Title: Papa's Lark
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG
Pairing: Aurora/Killian & their baby lark
Summary: Killian and 'Rora's baby bird gets sick a.k.a. bird family feels.
Warnings: None.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: This is my contribution to Sleeping Hook week using the 'family' prompt and is also aimed to ruin Sarah with bird family feels.

Killian rolled onto his stomach and reached for his sparrow, his body missing her warmth pressed against his chest. A whine escaped his lips as he realized her side of the bed was both empty and cold. He detested sleeping alone and being separated from her. Not knowing where she was at every moment of every day drove him mad. What if she abandoned him? With a groan he sat up and blinked himself awake before searching the room for her. He frowned, realizing she was nowhere to be found within his sight.

"'Rora!" He called. No answer. ""Rora! 'Rora!" Nothing. His bottom lip quivered into a pout. He kicked off the covers, mid-tantrum, and only furthered in entangling himself within them. He feel from the bed with the damn things wrapped around his legs. Killian howled in frustration and ripped the damn things off; he'd buy new ones when they made port.

"Sparrow," he hollered, suddenly in a foul mood. She knew better than to wander about the ship at night. He couldn't trust the crew as far as he could throw them, not to mention she knew how he worried.

He trudged across the room and peeked into his birdie's nest to find his lark was gone as well. Fear rushed through him for a moment. What if…no. His 'Rora would never leave him. He would die without her or their baby bird, she knew this. His princess would never inflict that amount of pain on anyone, least of all him.

"SPARROW!"

"Stop hollering, Killian Jones, or you'll wake the dead. We're outside!"

Killian rushed onto the deck to find his 'Rora on her knees next to a small tub. Inside their tiny lark splashed about in her birdie bath. Aurora hummed one of the many lullabies she would sing to calm their lark who was a restless sleeper, like her mother. She ran a small cloth over the baby's back, while Violet popped the few bubbles that emerged from the water with her nose, much like a small bird pecking for food.

"I woke up and you were gone," he complained. The sight of his greatest creation was enough to bring a smile to his lips, but he still felt put out. It was not bath time; it was the middle of the night. She could have at least woken him. He didn't like being left out of things.

Aurora rolled her eyes, having tired of his insecurities long ago.

"Our little princess woke with a fever. Poor thing was fussy, just like her papa, so mama decided to give her a bath to cool her off." Violet squealed in delight as 'Rora leaned down to press a kiss to her nose. Killian huffed, refusing to feel silly. He felt completely justified in wanting to wake to find his sparrow nesting beside him where she belonged while Violet rested mere feet from their bed. Everything had its place and his loves belonged within his reach always.

"Oh Killian, stop pouting. It's unbecoming." She turned her attention back to their auburn haired little darling and gave her an Eskimo kiss. "Your papa is a grumpy ol' codfish, Violet. He's not a beautiful birdie like you, my darling. However, he does have feathers that are easy to ruffle." Violet giggled, her little laugh resonating like a song through the salt filled air.

Killian scowled as he took a seat on a whiskey barrel.

"Papa's a codfish!" Violet cried happily as 'Rora chuckled.

"Yes, he is."

"Sparrow." Killian groaned, too tired for her games. He just wanted to go back to bed and feel her naked body pressed against him. She ignored him which only furthered his neediness.

"All right my darling, it's time to get out of the bath. We've had our fun for the evening."

Violet whined in protest, clutching her toy duckling as her mother wrapped her in a towel. 'Rora dressed her and held the baby to her chest while she squawked about her bath. 'Rora took a seat on his lap and Killian wrapped his arm around her middle, spotting Storybrooke in the distance.

"Do we have to do this," he asked for the hundredth time.

"Yes, birds need room to fly, my love. A ship is no place to raise a princess. She needs a proper home, Killian. She can have that there. An empty desert kingdom and a pirate ship aren't what I consider to be places befitting a future queen."

"They were good enough for you," he muttered. He almost argued that the sea was the best home he could think of but he thought better of it.

"Killian-"

"But I'm going to miss the sea, love. It's my home. What will I do in this town? Make nice with the goody-two shoes Charmings and their annoying swan?"

"Oh Killian, for once, it isn't about you. Shocking, I know."

He scowled.

"There are realms I still haven't shown you."

"I've seen plenty, darling. Besides, once she's grown and flown the coop, we can have new adventures," she promised.

"She's never allowed to leave her papa," he grumbled. He peeked over 'Rora's shoulder to find Violet fast asleep, still clutching that damn ugly, yellow, rubber duck. She was a princess, she had finer things, but she flocked to that same, useless toy, shrieking for hours on end until she got it back. That shriek was why she was his lark; she was his angry little bird. And she was his. 'Rora loved to point out that they were both emotional children, which he took offense to. She could never understand how much he needed them and he refused to lose them the way he'd lost everything else.

"Killian, behave," she scolded while rocking their sleeping beauty. "How much longer until we arrive?"

"A few hours if the tide holds," he muttered. "We should return to bed. Fever or no, she'll catch her death out here."

She reluctantly stood, her eyes lingering on the small town in the distance for as long as she could. He knew she missed it, missed her friends, missed being a part of a community, but he loathed it. He was meant to sail, to be free, not be caged like one of her songbirds. He wasn't sure if he could allow her to keep him prisoner in that town, but he'd try, for her, even if he did think a pirate ship was a fine place for a pair of royal birds.

He tried to find something positive, something to say to her to make her frown disappear.

"I will enjoy watching her grow," he admitted, having nothing else. "And perhaps we can give her a brother…"

"Or sister," she corrected.

"Or sister."

She smiled.

"A pair of little lovebirds," she said with a happy smile.

"I was thinking and entire fleet of them, actually."

His sparrow rolled her eyes as she settled into their bed, with lark still pressed to her chest. He smiled, thinking the best nights were the ones with both of their feathers within reach. He wrapped them in his arms, burying his face in 'Rora's mess of brown curls.

"Never leave me again, even for a moment," he muttered, knowing that when he woke he wanted them both by his side, forever.

"Killian," she chirped in annoyance but he could hear her smile. She would always be his and that was worth the hell of being landlocked.