The chilly fingers of the pre-winter wind whisped by, a shiver had followed. Even Killian had the collar of his leather jacket popped up to keep the wind off.

"We'll go into the hold. This news couldn't wait."

The hold hadn't been what I'd remembered it to be. The Jolly Roger may have looked like a novelty pirate ship from the outside with its rolled up white sails and 19th century riggings. The scene below the main deck contradicted the image from above.

Images from adventures past, I guessed, had been carved into the wooden surfaces of every table and cabinet. The careful details of the craftsman behind the work captured the attention of the viewer.

Me.

"Does Emma know about this?"

Killian averted his eyes to the floor, his laugh lines formed deep dimples on each side.

"It's a Happy Endings Day gift to my Emma."

Happy Ending's Day?

Something new?

Ian's expression alternated between lost and surprised.

"Queen…Regina…decreed February 12th to be Happy Endings Day."

My grandmother, the Good Queen, had always been full of surprises. I'd heard that not all of them had been good, but this one had been one of her most popular.

Ian looked at me as if I was supposed to know about it.

I shrugged.

"What's Happy Endings Day?"

Killian gestured for us to take a seat in the newly formed dining area.

"For all of us that had endured too many evil curses, the good curse that united the realms had been the best thing to happen to us. Happy Endings Day is, for those of us who remember life before the good curse, the call to embrace the things we value most in life. We also remember those that never had the chance to see theirs."

It made sense.

An oil painting of Emma in a red dress waltzing with Killian adorned the wall in the small bedroom. Killian's eyes misted over, I noticed even if Ian hadn't.

"For me…I am married to my happy ending."

Killian's admiration hadn't left the painting.

"My Emma has gave me a beautiful daughter, Hope, with the love of the water in her blood. She gave me Liam, the son I'd never thought I'd have."

He wiped his eyes with his hand and opened his arms wide.

"Of course, the Jolly Roger, that I've lost and regained too many times to count."

His gaze travelled past me to Ian, as if a silent, inside conversation had already been going between them.

"A man can go crazy searching for the happy ending he desires. I'd thought I had it and then it disappeared again. For a time, I chose another pursuit to fill that whole inside my heart. Then I met Emma and she changed me for the best. She captured me when she kissed me in the Neverland forest. My heart refused to let go of her, even with another man fighting for the same thing. My endless pursuit of her, even now as her husband, has taken us places we never imagined ourselves being."

Ian leaned forward in rapt attention of Killian's story.

"You see, Ian, my boy, that painting is an event I'll never forget. My Emma is the happy ending I would chase again and again. She makes those years of pursuing my happy ending worth it, every day I'm with her."

Emma had told me portions of the narrative that Killian had shared with Ian.

Ian suddenly looked down at his fingers, as if counting out something.

"Then how old is my dad then? If you're over two hundred, he must be about100?"

Killian chuckled.

"Try about 200…give or take. I'm about 300. He never told you?"

Ian sat next to me, stunned into silence.

"No. He's old enough to be…."

Killian looked at me and then to Ian.

"Your grandfather many times over, my boy. Still, he's your father. Interesting, to think of it, I'm old enough to be Emma's grandfather many times over."

The combination of logic and the image it formed in my mind produced an inward cringe.

Ian had been lost in his counting when the thought had created an outward cringe, only the sound of the ships gentle rocking broke the awkward silence of the cabin.

"ABOUT Happy Endings Day…"

Attention landed on me, both them staring back at me expecting an answer, I guess.

"My happy ending…THAT happy ending, yes."

One forgets about certain things, if given enough time and the chance to adjust. That had been one of those neglected trains of thought.

"Welllll…"

I considered my next words with abnormal care, present company made it that way.

"I had my family again, after years of just having my mom. Now I have a baby brother on the way and…"

Say it, my mind pleaded in, like a toddler in pre-temper tantrum mode.

I can't. Don't ask me to. I just can't.

Yes, you can. You just won't, my conscience countered with an accurate rebuttal.

Two sets of eyes staring at me, obviously expecting me to add to it.

"I found friendship with one of the most talented people I've ever met."

It had been the truth…and a lie, all that the same time.

Killian's forced, faked "We-Need-To-Talk" smiles bore through me.

"As for Happy Endings Day, Emma and I would be honored to share it with the two of you."

In all this talk about happy endings, I hadn't expected the invitation of a lifetime.

Pirate ship and open water.

How could I pass it up?

"I accept."

Ian looked through me and then put on a soft smile.

He'd avoided eye contact with me and fixed it on Killian.

"No way I would miss it for the world. Sea breeze and the best company a guy could have."

Killian spread out his arms, his fingers pointing to each wall.

"You have to promise to not tell Emma about…this."

A small glimpse of humor escaped Ian.

"We have no idea what you're talking about, right Lucy?"

I nodded in agreement.

The deck creaked below Killian as he stood up.

"Thank you, my boy."

"Thank you, Lucy love."

Ian's head bent to the opened hatch.

A loud whistle, different from the blowing wind, floated on the wind.

"That's dad. Thank you, Killian, I look forward to it."

Ian stood up and shook Killian's hand without so much as a glance at me.

With that uncharacteristic silence, Ian left Killian and I to carry on the conversation I'd known was coming.

Ian's footsteps faded to silence once the hollow, heavy sound disappeared.

Killian filled the seat that Ian had been in.

He rubbed his chin and shook his head

"You hurt him, bad."

Killian paused before taking my hand.

"I know how it feels to be rejected in such an outright way. Emma had done it to me for a very long time before she'd appreciated my efforts."

I hadn't rejected him, on purpose.

Not the case at all. I'd decided to not admit to how he'd made me feel every time he's near me. That's not rejection. It's a stall tactic.

Killian's tone softened when he'd taken my chin in his hand.

"Ian's reaction to your words might have fooled you, but I know better. Ian is chasing after you much the way I chased after Emma. Don't make him chase you for long, he might not fight as hard for you as I did for Emma."

His words carried a dual message, a warning and gentle correction.

"I chased her through Neverland, time, darkness, hell, and up two beanstalks. Ian shouldn't have to go that far to win you. You just might lose him."

The honest empathy for Ian's predicament broke through my insecurities and into my conscience.

"Love you, Killian. I think I heard dad's car horn." I excused myself.

Killian kissed my forehead and let go of my hand.

He pulled me close to his side in his best "Granddaughter Side Hug.".

"I love you too, Lucy. A man, no matter his age, can only chase a woman for so long before his will to keep trying gives out. Just trust me. You don't want that kind of regret to live with."

I kissed Killian's cheek and headed for the exit with his warning roaring through my head.

How to tell Ian the sentence I'd meant to say, I didn't know.

If Killian had been right and Ian's patience had been running low, time was no longer an ally, but my enemy.