Here it is everyone, the last chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this story (everyone needs a little fluff every once in a while) and I hope you guys enjoyed reading it just as much. In any case, thanks for the support from everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed and I hope this last chapter is to your liking.
Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT
Chapter 23: A Happy Ending
Trying to sneak into the apartment, Emma shut the door quietly behind her, sighing gratefully when she heard the click of the lock in the door. Turning around on her toes, she let out a shriek as she saw Mary Margaret already sitting at the kitchen table, a steaming mug of tea in front of her. Clapping a hand over her mouth, and waiting to hear if she heard any other noises from inside the loft, she walked over to Mary Margaret carefully and sat down.
"Why are you up already? It's only 6 o'clock in the morning." Emma asked, pouring a mug of tea for herself from the pot on the table.
"I could ask you the same question." Mary Margaret replied, shooting a sly smile towards her daughter.
"I couldn't sleep." Emma said, trying desperately to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Yeah, I'll bet you couldn't".
"Mary Margaret!" Emma said, looking indignant.
"What? I might have disliked Hook in the past, but that doesn't mean I haven't noticed that he's handsome." Mary Margaret stated, as though it was a matter of fact.
"I, I – What, oh for crying out loud. This is ridiculous."
"What? Emma, your father and I are no strangers to what it's like to be in a new relationship. It's exciting and fun, and no one is going to judge you for that."
"Well, thanks. That makes me feel much better." Emma said dryly.
"Well, Emma, that's what mothers are for." said Mary Margaret.
"To make their daughters feel uncomfortable?"
"Exactly! See, you understand."
They sat in silence for a while, each sipping their tea and feeling comfortable around each other as they watched the sun rise through the window overlooking the main street of Storybrook. Emma let her thoughts drift often towards Killian, unable to control herself. She remembered the way he had touched her in her dream, and the way he had touched her in reality. Reality is so much better, she thought, and she let the ghost of a smile flit across her face. Her mother noticed, and smiled at the sight of her daughter so content.
"What are you smiling at?" Emma asked Mary Margaret, noticing her mother's change in expression.
"Nothing, it's just…Emma, even before you were born, all I wanted was for you to be happy. I wished for it every day. You deserved all the love, hope and faith in the world and we couldn't be the ones to give it to you. When you came back to us, and we could finally remember who you were, it broke my heart to see how hurt you were. Not just in the past, but even when you were here. Henry was the first thing that brought new light to your eyes. Sherriff Graham was the second person to do that for you. But with Hook? It was like your very soul opened up just that little bit more when you were around him. Even in the beginning, when he was still our enemy, when you were duelling with him, I could see it. There was this fire in your eyes. It became even stronger when he came with us to help in Neverland. Any person, any man, who can do that for my daughter, is good enough in my eyes. Even if he is a pirate."
"I don't care about the fact that he's a pirate." Emma said, looking her mother in the eye.
"And neither do I. Not when I can see how happy he makes you." Mary Margaret replied.
"I wonder if David will see it the same way you do."
"Well, Emma, I don't know if you've noticed, but I think those two are quite fond of each other."
Emma let out a breathy laugh, agreeing with her mother. "Well, you're not wrong there."
Mary Margaret covered her daughter's hand with her own, and the two smiled fondly at each other. They looked over to the other side of the apartment, where David had finally awoken. He padded over to them blindly, sleep still evident in his eyes.
"Who did I hear shrieking earlier?" He asked, sitting down next to his wife.
"If you heard that I'm surprised you didn't run in here wielding your sword." Mary Margaret grinned at her husband, kissing him lightly on the cheek. She got up to get breakfast started, and David turned his attention towards Emma.
"So what's all this I hear about Hook, then?" David asked his daughter.
"You heard all that? I thought you were asleep."
"Well, you know, we were practically in the same room."
"It's nothing. Just normal, stuff, you know."
David stared pointedly at Emma, trying to get her to confess. "I find that hard to believe."
Mary Margaret walked back to the table with a couple of slices of toast and some orange juice. She placed both on the table, and handed out plates to the rest of her family. "It would seem our daughter doesn't feel like sharing her feelings with her parents."
Emma noticed the tactic; they were trying to make her feel guilty for not opening up to them. It wasn't working, her parents already knew exactly how she felt about Killian. She wasn't able to hide it very well, after all.
"Making me feel guilty about not sharing isn't going to work, you know." Emma stated, directing her comment more towards Mary Margaret than David.
"It was worth a shot, Emma." Mary Margaret said, smirking slightly at her daughter
David interjected before Emma could come up with another retort towards his wife. "We just want you to be happy, Emma. That's all we've ever wanted for you."
Emma grabbed a piece of toast and poured herself some juice before replying. "I know." She said, before taking a bite.
A moment passed as they all began their breakfast. Henry was still asleep upstairs, it seemed, but Emma enjoyed being in the company of her parents. She finally felt like she really had a family.
"So, dinner at Granny's tonight with everyone?"
Emma had spent the early afternoon with Anna. They had wanted to make the most of her last day in Storybrook. Anna was set to head back to the city tomorrow; she had to get back to her job and her life there. But they had promised to see each other at least once a 'd spent a simple couple of hours together; grabbing coffee at Granny's and taking a long walk through the town, down to the toll bridge and resting for while down at the beach.
"It was good having you here, you know. Going through everything. With Neal… and Killian. It was nice having someone here who knew me before all this fairytale stuff happened." Emma said, staring out over the open water.
"It was nice being here, with you, Emma. I've got plenty of friends back in Boston but it's not the same as it was for us. You were like my sister. In fact, I hope that we still are." Anna said, turning to look at Emma.
"That never changed. It doesn't just change when you go through something like that together." Emma replied.
They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sound of the crashing waves and the whisper of the breeze in their hair.
"Anyway, I feel pretty good about leaving you here now." Anna said after a few more moments of not saying anything.
"Oh yeah? And why is that?" Emma asked.
"Well, you've got a great kid, Snow White and Prince Charming for parents, a nice community around you. Not to mention the fact that you've got a ridiculously good looking pirate at your beck and call.
"He is not at my beck and call." Emma said, sounding indignant.
"That doesn't erase the fact that he is ludicrously handsome." Anna responded.
"Yeah, well, don't get too carried away with him." Emma said quietely.
"Ah! There's the jealous reaction I've been looking for." Anna said, a smirk playing on her features.
"What? – oh, shut up." Emma said, sounding exasperated, but she couldn't help the small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
After leaving Anna, Emma spent the rest of the day with Henry, waiting until the time passed so they could meet Mary Margaret and David for dinner at Granny's. She was looking forward to tonight; it would be nice to spend some quality time with her whole family. She listened to Henry's stories from school, they played a couple of board games, and before they knew it, it was time to head outside. They grabbed their jackets and walked out into the cool evening air, Emma slowing down her pace so Henry could keep up with her. Halfway on their way to the diner, Henry asked Emma a question that she hadn't yet thought about.
"Hey, mom? What's gonna happen now that you and Hook are together?"
"What? We're, not together… We just…" Emma replied, at a sudden loss for words.
"It's okay mom. I know, and I'm pretty sure the whole rest of the town knows too. I don't mind, I told you before I think Hook's pretty cool. I was just wondering what it's going to be like from now on." Henry said.
"Honestly, kid. I don't know. I guess we'll just have to see what happens." Emma said, putting a hand on her son's shoulder.
They walked the rest of the way to Granny's in silence, Emma contemplating Henry's question. She honestly didn't know how everything was going to play out. She didn't really care, to be honest. Killian made her want to live in the present, not constantly thinking about the future. For the first time in a while, she wasn't worrying about the best course of action, or how to make a situation so that it would be the least painful for herself. She trusted Killian with everything she had, and she hoped her family would, too.
When they finally reached the diner, Mary Margaret and David were already there, sitting in one of the frequently occupied booths along the wall. Henry immediately ran up to them and slid himself into the booth, while Emma went to say hi to Ruby first. As the two women casually talked about their day, Emma felt someone standing behind her, and was surprised to see it was Neal when she finally turned around. A slight feeling of nervousness overtook her; she hadn't seen Neal in a while and she wasn't sure how he would react. Defying her expectations, he seemed calm and collected; a side she hadn't seen in him in a while.
"Neal, I- I'm sorry, I didn't know you were here." Emma said, with less confidence than she would have liked.
"It's okay, Emma. You don't need to apologize for anything. I'm just here to pick up some takeout and then I'm heading over to my father's shop. We've been working some stuff out the last few weeks."
Emma let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "Neal, that's great. I'm happy for you." She said, genuinely meaning it.
"I know you are. Thanks. Listen, I, um, I gotta go. But I'll see you around, okay?" Neal said, looking over towards Ruby as she handed him his food over the counter.
"Yeah, no, of course. And Neal, if you want to spend some time with Henry, you just have to ask." Emma said, before he walked out the door.
"I know that too. Thanks again, Emma." He said. Before walking out the door, he waved to her family in the booth and stepped back out into the chilly evening air. Emma smiled at Ruby before walking over to her family and sliding in next to Henry in the booth.
"Everything okay?" Mary Margaret asked, worry evident in her features. It was clear she had some idea of what had been going on between the two of them lately.
"Yeah, don't worry, everythings fine." Emma said, truly meaning it.
After the four of them ordered their food and drinks and talked animatedly while they waited, the bell over the door jingled in that old familiar way. Out of habit, Emma looked up to see who had walked in, and sucked in a quick gasp of air as she saw it was Killian. He looked handsome as ever, hair slightly damp from the mist outside, and as he noticed the four of them in the corner he grinned broadly and walked over to join them.
"Sorry I'm late, had a little trouble with my crew on the ship. Too late to order?" He asked, with a smile.
Emma looked a little surprised at his sudden forwardness and wondered what was going on. "Killian, what are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet tomorrow."
"We were, and we still are. Prince Charming over here invited me to join you lot for dinner. That's not too much trouble, is it, Swan?" He smirked at her, a smirk that made a shiver run up her spine. Before she could feel the blush creep up her cheeks, Killian grabbed chair from another table and sat himself down between the two booths. Henry immediately started talking animatedly with Killian about pirate ships, and Emma was able to turn her attention towards her parents.
"Why did you invite him here?" Emma asked.
"I thought it would be a good idea to get to know him. It doesn't bother you, does it?"
"No, I – I'm just surprised, that's all."
"Emma, we told you before. We just want you to be happy." They both looked at her with such love in their eyes that she couldn't help but smile.
"Thank you. Both of you." She said, once again truly meaning her words.
David smiled at his wife as he placed an arm around her shoulder. Emma noticed how excited Henry looked to be talking to Killian. As Henry continued to ask Killian hundreds of questions about what it was like to have your own ship and be the captain of it, Emma caught Killian's eye and they locked gazes. She smiled a small smile at him, one that was only meant for his eyes. He returned the favour, and his hand found hers under the table. She shivered again at the contact, and of course, he noticed. He winked at her before squeezing her hand reassuringly. He held her hand until their dinner came, and he grabbed hold of it again after their plates had been cleared. She had never been so content in her life. She had her family around her, and a man who made her feel more alive than ever. She finally felt like she was home. And Killian was a part of that home now, and as she thought about how happy he made her and that she could see her previous nights dream truly happen, she squeezed his hand back and the two locked eyes again. She was going to be okay here, finally.
Again, thank you so much for reading this story. I hope the ending was to your liking! If you have any thoughts about it, or if there is anything that you would like to see changed, please don't feel bad about voicing your opinion; I might consider making an edit if I think it makes a better ending than the one I made! Your feedback is always appreciated. Thanks to all who reviewed, favourited, and followed, and I hope I can write more fanfictions to your liking in the future.