Chapter 13: Happily Ever After

Emma stared at Killian; her mouth slightly open. "Is that so, brother?" Liam was speaking but Emma couldn't take her eyes off the man beside her.

"Aye." He said, his eyes locked on hers, a tentative smile on his face as he turned to his brother.

"We have food, would you care to join us, there's plenty. Killian always cooks for a family of six when he makes food."

His brother laughed. "That's because he always eats enough for four." He turned back to his brother. "I would hate to impose."

"And miss the chance to hear all about Killian from his brother. I insist." Emma demanded, leading the way back to the dining table.

Emma didn't miss the look shared between the brothers, nor could she quiet the pounding in her heart at Killian's introduction of her as his girlfriend. She was trying to pretend that everything was normal, that his admission didn't cause her so much joy that she wanted to launch herself into his arms and kiss him silly.

Emma knew that this was a huge step for Killian. They agreed when they started dating in secret that they wouldn't label it, it wasn't easy, she wanted more than anything to be the one to break that wall with him, but she knew she needed to give him space.

They hadn't defined anything with Henry or their friends. They simply spent their time together. Killian came for dinner most evenings, they would take Henry to the park or out sailing. But now…

He called her his girlfriend. Would this change things with their friends and family too?

"So can I ask, when did this pleasant surprise begin?" Liam brought her out of her thoughts.

Emma laughed and her eyes met Killian's, she shrugged. "Emma and I have been seeing each other for a few months, actually."

"I'm happy for you." His brother said sincerely. "Emma, you must be made of magic if you could turn this man around. I did not think I would see the day."

She chuckled, her eyes glassy, trying to avoid Killian's gaze. "He only dates me for my son. I swear they are the same person sometimes."

"Emma and Henry are very special." He said softly beside her.

The dinner with Liam stirred emotions in Emma, listening to the stories about Killian and Liam's childhood, their adventures in the Navy together, things that Emma had never known about Killian Jones she soaked up like a sponge. His interactions with his brother only made her care even more deeply for the man next to her.

When Liam announced his departure, Emma stood from the table and accepted a hug from the man. "I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you, Emma. Perhaps you can convince him to come and visit us in Maine. Elsa misses his face, and we would love to take Henry sailing."

"I'll see what I can do." She whispered jokingly.

"It was a pleasure meeting you officially."

He followed his brother out of the room and Emma dropped down to her seat, adrenaline suddenly taking over, tides of change were coming.

"Elsa does miss you." His brother said as he placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Aye, I'll work on being less of a stranger."

"I'm happy for you brother. She's lovely."

"I'm over the moon for the woman, I can't deny that. Sometimes I feel like a lovesick puppy dog just because she smiled at me. It's all quite ridiculous."

"Sounds like you're in love." He said with a rise in his brow. "You know you owe me a hundred dollars."

"I what?"

"When you told me you'd never have another relationship, I called you a liar, you bet me a hundred dollars."

"I don't remember that."

"You had a lot of rum that night, brother." He stepped through the front door. "I prefer large bills."

"Out you go." He lightly pushed him out the door. "I'll talk to you soon."

Killian closed the door and exhaled as he leaned against it. He walked slowly back to the dining room, stopping in the arch to stare at the woman sitting at the table in front of him.

"I hope I didn't overstep." He said softly as she made eye contact with him. "We didn't actually discuss that change in status."

She stood up from her spot at the table and walked over to him quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck, her lips greedily seeking his. Killian barely had time to think much less react as he took a step back, colliding with the wall behind him. "Woah love, we have all night."

"We could get interrupted again." She moaned against his ear, and he couldn't stifle his laughter.

"Do you think we should talk…" He let the question hang in the air and she pulled away from him.

"Unless it's filthy, dirty, or full of those innuendos you're so good at providing at the most inappropriate time, we can talk later." Her mouth continued its assault on his neck, her fingers making quick work on the buttons of his shirt.

"You did hear me earlier with Liam, didn't you?"

She pulled her face away from his neck, her hands resting on his cheeks. "Killian, you've been texting me for months telling me all the things you were going to do to me when we were alone. And now, your girlfriend would really like to experience them."

"So, you're ok with what I said."

"Are you having a panic attack now that you've said it?" She asked him, her face full of concern.

"No, I meant it, I just wanted to make sure that you were ok."

She laughed. "Babe, you've been my boyfriend in my head from the moment I laid eyes on you, leather jacket, sexy accent…" She ran her hands through his hair. "The sex hair."

"Sex hair? I beg your pardon."

"You always look like you've just been fucked. It's sexy as hell." She growled into his ear, her teeth nipping at his lobe. "And I've always wanted to be the cause of it looking like that."

"Alright, you have my attention, love." He reached down, grasping her by her thighs and wrapping them around his waist as he spun himself around, dropping her onto the counter beside him.

"Do I finally get a ride on the Killian Jones express?" She teased, his mouth sucking at the pulse of her neck.

"Express?" His mouth pressed together in indignation. "It's an insult to insinuate that a night with me ends expediently." Her head fell back in laughter, and he frowned, pulling her hips hard against his groin, causing her to look up suddenly. "I intend to make all those naughty little dreams of yours a reality tonight."

"Who said anything about naughty dreams, Jones?"

"Shall I retrieve the text messages?" He reached for the phone at the end of the counter as she grabbed his hand, pulling it back to her hip. His eyes grew dark as he dipped his head to her ear, growling against her skin. "Enough talking, I think it's fine time I had my way with you, woman."

"Promises, promises." She said, her voice deep, full of all the want and desire he could ever hope to have.

As he lifted her from the counter, her lips soft yet inviting again his, he carried her to his bed. The first time with Emma was different than his previous conquests, times he spent with women who only captured his attention and not his heart.

But the moment their bodies connected in a mess of sweat and limbs, Emma's name falling from his lips as she screamed into the open void of his apartment, he knew that he would never let her go.

As they lay together in the dark, her head against his chest, her fingers twirling the hair on his chest, Killian knew he was finally ready to step out of the shadow he had been living in and move forward with his life.

"Is my sex hair satisfying enough for you?" He teased as her nails scraped along his scalp.

She bit her lip and smiled. "Maybe after a few more times."

He kissed her again, pressing her back into the mattress as she giggled against him. "I think we should talk to Henry." He announced as he stared down at her.

She smiled softly. "I'm sure he suspects something already. You practically spend every moment with us."

"Are you complaining?"

"Just stating fact." She leaned up, pressing a kiss to his cheek as he rolled onto his side. "But I agree, we need to talk to Henry." He brushed her hair out of her face, smiling up at her.

"You saved me." He whispered. "Meeting you and Henry changed my life."

"That's the orgasm speaking." She teased and he felt the emotion pour out of him the way her eyes sparkled as she joked with him. He'd never felt so at ease in all his life. It was as if she was made only for him. He couldn't help the smile that formed, hearing Henry's voice in his head.

That's because she's your true love.

"What?" She asked, a curious expression on her face.

"I love you." It was only three words, but they were the most important three words he had ever uttered. He never thought he would speak those words to another woman again. Yet when they left his mouth, it was as if his entire world made sense.

She pushed up on her elbows, leaning forward and pressing her lips to his. "I love you too." She breathed against his mouth. "Thank you."

"For what, love?"

"For trusting me with your heart and opening up your life to Henry and I."

He kissed her with every emotion that was building inside of him, rolling her over onto her back as he drove into her once more.

"So, kid, is your mom dating this Killian guy now?"

"Yeah, they're trying to keep it quiet, but I'm pretty sure it's happening."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I know when mom's happy, and she's really happy when Killian's around."

His dad grunted. "Yeah but it's not just about your mom's happiness, I mean your opinion matters too, kid. If you don't like the guy, that should factor in."

"I love Killian, I'm the one that set them up after all." Henry replied with a huge grin.

"Oh."

"Look, I'm gonna be really honest with you dad, because Killian told me that the only way I'm going to feel better about you and me is if I tell you the truth."

"You talked to him about me?"

"Before you go getting all jealous, let me just say this." He paused and his dad sat back at the table. "I love you, you're my dad. And you're always going to be my dad, but I don't like coming over here."

His dad frowned angrily. "Kid…"

"Wait, I don't like coming over here because I feel like you only want me here because it gets me away from mom or attracts those women who want to pretend like they're my mom." His dad started to speak, and Henry pressed on quickly. "If I come over here, I want it to be because you want to hear about my day, or you missed me, or you want to hang out at the park. And you gotta be there, you can't keep disappearing on these business trips that have nothing at all to do with business. Either I'm your priority or an acquaintance you see once a year. Your choice."

"Is this you speaking, or your mom?"

"See, you can't keep saying things like that. I'm almost twelve years old, I'm not six anymore dad, you can't keep lying to me and not expect there to be consequences. I love you and I want to spend time with you, but I'm not a pawn in your game to get back at mom."

"Henry, I'm not trying to get back at your mom."

"Maybe not, but you see her as the bad guy in this and all I see is my mom and dad. I don't want to make you the bad guy in my life. But you don't make it easy."

His dad exhaled. "I'm not good at this dad thing, am I?"

"Not really." He said with a laugh.

"I'm never gonna be able to handle things like your mom does, she organizes everything, knows what she's supposed to do or not do. Even Killian seems to understand you better than I do. I don't know if I can be what you need me to be, kid."

"I don't need you to be good at it. I just need you to be my dad."

Henry felt relieved as his dad drove him home that evening. Killian was right, talking to him about how he felt made him feel better. All the anger and disappointment he had been holding inside about his dad had only led to him resenting his time with him.

He knew it would take time, and he was sure that his dad would not always succeed in his promise to do better, but at least he wanted to try. That was all he could ask for right now.

When he returned home, his mother was acting odd. Fidgety almost. He asked her if something had happened while he was gone but she assured him that everything was alright. When he asked if he could visit Killian, she told him that he had some errands to run and would be over for dinner.

"How was your dad?"

Henry bit his lip, he hated this part, coming home from one parent and having to decide which information to share with the other one. It was honestly why he found confiding in Killian just made more sense to him. "Fine. I got to try that new restaurant down by the water. Good fries."

"That's nice. So, things went ok?"

"Yup."

The front door opened, and Henry was relieved when Killian walked through the door with a bag of groceries in his arms. It wasn't exactly a new thing; Killian had often bought his mom groceries for dinner. However, walking in the door unannounced was not something he did. Usually he knocked, his mom would answer, they would act surprised that the other was stopping by. It was a game he let them play.

"I found everything to make the pasta, but they didn't have that wine in stock that you love so much, but I got that one we had last week at the diner after work when..."

His mother cleared her throat beside him, and Henry had to conceal a grin from his face. Who did they think they were fooling with any of this? "Looks who made it home." She said, her eyes narrowed in his direction.

Killian paused in his steps and turned toward them. "Lad, I didn't think you'd be home for another hour." He pointedly stared at his mother.

"Neal dropped him off early." Henry just shook his head and continued reading his book. "So, I was thinking we could talk to him, about that thing you wanted to talk to him about." Henry slowly put his book in his lap. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

"What's going on with you two? You're acting weird."

Killian came and joined them on the couch, his mother scooting over to allow him room next to her. "So, Killian and I wanted to talk to you about something."

They looked so serious, in fact, Killian looked like he may vomit at any moment, his mother was almost green around the edges. "Are you having another baby?"

"What?" His mother exclaimed loudly. "Oh God no, why would you think that? Of course, I'm not having a baby, Henry." She stuttered. "Not that that's a terrible thing, I just, not now, and…"

Killian reached over and put his hand on hers. "Henry, what your mother is trying to say…"

"You're dating." Henry added quickly, putting them out of their misery.

"Wait what?" His mother replied, her face sincerely shocked.

"Mom, everyone knows."

"How, we've been so discrete?"

"Really? With the way you two look at each other, Killian practically trips over himself to help you do the dishes just so you can go to the other room and kiss."

"Wait, everyone knows?" Killian finally joined the conversation.

"Yeah, Will and I have a joke about it actually. That's why he always says he's going home to do the dishes with Belle."

"Oh my God."

"Look, it's cool. I love you both, I'm happy you guys finally figured it out, and having it all out in the open will make everything so much easier." He stood up and kissed his mother on the cheek and patted Killian on the shoulder. "I'm going to go take a shower."

"So, you guys just let us carry on and never said a word."

"Of course, I wasn't going to bloody scare off the first man you've truly seemed happy with. Besides, there's nothing wrong with a little sneaking around." Will reached over and squeezed Belle's knee, earning a slap on his shoulder from the brunette.

"I'm really happy for both of you." Belle said softly and Emma saw the exchange between Killian and the woman. It was soft and sincere, and she was happy that Belle continued to be friends with him.

"If Henry hadn't locked the two of you on that roof we might still be waiting for some sense to be knocked into you." David joked.

"My brother may be stubborn but once he becomes attached to something, there's no taking it away from him." Liam added.

Emma leaned her head on Killian's shoulder, wrapping her arms around his waist. She had everything she could ever have wished for in her life. She felt his lips press against her forehead. "It seems our brothers are enjoying taking the piss out of us." Emma laughed loudly.

"That's what family is for."

Killian never imagined that his life could change as much as it had in the past year. Emma and Henry had become a vital part of his life. At one point, he had reconciled with the fact that he would spend his life alone, now he felt as if he never had to worry about being on his own again.

Having a teenager was an adjustment in their life. Henry suddenly became more interested in girls and less interested in video games, but he continued his interest in writing and his imagination came in handy when the day arrived that he knew it was time to have the conversation with Liam. His brother had grown fond of Emma and handed over his mother's ring before he even had the chance to recite the speech Henry had helped him write.

Henry assisted Killian with all the planning, decorating, and gathering of their family and friends. And when he got down on one knee in front of everyone they loved, Henry standing by his side, all his nervousness that had followed him through the planning was gone the moment he looked into her eyes. He knew her answer before she spoke, she was an open book to him, the only answer he needed was the love shining back at him in her eyes.

She was his true love, and he would remain devoted to her until the day he died.

"What time do you have to be back at the apartment?"

"I told Killian I would be there by 5. I think he's nervous so I should probably be there before 4, just to be safe."

"When I married your mom, I threw up right before I walked out." His father said with a slight chuckle. "He'll be fine."

"What time are you picking me up tonight?"

"Take your time, just text me when the festivities are over."

Henry was excited to get to spend the next few weeks with his dad, they were going on a road trip while his mom and Killian flew to the Caribbean for their honeymoon. Things weren't always perfect between his mom, dad, and Killian, but they were all trying to be there for Henry, and he appreciated the effort.

Later that evening, his mother dressed in white, Henry held on tightly to her, guiding her up the stairs arm in arm as he walked her toward the roof of Skyline Apartments. Killian barely held it together as he passed her hand to his, tears coming to everyone's eyes when they spoke their vows. By the time the fireworks exploded over the harbor, with his mother now officially Mrs. Emma Jones, Henry felt like the luckiest kid in the world.

His mother found her happy ending, her true love, and Henry had the adventure of a lifetime. Henry's adventure became a quest to find his place in his family, and now he had a mother, a father, and the best stepfather he could ask for. A woman who gave everything to motherhood who thought she had lost her chance to find an extraordinary love, a father who learned to love his child more than himself, and a man who thought he was a villain who turned out to be a hero when he opened his heart to possibilities. Henry wouldn't want his story to end any other way.

Henry had set sail on the Jolly Roger with his mother and Captain Jones a year prior. They had seen the world, conquered dragons, and been to exotic lands.

Henry finally learned how to sword fight after many lessons between Captain Jones and his mother, he rescued a fair maiden from a sorcerer, earning his first kiss, and learned to sail a ship as grand as the Jolly Roger.

Princess Emma sailed alongside Captain Jones, earning the honorary title Captain Swan from the man who took her under his wing and his crew. True love always guiding them on their adventures throughout the realms.

For Henry, he had unfinished business to tend to, and the first time they docked in Bostonia, he visited his father, Baelfire in prison. Captain Jones had convinced Master Henry that everyone, even a villain deserved a second chance. And so, every time they stopped in port at Bostonia, Henry got to know the man who abandoned him as a child. While it was not the same as the bond formed between him and Captain Jones, he found enough in common with Baelfire to create an understanding with the man and eventually a friendship that would last a lifetime.

As for Princess Emma and Captain Jones, they lived happily ever after.

The End.