Blueeyeddevil06, thank you for being my beta!

Killian spent the morning staring at his brother. It has been so long that he'd believed his brother had died. That incorrect fact had become a part of his identity. It was a constant ache that he hadn't realized how pervasive it was until it was gone.

Now they were heading out to the Cygnet. He knew the crew would be thrilled to see Liam. He was excited to see their faces.

On the way there, he brought up Smee. "Just a heads up. Don't ask about Smee. The crew doesn't take well to being reminded of him."

"What happened to him? He wasn't clever enough to get into trouble. He took orders well enough, though."

"I skipped that part when I was telling you about rescuing Emma. He was trying to contact the Dark One to trade her for passage to Neverland and eternal life."

Liam gave Killian a speculative look, "I can't imagine you took that well."

"I sure as bloody hell did not. I killed him. Painfully. He begged for mercy, and I gave him none." Killian's face was hard and unyielding.

Liam saw what Killian must have been like as Captain Hook. There was a steeliness in his voice and darkness to his bearing. The fury was evident.

Liam commented, "And Emma was okay with that?"

"Aye. She didn't like it, but she understood. I was still Captain Hook then. It was when I first believed that she could love me completely."

"You told her what you did?!"

Killian shook his head. "I didn't know she was there to witness it. She saw everything." Killian sighed. "There isn't anything I wouldn't do to protect her. She saw that too that day."

"Seems men are willing to kill for her. Her father killed his adoptive father also."

Killian gave him a crooked smile. "Tell me you wouldn't kill for her already."

"She saved my life because she loves you so much. Aye, I would," Liam admitted. He thought about Emma and her desire to help heal his brother. She traversed realms to give him his brother back. The only reason Liam wasn't in eternal sleep anymore was because of her incredible love.

When they arrived at the Cygnet, Killian wasn't disappointed by the crew's responses. They had been ruthless pirates for so long, and they were Navy men now. Yet, the moment they realized who was with Killian, many of the men openly cried.

A cheer went up as soon as Liam stepped on board, and the crew encircled him. They all were patting him on the back.

Old Tom stepped up next to Killian. "That's quite the wife you have. You'll have to tell us how she did it later."

"How did you know?" He looked at him, wondering how he'd found out...

Old Tom snorted. "What other explanation could there be?" Killian just nodded. "Can she bring people back to life?"

"No, he was just sleeping." Then Killian smirked and yelled out. "He was sleeping the whole time, like a Princess!"

Liam scowled, "Hey! I couldn't help it." Everyone started chuckling.

Killian smiled and said, "Emma told me he was resting on a very comfortable bed. He and Queen Snow have a lot in common. Maybe David could have kissed him awake too."

Liam grumbled and shoved Killian playfully. "Hey, I was woken by a beautiful woman. It wasn't so bad."

Killian just smiled at him. "Go ahead and tease me about that. I know who's bed she'll be in tonight, and I won't be sleeping either."

"Go ahead and brag, little brother."

"Younger brother!" Killian corrected. "And, I sure will. She's my wife, and you'll not bait me. I know who has her heart."

The crew all cheered, and Murphy commented, "You should have seen the Captain fall for her. It was… amusing."

Old Tom nodded, "I think he was already in love when he showed up with her after rescuing her from the Dark One."

Killian nodded and said, "She saved my life by killing a man less than a minute after I met her. She's fearless."

They spent the rest of the morning with the crew. When it was time to head back to the palace for lunch, a few men hugged Liam. They'd turned pirate after being devastated by his death. They never forgot their devotion to him.

Killian reflected on how Emma had brought so many hardened men joy. It was evident by the look on their faces.

Thirty minutes before lunch, Anna pulled Emma into a sitting room and locked the door. "I need to talk to you."

"What is it?" Emma asked.

Anna whispered, "It's a secret."

"In that case, let me do this." Emma waved her hand and then smiled. "Okay, no one can hear us now."

"That's so cool!" Anna sat on the couch, and Emma found a seat on an armchair by her.

Emma looked at her in curiosity, "What is the secret?"

Anna was nervous. "It's kinda asking a lot."

"It's not like you to be nervous with a request."

"Yeah, but-" She sighed. "Can you take Elsa to Misthaven? I do like the council meetings, but it made me realize that I could help out. I think it would be fantastic for her to meet Regina and Tinkerbell. I bet you have a vast magical library too."

"That we do."

Anna fidgeted, "I just want what's best for her, and she did show that she's smart. I don't want her held back by having to stay here."

Emma smiled at her, "You know it would be great if I helped my parents establish diplomatic relations with Arendale. Elsa could probably even work on trade negotiations while she's there."

Anna's eyes lit up with joy. "That would be wonderful. Elsa could begin to create allies."

"I'll let Killian know, and then I'll mention it to Elsa. I assume you want the invitation to come from me."

"It would be nice for her to be invited by you." Anna nodded. "I don't want her to feel like she's a burden."

"That she could never be. You had a great idea, Anna. Thank you." Emma thought for a moment. "You're giving up an adventure, though."

"Someone needs to stay here. Also, helping to run Arendale will be its own adventure." Anna then blushed.

"You'd also have some alone time with Kristoph." Emma commented.

"Can you blame me for wanting that? He's hot!" Her eyes sparkled.

They both started to crack up. Emma then grew serious, "Will you worry? You're parents…"

"Elsa will, of course, have to go on one of our ships. That means two ships to keep an eye on each other and enough magic between the two of you to bring someone back from the almost dead from another realm. I won't worry in the slightest."

"Good, I wouldn't want you back here a nervous wreck. Now, we just need to make plans assuming she'll want to go."

Anna snorted, "Of course she will. She wants to learn more about her magic and herself. It will be too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Lunch was a joyous occasion. Everyone was happy that Liam was there, and he was so curious about what had been going on in the world while he was sleeping. Emma could tell he was nervous about having missed so much and that he wasn't used to that feeling. From Killian, she'd heard how self-assured he always was. She suspected that he was struggling with the feeling of being decades behind.

She knew that Killian was too pleased that his brother was alive to realize that he was floundering. Also, she understood he couldn't imagine a situation in which his brother felt uncomfortable. Apparently, sitting at a table with royalty was one of those situations.

Emma then looked at Elsa and asked, "Would you be free this afternoon to go down to the docks? I'd love to see your fleet of ships. I know I'm a Captain's wife, but my interest in ships started years ago. Admiral Hornblower taught me how to sail as a child." She hoped to get Liam in surroundings he'd feel more comfortable.

However, mentioning Admiral Hornblower was a mistake. Liam dropped his fork. "You were taught by Horatio Hornblower?!"

"Yes," she answered, not sure of what upset him.

He shook his head in awe, "He's an incredible captain. I can't believe you were able to learn sailing from him. That's incredible!"

"It's not that impressive, Liam. I wanted to learn, and my father was nervous about letting me sail with anyone else. He's King and could order the best to train me. You'd have done the same thing in his position."

"True," he admitted. "I'd just love to be able to meet him someday."

Killian stared at Liam and said, "Think about what you just said."

Liam looked puzzled for a few seconds, and it dawned on him. "I'll meet him when I get to Misthaven, won't I?"

"Yes, brother. In fact, if you become a captain again, you'll be reporting to him."

That fact made it easier to accept. The chain of command was something he was very familiar with. "I'd like to sail again. I can't believe you stole my ship."

"I stole King George's ship. Get your facts straight," he smiled at Liam. "He made me angry."

Emma scoffed and said, "I stole that ship fair and square for Misthaven anyway."

"And how do you figure you stole it, Love?" Killian asked, smirking at her defiant look.

"I stole the heart of the ship, and with it came the Cygnet."

"My ship has a heart?"

She shook her head, "No, but you do, and with you comes your ship. You both belong to me."

"Aye. She's your ship, Swan." Killian then turned to Elsa. "It would be nice to tour your ships in the harbor if we may."

"That's a great idea. I'd love to go with you, but I do have a council meeting," she sighed.

Anna perked up. "No! You don't. I can head up the meeting, and you can go with them. I want the chance to show you what I can do. Please? Please, please, pleeeeease?"

"Okay, Anna. You can run the meeting. I'll take them for the tour." She smiled at her sister. "Thank you."

Killian had a wonderful day looking at the Naval ships in the harbor and walking between Emma and Liam. Every time he thought life couldn't get better, it did.