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The walk to the diner had been fairly uneventful which was something Killian couldn't help but be grateful for. It had taken him months to stop waiting for the next crisis - for the second shoe to drop. His life had become somewhat of a blissful blur since Storybrooke started melting. As he walked along the freshly thawed sidewalk, looking down at his shuffling feet, he smiled. Shoes. Not boots. If he recalled correctly, Henry had called them sneakers as he pulled them from a cardboard box and tossed them at Killian's feet. This new realm had strange fashions, but he couldn't deny that the way Emma's eyes seemed to light up when he embraced the new clothes made it all worth it. Flipping the collar up on his new leather-less jacket to fight off the fading chill, he approached the corner that lay squarely across the street from the diner - and there she was.

Emma. His Emma. It still felt surreal to say and although that woman would never be one to claim as a rightful possession, she wanted him. She sat outside, waiting at one of the metal bistro style tables that littered the patio outside the diner. As she adjusted the gray knit beanie on her head and pulled her thick coat closer with a shiver, Killian's grin reminisced with the memory of the possibility that location had held nearly a year ago.

You traded your ship for me? Aye.

Listening to the rubber soles of his shoes pad the pavement, he slipped across the street. She saw him as he hopped up onto the walkway that led onto the patio and smiled. There was just something about it - about the way she looked at him now. That sweet, thankful, I-know-you'll-never-leave-me smile. That smile, however, did completely belong to him.

"As I live and breathe, apparently the morning has prompted the swan to do so as well."

"Oh ha-ha," Emma retorted, raising her eyebrows. "Not all of us were cursed with an internal and infernal alarm clock. I, for one, am quite grateful about that."

She reached up to brush "something" off his cheek and he grinned into her loving touch. Looping her arm through his jacket clad one, they scaled the steps inside as sounds and smells of breakfast filled the air. Not needing to say a word, Emma slipped into their usual booth - the one where she'd teasingly demonstrated her magical skills by poofing a hook to a light fixture back when Zelena was around. Killian quickly kissed the top of her head and squeezed her shoulder before making the short stride to the counter.

"Captain Hook, it would seem as if you two lovebirds have gotten yourselves into some sort of a comfortable routine."

"Oh, lady wolf," Killian said, throwing her a questioning glance. "Is there a point to that rather odd observation?"

"No need to get defensive, Killian," Ruby shot back with a smirk, putting in their usual order while pouring Killian two cups of coffee. "I'm actually glad to see how well things have been going with you. It seems like a good thing - for both of you. I like seeing her happy for a change."

"Yeah," Killian replied, sneaking a peek over his shoulder at Emma who seemed to be hunting a pen for her morning crossword. "So do I."


Per usual, Killian sauntered back to the table with styrofoam cups in hand, opting to kneel just behind Emma with his chin on her shoulder. She tilted the side of her head against his and nibbled the end of the pen thoughtfully as she hovered over her most recent crossword clue.

"Betrothal."

"Excuse me?"

"Sixteen down," Killian stated, pointing at the boxes and chuckling internally at the blatant irony. "A nine letter word for 'intent to wed'."

"Killian, I don't recall the crossword subscription being listed under your name," she sighed as she filled in the letters, turning to challenge him with a little scowl. "Three hundred years does not make you a know-it-all."

"Oh come on, love," he teased, raising his eyebrows in what could only be described as arrogance. "If you'll recall, we do make qui-..."

"If you say 'quite the team', I'm going to slap you."

"Better than chaining me up in a giant's lair," he flirted. "So I'll take it."

Emma rolled her eyes, tossing the crossword aside. Something's on her mind, Killian thought. Before he had a chance to inquire about what it could be, Ruby stopped by to drop off their food and exchange a few pleasantries with Emma about the strange calm of the town. Upon Ruby's departure, Emma quickly took to eating, apparently grateful for the excuse to avoid whatever conversation Killian concluded they should be having. She took a few modest bites before taking to picking at the corner of the crust on her toast. Killian eyed her cautiously from across the table, noting her anxious fingers and her uneven breathing. She wasn't mad. Wait - no way. Was she nervous?

"Killian?"

"Yes, love?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Well," Emma began, setting her fork down and slowly pulled the newspaper back toward her warm plate. "I guess it's more like showing you something."

Emma smiled uneasily and tried to lighten the mood with a forced chuckle. Her fingers trembled slightly as she began to pick through the pages, clearly searching for something. Her eyes darted back and forth from side to side of the paper. She was definitely on a mission - one that he was sure would not be as big of a deal as she was making it in that analytical head of hers.

"Emma," he began, grabbing her shaking hands with his own and trying to pull her eyes to his. "What's on your mind, love?"

He watched her visibly calm a bit as she glanced up at him. The earnest look between the two of them seemed to assuage any insecurities as the world dissolved around them. Killian reveled in moments like this - ones where he could see her trust in the way her lips turned up slightly and the manner in which her eyes relaxed into comfortable admiration. Emma flipped one more page of the paper and then smoothed out the area she was clearly invested in.

"I found one."

"One what?"

Killian asked the question without looking at her. Moments later, he could almost feel a palpable excitement surround him as he raised his eyes to a smiling Emma. Turning up one side of his mouth into a curious half smile, he leaned across the booth, trying to read the top of the paper upside down. Storybrooke Classifieds. His gaze was quickly redirected to a section of text that had been circled with a red felt pen - one he knew Emma kept a full stock of at the sheriff's station. He skimmed the paragraph and then raised his eyebrows at her lack of explanation.

"Home," she announced quietly.