This is based sometime in season 7, but in Storybrooke.

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Nerves

The first time it happened, Emma was alone at the sheriff station, waiting for Killian to pick up their dinner from Granny's. Ever since the two had found out about Emma's pregnancy three weeks ago, Killian had insisted on always retrieving the food Emma was craving, no matter the time. Though they had eaten lunch two hours ago, Emma had started complaining about wanting a grilled cheese filled with ham and turkey. Killian had immediately grabbed his jacket, kissed her head, and headed to Granny's

Emma tapped her pen on the desk, zoning in and out of the paperwork she was supposed to be doing. She didn't know how her mind wandered to her unborn child or how it triggered the painful memories of those eleven months in prison, but she suddenly found herself filled with dark thoughts.

At this point in her pregnancy with Henry, she had just found out she was pregnant. The terror that had gripped her had been so intense that she had found herself in the middle of a panic attack. How could she be a mother in prison? How could she be a mother when she never had one?

The Savior tried to shake those thoughts out of her head. This time was different. She had Killian. She had her parents. She had all the support she needed. She wasn't alone like last time.

In her mind, she replayed those reassuring thoughts over and over again, hoping they would reassure her, but they didn't. What was she thinking? How could she raise a child when she hadn't even been able to look at Henry as a baby? How was she supposed to—

"Emma, are you all right?"

Her head snapped up at the sound of her husband's voice. He was standing next to her desk, concern written on his features. A Granny's take out bag sat on the edge of the desk.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She grabbed the paper bag and ripped it open. The smell of the greasy food made her mouth water. "This smells so good."

Killian pulled his chair around from his desk to sit next to Emma. "You seemed out of it."

Emma knew Killian had his own insecurities about becoming a father. She didn't want to burden him with hers, but she also knew he would want to know. Just as she wanted to know his.

"I was thinking about last time," she mumbled, looking down at the bag in her lap. "When I was pregnant with Henry, at this point I had known about it. I…I was so scared. I didn't know what to do." She took a deep breath when Killian grasped her hand. Her eyes moved up to meet his. "I don't know how to be a mother, Killian. Henry was already ten when he came into my life. I don't know how to raise a baby."

"You were a wonderful mother to Henry," he said gently. "Even though he was partially grown when you met him, you still helped shape him into the amazing person he is today." He squeezed her hand, smiling. "You are going to be a fantastic mother to our little one. He or she is lucky to have you."

Emma blinked back the tears that threatened to fall. "How do you know?"

"Because you excel at everything you do," he explained. "I have still yet to see you fail."

"But this is different than defeating villains and curses."

"That doesn't matter. I've seen you with Henry, with your brother, even with Gideon." He chuckled softly. "The idea of you being anything but the best mother is absurd. I know you will be perfect."

She snorted, brushing away the single tear that had escaped her eyes. "I'm going to be far from perfect."

He moved out of his chair, kneeling on the floor in front of her. "Don't you see? That's what will make you the perfect mother. Our child needs to know that making mistakes is okay, that it's human, that no matter what they do, we will always love them. You can't do that without messing up every once and awhile."

A few more tears slipped from her eyes. She rested her free hand on Killian's cheek. "How do you always know what to say?"

"It's not hard to speak the truth." He pushed up, pressing his lips on Emma's for a brief moment. "Now, you better eat your food before it gets cold."

The second time it happened, Emma woke up from a particularly bad nightmare. It was less than two weeks after her breakdown at the sheriff station. She had hoped that her worries would stay away, but it looked like she had no such luck.

Images of her dream stuck in her brain. Empty gray walls, the dusty smell of the cell, the dull light in the room, the sinking feeling that nothing was ever going to get better, that her child would suffer the same fate she had in the foster system, the feeling of loneliness.

"Emma?" Killian's sleepy voice broke through the silence. He sat up, staring anxiously at his wife. "What's wrong? What happened?"

Her fists were clenched in the sheet beneath her. Her breaths were ragged. Tears stung her eyes. She swallowed a sob. "I'm sorry."

The brokenness of her voice squeezed Killian's heart. He pulled Emma into his arms as the sob she had tried to keep down clawed its way free. He ran his hand up and down her back, whispering soothing words to her. When she had calmed down a considerable amount, he asked, "What ever are you sorry for, darling?"

She leaned back, wiping the moisture from her face. "For waking you up."

He brushed his thumb over her cheeks. "I don't mind. Why did you wake up in the first place?"

She ignored his question and placed both of her hands on either side of his face. "I can't do this without you, Killian. I can't."

His eyebrows furrowed. "You don't have to. I'm not going anywhere."

She shook her head. "You don't understand. When I had Henry, I was all alone. I didn't have anyone. When I was at the hospital, I was by myself. No one was there for me—with me. I can't… I can't do that again."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere." His voice was firm. "I won't let you go through that again. I'll be here every step of the way. You won't ever be alone again. I promise."

Emma nodded, falling forward. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her forehead on his shoulder. "I love you."

He kissed the top of her head. "I love you, too. You and our child."

The third time didn't happen for almost a month. Killian's constant reassurance and presence soothed Emma's fears, chased her worries away before they could haunt her. It wasn't until Ashley asked Emma what baby stuff she still needed to buy that Emma let those insecurities slip back into her mind.

"I'm not sure," she had managed to get out before declaring it time to return home where she was sure Killian had arrived after a day on the Jolly Roger with Neal and David.

Killian was making dinner when Emma walked through the door. The smell of Regina's famous lasagna wafted through the air, making Emma's stomach growl.

"Are you two hungry?" Killian called from the kitchen. Emma could just imagine the smirk on his face.

"You have no idea," she said. As she headed into the kitchen, she pulled her hair up into a ponytail, tired of it smacking into her face every few seconds. She really needed a trim.

Killian glanced up at her curiously. Emma should have known he would pick up on her mood, even with just a few words. "Everything all right? How was your day?"

Emma slid into one of the chairs at the table, leaning back so she could see her husband who stood at the sink, washing dishes. "I'm fine. I ran into Ashley earlier."

He raised a questioning eyebrow. "Is that all?"

"She asked what stuff we still needed to buy for the baby."

"That seems a bit premature, given you're only three months pregnant."

"That's what I thought."

Killian looked back at her, raising an eyebrow. "But…?"

"I didn't say 'but.'"

A small smirk appeared on his face. "But you were thinking it."

Emma rolled her eyes, neither confirming nor denying her husband's claims.

Killian set down the dish he was cleaning and dried his hand off. He sat in the chair next to Emma, scooting close to her so their knees were touching. He grabbed her hands in his hand and hook. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

Emma swiped her thumb over the only ring on Killian's hand—his wedding band. "Ashley got me thinking…."

"Oh, no," he teased. "That's never a good thing."

She smacked his hand, trying, and failing, to keep a smile back. "Shut up. Anyway, I was thinking…I don't really know what to buy for the baby. Obviously, there's diapers and clothes and a crib—the basics. But what if we don't have all the right things when they're born, or when they cry in the middle of the night? What if we're not prepared? I didn't get to do any shopping or anything for Henry. I don't know what I'm supposed to get."

"Emma, we still have another six months to prepare the house and ourselves for our little one. Also, I am sure your mother would be more than thrilled to help us with the baby shopping. She's been talking about it since we announced the pregnancy."

Emma let out a breathy laugh. "I guess you're right."

"Of course I am."

She laughed softly and leaned back in her chair. "When are we going to eat?"

"As soon as the timer goes off."

She nodded. "How was your day on the Jolly? Did Neal have fun?"

Killian let out a soft chuckle. "I don't think I've ever seen him smile so much."

Emma's lips tugged up. "He loves spending time with you."

"I don't know if it's that or that he enjoys pretending he's the captain no matter how much your father corrects him."

"Probably the second one."

"Most likely."

A shrill ring went through the air, pulling a smile from Emma. "Dinner's ready."

Another laugh escaped Killian as he stood. "Aye."

Emma shot up, her breathing ragged. Tears filled her eyes as memories of her dream entered her mind. She pushed them down and turned to wake her husband, knowing he would want to comfort her and needing him to do so. She was met with an empty side.

Panic raced up Emma's spine as her breathing became more uneven. He was gone. He left. She was left alone again, just as she had been before.

Lingering feelings of loneliness from her dream pierced through her. Her hand rested on her small, five-month bump. All she wanted to do was curl up in her husband's arm, assured she wasn't alone, but that was impossible. She was alone, just as always. Just like she would always be.

The bedroom door creaked open, the dim light of the hallway spilling into the room. Killian's figure paused when he stepped in.

"Emma, what's wrong?"

A sob forced its way out of Emma's throat, shaking her whole body. In a moment, she felt Killian's arms wrap around her and pull her to him. She turned her face to his chest, clenching the leather jacket that still hung over him.

"What happened, darling?" he whispered, running his hand down her back. "Are you hurt?"

She shook her head, sliding her arms around his neck and pulling herself up so her face was between her arm and his neck. Her voice was muffled as she mumbled, "Bad dream."

He understood immediately, his heart aching for his wife. Over the course of the last few months, Emma had been awoken more and more often in the middle of the night because of nightmares of her past pregnancy. The few times he had been able to coax her into talking about the dreams, she'd barely been able to talk through her tears. After it happened for a third time, he had arranged with Leroy and the rest of the dwarves to cover his night shifts until after the baby was born. He was afraid Emma would have a nightmare when he was gone and not be able to calm herself down. Tonight, however, going in had been unavoidable. Emma had assured him she would be fine, but he knew she hadn't entirely believed it.

"I'm sorry." He kissed the side of her head. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

She was quiet for a moment before pulling back and looking down. Killian reached over to turn on Emma's bedside lamp, having sat down on her side. The tears that ran down her face glistened in the glow of the lamp, pulling at Killian's heartstrings.

"It was like last time…. I was by myself in prison. All I felt was alone." Her voice broke. "I… I could barely breathe."

Killian knew the nightmares that often plagued Emma now were reminders of her impossible situation of being in prison all those years ago. It saddened him that such a happy thing like having a child brought such sorrow into Emma's life at such a young age. It angered him that it was still attacking her. All he wanted to do was whisk her away from her worries, from her burdens.

"I felt so…hopeless. Then I woke up and you…you weren't here."

He closed his eyes briefly, guilt prickling inside him. He had tried to get someone to cover for Leroy's shift, but all the dwarves seemed to think that if one of their brothers was sick, they all needed to care for him. So, reluctantly, he had left the house six hours ago. Emma had spent the first two hours with him, insisting she could stay awake. When Killian had returned from using the restroom, he'd found her asleep in her chair, leaning against the desk. He'd driven her home then, almost having to force her to leave the car when they arrived home. Killian had known Emma had needed her sleep, but he had still been hesitant to let her go. Almost every night she woke up from a nightmare. He didn't want her to be alone, but he knew she needed rest.

"I was already feeling alone. Seeing your side of the bed empty…I thought…I thought you left for a moment, just like Neal did. And it made sense to me." She wrapped her arms around herself. "No one would want to stay. Not with me." A tear trickled down her cheek.

Killian quickly pulled her into his arms again. "I'm not going anywhere, sweetheart. Nothing could make me leave you or our child."

Emma leaned into him. "I know. I know that. I just…I was so disoriented when I woke up."

"I'm sorry I wasn't here. I should've been."

"No, Storybrooke needs you protecting it."

"My first job is to protect you. You're my wife."

"I know, and it sucks that I have to share you sometimes, but that's all part of being a hero."

He chuckled softly. "I love you. I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you, too." She pulled back. "Next time one of the dwarves is sick, just tell one of them to suck it up and go to work. Leroy doesn't need six caretakers."

"I tried to, love. I really did."

Her lips tugged up. "Try harder next time."

He kissed her forehead. "I will. I thought about asking your father, but both Neal and your mother have been recovering from that stomach bug. I didn't want to pull him away from them."

Emma nodded, leaning her head on Killian's shoulder. "You were right to do that."

He ran his hand down her back holding her close. "I'm not too sure about that."

"You can't be glued to my side for the next four months, Killian. That's the baby's job."

His chest vibrated with a gentle laugh. "Aye, right you are. Now, go back to sleep. I'm going to get ready for bed."

Emma kissed him quickly and laid back down, facing Killian's side. When Killian was done in the bathroom and changed, he climbed in next to Emma and smiled at her.

"Goodnight, love."

"'Night, Killian."

I hope you enjoyed that chapter!