Disclaimer: Nope, still not. The only characters I can claim are the ones I made up myself.
Killian felt Emma's presence before she made it known.
"I hope Fallon doesn't realize it's snowing," Emma brushed several snowflakes from her husband's shoulder before draping his coat over them when she'd found him on the roof of their cottage looking out over the water.
"We would have heard if she had," Killian lowered his head.
"I'm sorry for pushing the issue with your father," Emma hugged him from behind. "I should know better."
"It is your nature as the savior," Killian replied, "Always trying to fix things."
"I'm sorry," Emma rose up on her toes to kiss the nape of his neck.
Killian released a heavy breath through his nose.
He caught Emma off guard when he turned abruptly and devoured her lips.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what is that for?" Emma asked when Killian's forehead came to rest against hers.
"Feels like I haven't properly kissed you in days," he replied.
"You can properly kiss me any time you want," her arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled herself tight against him. "It's one of the perks of being married."
"I love you, Swan," he mumbled into her neck.
"I love you too," Emma held him for several minutes before she spoke again, "Talk to me, Killian."
"How do I tell my father about my past?" he asked.
"Slowly," she caressed the back of his neck, "Start with the good things. Show him your love for the sea. Tell him of the adventures you've had...the good ones, and then slowly start telling him about the bad."
"What if I tell him about the bad, and he wants nothing to do with me yet again?" Killian asked, "What if I'm setting myself up for more pain?"
"If that were happen, and I'm doubtful it would, but if it did happen we would deal with it together," Emma replied, "You're a good man when you choose to be. You have darkness in you. It doesn't make you a monster. It makes you human. Under the right circumstances we can all make poor decisions...You've changed, Killian. I've seen it with my own eyes. Your father will see the man you are now, not what you once were. If he can't, then it's entirely his loss."
"I don't deserve you," his lips brushed her forehead.
"Too bad, buddy," Emma poked him in the ribs, "You're stuck with me."
"Make's me the luckiest man in all the realms," he smiled.
"Let's get out of the snow," Emma suggested, "We should check on the fruit and maybe try talking to your father a second time."
"I'll follow you anywhere, Love," he pulled on her hand and brought her tight against him.
"Maybe I should follow you, Sailor," Emma's arms circled Killian's shoulders, "You seem to have a good idea."
"I think you're a bad influence on me," his eyes sparkled.
It was Emma who initiated the kiss the second time.
Emma and Killian came down the stairs to see Fallon attempting to cheer up her grandfather with a little song and dance.
"We need to get her some song and dance lessons," Emma spoke softly to her husband at the sour note her daughter hit to end her little show.
"She sings like her grandmother," Brennan chuckled when Fallon launched herself into his arms for a hug. "It was fortunate she was a good seamstress, my Siobhan, she would never have made a living as a songstress."
"Papa, it's snowing," Fallon turned and hugged her father around the legs, "Snowman time."
"How about I take you out, Princess, so Papa and his papa can talk?" Emma suggested.
"No," Fallon stuck out her bottom lip to pout. "Both of you."
"Both of us, huh," Emma knelt down and began tickling her daughter. "You have to get your snow clothes on first."
Fallon disappeared into her room to change clothes.
"What is this snow she's referencing?" Brennan rose to his feet.
"You've never seen snow before?" Emma glanced towards Killian in bewilderment. Even her husband had seen snow before coming to Storybrooke.
"Never in my life," Brennan replied, "What is it?"
"Condensation which comes from the sky when it's too cold to rain," Killian explained, "It does rain in Avalon, doesn't it?"
"Aye, that it does," Brennan confirmed. "How cold must it get to snow?"
"Cold," Emma began bundling herself up in her warmest winter wear. They'd purchased a coat and gloves for Brennan the previous day, but he hadn't understood their purpose as of yet. "You're welcome to join us. Fallon just wants to play in it for a bit. She'll tire herself out in about a half an hour and then come in for some cocoa. With any luck, the cocoa will inspire a nap, which she rarely takes."
"Aye, I think I will," Brennan nodded.
Emma instructed him to suit up while Killian did the same. Bradyn was asleep in his playpen, but Killian grabbed the monitor just in case he woke up while they were outside. Killian motioned for Max to stay next to the sleeping infant just in case. The canine was becoming a particularly good watchdog.
Fallon emerged from her bedroom and hopped the entire way to the front door, where she patiently stood while Emma helped her with her boots.
"Poppy coming too," Fallon beamed with excitement.
"For a little while," Emma nodded, "He's never seen snow before, so you need to show him what to do, okay?"
"Okay," Fallon grasped her grandfather's gloved hand with her mittened one and pulled him outside. Clear of the stairs, she flopped down on her back and promptly made a snow angel and instructed her grandfather to do the same. Emma and Killian nearly burst out laughing when Brennan did exactly as Fallon had instructed.
Brennan was several strokes in before the coldness seeped into his clothing, and he rose to his feet with a shiver.
"We should have warned you about that," Emma replied, "If you're too cold, you can head back in. We'll be in soon."
"Aye, I think I will," Brennan nodded, "Perhaps I'll enjoy more of this snow a bit later."
"Fallon will likely insist on it now that she has a snow angel buddy," Emma stated.
Brennan trudged into the house and shed his outerwear while Emma and Killian helped Fallon make a snowman.
Bradyn had just woken from his nap when Brennan peered over the playpen to look at the boy. Bradyn reached towards him expectantly. It had been quite some time since he'd held an infant, but he gave it a try. The little boy immediately curled up in his embrace and drifted off to sleep once more. The pair were curled up on the sofa together with Max's head in Brennan's lap when Emma, Killian and Fallon came inside. Killian was visible startled by the sight.
"He woke briefly when I first came in," Brennan replied, "I hope it was alright I pulled him from his cage."
"It's a playpen," Emma corrected her father-in-law, "It's quite alright. He looks pretty comfortable."
"Liam never cared much to be held at least not by me," Brennan replied, "Killian, on the other hand, would make such a fuss whenever I put him down."
"That's the attention seeker in him," Emma bumped Killian with her hip. "This one doesn't mind it either way. He's a pretty easy going baby."
"And Fallon?" Brennan inquired.
"Like her papa, she always wanted to be held," Emma knelt down to hug her daughter who was now free of her snow wear, "Still does, isn't that right, Princess."
"Yep," Fallon hugged her mother in return.
The ringing phone interrupted their conversation. Emma went to answer it and had a very brief conversation.
"I have to go into the station," Emma replied, "The town needs its sheriff for a bit. Will you be alright here?"
Killian and Brennan both nodded their heads.
"When the timer on the stove goes off, pull the fruit out of the fridge. There's a container Brennan can put them in which we can throw away after in the cabinet next to the sink. Don't use the glass wear," Emma went to pull on her jacket, "I'll be back in a bit to take Brennan to Regina's. With any luck, the potion can be delivered by the end of the day and we can put all of this behind us."
Fallon came over to offer Emma a goodbye hug.
"We'll do pizza for dinner," Emma added before kneeling down to accept Fallon's hug, "You're in charge, Princess. Keep Papa and Poppy out of trouble, okay?"
"Okay, Mama," Fallon kissed her mother's cheek.
"Be safe, Love," Killian stepped in and pecked at her cheek.
"I'll be back soon," Emma caressed his cheek, "We can talk more later."
"Aye," Killian nodded.
"This town is literally ready to tear each other apart," David filled his daughter in on what had been happening during his shift. He'd called in Robin as well. They would need all hands on deck until everything was sorted.
"What's going on?" Emma asked. "I saw the dwarves going at it. It's three on four, and it was not a pretty picture."
"It's like that all over town," David responded, "It's like a switch was flipped as soon as we got back from Avalon."
"Could Wendy know what we're planning and accelerate her plans?" Emma thought out loud.
"How could she know?" David asked, "We didn't tell anyone we were leaving for that specific reason."
"I don't know, but it's chaos out there," Emma replied.
Just as Robin was about to offer his opinion when Neal came running in.
"Now isn't a good time, Neal. We're in the middle of something," Emma replied.
"Wendy's brothers are in town," Neal spoke with his first available breath, "They arrived just this morning."
"Just as the town started to turn on each other," David replied.
"Will John and Michael help us?" Emma asked.
"No," Neal shook his head, "It's why I came. They are under her spell too. They probably have been all along. You have to do something. Did you find what you needed in Avalon?"
"Avalon?" Emma ears perked up suspiciously, "Why would we go to Avalon?"
"I thought I heard..." Neal began and then quickly began to backtrack, "I thought you and Hook were going to look for his father. I heard he was in town, so I assumed you went looking for him."
"No," Emma shook her head, "There was no need. He found us. He just arrived. He'd been looking for Killian and Liam for years."
"I see," Neal's head fell.
"Neal, we're in the middle of something," Emma replied, "Is there anything else you need right this minute?"
"No," Neal shook his head, "Tell Henry I say hi."
"You can always tell him yourself," Emma reminded him.
Neal nodded and sulked out of the station.
"Why did you..." David trailed off when Emma put her finger to her lips.
She wanted to make sure they really were alone before they spoke again. She peered out into the hallway and went so far as to check that Neal had really left before she returned to Robin and her father.
"You don't trust Neal," David realized.
"That's a pretty blanket statement, but especially right now," Emma replied, "I don't trust him to not be under Wendy's control. There is no way he could have known we were going to Avalon, yet he knew. If I were a siren, I would know the ways my powers could be taken away. I can't believe it took Regina only a few hours to find the cure in her books when Killian, Neal and I had been looking for weeks."
"Do you think he's been under Wendy's spell this entire time?" Robin inquired.
"Yes," Emma nodded.
"How long have you had this thought?" David asked.
"It just came to me, but it makes sense," Emma replied, "Wendy just so happened to trick Neal into revealing Killian's whereabouts during his stay in London, and almost as soon as he returned things in this town started to go wonky. A mysterious little girl just starts showing up, yet no one really remembers seeing her. The only ones to have really given us anything to go on is Killian and Michael Tillman.
"We spent weeks looking for answers, and Neal was sitting at the same table. He could easily hide the right books in the wrong places."
"Do you really think he'd do something so underhanded?" David asked.
"Maybe not by choice," Emma shrugged, "We know the only way to combat Wendy's charms is by experiencing true love. Unless he's not being truthful with me about his past, he's never experienced it, certainly not with me."
"And not telling him we went to Avalon?" David prodded.
"Keeps us at the advantage," Emma explained, "With any luck, Brennan's fruit will be dried soon. Regina can whip up her potion, and we'll end this siren's threat once and for all."
"And then what?" Robin asked, "This girl will no longer be the threat as a siren, but what should be done with her? She's still responsible for numerous crimes around town."
"I hadn't thought of that," Emma frowned, "Is going into the system really the solution? I've been there. It's not a good place."
"She has to learn there are consequences to the choices she's made," David replied.
"How about we cross that bridge when we get to it," Emma suggested, "It's really not up to us to decide anyways."
"First things first," David agreed.
"I'd better get back to the cottage," Emma glanced at her phone to check the time, "The fruit should be out of the oven. Regina is expecting us. I'll call you guys when everything is ready."
"Good luck," David called after his daughter.
TBC…