She could just barely make it out, the muffled voice...something about a princess and a dragon...a sleeping curse...was that Killian? Her head felt so heavy and her mind hazy, like she was walking through a thick fog. But there was that voice...yes, it was Killian! 'And the Prince and the Princess lived happily ever after' was he reading her a fairy tale? She wanted to say his name but the words didn't come. Suddenly she felt a bolt of energy through her body, something soft was against her lips...his lips, and he kissed her! The fog began to clear; she could hear other sounds, the hum of machines, the rustling of sheets, his breathing. She felt his fingers slide into her hand, she squeezed with all her might but she couldn't tell if her fingers moved or not, the fog was all but gone, her eyes slowly opened, gaining focus on her surroundings, was she in hospital? Oh my god, the baby! She had to tell Killian, she willed her lips to move, his name the only word she could focus on, like the very air she breathed it escaped out "Killian".

He definitely didn't imagine that! He quickly sat up and leaned over her, her eyes were open wide; they danced over his face, then resting on his own crystal blue eyes swirling with concern, anticipation, and hope.

"Emma? Can you hear me, love?"

Her lips slightly curled up, "Killian", she said again.

"Emma! I've been so worried about you, I love you so much!" He wanted to pull her into his arms but he needed to know she was ok, that this was her making a full recovery. "I need to get the doctor!"

She squeezed his hand, this time a little harder, he turned back to face her.

"We...we're...baby" was all she could manage, she wanted to be the one to tell him.

Tears filled his eyes and he smiled,
"I know love, I saw the pregnancy test in your hotel room, I couldn't be happier! The baby is ok"

Relief swept over her face.

"Emma, I need to get the doctor!" He kissed her hand and pushed the button to alert the nurse, Emma tried to talk, she needed to tell him about Gold and Milah but he stopped her, "whatever it is love, it can wait, just rest darling, someone will be here soon!" He held her hand, stroking it with his thumb

The doctor came to see Emma and was happy with her progress; she needed to stay in hospital for a few more days so they could monitor her and the baby. Killian had called the show producers and arranged to start work a few days later. Mary Margaret and David agreed to stay for a month and help out while Emma got back on her feet. He hadn't told them about the baby, he figured Emma would want to be the one to tell them the news.

She watched him make his phone calls, turning to her for a moment to flash a charming smile and wink. She was touched by him changing his life around to accommodate her without second thought. Once he hung up, he pulled a chair up to her bed and sat beside her; he picked up her hand and intertwined their fingers, staring into her emerald green eyes.

"Are you ok?" She asked him

"Yeah, why?"

"Just if you look at me any harder you'll bore a hole through my head!"

"Sorry, love...I...just thought, well when you were missing I didn't know what to think. I've never been so scared..."

She could see it herself, his face looked weary and thinner, his hair dishevelled and his beard thicker than usual. All signs he'd not been eating or sleeping well. She squeezed his hand.

"It's ok, we're together now, and everything's going to be ok!" She lifted his hand and kissed it, then remembered what she had to tell him.

"Killian! I need to talk with Regina! It's about Gold..."

"It's ok, love, they found him, he's been convicted of kidnapping and attempted murder."

"Killian, that's not all!"

His brows furrowed in confusion, she took a deep breath.

"Killian, he told me he killed Milah!"

Killian's hand slipped out of hers.

"H...how?"

She swallowed and continued, "He killed her, he was the one driving the car."

Killian stood up, fists clenched.

"No, no, no..." He paced then stopped and shouted as he punched the wall as hard as he could then rested his forehead against it and started to cry.

Emma jumped out of bed and walked over to him, laying her hand on his arm, and eyeing the blood dripping from his knuckles, she said "I'm so sorry" and wrapped her arms around his waist hugging his back.

Emma looked out the window taking in the picturesque surroundings on the drive back home to Vancouver. In the same way the water calmed Killian, the mountains calmed her. She could use all the calm she could get at the moment. So much had happened to her the past week she didn't know how to even begin to process it! She told Regina about Gold and his court date was set, Emma would have to testify but she wanted to, she needed to do whatever she could to help Milah rest in peace, she didn't know the woman but she loved her son, Emma felt like she owed it to her as much as she owed it to Killian and Liam. Having to live through Gold's kidnapping would be painful though, she'd been tossing an idea around in her head for the past few days but was a little nervous about mentioning it to Killian, unsure of what he'd think...she'd spent the majority of the car ride psyching herself up to say it, now was the time.

"Babe?"

"Mmhmm" he replied, watching the road ahead.

"I think I would like to see a therapist..." She bit her lip, unable to look at him, waiting for his reaction.

His eyes searched her face, she looked nervous. After all she'd been through he could understand her wanting to talk to someone...he had hoped it would be him...but maybe a professional would be better. "If that's what you want, darling, I could book you an appointment with my therapist, Dr Hopper, unless you had a specific one in mind of course! Whatever you need, it's yours."

"You have a therapist? I had no idea!"

His lip turned up in a half smile. "I started seeing him after Milah died, I stopped once I met you..." He confessed.

Emma finally looked up at him, surprised by his revelation. "I...I didn't know that...that I..." She didn't know what to say, she knew that he helped her move on and hoped that she'd done the same for him. Emma hadn't realised just how much she had helped him until now.

He took his eyes off the road for a moment to look back at her; did she really not know how much she changed his life for the better? He looked back to the road and said "after Milah died I didn't know how to function, I didn't know how to raise Liam on my own, I was scared, hurt, and grieving. Regina suggested I see Dr Hopper..."

"Did it help?"

"Yeah it did actually, I felt better talking about it but I was still far from the man I used to be, I forgot how to laugh or enjoy myself, I tried to overcompensate with Liam and I was exhausted. Robin tried to talk me into dating again but I just wasn't feeling it. Dr Hopper suggested talking to someone who had gone through something similar and gave me information on local support groups but being in my position I just didn't feel comfortable talking about something so personal with strangers. Then I met you that night on set; I saw it in your eyes, the hurt and the pain. It was like looking in a mirror, I saw myself in those eyes! I promise you, Emma, I was just looking for a friend, I never imagined falling in love with you. Honestly...I knew I shouldn't have kissed you that night before you left, I'd wanted to kiss you for weeks but held back because I didn't know how you felt, but that kiss Emma! That kiss awoke something in me, hope for a future, hope that I could love again, and hope that Liam and I could have a family. That's truly the greatest gift you could have given me...hope! I was reborn the day I met you Swan!"

Emma didn't even try to hold back the tears, she knew he loved her but she had no idea she'd made such an impact.

"You helped me too, you know!" She whispered. "I'd been going through the motions since Neal died, trying my hardest to pretend I was fine for the kid's sake, but I was numb inside. I didn't want to come here, Mary Margaret dragged me and I had no fight in me to protest. You were the first person since the accident to treat me like I was normal, like I didn't have a huge neon sign above my head saying 'widow'. Talking to you helped me move on...but I'm struggling to get my head around what's happened now, my children were in danger Killian! He tried to kill me...I just need help processing it, my body may be healed but I need my mind to be healthy too...for the sake of our baby, I know it's still at risk and I need to give it its best chance!"

Killian nodded and placed his hand on her knee, "thank you for being honest with me, we'll get an appointment set up for you. To be honest I could probably use some therapy after everything that's happened too!"

Emma laid her hand on his and closed her eyes for the rest of the drive.

6 weeks later they were at Mount St Joseph's Hospital in Vancouver for their 12 week scan.

"Your baby is doing great!" The midwife exclaimed, "Developing exactly how we would expect, in a few more weeks we can tell you the gender!"

Emma looked up at Killian, who was staring at the ultrasound footage, his eyes filling with tears. She squeezed his hand, "I think I'd like it to be a surprise!"

"He nodded and smiled, "as you wish, love! I'm just thrilled it's healthy!"

"Would you like to hear the heartbeat?" The midwife asked.

"Yes!" They both said at once.

They held hands as relief washed over them hearing their little one's heartbeat loud and strong.