A/N: Do not own OUAT. CS Secret Santa present for captainswanouat on Tumblr. I hope you enjoy it dearie.
"'Ella, it's time to go" Emma called up the stairs to get her daughter's attention. Soon enough, her seven year old daughter came running down the stairs and stopping just before crashing into her mother. Emma just smiled and put her free right arm around Noella's shoulders to begin steering her toward the door, her left arm full of Emma's squirming twenty month old son, Jonothan. As she walked her two children to the door, Emma looked up from her daughter to see her husband staring at her, a soft smile illuminating up his face and eyes. "Killian, can you please take one of them, preferably your daughter?" Emma asked quickly, just as Noella took off like a rocket for her father.
Killian bent down and braced himself for the impending tackle hug she was about to bestow upon him. "Hey there, my little pirate. Ready to go to the park?" he asked, ruffling her hair with his left hand before taking her right hand.
"Yes daddy." Noella answered, a toothy grin spreading. Killian looked down at his little girl and smiled. Noella was an almost exact replica of her mother except for one distinct feature, both she and Jonothan had been born with his bright blue eyes like the sea. Killian could still remember both times Emma told him she was pregnant. She had fallen pregnant with Noella shortly after the Christmas season he had proposed during, it was also the same Christmas that Emma restored his left hand to him. With Jonothan, Emma told Killian that she was pregnant with a second child on their fifth year wedding anniversary. Killian had never though that he would be so blessed in his life, to not only find his True Love but to marry her and then be graced with two children, was so much more than Killian could ask for.
"Well then, let's be on our way shall we?" Emma spoke, breaking Killian from his inner thoughts. Emma grabbed her keys and the few packed bags that held a few toys for Jonothan, an extra coat for both Noella and Jonothan should the day be a bit chillier than Emma expected, a book for Emma to read, and a homemade picnic lunch for later that day. "Well come on you lot," Emma called, heading out the door of their apartment and down towards her yellow bug. Killian quickly followed suit with Noella right by his side, clinging close to his hand.
The couple quickly settled their two children into their seats in the back and climbed into the front seats, heading toward the park where they planned to spend the day away. Emma had taken the day off from the Station, leaving David in charge with a promise to have her phone on vibrate should the need arise for the sheriff and other deputy to be called in on an emergency. With her eldest away at college, Emma had made a point to make plenty of time for her two younger children, ensuring she never missed a moment. With Killian and David also running the sheriff station, they were able to work out a system for when one of them needed a day off.
Pulling in to the parking lot of the town park and children's playground that Regina had indeed built a few years ago once all the curses and other problems finally died down and Storybrooke was able to go back to being just a regular town with irregular inhabitants. Emma parked, and made her way to the back of the bug to throw one of the bags over her shoulder before getting Jonothan out of his car seat while Killian took the other bag and let Noella out of the car, only for her to race off to the monkey bars as soon as her feet touched the pavement.
Taking her husband's hand, Emma walked with Killian and Jonothan toward the picnic tables that sat on the edge of the playground that faced the forest part of the park. After settling themselves, Emma leaned against Killian with Jonothan on her lap as the pair watched their daughter run around and play with the other kids that had come to play in the park today. Killian placed a soft kiss against Emma's hair and wrapped his arm around her waist, linking their right hands together where they rested at the side of their son.
They sat like that for some time, watching their daughter run around and play without a care in the world. Emma's head rested on Killian's shoulder, Jonothan having been transferred to Killian's lap while Emma took the quiet time to catch up on some reading that she had fallen behind on. During this time, Killian allowed his thoughts to wander, appreciating the moment that he was being given. When suddenly the peaceful moment was broken by a young feminine voice breaking through,
"Daddy, daddy, come play with me?" Noella called, coming to a stop from a run in front of her parents.
Killian smiled, "Alright "Ells, what is it you want to play today?" he said, untangling himself from his wife, handing her Jonothan.
"Actually, I was wondering if you and Mommy could show me how you guys met." Noella spoke slowly, an unsure tone coloring her voice. Emma looked at her daughter with a soft smile, her love shining through her eyes.
"Well, honey, I have to stay here with Jonothan, but I have an idea. How about I tell the story while you and your father act it out? Does that work, sweetie?"
At her mother's suggestion, Noella's eyes grew in surprise and happiness and a grin so wide that it could break her face blossomed and lit her up entirely. "YES please, can we do that daddy? Can we? Please?" Noella asked, turning to her father, the doe eyes coming out to play very quickly.
"Aye, of course we can honey" Killian said, smiling softly.
While Emma put Jonothan in the collapsible high chair they always brought with them, Killian led Noella over towards a more wooded pasture where the family could play without being distracted by other children or playground equipment.
"Once upon a time," Emma began, walking up to her family, with Jonothan close behind, "many years ago there was a reluctant princess savior"
"Is that you, mommy?" Noella asked, unable to not interrupt the story.
"Yes Noella it is, now on with the story. There was a reluctant savior that had been brought to a town by someone very special to her, someone that wanted her to bring back all the happy endings. Eventually she did, through True Love's Kiss, but it was only the beginning of the savior's travels. For soon after the endings returned along with all the memories to the whole town, a portal opened up, one that took the savior and her mother into an enchanted land. This enchanted land was called the Enchanted Forest. The women were soon captured by two more women, a princess and a warrior. These women led the others to a sanctuary where other natives lived. After many talks of trust and quests, the four women then proceeded on a journey to a special place, the savior's mother's castle, for within that castle was supposed to be a magical wardrobe, one that could transport the two women back home to their special town. But some complications arose during this quest to the castle. Loyalties were broken and a snake was discovered amongst the inhabitants of the sanctuary. For an evil witch had taken over the place and had followed the women to the castle, wanting to use the wardrobe for her own evil ways. Thankfully the four women were able to momentarily stop the witch, by burning the magical wardrobe to ashes."
"Mom, when does dad come in?"
"I'm getting there Noella, now where was I?"
"You, Grandma and the two women had set the wardrobe on fire,"
"Ah yes, well once the four women discovered that there had been a snake within the sanctuary, they quickly made their way back to check on the rest of the residents. Upon their arrival, all they saw was death. Death and destruction, for you see the witch had killed all the residents during her time there. But as the women searched through the sanctuary for any possible survivors, a voice called out from beneath a pile of bodies. The women quickly rushed to find the source of the voice, by quickly removing bodies from where they heard the voice. Soon enough, it was revealed to be a man with only one hand in a large tan shawl over his other clothes."
It was at this point that Noella decided to start reenacting it with her father, jumping on top of him and pretending to be a dead body. Killian smiled at his little girl and just laid there on the ground looking up at Emma, just as he had that first time they met. He remembered this first meeting quite clearly, her face being the first one he saw once the princesses and Mulan had removed the bodies from on top of him.
"You, my little pirate, are much nicer smelling and far less heavy than those bodies." Killian told his daughter who was trying hard to play dead on her father's lap.
"Continue with the story mommy" Noella spoke up, breaking out of her death like act for a moment before collapsing once more on her father.
"Alright honey. As the women stared down at this man, it was quickly discovered that he ended up being, what they thought, the only survivor. Soon they had him sitting at a table and questioning who he was and how he came to still be alive. He told them he was a blacksmith and had decided to play dead under other bodies to hide from the witch. Though, as you know sweetie, the savior has this special ability to tell if people are lying. She told this man about this ability, and quickly discovered that he was lying to her. So she quickly put a knife to his throat to get him to tell her the truth. Using the help of the other three women, the savior quickly and efficiently tied this man to a large tree. Shall I do this part sweetie, or would you like the honors?" Emma turned to her daughter, magically summoning easy tie rope for her daughter.
Noella leaped off her father and ran to Emma to grab the rope before turning back to her father. Taking Killian's hand, Noella ran toward a tree that was nearby before turning to her mother as if seeking approval on her choice of tree.
"Daddy, hold this piece," Noella told her father, handing him one end of the rope before racing around the tree multiple times to ensure the rope was completely wrapped around her father. Returning to the front of her father, Noella took the piece of rope she had handed him and quickly began tying a knot before running up to her mother.
"Does it look good enough, mommy?" she asked, a hopeful look on her face.
Emma stood from her place on the grass; "stay by Jonothan for a moment, 'El, while I check" she spoke, patting her daughter on the head before making her way to the tree where Killian was tied.
"Alright there, pirate?" she asked, walking around the tree slowly, occasionally pulling on the rope to check its tightness. Finding everything to be satisfactory, Emma walked back to the front of the tree where her husband was.
"Oh just fine, lass, now how about you untie me?" Killian replied tugging on the rope a little though knowing that it would not budge until his girls deemed it should.
"Now why would I do that? We have you right where we want you, besides I like having you all tied up" Emma responded, whispering that last bit in his ear and placing a soft kiss to his cheek before pulling away completely to return to where their daughter stood watching and waiting.
"The rope was tied perfectly, Noella, the pirate won't be going anywhere for some time. Good job, honey" Emma said, giving her daughter a ruffle of the hair before sitting back on the ground by her children. "Now, do we want to continue the story, or go play on the swings?"
