All it had taken was for Emma to take off her cloak to reveal the secret she was dreading to be exposed, but she had known she couldn't hide the bump forever. Especially considering the size of the thing. She looked down at her protruding stomach and then back up to Snow. "Oh, yeah," she gave Snow a nervous smile. "Got special treatment because of it. Was hardly in a prison at all."

"Emma. I just...is everything okay? Are you okay? What happened? When? Wait! Who is the father!?" she streamed off a list of questions her eyes glued to the life that was growing inside her friend.

"I'm fine...about seven months ago, and don't worry about the father. He's not around. It was a one-time thing with just some guy and then this happened...why are you crying?"

Tears were brimming at the corner of Snow's eyes, she shook her head at her friend and pulled her into a hug and held her so tightly, Emma was afraid she was never going to let go. "Oh Emma," she sighed, "Whatever you need, whatever you want. You won't have to do this alone. I promise. You won't be alone."

"Snow I'm fine. I'll be fine. Can you let go of me though?"

"Oh, yes," Snow said quickly stepping back but her hands still held onto her friend. "I didn't hurt the baby did I?"

"I'm sure it's fine."

"Emma what happened to you whilst you were away,"

"A lot," Emma laughed. "But you don't need to worry okay,"

"You're right, because you're safe now. You're here, where I can look after you,"

"I don't need looking after,"

"But I want to."

She was sitting at the long wooden table covered in lavish food and crockery. David had made a friendly joke about the bump when he first saw it, Snow had hit him, but it had instantly put Emma at ease. She had smiled at him before looking down at the food, she felt the baby kick at the sight of it. She took a deep breath and ignored the kicking. She always ignored the kicking.

"So what's the best thing you've ever stolen?"

"David!" Snow reprimanded. Emma looked up from her untouched food and smiled again at David. She liked him.

"I'm just making conversation," he told his future wife before turning his attention back to Emma,

"I just want to check I'm completely pardoned, don't want to accidently admit to something and be arrested,"

"I can't promise that," David joked.

"It's hard to say what's the best thing I've stolen. I mean stealing back Graham's heart was pretty good. But I mean there are some real expensive things I've stolen. But there's also been tricky things to steal so they've been rewarding"

"What tricky things?" he asked.

"You know the dark one right?"

"You've stolen from the dark one!" David exclaimed both shocked and impressed,

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "He owns a lot of interesting things. I stole-" but David didn't find out what as the door to their dining room opened.

A man walked in with a wolf by his side. Emma's eyes widened as she recognised the face, "Graham!" she blurted out. Her friend saw her at the table and smiled at her fondly.

"You're back!"

"I arrived today...How's that heart of yours treating you?"

"It's doing good thanks," he told her.

"Did you find them?" Snow asked interrupting their conversation. Graham answered through a shake of his head and Snow sighed both annoyed and disappointed.

"Who?" Emma inquired,

"Just some pirates, we've been having a few problems with some of them. Nothing major, just a slight nuisance,"

"Pirates?" Emma sounded casual though internally she was panicking,

"A pirate Captain that goes by the name of Hook," David answered for her. At the sound of that name the baby shifted and kicked some more.

"You alright?" Snow said almost as if she were sensing Emma's discomfort,

"Guess the baby doesn't like pirates," she stated. "It's kicking, guess it wants to fight them,"

"Baby?" Graham looked thoroughly confused, to answer him Emma just pushed back her chair and pointed to the offence. "You're pregnant! Who's the father?"

"No-one that matters," she quickly answered.

"Is it still kicking," Snow asked as she pushed out her own chair and got up making her way over to Emma.

"I just ignore it. It'll stop soon,"

"Can I?" her hands were hovering forward.

"Um, sure..."

Emma knew it was a big thing to ask. Especially as Snow and David had just come back from their honeymoon. But all that time alone in that big castle of theirs made Emma think. Think that everything that had been and could've been as well about what was to come. "I'm sorry, say that again?" Snow asked.

"I'm asking you, that when this," she gestured to the bump, "is born, if you and David would like to raise it. I'm a thief Snow, I can't raise a child. I don't know how. I want to give it, it's best shot and you two are it,"

"You can both stay here in the castle, you can raise your child here in the castle,"

"Snow, I can't live here. I'm not...I don't know how to do this. I don't know how to have a family. I can't."

"Emma, you can't keep on running from your problems,"

"I'm not. I just...I can't keep this kid."

Though as she held her son in her arms after a long and painful labour, as she looked down into his bright blue eyes, which reminded her of the sea and sky and him, she couldn't let go. As soon as that child, her child, was in her arms she realised she didn't want to run. She couldn't run, not from him, not from this young child in her arms. She couldn't abandon him, the way she had been. As soon as Snow and David saw the way Emma looked down at the little human bundle in her arms they knew that Emma would not leave this child.

Emma hadn't left her bed, she was exhausted. Everything up till now had been exhausted bliss but once Snow and David and left her to rest a while and she held her son in her arms (she wasn't quite ready to put him in his cot yet) reality dawned on her. She was going to have to support this child, but she couldn't do the one thing she was good at. She couldn't be a thief with a baby. But how could she give up that lifestyle? Sure she hadn't been at it whilst she was pregnant, but she had missed it. She felt restless. Her fingers itching to pocket something.

There was a light knock on her door. "Come in," she called. Graham's head popped around the door and smiled over at Emma.

"Congratulations,"

"Thank you,"

"You not too tired to talk?" he asked as he walked into the room and perched himself on the edge of Emma's bed beside her and looked down at her son.

"I'm fine,"

"You thought of a name for the little guy yet?"

"No," she sighed, looking down at the sleeping child. "I just keep thinking that whatever I name him will follow him for the rest of his life. Seems like a big deal,"

"Are there any names you like?"

"I never really thought of any names whilst I was pregnant. It was more about pretending it wasn't happening,"

Graham looked away from the sleeping baby and at a tired and slightly sorrowful Emma, he put an arm around her shoulders and she let her head fall upon his shoulder and he kissed her brow. "I don't know how I am going to do this Graham," she yawned,

"I won't let you do it by yourself, and neither will Snow and David. I won't watch you run away again, I'll stick by your side this time Emma. I promise,"

"I'm not ready to be a mother,"

"Maybe not, but I'll tell you what you will be,"

"What?"

"A great one."

"Mama?" yawned the little boy with bright blue eyes and brown hair.

"What is it, Liam?" Emma asked her son as she tucked him into his bed.

"Are you a princess?"

"What? No," laughed Emma fondly,

"But we live in a castle,"

"It's only Auntie Snow and Uncle David that are royals,"

"Oh,"

"We just live with them,"

"Are we seeing Uncle Graham tomorrow?"

"We only saw him today!"

"Oh," little Liam pouted "I like his wolf,"

"The wolf doesn't belong to him," she told him, as she gently caressed his cheek.

"Auntie Snow is pregnant isn't she?"

"Why do you say that?"

"I heard you and her talking when I was playing with Uncle David,"

"Well, yes she is. But it's a secret. You can't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay...So what are you if you aren't a princess?"

"I'm a friend to the King and Queen,"

"Oh..."

"Any more questions, or are you going to go to sleep?"

"Um," she could see the way his face screwed up in thought. "Just one more,"

"Okay, shoot kid,"

"Will you tell me a story about my dad?"

"Um,"

"It's just, I've asked Auntie Snow and Uncle David and Uncle Graham and none of them can tell me anything. They say to ask you,"

"Why do you want to know?"

"I dunno," he shrugged. "I just do. Was he a bad man? Is that why he isn't here? Did he not want me?"

Emma's heart broke just a little at his words. She knew he would ask about Hook one day, but seven years had passed and her son had never brought up his father. Emma had thought she was safe. She bit her lip in thought and then lifted up her son's blanket "move over, kid." She snuggled next to him in his bed and pulled the blanket over him.

"He isn't here because...he doesn't know you exist," Emma said slowly, watching her son to try and take in his response. He looked at her with those bright blue eyes that reminded her so much of Hook, and she hated that. It wasn't as if she hated Hook, but having her son remind her so much of that man, it hurt her. "I never told him."

"Why not?"

"Because the last time I saw him, I didn't know I was pregnant. You see I didn't really know your father, I didn't trust him. He and I had made a deal, we were helping each other out, and I broke that deal."

"Did you love him?"

"Not all of us are as lucky as Snow and David to find true love. Your father and I were just...we barely even knew each other. It's difficult to explain,"

"Did he love you?"

"No," Emma told him. "We weren't in love. But he gave me you, and I love you very very much."

"I love you too. Do you think he would love me if he met me?"

"How could he not?" Emma smiled. "But..."

"I know," he told her with a nod. "I won't ever meet him and you don't want me to, you want to keep me safe, just encase he doesn't."

"Your father is a man hell-bent on revenge, and revenge isn't good for people, it turns them bad,"

"He's a villain?"

"People aren't heroes or villains,"

"You're a hero,"

"What makes you say that?"

"Graham told me,"

"Did he now?"

"He told me how you saved his heart from the evil queen," Liam hurriedly explained.

"I think that makes me a thief, not a hero,"

"No, you're a hero," he told her resolutely. "So my dad is a bad man?"

Emma didn't know how to explain it to her son, he still saw people as either good or bad, how could she explain to him that people didn't just fit into those categories. "I don't know," she told him honestly.

Liam snuggled into Emma's side one hand gripping onto her clothes tightly, "Did you have adventures together?"

"We started to,"

"Why don't you tell me about when you were a thief?"

"Because that was in the past and stealing is wrong,"

"Depends," he mumbled as sleep began to take him, "You were stealing so you could live. It's not your fault." Emma felt that warm fuzzy feeling in her stomach, she couldn't believe how lucky she was to have a son like him, he was far too smart for his age, and so very curious and she loved him for it.

"Your dad was a pirate," Emma whispered quietly to her son.

"Really?" he mumbled, "So he is a bad man."

"He was a pirate and a gentleman."