Here's a laid back/relaxing family chapter for you guys. A short interlude before jumping back in to theories, answers, and planning. In this story, our heroes do get some time off. Enjoy!

Chapter 5 – Saturday

After breakfast Saturday morning, Killian went to the hospital as he said he would for a few hours. He compared the medical notes with personal notes they had about each patient. If the pattern so far continued, they might be able to tell who could recover on their own, like Miss Allison, and who might be the next to pass on if a cure wasn't found. Twenty people or so had the condition altogether, and two were already gone.

Aurora had told them about Mr. Cobblepot, as well as some others from the Enchanted Forest. Mary Margaret had told them about Miss Allison. Whale informed them about Mr. Edwards being part of Blackbeard's crew, and also a woman who was a single mom from Storybrooke. Kristoff had given them some details on the half dozen folks from Arendelle that were affected. Information on the others in Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest came from other townspeople.

Emma was at home with Hope, and they were watching TV together. Actually, Hope was watching Blue's Clues, and Emma was on her phone playing a game and getting her butt kicked. Why did she think it was a good idea to play a trivia game against her mother, a teacher. Especially without Killian around as backup because as much as they teased, Killian knew more than his share of stuff about this land now.

She was spared when her mom sent a message through the game that she was taking a break to run some errands. Sometimes Emma was tempted, out of frustration, to uninstall the app from her phone. But it was worth it to spend time and interact with her mom when they couldn't in person. The little updates on Neal and Hope, school and work, other happenings in Storybrooke, the emojis, and comments on the game kept them in touch between turns.

A few minutes later the episode ended, and Emma didn't want Hope watching TV all day. So, Emma grabbed the stroller and the diaper bag and decided they'd go out until Killian headed home. Maybe they could visit the Jolly Roger later on. For now though, she and Hope were headed to Tiny's farm. She had promised to stop by soon when they talked to each other on Career Day. Plus, on Saturdays there was always some fort of activity to encourage the kids. Hope was still too young for most of it, but with some help from Anton, she was able to get pictures of Hope in all the wooden cut outs. Her little girl looked adorable in the scarecrow, farmer, different animals, and crops like corn and pumpkins. She sent her favorite one of Hope as a pea in a pod to Killian and other family members.

It wasn't long after she sent the picture that she got an incoming call from Killian.

"Hey, how's it going?" She answered and found a quiet picnic table to sit at.

"Very well, love, it's been an active morning. It appears yours has been as well. How many pictures did you take?"

"Oh, about a dozen. I didn't want to bombard you with texts by sending all of them. You can see the rest later." She told him and laughed a little. Yes, she was one of those moms that took way too many pictures, when the occasion was right. "What made your morning so active?"

"Two more patients woke up briefly. One I missed, but another, a young man from Arendelle, I was able to talk to for a moment. He remembers feeling a dread similar to what Miss Allison described about times in his past. That was all I was able to find out before he slipped off again."

"It seems like each day is inching closer to an answer, but we still don't have it." She sighed, but this was still good news for sure.

"Well, I've already informed Regina, and she called for another meeting on Monday. Apparently the theory Rogers had is promising."

"Well, with the recent findings, maybe this could all be solved by Monday. Then you guys would just have to round up the dogs, and people will be safe and cured." She suggested hopefully, but she knew it likely wouldn't go that smoothly.

"I certainly hope a cure is found soon. You gain a different perspective after seeing these people instead of only hearing about it. And today feels like two steps forward, two steps backward."

"What do you mean by that?"

"A middle-aged couple from the Enchanted Forest were brought in about an hour or two ago. They were both bitten by the dogs and have been admitted to the hospital."

"A couple? What happened?"

She was almost afraid to hear how this devastating news had occurred. If she was in that situation, or anyone she was close too. She didn't want to think about it.

"From what I overheard from some nurses, he was feeding chickens and she was gathering laundry from the clothes line. They got to her first, and when he came to chase them away from her, he was bitten as well."

"I can't even imagine. This needs to end." She spoke quietly and held her head in her hand.

"Aye, it does." He agreed and it was quiet between them for a minute. "Well, I want to do a couple more things here. Then I'll be on my way home. Perhaps we can plan for a relaxing, family evening on the Jolly Roger?"

"I was thinking the same thing."

"I love you. I'll be home in a little more than an hour, but no more than two."

"Okay, I love you too. See you soon."

[]

CS

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As promised Emma held out her phone to flip through the pictures while Killian held the star of the photo shoot. They had decided not to go sailing, but to stay docked and have a picnic on the deck. They also changed things up by getting take out from Tony's Italian instead of Granny's.

"Are you too lovely for words? Are you too adorable for your own good?" Killian asked in an exaggerated voice as he lifted Hope in the air several times. Watching him and listening to his antics caused a feeling to wash over her.

She remembered that time in Granny's when Alexandra was a toddler. He had no idea what to do at first, but he was a natural. Now here he was with his own. It never got old seeing Captain Hook playing with his daughter, blowing raspberries on her belly, or singing softly to her.

It made her think of their time in the alternate story where he was a deckhand who never handled a sword before. He was a natural even when didn't know it himself. He thought he was a coward, and yet he helped Henry rescue her, and he fought to protect them even when it meant his life. He had it in him all along and just needed something, someone to help bring it to the surface again.

It worked the other way around too. Other than Walsh proposing to her, she never even thought she'd get married, and she didn't even say yes to him. She said yes to Killian, twice actually. Now, she was a wife but also a mother again. Something else she didn't think she could do. But she did because she trusted the man beside her. She was unafraid of the future. In fact, she wanted a little more for her future. It was a little soon, Hope wasn't even a year old yet, but Emma thought of having another little one join the family one day.

She had been worried because she wasn't a mom to Henry until he was ten. But Killian helped prove to her that she was a mom no matter how big or small her child. That deep down she already knew what she needed to. She believed him now, and wouldn't trade this for anything.

"What are you thinking about, love?" He asked when he finally caught that she was lost in thought.

"Probably the same thing you do every time you see me with Hope." She gave a vague response, but it was honest nonetheless.

"Well, I doubt that. I always think that you are the two most beautiful ladies in all the realms. But I know what you mean." He corrected her and then leaned in for a kiss.

"You're right. I'm thinking that a dashing pirate turned papa is an amazing sight."

"A title and responsibility I never thought I'd have, but I feel all the more privileged with. Of course I think of Henry as my own son, and I love them both, but…"

"But Henry isn't your little girl that will call you daddy and papa. Henry never had anyone to call daddy, but he had outgrown mommy well before I met him."

"Aye, we get to experience many firsts with Hope. But Henry gave us his share of them as well." He commented and then gave some examples. "Those hours of homework, the first time he broke curfew, getting his driver's license."

"Don't forget he went and got a motorcycle endorsement." Emma shook her head at the memory.

"But there were plenty of good things like putting together operations for your birthday and Mother's Day. The time he constructed something for my hook that allowed me to use his video game controller. And perhaps best of all, our first grandchild."

"I love Lucy, but I'm not even forty yet." She pretended to protest, but she really did love her granddaughter, no matter how crazy everyone's ages were. "And have you heard my dad about being a great-grandfather? My mom takes it surprisingly well though. And even though you worry about gray hair and aching joints, you're cool as a cucumber about this."

"Well, I say the more the merrier, whether it be children, grandchildren, siblings, or in laws."

"Speaking of children, I think somebody noticed she's not the center of attention anymore." Emma pointed out.

She had noticed Hope squirming in Killian's lap to get down. Emma lifted her up and then placed her on the deck where she crawled over to a few toys and was happy again.

"You know, you and Dad taught Henry about swords. I taught him gun safety and took him to the range when he was old enough. He taught me to believe in magic and fairytales. He started our tradition of camping in front of the tree and fireplace on Christmas Eve. He graduated high school. Then he left home." Emma listed some of her own firsts with Henry. There were too many to count, but these were some highlights from happy to bittersweet.

"Aye, and now he's back. He's grown into a fine young man with a lovely family."

"I know, and I'm proud of him. I'm so proud of both of them. Each one dealt with some big things before coming here. Henry Mills always has his family around, or at least parts of it, but Henry Lance was alone for a while. He became more like me in this version of things and less like me in the wish realm. Yet he's here and adjusting to family better than I did." She said, thinking back to yesterday's conversation a little.

"Aye, Henry Lance may not have the title of Truest Believer, but he is still a Charming. They don't give up and belief is in their blood. Both lads are resilient and know how to get back on the horse and keep riding." Killian assured her.

"We were sort of talking about that yesterday, Henry being a Charming and what this family means." She commented and reached down for the ball Hope had just pushed her way and rolled it back to her. "I might have used a little bit of story time with him."

"Stole my method did you?" He teased as it was his turn to get the ball from Hope.

"Well, it works." She said in her defense. "Besides, you should feel proud as the teacher that the student is successful."

"Again, you stole it. I didn't teach you. You did it all on your own."

"I'm married to pirate. Are you really surprised?" She asked, knowing the answer full well.

"Not in the least, darling." He stated with an over-the-moon-smile and gave her a kiss. "Just don't steal from my bedtime stories with Hope. It's, what do you call it, daddy daughter bonding?"

"I wouldn't dream of it." She assured him and rested her head on his shoulder. "I may read with her sometimes, but between the two of you it's something special. Just like you singing lullabies."

"Actually, I think it is even more special when you sing or hum to her because it's rare and you almost never choose to do it." He gave his honest opinion.

"You're only saying that because I don't randomly burst out in song like you and my parents, especially David, do sometimes." She scoffed and got up to go after Hope. She had crawled a little too far away. "I think it's some residual effects from the magic that day. I wonder if it was really a good idea to gift those memories."

"Nonsense, love, it was a wonderful gift and greatly appreciated." He told her as she came back. This time she sat on the floor with Hope in her lap so she could keep playing but not escape.

For their one year anniversary, and also a celebration of a year of peace, Emma had used some magic and Henry's help with the storybook to let everyone see the day where normal sentences became song lyrics. She did it for several reasons. She knew it would mean a lot to her parents, and it did, and they loved it. For her, she was curious about the events of such a crazy day and how things turned out. Killian was intrigued as well about the things that occurred. And he was quite pleased with himself for the catchy tune he came up with. Henry was fascinated and amused by what he saw and also by getting to record it in the storybook. The same couldn't be said for Regina though. She wasn't sure at first whether to be impressed or annoyed with Zelena for the part she had in things. In the end though she realized it didn't matter and it was water under the bridge. Zelena however did find things pretty hilarious, especially the Charmings and the Evil Queen battling in song.

Emma had used a dreamcatcher but made sure to alter it some. After her and Killian being Dark Ones, she was sure no one ever wanted to see a dreamcatcher again. It looked more like a wreath with vines wrapped around it that reminded her of the beanstalk and also some middlemist buds. It now hung as a decoration in Hope's nursery. Those songs had been put in Emma's heart as a baby, before she was even born, to give her strength. Seeing that day and hearing those songs meant more to her than she originally thought. Emma wanted to pass them on to her baby girl to give her strength for a future day, and to always carry her family's love with her through them. Sure there were other ways to do that, but it was something they could share. Just like Hope shared bedtime stories with her daddy.

"Besides, you say that as if my tendency to sing now and then is annoying." Killian continued and brought her back from her thoughts. He feigned outrage and offense, and Emma couldn't help but laugh. It was crazy how good his voice was.

"Well, 'I do my thing, and you do your thing. You are you, and I am I'. If you want to sing whenever then that's fine. But it's not something I choose to do as my thing." She told him and used a quote from Topanga.

"You've been watching the Matthews lad again." He actually caught her reference even if didn't get the title of the show.

Boy Meets World was popular when she was a teen, but she missed out on the craze. She didn't get to watch a lot of TV in the foster homes or after she ran away from the system. So watching old nineties shows was a way for her to relax and get a little bit of her teen years back. As for Killian, he still liked learning about her beginnings, and this was something she should have grown up with.

"Well, the quote is applicable to this situation, but only if you truly believe those words. Not just as an excuse because you feel you're not good enough." He continued and gave her a look she was familiar with. He was trying to subtly call her out while reading her like a book.

"I'll admit I used to think that way. I loved singing when I was little, and I thought I was good at it. I almost entered a singing competition. But I was discouraged by people in the foster families and other kids at school. Then I got older and became an adult. Focusing on my job and making ends meet was more important than trying to sing, especially when I didn't have anyone I trusted enough to share it with. Events of our wedding day certainly changed things, but it started before that, just a little bit."

"Aye, the first time I heard you sing was to the radio in the car on our way from New York to Storybrooke. I could barely hear you, but I was disappointed when the song came to an end. You claimed it was only to help you focus and stay alert while driving." He recalled and Emma could tell by his face that he treasured the moment.

"That was sort of true, but it was also just an excuse." She also admitted. When did this turn into confession time? All truths come out eventually though. "I couldn't help it with that song. Even if you could barely hear me, I knew what it meant that I sang in front of you, and I wasn't ready to face the fact that I didn't mind you were there to hear me. I trusted you more than I was ready to admit out loud, or too stubborn to rather."

"We both know a great deal about how stubborn the other can be." He commented and moved from the bench seat to sit down beside them again. Hope crawled from her lap to his the second he did. "We have quite the road ahead of us with this one, don't we?"

"Yeah, but that's not anything we didn't already figure when we talked about kids." She shrugged and leaned in for a kiss when his phone rang.

"Of course it's your father." Killian mumbled before answering. "Hello, Dave."

Emma couldn't help but laugh at the overly cheerful tone in which her husband greeted her father. They may be mates now, but her dad had a gift when it came to having bad timing with phone calls. Bad timing according to Killian anyway, but her dad would reply that he had great timing if Killian ever brought it up. David loved his family, including his pirate son-in-law, but he was stuck in his ways and couldn't resist giving Killian a hard time about certain things. Killian served it right back to him. And if that was the in-law drama that had to be dealt with, well who could complain. It might even be better than normal, which was surprising considering the crazy family tree.