an: this is for the small group of people that wanted more, so if babies aren't your thing, you should probably avoid this. I don't anticipate writing any more after this, so hopefully this is a satisfying extra!
It should be no surprise to her when it happens. She had suspected it, after all, the questions about a little bundle of joy. She hadn't anticipated the speculation on a bi-monthly basis, though.
Mary Margaret is always calling her in a panic because of a magazine with very convincing photographs of Emma's "pregnancy bump" and Emma's always having to talk her down, insisting that the magazines are trash and she needs to stop reading them even if Emma's on the cover.
They've been married for two years and they're living in Los Angeles more permanently due to Emma's role in a highly popular television series. She has a contract for the next few years, providing her stability and a little bit of rest in the middle of the chaos of her life.
Killian's latest album went platinum twice over and he just finished an international tour.
She'd never been more excited to see her husband again in the flesh than she was about a month ago when he came home. It's never been easy- the long distance thing, with Facetime and late night phone calls and obsessively checking his social media to see how he's doing.
He'd left Smee with her, which was a silly choice, because he was always lamenting about the fact that he didn't have his trusty first mate on tour with him, but Emma did like getting two dogs to cuddle with in her husband's absence.
Emma lies on the couch in the living room while she watches the Food Network. She feels like she could probably throw up again, which is why she's anchored herself to this spot, with a glass of water and crackers in arms' reach.
Cocoa and Smee seem to know she's not feeling very well. They approach the couch and hop up, eager to snuggle with her.
Emma groans. "Thanks, you guys."
She leaves a kiss to behind Cocoa's ear and sighs heavily. Watching the Food Network is probably a bad idea in retrospect, but she supposes if she's not dry heaving yet, it must mean she's relatively alright.
During a commercial break, Killian enters through the front door of the apartment. Both of the dogs look up to see him. Smee hops off the couch to go investigate the smell of the chicken noodle soup her husband is holding in a bag.
"Alright," he says, going to her side in an instant. "I've got your special soup."
He removes the soup from the bag and sets down the container on the coffee table before grabbing something else from the bag. He keeps it hidden, his brow knitted almost worriedly as he kneels down so he's at her eye-level.
"How are you feeling, love?"
"I've been better." Emma admits. She's more focused on what he's hiding, only because he is too. She reaches out for his hand, still hiding in the bag. "What are you holding?"
Killian laughs under his breath and pulls his hand away, revealing that he's holding a pregnancy test. He sighs as he examines it. He turns his attention to her, nibbling on his lower lip.
"I thought… maybe it might be that you're…"
"Pregnant." Emma finishes his thought, lifting her eyebrows. "Killian-"
Killian smiles slightly and sets the test down on the coffee table. "Darling, it's not as if we haven't been trying."
She's stuck because she knows he's right. She gapes at him, at the box of tests on the table, and an anxiously excited feeling swells inside of her.
Emma sits up then, her eyes widening at the idea. "I should take a test."
She hasn't ever seen her husband smile so wide.
They go to the bathroom together and Emma takes two tests, just to be sure.
This isn't their first attempt at seeing if she's pregnant, but this time she feels a little more excited about the idea of having a baby. Maybe it's because the pregnancy watch has slowed down and she can actually be excited for herself about the idea now.
As they wait for the tests to come back, Emma scrunches her nose up at Killian and collapses into his arms, desperate to hide from the little white sticks sitting on the counter.
Killian laughs warmly. "What's wrong?"
Her cry is muffled by his chest, "I'm nervous!"
Killian's fingers tickle her side and he lowers a kiss to the top of her head. "Shh. No need be nervous, love."
Emma settles her chin against his chest and tilts her head back to stare at him. She leans away, her fingers gripping his forearms.
"Are you ready to have a baby if I'm pregnant?" she asks.
Her husband awards her his trademark smile and traces a soothing circle into her back. "As long as I'm with you, I'm ready for anything."
It melts her heart.
She sighs, shaking her head at the poetic nature of his words. "How did I get you?"
He laughs, something that comes straight from his belly. He tilts his head after and lifts a shoulder as he squints his eyes just slightly.
"A bit of luck, a shit music video, and plenty of rum."
Emma can't help but laugh with him as she thinks back almost ten years ago about their first meeting. It had been love at first sight, though she'd definitely been one to push back when he flirted with her after the shoot was over.
She rests her ear against his heart and stares from a distance at the tests sitting on the counter.
Distantly, Emma considers a future with their child in it and she can't help but want it so badly. It's actually good timing in her life for this, with time in one place and with their careers at a point where if they slow down, it won't hurt them.
"If I'm pregnant, I don't want to tell the world." Emma murmurs. "I just… I want our kids to have privacy and a normal life."
"Aye. I agree. No use telling anyone other than family and close friends anyway."
They stand there in silence for a little while. Emma feels like time is moving impossibly slowly, but soon enough Killian's alarm goes off and he turns it off.
"Well…" Emma nibbles on her lip, staring at her husband. "The moment of truth."
Killian gives her a nod, as if telling her she can do this. Oddly enough, she feels strengthened by it. She sucks in a breath, bravely approaching the tests waiting for her on the counter.
When she sees the results, she immediately feels tears in her eyes. She can't wipe the smile from her lips and she tilts her head slightly as she turns to her husband.
"We're having a baby."
Killian's eyes widen and he gasps, letting out a happy laugh as soon as he sees the results for himself. "Bloody hell. We're having a baby, Swan."
Emma giggles, eagerly nodding her head. She wraps her arms around his neck and he slips his arms under hers. Emma's eyes fall closed and she sighs before they pull back and kiss sweetly.
"How are we going to tell Liam and Mary Margaret and David?" Killian asks in the moments after. "Bloody hell. How will we tell Smee and Cocoa?"
Emma laughs. "One step at a time."
..
Not telling the fans becomes increasingly difficult, especially with a red carpet she has no choice but to attend directly coinciding with the swell of her baby bump.
She's in the awkward stage of not fitting things, so when she's faced with having to get a dress for the event, she sits on the floor of the closet crying for half an hour until Killian finds her.
She sniffles and wipes her cheeks, though she knows he has already seen her crying over something so stupid.
"Love, what's going on?" he asks, his brow deeply furrowed.
"I can't fit in these dresses without showing," Emma says. And it sounds like the most pathetic thing in the world coming from her mouth, but hormones.
Killian hums. He examines the one she has on and shakes his head. "I don't know. It seems like maybe you're suffering a burrito pregnancy."
Emma stares at him blankly for a few seconds before laughter bubbles out of her throat. She sniffles in, her tears sufficiently stopped, and stands up to examine herself in the mirror.
"It kind of does, doesn't it?"
Killian shrugs as he stands to his feet. "Well, I mean, sort of." He smiles at her gently and sets his hand over the swell of her belly. "You and I know what it is and that's what matters, right?"
Emma hums. "Right."
..
The red carpet goes off without a hitch, but as Emma scrolls the comments section of her latest public post regarding the event, she can't help but spot ekforever.
ekforever: IS THAT A BABY BUMP OH MY GOD (loudly crying face)
Always a little too curious, she taps on the username and finds loads of speculation. One post from a week ago has a paparazzi shot of her walking the dogs with a water bottle.
ekforever: I know this is going to come off as far fetched, but Emma usually walks the dogs early in the morning and gets Starbucks. I'm not saying there's about to be a Mini Jones, but I'm saying there's about to be a Mini Jones. (party popper) (loudly crying face)
Emma scoffs even if it's true. She turns to look over her shoulder at Killian, who's in the kitchen while she sits on the couch in the living room. He's filming a Facebook livestream Q and A while he makes her breakfast.
He suddenly laughs. "No, Everett, there aren't any merits to that. It's just a rumor. I can absolutely verify my wife isn't expecting."
"Right, darling?" Killian turns the camera toward her.
Emma smiles and waves. "Nope!"
Blatantly lying to the fans is what they've come to, but Emma doesn't really care. She just turns back to rubbing her small bump as she reads a book on parenting on her iPad.
After Killian's done with the livestream, he delivers her food with a kiss to the top of her head.
"We're awful, aren't we?" he teases, sinking down by her feet on the couch.
Emma shrugs. "You know what would be even more awful?"
Killian's eyebrows dance deviously as a wicked grin spreads across his face. "No. What?"
She bites down on her lip and describes the very next public post Emma makes on her social media.
It's a picture of Emma cradling her belly while she's standing in front of Chipotle.
emmaswanofficial: Killian and I have some news for you guys. I'm pregnant… with a burrito baby! (winking face)
Of course, as per usual, ekforever practically collapses at the update.
ekforever: WHY ARE YOU TEASING US?!
..
They're having a baby girl.
As soon as they find out, Killian immediately starts listing off pop culture references, as if she'll somehow forget where their origins come from and think they're good names to name their daughter.
This is accompanied by visuals of Killian Jones holding his baby daughter, so small and sweet, and Emma finds his silly name ideas more bearable.
Emma decides to have the nursery painted light blue with a wall for a mural that Killian begs her to paint himself. He wants to paint a ship, The Jolly Roger, and she can't deny him that when he shows her a concept piece he paints one afternoon while she's on set.
They get furniture when she's almost nine months pregnant, and it's on that day, when the nursery is complete, that Emma completely drops the ball.
Despite all of her safeguards, Emma never could have guessed she would get pregnancy brain and ruin it all.
She's on the phone with Mary Margaret talking about how excited she is about the nursery being done while Killian takes the dogs for a walk.
"You know, lately, people online have been talking about how you haven't posted anything lately," Mary Margaret says. "I know you're not doing anything movie-wise, but… I think they're suspicious."
Emma scoffs. "People don't care about my private life."
The response from the other end is an unconvinced hum. "Emma, there are fan pages dedicated to your private life."
Emma rolls her eyes. "Fine. I'll… post a picture of Smee and Cocoa." Emma bites on her lip and leans against the doorframe of the baby's room. "Mary Margaret, her nursery is beautiful. I wish you could be here to see it in person."
"I'll be there so soon!" Mary Margaret says excitedly. "I cannot wait."
Emma smiles to herself. "Yeah. Me either. It'll be nice to have you here. Killian says Liam and Elsa should be coming closer to the due date to help too. I can't believe we have so much family interested in being here."
Mary Margaret laughs. "Well, it's exciting! You're having a baby!"
Emma hums. She glances over her shoulder when the door opens.
She hears Cocoa and Smee's excited little yips and Killian says, "-nother month or so. Yeah, it'll be just fine."
"Oh, Killian's back," Emma says to Mary Margaret. "So I should get going. We have an appointment today and Smee and Cocoa are getting a haircut."
"Exciting!" Mary Margaret says. "Well, I'll talk to you later. Love you!"
Emma hums. "Love you too."
Emma hangs up and walks toward her husband, a hand resting on top of her belly as she pulls up Instagram and prepares a picture of the nursery to post to her private account.
"Alright. Bye." Killian finishes the call. He hangs up and sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I've got to shower, but as soon as I'm done, we've got to get going to that appointment."
Killian approaches her and she grins, accepting his kiss that tastes like coffee. She sighs, her eyes closed as he pulls away.
"I miss that."
Killian laughs and winks at her. "I know you do. Just a little while longer."
Emma sighs wistfully as she watches her husband head into their bedroom. He peels off his shirt as he goes, allowing her a tantalizing look at the muscles of his backside.
Emma nibbles on her lip and returns to the Instagram post she was making for Mary Margaret's benefit.
Smee and Cocoa are excited to see her, their tongues hanging out of their mouths while they stand in front of her. She laughs and waves at them.
"Hey, you guys,"
For a second, she's preoccupied thinking about how she'll take a picture of the dogs after their haircuts, and that's when she hits the post button without a single thought otherwise.
Emma goes to the bedroom to find her shoes and a hair tie for her hair. As she's wrapping her hair up above her head, her phone starts to ring.
Emma groans when she sees Regina's name pop up, but she answers it regardless as soon as she can. "Regina-"
"Emma, I honestly think you like wrecking your public image with accidental posts to social media." Regina says.
Emma furrows her brow. "What are you-" Her eyes widen and she gasps. "Crap! No! I didn't-!"
"Yes, you definitely did."
Emma puts her hand over her face and grimaces as she sinks down to sit on the bed. "No, no, no- I was posting it for Mary Margaret! I-"
"There's not much we can do to come back from this," Regina says. "Unless you just delete it and we claim it was an accident. And we remain quiet about the fact that you're pregnant."
Emma's chest heaves and she groans. For a second, she considers her choices.
"Time is ticking, Emma. We need to make a choice. Are we going to go with the flow and field questions as they come? I mean, this is a pretty private picture. It's your nursery-"
"I know!" Emma shouts. "I just… pregnant, frustrated, sorry-" Emma pulls herself up and goes straight into the bathroom because her brain is so muddled she can't think straight. "Killian, I accidentally posted a picture on my account."
"Where are you?" Regina asks into her ear. "Are you- in the bathroom?"
Killian, of course, is massively confused. He has shampoo in his hair and he turns to look at her through the glass door, eyes squinted as sudsy water drips down his face. He washes it off and wipes his face.
"What are you-"
Emma makes a fist at her side and groans. "I posted a picture for Mary Margaret on my public account and now it's everywhere and everyone knows-" Emma closes her eyes tight. "Shit. I messed up."
Killian licks his lips and rinses out his hair before turning the water off. He opens the door and grabs the towel from the rack.
"You didn't mess it up," he argues gently. "Hold on, are you talking with Regina?"
Emma nods. She holds out the phone for him when he gestures for it.
He ties off his towel around his hips and says, "Okay Regina, we're not going public with it. I'll delete it myself and we'll figure out what to do from there."
He's quiet while Regina probably berates him for something she did.
Emma's heart is racing. This is the last thing she thought she'd have to deal with today.
"Regina, she's got pregnancy brain," Killian sighs. "Just this morning she put the cereal box in the fridge and the milk in the pantry. I don't think she meant to- okay, yes. Taking it down now. Call later tonight."
He hangs up the call and then goes into her page to delete the picture. He smiles slightly at the picture.
"It is a very nice room," he says. "But I don't think the world should find out about Princess Leia like this."
Emma nods. She fights the deep desire she has to roll her eyes. "No Star Wars names."
"Hm, that's what you say now," Killian teases. He hands her phone back to her and lifts his eyebrows. "Alright. How's about no more posts for a while and we just take a deep breath-" He pauses, showing her what he means. She does as he prescribes and manages to smile. "That's right, love. Just breathe."
Emma tilts her head from side to side even as she takes a deep breath. "Killian, I wrecked it. We were trying so hard."
Her husband doesn't seem angry or upset. No, he seems amused. "Darling, I think we were kidding ourselves thinking we'd be able to keep it a secret."
Emma throws her head back. She runs her fingers through her hair and settles her hands on her hips. Her back hurts and she just wants to lie down, really, but this is causing her more anxiety than anything has in a long while.
Killian settles a hand on her arm and rubs it. "Hey. Let's just be us."
It takes her breath away- the reminder of what happened the last time she messed up like this. How she handled it, how they've always handled things by being themselves and not worrying about what anyone thought.
Emma is actually able to breathe. She nods. "Let's just be us."
..
One of Emma's tricks to life as an A-list celebrity is this: don't encourage drama by stirring the pot.
Obviously, once a picture goes online, it's there for good. At least with it deleted, less people have access to it unless they go digging, and with Regina's help they shut down articles that come out about the nursery.
Killian is the one to suggest a solution. It means exposing the truth to the public, but at least it's controlled and it's straight from them.
He has an awards show he's performing at and Emma's massively pregnant, so she accompanies him to the event and they walk the carpet together.
Killian makes a show of it, gesturing out to her with a happy smile on his face, and Emma feels perfectly adored with his arm around her back and hand on her hip.
ekforever has a lot to say about this image, mostly expressed in crying emojis and all-caps: "I KNEW IT I TOLD YOU SHE WAS PREGNANT!"
They don't take any questions at the press line, and the next day, they invite Ariel over to the apartment with her photographer Eric to take pictures of them and of the nursery- proper ones, with only the details they approve highlighted.
It's nice, because Eric gets a few photos of she and Killian in the pleasant early morning glow coming through their windows that they'll be able to frame and hang around the house.
"So, how long have you guys been together, if you don't mind my asking?" Ariel wonders as they sit around the kitchen table.
Killian glances over at Emma, who laughs at him.
"Why are you looking at me?" she asks.
"I don't want to get it wrong is all," Killian shrugs. He playfully bites on his lip and then turns back to Ariel. "We started dating a little after we worked on the music video together… nine years ago now?"
He looks at Emma and she smiles sweetly, nodding in agreement. She holds his hand under the table and caresses his knuckles.
Ariel beams at the news. "That's sweet!" She considers another question. "So who made the first move?"
Emma stares at Killian. "He did, but I turned him down at first. So I guess… did I?"
Killian shrugs. "We… both did."
Ariel's satisfied with the answer. She nods her head and glances down at her notes for reference. "So, you guys are sort of a success story for celebrity couples. How do you think you manage that?"
This time, Killian answers without any hesitation. He shakes his head, smiling as he stares at Emma. "She's my best friend. What more do I need?"
Emma's cheeks feel warm at his admission, so blunt and sweet.
Almost as quickly as he'd answered, Emma adds, "He's my best friend, too. He's the only person who I want to spend time with after I'm on set all day and just want to sleep. And he's cute, so… I guess that's why I'm still here."
Killian scoffs. "Please, Swan. I'm devilishly handsome. Ariel, for the record, she said I was devilishly handsome, not cute."
Ariel and Eric both laugh with Emma, whose attention rests on her husband while he winks at her.
"I love you guys," Ariel says offhandedly. She turns her attention to Emma's middle. "So tell me about your exciting addition! When are you due?"
Emma grins, looking down at her belly. "So soon. In less than a month." She looks up at Killian and he sets his hand on her middle. "She's kicking. Do you feel?"
Killian hums. "Always aflutter, she is."
Ariel chuckles. "So it's a girl! Do you have a name picked out?"
Emma rolls her eyes and scoffs. "Killian wants to name her Leia or something-"
"To be fair, you've offered me no alternatives."
Emma shoots him a playful look and laughs at the movement inside of her. She turns to Ariel. "We're talking about it."
..
When Ariel posts the article, Emma's phone blows up, but it's alright, because she's sitting on the beach with Killian, watching as the soothing waves roll inward.
She's uncomfortably pregnant, but still manages to be at ease watching people enjoy the beach from the safety of their cabana. She smiles at her husband when he props her feet up on his knees, already kneading her arches.
Emma sneaks a picture from above her belly of him gazing out at the water while he tends to her. She bites on her lip as she makes a post, this time completely intentional.
emmaswanofficial: Turns out, the burrito was a baby after all. Hey, killianjones, you're cute. I'll keep you.
..
She comes into the world one bright and beautiful Wednesday morning, screaming her lungs out but as gentle and sweet as can be.
They count all of her fingers and toes a hundred times and when they hold her, they both claim they never want to let go.
They're both so in love with their little girl.
While Killian's grabbing her something good to eat that isn't hospital food, Emma takes a picture of her tiny fingers and makes the decision to share it with the world as a bit of closure for all.
emmaswanofficial: Hey, little one, you're cute. Is it okay if killianjones and I keep you?