Authors note: Hello again! I feel terrible as real life once again got in the way of me replying to all of your reviews! I hope this chapter makes it up to you. i have to say it's one of my favorites so far. Only 2 to go after this!

Disclaimer: Characters not mine!

Week 11

After seeing painting after painting of Killian's life, the good, the bad, and the ugly, Emma couldn't take her mind off of the original Liam, the brother. She understood him in a way she didn't think many people could. It wasn't romantic, no, her heart belonged to Killian long before she ever gave it permission to, but it was a kinship she couldn't seem to shake.

It wasn't all about Liam, however, it was also about the family that had left him behind; the brother who bore shame too heavy to let him reach out, and the nephew that only knew of his existence by name.

Deep down, Emma hoped that helping one family find their way back to each other could possibly give her the strength to let go of her past and start properly building a future with the man she loves.

So Emma took a couple of days off work to tend to this plan that had formed in her head. She only felt a little bit guilty that she had to lie to Killian in order to see it through. She made excuses left and right to try to stop him from figuring out her plan. But she hoped in the end it'd be worth it, that he'd realize she only temporarily omitted the truth so that she wouldn't let him down if she failed.

She went through dozens and dozens of Liam Jones'. She checked all the social media platforms, all the professional outlets, and even got her hands on the latest phonebook from Killian's home town – she didn't even realize they still made phonebooks until she saw an old one lying around and thought to check.

It took her three days, thirteen hours and seven minutes of searching almost without sleep, for her to finally narrow it down to five people that were about the right age and in the right general location - perhaps in another life she would've been a bail bondsperson or a detective. She contacted each one of them with an email asking of long lost brothers and dark haired satan-ettes.

Of the five that she reached out to, two ignored her efforts, one replied with an awfully worded "leave me alone", one gave her some choice words on what he'd rather be doing at the moment, and the final one simply replied with a "who is this?"

Although technically, it could have been any one of the five men, Emma refused to believe the Liam Killian looked up to so much would be crass or rude. She couldn't exactly do anything about those who ignored her, so she tried her luck with the one decent response she received.

"Hello, I'm so sorry to bother you. My name is Mary Nolan, and I'm looking for a Liam Jones. He has a younger brother who left home a few years ago. I don't want to give away too much detail, as I don't actually know you, I'm sure you can understand. If you are or know of the Liam I speak of, please let me know as soon as possible.

Thank you."

Emma thought to change her name at the last minute, just incase it turned out to be some creep trying to mess with her, and Mary Nolan just seemed to fit.

Almost a whole twenty-four hours had passed. Emma was about ready to give up and come clean to Killian about the real reason she'd been blowing him off. Right as she was getting ready to call Killian and ask to meet him at the local pub to explain the real reason she'd canceled today's swimming lesson, when her computer chimed with a new email being sent her way.

She rushed over to the computer, and sure enough, it was a response from a Liam Jones.

"Dear Ms. Nolan,

I completely understand your hesitance with divulging information to a complete stranger, but if it is a Killian Jones you speak of, than I believe you have found the man you've been searching for. I haven't seen or heard from my little brother since he ran off one day with that God-awful woman. If you know him, could you please give him my number and tell him I bloody well miss him. And if he is still as stubborn as he used to be, then just tell him I forgive him, and I love him. All I want is to see him again."

Liam left his number for her at the end of the email. Not one to waste any time, Emma immediately dialed the number and waited to see if she'd actually done it.

"Jones," came a deep booming voice from the other end of the line.

"Uh… hello?" Emma honestly did not expect him to pick up so quickly, therefore found herself scrambling for words.

"Lass? Can I help you?" Liam's lilting accent flitted over the phone. It was identical to Killian's, but his voice a few octaves lower.

"Yes, sorry! I'm Em- Mary. Mary Nolan. I-"

"Hey! I'll have to catch up with you later, lads," she heard Liam shout away from the phone.

"Oooo. Is that the lass that stole your heart, Jones?" came another voice from the distance.

"Oh, shove off. " Liam shouted back at the voice. After a few moments of bustling noises and heavy breathing, Liam's voice came back much clearer and much more focused on her.

"Sorry about that, love. I was just getting off work, and the lads can be a bit overzealous."

"Oh. Don't worry about it," Emma lamely mumbled.

"So, is this about Killian? Is it really him?" Liam sounded so, so hopeful, Emma almost didn't want to make this more difficult for him. But for her safety and Killian and Liam's she had to.

"Before I confirm or deny anything, how do I know you are who you say you are?" Emma tried her best to sound more confident than she felt.

"Ohh, feisty. Alright, how about I tell you a little about him? His name is Killian, he left home a few years ago with a lass named Milah, his favorite- "

"That's all very nice, but you could've gotten that information from anywhere." Little Liam's painting suddenly fell off the mantle, and Emma was struck with an idea. "As it so happens, I know a little about his childhood, and if you are truly who you say you are, you should know a good chunk of it too."

"Our childhood wasn't exactly fairytale material, lass. I don't know if I feel comfortable talking to a stranger about it."

Emma knew he needed a little push, so she feigned defeat. "Oh, well, if that's all you have to say, I have a whole bunch of other Liams to fact check. Good-"

"Wait, lass! Please. I promise he is my brother. Tell – I just – You- What do you want to know?"

"Tell me about your parents, and your life with Killian as children." Emma knew this must be difficult for him, but she couldn't risk being wrong.

"My parents… Well, my mother was an angel, our saving grace, until she died when Killian was barely old enough to run on his own. And that sperm donor we call a father only made everything worse. We didn't have money, but that was never the issue. Killian and I always found things to play with, sometimes even the cutlery-"

"The cutlery?" Emma whispered.

"Aye. We'd collect the dust and lint from the furniture and pretend the spoons were power rangers or transformers. We didn't have much, but we always had each other."

The line went silent for a while. Emma didn't know what to say. She'd found him, she'd actually found him! There was no way anyone would know that detail about the cutlery and the lint. Hell, the only reason she even knew was because of the painting from all those weeks ago. She'd never forget how that particular painting had made her feel.

"Lass? Do you need more? That man, our father, he-"

"I believe you." Emma cut him off.

"Pardon?"

"You don't have to explain anymore. I believe you are Killian's brother."

"You do?"

"I do." Suddenly they were both enveloped in silence. It wasn't awkward, but more like a moment of contemplation.

"What does that mean? What now?"

"Well, do you mind sending me a current picture of yourself? When I tell Killian, I don't want any lingering doubts."

"Of course, love. Anything. Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"Please don't thank me, I'm only trying to do right by him. Listen, I have to go now, but I promise I will keep you updated. Just don't forget to send me that picture."

"Right away! Thank you again, Ms. Nolan. I'll never forget this."

As soon as they ended the call, Emma ran to her bedroom and packed an overnight bag. She needed to figure out a way to tell Killian without having him freak out or get upset, so she figured spending the night would give her time to think of something.

She called Killian from the car, and told him that she's coming over. Killian of course, started questioning her safety and her state of mind, but agreed to end the call when she reminded him that she was driving.

When she arrived at the Jones' cottage, she was greeted by a panicked Killian pacing on the front porch. He was so busy pacing, he didn't even realize she'd arrived until she'd practically barreled into him in her efforts to embrace him.

"Love, is everything alright? What's happened? Are you hurt? Did you-"

Emma cupped his face and pulled him into a fervent kiss. When they broke apart, Emma locked gazes with him until she could visibly see the anxiety loosen its grip on him.

"I'm fine, everything's fine I promise. I just really missed you."

"I missed you too, my love." It suddenly dawned on Killian that they were standing outside in the cold late at night. "How about we take this inside then?"

Emma lifted her overnight bag from off the ground and followed him into his living room.

"Are you going somewhere? Is that what you came to tell me?" Killian probed, but Emma saw through his calm façade.

"Actually, I was hoping to spend the night… if that's okay with you. I know Liam's here so nothing has to happen, but I missed you so much. I promise I wasn't avoiding you on purpose, so I came to you the second I was able to."

"Ahh, so you're here to tell me the real reason you've been blowing me off all week. I have to be honest, I was starting think you wanted to be rid of me…"

"What? No! I don't want to ever be rid of you-" Emma pulled him over to sit next to her on the couch, and started peppering kisses over every patch of skin she could reach. "I promise. I love you."

"I love you." Killian's face softened. "So then, what's really been going on?"

"We'll get there." At Killian's suspicious glance she continued, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course."

"Then trust that I only want what's best for you. I'm not trying to keep anything from you, i'm just trying to figure out how to tell you. But I swear it isn't something bad… at least I hope you agree."

Killian looked torn between wanting to trust her, and wanting to interrogate her. He decided after everything, how could he expect her trust if he doesn't show her trust in return?

"Well, love. What do you want to do in the meantime?"

"I want to kiss you, if i'm honest. Like a lot." Emma's smile almost matched that of Killian.

"What's stopping you, then? Liam's asleep and it doesn't have to go further than kissing the life out of your devilishly handsome boyfriend on his couch."

Emma practically pounced. Killian gave as good as he got, however. So good, in fact, they only lasted a few minutes before they had to break apart, and step away from each other to stop themselves from taking it any further.

"Us being apart all week affected me more than I anticipated." Killian gave an awkward chortle at his own confession. "How about we do something else? Like watch Barney or something to hold off… well," He gestured to his tented sweatpants in explanation.

"I don't know… there's something about that purple dinosaur…" Emma joked.

"Why must you make it so hard for me? Pun not intended, but accepted." They both started laughing, until Killian thought of the perfect distraction.

"Wait here, love."

Killian ran off somewhere behind her and returned moments later holding two rectangles behind his back.

"This will do the trick. Now, before I show you this, I want you to realize that this was in the past, and I don't mean to picker at fresh wounds, but I promised you my story and this is one part of it."

"What is it, Killian?"

Killian placed the paintings face down on the coffee table, before sitting on the couch and pulling Emma onto his lap.

"Let's do this one together, aye?"

Emma placed a soft kiss on his cheek, "Together."

She picked up the first painting, not really sure what could be making Killian so anxious. Until she saw it, that is. It was a painting of herself angled downwards from the ceiling. She was lying facedown on her bed, with used tissues and empty tissue boxes scattered around her. Her phone was facing upwards, with her screen filled up with rows and rows of messages and calls from Killian Jones. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were washed out and baggy, and the only light coming into her room was from the streetlight that stood just outside her bedroom window. That painting did a pretty good job of summing up how she felt at the time, when her budding relationship with Killian turned into angry words and wounded souls.

She looked towards Killian to find him staring at the floor. His grip was tight around her waist, but his eyes didn't have the courage to meet her.

"Hey," Emma tilted his chin until he was forced to look her in the eyes. "All is forgiven, remember? This was then, and it was bad, but now we're here, and I love you." Emma pecked his lips before moving onto the next canvas.

Similar to the first one, it was angled from the ceiling looking down, except, this one was in Killian's bedroom, not hers. The painting showed a tear-stained pillow underneath two heads. Killian was curled up against Liam's little body. While the boy seemed undisturbed, it was pretty clear the tears that stained the pillow were flowing down from Killian's cheeks. The soft duvet hid Liam's clothes, but Killian was lying above the blankets, wearing a t-shirt and a pair of dark sleep-pants.

Emma felt the tears well up in her eyes. In an attempt to stop them from falling, she asked, "Why weren't you under the covers?"

Killian knew Emma was giving him a chance to lighten the mood a bit. He could've made a joke, or made up some ridiculous explanation, but all that came to mind was the truth.

"I guess I was trying to punish myself for hurting you. Sleeping in the cold paled in comparison to all the things I said to you, though." Killian gave a sad smile, and that's when Emma started to cry.

She started to apologize for everything, but he interjected before she got the chance to. "Don't say it, love. Like I said, this is all in the past. We've both done wrong, but all is forgiven."

Not wanting to dwell on the sad, Emma tried to change the conversation.

"Is there a quote for this week?"

"Aye, "Hell is truth seen too late." By Hobbes."

"Your quotes are always perfectly chosen."

"You can thank Google for that, love."

They both actually laughed a little at that.

They spent an hour curled against each other on the couch, the silence between them filled with soft touches and slow caresses. All of a sudden, Emma thought of the perfect way to tell Killian about his brother. She sat up and Killian followed her lead.

"Love?"

"You and I may have fallen out in the paintings this week, but how about we learn from our mistake?"

Killian gave her a blank stare before looking to the floor again in contemplation. "I don't understand. I thought we were in a good place now…"

"We are," Emma assured him. "But I'm not talking about us,"

"Love, you're not making any sense."

Instead of answering him, Emma grabbed her phone out from where it had sunk between the couch cushions, and pulled up the picture Liam had sent her. She passed the phone over to Killian.

After a few moments of silence, Killian finally whispered, "Liam?"

Emma didn't say anything, but started combing her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.

"Emma, where did you get this? I've never seen this before, and he looks a little older than…" Killian was so confused, he forgot to complete his sentence.

"That's because he is a little older. Killian, I know you might get mad at me all over again, but I think this one is worth it. I found him. Liam."

"Is this a joke?" Killian pushed Emma off him and started circling his living room.

"What? No, of course this is not a joke! This is what I've been doing this past week, why I haven't been able to spend time with you."

It was like Killian wasn't registering anything Emma was saying, he just continued as if she hadn't even spoken.

"Where did you get this picture? This isn't a funny joke, Swan," Killian warned.

Emma stood up to block his path, trying to force him to listen to her. "I told you, this isn't a joke. I reached out to him, Killian. He says he misses you and he forgives you. All he wants is his brother back."

"You told him where I was? About Liam? About Milah?" Killian's voice started to rise and his temper flared. "You had no right. I didn't ask for this. How could you do this? After everything? Emma how could you?" He was yelling in her face now, his anger too strong to contain.

"If you just stop yelling and listen to me, you'd know that of course I didn't even mention the existence of Liam. Did not say a word about Milah. And did not tell him anything about you, your life or where you are." Emma was not going to sit back and let him torpedo their relationship. Not this time. No, she planned on fighting. He was worth fighting for.

"But now he knows who you are! It's only a matter of time before he figures it out. Bloody hell, what were you thinking? This isn't your life to mess with. You shouldn't have stuck your nose where it doesn't belong. I trusted you."

Killian tried to push past her, but Emma wouldn't budge. "Really? Only moments ago you were promising to fight for us and to never let anything get in the way again, yet at the first sign of struggle, you're quick to assign blame and walk away. Well you don't want to make good on your promise? Fine. But I'll be damned if I back down now. You trusted me for a reason. I know you know that deep down I would never do anything to hurt you. Your trust in me wasn't a mistake. He doesn't know who I am, or who I am to you for that matter. I didn't give him any information, because I know it isn't my place." Emma was livid now.

"I didn't make him any promises, only that I'd tell you I found him and that he wants you in his life. Whether or not you talk to him is your choice. What you do with this information is completely up to you. So maybe give me a little more credit. For all your talk, I thought we were in this together. That we'd face whatever life throws at us together. But don't worry, I won't stick my nose where it doesn't belong again, but if you want me to believe I belong anywhere near you, you're going to have to do a lot better than that. You can't just love me when it's convenient, when it's easy, and then use me as your verbal punching bag when you feel threatened or scared. You need to make a choice."

Emma turned around, picked up her overnight bag and marched her way into his bedroom. She wanted to slam the door, but decided against it when she remembered Liam. Just because she was angry with him, didn't mean she wanted to abandon him. He was being an ass - he'd see that soon enough- and when he did, she needed him to know that she was still on his side. So what better way to do that than to sulk in his bedroom? Emma vowed to stop running away from her problems, now it was time to see if Killian would keep his promise and do the same.

He watched as Emma walked away from him and into his room, disappointment radiating off her in her wake. The only comfort he could muster was in the fact that she walked into his bedroom, and not out the bloody front door. She stayed. She didn't run.

For his part, Killian felt like a complete eejit. Only an hour after almost crying over all the things he'd said to her last time, he'd nearly gone and done it again. He was immensely relieved that Emma stopped him from running his mouth more than he already did, the last thing he wanted was to lose her all over again.

She was right, it was time to man up and keep his word to her. She deserved more than to be his verbal punching bag - as she so eloquently put it – the last thing he ever wanted to do is make her feel like all those awful people of her past did. Emma deserved someone to protect her, to love her, to help build her up, not knock her down.

So he'd learn to control his temper better, he'd learn to stop misplacing his anger. He didn't ever want to be compared to his father, but if he continued down the path he's currently heading down- he didn't even want to finish that thought. Emma deserved better. His son deserved better. His brother deserved better. He's going to work his arse of to make himself better.

He couldn't describe how much it helped having Emma around. She was a bloody miracle. And here she'd gone and done it again; she gave him the option to make up with his brother. She didn't force their meeting, she didn't back him into a corner. No. She merely made it available to him. He could no longer use the excuse of not knowing his information, or not wanting to impose. She was too good for him, his Swan. But he wasn't going to let her slip through the cracks, not again.

It'd been two hours since she left Killian in the living room. The early rays of sunrise began seeping in through the curtains.

Emma refused to cry, not yet, not when there was still hope, but the worry that she'd gone and messed everything up again was slowly eating away at her. She couldn't bring herself to take it back, though. Killian needed his brother, and his brother needed him. She knew she wasn't in the wrong, not completely at least.

She was considering going downstairs to find Killian and try to talk him down again, when she heard a soft knock on the door.

"Emma, love? Can I come in?"

She debated ignoring him, but if she wanted things to get better between them, pettiness was not the way to go.

"It's your room, you can do whatever you want." Snark was acceptable, though; she wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.

"I know, but you belong here, too, with me, with Liam. So I'll respect your wishes. If you want me to leave, just say the word and I'll sleep on the couch tonight. It's your call, my love."

"Oh stop being so dramatic and come in."

Emma heard the door slowly creak open. She didn't bother moving from her position lying on her side on the bed, but she did manage to shift her head enough to look at him.

His eyes were so sad, and his face was a mask of hesitation. He took a step closer, then another, and another, when he saw that she wasn't inching away from him. He kept moving closer until he was lying on the bed next to her, with his arms curled around hers, their legs tangled together, and his face was in her neck.

"I belong here, huh?"

"You do. And I'm sorry, for everything. You were right; I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly. Although I must admit, I would have rather you let me know before you reached out to my brother. I know your intentions were honest, and you didn't really take anything too far; you said you didn't tell him anything, right?"

Emma didn't turn to face him, but nodded her head in confirmation and interlaced their fingers.

"So I really did just overreact for no reason." Emma nodded again more enthusiastically and Killian laughed.

"I truly am sorry, Emma."

"I know you are," Emma whispered back and rubbed his arm in an effort to comfort him.

"I promise to do better next time. Forgive me?"

Emma finally turned to face him, and planted a soft kiss on his pouted lips. She tucked her head under his chin, and curled the rest of her body against his. Killian squeezed her so tight, there was a moment where he actually cut off the oxygen to her system.

"So what are you thinking? About Liam, I mean."

"I don't know love, I don't know. I was hoping to sleep on it, and then decide in the morning. You spoke with him; what impression did he give? Do you think he was genuine?"

"I really believe he already forgives you for everything. He just wants his brother back. He sounded so desperate just to get you on the phone. I know it's not my life, but if I had a brother, I'd never want to lose him, especially not over a girl." She gave him a pointed look.

"Fair enough," Killian conceded.

"Does that mean you'll talk to him?" Emma perked up.

"No," he could see the dejection written on Emma's features. "I don't think a phone call is enough. Could you pass on my Skype information?"

The smile on Emma's face was enough to convince him he'd made the right decision. He watched as Emma reached for her phone and pressed her fingers across the keyboard a bunch of times before placing it back on the night stand beside her.

"What was that about?"

"I passed on your information like you asked!"

"Bloody hell, woman, now? It's probably the middle of the night back home now."

Right as he said it, Emma's phone dinged with a new message received.

"He doesn't seem to care. He says he's grateful you're not being a stubborn arse."

"Arse, huh?"

"His words, not mine." Emma squealed as Killian flipped them over so that he lay on top of her on the bed. In a surprising feat of almost complete silence, they managed to show each other just how grateful they were.

Later that day, in the afternoon, Emma got Liam ready as Killian set up the Skype call. She had intended to hide somewhere in the house to give the boys some privacy, but Killian refused to have her anywhere but at his side.

"You made this happen, love. It's only right that you be here. And besides, I want to show you off to my ponce of a brother."

Killian would never admit it, but Emma could feel the excitement bouncing off him.

When the computer rang with the sound of a call being broadcasted, Killian picked up the call as Emma rounded up little Liam and sat him between herself and Killian.

"Little brother!" Came Liam's resonant laugh.

"Younger brother." Killian corrected.

"And you must be Ms. Mary Nolan," Liam directed at Emma.

"Mary Nolan?" Killian looked between his love and his brother.

"I take it that's not your real name?" Liam chortled.

"Emma Swan." Emma confirmed. Killian still looked confused so she explained, "I told you he didn't know who I was!"

Emma and Liam watched as realization dawned on Killian, and burst into laughter the moment they saw he understood.

Little Liam, not really understanding what was happening, tugged on his father's shirt. "Daddy?"

"Daddy?" Older Liam echoed.

"Aye brother, I would like to officially introduce you to my son, Liam."

Shocked into silence, Liam just gaped at the little boy. "Liam? You named him Liam?"

"Of course! And Li, do you remember who this is?" Li started poking his cheek in thought, staring at the man on the screen before he yelled,

"'cle Li!"

"That's right, that's your uncle Liam! Good boy."

"He knows who I am?"

"Of course he does. Just because I was too much of a coward to talk to you, doesn't mean i'd have me son not know his namesake."

"Your son with... Emma?"

"I wish," Killian mumbled. Emma pretended not to hear it.

And so after letting the Liams get to know each other a bit more, Emma excused herself, stealing Li away for 'snack time!' while the brothers caught up with each other. Killian told Liam about Milah, and Emma and everything else he could bloody well think of. Liam revealed having a family of his own, a beautiful wife named Elsa, and his two kids, Elena, who was a little younger than Liam, and James, who was barely a month old.

Killian expected at least some awkwardness and a touch of residual anger on his brother's part, but it seemed they were both just so relieved to be back in each other's lives that hurt feeling and words unsaid, were agreed to be left for another time.

Their conversations went beyond family and into work and friends and everything in between. Killian didn't realize how much he'd missed his brother until he was sitting before him, talking as if nothing ever happened between them.