In this chapter, Henry's birthday is finally here, Percy realizes David kept a piece of info to himself, and CS shares a special moment.

Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT. If I did, scenes in this chapter would be canon. Also the timeline would be somewhat more coherent.

Another Disclaimer: Not a lawyer. Took a couple of elective law classes in school. Also Google is helpful.

Thanks to Can't-Stop-My-Fandoms for helping me with this chapter. Also thanks to xwolvie for following this story.

So this chapter is going to mostly be fluff because everyone needs it. Good lord do they need it.

Also heads up everyone, there be smut near the end :D

Enjoy!

Promises For Tomorrow

March 7, 2012

For the first time ever, Emma got to hold her baby in her arms on his birthday. It was something that, for years, she never allowed herself to imagine, thinking it would hurt less. Now it's something she gets to do as much as she wants.

"Happy birthday, kid," Emma said as she pressed yet another kiss on his head, the two of them dressed for the day as they stood in the loft.

"Thanks, Mom," Henry replied, burying his face in her chest, in partial disbelief that this was all real. Before, he hadn't really been able to celebrate birthdays. Time in Storybrooke didn't move past October, and he only celebrated birthdays because either he tracked them, or Regina reminded him it was his birthday. Now he got to have a birthday with his family on the actual correct date. Life was good.

"Birthday! Birthday! Birthday!" Tien shouted as she rammed into Henry's side for a hug. "Happy birthday!"

Henry reluctantly extricated himself from his mother's arms to hug Tien. "Thanks Tee."

"Awww who's a birthday boy," Phoebe teased as she pinched his cheeks and cooed at him, laughing when Henry batted her hands away.

Next was Killian, and Henry had no trouble flying into his arms.

Killian hugged the boy and for a moment lifted him off his feet. "Happy birthday, lad. Almost a man, eh?"

"He's still got some growing to do," Emma told him as Killian put the delighted boy back on his feet, not yet willing to talk about Henry being anything but a kid just yet.

Both Killian and Henry looked at each other and rolled their eyes in full view of Emma, who had no choice but to lightly slap their arms.

"Where's my hug?" Snow asked as she approached Henry, Lady and Copper circling around Henry's feet. Copper was a little slower than his female counterpart, on account of the bruised ribs, but seemed no less lively.

Snow got her hug, reveling in the feeling that she was able to truly celebrate her grandson's birthday.

"Pancakes are ready!" David called out, and Emma watched as he served the pancakes with quick and practiced ease before he shut off the stove and hugged his grandson. Meanwhile, Snow went and served the drinks.

Everyone sat down around the counter and ate their breakfast. Emma did notice Henry first put food in the dogs' bowls before he took to his own breakfast.

"We're gonna go to look at my steed before school, right Grandpa?" Henry asked David.

"Are you sure you want to go back there?" Emma asked him.

Henry nodded. "I've got to look after my steed. Twice a day, once before school and once after school."

"Pretty sure your steed needs a name," Phoebe mentioned before she stuffed a piece of pancake in her mouth.

"Horsey," Tien suggested.

Henry sighed. "I don't get why it's so hard. I'm usually great at naming things."

"Oh yeah," Phoebe said. "Your operation thingies."

"They're not thingies," Henry muttered petulantly.

"Speaking of thingies," Phoebe piped up before she turned to her dad. "Can we give our presents to Henry now or later?"

Killian caught Emma's eye. He knew this day was incredibly important to her and that everything should go as planned. "Not now. You'll have to wait until the party to give him his gifts." He then looked at Henry, because it was still his birthday. "If that's alright with you."

Henry nodded, adding a "Mhmm!" with a closed mouth, as he was still in the process of inhaling his pancakes. He then gave a hard swallow, as he took in more pancakes than he probably should have. He smiled sheepishly at his mother's disapproving look.

It was decided that Emma would take Henry to the stables before dropping him off at school, while Killian would take the girls to the bus.

Henry finished his breakfast first. Emma suggested he change into regular clothes so that his school uniform wouldn't smell like a horse. He agreed, and changed into normal clothes in record time, his uniform in his backpack.

He was practically bouncing off the walls by the time she finished. Henry already gave everyone sans his mom a goodbye hug - including the dog, and Copper even got a kiss - while his mom was getting her jacket on.

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Emma laughed as Henry pulled her out of the apartment.

On the ride over to the stables, Emma periodically checked on Henry at every ride slight or stop sign. The closer they got to the stables, the more uncomfortable he looked.

"You know," Emma suggested, "your grandpa could take care of the horse for today."

Henry shook his head, resolutely staring at the road ahead. "I'm okay."

"Don't push yourself."

"I'm okay, Mom. I have a job to do."

Emma pressed her lips together. The kid was stubborn, like her.

They soon arrived at the stables. For a moment, Henry seemed reluctant to go in, and Emma was about to suggest they just head straight to school when he got out of the car without a word.

Emma turned off the Bug and followed him in. He put on some rubber boots, rolled up some sleeves, put on some gloves, then grabbed a pitchfork before heading to a horse's stall.

"Can you grab the wheelbarrow?" Henry asked as he put the rake next to the horse's stall.

"Sure," Emma replied. As she did so, she saw Henry grab a broad shovel, a stable broom, and a shaving fork.

"This is your steed, huh?" Emma asked conversationally as they stood in front of the door.

"Yep," Henry said as he unlocked the stall door and opened it wide. "Hey Horse."

The horse huffed.

"Oh, right," Henry piped up as he quickly grabbed what Emma soon learned was called a lead. It took some doing to get the damn thing on the horse's head, and even more work to lead him out of the stall. Eventually, they got it done, and Henry got to work cleaning the stall.

Emma felt her nose wrinkle at the stench of horse droppings. "You sure you don't want me to help."

"I got it," Henry told her.

"You sure do know a lot about this already," Emma added.

"Grandpa told me at the stables before-" Henry stopped his work to pause before getting back into it with vigor. "Before what happened. I remembered."

The horse started to move, and Emma kept the leash of the lead in her left hand while she pressed her right hand against its neck. It stilled before relaxing under her touch. Whether it was her magic or just because the horse didn't feel like fighting, Emma didn't care. Just as long as it didn't end up kicking her or something.

Returning her focus to her boy, Emma asked, "You want to talk about it?"

Henry continued his work, but hesitated in answering. He finally admitted, "It was scary. I thought he was going to really hurt Grandpa and Copper and the others."

"And you too," Emma pointed out.

The 11-year-old shrugged.

Eleven, Emma realized with a start. She knew he was eleven today, but it struck her that he seemed so young. Aside from ten years of living under someone like Regina, not to mention nearly dying twice, he had to deal with being alone. Surrounded by people but isolated.

Like she was.

At the same time, she felt the pangs of guilt over having missed so much. She'd missed his first birthday, his first words, his first steps. What's more, she missed years of taking him to school, putting him to bed, celebrating birthdays and holidays, and making sure he felt loved.

I have to make up for it, she thought determinedly.

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here," Emma told him. "You know that right?"

Henry looked up. "I know, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too," she replied warmly.

The whole thing took about twenty minutes, by which point Henry had to hastily change in the nearby bathrooms, and they got into the car immediately afterward.

As she drove him to school, and if she was able to drive with one hand, let Henry hold her free one.

Ever since Henry's grandma became a teacher again, she'd been pretty good about not making it obvious that she took every opportunity to see him. A hello and short chat exchanged in the hallway, lingering by his desk in class a little longer than she should've, watching over him on the playground, etc.

Today was a welcome exception though, with the added bonus that, just before they were set to go to lunch, LJ and Declan arrived.

In the most over-the-top fashion possible.

"Happy birthday, to you!" Henry's classmates and friends sang, Grandma leading the chorus, as LJ and Declan reverently carried a chair pillow. On top of that pillow sat a single cupcake with a candle on it.

Henry was blushing when Grandma took the cupcake and put it on Henry's desk. She pulls a match out of her pocket and lights the candle.

"Happy birthday, dear Henry!" The class sings, Declan giving an especially high-pitched tone. "Happy birthday to yooooouuuuu!"

Henry blew out his candle, and the class clapped. The majority of them soon dismissed themselves to lunch while Henry walked with his friends, cupcake in hand.

The cupcake was chocolate with blue icing, and Henry couldn't wait to bite into it. So much so that he licked off some icing on the way to the cafeteria.

Grace side-hugged him. "Happy birthday, Henry." This was followed by a chorus of well wishes from his other friends.

Once they got to their usual table, Declan placed his egg on the seat next to him, nestled in his rolled-up jacket like a nest, before he began to eat his lunch.

"Is the party still on?" Declan asked him.

"Yep," Henry answered.

"We'll give you your presents at the party," Ava said.

"We wanted to give them to you at school," Nick added, "but our dad said it'd be better if we gave them to you at the party."

The rest of them echoed the sentiment from their own parents or guardians.

That's when LJ remembered something. "There is one present we wanted to give you now. We all collaborated on it."

As LJ rifled through his pockets, Declan inputted, "Via going through a lot of couches and picking up a bunch of coins from the sidewalk."

The meaning of Declan's words became clear when LJ handed Henry a $20 and a $10 bill.

"Once we got as much money as we could," LJ explained as Henry accepted the money, "my uncle exchanged the coins and smaller bills into this."

Touched, Henry gave them all a sweet smile. "Aww. Thanks guys."

The money was safely deposited deep in Henry's backpack, and conversation lulled into other topics. How were classes, what new games did they want to play, did Declan get in trouble for swearing, etc.

Just as Henry was finishing his delicious cupcake, LJ asked, "So, what's it like getting two sisters?"

"Whar-" Henry started with his mouth full. He swallowed the food before asking, "What? Oh yeah. Us moving in together."

"And Killian adopting them," Nick pointed out. Henry had told his group of friends the news over walkies the night before.

Henry felt his gut clench. Yeah, but he's not adopting me.

He told himself to be happy for the girls. After all, how selfish was it of him to want to be adopted by Killian, having a mom and grandparents, whereas Phoebe and Tien had no one else. Sure there were the fairies but it's not the same. Besides, after seeing how happy Tien was and how Phoebe literally burst into tears, how could he think of himself?

The thing is...he still was.

It was too soon to entertain the notion anyways. Emma and Killian were only dating. It wasn't like they were married or anything. Phoebe and Tien waited longer for this.

However, Henry's mind thought to the times throughout his childhood when Killian was there for him. Like when he was four and he first visited the library, and Killian helped him read from a book with big, colorful pictures. Or when he was eight and started sneaking out of the house, and Killian would let him hide out there before having to send him home. Or when he was eleven, discovered who his birth mom truly was, and Killian was there with a listening ear, even if he hadn't believed him at the time.

Killian was the closest thing to a father Henry had, that Henry would ever had, since Emma said that she couldn't find him.

Speaking of which, what was his name? Did Emma ever mention it?

"Henry," LJ said in a raised voice.

Henry startled in his seat. "Huh?"

"Lunch is over," LJ informed him. True enough, everyone in the cafeteria started to filter out.

Henry got the message, and began packing up his own things. He shook off the bad feelings he had and tried to focus on his birthday. It was the first one he'd have with his real family, and it was gonna be happy no matter what.

"Pivot! Pivot! Pivot!" David urged the men.

Freddie growled, "I knew it was a mistake to let you watch Friends!"

Killian rolled his eyes as David and Freddie continued this exchange, the three of them plus Percy doing their damndest to get this stupid couch into the house.

If they didn't get it inside soon, Killian was certain Freddie was going to murder David.

At last, they got the thing inside and set it down into where the living room was, all four of them taking a moment to catch their breath. Freddie less so since...well, Killian didn't know. Maybe it was a side effect of his former curse, but despite being cured, Freddie still seemed freakishly strong. It may have taken the four of them to get the couch inside, but unlike the rest of them, Freddie seemed ready for round two.

"Thanks for helping me get this inside," Killian said, gesturing not only to the couch, but the other furniture they'd already brought in. This included the mattresses for the kids' beds, the frames for said beds, a dining table, etc.

David rubbed the palms of his hands together, trying to smooth out the tension from when his hands gripped the couch. "That's what friends are for".

Freddie put his hands on his hips before looking around and letting out a long, high-pitched whistle. "You've got a nice, big place here."

"Plenty for a family of five, plus a dog," Percy commented.

"And any future kids," Freddie added with a wink in Killian's direction.

Killian felt himself blush as he watched David flush and Percy snicker. He also saw Percy and Freddie not so subtly highfive.

Traitors.

David and Freddie went to check on the upstairs, as they still needed to set up some things, leaving Killian and Percy alone in the living room.

"You're almost there," Percy told him. It was true. The house was looking more and more like an actual place where people could live. There were fewer empty spaces, which would undoubtedly soon be filled in by whatever furniture arrangements or other additions the family could come up with. "Oh, by the way, I submitted the necessary paperwork for you to formally adopt Phoebe and Tien."

Killian replied, "Thank you. Also, sorry for adding more to your already sizable plate of things to do."

"I always wanted to become prematurely grey," Percy joked. "Nah, I'm kidding. I'm happy to help, especially since there isn't a wide array of reliable lawyers in town."

"Hmm, let's see," Killian mused aloud. "A cold lawyer who overcharges, an evil imp, or an actual knight in shining armor. Truly, a dilemma for the masses."

Percy chuckled at Killian's words. "Oh you."

"Seriously though," Killian said. "Thank you."

Percy smiled at him. "You're welcome. Anything to keep a family together." He nearly completely hid the grimace that appeared on his face.

"What is it?" Killian asked curiously.

Percy thought about it for a moment. "There's something everyone should know. Freddie! Dave! Can you come in here for a second?"

The men soon rejoined them.

"What's up?" Freddie asked.

Now that he thought about it, Killian thought he saw a strong undercurrent of tension in Percy.

"I don't know if Ruby told you, I should've mentioned it myself, and I shouldn't have chosen now to do it, but…" Percy shook his head. "I need to tell you all about something that happened yesterday."

Percy went on to explain that he finally confronted a woman named Morgana, who he explained was the reason he and his pregnant cousin (LJ's mother) came to the Enchanted Forest. She was also the woman who inadvertently caused Lainey's death. Also, there was her side of events, though Percy's face looked angry just explaining it. Angry and tired.

Furthermore, he told them that this entire bloody time-

"Frances Durand," Killian repeated in shock. "Rapunzel's counselor during the curse is Morgan le Fay?"

"Yes," Percy confirmed. "It turns out that Morgana landed somewhere other than where Lainey and I did. She found Rapunzel in her tower when she was seven, and- David? Are you okay?"

Looking over, Killian saw David with an odd look on his face. For a moment, he thought David felt as he did. That he was protectively angry, wanting to keep the cause of Percy's pain away from a young woman both of them cared about. Even during the curse, he hadn't often spoken to Frances, though he knew how much 'Dada' looked up to the woman. Both Dada and Rapunzel weren't the type to normally speak badly about someone, but she also wouldn't lie about their goodness. If she believed you were worthy of praise, she would say it.

However, that wasn't the look David was giving them. He looked like he was ready to be the bearer of bad news. Physically preparing himself for a bad reaction.

He looked guilty.

David placed his hands on his hips and just looked resigned. "I was hoping that you wouldn't find out this way."

"What do you-" Percy stopped and realized something. "You knew? Since when?"

"Um…" David trailed off. "A few days ago."

Killian blinked. What?

"You knew?" Percy asked again, this time more incredulously. "How? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I promised Rapunzel I'd wait-"

Percy cut him off. "Rapunzel knew before I did?"

"Percy," Freddie said calmingly. "I'm sure David has an explanation."

"I do," David promised. "She didn't know about the history between you and Morgana, and I didn't really have a chance to tell her more at the time. All she knew is what the rest of the Enchanted Forest heard, and what she personally experienced with the woman."

"Which was?" Percy questioned.

"A woman who saved her life," David answered. "A woman who protected her from Duke Sitz, the man who took over her kingdom and might've done something terrible to her parents. The woman who practically raised Rapunzel since the age of seven, and who Rapunzel is so protective of she made me swear on Emma's life not to hurt her."

That definitely shocked Killian. Was concern for Morgana's safety so important that Rapunzel made David swear on his daughter's life?

Apparently the other men were coming to the same conclusion.

Percy's jaw set like marble.

"I was going to tell you," David said hurriedly. "I just wanted to find a right time-"

"But there was a good time," Percy interjected. "Telling me right after would've been the right time. Warning me that my cousin's killer was in town a day later would've been the right time. Only deciding now to tell me that the reason LJ doesn't have a mother is not the right time."

Killian thought, Shite. He's angry.

Would he be so different if, years ago, one of his crew mates learned that the king who caused Liam's death was within his grasp, and kept it to himself?

Definitely not.

What was David thinking? Percy was his friend and he should've been honest with him.

It was understandable to want to keep his promise to Rapunzel, not wanting to create more trouble with the amount of disarray in the first few days since the curse broke, but Percy had a right to know. Gods, had it even been a week since the curse broke? If so, it was one of the longest weeks of Killian's life.

Percy's eyes were flaring. It was clear that he wanted to yell, maybe even punch David.

David swallowed nervously. "Percy..."

Freddie stepped in. "Okay, look, I'm sure there's a time and place for yelling it all out, but maybe we should not do that right now."

It seemed to take all of the willpower Percy had to calm down. "You're right." He glared at David. "We can talk about this later." He looked at Killian. "I don't want to ruin this for you."

Though a second glare from Percy towards David clearly said that this wasn't over yet.

As Freddie and Percy went on to continue helping out, Killian grabbed David and pulled him aside. "David, what were you thinking?"

David winced. "I know. It was stupid."

"Stupid?" Killian hissed. "Percy is your friend. You should've told him."

David groaned. "I already feel terrible about this, Killian."

Killian sighed. He glanced after Percy. This was a mess. "Look, just...I don't know. Let Percy yell at you. Maybe let him get a punch in. But he's a good guy, and so are you. You'll both work it out."

David hoped that Killian was right.

It was Emma's first patrol with Mulan, and most of it was done in silence.

Emma soon realized that Mulan was not only straightforward when she spoke, she was also fairly quiet. Her intense stares and great skill with a sword made up for that.

She also didn't have a car, which led to Emma driving the two of them around in her Bug. Emma's eyes were mainly on the road, while Mulan watched everything else.

The two women left the dwarves, who were joined by Bashful, to guard the prisoners and the station.

The silence was actually kind of comforting. Emma knew that she was going to end up surrounded by a bunch of people, including noisy and energetic kids and dogs, later that day, so this was fine.

This also allowed Emma's mind to wander.

On the list of things that ranged from 'hardly noticeable' to 'what the actual fuck', the call she and Graham got about Whale's arm magically reattaching to him was on the latter end of the spectrum. Imagine their surprise when they heard from the hospital that one minute the doctors walked out without hope that the arm could be reattached, then the next minute they walked back into the operation room to find said arm very much attached. Whale and Sleepy were both out of them, so when they came to, neither of them had an explanation.

Sleepy had checked the security cameras, but they all mysteriously malfunctioned and showed nothing but static for that particular time frame.

For a brief moment, Emma and Graham wondered if maybe Cora was behind it, a way to get Whale on her side, but that didn't make sense. For one thing, they didn't know if she knew that Whale was Frankenstein (also, it was much easier for Emma to see the doctor as Whale and not Frankenstein). For another, no one claimed responsibility for the act, and she was pretty sure Whale wasn't hiding anything. He legitimately didn't know what happened. He got reamed out by the hospital and Emma for bringing back Emma, so who knows if he would even be a doctor by the day's end.

There was also a bit of business she and Percy touched on, and he promised to get word to her by the end of the day.

Moving on to happier things, Emam thought about Henry's upcoming party.

She needed to coordinate with Snow to see if there were any last minute details they should cover. Emma wanted this to go perfectly, or as close to perfect as they could get. She already warned everyone at the station in advance that she'd be leaving early, and all of them understood. Graham would find a chance to get away in order to attend as well, since he wanted to drop Declan off himself. He'd also gotten permission from Marian and Emma to bring Roland, since Henry himself mentioned that he didn't want Tien to be the only little kid there.

Emma smiled at his sweetness.

And it wasn't just the station she warned. Emma also spoke with Marian about keeping an eye on everything, who then passed it along to the Merry Men. Furthermore, Killian told her that he spoke with Smee and a few members of his old crew to continue keeping their heads down but their eyes open.

That's when Emma remembered something else Marian had mentioned, and David too for that matter.

"You know," Emma almost winced at how awkward it was to be the one to break a long silence, "David and Marian are thinking about joining the force. Or at least helping with patrol."

Mulan didn't say anything, though she arched a questioning brow.

Feeling a touch more awkward, Emma managed to get out, "They offered their help, and Graham and I are open to it." She then added with her best attempt at a lighter tone, "We don't know what's around the next corner, right?"

"Correct," Mulan replied stiffly.

More silence.

Then, Mulan asked, "I haven't heard anything from the hospital about Cora. I don't suppose you've had better luck."

Right to the point, got it.

Once Freddie and Belle confirmed that Mulan was trustworthy, particularly with secrets, she and Graham found time to let her know about Cora. She took the news with the same grim determination she took everything else.

"No sightings yet," Emma said, annoyed with how many times she's had to say that lately.

There were times where Emma was nearly lulled into a false sense of security, an errant and stupid thought that maybe Cora wasn't there after all. Then there would be moments immediately afterward, most commonly at night when she was trying to sleep, when she realized how ludicrous that hope was.

"Believe it or not, there are a lot of generally middle-aged white women with brown hair and brown eyes," Emma continued flatly. "Plus Cora is good at hiding."

Mulan nodded. "She hasn't made any contact with Regina, that's for certain."

Emma couldn't help but ask, "You sure about that?"

The glance Mulan gave her gave the distinct indication that the other woman was somewhat offended. "I made sure of it. I'm not like Sleepy."

"By the way," Emma suddenly wondered aloud, "is he the only dwarf manning the hospital?"

"Most of the time," Mulan replied. "There are other security guards there that were palace guards in the Enchanted Forest." After a pause, Mulan added, "All of them are either part of your parents' kingdom, King Charles', or otherwise trusted royals."

Emma nodded. "Right."

Somewhat surprisingly, Mulan was the next one to break the silence. "We could try luring Cora to us. We have perhaps the one person Cora wants on her side."

Truth be told, Emma had considered, but considering how narrowly they avoided Regina's death with the Wraith, she didn't know if she trusted herself with not letting Regina fall into Cora's hands. Even if Cora decided she wanted to kill her daughter, Emma had a gut feeling that such an outcome was bound to bite them all in the ass.

"It's too risky," Emma finally admitted. "Sure, we could try to use Regina as bait, but even if Cora was stupid enough to fall for whatever we came up with, we don't know if she'd have a backup plan. There's no 100% guarantee that we'd still have Regina in custody by the end of it. Plus Regina might end up getting hurt."

Mulan thought about it for a moment. "Can I ask you something?"

Despite the growing sense of trepidation, Emma nodded.

"Why are you so concerned for Regina's safety?" Mulan questioned. "She's made attempts on your life, your parents' lives, and nearly killed her own adopted son. Your son."

"I'm not," Emma replied. At a stop sign, she took a chance to look over and found Mulan's disbelieving look. Returning her attention to the road, Emma kept on driving. "I'm not. I am worried about what Regina going missing or being hurt would do to Henry. He tries to hide it, but he's still coming to terms with everything that happened. After that shit show at the stables, I don't want to give him something else to worry over. Besides, even if Regina doesn't deserve it, I don't exactly feel right about someone in custody getting hurt."

"I…" Mulan trailed off, like she was trying to put her thoughts and words in order. Emma couldn't see what face she was making now. "The circumstances aren't the same, but...I do understand what it means to do things you might not like for a loved one's sake."

Something about the tenor of Mulan's voice felt like a clue, but damn if Emma knew exactly what. "You speaking from personal experience?"

Mulan didn't answer after that, and the rest of the ride mostly consisted of silence.

David knocked on the door leading to Percy and LJ's apartment.

"It's open!" Percy called from inside.

David still took a moment, a steadying and calming inhale and exhale, before entering Percy and LJ's two-bedroom suite.

Admittedly, that description alone was a bit misleading. When David entered, there was a small dining table nearest to him on his left side. Further down at the other end of the room was a window with a view of the forest. Next to it, pressed up against one wall, was a couch. On the opposite wall was a TV on a wide living room stand. In between them was a coffee table. Closer to David were two doors on opposite sides of each other, which he guessed were the bedrooms.

This was one of the few truly residential suites in the entire inn. He knew that Granny preserved this space for special guests during the curse, as this was an inn, not an apartment. Now, she had apparently given preference for Percy and LJ to occupy the space.

However, none of those previous things mentioned were what caught David's eye.

Inside, it was Percy sitting on a swivel chair in front of a single desk near the dining table. His back was to David. Nearby, a filing cabinet that Percy had taken from his former apartment/office and brought here. The desk was covered in case files, with a mug of something sitting on the flat top, pressed against the wall and as far away from the files as Percy could put it without getting up.

Percy turned around, likely expecting a client. David guessed this because his friend's expression went from calm and friendly to hard and cool.

Well...here goes.

"Hi," David greeted with a nervous smile, shutting the door behind him as quietly as possible, as if even a slightly loud click would deepen his offense.

Percy paused for a moment before standing up, and motioned to the dining table. The men sat across from each other, at which point Percy said, "You wanted to talk."

"Yeah," David answered. He slowly rubbed the palms of his hands together, unintentionally stalling for time. Then, he let the rushed words out to just get it over with dammit. "I'm sorry, and you have every right to be angry with me. I didn't mean to delay telling you this as long as I did, but that's still no excuse. I'm so, so sorry."

Percy didn't say anything. His eyes cold as he assessed David.

That was the most unnerving part. It would usually be at this point that Percy would say something, even if it was a simple 'Go on, keep talking'. He certainly wouldn't have looked at David the way he was now. Percy was warm, understanding, patient. Not...this.

Maybe I deserve this, David thought.

"I was wrong keeping you in the dark," David said. "With everything going on - half the town worrying about losing their memories again, trying to keep Regina and Midas from hurting anyone, and thinking Cora was around any corner - I kept putting this off."

Percy finally spoke, and his tone was detached. "You put off the fact that Lainey's killer was within arm's reach?"

"I-"

Percy held up a hand, silencing David's protest. For the first time in a long while, David felt small.

No one spoke for about half a minute, but that was only because Percy was still collecting his thoughts. David didn't dare make the next move.

It was almost a relief when Percy finally spoke. Almost.

"I know you had things to worry about," Percy told him, his voice hard. "I had things to worry about too. My nephew, helping all these people, trying to find some semblance of normalcy. All of that, and yet whenever you or your family needed help or information, I was there, no problem. I helped you, David. I didn't expect much in return other than to not rate so low on your fucking priorities."

David tried not to avert his eyes. If Percy was worked up enough to swear, and to swear at him, he knew he would already be in a lot of trouble. What made it worse was that Percy was right. He hadn't made his friend a priority. Of course, David's family would always come first, but he'd held this off for far too long. He should've told Percy, to at least let him find out from him rather than on his own. He had been a terrible friend.

"I'm sorry," David said, though it came out too quietly for his liking.

Percy let out a sharp inhale and exhale as he sat back.

Once more, David waited for Percy to make the next move.

"You want to know something about my family?" Percy finally asked, though his gaze now had a far away look to them. "I hate my father. I really, truly hate my father. He was a deeply selfish and self-centered man. My poor mother was a kind and gentle woman, and he couldn't be bothered to not have affairs right in front of her. Everyone excused it as him having needs that my sickly mother couldn't always meet."

Percy swallowed. "My mother had chronic health problems, which made it difficult for her to do the only important thing people in my home kingdom thought a queen and wife should do: give her husband children. I was her first and only live birth. My uncle's wife was the same way, except she died after giving birth to Lainey."

The man scoffed and shook his head before holding up his hand. "Actually, two decent things my father did. One:" he put up one finger, "he put a statue of my mother up in the royal gardens, carefully maintained the statue of his wife he claimed he loved, but wasn't even there when she died giving birth to my fourth dead sibling."

David could only watch in silent stillness as Percy collected himself.

"Two:" Percy continued, "he let me visit Lainey as much as I wanted when it was viable, and vice versa. Neither of us had any siblings, and we were the only family we had besides our fathers. Even after Lancelot came into our lives, I always made time for Lainey. She was the closest thing to a baby sister I ever had."

Percy let his hand drop to the table before he sighed, sounding so resigned. "As much as I hate to admit it, Morgana had a point about Arthur. His quest was consuming him. I had a suspicion that he was going down a darker path, but I thought all of us - the Knights of the Round Table - could keep him on track. It kills me that Morgana felt she had to hide it from us. If she'd just fucking-"

David jumped when Percy slammed a palm down on the table. He expected rage, more coldness, something explosive. Instead, his heart broke when he saw Percy's face begin to crumple.

"I-" Percy had to pause to collect himself. "I loved her, you understand? I loved her more than anyone else in any world until LJ was born. She was everything to me. Arthur, Lancelot, the Knights of the Round Table. All of them came secondary to her. I was there when she died, I held her hand while she fell asleep for the last time. I spent almost thirteen years in a world where my entire life was someone else's fairy tale, doing my best to raise a little boy who would never meet his sweet mother. I felt so alone, everything weighing down and depending on me, and now it's just-"

Percy buried his face in his hands. He didn't shake David off when the other man stood up, went around the table, and sat down to give his friend a side-hug.

"She was my sister, David," Percy got out, his eyes watery and his voice choked. "Lainey was my baby sister, and because Morgana didn't-"

"I'm so sorry, Percy," David told him, the guilt pressing down on his chest.

"What am I supposed to do with this, David?" Percy asked him, his hands moving until only one hand remained, covering his eyes. He struggled to get the words out steadily, and the result was only marginally successful. "How am I supposed to live near someone who took Lainey away? I know why she did it, but…"

"It still happened," David supplied when Percy could no longer speak.

The two of them stayed that way for some time longer until Percy had calmed down more. It fractured something in David when he pulled back to sit more fully in his chair, and he saw Percy's eyes were red and puffy from crying. He briefly got up to grab a nearby tissue, and handed it to Percy, who accepted it without a word. David's friend seemed to have run out of energy.

When he deemed it best to talk, David went for it as carefully as he could. "I haven't been a good friend. At the very least, not as good a friend as I should've been. You had a right to know Morgana was here, and the fact that I didn't tell you right away is completely my fault. I will make this up to you, I promise." David waited, and when Percy didn't say anything, he continued, "I know that if you put me in the same position with the person who caused my family that much pain."

"You mean Regina?" Percy asked.

"Yes, and no," David calmly answered. "I meant George. I'm pretty sure he's here."

It took Percy a few seconds before he remembered why the name sounded so familiar. "The king who killed your mother." Percy sounded so sad.

David nodded. "I've tried to keep tabs on him, to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else I care about, but some days it's hard to not just walk to his home and hurt him for what he did to my mother. He…" David trailed off before shaking his head. "I know it's not the same, I know that. I'm not trying to compare it, but...what I am trying to say is that I know why you're angry. It's the same reason why I know there's something bad between Killian and the Dark One." David wasn't aware of all the details, but he knew there was some deep hatred between those two that simply had to do with something major, something personal. "I would never ask you to forgive Morgana. What I am saying is that before you do anything, let's see if we can find a peaceful solution."

"And what would the end result of that be?" Percy retorted. "I just let it all go and she continues on with her life?"

"No," David replied. "What hopefully happens is that she either does everything she can to make up what she did to you and LJ, or she ends up in jail for causing Lainey's death."

"What court would take that seriously?" Percy questioned. "All she would need to do is say she had no idea Lainey would go into the portal, and that dying in childbirth is something women in my family did."

"If I'm going to be honest," David continued, "I don't think she'd do that. I can't say why for sure. It's just a gut feeling."

Percy sniffled, the last of the tears dissipating into nothing as he gave a tired shrug.

"Please, just," David started, feeling desperate, "tell me what I need to do to make this up to you."

After a while, Percy looked at him sternly. "Never lie to me about something like this again. No lies of omission or complete fabrications. I'm your friend, and I expect to be treated like one."

"Absolutely," David promised. "I will."

Percy nodded. Then, the tiniest bit of light came back into his eyes, and there was the smallest quirk in his lips. "Aaaand...if you wanted to buy me dinner for a while, that could heal this gap between us."

David allowed himself to smile a little once Percy did. "Done."

"Oh, and to save me an extra slice of cake at this party tonight," Percy tacked on.

David let out a dramatic sigh. "If I must."

"You damn well better," Percy said before both men started laughing a little. "Come here, you big softie."

The two leaned over and embraced each other once more.

David swore to himself he'd keep his promise.

"Hi, Killian!" Henry greeted him.

Killian smiled as the boy ran up to him, and the two of them hugged each other. "How was school?"

"Good," Henry answered, his voice muffled by the leather of Killian's jacket. Huh. Guess Killian is wearing leather now. After reluctantly pulling back, he asked Killian, "Are we going to the stables?"

"Not just yet," Killian told him before the girls soon caught up, each flying into his arms, filling Killian's heart with joy. "We need to stop by the library."

"Why?" Tien asked him as she grabbed his hand.

"It's a surprise," Killian said conspiratorially, though he looked directly at Henry when he said this. The young lad now looked excited.

They made it to the library in record time, in small part because Henry seemed insistent on seeing whatever this surprise was. The moment they stepped over the threshold, Lady bounded over them, full of energy, and quickly lapped up every ounce of attention the children gave her.

Henry noticed when Belle, Freddie, and Art walked toward them. Lady noticed too, though only to trot possessively in front of Henry as if to say, This is my human. Begone!

It would be cuter if Killian wasn't half-convinced Art couldn't swallow Lady whole.

"Happy Birthday, Henry," Freddie said as he handed Henry a birthday card with one hand, as the other hand was occupied being around Belle's waist.

Henry accepted the card. "Thanks. You mind if I wait until my party to open it?"

"Of course," Belle answered. "It's your birthday present. Do what you want with it."

Henry smiled at them before turning to Killian. "Was this the surprise?"

Impatient little bugger. "No," Killian told him amusedly. "For that, you'll need to close your eyes. Turn around.

Henry did as directed and only gave a light protest when Phoebe decided to help by covering his eyes with her hands. Funnily enough, Tien took it upon herself to cover her and Lady's eyes, as ifno one but Killian was allowed to see it yet.

Killian already put the wooden swords, having been placed in a gift box and neatly wrapped up, in the loft. Now, they were carefully nestled amongst the other presents. This surprise was something new, something Smee of all people suggested during one of his and Killian's secret meetings. Admittedly, Killian became so enamored with the idea that he had to go through with it. There was no wrapping this present, because it was one of a soon-to-be-completed set.

Once Killian retrieved the item in question, he came back and told Henry to turn around. This ended up with Phoebe helping Henry turn around, her hands still over his eyes. She was confused by the gift, and seemed to be trying to figure out what it was when Killian directed Henry to hold it.

"Open your eyes," Killian told him.

Phoebe removed her hands, as did Tien for Lady and herself, and soon all of the children were curiously looking at the tarp in Henry's hands.

"Is that a blanket?" Tien inquired.

"It's too rough for a blanket," Henry said as he felt the material.

"Dad, what is it?" Phoebe asked.

No sense in keeping up the suspense. "It's a sail."

"A sail. Wha-" Henry suddenly gasped.

"Wha-" Tien mimicked the gasp as if she would suddenly understand what it meant. She was a bit put out when she didn't.

"Wait a se-" Henry cut himself off as his brain frantically tried to keep up with the thoughts swirling in his mind. "Did you find the Jolly Roger?"

Killian tried not to let the pang of longing for his ship show. Besides, it was a little amusing that Henry was so eager to see the infamous ship. The girls too from the looks of it. "It's not the Jolly, but it is a vessel - yours."

Once Killian told them that they needed to get to the docks, Henry eagerly pushed them all out. They hardly had time to get Lady's leash and say goodbye to the others before Henry ushered them all out.

They eventually arrived at the docks, particular the boat house where Killian kept his present for Henry. From the looks of crumbs left behind, he guessed Smee took care to guarding his present for the boy. Good man.

"Is that one mine?" Henry asked, pointing to the sailboat tied to the dock, gently bobbing on the water.

"Aye," Killian answered, smiling at the excited and enamored look on Henry's face. He let out a light groan when Henry slammed into him for a hug.

"Thank you, thank you," Henry repeatedly said as Killian hugged him back. "I promise I'll take good care of it.

"You're very welcome," Killian told him warmly, squeezing a little tighter before letting him go. "Soon as you're ready, I'll teach you how to sail it."

Henry gave him another tight hug. Once Henry let him go again, he looked up at Killian with a great smile.

"You know," Killian added, "it's bad luck for a ship to go nameless."

Henry's smile dimmed.

"What?" Killian teased. "You're usually great with names."

"I know," Henry sulked. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I can't name the horse, so what if I can't name the boat."

He was suddenly surprised by Phoebe creeping up behind him, wrapping her arms around him, and lifting him off his feet.

"Huh? What?" Henry questioned.

"Hey, no sad faces today," Phoebe ordered gleefully, somehow keeping her arms around him and Lady's leash in her hand. The dog tried jumping up to nip on Henry's elevated shoes. "We'll figure out a name for your steed and ship."

"Like what?" Henry asked, desperate for help. Or maybe just for the older girl to put him down.

"I have a few suggestions," Phoebe offered as she mercifully let him back on his own two feet.

Sail in hand, Henry and Phoebe began to inspect the ship while trading some name suggestions. Lady walked back and forth between them, occasionally trying to lean over to sniff the sailboat, but having to be held back by the older two children so that the pup wouldn't go overboard.

His thoughts wandered to his own ship - the Jolly Roger. He and Smee were still on the lookout for it, but it was becoming increasingly obvious that the ship was nowhere to be found. Or rather, it was nowhere where it could obviously be found. Nothing could hide such a vessel without some large amount of magic, and in a land like this, magic was a rare commodity.

He hesitated to think his beloved ship was lost like their former land was. He-

-felt a tug on his hook.

Looking down, Killian found that Tien was once more hanging onto his hook as easily as if she was holding his hand.

"Careful," he gently warned her, trying to extricate herself from the hook. "You could get hurt."

"Why?" Tien asked him confusedly.

Killian pointed out the obvious. "Because it's a hook."

"But it's you," Tien retorted, not understanding why anything that was a part of Daddy could ever hurt her.

Killian instantly understood what she was saying. He managed to get her to let go of the hook before he kneeled down and hugged her, an action she heartily returned.

"You're a sweetheart, you know that?" Killian murmured.

"I love you, Daddy," Tien told him.

Killian Jones, Captain Hook, terror of the high seas, felt his damn eyes begin to water. He kissed the side of her head. "I love you too."

"That's perfect!" Henry suddenly exclaimed.

Killian and Tien turned their heads to look at Henry, who was suddenly hugging Phoebe, who returned the embrace.

"What is?" Killian asked.

"The names," Henry announced as he let Henry go and turn toward them. "Phoebe figured out the names for the sailboat and the horse."

Tien jumped up and down, embracing the secondhand excitement. "What is it? What is it?"

Henry puffed up his chest before gesturing magnanimously at the boat. "This shall be named the Verity."

Tien giggled at his regal tone.

Henry continued, "And the horse shall be called, drumroll please!"

They all rapidly patted their legs, and even Lady tried to bark in rhythm.

"Valiant!" Henry announced. Tien cheered in support, and Henry added, "Phoebe came up with the names." He turned to her. "Thanks again."

"Hey, no problem," Phoebe said as she side-hugged him. "What are big- uh big teens for?"

Killian was certain that wasn't what Phoebe was going to say. From the look on Henry's face, he knew that too. The boy side-hugged the older girl back.

"We should go to the stables," Henry told the group. "I want to tell my steed what his name is. I just hope he likes it."

Emma was hankering for some ice cream, so much so that she even thought of the word hankering. However, she would have to stamp down the craving until later.

"So we'll pick up the ice cream first, then the cake," Snow said from the passenger's seat. Given how short the trip would be, and the fact that Snow had already taken Copper on a long walk prior to this, they felt it better to leave him at the loft. "Or maybe we should hit the cake place first. No, that should be fine, right? But Ice cream melts fast, even if it's March, right? So-"

The only reason Emma wasn't that annoyed by Snow's frantic back-and-forth was that Emma felt just as nervous. Both of them really wanted to get this birthday party right.

Pulling over in front of the ice cream shop, Emma gave noncommittal answers to Snow's worried questions. Emma knew she was being unfair. Snow only wanted to make this party special for Henry.

That's not all she wants, Emma thought, and the reminder that Snow, her mother, just wanted to spend more time with her only child made Emma feel more guilty.

Both women stepped out of the car, Snow going in the direction of the nearby bakery, and Emma entering the ice cream shop. The bell at the front door dinged as she went inside.

The owner and sole employee, Ingrid, gave Emma a friendly wave.

"Hi, Emma," Ingrid greeted. Emma had talked to her a number of times during her time in Storybrooke whenever she stopped by. Ingrid was always eager to talk, but gave Emma her space when needed. Emma appreciated it. "What'll it be today?"

Emma replied, "A quart of Rocky Road and a quart of chocolate to go."

Ingrid got to work preparing the ice cream. "How have you been?"

"Alright, all things considered," Emma told her honestly.

Ingrid smiled at her as she gestured at the ice cream. "Well, I'm sure this will help."

Emma's stomach grumbled. She muttered, "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Ingrid told her softly. "Would you like a bag?"

Emma said yes to that, and soon the ice cream was packed up. Before she could leave, though, Ingrid leaned over and conspiratorially whispered, "You know, just between us, I could give you a little extra Rocky Road."

"You don't have to," Emma said, though Ingrid was already making another quart of Rocky Bard. "Seriously, you don't."

"It's no real loss for me," Ingrid told her as she placed the ice cream in Emma's bag. She refused to let Emma pay, as she said, "You've already done so much for us. This is the least I could do."

Emma knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with this woman, and she also didn't want to turn down the free ice cream. After leaving a sizable tip in the shop's tip jar, Emma said her goodbyes and left the shop. Just in time too. Snow had just arrived with the cake.

With their haul safely in the back of the car, the women went back to the loft.

The second they made it inside, Copper appeared, barking and running around their feet as they closed the door behind them. Once they got their haul into the freezer and fridge, respectively, and checked on the puppy, they went to work on their most important task: re-checking everything twice even though they did that before they left.

It was a thing, okay?

The banner that read "Happy Birthday, Henry!" was up, as were the streamers. Henry's presents were all on a coffee table, waiting to be opened. She and Snow spent every moment between when Emma left work and arrived at the loft to when they left to pick up the cake and ice cream moving furniture. They wanted to make as much room for the people arriving as possible.

There was also this unspoken feeling that this was the last day most of the current residents in the loft would be there, as the house was basically complete now. Emma and Killian would give it one final inspection, and they'd officially move in the next day.

It would be official. Killian, the kids, and herself, would move into the house, have their own rooms...the thought of her and Killian getting some alone time made her body-

"Emma," Snow said, Copper loyally following her every move.

"Uh, yeah?" Emma tried not to stammer as she was abruptly taken out of her thoughts.

Snow briefly shuffled on her feet as she once again adjusted the presents on the coffee table. Emma spotted the present she noticed came from Killian.

Finally, Snow told her daughter, "You know I love you, right?"

This...uh...what?

"I…" Emma tried to say. "I guess?"

The sad frown on Snow's face told Emma this was the wrong thing to say, though it didn't seem expected.

Even Copper seemed to sense the mood's downturn, and whimpered softly.

Snow sighed as she briefly bent down to pet the dog, who lapped up the attention. Once that was done, she returned her focus on Emma. "It's...alright. No, it's not alright, but it's not your fault. I've been gone your entire life, and I reentered it as an adult who didn't even know who you were. Of course you wouldn't know that I love you more than anyone, except maybe Henry."

"Snow-"

"Please," Snow pleaded, and Emma stopped. Snow slowly approached Emma as if she was a skittish cat, and "I understand that this isn't easy for you. I can barely wrap my head around this sometimes, the same with your father. We spent so much time preparing to send you away, just trying to give you a chance to survive Regina and her curse, that we never thought about what would happen after. The truth is, I didn't expect Regina to spare either David. Part of me fully expected for her to kill us both."

Emma had to swallow a lump in her throat, as she knew that, given how much Regina hated her family, that thought had definitely crossed her mind. Plus, no one besides Regina knew what the curse would do.

Snow looked at her imploringly. "I don't know what I have to do to make up for the time we lost, or to prove that I'm not going anywhere, but I will do anything to heal our family. Anything to prove that I love you." She then softly added, "I'm so sorry. If there was any other alternative..."

It didn't look like Snow could speak anymore, the guilt almost choking her.

Deep down, Emma wanted to believe her. She felt like a fool, as her entire time in the foster care system, with the Swans, should've taught her never to trust a promise like this. Years of experience dealing with people who claimed to want to help her, or even love her, only to be let down should've made Emma say 'I don't believe you. Stop lying to me.'

And yet, she couldn't. Before her stood a woman who Emma hated for years, believing her biological parents were deadbeats who abandoned her on the side of a road instead of a fire station or something. However, she learned the truth, and the simple fact of it was that neither David or Snow wanted to give her up. They literally had no choice: either send her away without family, or-

Oh...oh shit. August. They didn't know. No one knew except Emma, August, and Gepetto. And here Snow was blaming herself.

"It wasn't your fault," Emma told her without thinking about it. Before she could stop herself, she added, "The wardrobe was supposed to take two."

Snow blinked in surprise. "What? No, Gepetto said-"

"He lied," Emma told her. "Pinocchio told me so."

"Wha-" Snow stopped herself. "His son? I thought he was lost. He-"

"He goes by August Booth now," Emma interrupted her, watching as Snow's face clearly betrayed how much her mind was going into overdrive to figure this one out.

As gently as she could, Emma explained what had happened between her and August. How he had told her what his father did, what he did. At some point, the two of them ended up on the couch, Snow absentmindedly scratching Copper behind the ears as the pup laid contently on her lap. All the while, her face morphed from shocked to sorrowful to angry to blank. The last of which was the most unnerving.

When Emma finished, silence fell between them. It was clear that Snow was going over something in her head.

Having talked about it out loud to someone, Emma felt an old, cold fury well up. It was almost easy to want to sink into that awful feeling, that anger against both Gepetto and August for what they did. A more rational part of Emma sympathized more with the latter than the former. After all, how many cool-headed, responsible, mature decisions did she make when she was 7-years-old?

I wouldn't abandon a baby, Emma thought viciously.

"They lied to us," Snow finally said, looking like someone just punched her in the gut. "Not just Gepetto, but Blue too. She of all people would-" Snow looked away, glaring a hole into the floor like she hoped it was Gepetto or Blue's head.

Looks like the Blue Fairy isn't as nice as she makes herself out to be.

Why would she lie though? Was it just her connection to Gepetto?

Copper tried burrowing further onto Snow's stomach to comfort her.

Then, Snow took in a deep, slow, and (hopefully) calming breath through her nose before releasing it the same way. Emma wasn't fooled though. The anger wasn't going away. She was merely controlling it.

"I will tell you father later," Snow told Emma in a steady tone, though it could by no means be mistaken for calm. Snow finally looked back at Emma, and in an instant, her face subconsciously softened. Emma knew this was genuine. She could see it in the eyes, the same eyes Snow passed down to Emma.

Emma didn't think she'd ever get used to that.

Snow gave a soft smile, a little sad but still warm. "This is a happy day. This is our first time celebrating Henry's birthday together, our first birthday as a family. Tomorrow, we can worry about the nitty gritty stuff. For now, I want you to enjoy this time with your son. If there's anything you can take from what happened to us, it's that you never know how long you have."

Emma just nodded.

"Alright," Snow said in a deliberately chipper tone, patting Emma's hand, 'accidentally' letting her hand stay there. Emma let it happen. "We still have some food to cook. And we should use the time we have to our advantage."

Emma knew Snow meant more than just the party.

"I want to do that too," Emma confessed.

When Snow gave into the impulse to hold her daughter, and hold her tightly, Emma returned the favor.

It was finally time. Henry's birthday party was in full swing.

The adults were mingling, talking while nibbling on snacks. Emma and Killian were talking with Percy, Snow was talking to Ava and Nick's dad, and David was talking to Jefferson and Graham. Phoebe was in the corner reading a book.

Tien and Roland were chasing the puppies around, though 'chasing' might be too strong a word. After all, after Killian and Graham repeatedly told their respective kid to not run, the Pre-Kers compromised by stalking the puppies and trying to jump them the moment they came in range.

Meanwhile, Henry was surrounded by his friends. And they were spinning him around. Oh, and he was blindfolded.

"Aaaaaaand stop!" LJ ordered, and suddenly Henry's world stopped spinning.

Someone placed a 'pin' (really a fabric donkey 'tail' with a velcro attachment) in Henry's hand.

"Alright, time to pin the tail on the donkey," Grace told Henry.

"It's a unicorn, not a donkey," Nick protested.

"Uh-"

"Hey, I worked hard on making that horn," Nick interrupted Ava's correction.

Henry had seen the hastily made, multi-colored paper horn cut-out taped onto the donkey's forehead before the world went dark. It did make for an amusing visual.

He tentatively walked toward the wall, smiling as his friends gave them obligatory distraction by making all kinds of noise. Nick was randomly listing off different sweets, while Ava started listing off random vegetables. (Henry was half-convinced that the two of them were keeping it up solely to outdo the other). LJ all of a sudden started singing (he was kind of decent actually). Meanwhile, Grace and Declan started humming different tunes. The former started humming the theme to Harry Potter, while Declan did the same for the Lord of the Rings theme.

(Again, Henry was half-convinced that the two of them kept getting louder just to outdo the other).

Eventually, Henry felt the velcro attach to something. He heard a groan, and as he pulled up the blindfold, he found that he'd put the tail on the donkey's stomach.

"Eh, close enough," Henry shrugged with a grin on his face. This was actually happening. He was having a birthday party with friends for the first time in his life. This was real, and Henry was loving every second of it.

Declan whispered in his ear, "You still managed to get the tail on the ass."

He snorted, then both he and Declan pretended to look innocent when Graham, as if possessing some sixth sense for Declan swearing, looked at them. The deception probably would've worked more if Declan hadn't started 'innocently' whistling.

Each kid got their turn with the donkey game before they decided to play cards. War got particularly heated, mainly between Ava and Declan didn't seem to know their own strength as in they didn't need to slam their hands on the table to take the cards.

After a few more rounds of different games, Henry decided it was time for a change. He got up and went over to his mom, who was nestled up close to Killian thanks to the man's arm around her waist. "Hey, Mom?"

"Mhmm?" Emma hummed.

"Can we open my presents now?" Henry asked.

"Sure," Emma replied before announcing the change to the guests. The kids soon raced over to the coffee table that held Henry's presents. Of the people who made it to the couch, Henry was in the middle, with Declan and LJ on either side of him, and Grace and Nick began to rest precariously on the armrests before their parents told them no. They contented themselves with joining Ava on the floor. Lady and Copper resided by Henry's feet, though this was a temporary state before they would randomly decide to rush over to someone else.

That's when Roland crawled onto Declan's lap, somehow managing to not knock over Declan's encased egg.

It always amazed Henry that, had it been anyone else, Declan would've snapped at them for endangering his precious egg. After all, Henry knew how important Sunshine's last egg was to Declan. However, Roland only got away with a light reprimand.

Tien, seeing her friend crawl onto Declan's lap, tried to do the same with Henry.

"Easy there," Emma said as she scooped up the little girl.

"But I wanna sit on Henry's legs," Tien whined. She calmed down once Emma took a seat next to Killian, and let the little girl sit on her lap.

Henry tamped down the sudden jealousy he felt when Phoebe appeared with his first presents.

"Here ya go," Phoebe told him. In one hand, she held the envelope to a birthday card. In the other, she held what Henry was already guessing was a book, judging by the size and shape of what the wrapping paper covered. "It's from me and Tien."

Phoebe handed him the gifts before going to sit next to Killian on the ottoman. Without thinking about it, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she let him pull her in closer.

Henry placed the heavier of his presents on his lap, and quickly got the envelope open. Indeed, there was a birthday card inside. Once he took it out and opened it up, he found it was one of those blank cards. Just as well, since the entire inside was covered by a childish drawing of five people holding hands. They were standing in front of a house that he guessed was the one they were going to live in, with a sun with a smiling face shooting out rays (what he guessed the yellow streaks were) over a crayon blue sky.

Judging by the hair color, the color of the dots used as eyes, and how tall they were, Henry guessed the figures were himself, Phoebe, Tien, and their parents. He and Tien were in the middle holding hands, with Henry's other hand being held by Killian (who also had his hook in the drawing). Phoebe was holding Tien's other hand, while Emma was at the end holding Phoebe's free hand.

Over their heads but below the sky was the caption reading: HAPPY BIRTHDAY HENRY

Henry looked over at Tien, who was practically bouncing on Emma's lap in anticipation of his reaction, and he smiled. "Thanks Tien."

She gave a toothy smile, and he saw the gap where the baby tooth, the one she lost to Daniel.

LJ took Tien's card, placing it in a nearby location he designated as the 'opened presents pile', allowing Henry to open up Phoebe's present.

Henry tore open the paper, feeling the mildest guilt for destroying the carefully wrapped paper, and found the present inside. It looked like a leather-bound book at first, but when he opened it up, he found blank, lined pages inside.

"It's a journal," Phoebe explained, thinking that Henry's silent examination of the object was simple ignorance. "I figured since you liked reading stories so much, you might want to write down some of your own."

Like a knight chronicling his own adventures. The thought made Henry smile, as did the thoughtfulness of the gift.

"Thanks, Phee," Henry told her. He briefly thought he went too far using a nickname, but that worry disappeared when he saw the smile she gave him.

The next gift was another small one. It was from Belle and Freddie. Inside was a birthday card with $30 in it. He'd be sure to thank them again the next time he saw them.

After that, someone handed him the boxed gift Killian had given him.

"Is that a sword?!" Henry exclaimed without meaning to, and nearly smacked Declan in the face with the tip.

"Hey, try not to stab your best friend in the face," Declan complained.

"But he didn't even touch me," LJ smirked, and continued smirking when Declan tried hitting him. When Graham made him stop, the adult then had to prevent Declan from setting Roland on LJ. Not that it would've succeeded. Roland was quite content laying all over Declan.

That's when Killian piped up, "You now have a sword and a steed. All you need is a shield and you'll be a knight in no time."

Henry briefly went over to hug the man, who returned the gesture. He couldn't be 100% sure, but he thought he saw his mom look a little worried. Nah. Why would she be worried?

(Truth is that Emma was indeed worried, but more at the idea that all of these things would encourage Henry to seek more danger than he already was. The image of keeping him home more started to appeal to her…if she didn't think he would find a way to escape.)

Once Henry returned to his seat on the couch, interrupting LJ and Declan's 'game' of batting at each other's hands, the next gift came.

It was from his grandfather. He opened it up and found a wooden sword and shield. He couldn't help but laugh, along with a few others, when David side-eyed Killian and muttered something like, "Stole my sword idea." However, the smirk on David's face gave away his good mood.

His grandmother's present was next, and it was an archery.

She eagerly looked at him. "Anytime you want to practice, I'll take you to the range."

"There's a range?" Emma asked, now wondering if there was some conspiracy to get Henry on the front lines that she didn't know about. Killian subtly pressing the side of his leg against hers in comfort did little to sway her from this worry.

None the wiser to his mother's sudden change in mood, Henry opened up Percy and LJ's gift. It was a medium sized box that was noticeably heavier than the other gifts, though not so heavy that Henry couldn't open it up on his lap.

Once the top of the box was opened up, he peeked inside and saw wooden parts.

Tilting his head, Henry looked at LJ in confusion.

"It's a Ballista set," LJ informed him. "I looked it up. It's like what the Romans used for, um, what was the word, Uncle Percy?"

"Artillery warfare," Percy supplied.

Emma looked at Percy questionably. "Huh?"

"It's just for kids," Percy corrected, trying to both assuage Emma's rising confusion and tamp down his own amusement. He felt a little bad about the former. People in this world just didn't hold the same outlook on life - that one day you will go into battle - that people in Percy's world did. Maybe they had the better idea about it.

After giving more of an explanation for the gift, Henry and LJ put it away with the others.

Henry opened a gift from Graham, which turned out to be a boxed collection of the Lord of the Rings books in hardbacks.

"It was Declan's idea," Graham informed Henry.

When Henry looked over to his friend, he found the boy's pale skin was pinker than it usually was. Was he blushing?

Declan shyly handed him a little box, mumbling something under his breath like, "Sorry it's so small."

Henry accepted the gift and opened it up, and found that inside the small box was a keychain with a duckling on it.

When Henry looked questioning at Declan, he thought for sure his face couldn't get pinker.

"It's a thanks," Declan told him quietly. "For helping me keep my egg safe."

Henry gave him a side hug, appreciating the gift.

Oh, and he was wrong. Declan's face was starting to turn red.

Henry opened his next gift. It was from the Zimmer twins. It was a working compass.

Ava winked at him while Nick gave him a thumbs up.

Henry grinned, suddenly feeling a little devilish at the thought of the gang traipsing through unknown territory with a working compass.

Glancing at his mother, he found her looking at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking.

Next up was Grace's gift, what she called an "adventure backpack".

"It's supposed to be sturdier than your school backpack," Grace elaborated, looking perfectly comfortable sitting in front of her dad, who also sat on the floor with her. "It's water-proof, and has more pockets to put your things in."

Henry already itched to use it.

At some point, his grandmother disappeared from view, though Henry was too preoccupied with his next gift to notice much.

The last of the gifts was one from his mom. Upon opening it, he found that it was a book.

"Matilda by Roald Dahl," Henry read the captioning on the front of the book, which featured the drawing of a young girl sitting on top of what might've been a desk, utterly surrounded by books. "Thanks, Mom."

"You're welcome, Henry," his mother replied.

"I think it's time for cake!" David announced, and instantly the kids got up and rushed over. They found Snow had already arranged two candles on the chocolate cake, both the shape of the number one, with the lit wicks on top of the cake.

Someone shut off the lights once Henry was in front of the cake, and everyone began singing the Happy Birthday song.

Looking around, he was able to see the faces of his loved ones in the dark, illuminated by the gentle twin fires of the candles. He thought he saw his grandmother record the event on her phone. It was like something out of a dream. Henry, surrounded by loved ones, celebrating his birthday on the correct date, having just opened up presented carefully crafted or chosen by people who truly cared about him.

"Happy birthday to you!"

The last line of the song was followed by many claps.

His mother leaned down to lovingly whisper, "Make a wish, Henry."

Henry thought about it. He had everything he ever wanted. What else could he wish for?

Hmm…not a wish for himself, but one for everyone who came.

I wish…that everyone can be as happy as they are now.

Oh, and one more wish, for himself. He'd let fate figure out the rest.

And to stay with mom forever.

Henry leaned down and blew out the candles, the room instantly turning dark as everyone began clapping once more. Someone turned on the lights, and soon Snow appeared with a cake cutter. In no time, everyone was served a slice of cake.

The birthday boy in question enjoyed it so much he had two slices. He would've gone for a third if his mom hadn't warned him not to make himself sick.

Turns out she also had something to talk to him about, something so private that she guided him up to his grandparents' room above the party-goers.

"Are Grandma and Grandpa cool with this?" Henry asked as they entered the room.

"I asked, and they said it was okay," Emma answered before guiding her son to sit on the edge of the bed. Once she sat next to him, it was at that point that he noticed a folder in her hand.

"What's that?" He asked, pointing at the object.

Emma looked at the folder before looking back at him. She placed it on the bed next to her, out of Henry's sight. "Later. First, I want to know what you think about your party."

"It's awesome," Henry happily told her. "Everything's great. The party, my friends, my par- um my grandparents and you and Killian and Phoebe and Tien and-"

"Breathe, Henry," Emma joked, allowing the boy to stop stammering. He had come milliseconds from saying 'parents', having pictured Emma and Killian in his mind, but knowing it was a step too far. Right?

Henry hugged her. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too," Emma replied.

Neither of them thought they'd ever get tired of saying or hearing that.

Henry pulled back. "Thanks again for the book."

"You're welcome again," Emma replied. That's when Henry noticed something about her, like she was about to say something, but she pulled back at the last second.

"What is it?" Henry pressed.

Emma hesitated before answering him. "I think you're going to like that book. I did when I was a kid."

"You read the book?" Henry questioned.

"Sure did," Emma replied. He could be wrong, but he thought maybe there was tightness around her eyes. He was about to tell her she didn't have to say more, or straight up change the topic, but Emma continued talking. "You know what the book's about?" Henry shook his head. "It's about a little girl named Matilda. She, uh, grew up in a family that didn't appreciate her. Truth is they didn't love her. The thing is…she was special, and people could love her. When I was a kid reading this, I thought the point of the book was that sometimes people start out with a family that wasn't good for them, but they would find people who would love them and care for them. Just like we found each other."

Something Emma told him a long time ago - the first day she spent in Storybrooke, before Emma decided to stay - came to mind. When he said his life with Regina sucked.

I ended up in a foster system and I had a family until I was three but then they had their own kid so they sent me back…

There wasn't a lot Henry knew about his mother's life. He knew she gave birth to him in jail because she stole stuff. He knew that she thought she'd been abandoned by her birth parents. He knew that she was abandoned by a bunch of families. He also knew that his birth father was in the wind. Everything else was an unknown, and he was old enough to realize it was because his mother didn't want to talk about it.

As curious as he was, Henry didn't push it. After all, that was in the past. As long as it didn't come back to haunt them, Henry decided he would be more focused on the future.

Emma cleared her throat, and picked up the folder again. "This…is for you."

She handed him the folder. After she gave him a nod of permission, Henry opened it up. Inside was a piece of paper that, once Henry touched it, felt coarser than the usual paper. 'Official' was the first thing that came to mind. There were words on the paper, some of them in blockier letters like they'd been typed there, while others looked clearly written on by someone's handwriting above designated lines.

He read aloud, "Certificate of Adoption. This is to certify that-" Henry suddenly had to stop as the words hit him. "I'm getting adopted?"

His voice had suddenly become more high-pitched as he actually began to cry a little.

Emma kissed the top of his head. "Keep reading."

Henry sniffled, already feeling a couple of happy tears leak from his eyes. He did as he was told, continuing to read the words as they were written.

This is to Certify that

Henry

has been formally adopted

Into the Swan family

By Emma Swan

On this 7th Day of March 2012.

At the bottom, there were two separate lines, and on the left of each was the word Signed. The one on the left was signed by Emma in cursive, while the other space was blank.

"Why's this space blank?" Henry asked, pointing at that space.

"It hasn't been signed by the judge yet," Emma explained. "It took awhile to get everything done, but I'm glad I got to give this to your today. Percy said we could go to the court house tomorrow and get it signed and stamped."

Henry tried to not let his elation die down when he next asked, "Won't…Regina be mad?"

"It's not up to her," Emma told him. She would later elaborate that while everyone here was working with the laws of Maine as best they could, no one was about to do Regina any favors. As far as they were concerned, Regina's parental rights were nonexistent.

Emma then pointed out something to him, tapping the place where his name was. "One other thing. You notice how it's just your first name on here?" Henry nodded. "Well…I thought about it a lot, and I wanted to give you a couple of options."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

"Well…" Emma trailed off as she subtly wiped her palm on her pant leg, feeling a little nervous now. "I know right now your last name is Mills, but…how would you feel about taking on my last name?"

Henry stared up at her in astonishment.

"It's completely your choice," Emma hastily added. "If you want to stick with Mills-"

"I'll do it," Henry interrupted her. "I'll be a Swan."

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, though she couldn't quite quell the joy she felt at his decision. "Like I said, it's completely up to you if you want to do this. Don't feel pressured by me."

"I do want to do this," Henry told her, this time more firmly. "Can we write it there right now?"

"Sure. Let me just find a…there it is," Emma said as she looked around and found a pen on one of the bed's nightstands. She got up and retrieved it, returning to her son's side. She took back the folder, the pen hovering above the paper. "Okay, Henry- you had a middle name, right? Did you still want to keep it?"

Right. For years, Henry had grown up without understanding the significance of the name. He asked Regina once, when he was still small, why she picked his name. She had just smiled and told him that they were the names of people she loved.

Henry. The father she loved so much she killed him to activate her curse.

Daniel. The man she loved and whose death sparked a decades-long revenge spree.

For the boy, he knew he didn't want to change his first name. It was his after all, and he didn't feel like suddenly going by a different name. Daniel, however…

Knowing what happened to the man, both his cold murder at Cora's hands and how he was brought back to life, Henry felt a swell of pity for him. He was an innocent in all of this.

However, that didn't mean Henry wanted to share his name. The idea of keeping it, as guilty as it made him feel, caused an uncomfortable weight in his heart.

He asked his mother, "Can I change my middle name?"

"Sure," Emma replied. "I can asked Percy to put in more court papers to legally change it, but only if you're sure."

"I am."

"Okay," Emma said. "You have any ideas what you want as a middle name?"

A few names came to mind. Killian. David. Graham. Percival. Men in his life that had always tried to do their best by him, men who did everything they could to protect him and others. They were all good men, but Henry thought it presumptuous to use Killian's name as his middle name. Also, as much as he liked Graham and Percival, they were his friends dads, not his.

This left one name open.

"David," Henry finally announced. "I want my middle name to be announced. And yes, I'm sure."

The smile Emma gave him was so loving, her eyes so warm, that Henry couldn't help but smile back.

She wrote the name on the paper, and the final product was this: Henry David Swan.

Henry hugged his mother once more, a little tighter this time, with Emma placed the certificate on the bed once more, hugging him just as tightly. The boy thought about how maybe his birthday cake wish had true, albeit retroactively.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Henry. So much."

It was a school night, so everyone had to go home by or around 10 PM. The parents all let the kids stay up a little longer than usual on account of the occasion, but at last, it was time for everyone to settle down.

Some time after the last of the guests filtered out, the adults began cleaning up.

While doing so, Killian spotted Phoebe help Henry put his presents to the side. Some of the presents went into a duffel bag, though not all of them could fit. Meanwhile, Tien was asleep on the couch with cake on her face, and Copper and Lady were also asleep, laying over each other in Copper's bed.

Killian did his best, but she and Roland were a sneaky pair. By the time Graham took his boys home, Roland was asleep in his arms and Declan was halfway to sleep himself. Killian had been about to get Tien to say goodbye when he saw her crawl onto the couch, and promptly pass out.

As Killian dumped some paper plates into the trash, he couldn't help but take note of the glow on Emma's face. He knew why she looked this way.

"Congratulations again," Killian told her, referencing how she received custody of Henry.

In between when the last guest went and when the adults began clean-up, Emma and Henry made a special announcement to the family. Henry had proudly presented his adoption certificate, his mother giving a big smile herself. Snow couldn't stop gushing about it, and he was fairly certain David became misty eyed when he saw the middle name Henry chose for himself.

"Thanks again," Emma replied as she took dumps the last of the paper plates in the trash, then, with Killian's help, pulled the garbage bag out of the trash can. Once that was done, Emma tied off the top. "It took awhile, so I'm glad it'll be done tomorrow. Hopefully."

"Yes, hopefully," Killian added. He only wished the paperwork with the girls would go so quickly.

As if sensing this, Emma reached over and placed a hand on his arm. She then let the garbage back lean against the side of the counter. The two of them took a step or two away from it, and wrapped their arms around each other; Emma's around his waist, and Killian's around her shoulders, the two of them face-to-face.

"You'll get your girls soon," Emma promised him.

Killian nodded. The girls were technically already his. Blue had raised no more objections to letting both girls live with him. She had passed him on the street once before, and had subtly inquired about how Phoebe was doing. Killian let her know on no uncertain terms that he knew what she had said to Phoebe, and that both of them would be under his protection, his rules, not hers.

She hadn't been very happy with that, and Killian simply didn't give a shit.

If she wants a fight, I'll give her a fight.

Banishing the fairy from his mind, he refocused on the woman in his arms, her body pressed against his, though not nearly enough for his liking. The presence of her parents and the children dampened any desire to take it further.

That's why he decided to distract himself with a genuine question.

"By the way," Killian inquired, "how did you manage to get custody? I can't imagine anyone would care what Regina thought, but it does seem a trite iffy." He grinned at her. "What did you and Percy get up to?"

"Nothing illegal," Emma replied with a shrug. "Plus Percy did all the work. He found a loophole or two. First, Regina's been more or less charged with multiple war crimes, so it's a massive factor in her not having custody. Second, remember why I got primary custody in the first place?"

Killian remembered. "She never fulfilled the requirements for CPS."

"Exactly," Emma responded. "So she lost out on both counts."

The complexity of the situation nearly made Killian sigh, but he restrained himself.

Instead, he added, "I'll have to thank Percy on behalf of all of us."

Then, because he couldn't help himself, he leaned down to kiss her on the lips. She kissed him back, their lips starting to mold against each-

David cleared his throat, and the two of them had to separate.

The sooner Emma and I get our room, the better.

Killian and Emma returned to helping clean up some things, which admittedly wasn't much, before they began to move the furniture back in place. This would be their last night in the loft, so they were determined to clean up their mess before David and Snow had the loft all to themselves again.

Turning the conversation onto happier things, he then remarked, "I'd say the party was a complete success." He looked over a slightly tired but smiling Henry. "He certainly seems happy."

"I'm so glad everything turned out okay," Emma confessed. "This was a good last night before we move in."

"Mhmm," Killian hummed. Then, the memory of him and the other men moving the furniture into the home came unbidden. As did what Freddie said.

"What are you thinking about?" Emma inquired after seeing the smile on his face.

Realizing he was smiling, Killian began to blush. "Oh, well, I was just, uh, thinking about something Freddie said."

"Which is?" Emma prompted.

"Well…" Killian stalled, but soon realized he wasn't getting out of this. "He just commented that the house was so big, it could fit all of us moving in there…and any new additions we could come up with."

"Wha- oh." Emma realized what was implied, and began blushing as well. "We'd probably need to settle in first."

Then, because Killian was a dog and couldn't help himself, he told her in a softer and more gravelly voice, "I hear the process can be quite enjoyable."

Even as she nudged his ribs, Emma smirked back at him.

Emma and Killian designated themselves to be the ones to carry out the garbage and recycling to the dumpsters outside. As they did, it gave them another chance to talk more privately.

Because, for one thing, Killian couldn't seem to stop himself from saying this he probably shouldn't tonight.

"You ever think about it?" Killian pondered. "Having more kids?"

Emma got a slightly panicked look on her face.

"I don't mean right now," Killian immediately told her, feeling foolish for even bringing it up. "Or even with me. I just- in the future, possibly, uh-"

"Maybe?" Emma stated questioningly, getting Killian to stop yammering for a second. They made it outside and walked toward the dumpster. Putting their trash in there, Emma kept talking. "Definitely not right now. Three kids and a dog is enough for now. If I'm going to be honest, I never thought I'd have another kid after Henry. You?"

"Sometimes," Killian admitted. "As you said, though, not right now. Three is enough."

Killian threw his load, and as they began to walk back to the front of the building, he caught a saddened look on Emma's face. He brought them to a stop and looked at her concernedly.

Reading his expression, Emma's shoulders slumped though her facial expression pinched with worry. "He still doesn't know about Neal, the truth about him I mean. With the adoption, what if he starts asking questions? What if he hates me for lying to him?"

"He won't hate you," Killian told her confidently. He reached over and pulled her to him, holding her close. "If it comes up, we'll deal with it together." He pulled back just enough to look at her.

This time it was Emma who leaned in for a kiss, one Killian happily returned.

This was a good day. They could worry about the past later. Right now, they wanted to look to the future.

Emma hugged Henry, who sleepily said, "Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, Henry," she replied as she let him go, allowing the boy to sink further into the sleeping bag. This would be his last night in his old room. He was out before Emma closed the door.

Looking around, Emma found that Killian was doing the same with the girls. Like Henry, they were asleep by the time Killian stood up.

"You should probably get changed," David suggested to Emma with a yawn as he approached, already dressed for the occasion.

"Actually," Emma said, "Killian and I are going to do some last-minute checks on the house."

"At this hour?" David questioned.

Emma nodded. "Yeah. We won't have a ton of time to do it tomorrow, what with me picking up slack for patrol and Killian at the library. We plan on taking the kids straight there after school."

Normally, David would've questioned this further, but at that moment he was so tired that he nodded, yawned a "Stay safe," and then joined his wife in bed.

Soon enough, Emma and Killian were the last ones standing.

"So," Emma said as they approached her car, having locked the door to the loft before they left, "you've just survived an 11-year-old's birthday party."

"I'm a fearsome Captain, Swan." Killian joked. "It'll take much more than this to wear me down."

"If you say so." Emma joked back as they reached the car, neither making a move to get in.

Killian licked his bottom lip as he stepped closer to her, eyes both challenging and enticing. "Are you saying I can't handle it?"

"Your words, not mine." Emma replied as she looked at him, wanting so much to be able to just kiss him right now, do things with him right now. The fact that they were alone together, truly alone with no one waiting for them for the first time all day just made it stronger.

Emma then said in a low voice, "You want to check the house out or not?"

"Get a move on, Swan," Killian told her in an equally low voice. "I can't wait."

The two of them hurriedly got into the car and drove off. Given the time of night, they basically hit no traffic, and were at the house in no time. The street was well-lit at night, though the lights of the other houses were either dim, restricted to certain rooms, or just out altogether.

Stepping over the threshold, Emma turned the lights on and saw it. Her home. Furnished and everything. It didn't look quite lived in yet, but it soon would be.

The two of them looked around the first floor, exchanging the occasional murmurs about something or other, and Emma just took it in. This was happening. Her home with a man she...she…

Say it. Just say it.

"Emma?" Killian asked, and when he approached her, Emma saw everything about him. The way his blue eyes lit up when he saw her, his dark hair brushed in a way that made her want to run her fingers through them, the slight scar on his face she wanted to trace. What's more, she saw a man she trusted. Truly and actually trusted. She had confided her deepest fears and worst insecurities to him, and he held them in his confidence.

With anyone else, there'd be a small voice telling her she'd only regret it. With Killian, she didn't think it ever did.

He made her feel good about herself, and she knew she made him feel good about himself. There was no deception, no ego, no need to prove themselves to each other. They both just knew. Would Emma accept a home, children, and a life with a man she didn't trust.

It struck Emma all at once that maybe, just maybe...Killian was it for her.

She...she…

"I love you."

Killian blinked in surprise, then paused as if waiting for her to take it back.

She didn't, wouldn't, and in fact, felt invigorated to say more. Taking in a deep and quiet breath, Emma said again, "Killian, I love you."

Killian opened his mouth to say something, and she lovingly placed her fingers on his lips.

"It's okay," she told him, "you don't have to say anything. I just wanted you to know."

That's when Killian gently grabbed her hand and kissed her fingers before bringing that hand down. He didn't let go of it.

"I love you too." Killian said, his voice sounding steady at first, but if you truly thought about it, you'd notice the slight tremor to it. Looking into her eyes, Killian smiled, knowing that this wasn't some hopeful dream he was going to wake up from. This was real, and he felt something lift his spirits tenfold.

"Really?" Emma asked him, though she was smiling so much, it was clear she didn't doubt it.

"Absolutely," Killian told her.

Neither of them knew who moved in first, and neither of them cared the moment their lips touched. Their lips molded together hotly, their hands touched any surface or bit of flesh they could. If it wasn't touching that, then their fingers would become tangled in the other's hair.

Once they needed to breathe, Killian only pulled back so that he could plant kisses on her. The trail started from the corner of her mouth to her jaw, then strayed to her neck.

"Killian," Emma breathed out, feeling hot as her eyes closed. "I want you."

"I want you too," Killian murmured against her neck.

"Shit," Emma cursed. "We don't have anything to use."

That's when Killian pulled up and gave her a devilish grin. "Yes we do."

Emma opened her eyes and looked at him incomprehensibly...then she smiled as she got it. "You think of everything, don't you?"

"Only the important bits," Killian said as he kissed her slowly. Both of their eyes still closed, he whispered against her lips, "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Emma whispered back, though it was somewhat hard to do considering she couldn't seem to stop kissing him. "Come on. Let's see if the bed works."

Killian didn't need further encouragement.

The two only stopped kissing so that they could grab each other's hands, and rush up the stairs.

In no time, they made it into their bedroom, which thank god was already furnished with a made bed and everything.

Emma grabbed the lapels of Killian's jacket, and with surprising strength she spun them around and pressed him against the door, the momentum closing it. She then gave him a searing kiss as she tore off his jacket. Next, Emma was the one to pull back to kiss his neck so that she could impatiently pull off his shirt too. She ran her hands down his chest, covered in dark hair, only they rested on his abs. Emma leaned forward not to kiss his lips, but to kiss his neck, particularly a pulse point that made him draw her in closer. She could already feel him getting hard through his pants.

The two of them moved against each other desperately as Emma and Killian pulled off her jacket, letting it fall carelessly on the floor next to the other items.

"Bad form, Swan," Killian told her in a wrecked voice that just made her hotter. "You still need to take that shirt off."

Emma laughed at his own impatience before pulling back and taking off her shirt. The two of them kissed again, and she felt Killian use his hand to try to undo the clasp of her bra. Continuing to kiss him, Emma eagerly helped him out, and the bra slid off.

"Bed," Emma told him, and the two walked backwards until the back of her knees hit the edge of the bed, laughing as they ended up falling into it.

Killian only got off of Emma so that the two of them could take off their shoes and socks, the two of them crawling backwards to get to the head rests. Soon, he was on her again, though not completely. They kissed each other, and let their hands explore the other's body. Killian's hand caressed her breast, eliciting a soft moan from Emma, who in turn palmed Killian's ass, getting the same reaction from him.

This was the farthest they had ever gone, and they weren't even close to stopping.

They blindly took off their pants, leaving them both in just their underwear.

Emma hadn't even gotten her underwear down to her knees before Killian reached over and rubbed her clit.

"Yes," Emma moaned. "Fuck, yes."

"You like this?" Killian whispered, grunting a little when Emma pulled down his boxers as much as she could, reached in and gripped his thick cock.

"You like this?" Emma questioned back, only smirking for a second before another moan came out of her mouth.

"Fuck, I want you," Killian moaned.

"Take your boxers off then," Emma ordered him with a smile, and when they pulled back from their kissing, she saw his eyes dilate more from that alone.

Emma took off her underwear and threw it onto the floor, Killian doing the same with his boxers.

Killian soon hovered over her, though he was actually reaching over into the night stand. After some maneuvering, he placed a box of condoms onto a nightstand.

She was about to reach over and grab one when Killian cupped her face, turning her attention to him before he kissed her.

"Not just yet," Killian told her before pressing one last kiss on her lips. He then slowly began a trail of slow kisses down Emma's body. It went down her neck, in between her breasts, with Killian spending some extra time there, all the time rubbing her folds with his hand. Her hands were in his hair, her breathing becoming heavier as he went down further over her stomach. Emma's legs opened up as he placed them on his shoulders, his hands rubbing her clit, and the lower half of his face disappearing between her legs as he-

"Oh god!" Emma cried out, her legs tightening around him as he began to move his tongue inside her. Her breathing was becoming rapid, the sound of her gasps more audible, and the world around them began to fall away until it was just the two of them.

There was a coil in her stomach, she was-

"Killian, I'm- I'm gonna- Killian, yes, Killian, I-"

Emma threw her head back against the pillows as she cried out, her body shaking as she came.

After a little eternity, when Emma finally came back to her senses, she found Killian hovering over her again. Without thinking about it she kissed him, tasting herself on his lips, moaning.

Her legs were still open around him, and she could feel his cock slide between the lips of her pussy.

She wanted to return the favor.

Emma surprised him as she pushed him onto the back, though he was soon more than happy with this change when she began to kiss down his body the same way he'd done with her. She paid particularly attention to his neck and chest before moving down to-

"You don't have to-"

He groaned loudly when Emma took him into his mouth.

She sucked the head of his cock, teasingly, feeling his hand in her hair. Glancing up, she saw him looking at her, his eyes dark with lust for her.

Returning her attention to his cock, Emma took him further into his mouth, one hand resting on his hip, the flesh sweaty and hot underneath, and the other teasingly rubbing his balls.

"Fucking hell, Emma," Killian swore as she began to bob her head.

He was hard, and she tasted salty precum. She wanted to work him up, to make him feel as good as he made her.

"Emma, Emma," he panted her name as she kept going, swallowing loudly when she sucked on his hard. It was at that moment he pleaded, "Emma, please, I need to be inside you. Fuck, please."

Emma released his hard cock from her mouth, and crawled over to the nightstand to grab the condom.

First, she sat on his thighs, smiling at how eager he was as she ripped open the condom. As she did so, she caught Killian staring at her with such lust and devotion that it almost made her completely weak right then and there.

Emma noticed a lot of things. The way Killian kept his hook hand down against the bed as she remained over him. The way the fingers of his right hand trailed lightly against her thigh, moving over to touch and massage her clit as she tossed the wrapper away. The way his abdomen heaved as she bit her lip, trying to contain herself as she felt herself getting wetter, watching how he bit his own lip, letting out a low rumble as she slid the condom onto his ready cock.

Emma carefully placed her hands on the side of his head, leaning over to kiss him slowly, languidly one last time before pulling back. Then, with great care, she lowered herself onto him.

The reaction from both of them was instantaneous. Killian's head began to tilt back, his lips opening to let out a breathy moan as Emma moaned along with him, placing her hands on his chest to steady herself as she lowered herself down further. Once she'd fully slid onto him, so that he was completely inside her, it took Emma a few moments before she began to grind her hips against his.

Killian joined in, and eventually they began a rhythm where Emma's hands would rest on his chest, his abs, or on the bed if she wanted to kiss him again, while Killian would use his hand to caress her thigh, her breasts, or rub her clit further.

All the while their hips would grind against each other, and every moment would only remind Emma that Killian was inside her. The fact that this was a man she trusted, a man that she loved, that had seen her vulnerability and flaws and loved her anyways...words didn't need to be said in that regard. Emma knew how she felt about Killian, and Killian knew how she felt about her. He was it for her, and-

"Ah!" Emma cried out, feeling herself getting closer and closer to a sweet release.

"Emma." Killian groaned out.

"Say it again." Emma told him softly. "Say my name again."

"Emma." Killian complied.

Emma started shaking as she finally came, and not long after Killian followed. All of a sudden, Emma's body felt weak, and she just managed to retain enough control to rest against Killian's chest, his arms instinctively coming around her as he softened inside her.

She put some of her hair back behind her ear, and managed to lift her head to give Killian a lazy kiss, one he readily went along with.

Eventually, Killian gently pulled himself out of her, and he reluctantly got up to throw away the condom. By the time he got back, Emma had managed to get her weakened muscles to pull back the covers of the bed, allowing him to join her naked underneath them.

The two of them kissed each other slowly, in no rush to do anything, and laid side-by-side, pressed up and naked, with no intention of leaving the bed anytime soon.

For now, they were completely, blissfully content.

The red room was bright. Blood-red curtains that breathed. Henry tried finding something, some light that wasn't bathed in some bloody tint.

He looked around, but he couldn't find a window or a door out.

W-

Henry screamed, but no sound came out.

Wa-

A different color now. Orange and yellow, it licked at his skin, charred the curtains. Something was there. Two someones on the other side of the flames. In one corner was a woman, one he didn't recognize, but felt he should've. In the other corner was another woman, who did look familiar. Was that...

Wak-

It was. It was Grandma. She was saying something. Something.

Wake-

Help. Help. Help-

"Help!" Henry screamed, the world suddenly black.

"Henry, wake up!"

Henry's eyes flew open, and he found Phoebe undoing his sleeping bag, helping him out as he scrambled onto the wooden floor.

"Henry?"

The boy looked over and found that he was in the loft in his soon-to-be-former room, on the floor with Phoebe's hand resting on his shoulder. Next to him was Tien, who looked at him worriedly.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Tien asked him. "Did you wet the sleeping bag?"

"No," Henry protested, breathing heavily. He then hurriedly checked the sleeping bag, and reaffirmed his answer, relieved he hadn't wet the thing. Still, he did have cold sweat grossly cooling on his body.

There were the sounds of someone faintly protesting in another room, but he couldn't make out the words.

"It looks like you had a nightmare," Phoebe surmised, now rubbing his back. "You want to talk about it?"

Henry shook his head. Something about that room. It was awful. It felt like death. However, what shocked Henry more was that it didn't even seem surprising. Okay, it was terrifying, but it felt almost familiar. How did that make any sense?

That's when he remembered something else that was familiar.

"Grandma?" Henry called out. "Grandma!"

The sound of approaching footsteps were soon heard, and in seconds Snow appeared in his room. She was heavily breathing too.

Henry reached out to her. "Grandma."

Snow then went to him, hugging him tightly.

"I don't understand," Henry said against Snow's shoulder, hating how his voice shook a little. "What was that place? Why was I there?"

"It's a side effect of the Sleeping Curse," Snow told him, letting Henry hold her tighter. He was far too tired to think clearly on this. "I promise, we'll figure something out."

Henry tiredly nodded, hoping she was right. He never wanted to go back to that place ever again.

*dances because of CS sex*

*clears throat...then dances a little more*

Welp, that was a long time coming (didn't mean the pun, not deleting it now lol). Hope you enjoy!

So I did look it up, and in Maine (correct me if I'm wrong lawyers of Maine/other Mainers), you only need the consent of a child to adopt if the child in question is 14 years or older.

This chapter had a lot of feelings, as did I, and if you had feelings let me know in a comment or kudos.

See you next week!