Hello! My muse brought this little one-shot to my attention quite a while ago, yet I have been unable to indulge due to work and participating in NaNoWriMo. But with the holiday, I have some more time, and you get to enjoy the random thoughts of my muse. This takes place during 5x05 The Dreamcatcher, but does contain spoilers up to 5x08 Birth. Italics is present, normal font is what is in the dreamcatcher.
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time. Never have, never will.
Emma carefully pulled down the dreamcatcher, holding it close to her chest. She had kept Killian's memories out where she could see them, hoping that she could find the way to save him and save herself by sifting through all the things he had done in Camelot. But she had never had the courage to move past that fateful day, that meadow of flowers, and see what he had done. She couldn't relive that again.
After everything that had happened today, she knew that she had to go through the memories in order to find a way to stop her son's hatred of her. She knew what she had to do to save Merlin was a necessary evil, but now that her son had seen her rip out Violet's heart and use it to control the young woman, she wondered if Henry would ever be able to truly forgive her. As much as she might try to justify her actions, Emma was no better than her parents when they removed her darkness to give to an unborn Lily. The only excuse she could give herself was that she was the Dark One, and once her darkness was gone, she would be purely good again.
The dreamcatcher in her hand began to glow, something within her sorrow prompting it to share a memory. She tipped it forward to see what sorrowful scene would be displayed in the hoop. When the golden light focused on Killian's face, she couldn't stop the tear running down her cheek. She was terrified that Killian would find the power of the Dark One within himself, but what terrified her more was that he was right; that he wouldn't be strong enough to fight it, and the power would consume him even more completely than it had Rumplestiltskin, Nimue, or countless other Dark Ones.
The Killian within the hoop smiled, an expression he wore well, and the scene expanded. Emma gasped as she saw her current home, but there was light within the walls, a brightness that she had not been able to bring herself to allow into the space. As she watched Killian, she noticed him wearing sweatpants and a light blue t-shirt. The wardrobe was another clue that this was not a regular memory.
The confirmation came when a toddler with dark hair, bright blue eyes, and the characteristic Charming chin ran into Killian's arms yelling, "Papa, Papa!"
The scene swam as Emma watched it through her tears. Everything else melted away except her unexpected vision of the future.
"Papa, can we have pancakes for breakfast?" the little girl asked.
"Of course," Killian said. He set her down and began giving soft commands to the girl like she was part of his crew. She eagerly helped to get out ingredients and help her father in the preparation of the breakfast.
Henry entered the kitchen, wearing plaid pajama pants and a t-shirt. He was older, maybe even an adult by this point. He yawned as he asked, "Where's Mom?"
Killian was pulled a jug of milk out of the fridge as he answered. "She's upstairs with the baby still. She was nearly done feeding him when I came down, so she should be here soon."
"Are you talking about me?" Emma laughed, a little boy with blond hair perched on her hip. He joined in her laughter, pure happiness in his tiny expression.
"Always. What else is there to talk about but my beautiful wife?" Killian said. Emma kissed him soundly, and Henry and the little girl shared a disgusted look.
"Please mom, there are children present," Henry said.
"Only for one more day. Then it will be children and an adult present," Emma said.
"That doesn't mean I will suddenly be okay with seeing my parents making out in the kitchen," Henry mumbled.
Killian picked up the teasing and pulling Emma and the baby close to him again. "Well, Liam doesn't mind, do you son?" He kissed Emma deeply, and his right hand came up to tickle the baby at the same time, making him laugh hysterically.
When they pulled apart, Emma smiled at him, and looked apologetically at the children. "All right, enough teasing. It looks like you're making something for breakfast. Any chance there's some for me?"
"Yes Mama! You get the bigger-est piece!" the little girl exclaimed.
"Well thank you Annie. You are very kind," Emma said with a smile. She set the little boy in a highchair and placed some toys in front of him to keep him occupied.
"Does Yee-am get pancakes today?" Annie asked.
Killian placed the first of the pancakes in front of her as she asked. He began slicing the pieces as he answered. "No, Liam isn't quite big enough for pancakes yet. He still needs to get a little bigger, and maybe grow a few teeth before he can have pancakes."
"I have teeth. See!" She grinned broadly around a large bite of syrupy pancakes, letting the world see not just her teeth but also her half-eaten food
"Annie, sweetie, it's not polite to open your mouth when you're eating," Emma whispered.
Annie closed her mouth and continued to chew. Killian made batch after batch of pancakes, sheepishly admitting that he accidently tripled their normal recipe. Henry wolfed down his own pancakes like they were going to run away from him, providing some assistance in getting rid of the extra. Emma found herself fishing for toys for Liam between bites of her own breakfast. In short, life was perfect.
The golden scene faded away, and Emma found herself with tears soaking her cheeks, her hand and her sleeve. Part of her yelled internally that this was a cruel joke, and that the future promised in the dreamcatcher would never come true, not after tethering Killian to the darkness. But a greater part within Emma dreamed, hoped, and believed that she could have that future. All she had to do was get the darkness out of Killian and herself; then they could have their promised future together. A happy one.