Spring is a time for many new things. So many that it was hard to notice them all, let alone capture them. But on this particular morning, Killian Jones was determined to at least try.
It had been some years since the last curse or serious villain in Storybrooke. In that time, Killian had taken up one of his old hobbies again. His mother had taught him to draw when he was a lad. His talent had been nothing more than stick figures then, but it had certainly improved in the last two centuries. As he learned about the stars and constellations, he would make his own charts, and soon they became better than expensive ones in a shop. When he joined the royal navy, he had access to better and more materials, so he learned to paint and could do almost anything with art that he put his mind to. Their passion for art and drawing was one of the many things that helped him bond with Milah, but he lost that passion along with Milah when she was killed.
Now his love for art had a new life, just like spring. The sun had risen about an hour ago, but Swan hadn't yet. So, Killian took the opportunity to capture the view he saw from the window of a mother bird taking care of her little ones on a nearby branch that was starting to bloom.
Two hours later, he was finishing up his simple watercolor painting when Emma finally came downstairs.
"Morning, love," He greeted her and took the paint palette off his hook before he stood up to kiss her.
"Morning, Hayes," She replied with a smirk.
"Alas, darling, I didn't paint a seascape this morning." He told her, but he still took it as a compliment. Edwin Hayes was an Irish marine painter whose preferred mediums were watercolors and oils.
"Still a watercolor though, and an amazing one at that. Be careful with it or my mom might return to her bandit ways." She teased.
"Perhaps I'll save her the trouble, and we can give it to her for Mother's Day." He suggested in jest, but in reality he wouldn't mind gifting it to his mother-in-law. But Emma didn't reply in the way he thought. She merely nodded as an odd look passed over her face.
His second suggestion was taken in a much better way when he mentioned making some cocoa to go with breakfast. Thankfully Emma's appetite seemed to be back after dealing with a stomach bug that she'd caught from her brother.
"So, what are you going to paint next? I think Granny mentioned that she wants the fence redone." Emma commented as they began eating. And with that Killian decided that her earlier look was nothing to be concerned about since she was still teasing.
"I've never done painting like that before. But I may volunteer your father to do it along with me one day. For today though, I have another idea in mind." He replied and reached for her hand. "It's also something I've never done before, but I know it will be my most breathtaking work yet. With your permission, Mrs. Jones, I'd like to paint you."
He asked with a bit of hesitancy, for the same reason he had never asked before. It was something he had wanted to do since he had taken up art again. But he was always afraid that she would refuse. Today though, for some reason he just felt compelled to do so.
"That depends, are you going to paint me like one your French girls, Hook?" She answered with a movie quote, which didn't count in his opinion.
"I wasn't planning on it. I know for a fact that you are a stunning sight, love. It's because I know this that I have no need to draw it and risk someone seeing it. If you wish though, we can take a journey to the stars when it's all over." He played along and also tried to tempt her.
"Good answer. But what if I wish just for the second part?" She challenged him.
"Your heart's desire, Swan, that's all I want for you." He replied sincerely with a kiss. "But think for one moment. If you grew up as a princess, you know you'd have to sit through having royal portraits painted. It would take hours, it would be done for any and every occasion, it would be uncomfortable, and it would probably annoy the hell out of you. However, if you allow me to do this it would be no royal portrait. I promise it will be short and sweet, especially with what we have to look forward to afterward, and you can be in whatever way is most comfortable for you."
The breakfast table was quiet for several minutes after that, but the food was left untouched.
"Okay fine," Emma gave in. "But let me get ready first. My hair needs to be tamed and I don't want you painting the bags under my eyes."
"You're beautiful the way you are, Swan. You can brush your hair if you want, but you don't need make up. Like I said, this isn't a royal portrait. And as the artist, I chose what goes on the canvas and what doesn't. You won't find a trace of your sleepless nights."
"No wonder you had such a reputation as a pirate, you're too persuasive for your own good, Hook." She mumbled before finishing her breakfast so she could do her hair. And Killian just shook his head because they both knew she wouldn't have him any other way.
CS
Painting means many things. It gives a way for artists to express themselves, but it also gives insight into whatever the subject is, both physically and otherwise. Killian loved Emma, and this was a special way to express that. Also, she was an open book to him, and he liked to think he was a caring husband who took care of her needs. But this gave him a chance to really look at Swan. She joked earlier about bags under her eyes, and he knew she wasn't sleeping well. First it was because of the stomach bug, and because she had been worrying about Henry a lot lately.
Now though, he could see that she was more than tired. Her face was pale and there was something about her eyes, something hidden. She was still beautiful as always he thought as he sketched the black and white outline. But it made him think back to the last time he saw Emma in a similar state to this. It started when the queens of darkness were in town. Emma had even more pressure than usual on her with her parents' secret revealed and the threat of going dark. There was a brief moment of peace where she was back to herself, but that was gone all too quickly. Dark Ones don't need sleep, but the stress and internal battles were enough to drain her. Being in the Underworld also does things to a person, but she still never rested until he was returned to the land of the living.
They had a brief moment to rest that night after Granny's before Henry went to New York and he went to another realm with the Charmings and Zelena. Hyde followed them along with the Evil Queen and a vision of Emma's death. The wedding definitely brought some color and spirit back to her, but the Black Fairy certainly did a number on her. Finally after that Emma had been able to recover, relax, and live her life. What was plaguing her now?
"I might have done it for you, you know." Emma commented out of the blue.
"Done what?" He asked as he briefly looked up, she had a curious look about her.
"Posed like Rose did in the movie. It would have been completely out of my comfort zone, and I would probably die if anyone else ever saw it. You're right that this is a much safe route."
"Aye, we can't have that. You're going to die an old, old lady. Warm in her bed." He replied and they both had a laugh from their quotes. "Are you sure you're comfortable even with this innocent pose?" "I wouldn't have agreed if I wasn't, Killian. Why do you ask?" She assured him, but something still wasn't sitting right.
"You just don't seem quite yourself. If something is bothering you, love, be it the painting or something else, I want to know what it is." He stated honestly, deciding to come out and stop beating around the bush. He also decided that he wanted to do something special for her. She needed a day just for her with nothing from the town interfering. The painting would be the tip of the iceberg.
"I promise I'm alright, Hook. I might be a bit out of sorts, but there's nothing wrong like you're probably thinking. I'm not the only one who's an open book." She assured him with a small but bright smile.
"Very well, love," He conceded and went back to work.
There was still something, but if Swan said there was nothing wrong, then he trusted that. But while he continued he made up his mind about something. It was true that they had had a lot of special moments in the midst of some sort of personal or town related chaos. But something shouldn't have to be wrong for him to treat Swan. When he was finished the painting, and took her to the stars, he would take her for an afternoon out and treat her to dinner at somewhere that wasn't Granny's. Just as Emma had said 'I love you' to him after their return from New York, she deserved a memorable day when things were just normal.
CS
"Are you sure you want to go in there, love? I told you, this is your day." Killian asked as they walked down the street towards the local art supplies store Artful of Love. Usually Emma lost patience in there since she got what she needed and got out while he tended to browse.
"Yes, it is since I deserve it; apparently along with an amazing portrait that is an original Killian Jones masterpiece. So, I also deserve to have it framed." Emma countered perfectly with no room for argument.
"Bloody hell, I've created a monster." He laughed as he held the door of the shop open for her.
"That's a fine thing to call your wife, Captain. Bad form." Tinkerbelle teased, having overheard the comment when they entered.
"Hey, Tink." Swan greeted and sent her a smile of appreciation for giving him a hard time.
"Hello, Tinkerbelle, what brings you here?" He asked politely, ignoring the fact that his wife and old friend had once again ganged up on him. After Emma got over her small bit of jealousy, which she would never admit to after they returned from Neverland, she and Tink had become good friends.
"I'm looking for fabric. It's spring and I want to make new curtains. What about you two?" She replied and continued the small talk.
"I did a special painting for Emma. She wasn't sure about it at first, but she agreed, and now she wants it framed. Which is what you overheard." He explained.
"And it wasn't just a painting for me; it was of me. It's better than looking in the mirror, especially lately." Emma clarified. She also complimented him and undermined herself, all in the same sentence.
"Oh, I wouldn't say that." Tink shook her head. "You do look tired but there's also something else about you despite it, a brightness in your eyes and smile."
"Thanks, Tink, good luck with your curtains." Emma blushed a little and looked down for a second. "Maybe you can make some for us when you're done." "Maybe I will." Tink shrugged and sent them a wave goodbye.
While they looked around, Killian thought about what Tinkerbelle had said. He thought of her as an unbiased third party, and if she thought Emma looked tired then he couldn't be the only one and his concerns weren't entirely unreasonable. But she had also put into words what was puzzling him. As he added color to the painting, he noticed Emma was pale and dull. Not in the boring and unattractive sense, certainly not, but she wasn't lifeless looking either. That spark was still in her eyes. Even if she wasn't quite herself lately, she was never more beautiful despite whatever it was.
"Since when are you interested in making curtains?" He asked out of curiosity, and honestly it did surprise him.
"One of the days when I was sick, and you made me stay home while you went to the station, I was bored and thought about redecorating the spare room." She answered, never looking away from the different frames.
"That would be nice. Do you have any ideas or plans?" He said in support of her idea.
"I haven't gotten that far yet. I was just thinking it would be a good project for us." She replied with a shrug.
He knew there was more to it and she was keeping something. But she was happy about it, whatever it was. It was more of a fun mystery than asking him to be patient after their kiss at Granny's or hiding that she had visions of her death. And as a pirate, he loved a little mystery. It often led to treasure, and Emma was the greater than any treasure.
Twenty minutes later they had both agreed on the perfect frame and brought it to the check-out counter.
"Hey, Killian, why don't you take that to the car, and I'll be right there. Something caught my eye."
"Alright, love." He nodded and agreed.
He went out to the car alone and he was extremely curious about what she was up to. But he loved that she never stopped surprising him.
CS
"So what did you think, love? I thought it was quite enjoyable." Killian commented as they made their way home after dinner.
Now that the town didn't have to be saved from villains, Regina was back to being a full-fledged mayor. She was always doing various things to make the small town even better while paying tribute to where they came from. One of those things was starting a dramatic club at the college and not long after someone got the idea to have a dinner theater in Storybrooke that was quite successful.
"I liked it. A dinner theater is something you expect in a big city so it's neat to have one in Storybrooke while still being a nice, small town. And the show itself was good. It had a fairytale quality even though it was based in the real world." She expressed her thoughts, and he was glad he had succeeded yet again to make this day special.
"Aye, those period-romance stories are the ones I find most relatable. Say what you will, Swan, about old age, but there's a certain quality that's lacking these days." He stated after nodding in agreement.
"Hey, you're the one that brought up old age, Hook, not me." She laughed as they entered the house and he chased her up the stairs with the threat of tickling her, which she hated.
"I think we found the perfect spot for the picture." Swan sighed with contentment as they passed it on their way to their room, after he surrendered to her. Sleeping on the couch was not preferred over a tickle attack.
Her portrait hung on the wall next to the door of the spare room that they planned to redecorate in the near future. "Maybe we could get a painting of you and stick it up there, and eventually we could make the whole space our family wall."
"You've been making a lot of plans for our home haven't you?" He commented, not that he minded in the slightest. After being afraid of this for so long, he loved seeing Emma excited about their future and embracing it.
"Well, it's about to undergo a big change, and I want everything to be perfect." She told him and the hint of mystery returned to her eyes.
"And what's that, Swan?" He asked, thinking back to the normal moment after New York and the Underworld.
He knew then what she was going to say, or at least he hoped, and he had never been happier when she did say 'I love you'. He had a feeling she was about to say something just as important now. But he couldn't imagine what.
He watched curiously as Emma used actions instead of words as she magically summoned something into her hands. In her right hand was a small frame that was white, blue, and pink and in her left hand was a set of water colors for children.
"If I had to pick father of the year, I'd pick you." Swan finally spoke with the same smile she wore when he proposed, both times.
"I love you," Killian confessed as his eyes watered and he embraced his wife and mother of his child. "both of you. I love you so much."
"I love you more, and you can't argue that because I get to love you enough for two people until we get to meet this baby in person." She replied with a bit of teasing, but he knew the sentiment was sincere and there was no competition as to who loved who more when they were true love.
"A baby, I can hardly believe it still." He shook his head as he tried to comprehend how lucky he was. And while Emma was happy, and already in love with their babe, she was calm and accepting of the news and not overwhelmed as he was. "How long have you known? Is this why you haven't been well lately?"
"I might have been lying earlier when I said I hadn't gotten that far about plans for the spare room." His wife admitted with a coy smile. "I want to redecorate it to be a nursery. That was the day I took the test. It said negative, but I knew I had more than a stomach bug from Neal. So I waited a week and took the test this morning. This one was positive."
All the mysteries about the day were answered. The look when Mother's Day was mentioned, the spark in her eyes despite her tired appearance, what Tink had called 'brightness' he now knew was the glow of motherhood, and obviously the frame and child's paints were what caught her eye.
"Aye, positively wonderful news." He replied with a small pun that he couldn't help. "I take it that means you don't have a sonogram yet like Robin had of Zelena's baby."
"No. I thought about making an appointment when I had the negative test because I was so sure. But I wanted to know and tell you first." She told him as they finally moved to the bedroom, but he wasn't disappointed. Now they could experience that together. "Although, with the way you were today, I thought you had figured it out somehow."
"I knew something was up, and at first I thought something was wrong. I wanted to make the day special for you to help with whatever that was and make the wrong a little better. But you insisted you were fine, and I trusted that. I still wanted to give you a special day though. You deserve that when things are just normal as much as you deserve them with a villain terrorizing the town and you need a break. And it's my job to make sure that happens."
"Consider this day a job fulfilled then. Thank you, Killian." Swan smiled and kissed him.
"You are most welcome, love, and I'm glad you think so since I have a new one now." He replied and put his arms around her waist as they sat on the bed. "Making sure this babe of ours is always cared for."
"Protecting my heart, making sure I have special days and moments, and protecting our baby. That's a lot of responsibilities. There might have been a time where I said you couldn't handle it, but I know without a doubt that this is what you're meant for, Killian, loving and protecting your family." She spoke and he knew that she meant every word. It amazed him how far they had come since the beanstalk and Neverland. And now they were going to have a child together.
"Thank you, love. I'll admit that right now I'm too happy to think of anything else. However, there will be times when I worry about being a father. But I know that with you by my side, we'll raise this child to be the best that they can be. And the same goes for you too, Emma. This is why you've been more worried about Henry recently, isn't it?"
"I'm his mom, and I'm always going to worry. But yeah, this has got me really thinking. Is he going to feel like we're replacing him by starting over since he's not here? I know Henry didn't grow up like I did and doesn't have the same feelings about certain things. So I'm probably making a big deal of nothing, but I can't help but think…"
"It is not ridiculous, Emma." Killian stated and embraced his wife once again. "You said it yourself, you're Henry's mother and that will never change. And we are not starting over; it's a completely new start. This is the first time for me, and you never went through this part with Henry. He will be thrilled to have a sibling."
"You're probably right." She sighed and leaned against him. "But when will that be? I know he's finding his story, and that's great, I never want to hold him back from that. But we're a family and what if this baby never knows its big brother, who is going to be awesome."
"Henry won't be gone forever, love." He assured her. "He's out finding his own story, but he is still part ours because we're family. And what does this family do?"
"We always find each other." Emma nodded in acceptance. "Thank you, Killian; you always know what I need to hear. Even if it's things I already know, like when you had story time when we were dealing with the Evil Queen, thank you for reminding me."
"Of course, love, it's the least I can do for you and I know you do the same for me. Over two centuries of existence was worth it to have this life with you now. You made me want to be a better man when we met, one that was worthy of your trust, and now you've made a husband and father. I never thought I'd have those things, but with you I have everything."
"I have everything with you too, Killian." She smiled after they shared a passionate kiss. "I know I never would have been brave enough to be a mother again if I didn't have a two hundred year old pirate waiting me for.
"You said this is what I'm meant for. I'm not saying we'll be perfect parents, but we're strongest together, and this is what we're meant to do. By caring for each other, we'll raise this child with all the love in the realms and have the family we were meant to be." He said simply but with much meaning as he held her cheek in his hand.
"Now it's my turn, I love you so much, Killian Jones." She replied with happy tears and a smile to match. "Eight months seems like forever to meet the baby and start all the things you talked about."
"He or she will be here before we know it I'm sure. But we don't have to wait to have those things. We're already a family, and I will never stop caring for and loving you, for all eternity, Emma Jones." He assured and promised her. "The same goes for Henry, this babe, and any others that join this family in the future. And I will show that when challenges arise, and when things are just normal."
"I like the sound of that," Emma sighed in contentment before she added in a whisper, "Daddy. "Aye, it sounds perfect, Mama." He replied and they shared a sweet kiss.
Two years later, on another spring day, they had the privilege of hearing those words again. This time as their little daughter, who was a year and a couple of months old, started speaking. It was also on a spring day that their son was born a year after that. Each family member had a portrait done and hanging on the wall, but everyone agreed that Swan's was the most breathtaking. She had bravely brought their children into the world and was always a strong and beautiful mother and wife. Killian Jones wasn't lucky to have such a family and partner in life; he was honored.
Thank you for reading! I wanted to get this story written and published before the finale and somehow I did. It's bittersweet, but I'm looking forward to it. I hope this story means just as much, it does to me. I had a lot of title ideas (Strong and Beautiful, Just Normal, Artful of Love) but I went with Spring Days. It is spring and that means new things. It's gonna be weird without OUAT but that won't stop new stories, and I would love to see what new things the actors do from here. Thank you again and enjoy the finale!