*thump thump* *thump thump* *thump thump*
The sound of Killian's heart beating in his chest was all it took for Emma to smile when she came to the morning after the Snow Queen had been defeated. Regina might not have believed in happy endings for villains, but when Ingrid had sacrificed herself to save the town from the Spell of Shattered Sight and get Killian's heart back from Mr. Gold, Emma knew that redemption was possible. Hell, the man lying next to her should be proof enough of that…
She lifted her head just slightly off of his chest (God, did that man have enough chest hair?) so she could get a better look at him. He had gone through so much to get where he was now; to get past his need for revenge on Gold, to be a part of a family, a part of her family. She had been so afraid to let him in, even though from the very beginning she could tell they were kindred spirits. He knew it, too, and found himself unable to hold back as she had done.
Killian was there for her at every turn, fighting for her, being a shoulder for her to cry on, watching over Henry, however she needed him most. He had been so scared he was going to hurt her again by dying at Rumple's hands, making her lose someone else; she had been so scared to lose him, scared that she would never heal from a loss like that. That fear and relief and love and passion had culminated last night and God, Emma had never been happier.
Her slight movement had caused Killian to stir, and he peeked at her through one bright blue eye. "Good morning, love," he said. "Sleep well, by the look on your face, I take it?"
"Best sleep in years," said Emma, with a grin. She stretched up slightly to kiss him gently on the lips, then returned her head to his chest. He placed his right arm around her and began to trace small, soft circles on her bare shoulder. Emma closed her eyes and enjoyed the peaceful, happy moment that she was experiencing, because she knew, as the Savior, she had to cherish the moments while she could.
The door downstairs suddenly creaked open and several people entered the house. "Mom!" Henry called out. "Mom, we brought the donuts and coffee!"
"Shit" was the only word that Emma could utter. She had completely forgotten that Henry was staying with Regina and was planning on bringing her breakfast this morning. Her parents had come home late from the celebration party, and had no clue that Killian was here with Emma. They must have left to go pick Henry up without her even noticing.
Killian and Emma hurriedly pulled the blankets up to their chins as they heard Henry began to climb the stairs. "Mom, are you up here? Do you want some-" he stopped abruptly as he noticed his mom and the pirate captain in bed together.
"Emma, sweetie, are you up?" Mary Margaret called. She entered quickly behind Henry, carrying the baby in her arms. "Which donut did you-oh! Emma! I'm so…" she paused, stunned, before turning right back around and marching back down the stairs. "David, did we forget something in the car by chance?"
Emma whispered a silent thank you to her mom for distracting her dad; David liked Killian but he was a father after all. She didn't need or want her whole family to see this particular situation.
"Why are you still in bed, mom? It's practically ten," Henry asked, with a look on his face that was half suspicion and half like he was trying to piece together what was happening.
"I was really tired after the battle with the Snow Queen, kid. That's why I left the party so early." Emma held her breath, hoping that he wouldn't question any further.
"Oh. Well, why is Killian here?" Emma cursed under her breath. Had Regina never given her kid "the talk"? She had wanted to be a part of Henry's life again but part of her had been hoping that this one particular part had been taken care of. Emma was sure if she asked Regina to take care of it, she would just make some retort about how it should be Emma's responsibility as Henry's birth mother.
Luckily Killian was a quick thinker. "Well, lad, I dropped by this morning and found Emma's heater wasn't working, and the town was quite cold after yesterday's battle, so I thought I'd be a gentleman and help warm the lady up."
Henry looked even more perplexed. "But if you're trying to get warm, why are your clothes on the floor?"
Oh my God I'm gonna kill Regina, Emma thought. "Basic hypothermia treatment, kid. Remove the clothes and raise the person's body heat slowly. Haven't they taught you that at school?"
"N-no, I don't think so…" he said, trying to recall if they had ever mentioned it in class before.
"Looks like we need to get you some first-aid classes, huh?" Emma said, glad to be turning the conversation in a different direction.
"Maybe. Uh, did either of you guys want some breakfast? Coffee and donuts, just like I promised." Henry looked uncertainly between Emma and Killian, clearly still confused as to what he saw in front of him.
"Aye, Henry; I'll gladly have some breakfast with you all," said Killian, looking at Emma. "How about you, Swan?"
"Sure thing, boys. Why don't you start the coffee, Henry? We'll be down in a minute."
Henry turned and walked back down the stairs, but not before giving one last confused look at his mom and Killian. Emma sighed and rubbed her forehead, glad that that particular ordeal was over but dreading the conversation she knew her own mom would probably want to have later.
"Well, love, good job handling that. Shall we dress and head downstairs to join your family?"
Emma laughed. "Yeah, we better get down there, as much as I'd like to stay here for a while longer." She pulled the covers off and reached down to grab her sweater.
"Besides," she said with a smile, "we can always come back here later once they've gone home…"