Emma's smile could not get any larger as she and Killian took their daughter to the different shops in town to get goodies for her bag.
Hope cheerfully greeted everyone, who couldn't help but smile just as brightly to the toddler as they gave her whatever confections they had made.
"She's growing up so fast." Emma said. "One moment I'm holding her in my arms to feed her, and the next I'm calling to her not to run so she won't trip and fall."
"Aye love." Killian agreed wholeheartedly with his wife. "Time has passed in the blink of an eye."
He wrapped his arms around her, her head falling to his chest to rest against one another as they watched their little pirate princess lift her bag up to receive a well wrapped cupcake from Tiana.
"Thank you, I love you." Hope exclaimed.
Killian and Emma chuckled.
"Hope, honey, you don't say I love you when Trick or Treating." Emma explained to her daughter.
"She's my friend and she put gummy worms in my cupcake. I love her."
"Should we be concerned that our daughter's heart is easily won by sweets?"
"She might switch to being won over by sweet gestures when she gets older." Emma assured her husband. But she couldn't help but feel Hope got her sweet tooth from her mother's side of the family."
Then again, the father's side wasn't really known for staying away from things they enjoyed.
The entire United Realms would certainly have their hands full when dealing with Hope Swan-Jones.
Proving Emma's beliefs; a little boy whose parents were not watching him ran up to Hope and tried to take her bag of treats from her.
Hope, being the daughter of a legendary pirate captain, had no interest in losing her treasure.
Just as Emma and Killian were reaching out to stop the boy, Hope purposely dropped to the ground, keeping her bag clutched tightly in her hand. She then kicked the boy's own bag of candy from him, causing his attained treats to scatter on the ground. In the commotion of very small children swarming to try to get a fallen piece of candy, Hope ran to the next stop in the quest for candy.
"I don't know whether to be concerned or proud." Killian said as he and Emma quickly followed their daughter. It had never been more evident just how strongly she took after her parents.
They couldn't get upset with her for protecting what was hers. That little boy was clearly in the wrong. His parents really should have been keeping a better eye on him.
"I think we should be proud for now and concerned when she becomes a teenager."
"If the gods have any mercy, let her trickery never be better than ours."
Emma had serious doubts that the gods were going to be merciful.