HAPPY NEW YEAR

I hope that every one of you have a wondrous 2017, full of hope and good health.

Grab your loved ones, hug them tightly and tell them how much you bloody love them. Say yes to the adventures untold and enjoy the thrill of the ride. Do things that you think that you can't and push your limits to their very breaking point. Life is there to be lived and it's too damned short to wait for perfect moments to do things. Do not wait until life has passed to regret not enjoying it. Smile more... laugh more but do not be frightened to cry too. Sometimes it is what is needed to be able to move on from something bad. Draw a line under things and do not keep them in your heart... do not let regret stop you doing something now.

Be happy people.

It is what we make of life that matters not the length of time that we are here.

OK On with the story, be warned I made myself cry writing this... like a baby!

You have been warned.

Oh, Giant chapter BTW but I am back to work soon so they will probably drop to a couple of times as week from here on in... soz.

Killian grinned to himself as he looked at the screen in wonder... Had they really ordered all this stuff and someone would deliver it straight to their homes? He suddenly stopped smiling and gave a deep frown as his brain realized that this didn't make sense.

"Wait" he mumbled raising his finger to point at the screen before looking to David "How does this work? I mean with the whole town line thing and Storybrooke being hidden by magic"

David just shrugged and swigged his drink "Pass, you'd need to ask Regina about the finer details. All I know is that it works so what do you think? Do you think she'd like it?"

"Aye probably" Killian mused looking back and admiring the beautiful bracelet that filled the screen but instead of asking David to complete the transaction like he had with the other things he just closed the laptop and shook his head "But if I wanted to give her something like that I already have ones that are much nicer than this one. No, I don't think Emma needs anymore gems, it's not really her style anyway... what we have already purchased will be sufficient as gifts and what I think that she would appreciate more to complete her day would be a gesture and I think that perhaps I have the perfect one."

"I'm listening" David said sitting forward

"A ball... a surprise one" Killian almost whispered before dropping his gaze and furrowing his brow "After all you didn't even know she was at her first one and I... well I stole her first dance from you." Killian looked back up and met David's eyes "I know that was something that you had always dreamt of"

David smirked "You did, didn't you... alright "Charles" I think a ball is a great idea and I know Snow has wanted to organize one for a while now so I know she'll be onboard. I say that we get as many people to help as we can, I know Granny will help with food and I'm sure Blue would let us use the church hall as a venue, it would be the perfect size"

"The perfect size for what?" Junior suddenly asked running across the deck towards them

Killian leant forward and put his fingers to his lips "Top secret business. I'll tell you later but for now just keep quiet alright, we don't want Momma to find out"

Junior grinned then giggled as he swung around to look at Swan, Henry and Mary-Margaret who was carrying the young Prince in her arms. They where all chatting as they walked across the deck but then Junior suddenly looked back to Killian and hissed "Are we to tell Henry too?"

Killian gave a quick nod then sat back with a smile on his face when Swan finally met his eyes. She looked positively radiant as the sun shone off of her hair and for a split second as she walked towards him she seemed to have a halo as the bright light silhouetted her head. His heart skipped a beat as that feeling of pure joy surged through his veins and when she bent down and kissed him he thought that he could never be happier than right there and then.

"You look... and feel better which is kinda weird to say" she grinned before dropping her hand to her belly "You been looking after your Papa?"

"She may have had something to do with it but the Crocodile also dropped off something else that helped too"

"Yeah?" Emma asked as she dropped down onto an empty seat and looked at him with interest

"Aye" he chuckled "and believe me when I say that even though it was not the same thing that I drank back in Wonderland it may just have been worse, it tasted beyond disgusting"

"What? Worse than snake blood and putrefied spiders?" Henry burst out curling his lip in disgust

Killian's jaw fell open. He looked quickly from Henry to Swan and gasped "Is that what he gave me?"

Swan shrugged "I don't know, he'd cleaned up by the time I left you to sleep remember"

"Henry?" Killian asked looking back to the boy just hoping to hell that he had been jesting.

Henry cringed then added hopefully "He added some berries and some mashed up apple if that helps"

"Not really" Killian grumbled as his hand moved to his now churning gut "Bloody hell Lad, how to make a man lose his appetite."

"Sorry" Henry cringed "I thought you knew by now"

"Gah..." Killian groaned dramatically "No Lad and right now I wish that I was still in the dark"

"Well you won't want this then will you?" Mary-Margaret suddenly asked lifting what Killian recognized as a cool bag, up onto the table with a smile.

"You brought ice cream?" he asked raising an eyebrow as his mouth began to water at the very thought of eating the frozen desert.

"Aye" Junior cried out going to Killian and raising his arms to be lifted

"Hey kid, come sit on me instead" David said shuffling in his seat but Killian dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

"There is no need, come here Son. We shall be just fine won't we?" all thoughts of potions and elixirs were gone at the promise of Granny's ice cream as Killian hauled the Lad up

"I will be careful Grandpa, honest" Junior said seriously before looking to Killian with a grin on his face "We got you Rum and Raisin flavor Papa... Granny said that she made it up for you special likes"

"You mean that she made it especially for me" Killian corrected knowing that the Lad already knew that. He didn't mind Junior picking up a bit of the local accent but he refused to let him slip into the habit of terrible grammar... that was one step too far in his book.

But Junior didn't seem in the slightest bit sorry as he just grinned and threw back "Aye... what you said"

"I'll go grab a bowl and a spoon" Henry yelled running across the deck as Killian gave a chuckle and tickled Junior under his arm.

"Never forget your manners Son" he whispered in the Lad's ear so no one else would hear.

Junior gave a little frown then whispered back "Aye Sir" but then that damned eyebrow rose up on his head and he gave a little smirk "Lo siento Papa, no va a suceder de nuevo"

Killian jumped as David burst out laughing"You two can speak Spanish? Why am I not surprised?"

"Aye" Killian chuckled tickling Junior again to hide the fact that he had once again been taken by surprise "And you young man are just showing off so that I will forget your indiscretion. Good manners and proper grammar cost you nothing , remember that in future"

"How am I just finding this out now?" Swan asked raising her eyebrow at Killian "You can speak Spanish... how?"

Killian wanted to change the subject so just shrugged "It never came up in conversation Love, I wasn't hiding anything... I suppose I just didn't see it as something that needed to be shared. I learned as a child as you can probably tell. Two of the crew onboard our ship spoke it... I listened and learned. There is no more to it than that."

"It's kinda cool" Henry cut in as he set down the bowl and spoon on the table "What other languages can you speak?"

"It matters not for the moment, what matters is my ice cream..." Killian replied quickly, suddenly feeling self conscious as everyone stared at him.

He gave Swan a pleading look, he didn't want to discuss this anymore and he would be having words with Junior later, the Lad knew that he should never show off what he knew...then circumstances such as this could be avoided. Swan must have gotten his silent message as she gave him a smile then stood up and grabbed the ice cream and pulled the lid from the container.

"OK, get ready for this... you're gonna love it" she grinned at him "I may have tasted a bit!"

Killian gave a chuckle then looked away as she started to dish up, he didn't know why it still bothered him that his family found out these things about him... he knew that it shouldn't but it just did. Five minutes later though and all his discomfort at being the center of attention was forgotten as was the concoction from Wonderland as he tucked into the confection. Junior held the bowl so that Killian didn't have to chase it around the smooth glass table and as the cool deliciousness slid down his throat he let out a contented sigh, it tasted so good.

"I swear Granny makes this stuff using magic" Killian chuckled when he finally swallowed the last mouthful and let the spoon drop into the empty bowl.

"I know what you mean" Swan grinned giving Junior a silly look "Right Kid?"

The Lad gave a laugh and he swung around to look up at Killian "Momma had a HUGE sundae with both chocolate and raspberry sauce"

"Yeah I think Pip may have your liking for it" she shrugged and dropped her hand to her belly again "But I guess if that's what she wants that's what she'll get... at least my craving is something normal and I'm not chewing on chalk or something equally disgusting!"

David suddenly laughed and sat forward "When your Mom was pregnant with Neal all she wanted was a bag of Nacho Cheese Bugles"

"That's not a weird craving, they're awesome" Henry said from the spot where he sat on the steps to the quarter deck

Mary-Margaret stood up, sitting the babe in question onto her hip, she took hold of his chubby little cheeks and laughed "No... not weird but impossible to find. We were back in the Enchanted Forest remember. Believe me when I say, chalk would have been easier to get hold of. I'm just going to go put this young man down for a nap" she looked to Junior and held out her hand "Come on, let's go get your paints out. You'll have the whole of the galley table to set up on"

She gave Killian a knowing look as the Lad jumped from his knee and Henry got up to join them. Killian looked to Emma and could tell from her face that she had something that she wanted to talk to him about so the minute the lads and Mary-Margaret had disappeared from sight he spoke.

"Swan? What is it Love?"

"He was here?" she sighed sitting forward and taking hold of Killian's hand

"Who was?" he asked with a deep frown, what was she talking about?

"Liam... the younger one. He came over with the first curse but not with the second"

"What?!" Killian gasped "Where? Was he alright? Who was he with?"

Swan gave him a soft smile "He was OK Killian. He seemed to be staying with three older women, I think they were Sisters. He was registered under his cursed name of William Turner but there was a photo and somewhere in the information file it was noted that he was an orphan and that his name used to be William or Liam Jones...he looks like Liam too... older Liam, except he doesn't have the same..."

"Eyes...He doesn't have our Mother's eyes." Killian sighed sitting back before asking "His full name was William?"

Emma gave a slight nod and replied "Looks like it... "

Killian's mind was reeling... his Brother was still alive... and he had been here, in Storybrooke at the same time as Killian himself. Had he walked passed him? Had he sat in the diner at the same time as him and not even noticed? Had he been too focused on his own selfish needs to see his Brother right there in front of him? Did Liam know who he was and think that he was simply not interested in his well being?

"You OK?" Swan asked squeezing his hand

He gave her a quick smile "Aye Love. Do we know anything else? Do we know where he was? Back in the Enchanted Forest I mean."

She shook her head "Sorry but at least we know that he was OK."

"Aye" he muttered suddenly feeling like his world was far too small. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and mumbled "I think... that maybe I should perhaps have a lie down. I... I... don't feel..." he managed to look at her and gave a frown as he let go of her hand and brought his up to his racing heart "Swan?!"

His world suddenly started taking on a jittery sensation as his chest gave a hitch... no, why was this happening again? What was wrong with him?

Suddenly Swan was kneeling right in his front of him, she had his face between her hands forcing him to look straight at her. He could see her lips moving but his hearing was gone, all he could hear was his own heart thumping in his ears.

"William is fine Papa" Leia's voice suddenly said in his head making him jump again "Do you wish to see?"

He couldn't have answered her even if he had wanted to but she must have read his mind or something as suddenly his head was flooded with images of a young boy. The Lad was happy, he was smiling and laughing as he sat with three older women but he still seemed lost, something about him just seemed to be missing... like his life was incomplete. Killian's head tipped back and his jaw fell open as the images continued invading his mind but then a sudden wave of calm washed over him as the boy turned and looked him right in the eye and smiled.

"You saved him once Papa, save him again" Leia whispered "Your Father was a bad man... he was mean to William just as he used to be mean to you. You have just hidden the fact for so long that your memory is false... He told you that the woman he loved had become ill and died but that was not true. She had left him, taking William with her, they escaped his cruelty but it didn't last. Your Father hunted them down and brought them back. She disappeared and no one could find her... she was in the well Papa, she still is... he did bad things to her. Your Father knew you were listening that night, the night by the door... he had grown restless in the place in which he was staying, he knew that someone was searching for him so once you found him he decided that he needed to leave and he did not want to take William with him. He called him Liam that night so that you would hear... he wanted to hurt you Papa... he wanted you to think that he had replaced you and your Liam with William... he thought you would kill William, that you would be locked away for murder and he would be free of the both of you..."

The tears were suddenly flowing down Killian's face as memories that he had suppressed flooded back into his mind... while it was true that his Father had protected him from the Captain all those years ago, as he looked back at that now with fresh eyes he could see that that was only the case because his Father had wanted to be the one to dish out the punishment. An image of Liam... his Liam... cowering on the floor taking a beating that had been intended for Killian came to him as his younger self cowered beneath his bunk. The images hit him over and over again not for the first time in his life but this time as Killian looked up at the man wielding the belt it was not the Captain that was standing over his Brother... no this time it was their Father and he looked furious as the blows rained down on Liam... then Killian realized something else as he heard a noise that he hadn't noticed before, he peeked out from beneath his blanket to see the Captain standing at the door roaring with laughter.

Nooooooo... They had been in it together?!

Were they friends?

How had he not seen it before?

Had Liam known all this time?

A long wail escaped Killian's throat as image after image came back to him... all these years he had demonized the Captain but his Father was just as bad... no... his Father was worse. He felt physically sick as he thought of Junior, did the Lad know that this was the reality or had he, even at this young age blamed it all on the Captain? Part of him hoped that he had... it was somehow easier to take... surely the Lad would have discussed it with Archie if he had known, after all they had spoken of the Captain at length so he must not remember the truth! This was a slight comfort and as that information sunk in the images started to leave him and Killian became aware of noises around him again.

"Killian, can you hear me?"

He could suddenly feel Swan's hands on his face and the hard surface of the deck beneath him... how had he managed to end up lying down? He blinked widely against the bright sun that was once again giving Swan a halo but this time as he looked up at her he could see another little figure standing next to her... his babe was there... she was by her Mother's side.

"I'm fine" he managed to mumble but it was far from the truth and as his eyes closed against his will he felt David pulling him up into his arms.

"Not buying it Brother" David half whispered as they started moving "Come on, let's get you inside"

He just nodded his head against David's chest but as they made their way down the steps he sighed "I need to find him David... he needs us. He needs all of us. He needs his family"

"We will" David whispered back

He was laid in his bed and the covers were tugged up around his shoulders but he didn't fully relax until Swan tucked herself into his side and whispered "I'm here... we'll find him Killian, I swear to you. He's coming home."

He gave a smile against the top of her head as she pulled him in closer and whispered "Aye Love... home"

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The tears fell, trailing their way silently down Emma cheeks as she clung onto her now sleeping Pirate. She gave a hard sniff as she wiped her face on the blanket but she didn't want to get up, she didn't want to disturb Hook. He had only just fallen asleep and she didn't want to risk waking him so soon. She closed her eyes as the image of his tortured face came back into her mind. He had practically convulsed in her arms after his eyes had rolled into the back of his head... it wasn't like any other panic attack that he'd had... like, ever... and that fact alone scared her. This was something new, this had been different to anything else that she had seen. It was like he was aware but not at the same time and when he had started to cry out it had been too much for her... to her it looked like he had been trying to cower away from a physical attack but somehow she knew it hadn't been Devin or even Pan doing the attacking. No, Killian had definitely been more upset than frightened... but why?

What had been happening to him?

She let out a long sigh knowing that the only person that could answer that question was currently in not fit state to do so. A few minutes later Hook gave a giant twitch in his sleep that had her up on her elbow to see better but his features just evened out and he carried on sleeping peacefully but now that she was no longer tucked into his side she decided that she would be safe to move without disturbing him so she scooted her way to the bottom of the bed and tiptoed to the door.

"Dad" she hissed along the corridor knowing that he wouldn't be too far away and sure enough seconds later he stuck his head out of the galley doorway while still clutching onto a paint brush covered in green paint.

"Yeah?" he whispered back

"Can you bring me my bag? I left it up on deck. Belle gave me a few records that I want to look through to see if we can figure out who these Sisters were back in the Enchanted Forest"

"Sure" he nodded "I'll bring it into you. You want a drink or anything?"

She gave a nod "I'd love a rum but that's out... can I just have some water?"

"Sure Kid. I'll be there in a minute OK"

She nodded then headed back inside their cabin where she sat down with a weary sigh. Her eyes automatically fell on her Pirate but she suddenly found herself smiling at him... he was grinning in his sleep. She rubbed her hand on her belly and whispered.

"You keeping your Papa company Pip?" The feeling of happiness that washed through her gave her her answer and she finally relaxed "You show him that it will all be OK alright"

The door opening distracted her and as she looked up it was to find her Dad tiptoeing in followed by Socks. She thought about chucking the kitten back out but when she jumped straight up onto the bed and settled herself on Hook's front Emma couldn't do it... the kitten purred gently as she settled over his heart and when he started to glow Emma just smirked.

Pip was happy.

"Here" her Dad whispered handing her the glass in his hand before sitting down opposite her, she gave him a frown but he just shrugged "It was either this or being directed to paint scenes from Scooby Doo by Hanna Barbera in there and I'll let you into a little secret... I'm not very good at painting"

She chuckled as she looked at the paint splotches on his hands "I can see that"

He laid her bag down on the table which she immediately grabbed and started pulling the paperwork out of. She split it into two piles and handed one to her Dad who started flicking through it and reading intently.

She watched him for a few seconds before whispering "Thanks Dad"

He looked up at her with genuine confusion on his face until he realized that she knew that he hadn't wanted to leave her by herself... yeah, she wasn't stupid, he usually loved painting with Junior but today he had chosen to stay with her instead.

"Any time" he replied with a smile before looking back at the papers in his hand "It says here that the Sisters where called "Flora, Fauna and... Mary something or another I think... the last name is kinda smudged"

"Oh my God" Emma gasped reaching over and tugging the page out of his hand "Flora, Fauna and Merryweather... of course"

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" her Dad asked

"Nope" she grinned "But I know just the Fairy that might"

"Blue?" her Dad asked

Emma gave a nod then suddenly frowned as she thought of another fairy "Do you know how Tink's doing?"

"Better" her Dad whispered looking back to the papers in front of him, he carried on talking as he thumbed through the pages "Whale said that she's been up and about but that she's gonna stay with the tribe for a while, she doesn't really want to go back home just yet"

"I don't blame her" Emma mused looking back to her paperwork too "I wouldn't want to go back there either after what happened."

They sat in silence for a while just reading but eventually her Dad sat back clutching a single page between his fingers.

"Wait a minute" he muttered more to himself than anyone else but Emma was intrigued by th elook on his face.

"What?"

"Are these the fairies that hid Aurora from Maleficent?"

"I think so, well Briar Rose... Aurora... whatever... the movie got kinda mixed up between Aurora and her Mother I guess but whatever way you look at it they must have known her. Why?"

"Because if they do then surely Aurora will know where they are" he gave a smirk "All we have to do is find Aurora and seeing as we just so happen to know where her castle is that's not really an issue now is it?"

"Yeah... that's not the issue. The issue is getting to the Enchanted Forest in the first place" Emma huffed out dropping her paperwork back onto the table

"Not when Old Peg Leg's Great Grammy can take us pretty much anywhere we want to go with that compass of hers, we have two working hats now remember" David grinned standing up "I'm gonna go find Calypso and ask if she's still willing to help"

"Good luck with that" Emma sighed giving another stretch "She's kinda freaked out by all the people and the fact that her beloved compass won't take her to Davy Jones. Last I heard was that she'd set off looking for a quiet place to think... and I have no idea where that would be"

Hook suddenly mumbled from the bed "Try out at the cave... where we hid the gem. She would feel safe there. She has been by herself for far too long, she just needs time to readjust to dealing with being around people again"

"On it" her Dad cried out as he practically ran from the room then she heard him yelling to the kids "You guys wanna help me find Grammy?"

There was a collective yell of ayes and yeses that had Emma smiling as she got up and headed back over to the bed.

"Grammy?" Hook smirked quirking a brow at her

"Apparently she picked it" she shrugged before looking at him seriously "You want to talk about what happened?"

She expected him to shut down, it was his usual response until he had sorted out how he wanted to deal with things in his head but to her utter surprise he nodded and actually smiled.

"He wants me to find him"

"What?" Emma gasped "How do you know that?"

"Leia... she told me... well showed me" he furrowed his brow and sighed "It's quite muddled but however she did it I know that it is true"

"OK so Pip showed you but how does she know?"

He met her eyes and whispered "I do not know Love but I swear to you that she showed me the boy. He is indeed with three women. He looked happy enough but also sad..." he trailed off and gave a gulp before furrowing his brow and carrying on "Our Father had been beating him... among other things. He killed the boy's Mother and dumped her in the well... had I known at the time... had I not been so caught up in my own selfishness I would have taken him with me but I failed him Swan... I left him behind like he was nothing."

"Hey" she soothed "Don't do that... it's done remember. You might not be able to change what happened but you can still change his future. We will find him, he IS coming home OK."

He gave a little nod before simply closing his eyes again and mumbling "I am sorry Love."

"What for?" she asked gently

"I must have scared the life from you before" he replied opening his eyes and meeting her gaze

"Yeah, it was kinda intense... what happened?"

He let out a huge sigh and looked to the ceiling. He suddenly seemed to be fighting back tears as he cleared his throat and started talking in a shaky voice.

"I...I uhm remembered a few things that I had forgotten" he gave a gulp and looked back at Emma, he gave a quick smile then dropped his gaze to the kitten on his chest "I see that this little one has once again managed to escape eviction"

Emma didn't say anything, she just waited, knowing that he would get to what he wanted to say eventually and she was right as he pulled in a breath and spoke in a long sigh.

"It would seem that my Father and the Captain were friends..." he paused and seemed to give his words some thought before carrying on "All of my life I thought that he protected me from the Captain because he loved me but it seems that somewhere along the line the mind of a confused and frightened child simply made the tale a bit less scary to deal with"

Emma's stomach dropped as she suddenly thought of Junior but again she just held her tongue not wanting to interrupt and give Hook any excuse to stop. He paused for another few seconds as more tears tumbled down his cheeks before pulling in another shaky breath and giving a nervous laugh.

"I can see it clear as day now... my Father and the Captain... they used to... Gods Swan they did things to Liam and I that no child should have to go through" he gave a growl as he raised his hand and scrubbed at his face suddenly getting angry "If it were just me, I think that I could perhaps dismiss it as ancient history but there is Junior to think of and now young William too. How could he do this? How? I do not understand... why would he do this to us?"

He was crying in earnest now and Emma was crying too. She crawled up the bed and hauled him into her arms making Socks jump from the bed "I don't know Killian but what I do know is that Junior is happy. YOU have made him happy and we can do the same thing for Liam too."

Hook sobbed into her neck "Did he know?"

"Did who know?" she whispered back

"Liam... my Liam. Did he know all this time? Did he let me believe that it was only the Captain so that my distorted memory of my Father would not get worse?"

"Shhhhhh" she soothed "If he did it was only to protect you, just like you would do for Junior"

He gave a shaky nod against her throat "He can never know... I won't allow it. I don't want him to remember... it is too... I just..."

"He won't find out from any of us OK" she soothed tugging him in closer "But even if he does remember one day, it won't matter Killian. Brennan Jones is NOT Junior's Father, you are. He chose you remember. He loves YOU even though he knows what you did. There is NOTHING that kid doesn't know about you and yet he still loves you with all his heart... that's what matters Hook"

Hook descended into racking sobs, she could feel him clutching onto her back as she rocked him back and forth.

"I miss him... I miss him so much that it hurts"

"I know" was all she said, she didn't need to ask who he was talking about... he missed Liam and her heart broke for him. Liam was Killian's Papa just as plainly as Killian was Junior's... Liam had protected Killian his whole life and even after his death, he had literally come back from the Underworld to help him.

Brennan Jones was nothing... he did not deserve the name "Father" and Emma hoped he was rotting in a special part of hell for what he had done.

She knew only too well how it felt to wonder if your Father ever loved you, she knew what Hook was going through right now and as she thought of her own Dad she held back a sob. Her Dad had nearly died trying to protect her when she wasn't even an hour old while Brennan Jones had ran away when things got too rough for him... he had sold his kids to the one person he knew would hurt them more and never once looked back.

After what felt like an eternity Emma felt the fight go out of Hook, he finally relaxed in her arms and ultimately he fell back asleep again as she rubbed her hand up and down his spine. Once she was satisfied that he was well and truly out she gently managed to lie him back down on his pillows but when she sat back and could see his face her heart broke all over again at the red blotchy mess that was before her... how could someone do this to their own child?

"Because he is a bad man Momma"

Emma gasped and her eyes flew up to see her baby girl standing by the bed, tears instantly welled in her eyes and her hand made it's way up to her trembling lip "Pip?"

"Aye, it's me" she smiled sweetly and gave off a golden glow as she clenched her hands in front of herself while twisting her hips so that her pretty dress swung back and forth around her but it didn't last, she suddenly looked very serious and whispered in a harsh tone "I have a message for you from Baelfire"

Emma blinked hard "What? How?"

Pip gave a little shrug and went back to talking in her normal voice "Until I am born I can wander where I please... I wanted to bring Uncle Liam for Papa, he says to say hello by the way, he is with Papa as we speak but I must return him soon before anyone notices that he is gone."

"You can visit heaven?" Emma asked in awe

"Aye but after I am born that will change" Pip replied with a pout and Emma nearly laughed when Pip suddenly crossed her arms and huffed "Zeus informed me that I will have to live life as a mere mortal until I have learned my worth. What does that even mean Momma?"

"It means that you better behave young lady otherwise there will be trouble" Emma chuckled "But it also means that we are gonna have the best time ever. You can just be a kid and have fun without the pressure of being "super magic" as Junior calls it. You'll be happy with us, I promise"

Pip grinned and giggled, going back to swinging her dress from side to side "I already am silly... you are my family, I would not want be anywhere else"

Emma smiled but then suddenly remembered what Pip had said "What was Nea... Baelfire's message baby?"

Pip gave a little frown and answered "He said to tell you that Davy Jones has passed... that someone else controls the Flying Dutchman and that is why the compass will not take Calypso to him...but her heart still resides within it's hull Momma, you need to get it back to her"

"What? How is that possible? I thought he was cursed?" Emma gasped

But Pip just shrugged "I tried to find the vessel to see who commands her but it was beyond my abilities. Baelfire says that his Papa will be able to help if you give him this"

Pip suddenly held out her hand making Emma's eyebrows shoot up but she reached out to take whatever it was anyway and when the object finally fell into her palm she held it up to see a slightly ghostly looking gold coin with a skull on it.

"Oh my God" she breathed out "Aztec Gold"

"What does that mean Momma?" Pip asked quizzically

"Cursed gold from the Treasure of Cortes or a representation of it anyway... it's not real Kid, it's just a message for Grandpa Gold" Emma replied holding up the fake coin so that the kid could see a bit better "No curses on this one, honest"

"I will see what I can find out about this treasure of Cortes, Baelfire and Uncle Liam will help me I am sure of it. They are keen to return Calypso's heart to her for helping all of you in Wonderland... oh and Baelfire said that it was good to be back with the Scooby Gang" Pip chirped up suddenly looking excited before letting her face fall into a frown again "I like helping too Momma but I have a question."

"What is it Baby?" Emma asked wanting more than anything to reach out and run her hand down Pip's face

"Will I remember all of this once I am born? When I am older, will I remember our time together?"

"Your guess is as good as mine Kid" Emma whispered before having a sudden thought "But here's an idea. What say you and me have a sit down before that happens and write all this stuff down? We can make an adventure book like Junior did when Papa was in Neverland with Grandpa"

Pip's face practically lit up and when she gave a little happy dance... well, in that spilt second Emma saw both Junior and Henry in her little Princess and her heart nearly exploded with happiness.

"I would like that Momma" Pip giggled before lowering her voice and whispering "But you must keep it quiet, Zeus has already told me off once already for visiting like this. I had to use magic to conceal my intentions this time" she suddenly looked indignant and crossed her arms again "But I do not care. My Papa needed Uncle Liam and you needed me so Zeus can complain all he likes... he will not stop me from helping my family... just because Hera got him into trouble for wrongly cursing Calypso and Davy Jones does not mean that he can take his frustration out on me"

"Whoa" Emma gasped actually sitting up "Wrongly cursed?"

"Aye" Pip nodded innocently "I may have been listening at the door while they argued earlier. It would seem that Davy always loved Calypso but Eris stole his heart and used it to control him. She made him trick Calypso into giving up her's willingly then sealed both of the hearts in a chest"

"Why?" Emma asked in confusion

"Because she could" Pip shrugged "Eris is also known as Discord too Momma, she likes causing chaos for others. Her Brother Ares helped her and Hera says that Zeus was a fool to fall for it, that he should have seen through their tricks and lies before condemning an innocent man and a nymph simply looking for love to a curse so cruel"

"OK" Emma said shaking her head slightly trying to understand everything that was going on "So both hearts were in the chest. So how come Davy Jones has passed on to the other side and Calypso hasn't?"

"I do not know Momma" she almost whispered back "He is not in Elysium, he is with Hades in the Underworld and I dare not go there"

"Yeah, don't you even try it Pip... I mean it, promise me that you'll never go near that place, do you understand me?"

"I promise" she replied honestly "But perhaps he is there because he has unfinished business"

"Right" Emma said clicking her fingers "Calypso's heart. We get that back from whoever has the Flying Dutchman and we not only help Grammy but we could free Davy Jones too, he would be able to ascend"

"I would like that" Pip nodded "It seems only fair after all these years of him being wrongly accused of betraying his love"

"It's a plan then" Emma grinned but then she had a sudden thought as she looked at her little girl "When will I see you again?"

"I am always with you Momma. You need not do more than simply ask your question and I will supply the answer"

Hook suddenly gave a low moan that had Emma looking away from her baby girl and by the time she had made sure that he was OK Pip had disappeared.

"I wasn't finished talking to you" Emma called out into the empty room

"I will be back soon Momma...I must return Uncle Liam to Elysium before Grumpy Zeus discovers that he is gone" Pip's voice said in her head "but in the mean time perhaps you could buy a hefty leather bound journal... I hear that my Henry is a good author so perhaps we can allow him to record our adventures while my Junior illustrates them"

Emma grinned into thin air "OK bossy boots, that sounds like the perfect partnership to me...but you better be careful... and stay out of trouble... and tell Uncle Liam thanks for coming"

"I will" Pip giggled "And I promise to stay out of trouble... or I will try at least"

Emma flopped back on the bed and smiled as she rubbed her belly "You're gonna keep us on our toes aren't you?" She gave off a soft glow that had her laughing "Yup, you're definitely a Jones aren't you? Can't stay out of trouble for more than five minutes"

It was true but she knew that she wouldn't have it any other way... Her Princess Leia was giving the real one a run for her money on the bravery scale and this Momma couldn't be prouder. She tilted her head and looked at Hook and gave a deep sigh. His face was still quite red and she could tell by his breathing that his nose was all bunged up from tear snot...

She knew he had needed to talk to Liam. He NEEDED his Papa. Why did life have to be so cruel? Why could Liam not have stayed longer... just until all of this was over.

But as she lay there she knew it would never be over... there would have always been another reason for him not to have left and yet she couldn't bring herself to care about that. Hook needed Liam in his life and that was all she could think about. Maybe his visit would have been enough. Maybe Liam would have been able to help Hook deal with all the crap that he had remembered.

She rolled onto her side and just watched as her Pirate slept... unwilling to leave his side in case he woke and needed her. He had faced so much and dealt with all of it but somehow she knew that his hardest battle was still to come. He had to deal with all his forgotten memories. What the hell had Brennan Jones and that horrid Captain done to him... and Junior?! Suddenly the tears were flowing down her cheeks again as she thought of her precious boy. He was always so happy... always so willing to embrace life. Had he already blocked out all the things that had happened or did he just hide it and try to deal with it by himself like Hook used to do?

God... that thought had her feeling sick.

What if he lay at night... wait... she knew that he did.

He lay and read book after book... was he doing that to distract his mind from what was going on in his head? She had threatened to take away his lamp... her eyes jumped to it, it still sat by the side of the bed where he had insisted on placing it the night before and she gave a gasp as she remembered his words.

"Papa needs it more than I right now... I will manage fine without it"

Was he just "managing" to keep away the horrors of his past?

She couldn't breathe... this was too much.

A sob left her mouth and she grabbed her pillow to try and silence it but it would seem that it was her turn to be comforted as Hook suddenly turned and pulled her into his arms. She clung on to him like her life depended on it and sobbed into his neck.

"I'm sorry" she whispered

"Shhhhhh... there is no need to be sorry Love." he soothed pulling back too look at her face "We will be just fine you and I"

"I know" she replied as another tear rolled down her cheek "I just... oh God Hook... what about Junior?"

He let out a long sigh "He is not me Emma. You were right before, he is happy. I don't think he deals with things the same way as I... he has had Archie to help him... I really do think that he has just accepted that what happened is done, it is over and that his life is different now."

"But he lies awake at night just like you do" she whispered

But Hook chuckled and brought his hand up to wipe her tears away "No Love. He lies awake at night because his books hold too much adventure and that mind of his will not turn off until it is satisfied that the story is concluded... I used to do the same thing even as an adult."

"Really?" she almost pleaded "He's really not lying there remembering all the bad things that happened?"

He smiled at her "When was the last time he awoke with a bad dream Swan?"

She frowned and gave it some thought "I... I actually can't remember"

"That's because he doesn't have them anymore" he soothed "He is fine, he just likes reading far too much."

She gave a little laugh "Yeah... I kinda noticed." but her smile didn't stay as her hand made it's way up to his face and she traced the scar on his right cheek "I wish I could take away all your bad dreams"

He took hold of her hand and squeezed it in his "Not all of them are bad Swan and the ones that are are getting less. Our babe, she comes to me as I sleep..."

Emma suddenly smiled "I know... I saw her Killian, she came to me too. She stood right by this bed and spoke to me"

His whole face lit up and suddenly she could see hope in his eyes as they twinkled before her "Aye? Isn't she just the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in your life?"

Emma nodded and grinned "Aye"

A tear spilled down Hook's face but she knew that it was not from sadness and he laughed "She has character Swan... she is bold and full of spirit"

"Oh you don't know the half of it" Emma laughed back "I think she's keeping Zeus on his toes."

"Aye, she told me" he chuckled back before letting his smile fall "She brought Liam to see me Swan"

Her own smile fell as she watched him trying to form the words he wanted to say in his head and when he finally met her eyes she could see that he was OK as he whispered "He was trying to keep me safe... that is all. There was no big secret, no other reason than that. He simply did not want me suffering more than I needed to... I can understand that."

She didn't say anything, she just smiled at him and squeezed his hand to show that she understood but after a few seconds he pulled in a deep breath and was suddenly sitting up.

"Right future wife, we are going to get on with our life... come on... up with you. We cannot waste good daylight lying in bed when there is much to be done. Your Father will surely be returning soon with Calypso"

She laughed as she dragged herself up from the bed shoving the ghost coin into her pocket so that he couldn't see, unwilling to make him deal with that just yet, she giggled as he pulled her upright then sighed "You need to take it easy remember?"

"Aye" he replied suddenly pulling her into his arms and dropping a kiss onto her lips "But I can do that out on deck as we wait. Come on, you can hand feed me grapes and fan me while I take in some much needed sunshine"

She burst out laughing "Keep dreaming buddy. I have a better idea. You can hand feed me grapes and fan me while I lie in the sunshine... how's that?"

He quirked his lip and chuckled "Bloody perfect"