A/N: Hey hey!

For some raison, it seems like I haven't updated in forever, even though I updated 36 hours ago. (It broke off my 24 hour routine and now I feel weird.) Anywho. Hope you guys enjoy! Thank you once more to my reviewers, followers and favouriters. I love you guys.

Onwards! xx

Different As Can Be

Baelfire was annoyed.

He'd been sitting in this dank abandoned apartment all morning and he needed to get out and see the sunlight, or at least get some fresh air. Because the taint of magic was making him shiver in disgust no matter where he turned.

Picking up his coat, he headed outside through the growing weeds in the front courtyard before wandering the streets as he looked around. It was a quaint town with people going about their daily business as usual. None of these faces were recognisable but everyone who glimpsed him had to take a second look. Obviously newcomers didn't come around here very often if the town was hidden.

But he didn't particularly mind. They'd all be dead soon enough.

So he strolled casually through the town, making inward dialogue with himself about what he was going to do once all of this was over. Maybe a nice apartment in New York and getting a real job; building a life.

Well, he could think about that later.

xxx

"Emma."

"Five more minutes," she groaned into her pillow, splayed inelegantly across her bed. Killian's voice was chuckling from above her as the bed sank down.

"Emma, your mom's making muffins."

"For breakfast?"

"No, for dinner." Killian rolled his eyes as he leaned down to press his hands to her shoulders, quickly followed by his lips.

"That's not incentive for making me want to leave this bed, Killian Jones."

"Oh, full names now, love?" he teased, pulling the covers away from her body and making her groan in protest as she drew her legs up to shy away from the cold.

"It's too cold," Emma said, pouting up at him before getting a mischievous glimmer in her eyes and unwinding her arms from her sides to stretch out her naked body before him. Killian's eyes narrowed and his hand clenched in frustration. Leaning down on the bed, he perched beside her, crawling down to meet her face.

"You know what the cure for that is, Swan?" he said, his warm breath sending shivers down her cooling body.

"Clothes."

And then he was gone, laughing at her expense while she stared venomously after him. Eventually, when she came out of her room, she had a set of flannelette pyjamas and a jumper on and was pointedly refusing to look at Killian.

"Morning, Mom!"

"Hey Henry," she said, placing a kiss on his check as she spun into the empty stool next to him. "How'd you sleep kiddo?"

"Good. Grams says she's gonna take us out for a movie later."

"Sounds good!" Emma grinned before turning to her mother and saying, "And that smells divine, Mom."

The stumble of Snow's feet was the only recognition of the fact that Emma had just called her 'Mom'. And Emma only realised after the reaction that she had actually said it. It kinda just slipped out.

"Here you are," Snow said as she pulled a large blueberry one of the rack for her and Henry. "And what about you Hook…Killian?"

"Choc chip if you please, milady."

Emma rolled her eyes at his choice of words before take a glorious bite of the muffin before her.

"Snow White, if you hadn't been already carrying a baby the last time I saw you, I would have demanded you cook for me." Killian said the words with a wide smile that Snow returned. Emma however, almost spat out the mouthful of delicious food that was within her mouth, resulting in a coughing spree as it went partially down the wrong pipe. Henry was patting her on the back whilst Killian looked quite alarmed, ready to jump in and do the Heimlich at any second.

"You –" cough. "I just –"

"Breathe, Swan. Not talk."

She simply glared at him before coughing and finally managing to clear her airways. After a large drink of water, she turned around to face him.

"It's just a little disconcerting that you met my mother when she was pregnant with me."

"Love," he said hesitantly, "It's probably not as disconcerting as the fact that I'm over three hundred years old."

With those words Emma's eyes widened further and she held her hand to her head, weirded out by all these revelations.

"I'm going back to bed."

And even though Killian wanted to follow her and explain himself, a warning look from Queen Snow stopped him in his tracks. And with a sigh, he went to finish his muffin, trying his best to be happy and return the animation that Henry was speaking with. But Emma's barely touched muffin sat, uneaten, upon the bench top as a startling reminder to Killian of their two very different lives.

xxx

It was an hour later that Emma resurfaced from her contemplative state. But she was almost glad that David had taken Killian and Henry down to the docks. She really wasn't in the mood to face Killian right now.

Of course, two other familiar faces were there when she walked into the kitchen wearing a set of fresh clothes. Ruby rushed upon her, arms over her shoulders and pulling her in for a desperate hug.

"I. Have. Missed. You. Somuch."

"Catch up over at Grannys?"

"What time is the movie?" Emma asked her mother.

"One," she answered from her discussion with Graham.

"Sure," Emma answered, turning back to Ruby. "One would think you were sick of that place."

Ruby merely shrugged before answering with a wolfish smile, "It's home."

And it certainly felt like it, as they walked down the street greeted by various people who hadn't seen them in a while.

"So what's the go with you and Kilian?"

"Couldn't wait until we get to the diner, Ruby?" Emma gave her a look that Ruby knew like the back of her hand.

"Well?"

Emma hesitated. She had to tell Ruby something otherwise she'd never let it rest.

"I don't know," she finally sighed. "I mean, one second I think I know him and the next, he's suddenly a pirate who's been around for three hundred years."

"He's Captain Hook?"

"Well that was a quick deduction-"

"Of course he'd be Captain Hook!" Ruby hit herself on the forehead. "All those charming good looks and that accent. I knew I recognised it!" She was drooling like a fangirl. "Wait, he does have two hands right? He plays guitar."

"Yes, he has two hands, Ruby. I've felt them."

Ruby wiggled her eyebrows suggestively in response and Emma almost outwardly groaned.

"Anyway, I don't know what we are. It's just…a lot to take in at once, you know. It's a huge surprise to find out that the man you love isn't exactly who you thought he was."

"You said it, Ems," Ruby's eyes squinted distrustfully for a moment, as though she was searching for the lie. But she didn't see it. And her face broke into the most ecstatic grin Emma had ever seen.

"Said what?"

"You said the L word. And you actually meant it."

But just as Emma's eyes widened in confused shock, a familiar face shocked whatever she had been feeling right out of her. And replaced it with something even more terrifying.

"Neal?!"

xxx

Baelfire spun around in horror. No one had called him that name in years, and no one in this town could possibly have known it. Only when he saw who it was did comprehension, fear and an overall sense of horror settle in his stomach.

Fuck.

"Hey Emma."