"I'm sorry, Emma," Mary Margaret said, contrite look firmly in place. "I know you didn't get a lot of sleep last night. This little guy just doesn't seem to want to sleep at night, and I don't even know what to do anymore!"

Emma looked down at her baby brother who was currently serenely sleeping in the carriage that his mother was pushing down the main street of Storybrooke. She shrugged. "Try taking him for a walk. Seems to be working like a charm now."

Mary Margaret blew out a frustrated breath. "Getting him to sleep during the day isn't a problem. It's just the night he has issues with."

Emma smiled to herself. "Yeah, I think it's pretty typical for babies this little to have their days and nights mixed up. I remember with Henry…"

She trailed off as she suddenly remembered that those memories weren't real. Mary Margaret stopped and placed a comforting hand on Emma's arm. "Hold on to those memories, the good ones at least. You would have been a wonderful mother to baby Henry, and I value any parenting advice you could give me."

Emma felt the tears tickling the back of her eyes, and she reached over to give her mother a hug. "Thanks mom. And just so you know, I think my little brother's lucky to have you for a mom."

As they continued their walk, the two women retreated into silence. Emma smiled to herself as she contemplated the last twenty-four hours—or was it the last thirty some years? Things got confusing when you threw time travel into the mix.

Regardless, Hook…no, Killian…had followed her. She'd fallen through Zelena's portal, and rather than scrambling back to save himself, he'd actually jumped in with her. It was hard to take in.

Or maybe it wasn't. She was finally starting to realize that this man would do anything for her. In all her nearly thirty years of life had she ever met anyone with that kind of utter devotion? Certainly not directed toward her.

Her mind flitted over images of beautiful Enchanted Forest scenery, watching her parents meet and fall in love, being "Princess Leia", dancing with her own "Prince Charles" at her first royal ball, the ridiculously tight clothing Enchanted Forest women were forced to wear (although she would be lying if she didn't acknowledge the satisfaction she felt at the hungry, appreciative look her back-in-time attire placed in Killian's eyes.)

Thinking about "appreciative, hungry" looks, Emma's mind naturally flitted to a certain incident where she attempted to keep a thirty-years-younger Hook "occupied" by allowing him to take her back to his ship for a "nightcap." Despite the uncharacteristically freezing temperatures this morning, Emma felt like fanning herself. He might have been very little like her Killian (When exactly had she started thinking of him as "hers"?), but one thing remained the same. That man could kiss! Despite a sneaking feeling of disloyalty, Emma felt herself wishing Killian had waited a few more minutes before punching himself out.

Just as well, though. As hot as that kiss was, another couple minutes, and the Jolly probably would have gone up in flames.

The Jolly Roger! Killian had given up his ship, his home for her! How could she even take that kind of sacrifice in?

Last night when she was hanging out with her family and he was not around, she realized she missed him. He was such a part of her life that a celebration without him just seemed wrong.

She'd found him sitting alone outside, flask in hand, faraway look in his eyes. It hurt her; it actually physically hurt her to see how much of a lost boy he really was under all that pirate swagger. It was in that very moment that she made a decision. She was done running—not just from Storybrooke, not just from her family, but from him and from the obvious devotion he felt toward her.

She didn't know the half of it. When he'd confessed to her that he'd given up his ship for even the possibility of getting back to her…well, overwhelmed was far too mild a word for her state of being. Her walls finally, completely tumbled down and she leaned over to thank him in the best way she could think of.

"Hello? Earth to Emma." Emma blinked as her mother waved a hand in front of her face. "I think I lost you. What exactly are you thinking about so intently?"

Emma shot a quick glance at her dad and Henry who were engaged in an animated conversation several yards in front of them. She leaned in conspiratorially toward her mother. "I kissed him."

"What?"

"I kissed him."

"Who? Hook?"

"Yeah."

"You mean during your back in time adventure?"

"No…I mean, yeah, but it wasn't him…well, it was, but…" she raised her hands helplessly. "Never mind that now. I was talking about last night. At Granny's."

"When you went off looking for him," Mary Margaret stated, a knowing gleam in her eye.

"Yeah." Emma couldn't stop the soft smile that transformed her entire face.

"Did it mean anything?" Mary Margaret asked, knowing smile still firmly in place.

Emma dropped her gaze. "Yeah. I kind of think it did."

Mary Margaret stopped again and wrapped her arms around Emma. Emma returned her hug.

"I'm glad, Emma," Mary Margaret said after a moment. "You deserve a chance to be happy, and love is so worth it!"

The two women began walking again. "Not that I'm complaining, Mom, but I'm a little surprised at your reaction."

"Why's that?"

Emma shrugged. "You've never really seemed to be a huge Killian fan."

"Maybe not," Mary Margaret said, patting Emma's arm, "but I'm a huge you fan, and he obviously makes you happy."

It was true. He did.

"I am a little curious about something though," Mary Margaret said, teasing gleam in her eye.

"Yeah? What's that?"

"What was all that about kissing him but not kissing him back in the Enchanted Forest?"

Emma blushed. "Well, we had to get onto the Jolly Roger undetected, so it was kind of my job to keep him occupied."

"So you kissed him."

"Well, I got him drunk first, but yeah," Emma shrugged. "It worked. Past Hook certainly wasn't focused on who else might be on his ship."

Mary Margaret laughed. "I'd just bet. So is there anything to that lady's man reputation he had? Was he a good kisser?"

Emma was stopped from answering by a gentle hand on her arm. She turned to look, and felt her face turn bright red. Killian. It was Killian who was trying to get her attention.

Just how much had he heard?

His face was the picture of innocence.

"Yeah? Did you need something?" she asked in a voice far harsher than she'd intended.

One dark eyebrow quirked up. "I merely wished to have a word with you, Swan, if it meets with your approval."

"Yeah," Emma said, looking away. "Yeah, I could do that."

"Your Majesty," Killian said, sketching a mocking bow in Snow White's direction. "If I might steal your daughter away for a time…?"

"Go ahead, Killian," Snow said with an indulgent grin. "Looks like Neal's waking up anyway, and he's going to be ready for his next feeding any minute."

Killian gestured in the opposite direction, and Emma fell into step beside him. A moment later, she felt him reach for her hand, lacing their fingers. Her heart turned over. It was such a simple gesture, so small and innocent, but it felt right. She glanced up at him and smiled tenderly. He returned the gesture.

They walked in silence for a time until Killian stopped them on an out-of-the way sidewalk. He turned toward her.

"And how are you this morning, love?"

She smiled. "Not bad. A little tired. I didn't get much sleep last night."

His grin turned sinful and he toyed with one of her belt loops. "Ah, I see," he said. "Mind filled with thoughts of a certain pirate, I'd wager? Perhaps reliving our little dalliances? "

She grinned back, stepping closer to him almost unconsciously. It was like they were magnets, irresistibly drawn to each other whenever they were in the same vicinity. "Feeling pretty confident in yourself, aren't you, pirate?"

He leaned down and winked flirtatiously. It did nothing to her. Nope. Nothing at all. It didn't make the butterflies go absolutely crazy in her stomach. Absolutely not. "After what you were discussing with your mother," he said in a voice that had gone low and gravelly, "I would say I'm justified in my confidence."

Emma groaned, feeling her face flame again. "You heard that?" she squeaked, covering her face with her hands.

"Aye," he said, gently prying her hands away and grinning at her, blue eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Well," she said defensively, "it wasn't you who kept me up last night anyway. It was another guy altogether."

His eyebrows shot up, a look of alarm covering his handsome face. "Pardon? Another man?"

She laughed, taking pity on him. "Relax, Killian. It was my baby brother. He seems to think the night is the appropriate time to be awake. And cry. A lot."

He leaned toward her again, cocky grin back in place. "He's quick to offer his opinions. Loudly. Must take after his sister, darling."

She smacked him playfully. He laughed, catching her hand into his own and bringing it to his mouth. The touch of Killian's warm, firm lips on her palm nearly made her whimper.

Killian cupped her cheek and leaned slowly forward, his intent clear. A warm wave of love and longing washed over Emma, and she let her eyes drift closed, her hand reaching up to tangle in the soft hair at the nape of his neck. She tugged him forward, heart pounding, breath hitching as she anticipated the magic of his kiss.

"Help!" Leroy shouted in clear and absolute panic. "It's a disaster! There's a monster loose in town! Move it sister, it'll be here any second!"

Emma sighed loudly and stepped back just as Leroy rounded the corner toward them.

"Shall you kill him or shall I, love?" Killian asked under his breath.

Emma grimaced, mentally steeling herself for whatever "mythical" monster they were about to face now. "What is up with this town? It's only been ten hours since the last crisis! Can't the savior ever get a day off?"

From the look on Leroy's face as he sprinted toward them, the answer seemed to be an absolute, and complete no.

Notes:

-I decided to give Mary Margaret a second chance at the whole "I kissed him. I kissed Hook!" conversation. Personally, I felt she handled her first one pretty poorly.

-The rest of the scene was more or less based on filming pictures and other spoilers for 4x1. Poor Killian and Emma, interrupted at the worst possible moments! It's kind of my head canon that this will go on a lot in the early part of season 4 until finally they've had enough and they just haul off and go at each other.

-Up next: Killian, Emma, David and the dwarfs have to deal with a very bad tempered, very large and very alive snowman. I think I'll take a short break from the fluff for a little action and drama.