Welcome to the calm before the storm...

Disclaimer: All aspects of Once Upon A Time belongs to ABC and the show's creators.

Robin raced around the apartment with Henry. The man made a big show of running from Henry before falling to the floor, apparently exhausted and more than a little dramatic. Honestly, he was as bad as Killian when it came to playing with her son. Not that she would complain. It was hilarious to watch her son playing alongside grown men as if they were peers at his daycare.

Few short months ago Emma had never thought Henry would have an adult man in his life in a mentor position and now he had all the Merry Men wrapped around his little finger. Killian looked at Henry like a son and Emma knew Henry felt just as strongly towards him. Robin and Jefferson were brothers, friends, wrestling partners. And David was the one who taught him practical things like why the leaves had changed colour, read with him and explained answers to Henry's questions with startling ease and accuracy. When the Merry Men had first met Henry on Killian's boat Emma had been worried that they'd not understand that wherever Emma went, Henry was most likely close by. She'd been nervous that a child would bother them, interfere with their plans. She couldn't have been more wrong. The group had accepted her child into their lives as easily and happily as they had Emma.

Killian flopped down on the couch beside her after letting Mary Margaret and David into the apartment. After their earlier talk and breakfast Killian had mentioned that he'd like to spend some time with everyone today. He'd been acting a little sullen off and on the whole day, like when a cold is starting and someone has random sneezing fits before any other symptoms showed up, so she'd happily fulfilled his request. Emma just chalked his mood up to him having to relive everything with his brother this morning. Killian responded to things strongly. He'd get over it after some laughs with the group.

"So which one is four again?" Killian asked, smirk firmly in place, as he watched Robin and Henry play with a toy truck. They were wreaking havoc by running it over everything in reach, Robin making loud explosion noises every time he dropped the truck onto something new.

"It's not my fault I'm more fun than you," Robin replied running the truck up Emma's shin, screeching noises coming from him as he did. She swatted the toy away with a laugh. Killian pouted.

"Hey, he's babysitting," Emma replied, lounging back into the sofa. "Robin can do what he wants as long as he doesn't burn down my apartment."

"Does that leave flooding as an option? Because Henry and I can go turn the tub into an ocean and be pirates." Henry squealed in delight at his words.

"Absolutely not." Mary Margaret and Emma spoke at the same time, perfectly in sync. Emma allowed herself a small grin at how well her relationship with David's fiancé had developed since that night Mary Margaret found Emma crying in Killian's kitchen.

The only thing the evening was missing was Ruby and Jefferson, but they were at work. Not everyone got the weekends off like Emma, or school teacher Mary Margaret. David being off duty at the sheriff's department had just been lucky. The same with Robin, nature boy extraordinaire. Emma had convinced Robin to spend his day off at Emma's house instead of wandering the woods by telling him he spent too much time with squirrels for it to be healthy. Robin had come into the apartment making squirrel noises, much to Emma's entertainment and Killian's confusion.

"So Emma, you ever think you'd find yourself with this rabble when you stumbled into Killian's room?"

Emma shook her head at Robin. "I didn't think a group such as yourselves could exist." She paused for a moment, smile slipping. "Or that you'd ever want me."

"We're in it for your kid, not you," Robin replied. Both Killian and David reached forward and slapped him across the top of the head. Robin scowled at them, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm kidding Emma."

She smiled at him. Maybe at one time that joke would have bothered her but now- now she could see it for what it was, a good natured jest. "I know."

"But seriously, Emma, we're so glad you found us." Mary Margaret's smile was genuine when she spoke. "You've changed all our lives." Emma looked down at her lap, willing away the tears. She would not cry at the compliment.

"I haven't done much," Emma murmured because she had nothing else to say. While she understood Robin's joke, Mary Margaret's words still seemed like a foreign concept to her.

"You showed us how tough someone could be. How strong. What you went through would have destroyed me." David's words were kind, his smile warming Emma.

"We needed another lady around anyways, Mary Margaret was too outnumbered. Couldn't have asked for better reinforcement." Robin was the next to compliment her.

"You saved Killian," Mary Margaret said next, eyes welling with tears as she looked between Emma and Killian and down to where his hand rested casually on her thigh. "Things could have been so much worse but you saved him."

Killian's mumble was so quiet and muffled that Emma was certain she wasn't supposed to hear it. "Who says I don't still need saving?" She glanced at him sharply but the desperation she'd heard in his words didn't show on his face. He smiled at Emma and kissed her softly; acting just like the charming and gentle Killian she knew and loved. Maybe she'd heard wrong? Maybe she'd inferred the wrong meaning behind his words?

"Thank you," Emma said quickly, turning away from Killian when she realized everyone was staring at her. "I'm not one for emotional words." Robin's sarcastic I never would have guessed made her grin before sobering again. "But thank you for letting me in. I never thought that I could belong to a group with my history. Thank you for proving me wrong."

Mary Margaret leaned over and hugged Emma tightly. Soon everyone was in on the action, squeezing the wind out of her, not that Emma minded. This was the best feeling of breathlessness she'd ever experienced. Killian kissed the top of her ear while she was still in the middle of the group hug, her face covered by limbs as they stretched around her.

At one time Emma may have fought her way out of the group, tooth and nail, scared of feeling so attached to a group of people who could easily be taken away from her. But now, now she relished in it because these adults, for all their strange compatibility, goofy behaviour and easy banter, were as true of friends as Ruby was. And true friends didn't go anywhere, especially not when the going got tough.

Killian was the last to leave that night after helping Emma put away the empty takeout containers that scattered the living room. The whole group had stayed for supper, Ruby and Jefferson arriving at the same time, so there were a lot of little boxes and tin trays to put away. Mary Margaret had been adamant that she would stay and help but Emma had coaxed her out the door with the promise of seeing her soon and letting her clean the next time.

Emma asked Killian to stay with her again that night but he'd decided he wanted to go home. He said he'd needed to go and shower, get clean clothes, but Emma knew it was because the sadness was back in his voice. She was reluctant to let him leave, worried about him being alone, but he was a grown man, completely capable of making his own decisions. She had to trust him. Even after several kisses she hadn't been able to convince him to stay.

"I've got errands to run tomorrow but I'll see you Monday or Tuesday, whenever you're free?"

Emma nodded. Killian kissed her forehead and left, the apartment door swinging shut behind him.