other, said a quick goodbye to David, then hurried inside to pick up where they left off.