Epilogue-13 years later.
She was attending another Storybrooke graduation, only this time she was with the graduates. Emma smiled as she saw Kili holding tightly to Catie's hand. The two of them had started going out in seventh grade and had been together ever since. Colin was rolling his eyes at them as he argued with Kerry about something. Mark was behind them laughing at their familiar antics. As the kids were called to line up with their parents her eyes were drawn to Killian and Belle, the former with his arms wrapped around his wife's waist. It had taken another three years and the birth of their second son, Liam, but Killian and Belle had wed (finally-per Henry) almost ten years ago. Robin and Regina were hugging Kerry proudly while Ruby and Victor were doing their best to allow Mark his teenage dignity. When they moved to the auditorium her parents were holding them seats along with Henry, his wife Grace and their two children.
As she watched the ceremony she could not help but look back at that summer of Henry's eighteenth year. She had stayed the summer but had not been ready to make the move a permanent one. Killian and Belle's growing relationship had been painful to watch. Even though they had been together for years being in the first stage of a relationship was different. They still had a first love bloom about them. Then there was the matter of a job. There was not really anything she was qualified or interested in doing in Storybrooke. She would not take Killian's job as Sheriff, even if she could be voted into the office, and the town did not need two deputies. Luckily no new villains had shown up over the summer. Explaining the fairytale lives of most of the residents had been interesting, but Colin, Catie, Kerry and Mark had taken care of Kili accepting it as truth and answered his question better than she could. More than once she had caught part of a conversation among the kids playing at Killian's house about who had the coolest parents. They had also explained to Kili the rules that should be followed outside of town when discussing Storybrooke.
Kili had cried when they left and only by promising to return as often as possible had he even gotten into the car. They had come back every long weekend and holiday. If she was caught on a job during these breaks she dropped him with his grandparents and one of them would bring him back. The following year she had spent the summer making contacts and then moved them to Storybrooke. She had missed her family and friends as much as Kili had. When she had a job out of town her parents or Killian and Belle would watch Kili. It was not ideal and always painful for her to leave him but it had been a worthwhile compromise.
"They are up to something."
Emma's eyes shot to Colin and Kerry at Killian's softly spoken words. He was still the toughest parent to get anything past, as all the kids had complained about at one point or another. Both children had very familiar smirks on their faces. As the ceremony ended and the graduates threw their hats in the air the two magic-users shot off fireworks. Killian quickly called up a shield over the students and audience while Regina vanished the residue so now one would get hurt.
"I think we need to talk to them again," Robin muttered under his breath.
Amid the laughter and clapping of her family and friends Emma realized she was content. She had finally completely stopped running and allowed the people she loved and cared about within her walls, which were thin and nearly transparent now. This life was not perfect or her dream Happily Ever After, but it was a good, mostly happy, life. Killian's words on the deck of the Jolly all those years ago came back to. Through good and bad times she could be content with what she had. That was good enough for her and who knew, what was coming in the future. Life was full of Hope and the Promise of Tomorrow.
A/N: I Hope you enjoyed this story. I have a couple of vignettes about events that took place that did not find there way into this story that I plan to add as I get them typed up and written, but this is the end of the main story.
