Emma Swan lazily stirred, stretching out in her bed as the morning sun filtered in through the half open blinds across the room. She reached across the bed to find the spot beside her empty. In the past waking up in bed alone after a night with a man would have left her panicked. Her walls shooting back up to defend herself against the onslaught of feelings of not being good enough and not being worthy of love. Those days were behind her now, although periodically the feeling still plagued her like a ghost clinging to their loved ones. Most days though she woke and felt like finally she was secure in the life that she was living. From her place in the bed the smell of coffee wafted into the room and almost of their own volition her feet started to make their way to the floor. She slipped on the bathrobe that lay on the chair next to the bed and slipped her feet into the slippers that were set out for her ready to be put on. She never put them there. Not the robe or the slippers. They were left daily wherever she took them off at to get dressed for the day. Without fail though when she crawled into bed the next night the robe was laying on the chair and the slippers were by her bed. The routine had become familiar and she had come to love it. She walked out of the bedroom and as she headed towards the kitchen another smell, one that she didn't recognize, assaulted her nose. The smell permeated the hallway and she felt her stomach flip flop. Within seconds she felt the bile rising up in her throat and she ran in the direction of the bathroom. Barely making it she emptied the remnants of last nights dinner into the toilet. She pulled her hair back out of her face and back into a ponytail with the black elastic band she kept on her wrist at nearly all the times. After making sure that she was finished vomiting she went to the sink, brushed her teeth and gargled some mouthwash, and splashed some water on her face before attempting to go the kitchen again. When she reached the entrance to the kitchen she smiled at the sight of Killian sitting at the counter reading the paper with Henry sitting next to him ready the comics. "Morning boys."

"Hey Mom. I'm gonna stay at Mom's tonight is that okay? She's been a little down since Robin had to leave town and I guess I just want to be there for her." She stroked his hair and kissed the top of his head as she made her way to the coffee pot to grab herself a cup of the heavenly liquid that had drawn he from her bed before she had unexpectedly gotten sick to her stomach. "She raised a good boy. Of course you can stay with her. You have a way to get to school from there so I don't see any reason why not. Speaking of school you better hurry up on that cereal mister. You've got to take off within the next five minutes or you're going to be late for class. I know that your teacher is no Ms. Blanchard but she's still a stickler for punctuality."

"Got it." He laid down the comics page, took the last bite of his cereal and then headed off to his bedroom. Back in the kitchen Emma settled herself at the counter next to Killian and took a sip of her coffee. "While I love waking up to the smell of coffee what was that atrocious smell coming from in here? It was awful." He looked up from the paper with a bemused look on his face. "It was just bacon love. It got a little crispy but it was far from burnt."

"Hmmm. That's strange. Normally I love the smell of bacon but that really did a number on me. Made me sick. Maybe we need to check the packaging so that next time we don't buy that brand."

"We can do that but I think it's the kind that you normally buy. I don't think it was out of the ordinary."

"Maybe I'm getting a bit of a bug. I was exhausted when I woke up even though I got a good nights sleep last night. After everything with Elsa and the Snow Queen it's probably just my body finally lowering its defenses, and it was pretty chilly here for a while."

"Six weeks seems like a pretty long time for it to catch up to you love."

"Not really. I've been feeling sluggish for a couple weeks now. I just haven't said anything."

"You don't have to do that anymore you know?"

"Do what?"

"Keep that type of thing to yourself. I'd be happy to care for you but I can't do it if you don't share that you're not well."

"It wasn't that I wasn't well. Just tired. There's not a lot that you can do about that."

"Well, I could not keep you up half the night."

"There are prices that I'm willing to pay for a little sleep. That is not one of them." A flirtatious smile crept across his face as he leaned over to press a kiss to her lips. Like always their kiss didn't stop at a chaste little peck. As his lips caressed hers she returned the kiss with equal fervor, causing the kiss to deepen. They continued kissing until they heard a noise from the doorways. They turned and saw Henry standing there, a deep shade of red, gawking at them. "Like you've never seen two people kiss before Henry."
"Not my mom and not like that." Now it was Emma's turn to turn a deeper shade of red. Sometimes she forgot that unlike her he had been sheltered in those regards. Intimate moments were a stranger to him and she wanted to keep it that way. "You're right kid. We'll keep the PDA's to a minimum." He nodded and headed to the door. "I'm going to go straight to Mom's after school. Is that alright?"

"Yeah. Just give me a call before you go to bed. I don't want to miss the opportunity to say goodnight."

'Okay. Bye Mom. Bye Killian." As they said goodbye he closed the door behind them and they were alone again in the apartment. "So are you still feeling sluggish then love?"

"Yeah, but you can't stay in bed all day."

"Well, you can. Your father can handle the sheriff station today, and we are currently without a foe to best. If you were to need to take a day to rest now would be the time to do it. Coincidentally I don't have any place of dire importance that I need to be. Perhaps a nap would do the sheriff some good?"

"Killian, I'm not going back to bed."

"Okay. Then how about we just settle in for a quiet day here. We'll watch that Netflix that you're always going on about and order some pizza for lunch?" Emma thought about it but when her mind settled on the thought of pizza the queasy feeling returned to her stomach and she made a mad dash to the bathroom. This time Killian followed behind her, concerned about the illness that seemed to be upon her. After she had once again emptied her stomach of the content into the toilet she went through the process of cleaning herself up again. "When you said that the smell of the bacon made you sick earlier is this what you meant?" She nodded as she patted her face dry again. "Perhaps you need to schedule an appointment to see Dr. Whale love?"

"It's a little flu bug Killian. You and I will have a casual day here and by tomorrow I'm sure that I'll be fine. I'm going to the room to get dressed. I'll be out in a few minutes and we can pick a movie to watch on the Netflix, as you call it." She smiled before turning the corner to her bedroom. Over the last couple of weeks it had begun to feel more and more like their bedroom. His vest was laying on the dresser, which she had cleared space in weeks ago so that he had a place to put his clothes when he stayed over. Which was happening more and more lately. She tried to summon up that old sense of dread that she used to have at getting too close to someone but was unable to. This life she had she no longer felt like she had to fear it. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the next villain descended upon the town. It was always just a matter of time. Whenever she started to get anxious about it though Killian noticed it on her face and simply said, "Let's enjoy the quiet moments love." It had become a reminder to her to breathe. To take time to appreciate the life that she had been blessed with. She stepped over to the dresser and reached into her underwear drawer before stepping out of her robe and grabbing a pair of underwear and a bra. She slipped her underwear on and then put the bra on, securing it on the last clasp. As she reached down to the next drawer to grab a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweater she realized that the bra felt like it was cutting into her skin. She undid it and put it on the middle clasp, thinking nothing of the fact that this bra had always been a little bit too big on her. She had chosen it for the simple fact it was going to be comfortable for a day of lounging around the house. "Hey Killian?"

"Yeah Swan?"

"Can you bring me the phone? I need to call David and tell him I'm not coming in."

"On my way love." He was at the door with the phone in a matter of seconds but stopped at the doorway. "If I didn't know you were too sick to be in the seducing mood love I'd think you were trying to entice me."

"Well, I don't know that I'm too sick but since we don't want to get you sick as well we should probably leave the enticing to another time."

"Pity," he said as he glanced up and down her body. "You look bloody amazing." She smiled and took the phone from his hand, throwing the sweater over her head as she did so. She dialed David's number and waited while the phone rang. "Hello. Sheriff Nolan. How can I help you?"

"Hey David. It's me."

"Hey Emma. What's up?"

"I was just wondering if you'd be able to handle all the crazy Storybrooke crime for today? I woke up this morning and I seemed to have picked up a bit of a stomach bug. Killian is going to stay with me and we're just going to have a lazy day here at home." She paused briefly as she said that her and Killian were going to stay at home. She knew that she thought of it as her home but at some point she had also started thinking of it as his home as well. He still had his room at Granny's as a fail safe but he hadn't slept there since the first night that they spent together five weeks before. After the Snow Queen had been defeated and Gold's plan was foiled it hadn't taken long for her to get on the ball with getting her own place. Surprisingly there were perks to being the town sheriff that she hadn't realized before. No one had every informed her that built into her agreement with the city was that an apartment was a part of her employment terms. The house was a cute little two bedroom near the docks. When you walked in from the street you immediately entered into a small foyer with a staircase leading upstairs, the living room off to the left of the foyer to one side and a closet immediately to the right of the foyer. The hallway led straight back to the kitchen and an open dining room, which then opened into the living. Emma loved the open floor plan. Upstairs there was another sitting room that you immediately stepped into from the staircase. On the right side of the sitting room was a small bedroom, where Henry stayed when he was with them. On the left side of the sitting room was a bathroom and further down off the sitting room was a master suite which included a walk in closet and a slider that opened to a balcony overlooking the docks. It really was a dream home that seemed to be custom made for their little family. Once again Emma stopped herself as she realized that she was beginning to think of Killian, Henry, and herself as a family. "You sure it's just a bug? Do you want your mother to come over and check on you?"

"No, I'm sure it's just a bug. I've been feeling it coming for a few days. I've been super tired. I love Mom but please don't send her over. Henry is going to be with Regina today and I think it will be nice for Killian and me to spend some time together."

"I don't think time together is something that you and Killian lack, Emma. In fact I've begun wondering if you guys are attached at the hip." Emma didn't miss the slight tone of jealousy in her fathers voice. She knew that he was supportive of her relationship with Killian but she also knew that he was concerned about his daughter, the princess, being with a pirate reformed as he may be. "David, we're not together all the time, and in case you didn't remember I did almost lose him just six weeks ago. Most of the time we're together we're with you and Mom, Henry, Regina, or other people. It's very rare actually that we get to spend time alone together. Besides Mom has Neal and the last thing she needs to do is come over here with him, or even get a babysitter, and get whatever I have. It's better to just quarantine myself and ride it out."

"What about Killian?"

"David, he practically lives here. Trust me if I'm sick he's gonna get it. But I've got to go. Killian's waiting for me in the living room. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. See you tomorrow." As she hung up the phone she felt bad about the way that she spoke to her father. It was easy to get annoyed by her parents attempts at parenting, because she'd never had that in her life before. However they had never gotten to be the overprotective parents to their daughter and despite all the curses that everyone had endured overprotective came naturally to them. She pulled her hair out of her ponytail holder and quickly threw it up on the top of her head in a messy bun. She pulled on the yoga pants she had laid on the bed before she called David and walked out to the sitting room. "So what did your father have to say?"

"Nothing much. He wanted to know if I wanted him to send Mary Margaret over. Naturally I said no. I'm kind of looking forward to having a day here at home with you." One again she paused at the word home and she noticed that Killian's hand stilled on the TV when she said it. Apparently it hadn't escaped his notice either. "I was thinking Killian..." She took a deep breathe and closed her eyes aware of the fact that she should probably stop and think about what she was doing. But with him there, dressed in a pair of dark wash blue jeans and a button down plaid shirt that David had helped him pick out, she couldn't bring herself to think things through rationally. That was usually how she ended up find a way to screw up her happiness anyways. "You were thinking what love?" He was back at motion turning on the TV and setting it up for Netflix. For all his comments that made it seem like he had no knowledge of how modern technology worked he had actually become rather adept at it. "I was thinking that maybe it's time that you gave up your room at Granny's. You're here most nights anyways. There's no point in you paying for a room that you don't even sleep in."

"Emma love if I live with you I don't want it to be because we're trying to be fiscally responsible. I don't want to officially make your home my home unless it's what we both want, for no other reason than we want to be together. I have little need for money in this world and it's not an inconvenience to keep the room at Granny's." For a brief moment she felt rejected. She had opened up to him and he had refused her. After taking just a minute to think about it though she realized that what he had given her was a great gift, even if it was dressed in a rejection of sorts. He didn't want to live with her to save himself money. He only wanted to live with her if he knew that it's what she wanted. When she had asked she wasn't sure but now that he had turned her down he was completely sure. "Do I have to do all the work in this relationship Hook?" He stopped fiddling with the electronics at the uncharacteristic use of his more colorful moniker and turned to look at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Well you didn't ask me out. I had to make that move. Now I have to be the one to ask to live together. I thought you were supposed to be a dashing rapscallion."

"And a gentleman love. I'm always a gentleman."

"A gentleman wouldn't turn down a lady in need."

"I didn't say that I don't want to live with you Swan. I said that I don't want to live with you for convenience or because we fell into it. It's a big step in your time but keep in mind that I'm not from your time. Cohabitation without marriage is practically unheard of in my time."

"Milah lived on the seas with you and you weren't married."

"Milah was married to another man. Our relationship was not an acceptable one by society standards. Adultery is far more taboo than cohabitation in my time and we did both. What we're talking about here is way different. I loved Milah. She was my first love, but everything was different with her. With you I'm not looking for the kind of relationship I was then. I want a life with you. A real life. Not just with you but with Henry. I don't want to feel like I'm taking you away from something or that you only want me because you want the danger and the freedom my life can offer. When I start my life with you I want it to be one that we can build on. I'm not a young man anymore."

"Well...you've held up pretty well for your age pirate." She grinned at him, in awe of the fervor she heard in his voice. She knew that he cared for her but more and more she was beginning to trust it. To believe it. "I love Milah before I went to Neverland. When I lost her I was no older than you are now. I was young and carefree. It was the pirate's life for me but it's been over three hundred years. I want to settle down to a life. That's what I'm looking for for us. I don't want to rush it because it's convenient."

"I understand." He turned back to the TV for a moment before she said, "Killian, move in with me."

"I thought we just talked about this."

"We did. But this time I want to make it clear why. Why it was from the beginning. It was never because of convenience. It was always because when I wake up in the morning I love having you next to me. When I woke up this morning and you weren't next to me in bed for the first time in my life I wasn't afraid of being left. I knew that you were somewhere nearby because you leaving isn't something I can imagine. If I can't imagine you leaving me then why shouldn't you be here with me all the time. I want a life with you too. It's been more than I could ever imagine for so many years but it's what I want. So Killian Jones will you please move in with me?"

"Well with an emotional plea like that how could I refuse. Yes love. I will move in with you. Now what does the lady with the bug feel like watching today?"

"How about Peter Pan?"

"Not funny Swan. I've seen pictures of their image of me and it is appalling. I do not wish to sit through your worlds perception of my supposed buffoonery."

"A little sensitive don't you think Captain? It is just a children's cartoon after all." He grabbed the remote and found his way to the corner of the couch, blanket in hand. As soon as he sat down she curled up next to him, throwing the blanket over their legs and curling her legs at her side. "Why don't we just watch whatever is on TV for a while. I'm good just sitting here with you. I don't need anything else really." He smiled and kissed the side of her head while scrolling through the on-screen guide. After a while they settled on a cheesy reality show but it wasn't long before they had fallen asleep.