A/n: It only takes once. Emma should know that by now.


Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Emma went through the motions of breathing deeply, leaning over the sink in the bathroom. They had made it back to Storybrooke three months ago, and things had finally begun to return to a semblance of normalcy. Her parents had moved into an empty apartment a few doors down, deciding to give Emma privacy - and, Emma suspected, themselves some alone time. Henry spent most nights with Emma, occasionally sleeping over at Regina's or with Charming and Snow. Tonight, thank God, was one of the latter. Hook and Aurora had returned with them, both staying at Granny's until they got on their feet.

Their tryst at the lake in the Enchanted Forest had been their last; Emma being too focused on Henry, and Hook on his revenge. They saw each other around town, Emma being the Sheriff and Hook being, well, Hook. Every time he looked at her, she could feel those blue eyes tracing the contours of her body, could sense the places on her skin that his fingertips had touched. It was maddening at times. Her only comfort was that she wasn't the only one suffering; Hook seemed equally affected by her presence too, his adam's apple bobbing every time she looked at him.

They said hello, exchanged pleasantries, said goodbye, keeping their contact to a minimum for the time being. Emma had made it perfectly clear that she couldn't in good conscience allow Killian to harm Mr. Gold. Killian had made it perfectly clear that that was exactly what he planned to do. Ergo, they put space between them. They exchanged looks of lust and longing, kept their distance. Henry, of course, was utterly enamored with the Pirate, who in turn seemed quite charmed by the child as well. On the days when Killian would run into them at Granny's, he would always have something new to teach Henry - some fencing trick, or card trick - and Henry would eat it up, looking at Killian like he was the be all end all of men to aspire to be. Emma found it both adorable and disturbing.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Three months of dancing around each other, of smoldering looks and tender touches, of quiet whispers in dark corners, of stolen moments in the Sheriff's station or on her way home. Gold was still alive, no worse for the wear at all, and Emma couldn't quite pinpoint why. Killian had been waiting for this for three hundred years, and he hadn't even made an attempt. He and Emma were not together. He owed her no promises, no allegiance. It bothered her, in a way, that the reason they had agreed to keep apart was that fundamental disagreement about Gold, and yet he had yet to act on it. And now there was this.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Emma finally dared to look at the stick in her shaking hands, and promptly set it down to the other three on the back of the toilet. PINK. +. PREGNANT. The words stared at her from the three tests she had taken. She slowly let herself sink against the bathroom door, her head in her hands. She had known when they had sex how stupid it was, and yet she had done it anyway. She remembered that sense of euphoric bliss and in that moment, above all else, damning the consequences. She was pregnant, with the spawn of Captain Killian "Hook" Jones. Captain Hook. A pirate, the pirate. Christ, she was a magnet for trouble. She stood slowly, throwing all but one test away, and made her way to the kitchen.

She filled the mug with water and microwaved it, waiting until the water began to bubble slightly. She poured in the packet of hot chocolate mix, adding a dash of milk and cinnamon. Her brain was blank as she stirred. What was she going to tell Henry? What was she going to tell her parents? Emma cringed at the thought. She sipped her cocoa, one hand resting on her stomach. True, she was certainly in a better position, a better place, than she had been when she had Henry - but not much better. A knock on the door heralded his arrival.

"Come in!" She called out, not quite ready to move from her place behind the counter.

He stuck his head in first, glancing around the empty apartment appraisingly; she had never invited him here before. He entered and shut the door behind him, removing his coat and his boots at the entry way.

"Coffee?" She offered, attempting to distract herself from the conversation they were about to have.

"Sure, love," He replied, grinning. Killian had adjusted quite well to Storybrooke, having many chameleon-esque qualities. He took everything in stride; the clothes, the food, electricity. Everything was a wonder, and everything seemed to suit him. Emma had discovered his addiction to coffee early one morning on her way to work as she stopped in to Granny's, and watched in drink three cups in the space of ten minutes. She poured him a cup of coffee, attempting to decide how exactly she was going to tell him that he was going to be a father. He sat down on the other side of the counter, waiting patiently for Emma to explain. Emma set the cup in front of him, offering him sugar and cream even though she knew that he drank it black.

"Darling, what's going on?"

Emma stopped her nervous pacing. "What do you mean?" She asked, hating the stutter that came out of her mouth.

Killian raised his eyebrows, looking at her with that knowing smile of his. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that - quid pro quo, remember dear - and ask you again. What's going on? You've never invited me to your abode before, and I've been here for nigh three months." There was a certain lilt in his voice, a certain note in his tone, that sounded vaguely like hurt. Killian stirred in a single teaspoon of sugar in his coffee - which Emma knew to be uncharacteristic for him - and took a sip.

"I'm pregnant." Emma blurted out, unable to keep the words behind her teeth.

Killian choked on his coffee, keeping his mouth closed and swallowing the remainder of the liquid with slight trouble. "What?" He asked, his eyes wide.

"Pregnant. Tiny human."

"What? How?" He repeated, looking more confused.

Emma rolled her eyes, somewhat impatiently. "Remember, three months ago? Lake."

His lips twitched upward into a smirk for half a second, his mouth opening to doubtless drop some kind of innuendo, but stopped, the words seeming to sink in.

"Ah. How do you know?" He asked; Emma attempted to detect some sort of disbelief or reluctance to accept responsibility, but could only sense curiosity.

She produced the test from her pocket, the word PREGNANT glaring at them from the tiny screen. "I took three of them and they're all positive," She took a short breath and set her cup of cocoa down, moving around the counter to stand next to him. "And I'm showing a little," She admitted reluctantly, standing to the side. The bump wasn't large by any means, but it was there and visible to those who knew the difference between a pregnancy bump and gaining a few pounds.

Killian stared at it, cocking his head to the side in nothing less than pure fascination. He stood, setting his coffee to the side, and approached Emma, kneeling in front of her. Emma swallowed uncomfortably; the last time she had been pregnant, Neal had been gone and the only one to put hands on her swollen stomach had been her and the doctor. His hand came up slowly, resting on the bump from the outside of her t-shirt. After a moment of intense reflection, his hand moved underneath her shirt and rested on the bare skin of her swollen stomach. She shivered slightly at the contact, her hormones reminding her exactly of where those hands had been.

"I've always wanted a child," He confessed softly, a slight, genuine smile lighting up his face. He stood, looking at her with warmth and affection. "A pirate ship is no place to raise a child, and Milah never wanted anymore..." He trailed off, sighing. "I'm not going to leave, Emma," He told her, seeing her insecurity.

Emma said nothing, not quite sure how to respond. Instead, she merely gave him a half smile, drawing her hot cocoa towards her and taking a sip. "Where do we go from here?"

He grinned at her repetition of his words, and sat back down, taking a sip of his coffee. "Well, I think you need to accept the fact that I'm not going anywhere, love,"

"Aren't you though?" Emma questioned, looking down. "You've been here for three months, but you haven't taken your revenge. Why?"

"If I take my revenge, you will have to arrest me yes?" He asked her, though she was certain he already knew the answer.

"Yes," She replied honestly. "I'm the Sheriff, the physical manifestation of the law - it's my job."

"That's why," He replied, looking down for a moment and avoiding eye contact. "The moment that I take my revenge, you and I will be on opposite sides of the board again. I won't spend the rest of my life in a prison cell, and you would spend the rest of your life attempting to put me there. And I cannot bear the thought of it,"

"Killian," Emma began, frowning.

He raised a hand to prevent her from speaking. "Just... let me finish, please. A man unwilling to fight for what he wants deserves what he gets. What exactly am I gaining by killing Rumpelstiltskin? Milah is dead, and she is not coming back. And the only thing that I want to fight for now is you, and our child - killing Rumpelstiltskin isn't going to help me achieve that. The battles I fight for you will not be fought with Rumpelstiltskin - more likely, they will be fought with your father," He snorted, scoffing.

"What exactly are you saying?" Emma asked, not understanding.

"I'm saying that being with you brought me peace, Emma. Peace I haven't known for over three hundred years. I told you three months ago that I wanted you - that hasn't changed. I have watched you for three months, at the station, walking Henry to school, at Granny's, and my desire for you hasn't waned. I love you,"

"You don't know me," Emma reminded him gently. "You met me three months ago!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Your parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, and you don't believe in love at first sight?"

Emma shook her head, exasperated. "No, I don't."

"Well I do," He stated, and Emma knew he wasn't lying. "And I love you," He wasn't lying. "It's taken me three months to accept it, to accept that I want you more than I want my revenge, but I have accepted it."

"Okay, great," Emma said, somewhat sharply. "So what now? We just move in together, get married, be one big happy family?"

"Hardly. You're not ready for that yet," He said assuredly, smiling. "But I'd settle for a date, for now."

"A date?" Emma asked incredulously.

"One step at a time, love," He replied, leaning over the counter suddenly to kiss her gently.

Emma sighed into the kiss, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment, before drawing back and giving him an exasperated look. He merely grinned at her.

"Have you told your parents yet?" He asked, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"No, not yet," She replied warily, frowning.

"Can I do it?" He asked instantly, his expression one of slyness and mischief - it was one she had seen on Henry's face quite often.

"Can you not antagonize my parents?" She asked, rolling her eyes, not really responding to his request.

"But my dear princess, it's so much fun!" His voice rose, mimicking Aurora's high pitched tone.

Emma snorted and looked at him dryly. "No, I think it would be best if I tell them."

He pouted, his face comically sad. "Can I at least be in the room?"

"Are you sure you want to be?" Emma asked, her lips twitching upwards into a slight smirk. "I hear my father has quite a right hook,"

He rolled his eyes at her, raising an eyebrow. "How long have you been waiting to use that pun?" He asked dryly, mildly amused.

"Awhile," Emma confessed, grinning. She sighed, taking a sip of her now cool hot cocoa. "But in all seriousness, Killian, what are we going to do?"

He smiled at her sweetly, leaning forward until his forehead rested against hers - an action that Emma was quickly finding extremely familiar and affectionate. "You, me, and our little breath of life in there," He pressed a gentle hand to her abdomen. "Are going to take it one day at a time, one step at a time."

She let him kiss her, let herself give in and kiss him back. As she drew back, she could see the mischief in his eyes and sighed. "You really want to tell my parents don't you?"

He grinned, his face beaming with excitement and wickedness. "I really do."

Emma finished her hot cocoa and took a step back, drawing Killian backwards with her. "Let's go then," She said, resigned to the fact that her boyfriend - fiance, baby-daddy? - was about to get punched in the face by her father, and didn't seem to care.

He took her hand in his and opened the door for her, his gaze lingering on the curve of her abdomen, a smile on his face. For that moment in time, both felt the same peace they had at the lake that night three moons ago. And, for the first time in either of their lives, it felt like everything was going to be alright.

Everything was going to be alright.


A/N: Please review and let me know what you thought! Thanks!