*** Sorry for the delay. Again. My muse left me completely and I could not figure out where I wanted to go. And once I figured it out time decided that it wanted to get away from me.

Emma knew to be watching for the change in her body but she was still taken by surprise the day that she put her jeans on not only to find that she couldn't button them, but that her stomach was starting to take on a more distinctly round shape. The bump was small but given her normally lean figure it was definitely there. She stood in front of the mirror, the same mirror where she had just weeks before put a pillow under her shirt to imagine her expanding stomach, running her fingers over the small bump. "I see you in there little one. Starting to show the world that you're there." She smiled and closed her eyes, her hand resting on her stomach. "Swan, is everything alright?" Her eyes opened and she found Killian leaning against the door-frame, eyes fixed on her. She tried to find out what his expression meant but one look in her eyes and she saw the distinct fear lurking there. "I'm fine. What's with the worried expression?"

"I don't know. I just wanted to make sure you and the baby are okay." It was moments like this that his losses marked him as surely as the scars on his skin. Moments where he worried too much. Where fear infringed on whatever joy he was able to allow himself. "Come here." He walked over to where she stood and she took his hand to rest it on her stomach. "Little one your father is having some anxiety. So why don't we show him that all is well." After moving his hand from her stomach she lifted her shirt and he was able to see the definite rounding of her stomach. "Is that the baby? You're showing?"

"Aye love." He chuckled at her use of his vernacular but never moved his eyes away from her stomach. "Does that set your mind at ease Killian? Our baby is growing well. Settling in. The little one is just fine. You don't have to worry so much. If I felt like there was anything wrong I would tell you. I promise you that."

"I guess I didn't expect your body to be changing so soon."

"Me either but a baby only takes nine months to grow so it had to happen sooner or later."

"I'm glad it's now. It's bloody amazing." His smile stretched across his face and he looked happier than she thought that she had ever seen him. He had been happy when he found out they were pregnant but there were doubts. As the weeks passed though those doubts had started waning replaced with nothing but anticipation. In the past week or so she had seen Killian and her dad talking at the station and noticed blueprints so she was certain that he was already starting planning to find a way to create a nursery for the baby. She was excited about having the baby in with them at first but was also aware that it would be necessary at some point for them to have a room for the baby. The upstairs family room was plenty big enough for another bedroom to be added onto it and she was certain that that's what he was planning. "Hey, my cell is over there. Can you grab it?"

"Of course love." He grabbed the phone from across the room and handed it back to her. "No, you keep it. Take a picture. To track the growth." He fiddled with the phone, finding the app that allowed him to take photo's, and held it in her direction. She stood sideways, holding her shirt up and pushing her stomach out. The bump was barely visible on the screen but he took the photo anyways, eager to have every moment documented.

"Killian, if you don't get out here now we're going to be late for our appointment. As it is we have to stop and pick Henry up from Regina's."

"Don't worry love. We'll get there on time. Even if we don't it's not like his office is ever very busy."

"That doesn't matter. I'm more than a little curious to see this little one again. See what surprises she has in store for us this time." He walked into the room pulling his coat on as he walked. "There you go with the assertion that she's going to be a girl again."

"Well would that be so bad?"

"Not at all love. As long as the wee one is healthy I truly don't care what gender it is. But if a girl is what you're hoping then I will join you in that desire." The words were so small but they lodged somewhere in Emma's heart. His desire that she get whatever she desires overwhelming her a bit in the moment. "Really? That's all it takes? I want it and then you want it?"

"Well yes. I suppose that is all it takes. I want you to be happy Swan. I want you to get the things in life that you want. Your happiness is paramount to me and I'd be a fool to wish for something that goes against your happiness."

"A boy would make me happy too. Either way it's ours. I just can't help imagining you with a little girl. But let me tell you what would really make me happy right now."

"What's that love?"

"If we could go to the doctors office for the ultrasound." He chuckled as she brought the conversation back around to the trip to the doctor. All of these appointments were new to him. Back in the Enchanted Forest a woman was simply pregnant until she wasn't, without the constant need of a doctor. However there were definite perks to this worlds prenatal care such as hearing the heartbeat and seeing the baby while it was still in Emma. It gave him an opportunity to become attached to it before it was born. "Aye love. Let's go." He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked out to the bug and took off to Regina's. When they pulled up Emma stayed in the car while Killian went to the door. She was not eager to spend time with Regina these days. After their altercation at the party to announce the pregnancy their interactions had been brief and all about Henry. It wasn't that either of them were harboring anger towards the other. At least Emma wasn't. She just wasn't going to be the first to make the move. She was always the one seeking out Regina to fix their friendship, or whatever kind of relationship they had because of Henry. This time though Regina was the one that was going to have to make the steps to repair the friendship. After a couple of minutes waiting in the car though she decided that it was inevitable that she go into the house. Killian had disappeared inside and they were getting closer and closer to being late. She got out of the car and walked to the house, not stopping at the door but simply walking in. "Killian? Are you ready?"

"Mom, we're in here."

"In here where?"

"In the living room." She walked into the living room and found Henry sitting next to a very sad looking Regina on the couch. "Everything alright Henry?"

"Yeah, I'm just not sure I should come to the appointment. Mom is still really upset and I think that she needs me more than you do right now. I tried to explain to Killian but he didn't seem to understand. I figured that he'd want to do this with just you anyways but he seems pretty dead set on me going to the appointment. Could you explain to him why I need to stay with Mom?" Emma's eyes lowered, trying to blink away the tears that had appeared there out of nowhere. "Killian, it's okay. He can come to the next appointment." Without hesitation Killian took a step in her direction. "No, love. That doesn't work." She looked at him, eyes imploring him not to create a problem. "May I speak to you in the hallway Swan?"

"Killian, we're already going to be late."

"I used my talking phone to alert Dr. Whale to the fact that we're handling a personal matter. He said that he had a patient that he was going to have wait for after us and that he'd just move her appointment ahead of ours. We've got another hour before we have to be there. The hallway please?" She followed him into the foyer area of the large mayors mansion and waited for him to speak. "It's a bad idea to let him stay Swan?"

"Why? He wants to stay wih her and I don't want to make him do something that he doesn't want to do. There will be other appointments."

"And if she's having a bad day on the day of those appointments? Does he stay then too?"

"She just lost Robin."

"She didn't just lose him. You're sixteen weeks pregnant. He left six weeks before you got pregnant. It's been almost six months."

"If I lost you I wouldn't want people to put a time limit on how long I was upset about it."

"If you lost me I wouldn't want you wallowing in your own misery feeling sorry for yourself. And I certainly wouldn't want you letting your family and friends drop their lives while you sat holed up in your house in sweat pants eating ice cream like a teenage girl. She's the mayor Swan. She's a mother. She's got to pick herself up by the bootstraps and get herself better. Henry can't do it for her and he shouldn't have to. She's the mother. He's the child. Beyond all that he's got another mother and she needs him too."

"Killian, I understand what you're saying but I just think that Henry should make the choice. I don't want to make decisions for him."

"Why? You're his mother."

"You're right. I am." He understood the meaning of the words and took a step back. "So that's how it's to be? I'm allowed to say my piece but at the end of the day you get to make the call?"

"Sometimes. Not all the time."

"He's to be my son too Emma. I don't want to be his mothers boyfriend or the father of his siblings. I don't wish to replace Neal but I don't want to simply be a fixture with no purpose in his life."

"I want that too. I want that role for you. But do we have to exert it today?"

"He's already making too many of the calls Swan. Telling you he's going to stay here instead of asking. Taking care of Regina as though she's his child. And it's more than that..." She reached out and touched his arm, eyes imploring him to be honest with her about the cause for his insistence that Henry be present for the ultrasound. "Tell me."

"This is another big moment for us. He's already missed the first. He missed the heartbeat and the images last time. We're a family. We can't build that if he doesn't allow himself to be a part of it because he's over here tending to Regina. I've made no secret of the fact that I don't want there to be a differentiation between our child and Henry. But if he never allows himself to be a part of the family that we're building then how do I stop it? If we're ships passing in the night, as his mother would say, then how do I build that relationship with him." As much as she wanted to allow Henry to do what he waned there was no way to deny that Killian made valid points. She herself had felt a distance with Henry lately. As though his family with Regina were the primary family and her home was becoming of secondary importance. He was interested in the baby but Regina's continual sadness over losing Robin tended to take precedence in his life. "You're right. He should come." They walked back into the room and found Henry sitting on the couch next to Regina, video game controller in hand. "Did you explain it to him? It's just better for Mom when she's not alone."

"Henry, I want you to come."

"Mom, I explained why I need to stay here."

"And I understand. But I want you to come."

"You're just doing this because he's telling you too." Henry's eyes flashed with anger as he glanced at Killian, clearly seeing him as the bad guy in the situation. "No. After speaking with him, and hearing why it's important to him that you come with us, I decided that I want you to come. And I want you to pack a bag so that you can stay at the house this weekend."

"Mom, I need to be here."

"No." Regina looked up from her spot on the couch, anger starting to flicker in her eyes. "Emma, Henry has told you that he wants to stay here. Why don't you try respecting his decision?"

"Because he's coming with me. That's what I told him that he's going to do and that's what he's going to do. Have you been paying attention to why he said that he wants to stay here with you?"

"Of course. He's my child too."

"And you don't have a problem with the fact that your child is staying glued to your side because he needs to take care of you?"

"He knows I'm upset. He wants to stay close. What is so wrong with that?"

"What's wrong with that? You're the parent. He's the child. He shouldn't be spending his time taking care of you. It's your job to take care of him." Regina sighed and looked at Emma like she was an annoying gnat. "It's been a tough time for me."

"And I understand that. It's why I haven't said anything up to this point. But it's time for things to get back to normal. Robin is gone. It's awful and you'll never be the same again. But it's been almost six months and it's time for things to start getting back to the status quo, at the very least for Henry."

"I suppose it's a coincidence that you feel this way on the day he's supposed to be going to another ultrasound for your new baby."

"Not a coincidence at all. Henry has been spending a lot of time here lately and that's great. But he has another family and it's going to be expanding. We want him to be a part of all that. From start to finish. I want him to get used to being a part of the family unit that we're creating for him. He's always going to have his family with you. I would never try to get in the way of that. But he's been spending multiple nights a week here and almost every weekend. There's very little time for us to spend as a family with him. We'd just like him to prioritize us a little bit more. Not more than you but more than taking care of you." Regina didn't like what Emma was saying but she knew that if Robin were there and the roles were reversed she would have likely felt the same way as Emma and Killian did now. Just because her chance at happily ever after had crossed the town line permanently didn't mean that the world stopped for everyone else. Especially for Henry. She had been aware that he had been spending a lot of time with her lately but being so wrapped up in her sadness she hadn't really given it much thought. She had just relished his company. Her eyes turned to Henry, who had been paying close attention to the conversation between his two mothers, and saw that there was an uncertainty laying in his eyes. He felt torn. She could see it. "Henry, do you want to go to the ultrasound?"

"You need me Mom."

"Do you want to go to the ultrasound? Taking me out of the equation. If you didn't feel like you needed to take care of me would you want to go?"

"Well yeah. I mean it's going to be my brother or sister. But that's not the point..."

"Yes, it is. That baby is going to be your family too. I'm an adult Henry. I can take care of myself. I've let you put your life on hold for too long. I'll be okay and I'm not going to revert back to the evil queen. I may still be sad but I don't need you to stay and make sure that I'm alright. I need to be able to be okay on my own."

"Are you sure that you're okay if I go?"

"I'm positive. Pack a bag like Emma said. They're right. You should spend some time with them. It's only a matter of time before the baby gets here and then things aren't going to be the same." He smiled as he came to give her a hug. "You know I'll come back if you need me."

"I never doubted it for a second." He pulled away and took off to his room to get his things together before the three of them left to take a look at their newest family member.

They were ushered back to the office right away and to their surprise Whale was unusually prompt. It seemed he hadn't liked the good natured ribbing that Killian had given him during the first appointment. "So Emma, how are things. It's been about bit since we've seen you. Not long though."

"I think everything is going well. The morning sickness if finally starting to wear off and I think the moodiness is starting to go away as well. I guess you'd have to ask Killian and Henry about that."

"Aye love. It's getting better. Although to be fair I wouldn't really dare say anything different." She laughed as she gave him a good natured slap in the shoulder. After the preliminary questions Whale gave her a moment to get situated on the bed and pulled the ultrasound machine closer. "Probably not quite as exciting this time huh?"

"I'm just as excited as I was last time. I didn't get to experience any of this with Henry. I won't take a single second for granted." Killian took her hand, eyes glued to the monitor that hadn't even been turned on yet. On the other side of the bed Henry stood, waiting for the first opportunity to see his new sibling. As Whale began to put the jelly on the stomach he noticed that she was definitely showing more than she had been, even just a week ago when he saw her at the grocery store. "Looks like you're going to have a big kid there Emma. You're definitely starting to show."

"Yeah, thank goodness we told everyone when we did. I thought I would have more time before it would be quite so obvious." They all laughed but the laughter stopped when Whale turned on the monitor and placed the transducer on her stomach. In moments they were again looking at the child growing inside of her. Both Killian and Emma looked at Henry who was completely absorbed by the image on the screen. As the ultrasound continued Whale pointed out to them the head, the hands, the feet. "Emma, I think I just figured out the reason for your early showing."

"Big baby huh?"

"Not exactly." He pointed to the screen and pointed out the baby's head. "If you look just beyond it you'll notice something else." She looked closer and after straining for a moment saw what he was talking about. "What is that? Is everything okay with the baby?" She was taken aback when a smile spread across his face. Clearly there was something wrong with her baby and he was smiling? Hardly professional behavior. "Everything is fine with the babies Emma." There was only a moment of relief before she registered what he had just said. "Excuse me? Babies? As in multiple? As in more than one?"

"Yes. It appears that you're having twins."

"How is that possible? We didn't see it last time. We didn't hear it last time."

"It would appear that it was hiding behind its sibling. Hearing the heartbeat last time was great but you don't always hear them or sometimes they sound like one. I was suspicious when you came in today because you're showing more than you would be for a single birth at this stage. But I didn't want to say anything until I had confirmation. Which your little one apparently decided to give me." Her attention turned back to the screen and she felt her emotions warring inside of her. She had had a hard enough time wrapping her head around being pregnant with one child but two. How were they going to do this? A million thoughts scrambled for top priority in her mind but when she felt Killian squeeze her hand one took precedence over all the others. She was having two of Killian's children. Not one but two. She looked up at him and saw what could only be described as bliss etched across his face. "Are you sure Whale? Like completely sure?"

"There's no doubt. Would you like to hear the heartbeats again?" She nodded and in an instant the room was filled with the sound of a heartbeat. Then another joined in. A second, clear and distinct heartbeat. Tears filled her eyes as she turned to look at Henry. "What do you think kid?"

"Two more kids? Are you ready for that Mom?"

"I guess I'm going to have to be. Are you okay with it?"

"I guess I'm going to have to be." A smile spread across his face as he echoed her words back to her. "I'm definitely okay with it Mom. It'll be fun to be an older brother and this is just more fun to be had. We're going to have to figure something out about where they're going to sleep though because the house was barely going to be big enough for one more baby." Emma laughed quietly before turning to look at Killian, who was still holding her hand tightly in his own. "Henry, can you wait outside with Dr. Whale for a minute. I think the big bad pirate needs a moment." As Whale and Henry left the room she took the opportunity to soak in Killian's face. He was happy no doubt but she saw the tears that were dancing on the rims of his eyes. She wanted to believe that they were tears of joy but something pricked at the back of her mind. Years of being left alone. Years of being abandoned, especially when things got to be too much. "What does that face mean?"

"Two?"

"Two." He pulled the stool over to her side, never letting go of her hand, and turned back to the monitor. The image of his children still played on the screen and he felt as thought he couldn't breathe, in the best possible way. So many years of darkness, believing that it was all he'd ever get. He had felt blessed with the prospect of one child. Two was more than he could even fathom. Somewhere inside of him he knew that he should be a little bit more afraid than he was. Henry had been right about there not being enough room and the relationship with Emma was still new. No matter how much he tried to dredge up the fears though they wouldn't come. He was completely confident in his relationship with Emma. He knew that his life was going to be with her. She was his happy ending and their children were a part of that. Henry and these two new little ones. "So what do you think?"

"I think we're going to be very tired for a very long time. And I couldn't be happier."

"You're okay with it?"

"Of course love. Our love didn't just create one life but two. How could I not be okay with that?" She smiled as they both turned to look back at the monitor. To look at their children. The heartbeats reverberated through the room nearly putting them in a trance. It was five minutes before Henry came in and the appointment continued. Emma paid attention but her mind was firmly on the fact that she was going to be having twins. Two little babies to love and lavish with the attention she'd been unable to give to Henry. Like Killian she tried to be more afraid but found that her excitement and joy were so prominent that fear couldn't make its way in. The appointment ended smoothly and they headed home to pizza and Netflix. That night, as she lay wrapped in Killian's arms, she dreamt of creeping children playing on the deck of the Jolly Roger with their parents looking proudly on. It was the soundest sleep she'd had in weeks.

As always follow/faves are appreciated and I really love getting reviews. I love knowing if people are enjoying the stories or not.