Once Upon a Time 1. Chapter 1

It's a great day. She finally closed the case - catching this felon she had been monitoring for months. He was slippery but she finally caught him and his sentence will definitely make him regret running from the law.

_A good story to tell Walsh_, Emma thinks, as she slips on the black dress she has chosen to wear tonight. She looks at herself in the mirror after putting on black pumps she hasn't worn for what feels like a long time since running after criminals require comfortable footwear. She purses her lips as she tries to figure out what seems to be missing in her ensemble.

_Ah, perfume_. She walks to her dresser and grabs her old reliable scent but a memory makes her put it back. She walks to her bedside drawer and pulls out a small bottle from inside. _Temptation_. She opens it and feels the usual comfort it provides whenever she smells it. She's never worn it. The scent of apples is not really her thing. It's too...fruity. However, when she caught its scent at the mall while out with Henry, she followed it and ended up in a perfume store. The clerk told her that it's the only stock they have. She smiled and said, "It must be destiny." Not that she believes in such things. When she got home that night, the last thing she did before closing her eyes was take a whiff of it again.

She's been doing that for a few nights now, especially after particularly stressful days at work. She doesn't understand why and she can't remember anything from her past that would make her nostalgic about the scent. But since she's celebrating, she thinks it's only fitting that she put on Temptation tonight. She dabs a bit on her neck and wrists and puts it back in the drawer.

The beep of her phone distracts her from the moment and she grabs it. It's Walsh reminding her about their dinner reservation.

**Be there in twenty**, Emma texts back. With a final glance at the mirror, she exits her bedroom and looks for her son. She finds Henry in the kitchen preparing dinner. He smiles at her when she ruffles his hair.

"You look great, mom."

"Thanks, kid. Are you sure you're going to be OK?"

"Mom, I'm almost 15. Not too young to be left at home alone but not too old to be inviting friends over for a wild party at home. Don't worry."

Emma kisses his forehead. "Well in case you change your mind about the party, just make sure to clean up before I get home and no girls allowed in your room."

Henry rolls his eyes but says, "Sure, mom. You smell nice too, by the way."

She just smiles before she grabs her keys and drives to the restaurant for her date.

* * *

She's having a good night so far. Walsh is a good man and has been very supportive of her job. She feels lucky to have him. He's the first guy, after Henry's father, that she dated seriously. Dates were scarce and second dates even more so. Some didn't call her back once they learned she has a kid. Some were probably threatened by the nature of her job, which sounds like it should be done by men. So for a long time, she focused on Henry. Until Walsh came.

"Something in my face?"

Emma snaps out of her train of thought. She takes sip of her wine before responding. "No. I was just thinking."

"Want to share whatever brought that smile on your face?"

"I was just thinking -" Emma stops. She catches it - faint at first then growing stronger, and she's sure it's not herself that she's smelling. She turns right, towards the scent, her eyes falling to the waistline of a dark blue dress as the wearer saunters past them and sits three tables away. A maitre'd offers the menu, covering the woman completely from her view.

"Emma, you there?" She feels a hand touching hers over the table and she sees Walsh looking at her with a slight frown.

"Sorry. I thought I saw someone I knew."

"It's ok. So you were saying something about what you were thinking earlier."

"Oh, right! I forgot what it is. I'll tell you later once I remember." Emma offers an apologetic smile. She believes she just imagined the slight darkening of his eyes because it was gone in a flash and he is smiling in that loving way of his.

Walsh dabs at his mouth and stands up. "Wait here."

Emma nods and sips her wine. Her eyes turn to the woman again. She deduces that the woman in blue is not waiting for anyone because there's only one wine glass and table setting. Since the woman is facing her and she now has an undisrupted view, Emma can see her features clearly. She's brunette and her face is smooth and flawless except for a tiny scar on her upper lip. Her olive skin seems to be glowing but Emma thinks it must just be the lighting in the restaurant. And her dress fits nicely.

_Beautiful_.

Emma realizes what she's doing and shakes her head. She takes a sip again and looks back at the woman. Before she can help herself, she whispers, _I hope you'll look at me so I can see your eyes_.

"What did you say?"

"Huh?" Emma removes her eyes from the beauty across her and turns to her boyfriend, whom she did not notice has returned and is carrying dessert.

"Just something I need to do tomorrow." Emma places her hands on her lap then added, "I hope that's for me."

Walsh smiles and hands her the plate. Emma smiles back appreciatively and is about to take a bite when he turns the plate and a particular side is now facing her. She sees a ring but before she can process what it means, Walsh takes it and kneels in front of her.

"Will you marry me, Emma Swan?"

Emma looks at him, unsure what to say. She loves Walsh, she's sure of it, but they've never talked about marriage so this is quite unexpected. Emma looks away as if looking for help. Her eyes land on the woman again and is startled to see her looking back.

_Chocolates_.

"What?"

Emma realizes that she said that aloud. She blurts out "I'm sorry" before she leaves.

_Go back, Swan_. Emma tells herself as she stands outside in the cold, her arms wrapped around her waist. When she hears the restaurant door squeak, she braces herself for a confrontation.

"Hey, are you OK?" Walsh touches her gently on the arm and turns her to face him.

Emma looks at Walsh._ I love you, I do_. Emma whispers in her mind. "I'm sorry. You just took me by surprise. And I -"

"It's ok, I understand. I guess I just didn't consider that you will react this way, which is really an acceptable response to this kind of surprise. You don't have to give me an answer tonight. We don't have to get married any time soon. We'll wait until you're ready. I just want you to know that I love you, Emma, and I'd like to spend the rest of my life with you. What if we go home now and you can give me your answer when you're ready?"

"Thank you. I'll call you, ok?" Emma pecks him on the cheek then walks to her car parked in front of the restaurant but not before glancing inside to see if the woman's still there. She's not.

It's weird how her heart feels heavier, not with the memory of how she reacted to Walsh's proposal, but with the thought of not seeing the mystery woman again.

**The End (NOW HAS SECOND SHOT)**

* * *

**Author's Note: **Thank you coelibear for the editing and beta-reading. You rock.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:**

Someone requested a second shot so here it is.

Thank you all for reading and the feedback. I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I hope you enjoy this second installment too.

Lastly, thank you to my editor and beta-reader, coelibear.

* * *

**Second Shot**

"So you didn't say yes, huh?" Henry asked when his mom plopped down beside him.

"You knew he was going to do it?"

"It was a very posh restaurant. And he might have mentioned something about a ring and that he hopes you like diamonds."

Emma leaned back and watched as Henry blasted virtual enemies on screen.

"Do you like Walsh?" Emma asked.

"He's a nice guy. He makes you happy."

"He is, and he does."

Henry put his game on pause and turned to face Emma. "So why didn't you say yes?"

"I don't know. He took me by surprise. And then there was this -" Emma paused. She was going to say _there was this woman who smelled like me_ but she knew it didn't make any sense at all why the smell or the woman should be one of her reasons for acting the way she did. She was definitely not about to discuss with Henry her sudden urge to question her sexuality.

"What mom?" Henry asked.

"I lost my train of thought," Emma lied. "You know what, maybe I just need some sleep. I did have a full day earlier. Maybe tomorrow I'll have a clearer mind and I'll know the answer."

She stood up. "I'm going to bed. Don't stay up too late."

"Yes, mom. Good night," Henry said. He really wanted his mom to be happy. She deserved to be happy. He resumed his game while thinking of how he can ensure that his mom got her happy ending. _I'll call it Operation Apples_, he thought and smiled to himself at what he believed was a clever plan and a catchy name.

Once inside her room, Emma leaned against her bedroom door and closed her eyes. Her mind replayed the events of the night. She smelled the perfume again and she immediately felt the calm usually accompanying it during her nightly ritual. She did not shower that night, preferring to let the smell continue to envelope her while she slept.

That night, it did not feel weird that it wasn't Walsh whom she dreamt of but a woman wearing a dark blue dress. It still didn't feel weird the next day when she realized that she had never even dreamt of Walsh.

* * *

Emma and Henry spent the next day together at the mall. It felt somewhat like when he was still a little kid and kept getting lost. He was no longer a kid so he decided that it was his mom who got lost this time. They were both looking at the displays when Henry realized that Emma was no longer beside him.

He may be a bit older now, but he was still not tall enough to look above other people so he can spot his mom. He was about to call out her name when a smell stopped him. Henry smiled. _It's a good thing you wore it today, mom_.

He followed the scent of apples. There was a woman walking in front if him that smelled like his mother but was brunette and a bit shorter. He finally realized that he didn't remember smelling the scent on Emma earlier so this woman must be the wearer instead. Recognizing his mistake, he turned to walk back to the display he was looking at earlier but then bumped into someone.

"Oh, I'm so- mom!" Henry exclaimed, seeing his mother again.

It took a while for Emma to register that Henry was in front of her and that she lost the woman she had been following in the crowd. "Henry. Where did you go?"

"You left me, mom."

"I did not."

Henry was about to say that she was beside him one moment and gone the next when he realized that Emma was not looking at him anymore. She was craning her neck and looking around. _She must have seen Walsh_.

Emma finally noticed that Henry was looking around, too. Rather than comment, she decided that it was time to go home.

"Let's go, Henry. The crowd is making me dizzy."

"Okay, mom." Henry followed his mom as she made her way thru the crowd. He clung to the back of her jacket so that they won't be separated again. When they finally exited the mall and fell in step with her, he spoke.

"You have enough time to prepare for tonight."

"Why, what's happening tonight?"

"Walsh is coming over at eight. I invited him."

Emma grabbed him lightly on the arm to stop him from walking further. "What? Why?"

Henry turned to his mom and said, "There's no use in prolonging his agony, mom. If you don't want to marry him, say no. If you want to marry him, say yes. As I said last night, he's a nice guy and I can see that he makes you happy. I know I make you happy but I want you to start being happier as soon as possible."

Emma knew that Henry was right on several points and she couldn't really get angry at him for intervening when his motivation was to make her happy. She sighed. She placed an arm around his shoulder and pulled him closer so that they were walking beside each other.

"Thank you, Henry. You're right; regardless my answer, I do need to give one as soon as possible."

* * *

Emma was sitting by the kitchen bar when the doorbell sounded. She had been sitting for about an hour, waiting for 8 o'clock to arrive. She was almost tempted to drink wine or beer to settle her nerves but knew that she would probably end up drunk and she needed to keep her wits about her. She was still not sure what her answer would be but hoped that seeing and talking to Walsh would help her make up her mind.

She stood up and walked to the door. She was about to touch the door knob when a scent permeated her senses. _No_. She looked through the peephole and all breath left her. She took two steps away from the door and tried to clear her head.

The doorbell sounded again.

Emma didn't know why she was reacting that way. Too many emotions are running through her being that she couldn't put a label on each one.

The doorbell sounded a third time.

Emma finally zoomed in to a single thought - that if she didn't open the door, the person outside would leave. And she would lose what was probably her last chance. She took two steps again, but this time towards the door and stretched out her slightly shaking hands to open it.

Emma was just in time. The woman was no longer facing the door and looked as if she was about to leave. When the door opened, she turned to face Emma. She was wearing a simple little black dress but the effect was still the same as when she was wearing the dark blue one. The realization that she almost, almost lost her chance made Emma walk closer to her visitor.

The fruity scent attacked her again that she finally spoke, albeit a bit breathily as if she just ran a marathon. "You're here."

If the woman found it weird that Emma sounded like she already knew her and was not expecting her to show up but was really glad that she did, she did not show it. Instead, she looked at Emma as if trying to read her eyes. After an uncomfortable silence passed - it was uncomfortable for Emma because of the several images going thru her mind, many of which included kissing - the woman smiled.

"Hi, Emma."

Her voice, her smile, and her scent all felt familiar but Emma was sure that she had never met the woman before. She can never forget this woman. The woman seemed to draw Emma towards her just by breathing and being in the same room, in the same space. And it was the voice, the smile, and the scent, or probably everything about her that made Emma reach out and clasp one soft hand and entwine it with her own. When Emma turned and pulled the woman inside, it felt like the most rational thing to do.

Asking the woman's name or how she knew her name and address seemed like something they can put off until later. It seemed like she knew a lot about the woman except maybe her name. Emma was sure that whatever the woman's name was would be regal-sounding.

Taking the woman's coat off her guest's hand and leading her towards the couch felt like something she had done her whole life.

And even if Emma had already lived in the same apartment for a year and was just sitting for an hour in the kitchen earlier, it was only now, while sitting with this woman, that it felt like she was finally home.

**The End**


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Romance