Title: Stranger at the Door
Fandom: Once Upon a Time
Rating: Teen
Length: 728 words
Content notes: Contains spoilers for 3x11. Story takes place just after certain events in the last scene of 3x11.
Author notes: written for fan_flashworks challenge #74: Rough
Summary: Emma can't stop thinking about the stranger who showed up at her door that morning.



Emma shut the door, her heart racing. He had kissed her. She had no idea who he was but he acted like he knew her. She needed to compose herself before heading back to the breakfast table. If she looked as shaken and flushed as she felt, ...she couldn’t let her son see her like this.

Her tongue darted out to her lips as if it had a mind of it’s own. There was a familiar taste on her lips. Was that rum? Had the man been drinking? That would explain a few things. Like the way he was dressed, and why he had kissed her. It had been quite the kiss too, before she pushed him away. She briefly wondered what other talented things he could do with that mouth, then pushed the thought aside. She shouldn’t be thinking these things.

Who was he? He had felt familiar. The feeling itched at her, like a name right on the edge of her tongue that she couldn’t quite get. Was he someone from her past? Emma racked her brain thinking back to her less than pleasant days before she became a mother.
Could he have been in one of the homes with her? If it had been that long ago it would explain why she didn’t recognize him. It wouldn’t explain why he thought he knew her or why he thought he had the right to kiss her.

How did he even know where to find her? And why? Why was he looking for her? He said her family was in danger, but Henry was her only family, and he was right here. The man had to be crazy. The only danger she could think of was that stranger at the door. Emma shook her head and tried to get ahold of herself. That kiss had been amazing, but she needed to get her head back in the game.

She shook her head. The mysterious visitor was gone and Henry was waiting for her. Her breakfast would be getting cold. Emma sat back down at the table and pushed her pancakes around the plate. It had seemed like a pancakes and eggs kind of morning, but now she wasn’t all that hungry.

Her thoughts returned to the stranger who knew her name, and to the kiss. It had taken her by surprise. He had taken her by surprise. The worst part was for a moment it had felt right. She had wanted to give into the rising passion, to kiss him back. But she wasn’t like that. Not anymore. She wasn’t that reckless girl from her youth. She was Henry’s mom. She couldn’t go around kissing strangers, no matter how good looking they were.

He had been very attractive. Dark hair, blue eyes, and a little on the scruffy side. The stubble on his face had been rough against her skin. She had liked the way it felt. The way his mustache had tickled her lips, just a little.

She didn’t seem to be able to stop thinking about him. Who wore that kind of get up? He had been dressed all in black, most of it leather. His shirt was buttoned low enough to get a tease of dark chest hair. She couldn’t help but wonder if that hair would be rough like the scruff on his cheeks or soft instead.

Emma shook her head and shoveled some food into her mouth. She needed to get her mind back into reality and off the handsome stranger.
Who wore that much leather anyways? He had looked a bit like a pirate. All he needed was a eye patch or maybe a hook.

She was smirking at that though when she realized she was still in her pajamas. Oh god. She had opened the door to a sexy stranger dressed in leather and he had kissed her when she was in her pajamas and hadn’t even showered yet. With that horrifying thought, she excused herself from the table.

“I’m going to take a shower.”
“You didn’t finish eating.” Henry was still busy stuffing food into his mouth and barely gave her a glance between bites.
“Not that hungry.” Emma said. Henry looked up at her, shrugged and went back to his breakfast.
Emma headed to the shower. She had a feeling this was going to be a long day.