As soon as they walk through the door they see Snow standing, baby Neal in her arms. She greets them silently but with a wide grin, and what she does next makes Killian frown a little.
"Well hello, big sis! Killian! I've just slept a lotand now I'm really alert and grabby!"
"Swan, why is she doing that voice..." he starts, but is promptly ignored in favor of the baby and is even more confused when Emma herself uses the baby talk.
"Hi, sweetheart! You had a nice long nap, didn't you? Yes you did! Yes you did! Do you wanna come with your big sis? C'mon, baby! C'mon Neal!"
The baby doesn't go with Emma though; he's looking intently at Killian and both she and Snow are thoroughly amused at how freaked out he is by the whole situation.
"I think he likes you", says his mother with a smile. "Do you wanna hold him, Killian?"
"Oh, I don't think...I shouldn't, I...don't wanna hurt him!"
"Here", says Emma reaching for his left arm and slowly and lovingly removing his hook. "All good now."
"You just sit in the couch right here, fold your arms like this", says Snow, showing him her own, where Neal lies now, "and he'll just fit right in the middle. You'll sustain his little head with your elbow. There you go..."
And, just like that, baby Neal is in Killian's arms, frantically reaching for his face (or maybe his hair or his necklaces, who can tell) and looking straight in his eyes. All of a sudden his nervousness fades, his eyes soften and he's smirking.
"And how are we doing this evening, Your Tinyness?", he says with a bow of his head, and the high-pitched sound that comes out of the baby's mouth sounds a whole lot like...
"A laugh! You got his first laugh! Wow, he must really like you! Don't you, sweetheart? Laugh again for mommy! C'mon!"
"Yeah", Emma whispers in Killian's ear with her arms around his shoulders, "must run in the family." She kisses his temple under her mother's knowing gaze, and wonders how hard she would have punched anyone who told her she would ever have this a few years ago. Hell, a few days ago.
Snow then stands up and moves to the direction of the kitchen to fix the group some cocoa. Emma offers to help, and starts talking once they're out of earshot.
"Hey, mom..."
As the woman's face lights up, she frowns. "When are you gonna stop making a face when I call you that?"
"It's a good face", she says in justification, "and never", finishing with a kiss on her daughter's cheek. Emma huffs a smile and rolls her eyes.
"Anyway...right before we came up Killian said something to Henry in that fancy way of his and it was completely lost on him."
"I'm not surprised!"
"Yeah so it got me thinking...maybe you could find out at the school if they had any openings in the English department! He's certainly well-read and I'm sure he'd dominate the curriculum very quickly!"
"I don't doubt that he would, Emma, but you do know you need a diploma for teaching...?"
"Like the one you got from Enchanted Forest University?" Touche.
"Watch it, little lady!" Snow tried to look offended but started laughing mid-sentence. She was having too much fun with this. "I guess you do have a point, but Regina's curse gave me a diploma", and, before Emma could say anything, "- and the memory and knowledge of a college education as well!"
Sigh. "Back to square one, I guess."
"Maybe not", said Snow, looking over the counter at Killian swinging a madly laughing Neal in his arms, now accompanied by Henry. "You may not have been that far off thinking of him somehow working with kids!"
If his absolute joy around the two children was any indication, her mother was right. "Maybe not!"
