Chapter 9: Father-to-Be
Holding his hand, Emma led Killian to their bedroom. She was feeling both nervous and excited because of the news she was about to share with him. Closing the door behind them, she went to sit on the bed and, when he imitated her and waited for her to talk, she hesitated.
"What is it, love?" he encouraged her.
"I…" She drowned in his eyes and lost her composure. What if he didn't want to be a father? "Isn't it a bit cold?"
Killian raise an inquiring eyebrow. Emotions were enough to keep her warm but she was buying some time. Getting up, she walked to the fireplace and used her magic to make a fire crackle in the hearth. She had been waiting for this moment for such a long time that, now that it was coming, her heart was racing. Standing with her back to Killian who removed his leather coat to reveal his usual black shirt and red velvet vest, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before going back to him. He was silently waiting, sitting on the edge of the bed and gazing at her. He gave her this reassuring look reminding her that she could tell him anything, and it was enough.
Sitting cross-legged and holding her ankles, she smiled and lightly bit her lip before announcing, "I'm pregnant."
"What?"
Hoping it was only a matter of not hearing her words, she repeated more distinctly, "I'm pregnant."
His eyebrows went up and he seemed to hold his breath. "How? When?"
Examining his features, Emma was mostly seeing surprise. All that mattered to her was that he didn't flinch or show any negative feeling.
"Ten weeks and a half ago," she answered with her heart pounding inside her chest. "On September the twentieth, the doctor said. It's not much visible yet, but we can feel it."
The news seemed to take a moment to sink in. Emma took his hand and softly placed it on the nascent baby bump. When she looked up, she bit her lip to stop the wave of emotions washing over her at the sight of his sparkling eyes: at last, he seemed to have realized.
"You're making me into a father," he murmured.
Shifting closer, he softly cupped her chin and guided her lips to his for a tender kiss, but he didn't let it last as long as usual; her pregnancy was too much of a distraction and too many interrogations were filling his mind. Still having difficulty to believe, he gently reached her abdomen.
"Does it hurt?" he asked with a concerned look.
"No," she reassured with a smile, covering his hand with hers. "Can you feel it?"
His focused look and his silence made it obvious that he couldn't. His touch was light, as if he wasn't daring to press any harder. She was about to guide his hand but changed her mind.
"Wait," she interrupted, softly taking his hand away. "Dresses aren't convenient for this. Or for sitting cross-legged, for that matter. It'll be easier without it."
Getting up, she took her dress off and hardly repressed a grin when she saw Killian's expression of wonder as he looked her up and down.
"Here," she said while going back on the bed and placing his hand on her lower abdomen, this time without any layer of clothes in between. "Can you feel it?"
"Is it the little bump?"
"Yes," she whispered with a bright smile, his eyes filled with wonder making her feel like she was falling in love over again.
"It's so small…"
"Soon, the bump will be visible. And it'll keep growing over the next few months."
This piece of information made him look up. "How long do we have to wait before we meet the baby?"
"The baby should be born some day around June the thirteenth. That's more than six months away. We have time to get ready for when he, or she, arrives."
His gaze shifted between her eyes and his hand.
"I'm going to be a father." The news had been so unexpected that they were still sinking in. "We're having a baby."
The tenderness and awe she could see in his eyes were taking her breath away, making her feel like she was his most precious treasure. Overflowing with joy, Killian needed to express his love by pressing his lips against hers. His move was fervent enough to make the both of them topple over and laughs interspersed their kisses. Lying on her back and drowning in his eyes, still covering his hand with hers while caressing the side of his face, she sighed with delight, relieved to see he had reacted so well, and overjoyed to have him there with her.
"The book," she remembered.
"What?"
"The book," she repeated, indicating the bedside table. "There's an envelope inside. Can you give it to me?"
"Sure."
He playfully rubbed her nose with his own before complying, while she propped herself up on one elbow. Raising an inquiring eyebrow, he handed it to her and shifted to sit by her side.
"What is this?" he asked, squinting as he examined the black and white picture she was holding in front of him.
"Something I got in New York two days ago. It's called a sonogram." Aware this was probably not enlightening him much, she lightly bit her lip before adding, "It's a picture of our baby."
As expected, this was when it made sense to him. His lips parted and he glanced at her before focusing again on the sonogram.
"Look." She trailed a finger over the picture. "Here you can see the head, and the little arms here, and the tiny legs."
He was not taking his eyes off the picture and she was not taking hers off him. Her hand in the nape of his neck, lightly scratching his scalp, she thought of how she had needlessly worried about his reaction.
"I've been willing to tell you for so long." Wrapping her arm around his neck, she pressed a kiss on his cheek. "There's something else. We could also hear the heartbeat and Henry recorded it, so that you could hear it too."
She reached for her son's phone in the drawer of the bedside table and came back to sit by his side.
"Once the battery dies, we won't be able to use this anymore. But until then…"
Looking up to make sure she had his attention, she pressed the play button.
Back in New York, she had already listened to it to check that the recording was audible, but when the heartbeat came out of the phone, she didn't feel less emotional than on the first time she had heard it.
"It is fast and strong," she whispered. "It means our baby is alright."
Until then silently gazing at the sonogram while listening to the recording, Killian looked up with watering eyes which made her even more emotional.
"We made this," he said in a low voice. "A baby with a fast and strong little beating heart."
Some sort of sob mixed with a laugh escaped her due to the overflowing emotions and, putting the phone away, she climbed on his lap, wrapped her arms and legs around his neck and waist, and planted a kiss on his lips. Both holding the sonogram, they silently gazed at it.
"We're having a baby," Emma repeated in a hushed voice.
She had known about this for weeks and had already been pregnant years earlier but, for the first time, she was sure that she would not need to go through all of this on her own. The man who was making her feel so much loved was by her side and would remain there and, considering how bewitched he looked while staring at the sonogram, she could tell that the baby she was carrying would receive at least as much love.
A caress on her cheek pulled her out of her thoughts as Killian wiped away a tear which had escaped her. He had put the sonogram away without her noticing, and was looking at her with sparkling eyes filled with tenderness.
"I love you," she whispered, leaning into his touch.
"And I love you. Both of you," he added while glancing down at her stomach and she emitted another of these happy sobs.
A tear rolled down her cheek and he kissed it away before tightening his embrace and leaving a trail of kisses as he went down.
"I love you," she breathed.
Keeping her eyes closed, she let her fingers slip down the red velvet and mechanically unbuttoned his vest.
"Emma, wait," Killian interrupted and she gave him a confused look. "Can we still make love? While you're pregnant?"
"Yes!" Her answer was so vivacious that his mouth quirked at a corner and she giggled. Keeping her eyes on his own, she answered while proceeding to make him shirtless. "I've actually read about that several times and they all agree to say we can. You don't have to worry, the baby can't be hurt."
Shifting closer, she captured his lips and leant against him. When he laid her down, she thought she had convinced him, but he interrupted their kiss.
"Are you sure the baby won't be aware of what we're doing?"
"I'm glad I've read all these things: yes, I'm sure." Even if she was slightly annoyed that he was making her wait, she couldn't help finding his concern about the baby adorable. "Come here."
She tried to pull him down to her but he resisted. He looked down as his fingers grazed over her chest.
"Love?" He caught her eye and gave her a crooked smile. "Is it because you're pregnant that they're bigger?"
"It is." Emma laughed. "I knew you'd notice."
He chuckled. "How could I not? I first noticed when you hugged me and, well, your cleavage is rather impressive."
She remembered his appreciative look when she had removed her dress and giggled. "Stop talk-"
Before she had time to finish her sentence, he did what she had just asked and captured her lips.
Emma went on an emotional roller coaster ride. From a world where Killian was everything, she came back down to reality and the burden she had carried during the past weeks collided with the feeling of present fulfilment; with the relief that Killian was by her side again and with the excitement due to the fact that, at present, he knew that he was a father-to-be. Suddenly overwhelmed and only wanting to go back to this world only made of pure happiness and passion where everything seemed to be easy, tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't want to cry but the emotions of the present moment combined with the pain associated with the memories of how much she had missed him were too strong.
"My love…"
Killian softly wiped away her tears. He was perceptive enough to guess what was going on inside her head, and guilt filled his eyes.
"It's okay," she whispered. Wishing she knew how to make this guilt go away, she cupped his face with both hands. "It's not your fault."
He lightly shook his head in deny. She reached up to kiss his cheek but it was not enough to convince him. They didn't need words to know what they both needed: wrapping her in his arms, Killian tightly hugged her. Silence blanketed them and minutes went by while uncontrollable streams of tears stained her cheeks. His scent filling the air she was breathing and his embrace were soothing and, after a moment, tears stopped.
"I should have been there all this time," Killian muttered. "For you. For the baby. For Henry."
"Killian, don't. It's not your fault. We discussed this already."
"It was before you told me you were pregnant. Not only have I failed you and Henry, but also the baby. How can I fix this?"
"Killian, there is nothing to fix! You haven't failed."
But as usual, he was being stubborn, and the guilt in his eyes was painful to witness. She pulled him back into a hug and slipped her fingers through his hair. The previous moment spent in his arms had been so soothing that she was feeling like she had no tear to shed anymore; all she needed was to make him feel the same way.
"I just missed you. So much," she said, justifying the tears which had made him feel guilty. "But everything is alright now. We are alright."
As an answer, he simply pressed a light kiss on her cheek.
"Also, I should rather warn you now," she added on a lighter tone. "I've read pregnancy would mess up with my emotions. I'm likely to cry or laugh anytime without any reason. And I might wake up in the middle of the night and crave for some food. You'll have to bear with me. More than six months to go."
Her words had the desired effect: at last, he smiled again.
"It will be an honor to deal with your emotions and your cravings."
Her smile brightened. "I love you."
"And I, you." Killian glanced down as his hand went down and stopped on the nascent baby bump. He looked serious when he gazed at her. "How will the baby know when it's time to come out?"
"Actually, I have no clue. But somehow, he will know. And I will too."
"You will?"
"Oh yeah. There's this thing called contractions. I will start having some of them in a few months but, when the time comes, they'll be more frequent and painful."
"Painful?" Killian repeated, concerned. "Will it hurt?"
Her gaze shifted between his eyes and she chewed on her lip as she wondered if telling him the truth was the best option; she clearly remembered the pain she had endured for Henry, but she didn't want to scare him yet.
"A bit, but it's worth it. This will lead to the moment when you can hold our baby for the first time."
She tried to sugarcoat it but he didn't seem convinced.
"You don't have to worry," she went on. "I've been through this once already, and this time I have you. Everything will be alright."
"Are you sure?"
"Promise."
Finally, he seemed to believe her. Conversations about the baby went on in a bath by candlelight. Needing to keep her mind busy in the afternoon while he was on the Jolly Roger, Emma had planned ahead and, among some other contributions to improve their room, had placed candles all around the bathroom.
When they were not trying to make up for all the hugs and kisses they had missed during the past month, they were talking about what had happened while he was cursed. Killian had countless questions about how she had known where to find him and how she and Henry had travelled between realms, and about how she had found out about her pregnancy and how she had felt about it. Once again, she tried to sugarcoat her tale, but it didn't work and, many times, whenever he felt the need to apologize or to comfort her, he interrupted her and sometimes made her lose track of what she was saying by tightening his embrace and kissing her lips, her cheek, her neck or her shoulders.
"The sonogram," Killian said thoughtfully after a quiet moment. "How did they get this picture of inside you?"
He sounded both guarded and concerned, as if he wasn't sure he wanted his question to be answered, and it amused Emma.
"Don't worry, they didn't need to…" Hesitating on how to word it, she lightly bit her lip to repress a smile. "The picture was taken from outside. The doctor had this device which allowed to see through. And it was not painful or anything."
Killian looked reassured but still needed a confirmation. "So they haven't done anything wrong to you, right?"
"You don't have to worry, it was all right."
"Good," he said, relieved.
Cupping his face in her hands, her attention was caught by his messy hair, and she made a smirk appear on his lips as she played with the wet raven strands.
When she was done rearranging his hair, she looked him in the eye and asked seriously, "Are you scared?"
"Scared of what?" he asked, alarmed.
"The baby," she said in a low voice.
"Why would I be scared of the baby?" Killian was concerned, wondering if there was some information about the baby that he had missed.
"How do you do that?" she asked in a hushed voice. "How are you not scared? In just a few months, we will have a baby, and none of us knows how to take care of one."
Relieved that there was no more serious issue, he cupped her cheek and searched her eyes. "We'll figure it out. Just like everyone else does."
"Killian… What if I can't do it?" By asking this question, she revealed one of the fears that she had tried to deny, in vain. "I wasn't there for Henry, and remember how it was on the first weeks he spent with us… Actually, you're right not to worry. With Henry, you've been awesome from the start. It'll be the same with the baby, you must be a natural. But I… I am not like you. I felt so clueless and uneasy…"
"This was just the beginning. Look how fantastic you are now." Since she didn't look convinced, he went on. "Love, I'll tell you what: I have this feeling that you're going to be amazing. As always."
She had the feeling she would never get used to this endless faith he had in her. Unable to get enough of his embrace, she tightly hugged him and wished she could make him feel how much she loved him. Suddenly, his chest rose against hers as he deeply inhaled and his hand in her back stopped moving.
"Killian?"
"Don't worry," he whispered breathlessly. "I'm fine."
This was not enough to reassure her. "What's happening?"
With a move of the head, he indicated her hand on his shoulder. Golden flares were going out. Realizing she had unleashed some of her magic on him, she quickly removed her hand.
"I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you?"
"Hurt me? Love, calm down. Everything's fine." He softly took her hand and made her unclench her fist before pressing his lips against her knuckles. "Remember, it's not the first time you're using your magic on me. I just wasn't expecting it. And it felt different, more intense. Usually, it's just the magic, but this time it was more… complex. What were you doing?"
"I don't know, I…" Drowning in his eyes almost made her lose track of what she was saying. "I was not doing anything on purpose. I was thinking it would be nice to have a way to let you know how much I love you. Maybe it's that. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm more than fine, love. Your magic actually provides some of the best feels, and this was more powerful than I had ever experienced. Perhaps it was your love for me, indeed. It made my heart race and my breath catch and there was this warmth spreading everywhere, and all of this was so pleasant. Your love for me combined with mine for you… That was simply breathtaking."
"Breathtaking, I noticed," she teased. "So you confirm this was pleasant?"
"Very."
She flashed him a smile and placed her hands on his shoulders. Curious about the difference he had mentioned, she let them flare but did so without focusing on her feelings for him.
"How does this feel?" she inquired.
His closed eyes didn't give her any indication as he always closed them when exposed to her magic.
"Extraordinary." While her hands kept flaring, he slightly opened one eye. "But I'd say it's not as intense as before."
He closed his eyes again and looked so peaceful and handsome that she didn't resist the temptation to press her lips against his own, smiling against them as he smiled against hers. Gazing at him, she thought of how much she loved him and she didn't need to ask if he felt it: the change on his features made it obvious that he did.
"It really works," she whispered in awe. "How does it feel exactly? Is it just a vague feeling or is it something more specific?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean…" She thought of how she had drowned in his eyes while dancing with him at the ball and let the memory invade her mind, focusing on how it had felt like falling in love over again. "Does it just feel like love, or can you even guess what I'm thinking about?"
"It feels like… falling in love with you over and over again. Like on the first time I saw you, when you walked into me below deck on the day we met. Or like when I wake up in the morning and you look at me and I remember how lucky I am because we are in love."
"Aww Killian." Feeling the need to be closer to him, she leant her forehead against his. "I was thinking of dancing with you. But the feeling is the same as you described."
"So you can share your feelings but not your thoughts?"
"Seems like it," she confirmed. "And the feelings seem to remind you of the moments when you felt the same way."
"I didn't know you fell in love over again when we danced," Killian commented, sounding pleased.
"I do every time I drown in your eyes."
Letting her hands slowly slip down his arms, she sent him some more love. Her thoughts drifted and, when she saw him furrow his brow, she stopped thinking of how much she had missed him and focused on the fact she was not blaming him for anything instead; maybe sharing with him her feelings would show him he didn't need to feel guilty. Unable to see if it was working, she let her thoughts drift again and showed him the cocktail of feels experienced during the moments they had shared in the evening. His reaction was instant: wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her into a tight hug.
"I wish you could feel this too," he whispered breathlessly before pressing his lips on her neck, temporarily making her forget what she wanted to say.
"Maybe we can. Maybe I can make it work both ways," she finally answered. Wrapping her arms around his neck and stopping her hands from flaring, she mused over it. "With a bit of practice, maybe I can even find a way to make you feel how I feel in real time. Not just feelings, but also the feels. Imagine: with each of your caresses, you would feel my skin under your fingers, but you would also feel the warmth of your fingers on my skin. With each of our kisses, you would feel my lips against yours but also yours against mine."
"Sounds like heaven," Killian whispered in her ear.
"If I can make it work both ways… Every touch, every move, would give us double feels." A teasing smile stretched her lips. "You couldn't handle it."
"Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it," he replied with a smirk. "Love, do you honestly think the feels I bring to you are more powerful than those you bring to me?"
"Definitely! Just wait until I know how to do that with my magic and you'll see."
He chuckled and captured her in his embrace. "You're amazing."
His words were simple but they were enough to make her smile widen. She left a trail of kisses across his face and melted in his embrace.
Silence was broken by a rumble and Killian raised his eyebrows. "Was that the baby?"
Emma laughed. "No. That was me. How about we go on a night-time expedition? Something like Operation Sneak-Into-the-Kitchen-and-Get-Some-Food."
Killian chuckled. "So that was your stomach."
"Yes." She chewed on her lip to repress a smile.
"Let's go and get you some food."
When they were out of the bathtub, Emma walked to the large counter next to the sink.
"Look. Snow… my mum," she rectified, still not used to have someone to call that. "She brought these. This one is for you."
She handed him a black bathrobe and Killian squinted.
"Are you sure I'm supposed to wear that?"
Emma laughed. "Yes, it's for you. I have the same in red."
"That's my point! Do you really think men wear those?"
"Yes, they do." She was hardly stopping herself from laughing. "Come on, what's wrong with it? It's black and as long as your coat."
"Love!" He sounded offended that she was comparing it to his coat, and it amused her even more.
"Try it," she insisted. "Also, there's this."
She giggled as she shoved with one foot some fluffy black slippers towards him.
"Really…" He repressed a laugh as he saw them. "I'll try it but that's just because you're the one asking."
"Consider me flattered," she teased.
He turned his back on her while putting on the bathrobe and the slippers. A moment later, holding onto the belt and looking serious, he slowly turned around. Once he was facing her, he smirked and raised an eyebrow, and it was mostly this combination of features which made her gaze at him.
"Come on, love, don't tell me you forgot how devilishly handsome I look no matter what I wear?"
She laughed, which was exactly the reaction he had expected, and closed the distance between them to rearrange his bathrobe, making more of his chest apparent.
"I'm not even surprised," he commented. "You know, I can just take it off if you want to see more of my devilishly handsome self."
A giggle escaped her. "You keep it. We need to go to the kitchen, you can't wander around wearing nothing."
"You're still wearing nothing," he remarked.
"Not for long."
Killian stepped aside to look at the mirror above the sink. Seeing in there only his torso, he went back to their bedroom and went to stand in front of the full-length mirror. When Emma joined him, she burst out of laughter as she found him standing on one leg, examining the black slipper.
"Never would I have guessed royals were wearing that kind of things." The smirk and the raised eyebrow were still there when he glanced at her. "Don't I look handsome?"
Emma laughed even more, mostly because seeing him like this was making her feel light-hearted; she knew he was joking to make her laugh, but the fact that his handsomeness was his main concern only meant that her man was fine.
"You don't look too bad," she teased.
"You're not so bad yourself," he playfully replied.
Tugging on her hand, he pulled her against him. While they kissed, he tried to look at their reflection in the mirror.
"What are you doing?" she asked against his lips, feeling that he was distracted.
"I was trying to see what you look like when you're kissing me. But that's not easy."
"You want to see what I look like when I'm kissing you," she repeated with a soft blush coating her cheeks. Curious about what he looked like when he was kissing her, she scanned the room and stopped on the fireplace. "I know what to do. Come."
She grabbed Henry's cellphone on the bedside table and led a confused Killian in front of the crackling fire.
"Stay here," she said before going to the fireplace.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking a picture."
"But it's you I want to see."
"You will." She giggled, guessing that, even if he had owned a phone for weeks, he was still unaware of some features. "We have ten seconds from now."
She placed the phone on the mantelpiece, ran to him and kissed him, but he was so confused that he looked at the phone when the picture was taken.
"I didn't know these devices didn't need us to take pictures. Can we try again?"
"Sure."
Still laughing at Killian's suspicious look on the picture, Emma placed the phone back on the mantelpiece. This time, he didn't pay any attention to the phone and swept her off her feet with a passionate kiss.
"It's been more than ten seconds," Emma whispered against his lips.
Killian chuckled and took the phone from the mantelpiece. Not knowing how to view the picture, he handed it to Emma.
"Look, you can even zoom in," she said while zooming in on his face.
He swiped left to see her instead.
"I didn't know you knew how to do that," she commented.
"I didn't know either," he chuckled. "You look so beautiful and peaceful. Were you swooning?"
"Maybe."
"I take that as a yes," he said with a smirk. "My swooning princess, can we take another one?"
"So that you can make me swoon again? Yes, we can." Once again, she placed the phone on the mantelpiece. "The same one?"
"No. Come here."
Taking her hand, he pulled her back against him and tenderly wrapped his arms around her waist. She naturally closed her fingers around his wrist and his hook, and closed her eyes as he pressed his lips against her cheek.
"The devilishly handsome pirate and his flawless princess," Killian commented. "We look amazing."
"I really love this one. All the love and the tenderness… Too bad we don't have some sort of printer."
"Some sort of what?"
"A printer," Emma repeated. "To get the picture on paper, so that we can keep it even when the phone dies."
"Don't you have some magical printer?"
"You mean using my magic to print it?" Emma considered the idea. All she needed to do was to transfer the picture from the phone to a piece of paper. "I need to try! Come!"
"Where are we going?"
"To the library. There should be some paper or parchment there."
Emma knew the library was close to their room. In the afternoon, she had been there by mistake, when she had wanted to go to Henry's room which happened to be at the same place but on the floor right down below. Most of the walls were hidden by high shelves. The imposing desk sitting in the middle of the room indicated that the room also served as an office. Further behind, near the French window leading to the balcony, were two couches and a coffee table. Other armchairs were filling some of the space.
Emma found some parchment in the drawer of the desk.
"I've never tried this but…"
She trailed off and placed her hands on the phone and on the parchment. Closing her eyes, she focused on what she wanted to do. A tingling sensation spread along her arms and, when she looked at the result, her face split into a bright smile.
"You're brilliant. Amazing," Killian commented as he gazed at the picture of them kissing. It looked a bit different than on the phone because of the matter of the parchment, and he loved it even more this way.
"I'm going to do the same with the other picture."
A moment later, she handed him a second piece of parchment and nestled against him.
"This one really is my favorite," she whispered.
"I love both. Look at how you're gripping my hair on this one. No wonder why it always ends up so messy." He chuckled and she laughed only feebly. "Love, are you alright?"
"Too much magic," she whispered while tucking his face in her neck and breathing his scent to try and make the dizziness go away.
"Love…" He tenderly wrapped her in his arms. "Do you need to lie down?"
"No, I'll be fine. Just a minute."
"We've been distracted from our initial mission. Do you remember that's in the kitchen we were supposed to go in the first place?"
Realizing he had made her forget about dinner, she said nothing. He seemed to take her silence as an answer and chuckled before kissing her hair.
"I'm not feeling dizzy anymore," she announced. "Let's go."
After leaving the phone and their pictures in their bedroom which was on their way, they went downstairs. Killian looked on both sides of the deserted corridor lit with torches and turned to Emma.
"Do you remember where the kitchen is?"
"I was hoping you would. Henry's room is on this floor. I think the kitchen is one floor below."
Soon, they found themselves trying to open different doors, and Emma decided to turn it into a game.
"Let's play: every time we try to open a wrong door, you owe me a kiss."
"We'll never make it to the kitchen," Killian commented with a chuckle.
"That's the third door you're trying to open. And now…"
Emma trailed off and flashed him a playful smile before running away, opening all the doors on her way. Gladly playing her game, Killian ran after her and caught up to give her the kisses she had decided he owed her. Their laughs were the only sound filling the deserted corridor. At last, after opening several doors in a row, they found the kitchen. At the back of the room were a fireplace inside which a cooking pot was sitting, and a stone wood-fired oven. Along the walls were countertops and cupboards. In front of them was a table with four seats.
"Here's your dinner," said Killian, indicating the dishes on the table. "Look, your mother left a note for you."
She took the piece of parchment and her smile widened as she read the few words.
'In case you feel better and hunger comes back, here's for you. And for Killian, of course!
Goodnight,
Snow.'
"She knows me well." Emma examined the three dishes and noticed the table was even set for two people. Quickly identifying the main course which was leftovers from the dinner, she brought it to the oven and lit up a fire to reheat it. "Now we just need to wait."
"I might just know the occupation." He wrapped his arms around her and whispered in her ear. "I still owe you fourteen kisses."
"Perfect occupation."
He trailed kisses across her cheek and she turned in his arms to face him. Their lips remained locked together as she led him back to the table, let him sit down on a chair and straddled him.
"Perhaps the dish is warm enough, now," Killian suggested after a moment.
Emma didn't know how much time had passed but she gathered he was right and got up.
"Do you want more potatoes?" Killian asked when he served her.
"No, thank you. I actually have too many. Take this one," she said while transferring a potato from her plate to his own.
"Are you sure you don't need to eat more?" Killian tilted his head and squinted. "Actually, how does the baby eat?"
"That's why you wanted me to eat more potatoes; to make sure the baby had enough," Emma realized, in awe. Once again, she was glad that, back in New York, she had read a lot about pregnancy. "When I eat, nutrients go into my blood, and the baby gets them."
"The baby eats blood?" he asked, taken aback.
"No," she giggled. "The baby actually doesn't really eat. There's this thing called the umbilical cord, it connects the baby to me and, with this, we kind of share our blood. So, when I eat, nutrients go from my blood to his blood, and it feeds him."
Slightly confused, Killian flashed her a smile. "I think you might need to be patient because I have many questions to ask. I don't even know what the umbilical thing is."
"And I think it's adorable that you're asking so many questions." Emma reached his hand across the table. "I'm going to answer each one of them; if I know the answer."
"Does everyone know already?" he inquired while playing with her fingers.
"Know what?"
"That you're a baby's home."
"A baby's home," Emma repeated dreamily while covering her lower abdomen with her free hand, loving this way to say she was pregnant.
"Aye. Does everyone else know?"
"No. Not everyone knows. Only Henry, because I couldn't keep that from him. But I didn't want anyone else to know before you."
This piece of information seemed to delight him.
"Not even my brother, when he came to see you in New York?" he asked.
"Not even. No one knows but Henry. We can announce it to everyone tomorrow."
Killian took her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. "I love you."
"I love you," she repeated and drowned in his eyes.
They remembered they needed to eat and, once their plates were cleared, Emma looked at the two other dishes.
"Treacle tart or chocolate cake?" she offered Killian.
"Your heart's desire, love. I promise that's all I want you to have."
Wondering why he needed to be so poetic to answer such a banal question, she looked him in the eye and got lost. Driven by love, she went to sit on his lap, leant her forehead against his own and played with his fingers.
"Actually, I'm not interested in the tart or the cake. Unless you want some?" she inquired.
"I'm not interested either."
"Then, a night and every other night to come spent in your embrace is all my heart desires."
"I do not intend to spend a single night away from you."
"Good. Can we go back to bed now?"
After some cleaning, that was what they did. Finding their way back to their room proved to be much easier than finding the way to the kitchen.
Emma was brushing her teeth when Killian, who had been lovingly gazing at her, came to stand behind her and tightly hugged her.
"We're having a baby!" he said excitedly, sounding like he was still struggling to believe and had just remembered it was happening.
Her face splitting into a bright smile, she turned in his arms and peppered his face with kisses.
It was only when they got ready to sleep that Emma realized how exhausted she was. It was like she had been disconnected from time. She was unable to assess how late it was, but guessed that the night was already far advanced. The day had been unusually long and she didn't even try to get her mind around the fact that, in the morning, she had been in New York. She actually didn't care. All that mattered was that her Killian had come back to her and they were back on track; together, at home. The princess and her pirate, a very delighted father-to-be, were elated to be where they were and, in each other's arms, they both drifted off to sleep.