*Plop*
Baby Neal giggled as he splashed his way through several fresh puddles, Mary Margaret and David following behind hand in hand, finally able to admire their perfect (but more importantly, safe) family life unfold at their footsteps.
Neal was almost two now, and was becoming more and more like his adventurous parents everyday.
From a distant park bench, Killian and Emma had been individually studying the trio, secretly wishing for a family life of their own.
"You know something, Swan? That could be us one day." Hook said, sounding unusually vacant. Emma was sure her heart had skipped a beat. Could he read her mind? Although she wanted so much for that lifestyle now, she thought better than to tell him that.
"We've been dating four months, Killian." She managed to reply in a loud-ish whisper.
"It's, I mean, I-"
His lips were warm and tasted like sugared coffee. When he'd finished shutting Emma up, he rested his forehead gently on hers.
"I love you, Swan." He began, "Don't think I'm going to leave you, ever. So why wait?"
Emma's eyes shone with happiness but she tried not to let it show. A faint smirk spread across the pirate's mouth and he lifted an eyebrow as he look first at Emma's parted lips, then into her eyes.
"Plus, you're great in-"
"Emma! Killian!" Mary Margaret was frantically waving at them with an enormous grin on her face. The pair looked at each other with unnecessary embarrassment, then cracked up.
Interlocking fingers, they got up and followed Emma's parents and little brother to the newly built playground Regina had designed for the children of Storybrooke.
She really has changed for the better, Emma thought to herself.
Emma had never told anyone before, but throughout everything, Regina was the person Emma was most proud of - for changing. Obviously she was still pissed with Regina's past actions but could still understand them, weirdly. She supposed it was because she also new what it was like to feel considerable pain, what with being orphaned, giving up Henry and losing Neal. She believed she would have lost Hook too, if she hadn't got her act together and stopped grieving Neal when she did. Little did she know that Killian wasn't going anywhere. He may be a pirate, but he new how to treat a lady, especially one he admired; if she needed time to herself, time to think, that is what she got.
Meanwhile, Hook was pushing baby Neal on the swings, who was screaming happily, "higher Uncle Killy, higher!"
Emma could hardly cope with this level of cuteness. Her mind floated away and she imagined her man looking after their own child. How perfect it would be to follow in her parents' footsteps and finally have a secure family with someone who she was pretty sure wouldn't leave; and even if he did, he wouldn't get very far before Charming lynched him, to put it one way.
After a while Killian stopped the swing and offered to take the toddler to get ice cream at Granny's. As the pair left, Killian glanced up and gave Emma a cheeky wink. She couldn't help it this time - she let out a beaming smile, hoping her life, as it stood, would only get better.