A/N: This week's chapter brings us a few key things in this story. We get Emma's reuniting with her parents, the trial of the Evil Queen, and of course, so much CS fluff (and a little side of smut) that it's guaranteed to help combat even the worst of days. You should definitely expect some feels, and some smiles from this installment. Thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy!

"How is it that I feel more nervous coming home than I was facing the Evil Queen?" Emma asked, really to anybody within hearing distance on the upper decks of theship. Tinkerbelle laughed at the outburst, but Emma looked up at Killian's face to see him stricken with a similar discomfort that only increased the closer they got to land. They'd be arriving any minute, and Emma knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that her family would be waiting there. The only question was what kind of reception awaited them.

"It'll all come from a place of love. They've been very worried. At the very least you can allow them to scold you a bit." Emma groaned at Tink's truthful words, but Killian took her hand and suddenly her anxiety began to ebb away. In that moment, Emma realized she could handle anything they threw her way, as long as she could still have Killian beside her. Upon landing, these easier displays of affection would have to stop, at least until she managed to speak with her parents, but there was no way Emma would give up this closeness long term. She needed Killian, and nothing would ever change that.

"Whatever comes, you can handle it, Swan." Emma smiled, squeezing his hand tighter.

"We can handle it." The small smile he gave her told Emma that there must be doubts in Killian's mind and concerns about not knowing what to do and how to act. She just wanted him to be himself, knowing the man she loved was more than enough to make her happy. She'd told him as much all last night and this morning, but it would take actions to prove to him how serious she was about all of this. She needed just a bit more time to do that.

Time though, was not on her side, at least not today. The ship approached the port with increasing speed, and soon enough, Emma not only saw the docks she'd departed from about a month ago, but her mother, father, and brother. Their reactions to her pulling in were about what she'd expected. Neal bounced around on the wooden planks with boundless energy, so excited to see her. Emma couldn't help but smile and wave to him after missing him for so long. Her father, meanwhile looked proud but tried to keep his exterior cool for her mother's sake, and her mother, well her face kept transforming from relieved, to frustrated, and all the while there were tears in her eyes.

"Oh boy," Emma muttered more to herself than anyone else as the ship finally stopped and she made to depart. She was on land all of ten seconds before her brother's arms were encircling her waist with a joyous hug.

"You came home!" Emma hugged him back, so glad to be back here and with him once more.

"Of course I did. I had to make sure your visions were right, didn't I?" Neal nodded, clearly very excited about his new found powers, but more discussion on that would have to wait. Her father placed a hand on Neal's shoulder, and with just a bit of sadness, her brother pulled back, leaving Emma to face her father. His hug surprised her at first, but then she felt so happy to receive it, tears stung at her eyes.

"There was no magic needed to know you'd be successful, Emma." His whispered praise made Emma feel so much better. Her father's pride in her and belief in her made the rewards of her victory that much sweeter. Pulling away, Emma asked him a question she'd grappled with for weeks now.

"You knew I was leaving when you gave me the sword that night, didn't you?" Her father nodded. "How?" He glanced at her mother before returning his focus to Emma.

"You and your mother have the same tells. You both get a little shifty just before acting out." Emma laughed, still a bit nervous about facing the woman she'd inherited those traits from.

"Any advice on how to get her to forgive me?" Emma asked as her mother harrumphed from just beside them.

"'Her' or rather 'she' can hear you right now." Snow White stepped up to Emma, looking at her with an almost feigned severity, until her face softened and the tears reappeared, falling down her cheeks. "And the better question is will you forgive me, Emma? I should have believed in you enough to let you do this with my blessing. Instead I made you feel like you had to slip away in the night to set off on this adventure. I failed you, and it is I who must ask you for forgiveness."

"There's nothing to forgive." Emma stepped into her mother's arms and felt the warmth of her embrace, glad to be home once more.

"Where's Killian?" Neal asked as he rushed onto the ship, eager to explore, thus pulling Emma's thoughts from her hug with her mother, and setting her pulse into overdrive. She would bet that a blush colored her cheeks now, but there was no way of tampering it down. Her eyes found Killian's from where he stood on the ship and she smiled at him at the same time that Neal found him, giving Killian a big hug of his own.

"Neal, why don't you give Captain Jones a bit of room to breathe. Our chances of his accepting our invitation to the palace drastically decrease if you smother him to death." Emma muffled a laugh. Her parents, fiercely protective as they were, both had good senses of humor, and though she didn't lack for teasing or jests on her voyage, she missed their distinct flair for the dramatics.

"It's not a problem, Your Highness," Killian replied as he followed Neal onto the docks from the ship. Emma could see the straightness of his posture, and watched the boy she'd known long ago, filled with polite deference, appear once more. It was funny given his attire, but it represented the blending traits she loved so much about Killian.

"You and your crew must come to the castle when you are all here, so that we might give you all a proper thanks for your service. Only through you all did my daughter have the chance to stop evil once and for all." Emma watched Killian shake his head.

"With all due respect, your Majesty, Princess Emma had everything she needed without our help." Snow White smirked at the words.

"I'm not so sure that's true Captain. Besides, I'm sure your men will not refuse the adventure. From my understanding, pirates rather like a good story, and rum, both of which we can offer within the palace at a banquet in the coming days." A murmur of interest rang through the ranks of Killian's men who'd been on her parents naval ship with them, but Killian looked at Emma as she bit back a laugh. Her mother had been smart enough to pitch their rum store, and now Killian could never have denied the invitation even if he wanted to. He'd have a mutiny on his hands if he denied his men the experience.

"You honor us, your Majesty." Confident that this signaled Killian's acceptance, Snow White looked beyond him to the ship once more and Emma could tell the exact moment she spotted Regina. So many emotions crossed her mother's face, anger, frustration, but some others too, like sadness and relief.

"She's not locked up," Queen Snow said.

"The cuff is blocking her magic. She can do you no more harm, mother." Snow's features hardened.

"Lord knows she's done enough, and it's time to put her behind us. She'll stand trial today, so that I may forget she ever existed." Emma stood speechless at her mother's words, watching as she turned on her heel, heading back for the carriage. She'd taken Neal with her, and Emma's father followed behind after giving Emma a small smile, leaving Emma and Killian together alone once more.

"It'll be alright, love," Killian said gently, knowing instinctively that Emma needed the comfort. She'd given Regina her word that a happy future for her existed, but her mother would have the final say on any sentencing, and after that display, her hope that it would be a favorable resolution for the Evil Queen dwindled.

"How are you so sure?" Killian gave her a small smile.

"Because I've yet to see you fail, Emma." Not even bothering to look back at her parents, Emma took his hand in hers again.

"I love you," she whispered, watching the surprise and delight appear on his face, but just before he responded, Emma's attention was called away again, this time by Tink. The moment dissipated, but Emma would make it up to him later, that she silently promised herself.

….

She still loves me, Killian thought to himself, unable to keep the happiness over that fact from fluttering throughout his body. Three little words held so much power over him, it was impossible to describe, but he wouldn't trade it for anything. Nothing was certain, and Killian knew that Emma had a duty to her people and her parents, but the honesty in her emerald green eyes when she'd said the words anchored him to hope. He had no choice but to believe that maybe, somehow, they could end up together. She was busy now with preparations for the trial, and so he'd slipped into the background, finding sanctuary in the gardens away from the fray of people and the temptation to stay close to Emma, thus giving away their connection.

Many a night, Killian had dreamed of what returning to Emma's palace would mean for him. He'd envisioned these gardens, and the ornate decorations of the castle itself as a backdrop to romantic moments with Emma that he'd never believed would really come to be. Walking through the hedgerow once more sparked memories and imaginings alike and now his present had so much of what he'd wanted in his past: another chance to see Emma, more control over his own life, and the love of the best woman in all the realms. But this was her world, and perhaps the love they shared was only strong enough to last in his.

"Emma paced these grounds for months after you and your brother left, you know." Emma's father's words startled Killian a bit, but he managed to keep from jumping at the man's sudden appearance, giving a small bow instead. "She'd liked them before, to be sure, but after your visit, I almost always found her here." Killian liked the thought that Emma had been just as affected by their separation as he was, though he tried to maintain his composure.

"It is a beautiful place, to be sure."

"Her mother and I always wondered if it was the roses, or the memories that she clung to for comfort." Killian struggled to understand the man's meaning. Did he approve of what Emma and Killian had shared, for clearly he knew that there was more than friendship between them. Or was this the moment when the man would warn him away, reminding him that princesses didn't marry pirates.

"You'd have to ask Emma that." Too late, Killian realized he'd used just her name and not her title, but the slip up only made King David smile more. After a moment, the older man sobered though.

"Your brother was a good man. I was sorry to hear from Emma that he passed. That must have been difficult for you." Killian wouldn't deny that was true.

"Was it the piracy that gave me away, or something else?" David laughed at that, and a bit of Killian's worry lessened.

"When Neal told us about your change in station, I was shocked, but I must admit, I was also a little envious. A shepherd's life isn't nearly as interesting as a pirates."

"I think my brother would have preferred I give up the sea all together and tended to sheep over what I have done."

"I didn't know Liam very well, but I did sketch his character well enough to know that he'd be proud of all you did to help Emma, and by extension this Kingdom. We will always owe you a debt of gratitude for protecting her." Killian's stomach filled with guilt. Surely he would feel no gratitude for the liberties Killian had taken with Emma's reputation.

"I did this with no expectations."

"And that's what makes you a good man. We've a place for good men like you in this Kingdom, Killian. I could use someone to lead my navy as some of my men are looking to a life beyond the sea." Killian's stomach dropped at the offer. Of course that would be the King's thinking, that a position in the naval force would be reward. But Killian wanted nothing except for a princess he should not have. "Unless of course, you're considering such a life for yourself, in which case I'd tell you to get your affairs in order, and ready yourself. Life in a royal court might not physically happen on the high seas, but it can be just as cut throat as any pirate's life."

Before Killian could respond, King David patted him on the shoulder and walked off, leaving Killian to try and make sense of the conversation that had just transpired. In a flash of understanding, Killian realized this was the King's blessing, and he intended to take it for all it was worth. He formed a plan, and set out to actualize it. Only then could he offer himself to Emma fully and in the way that his true love deserved.

…...

"Regina, you are here today to face punishment for the havoc you have created in this Kingdom and this realm for years. Do you deny the destruction and deaths that have happened by your hand and by your orders?" Emma had never seen her mother like this before. Snow White was so hardened by anger as she looked on at her foe of the last twenty-five years. Regina had taken much from the realm to be sure, but to Snow it was personal. She'd lived life afraid of the Evil Queen's malice and plans to destroy her. Emma could understand the anger through that lens of examination, but she worried for her mother's goodness. Revenge would lead anyone on a bad path, and as a role model to the people, Snow White should be above such vices.

"I do not deny it," Regina replied. The woman Emma had first met, and had heard tale after evil tale about, genuinely seemed remorseful. Resigned to the trial, and humbled by the presence of hundreds of bystanders watching her admit to wrongdoing, Regina seemed smaller. She did not present the same threat that she had before, and for that reason, Emma pitied her. This was a woman who inspired fear for years, now she had nothing but the consequences of such a life before her.

"Your offenses are too numerous to count. The lives lost, the futures stolen away from my people and yours have been so many. The sheer volume of malice is so formidable, that I have no precedence for your case. Death would seem almost a certainty for you, unless someone will speak on your behalf." The entire room was silent, one could have heard a pin drop amongst the hundreds of subjects in the hall until Emma stepped forward from her seat with her parents and Neal.

"I will speak for her." The entire room buzzed with whispers now as her mother stared at Emma incredulously.

"Emma?" She asked and Emma looked straight into her mother's eyes.

"All my life, you've told me that hope was the answer. To win the war, to end the suffering, we needed hope and light and goodness. I defeated Regina, not with anger in my heart, not with resentment for all the chaos she's caused, but with pity and empathy. She has done unspeakable things, she has left the world so much worse than how she found it, but killing her doesn't change anything, it only ends another life."

"Emma, there's no controlling her. We can't expect her to change, and just be good all of a sudden. We need to protect the people." Emma nodded.

"I agree, but we can do that without ending her life. Without magic, Regina poses no threat to this Kingdom." Snow seemed to consider that for a moment.

"Is it even possible to take her magic and to be certain that she'd never be able to steal it back?" The question was posed to Tink, and to Blue, the leader of the fairies who'd been summoned to this trial.

"It's not within the power of the fairies," Blue said, and Emma sensed that she had no interest in showing Regina benevolence. Regina had been an enemy of Blue's kind for a long time, and Blue had a streak of grudge holding within her long tenure as guardian of the fairies.

"But it can be done. Emma can do it," Tink said with conviction, nodding to Emma with her show of support. Emma turned her attention back to her mother.

"If you agree to show her lenience, I can guarantee her magic will be gone. Not just taken, but eradicated from being."

"That sounds dangerous, and you've risked yourself enough, Emma." Emma shook her head.

"This is how it was always supposed to end. The prophecy that made me the savior? It called for an end to darkness. Killing anymore won't achieve what I was supposed to do, but light will snuff it out, at least with a little help." Emma brought her hands up and directed them at Regina but waited for her mother's nod of approval before going on. Eventually Snow nodded, and Emma flicked her wrists to start the process.

This time, when Emma sent out a burst of her white magic, the golden mist she'd found in Arendelle swirled with it, surrounding Regina in a bubble like enclosure. Emma's light magic brought out Regina's own darkness and as the swirls of black and purple met the golden shroud, it disappeared, transforming into light itself. This was the final vision that the Moirai had shown Emma, and now, she'd made good on the last bit of her destiny as savior.

Blue examined Regina from there, confirming that all magic was gone from her being, and with one last plea on Emma's part, Regina was sentenced to a life of service deep in the woods. She would be guarded for the rest of her days by Snow's soldiers, but she would still be alive, and as free as was safe, as long as she did not use her knowledge to hurt the kingdom in anyway. It was the best Emma could do for the Evil Queen. Now the rest was up to her. Only Regina could start to undo some of the malice she'd brought to this realm, and only she could open herself up to that chance of love the mist had promised.

After the guards led Regina away out of the great hall, and just before everyone rose from their seats, Emma spoke once more, loud enough for all to hear. The words were aimed at her mother, but everyone should know what she was about to say.

"I have something else to bring to the court's attention." Snow looked surprised, but Emma noticed that her father only smiled. Did he know what she was about to do?

"What is it, Emma?"

"I ask for your blessing to forgo tradition and follow my heart. I have no desire to marry a prince. I've found true love elsewhere, and I'm not letting it go." Her mother's jaw dropped.

"You mean, confirmed true love? With who?" Before Emma could respond her father did, also taking her mother's hand while he did so.

"Who has Emma always loved, Snow?" Her mother's eyes grew wide.

"Killian! Emma why didn't you tell me sooner?!" Emma laughed at her mother's words.

"I've been a little busy." The evidence of that was substantial, but her mother pressed on.

"You should have told me! True love is more important than anything else."

"I agree, thus my petition. I want to be the Queen someday, for that is my legacy and what I was born to do, but more than that, I want to be with him." Only in that moment did Emma realize that she couldn't find Killian while scanning through the crowd.

"You did not need to petition, Emma. All we want is for you to be happy, and Killian is the person who does that best. You should be with him, and you should be Queen." This was the moment when Killian should appear or say something or, anything really, but Emma knew in that instant he was gone.

He said he wouldn't leave, she thought to herself, her heart almost breaking, but before despair could set in, her father called out to her.

"What are you waiting for, Emma?" Her asked, smiling at her. "Go and find him." Emma should have guessed that this was what it would come to. She would hardly be her parents' daughter without the chase, the race against time, and so she bolted from the great hall to find the man she loved and to make him hers once and for all.

Stepping up to the doors of the castle once more, Killian hoped he wasn't too late to see the end of the trial. Perhaps he could have waited to inform his crew about the suspension of his position as Captain of the Jolly Roger, but he hadn't wanted to and had imparted the news to them as soon as they'd reached port. He needed to be truly free from ties and responsibilities so as to offer himself for Emma. Now that he was, he anticipated a moment of truth where he laid everything on the line with Emma. He did not, however, expect for the love of his life to come hurtling out of the front doors and into his arms.

"Emma, love, is everything alright?" Profound relief washed over her features at seeing him, and she practically jumped into the rest of his personal space, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.

"You're here," she whispered and he nodded, running a hand across her back.

"Aye, love, just a few last things to sort out." When she pulled back she kissed his lips fervently, then moved from his mouth to his cheek, down his jaw. It was all so much and so unexpected, Killian had to ask what was going on.

"I thought you were gone." Killian shook his head.

"I'm not leaving you, Emma. Not as long as you still want me." She smiled at that, her whole aura lighting up at his words.

"I will want you every day for the rest of my days, and even after that. You're it for me, Killian." His heart pounded in his ears as he held her close.

"I feel the same love. Which is why I've been down to the ship to tell the crew that I'm finished. I needed them to know that if it's a pirate's life they want, they'll need to find another Captain now." All of the men had wished him well, though most planned to look for another Captain after the banquet still to be held in their honor. Pip though, and Smee, had both decided to end their careers in piracy, favoring a life on land.

"You gave up your ship for me?" Emma asked, wonder in her voice.

"Technically I gave up my occupation. The ship, my love, is yours. Any sailing it does now will be for you and with you."

"But it's you're home." Killian shook his head at the thought. Maybe it had been at one time, but not for a while now.

"My home is wherever you are, love."

"Marry me." Killian felt so strongly in favor of her request but he was powerless to say it all right now. He lost much of the finesse he usually had with his words in the sight of such a beautiful possibility.

"Nothing would make me happier, but-" Emma interrupted him.

"But nothing. The reason I was so worried just now is because I had just finished petitioning my parents for the right to marry you, in front of a lot of people by the way, and you were nowhere to be found." Killian's jaw dropped.

"You what?!" Emma laughed, pressing another kiss to his lips lightly.

"I told the whole world I love you, and that I want to be with you. As a pirate or a princess, it doesn't matter to me. All that matters is you and me together." Killian kissed her then, taking her mouth with the passion and unparalleled joy he felt coursing through him until she finally pulled back. "Is that a yes?"

"It's more than that. It's a promise that as long as I live I will strive to deserve you, and that I will love you with every fiber of my being." With that, Killian got down on one knee before her, pulling from his pocket the ring he'd long hoped to give her. "Now, since you technically didn't ask me, love, allow me to do so. Emma, will you marry me? Will you be my wife and make me the happiest of men, knowing that if you say yes I will never leave you, and that each and every day I will endeavor to make you see just how much I love you?" Emma smiled again, happy tears forming in her eyes.

"Yes, Killian I will marry you." With an emotion that fell nowhere short of elation, Killian slid the sapphire ring onto her finger, having just enough of a moment to see it there and to nearly burst with pride. As he was about to kiss her again though, the doors opened once more and the royal family descended.

"Oh good, we didn't miss it! Or did we? Oh look Charming a ring, and it's beautiful!" Queen Snow prattled on, but neither Emma nor Killian looked away from each other.

"Are you ready for this?" Killian nodded.

"I'm ready for anything as long as I have you." Truer words had never been spoken, and though the future looked vastly different than the past now for Killian, he felt no fear. He only felt at peace with the life he'd secured himself, and immensely grateful for the chance to love his Swan.

….

Later that night, after much congratulations, a dinner that was more inquisition than meal, and an evening spent catching up with her brother in between his constant questions for her and Killian, Emma slipped into her bedroom and locked the door. Today had been incredible, so much had happened and everything that transpired symbolized a turning point for Emma. Her life was more than a destined path; it was a potentiality. Anything could happen, but now that anything would greet her with Killian at her side.

Speaking of her husband to be, Emma missed him, despite the fact that they'd only just taken their leave from one another a few minutes ago downstairs. The whole separate bed chambers on opposite ends of the castle idea was not something she appreciated after getting used to always being with him on the Jolly Roger, but Emma had a plan, and Killian… well Killian would love it as soon as she convinced him that they wouldn't get caught. Call it instinct, but Emma believed she'd face just as much push back from him tonight as she had the one before, if not more.

Being at home did have its advantages though, and one was a far wider selection of things to wear. On the ship, Emma had only had the plainest of nightclothes, but tonight, she had something entirely different in mind. Pulling out a cream colored covering with red ribbon that she'd had made a while back on a whim, wanting something beautiful even if it was only to sleep it, Emma's veins pulsed with anticipation. She couldn't wait to see Killian's face. If she was lucky, it would look just as it had before when she told him about the end of the trial and professing her love for him to all those people.

Staring at herself in the mirror, the same one that she'd gazed in the night of her departure, Emma saw a completely different person. She looked more alive than ever before, happier than anyone had a right to be, and no longer uncertain. Now on the other side of a great battle, Emma looked forward to what life could be like in a time of peace. With her golden hair falling down in waves around her, and her eyes reflecting the firelight that the lanterns in her room provided, Emma felt truly beautiful. She knew herself now, as only a person who'd survived their darkest hour ever could, and she liked what she saw. Emma at last felt whole and content. Without further delay she flicked her wrist, transporting her from her room, to the one where Killian was staying, only to receive an even better reaction than she'd hoped for.

"Bloody hell, Emma, you can't just –" Killian hadn't been looking directly at her when she'd poofed into the room, but the moment he did, his jaw practically hit the floor. He devoured every inch of her with his eyes as she did the same. He'd stripped himself of all his clothing aside from his pants, and all Emma wanted, all she craved, was to remove every last piece between them so she could be with her betrothed.

"I can't just what?" Emma asked playfully as she stepped towards him, running her hands down from his chest over the hard ridges of his abdomen. Her fingers came to tug at the tie of his pants, as she waited for his reply.

"You are a vision, love. The most beautiful being in all the realms." She smiled at that.

"Lucky for you that I also happen to be yours." The growl that came from his chest, as his arms came to wrap around her and his mouth came to kiss at her neck fueled Emma's own need for him. She quickly put up the necessary enchantments before he completely consumed her and then all hope of keeping this interlude a secret was lost.

"Say it again." The laugh bubbling inside her, transferred to a moan as his hands came underneath the nightgown, and moved across her skin.

"I'm yours, Killian." His responding grin, only added to the fact that he was most handsome man Emma had ever met.

"As I am yours, my love. Now, I think we are both more than deserving of this change in situation. I'd rather like to know what it's like to have you in a bed as large as this one." The shiver that moved through her body only amplified when Killian bared her skin to him once and for all, giving his hands and his mouth free reign to study her and worship ever inch of flesh exposed. Fire would feel less intense than this, but nothing could feel more unspeakably wonderful, aside from perhaps hearing him say that he loved her, which he did just at that moment.

"I love you, too Killian. So much." Killian hummed his appreciation for that as he kissed his way down her body. She knew exactly what was coming in theory, but every flick of his tongue against her skin, every suck, every nip, every lick felt charged to the thousandth degree. When his mouth latched on to her breast, and he brought one hand to attend to the other, while his other moved between her legs, Emma lost herself completely. Trust, in its realest, truest form, hung between them, but Emma wanted him just as lost and dazed with passion as she was. Her hands moved to grip his cock, and she reveled in the groan that spilled past his lips.

"You are a siren, love. There is simply no resisting you, and yet I must. For I've promised to see you happy."

"Watching you lose control because you love me would make me happy." How she managed to get the words out coherently given his level of attention with his magical fingers was beyond her. He ground his teeth as she continued to pump him with her hand.

"What I should have said then love, is that I will see you satisfied. Any wife of mine will want for nothing, and that especially applies when in our bed." Emma allowed herself to be distracted by Killian's calling it theirs. He pushed her hand away, just as he pushed her off the precipice into a climax she'd so desperately wanted all day.

Her release did nothing to slow him down as he moved further down her body, marking and kissing her all the while. The love between them pulsed like raw energy, and when his mouth came to her sex, her cry for more was nowhere near quiet. Hungrily, Killian lapped at her as she gripped the blankets on the bed for some sort of purchase. She tried to hold on, but his demand was too strong, his power over her body too precise and too soon she shattered again into bliss.

"Seeing you like this means more to me than nearly anything love. I cannot truly find what I need within these four walls, without watching you fall apart again and again just for me." Emma reached up to cup his cheek, her fingers running along his skin there as she looked into his blue eyes. He wanted her so much, loved her so fiercely, that she thought her heart might burst, but she persevered, they both did as they came together, finally seeking the chance to feel this ecstasy as one.

Lying there later, when they'd fully tired themselves out, spent with the exhaustion of their lovemaking, Emma smiled, tracing a swirling pattern over his chest.

"I hope I will get pregnant soon." Her words surprised Killian, but she watched that shock dissolve into loving tenderness soon enough.

"Do you want a lot of little ones?" She nodded as he kissed her forehead. "That is as it should be, for you will be an excellent mother."

"And you will be a wonderful father." He could only hope that would be true. What he did know, was that any child of theirs would never be without love, for they would all be pieces of Emma and him together, the representation of all that they were all that they could be. His hand moved over her stomach absently.

"A short engagement then, my love?" She nodded.

"I think I can get my mother down to one month from now. It's not ideal, but it's better than the year she used to threaten me with as a child." Emma yawned, stretching out her body a bit before coming back to hold him, nestled into his chest where she fit so perfectly.

"Sleep now, Emma, and know that we shall have a month of nights like this and then a lifetime of so much more."

"It sounds like a happily ever after." It did indeed, and since Emma was apart of it, Killian knew it would be absolute perfection.

Post-Note: From here on out, every moment of this story will be focused on happy fluff. No more doubts, no more leaving, only good old fashioned CS cuteness. I have the remaining two chapters outlined already, and always planned to end the story with these little glimpses into the happily ever after of Emma and Killian. I hope you guys will join me for those lost two installments, and as always, I really appreciate you reading, and all of your kind words. Have a lovely rest of your day, and thank you again!