Chapter 14: A Whole New Life

A barely audible sigh escaped Emma as she opened her eyes and noticed it was still nighttime. It was the end of July and Kaelyn was not always sleeping through the night. On that one, it was the second time that she was crying.

Henry had thought of a way for Killian and Emma to hear their daughter from their room: they had placed in her bedroom one of the seashells that mermaids used to communicate, and were keeping the matching seashell with them.

Emma was about to get up and go to her daughter when Killian held her back.

"Get some more sleep, love," he said in a hushed voice. "You got up in the middle of the night, already. It's my turn."

"But you were up too," she observed. "And what if she's hungry?"

"Perhaps she's not. Perhaps she just misses her daddy."

A smile stretched her lips. "Or maybe her father misses her."

"Possibly. Get some more sleep, I'm taking care of her."

"Alright," she conceded.

She turned to him and he tenderly pressed his lips against hers. The kiss lingered more than she had expected while he softly tightened his embrace and ran his fingers along her arm. At first sleepy, she felt more and more awake and smiled against his lips.

"Go, before I decide to keep you here," she whispered.

He chuckled and got out of the bed. She heard him rummaging through the pile of clothes and it sounded like he put on his pants before leaving the room. Smiling in her pillow, she sighed as she dreamily thought of her true love, who was not only the perfect fiancé, but also an amazing father. Knowing that he would bring her Kaelyn if she was hungry, she wondered if he would come back straight away, but she got back to sleep within a minute.

When she woke up, she held her arm out in an attempt to reach Killian, but he wasn't lying by her side. He was not in the room and she guessed he was up already, somewhere in the castle with their daughter. Putting on her nightshirt, she left the room and cast a glance through the next door; Kaelyn's room was deserted. The two places where she thought she was the most likely to find them were the library and the dining room. The library being the closest from her room, Emma headed there.

She silently opened the door and smiled tenderly as she found them both asleep on the couch. Wearing only a diaper, lying between Killian and the back of the couch, Kaelyn was sleeping peacefully while holding her father's finger. Each day, Emma had the impression that her daughter was getting more and more beautiful. She lightly brushed her cheek before focusing on Killian, who was lying on his stomach and exposing his bare back to her. His face turned towards Kaelyn, he was on the edge, with his arm hanging from the couch and the rattle in his hand.

During the past month, Emma had rarely got the occasion to see him sleep, as she was usually falling asleep quickly at night, and he was getting up early in the morning to be with their daughter. Admiring the view, she bit her lip before finally giving in: she reached the top of his back, at first with one hand, then with two, and trailed her fingers down until she was stopped by the waistband of his pants. Her fingers followed the same path in the other way. His eyes were still closed but his smile was giving away the fact that he was awake. She kissed his shoulder and his neck, and his smile widened but he still kept his eyes closed. She laid down on top of him and he chuckled, and opened his eyes at last.

"Lovely way to wake up," he commented with a crooked smile.

"I couldn't resist the view. You're too attractive," she accused him playfully, and another chuckle escaped him.

"Sorry?"

She giggled and captured his lips.

"I was right."

"About what?" she inquired.

He indicated Kaelyn who was still sleeping with his finger in her hand. "She was only missing her daddy. She stopped crying as soon as I picked her up. She fell asleep again in my arms. We came here and… I got back to sleep as well."

"You're adorable."

"She is."

A sigh of fulfillment escaped Emma. Lying on top of Killian and lightly scratching the nape of his neck, she reached for Kaelyn's tiny hand. They remained like this and gazed at their daughter until she woke up and another happy day started.

"That's a very nice work, Henry."

"You think so?" he asked with a bright smile.

"Yes."

Emma and Henry were sitting on her bed. The boy had just made his mother read the essay he had been assigned for school. She looked it over again.

"That's well-written and interesting," she commented. "I'd say that's very good!"

"Awesome! Thank you!"

Snow came to see them. "You two look studious!"

"We are!" Henry said proudly. "I've finished my essay!"

"Will you let me read it?"

"Of course!" he answered enthusiastically and handed her his work.

"Where's Killian?" Snow asked her daughter.

"Where Kaelyn is." A smile brightened her features as she pictured her true love. "Probably in the library, telling her some adventure tales."

"Mum is not Killian's favorite princess anymore," Henry added with a teasing smile.

Emma kept smiling; she just loved how close Killian was to their daughter.

"Killian insisted I should get some rest, since I haven't slept a lot last night. But I don't want to rest."

"You don't have these nightmares anymore, do you?" Snow inquired and Emma shook her head.

"Killian thinks Kaelyn healed me for good. He says that carrying her for nine months might have left some permanent 'true love's prints,' as he calls them, and that they're enough to keep the nightmares away."

"That's a beautiful theory."

"I know. And speaking of Killian and Kaelyn, I'm going to see them. This way, you can read Henry's essay."

She left the room and headed to the library. She peeked inside and, at first, didn't see them. But she noticed that the door leading to the balcony was open, and silently went closer. She found them there: Killian was holding their daughter in his arms and showing her the ocean. It was the end of September and Kaelyn was now a three-month-old graceful baby. The light brown hair she had at birth had turned blonde, and she had the same bright blue eyes as her father.

Without making any noise, Emma went even closer, until she could hear what Killian was telling their daughter.

"The castle is your home, but so is the ocean. One day, you will rule the world, and everyone will love you, because you're the most amazing of all the princesses." He lowered his voice but Emma could still hear. "But don't tell mum I've said that."

Emma felt like she was melting. Kaelyn happily babbled and reached out to Killian who pressed a kiss on her tiny hand.

"Aye, the most amazing of them all," he repeated before peppering her face with kisses.

Kaelyn laughed; a tinkling laugh which had become one of Emma's favorite sounds. She kept babbling while she grabbed a lapel of Killian's coat.

"Just like mum," he chuckled and she looked up at him before tugging at it, letting Killian guess what she wanted. "Sorry, treasure, I'm afraid I don't have what you're looking for."

It looked like he was trying to distract her: Emma saw him making funny faces and noises, and another tinkling laugh resounded. Beaming, Kaelyn patted his cheeks, and squealed when he chuckled. Then, she had her heart set on his necklace, which she took to her mouth. His move both soft and quick, he took it away from her.

"You can't eat that, love." Gazing at his daughter, he sighed as it was undeniable. "You're definitely hungry. But daddy can't give you what you want, we need to go and see if mum is awake."

"Mum is awake," Emma announced, betraying her presence.

Killian raised his eyebrows as he saw her leaning against the door frame. "I thought you were getting some rest?"

"I didn't feel like sleeping. And you two were way too adorable, I didn't want to interrupt you."

Turning to Kaelyn, Killian lowered his voice again, though it was intentionally kept loud enough for Emma to hear, "Did you see that? Mum has been spying on us. That's bad form."

Emma laughed. "But mum has the food."

She held out her arms and Killian playfully made a pouty face. Finally, he handed her Kaelyn who squealed again when she found herself in her mother's arms.

"Who's happy to see mum? It's my baby!"

Emma kissed her cheek and she started babbling again. They went back inside and sat down on the couch.

"Ouch!" Emma whispered when Kaelyn snatched her.

Killian chuckled. "She's being eager again. That's her daddy's girl!"

"Laughing is easy for you. She can't do that to you."

"Sometimes she tries to bite my finger. Does that count?"

"No," she answered stubbornly and he chuckled some more.

"Seriously, love, I would feed her myself if I could. But I can't. What can I do, other than laughing?" He played innocent and pressed his lips together to repress a laugh.

"You're impossible," she commented.

"And you love me for it," he answered while kissing her cheek.

He sounded proud of himself and Emma focused on her daughter to hide her smile. Kaelyn looked imperturbable.

"What are mum and daddy doing?" Killian addressed the baby girl who glanced at him. "That's true love: daddy can annoy mum endlessly and she will never blame him. When she fixed her gaze on her mother again, he added, "But of course, what daddy is saying is not as interesting as food."

"Serves you right," Emma teased.

"Unfair."

The playful banter ended there. Killian softly caressed Emma's cheek and gathered her hair over her shoulder.

It was only when she felt light tugs that she asked him, "Are you braiding my hair?"

"Aye. One of these days, Kaelyn will have long hair too. I need to train."

"Do you hear that?" Emma addressed her daughter to let her be part of the conversation. "Daddy is using mum as first draft." She glanced sideways at her hair and it actually looked like a very nice braid. "But he's handling it pretty well already. Looks like you're going to have the most beautiful braids of the kingdom."

"You're flattering me, love."

"But I mean it. When did you learn how to braid hair like this?"

A crooked smile stretched his lips. "I've watched you a hundred times. It's easier than I thought."

When he was done, he placed the braid on her shoulder and slipped an arm behind her shoulders to tenderly pull her closer. Gazing at their daughter, she leant her head against his shoulder.

"She's beautiful."

"Must run in the family," Killian replied. "She does have beautiful parents."

Later, when they were still in the library and Henry walked past the door, Killian hailed him. He gladly joined them and, together, they decided they could read a book.

"How about Operation True Love?" Henry suggested.

"We read this one, already," Killian said.

"But it was weeks ago. She can understand it better, now." Emma couldn't get tired of reading this book retracing her and Killian's story.

"You're right. Let's read this one."

"Yay!"

The boy went to fetch the book and they settled for the reading. Henry and Emma were sitting on both sides of Killian, who had one arm around Emma, and was holding Kaelyn with the other one. Killian and Henry placed the book between them and the boy was the one reading. The story started with Emma walking on deck for the first time, depicting the moment right before they met for the first time.

Obviously delighted to be surrounded by her family, Kaelyn babbled happily and patted the book which captured her whole attention. But soon, after only a few pages, she became silent and fell asleep in her father's arms. She wasn't the only one: exhausted and comfortably nestled against her fiancé, Emma struggled to keep her eyes open as her eyelids grew heavy. At last, she stopped fighting and indulged in some sleep.

When Henry noticed, he chuckled. "I thought they were still listening. How long have they been sleeping?"

"Not long. But I was listening to you."

"I'll read the next part later, when Kaelyn's awake." The boy closed the book and went to put it back in its place. A laugh escaped him when he came back to Killian. "You can't even move anymore."

"I must be comfortable," the man joked. With a move of his head, he indicated the empty place on his left and added playfully, "If you fancy a nap, there's still one free spot here."

The boy smirked. "I don't want to sleep."

"Do you want to play chess?" Killian offered.

"How do you plan on moving your pieces?"

"I'll tell you which one to move, you'll do it for me."

Henry beamed, delighted to have the chance to play chess. "The chessboard is in my room, just wait here."

The boy had already left the room when Killian said, "I don't plan to go anywhere."

With one arm around each of his princesses, he gazed at both of them. His ability to move was so limited that all he could do was to press his lips on top of Emma's head.

Henry came back and sat down on the couch opposite Killian.

"I guess white-"

"Is my color," the boy completed while setting the game up on the coffee table.

Every time they had played, he had picked the white pieces. Once the game was ready, they started to play. Killian was whispering the coordinates of the squares to indicate his moves, and Henry was moving his pieces for him.

"No! Not my knight!" The boy playfully complained when a black rook captured a white knight.

Analyzing the game, he smirked when he identified his next move, and used one of his pawns to capture Killian's rook.

"Well done, lad! Hadn't seen that one." He repressed a smile when he said, "Bishop from E-six to B-three."

Seizing the black bishop, Henry frowned and stopped as he looked up at Killian, "You can't do that! Only knights can jump over other pieces."

The man smirked. "I know. I was just checking I had taught you well."

"Or trying to cheat," the boy said defiantly.

"Me, cheating? I wouldn't dare." Catching his suspicious look, Killian added, "Why would I cheat when I can move my knight from B-four to C-two and capture your queen?"

Henry looked at the chessboard. "No!"

Killian beamed as he watched him reluctantly move the black knight. "Check!"

With only one move, he could capture the white king, but the boy saved him and the game went on.

They were still playing when Snow stopped on the doorstep and beamed when she saw them. She made a sign to someone in the corridor and, seconds later, David appeared in the doorframe and she indicated them. He flashed Killian a bright smile and gave him the thumbs up. With his two princesses on his lap, he couldn't give them back, so he winked instead.

"It's your turn," Henry told him.

"What was your move?" Killian asked as he focused back on the game.

The boy smirked. "I'm not saying."

The pirate examined the chessboard and looked amused when he noticed the change, "I see. Putting my king in check and not even announcing it, when I do announce checks. Bad form, lad!"

Emma woke up and silently watched them, loving that they had found an occasion to play chess and spend some time together. Kaelyn was less discreet when she opened her eyes a moment later: she immediately drew Killian's attention by grabbing his necklace and happily babbling.

"It's your turn to play," Emma pointed out and held out her arms. "Give her to me so that you can focus."

At first reluctant, he finally placed their daughter in her arms. A pout formed on her tiny lips as she was pulled away from her father, but she squealed when she saw her mother and started babbling again. She held out her arms and Emma gave her a finger, but it didn't seem to be what she wanted. Emma lifted her up and it appeared to be more to her taste: she let out another squeal when she placed her hands on her mother's cheeks. She grew quiet when she started exploring Emma's features and focused on her braid. The princess laid down on the couch with her head resting on Killian's lap, and her daughter lying on her stomach. Kaelyn lifted her head and her chest up – something she had developed the ability to do during the past week – and smiled brightly at her mother.

"Am I really supposed to focus on the game?" Killian asked with a crooked smile on his lips.

Emma looked up at him and repressed a teasing smile. "Are we distracting you?"

"Aye. You two are way too adorable not to."

He passed his fingers through her hair to softly unbraid it while moving one of his pieces. She closed her eyes when he lightly scratched her scalp.

"Killian, I'm going to fall asleep if you do that."

"That's alright," he chuckled and kept going. "You can fall asleep on me, love. Perhaps you do need some more sleep."

Finally, she stayed awake and played with Kaelyn while her boys finished their game, and repressed a laugh when Henry won and teased Killian about it.

"Mum? Dad?"

Both Emma and Killian looked up as they heard Henry who had just come back from school.

"We're here!" the pirate answered.

It was an afternoon in the beginning of March and, during the previous months, because everyone was always referring to Killian as 'daddy' when addressing Kaelyn, Henry had taken to call him that as well.

The boy appeared on the doorstep of his parents' room, and burst out laughing when he saw Killian on all fours, crawling around.

"What are you doing?" he asked between two bursts of laughter.

"Trying to make your sister crawl," Killian answered as if it was the most natural thing.

Henry looked around and laughed even more when he noticed Emma was also on all fours, next to Kaelyn who was sitting on the floor. The eight-month-old baby was obviously not resolute to move; that was until her brother's laugh caught her attention: she turned to him and joyfully squealed, and Killian and Emma looked taken aback as they watched her crawl toward Henry. Delighted, the boy dropped his school bag and let himself fall on his knees. Waiting for his sister with open arms, he hugged her as soon as she reached him.

"She chose me!" he said proudly.

"This alliance between the two of you is totally unfair," Killian playfully complained.

"I agree," Emma approved.

Both of them were still on all fours, gazing at the children.

"Well," said Killian. "If my little princess doesn't want me, I have another princess."

Emma's mouth fell slightly open as she saw her fiancé crawl to her, and she needed a moment before being able to find her words.

"Thank you for letting me know I'm the consolation prize," she teased.

He chuckled and made her sit in his lap.

"You know that's not true," he said while brushing a blonde curl behind her ear. "I love you both equally, just in different ways." He looked her in the eye before adding, "You're the treasure I've found, she's the treasure we've created."

His words had an instant effect: Emma melted in his embrace. "Alright, you're all forgiven."

"I would despair if I wasn't."

Smiling, she placed her hand on his cheek, and was about to kiss him when Henry interrupted, "Well I guess you don't need us. She just fell asleep, seems like it's naptime. I'm going to put her into bed."

At the mention of naptime, Killian and Emma exchanged a knowing look.

The boy was up, holding his sister in his arms, when his mother remembered, "Henry, wait. When you came, you seemed to be looking for us, is there anything that you need?"

"I was just coming to tell you that I was back from school. Also, remember that work on the movements of planets? Mrs. Danvers handed it back, and I got an Outstanding!"

"That's my boy!" Killian said proudly.

"Well done, kid!" Emma congratulated.

Henry smiled brightly and glanced down at Kaelyn. "I should go. I have homework to do anyway."

Lightly biting her lip and melting in her fiancé's embrace, Emma trailed her hand up his thigh, anticipating the moment which was to come for just the two of them.

"Do you need any help with your work?" Killian inquired.

Henry's gaze shifted from him to Emma and to her hand on his leg, and he flashed them a smile. "I'm fine. If I need help, I'll go and ask Grandma."

"Who's that?" Emma asked. "It's daddy and Henry!"

She was holding her daughter's hands to help her stand on her feet, and indicated the boys who were sitting on the couch, playing cards. Hearing that she had mentioned him, Killian looked up.

"Come to daddy, treasure!" he called her.

For a few weeks, they had been trying to make her walk, but she was just ten months old and was apparently still not ready. Looking at her father with a bright smile, she wriggled and Emma let her get back on hands and knees. She quickly crawled across the room and reached him. He didn't move to encourage her to do what she did next: she grabbed his leg and pulled herself on her feet. This was something she had learnt to do in the past weeks and it didn't stop to fill them with wonder.

But on that day, Kaelyn amazed them even more: she was standing on her feet and beaming at her father when it came out of her mouth: "Daddy!"

Killian's eyebrows shot up. "You said 'daddy'!" He picked her up to take her in his arms, and glanced at Henry and Emma. "She said it! Her first word is my name!"

Her father's excitement made her clap her hands together and squeal.

"Kaelyn!" her brother called. "Say Henry! Hen-ry."

Delighted to be the center of attention, she kept beaming.

"Say Henry!" the boy repeated.

"Ewy!"

"That's close enough!" Henry was satisfied.

"Well done, treasure!" Killian congratulated his daughter who squealed when he kissed her cheek.

"Kaelyn! Come back to mum!" Emma called while opening her arms.

Killian put the baby princess back on the floor and she crawled to her mother. Again, by gripping Emma like she could, she got back on her feet. Unstable, she lost her balance and caught herself by wrapping her arms around her mother's neck. Emma instantly captured her in her embrace.

"I'm getting a hug! That's even better than a word!" she said teasingly.

"No, that's not," Henry replied.

"Definitely not!" Killian added.

"It is," Emma insisted.

Hugging her daughter, she lightly swayed, rocking her in her arms. Her family was filling her with happiness. Kaelyn was changing and learning new things so quickly that every day could bring something new, and that was making of this whole new life a very enjoyable one.