A little later, the three of them arrived at the coffee shop. Killian stepped out of his truck and placed his sunglasses on his shirt.

He then surmised, "I suppose this will work well enough," a grin playing across his features.

Brennan shook his head while Belle rolled her eyes. She then told him, "You are absolutely incorrigible."

"I know," he replied, his grin only growing. She shook her head before he spoke, "In all seriousness, love, how did you find this place?"

"Emma actually found it," she began as she leaned against the tailgate, "It was the perfect spot to grab her morning hot chocolate - even if it was a little out of the way."

"Until you opened your shop, right, Killian? That's how you two met?" Brennan interjected as he clasped his hands together.

"Aye, we did," he confirmed. He then started to laugh, throwing his head back.

Brennan - and even Belle - wore confused expressions. Killian waved a hand as he explained, "I was just thinking about how Emma was very much a firecracker then - of course, she's still strong-willed and stubborn, but she no longer sees me as an annoyance."

Belle giggled while Brennan let out a chuckle. He then said, "Your sister told me that you two didn't always get along, but I must confess it's rather hard to believe."

Killian couldn't help but smile. He ran his fingers through his hair as he told him, "Emma was a little too jaded while I was a little too flirtatious - we agreed to call a truce when Belle and I discovered we were siblings."

Brennan nodded. He couldn't help but grin as he supposed, "I gather that you two falling in…" He cut himself off as his eyes widened ever so slightly.

He cleared his throat before he corrected, "That is, you two growing as close as you are, must have been quite the interesting journey."

Killian smiled as he agreed, "Indeed it was." He then nodded toward the shop and spoke, "And it involved quite a bit of hot chocolate. I think perhaps we should go get our fill."

The pair of them nodded before they all headed inside. Once they ordered, they found a corner table.

A silence that hinged on awkward ensued, the three of them looking all around the shop. Killian began rubbing the back of his head.

After a few moments, he asked, "Ah, Belle, did you finish Alice in Wonderland with the children?"

She couldn't help but smile as she answered, "I did! They adored hearing about Alice's adventures with the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Red Queen, and the rest of the characters."

She then giggled and added, "And I tried to do the voices, and I believe they enjoyed the story even more."

He grinned as he surmised, "Well, love, I doubt it was that much of a stretch because you're already English."

Belle shook her head as she told him, "You are so incorrigible."

With another grin, Killian offered, "I'm fairly certain you've already called me that today."

Belle rested her chin in her hand as she spoke, "Are you surprised? You do rather have a sarcastic sense of humor - no wonder you got under Emma's skin."

He shook his head. "I think I have rubbed off on you - maybe too much." He then grinned and offered, "Be that as it may, Emma is still rather fond of me."

"Mm-hmm," she teased before she let out a chuckle. He shook his head before the server brought their coffee and tea. A brief silence ensued as they sipped on their beverages.

Belle then broke it: "So, Killian, have you finally decided when you're going to play "Faithfully" for Emma?"

The tips of his ears turned pink. He then told her, "I must admit I've been a little too obsessed with getting it perfect, but I do plan on surprising her soon."

With a smile, she replied, "Well, I think she'll be ecstatic - she'll absolutely love it."

Killian smiled back at her. She then tilted her head and surmised, "Although, I suppose you'll just have to make it special since your anniversary and her birthday were months ago."

He hummed. He opened his mouth to reply when a "rringg" interrupted him. He and Belle began searching for their phones - only to furrow their eyebrows at the unfamiliar ringtone.

"Hello?" They then looked over as Brennan answered the call. He leaned back in his chair as he conversed - the siblings locked eyes before their gaze shifted to the floor.

Killian ran his hand over his face and through his hair. "Bloody hell - we forgot he was even there."

Belle only sighed as she nodded slowly. She, too, then ran her fingers through her hair.

They sat in silence until Brennan finished his call. With a tilt of his head, he told them, "You two didn't have to stop on my account."

Killian pinched the bridge of his nose before he pointed out, "We should have stopped and realized we were ignoring you."

With a wave of his hand, Brennan assured him, "It's quite alright - you two," gesturing with his hands, "likely had some catching up to do."

Belle twirled the ends of her hair as she told him, "We do see each other on a regular basis - we pretty much always know what's going on with the other."

Killian couldn't help but grin as he teased, "I'm rather surprised we haven't driven each other mad."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head before he took a deep breath and offered, "But we said we'd have coffee with you - we shouldn't ignore you."

Brennan looked back and forth between his two children. He took a deep breath of his own before he spoke, "I - uh - thank you."

Belle and Killian nodded. He then said, "Let's get back to…" pausing and scratching his head, "Uh, what were we talking about?"

With a chuckle, Brennan answered, "Belle was teasing you about Emma putting up with you before growing serious and asking about the song you wish to play for her."

Surprise enveloped their faces. They quickly schooled their features before he continued, "Ah, yes, I am quite looking forward to playing it."

He took a few sips of his coffee before he spoke, "So, sis, speaking of music, Emma tells me you were involved in the band in high school."

Belle rubbed her hands together as she corrected, "Well, actually, I wrote for the school paper, and my job involved covering the events for the art, music, and theater programs."

Killian sighed and dropped his forehead in his hand. "Bloody hell, of course that makes more sense - I don't know why I thought you were in the band."

Brennan then offered, "Don't beat yourself up, lad. It's not as though you and Belle grew up together - or even knew the other existed."

With a thoughtful expression, Killian looked between his father and sister. He then took a deep breath and conceded, "You're right - I can't blame myself for not knowing everything."

He paused for a moment before he added, "And I do remember you were the library assistant - which led to your career."

She nodded and offered him a smile. She then elaborated, "I had taken the liberty of researching various works those programs performed or sought inspiration."

Killian couldn't help but grin as he supplied, "And you published those in the newspaper as well because you're quite the nerd, aren't you?"

Belle rolled her eyes and shook her head. She sipped on her tea before she defended, "Those articles were rather enjoyable, you know."

He only hummed as his grin grew wider while Brennan let out a chuckle. The older man then offered, "Be that as it may, it seems Belle was lucky enough to find her calling early in life."

"So, she did," Killian agreed as he offered her a smile. She smiled back.

He then let out a humorless chuckle and spoke, "I dare say I wasn't quite that lucky - I rather gave Liam a difficult time."

Belle rested her chin in her hand as she said, "Surely you couldn't have been that bad."

"You'd be surprised," he commented. He then elaborated, "I was in nearly half a dozen fights - some of them resulting in black eyes and one of them a broken left hand."

"What on earth did they do?" Belle questioned, her mouth slightly agape.

Killian tilted his head as he recalled, "I remember less about the fights and more about Liam's reactions. Though never especially harsh, he did scold me, and I always knew when he was disappointed."

A shadow then passed over his features. He looked down into his coffee and swirled it around.

He let out a deep breath as he brought his gaze back up to his father and sister. He then offered, "I'm, uh, sorry about that. I still miss him."

"Of course you do - he's your brother," Belle assured him as she curled her hands around her mug.

He offered her a small smile, as well as a nod, in response. With another deep breath, he then said, "But, I wasn't always getting into trouble. Though I myself wasn't involved in any sort of extra curricular activity, quite a few of my mates were, and I'd go and support them."

Brennan's features remained conflicted as Killian spoke of Liam. He managed to push the guilt from his mind and focused on presently spending time with his children.

And so, he told his son, "I'm sure they appreciated the support."

"Aye, they did. And when I wasn't in the stands, we always had a rather fun time."

Belle smiled. She then opened her mouth to speak when Brennan interjected, "What sort of things did you lads do?"

The brunette rested her chin in her hands as she commented, "I was just about to ask the same - you took the words out of my mouth."

Brennan's blue eyes filled with panic. "Oh, Belle, I had no idea you were going to say something - I'm terribly sorry."

She waved her hand as she reassured him, "It's okay, really. I know you didn't do it on purpose - it was a mistake."

He offered her an appreciative nod. Killian then said, "To answer your questions, we'd usually just hang out - sometimes at the arcade, sometimes at one of my mate's houses or mine, and then sometimes at the game or the diner."

He then let out a chuckle and said, "They rather enjoyed poking fun at and mocking my accent," gesturing with his hand, "But my American accent isn't too bad actually, so they sometimes got a taste of their own medicine."

He then grinned while Belle and Brennan smiled and shook their heads. A curious look then appeared on the brunette's face.

With a tilt of her head, she surmised, "What sort of things do you and Nemo do?"

She then ran her fingers through her hair and added, "Or I suppose talk about would be a better way of wording it."

Brennan chuckled lightly. He then told her, "Oh, you know, the usual things - the restaurant, baseball, books…"

He trailed off as apprehension filled his eyes. He cleared his throat before he continued, "And you two."

Silence ensued as eyebrows shot up. After a few tense moments, Killian sighed and spoke, "Aye. Swan mentioned something about that."

"I figured as much," Brennan surmised, his expression thoughtful. He took a sip of his tea before he spoke, "He sincerely wants to know about you two - what you're like, how you live your lives, and how you're dealing with everything."

"Really?" Belle asked, and she couldn't keep the surprise from her face.

He nodded. He then elaborated, "We're close friends - as you know - so he also cares about what happens to you."

A small smile lit up their faces. Curiosity filled their blue eyes as they realized their father had more to say.

Brennan cleared his throat once more before he stated, "Nemo also spends quite a bit of time volunteering within the foster care system - he spends time with the children and teenagers at the group homes and the community center. He does his best to let them know they have someone."

Though silent and contemplative, they smiled once more. After a few moments, Killian surmised, "That's rather kind of him - he probably can't even imagine what it means to them."

The more he spoke, the more his voice became thick with emotion.

He then let out a deep breath and supplied, "I'm guessing that allows him to give you perspective on how it's been for us."

Brennan nodded. "I really hope you two get a chance to meet him." He chuckled and added, "Officially, that is."

Killian and Belle couldn't help but chuckle themselves. She then offered, "I hope so, too. I think I can speak for both of us and say we're looking forward to seeing, and talking with him."

"Aye, it should be rather interesting," he agreed. He then gestured with his finger and spoke, "And part of it is due to the few nautical decorations spread out in the restaurant."

Belle couldn't help but giggle. She rested her chin back in her hand and said, "I can't say I'm too surprised you noticed that."

He only shrugged as he sipped on his macchiato. With a tilt of his head, he then said, "I'm rather hungry for a pastry."

He then stood and asked, "Do you two want anything?"

They shook their heads. He offered a nod before he walked up to the counter.

Brennan took a drink of his tea. He placed the cup back on the table and curled his hands around the rim.

He then turned his attention to Belle. He asked her, "Tell me, are you as much of a fan of sailing the seas as Killian?"

"Well, I have always found the ocean to be calming," she began as she folded her arms on the table, "And there is nothing quite like having the wind sweep through your hair as the water stretches out endlessly before you."

He smiled at her words. He peered at her for a few moments before he surmised, "I feel a 'but' coming on."

"Not exactly," she began, eliciting a confused expression from her father. She elaborated, "I've always felt most at home - and most myself - with a good book. But I still wanted to live outside those pages."

"And the ocean helps you feel connected to that. A freedom if you will," Brennan supplied, clasping his hands together once more.

A smile broke out across her features as she nodded. A crease appeared on her forehead as her expression grew thoughtful. "I suppose it's a way - unknowingly - I connected with my brothers as well."

Her blue eyes then glossed over as a far-off look appeared in them.

Brennan peered at her for a few moments. He then asked, "Are you alright, lass?"

She sighed before she answered, "I just miss Liam - I miss that I never got to know him. Killian still idolizes him, and I feel like I know him with how much he talks about him."

Her voice shook slightly as she finished, "But I'll never really know him. I just sometimes feel like something's missing."

Brennan took a deep breath before he sympathized, "I understand - I really do. I had hoped to reconnect with him as well." He then grew quiet and stared down into his cup.

He then heard Belle's whisper, "I suppose it's a little odd to miss someone you've never met."

He shook his head as he reassured her, "You just wish you could have gotten to know both of your brothers, especially since you know the kind of person Liam was."

She nodded. A small smile lit up her features as she said, "I'll just be happy with my scrapbook and Killian's stories."

Brennan tilted his head as he questioned, "Scrapbook?"

"Oh!" Belle began, "Shortly after we first met, I realized Killian had so many pictures of Liam. I suggested we make a scrapbook."

"What a lovely idea," he commented with a smile. He then asked her, "Did you find any favorites?"

"I did actually," she confirmed as she smiled. She took a sip before she continued, "It's one when Killian was around 13 or 14, and it was his birthday. You could see Liam was rather eager to take the picture while Killian wanted to get back to his friends. I thought it was pretty funny."

She then let out a chuckle, and Brennan soon joined her. When they sobered, a shadow crossed Belle's features.

She sighed and rested her chin in her hand. She then pondered, "I wonder what my mum would think of all this. She's the one who wrote me the letter about my brothers."

"That in itself says she wished for you to know about your family," Brennan began. He took a deep breath and continued, "Though I wouldn't try to speak for Colette, I think she'd be rather happy you found Killian."

With a nod, Belle agreed, "She would have been ecstatic - though it was just the two of us, she still believed family to be everything, even if those closest to us weren't always related."

Brennan smiled. He then surmised, "I imagine she'd rather like Killian's sense of humor."

With a chuckle, she said, "I think she would have found him rather funny, if a little much at times."

That shadow crossed her features once more as she told him, "But she wouldn't have missed that out of the three of us, Killian does most look like you."

"Yes, I remember you mentioning that, at times, it proved difficult for her because of our resemblance," he supplied as his eyes darted between her and his drink.

"She tried to hide it from me, but I could still see it," Belle said, her own eyes darting back and forth. She then took a calming breath as the memories flooded her mind.

She couldn't help but sigh before she lamented, "I just wish…"