A/N Okay, we are venturing into domestic fluff here for a tic, but sexy adventures are in the near future for our fav heroes! So if it's the smut you're here for, stay tuned… ;)
Chapter Twenty
Charming's Apartment
"Belle? Belle! Stay with us, Belle!" Emma says with forced calmness as she grips Belle's hand. A worried Snow kneels beside Belle on the other side of the bed, holding her other hand as Blue stands behind Doctor Whale's shoulder at the end of the bed, ready if she is needed.
Henry and Killian sit on the couch, staring blankly the action movie on the TV, not seeing it. David paces with Neal in his arms in the dining room of the tiny apartment near Regina who is sitting tensely on the steps. All of them are wincing and cringing at every moan and scream of pain from Belle.
Killian squirms in his seat and looks to David.
"Is this alright, mate? I've tortured men who didn't scream this much."
Regina mumbles something that sounds like 'me too' and David raises an eyebrow at both Killian and Regina but shakes his head with a wary smirk.
"I have no idea, but you should have heard Snow when she had Emma. I never thought that she even knew some of those swear words." He says with a strained chuckle.
Killian and Henry take a small comfort in David's words as Belle's lets loose another bone rattling scream, followed immediately by a loud 'CRACK'.
David's head snaps up at the sound and Killian tenses at David's reaction.
"BELLE!" Snow screams and David and Regina run for the curtain as Killian launches over the back of the couch to follow him, Henry on his heels.
Through the curtain, they see the Blue fairy step back holding a small bundle and Doctor Whale lunging forward to check on Belle. The small cry of an infant silences the apartment for a moment as they all wait.
"Your majesty?" Doctor Whale says suddenly and Regina steps through the curtain with an unfamiliar expression of uncertainty.
"Can you keep Belle stable until we can get her to the hospital?" He asks without looking up at her.
Regina instantly throws a stasis spell over Belle without question and Doctor Whale sags with relief.
"She is alive but unresponsive. That massive crack of magic when the baby came… I don't know what it did to her." He says, looking up at the women assembled with apprehension. The doctor moves past Regina and David to call for the ambulance as the others stand silent, eyes on Belle's pale, unmoving form.
Blue slowly looks around with tears in her eyes and they come to rest on Emma.
"Killian, could you come over here please?" she says as she shifts to stand in front of Emma.
Emma looks up at Blue and then her gaze drops to the tiny baby in her arms and her face crumbles as tears start to fall. Killian comes to stand beside Emma and she turns to press her face into his chest. His arms come around her and Blue struggles to speak as she looks down at Belle's baby girl.
"Belle was worried that something like this could happen and so she made sure that her baby would be taken care of. She has asked that you, Emma Swan, and you, Killian Jones, be the baby's godparents, if you are willing." Blue says, looking to Emma and Killian as their sadness turns to shock.
Snow, David and Regina gasp softly and Emma's eyes widen as she faces Blue, her eyes darting from the fairy, to the infant, to her parents.
"Wait. I get the feeling that 'godparents' means something different in the Enchanted Forest than it does here." She says and she feels Killian's grasp on her hip tighten. Emma looks over at him and sees tears forming in his eyes as he looks down at Belle.
"It means that Belle would like the two of us to raise her child when she cannot, Love."
Blue gives a confirming nod and a watery smile to the two of them.
Emma is still in shock but catches Killian's gaze again to silently ask the question. At his steely nod, Emma turns back to Blue and says,
"It would be our honour to care for this child until Belle is well enough to care for her herself."
Snow gives a small tearful whimper of approval at Emma's words and squeezes Belle's hand as a proud David stands behind his wife, holding Neal close.
Blue carefully shifts the tiny baby to Emma's arms and steps back as Killian steps closer to peer over Emma's shoulder at the infant in her arms.
"No one will harm this child while she is in our charge and she will be loved as if she is our own." He says in a low, voice, glancing at Belle.
Emma looks at Belle and smiles sadly at her.
"Ditto." She says with a sad smile as she gently rocks the baby.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Storybrooke Hospital
Belle has been moved to her own room at the hospital and stabilized. Regina has removed the stasis spell and gone home with promises of being only a phone call away. Doctor Whale has given the baby its post-natal check-up and spoke to Emma and Killian for what seemed like hours about what they need to do for the baby. Killian's arms are full of pamphlets and bags of samples of baby products. A nurse had come to clean up the baby a few minutes ago and brought a warmed bottle of formula. The tiny girl now slumbers with a full tummy in Emma's arms.
The doctor walks away to get some more paperwork for them and Emma sighs and looks over at a frazzled Killian sitting in the hospital chair next to hers.
"What do you think?"
Killian looks up at her question with bleary eyes.
"Think we can do this?" she asks with more than a little fear in her voice.
Killian gives Emma a shaky smile.
"I think this may be the toughest adventure we've yet faced, Love. But, Aye. I think we can do this."
Both of them find resolve in his words and Emma stands carefully.
"Give me a minute." She says, walking towards Belle's room. Emma, mindful not to wake the sleeping babe in her arms, opens the door and walks over to the head of the bed. Killian has followed Emma as far as the door and leans against it, giving her the requested space.
"This is your Mummy, baby-girl. Her name is Belle. She can't take care of you right now, but we will do our best until she can, okay?" Emma asks the sleeping baby, stroking her cheek.
Looking down at her friend in the hospital bed, Emma's expression clouds.
"We will do the very best we can. But you wake up soon, Belle."
Emma gives Belle's hand a gentle squeeze as someone steps from the shadows and walks up to the other side of the bed.
"Gold." Emma says, eyes widening and holding the baby closer. Killian straightens and his lazy gaze narrows in on Gold.
"Don't worry, Miss Swan, Captain... I am not here for the child." His expression hardening as he continues and moves his regard to his wife's face.
"That child did this to my Belle. [He takes a steadying breath] The child is better off in your care until Belle wakes."
Emma takes a minute to process that before she nods at Gold and starts backing out of the room.
She stops at the door and without turning around, says,
"Belle named her, Hope. Your daughter's name… is Hope." And then Emma walks back to Killian.
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Sheriff's Station
David sits at his desk, trying to hear his wife on the other end of the phone, over the gang of rowdy pirates filling the holding cells of the station.
"You need what?" David asks into the phone, holding a finger to one ear to hear her better.
Pirates are crammed into all the holding cells and the smell is almost as distracting as the noise as they yell profanities and threats towards the prince.
"Okay, I will pick up a box of baby wipes for Emma and Killian when I get some for us, after work. I'm sorry. I've got to go, hunny. Love you too." He says and hits the end button before dropping his head in frustration.
Regina walks in with Zelena and baby Robin in tow, stopping in front of David's desk. Zelena looks at the pirate rabble in disgust before rolling her eyes and waving a hand towards them to silence them.
"Ah, that's better, isn't it?" she says with a grin.
David looks like he wants to tell her to undo the silencing spell for a second but sighs in relief and looks to Regina instead.
"What can I do for you, ladies?"
Regina glances at her sister and then says, with hands on her hips,
"I think we may know what to do with Blackbeard and company."
David perks up instantly and gives them his full attention.
"Really? What?"
"Well, it seems that Zelena was the one who made the portal that took Captain Maggie and the rest of us to Tortuga. She also arranged a time and place for the returning portal that these ruffians followed us back through."
Regina looks at her sister's unrepentant expression and rolls her eyes just as Zelena did a moment ago.
"So she has agreed to send the horde back to their beloved pirate island."
David looks at Zelena with scepticism but she just smiles and nods at him.
"Not to look a gift horse in the mouth but… why are you suddenly so helpful?"
Zelena gives a long-suffering look but says,
"Look, I'm really trying to make a place for myself here, for the sake of my daughter. So, take the offer or not but I won't grovel for every little scrap of the approval from your grand council of heroes." She says with an annoyed huff.
David puts his hands up in surrender.
"No, no. We are all very grateful for your help. If it gets the smell of unwashed pirate out of the Sheriff's station, I'm all for it." He says, turning his most 'charming' grin on the witch.
Unimpressed, Zelena turns to her sister and carefully holds Robin out for her.
"Fine. [Looking at her baby] You have a little cuddle with Auntie Regina for a moment, darling." She coos at the smiling girl as Regina hugs her close.
Zelena sobers and turns her witchiest expression on the pirates, listening silently but intently. Zelena pulls the apprentice's wand from her cloak and forms a portal at the door of the holding cell before unlocking and swinging the cell door open with magic.
"Ta ta, darlings. You've had your fun but its home-time now. Enjoy your filthy heathen town." She says in a bright, cheery sarcastic voice as she gives a little wave to the pirates trudging through the portal. Blackbeard gives an obscene gesture as he follows his crew through the portal and Zelena grins as she gives the wand another flick and swish, dissolving the portal.
"Well, that's settled. Feels pretty good, actually. Being in such a benevolent mood, I may even swing by the hospital and take a crack at waking the Dark One's wife." She says with a mischievous glimmer in her eyes as she reclaims baby Robin from Regina.
David gives Zelena a genuine smile of surprise.
"You really are trying to fit in here."
Zelena gives him a forced smile in return and disappears in a cloud of green smoke.
"Yeah, I still don't trust her. She won't tell me what Captain she-hook traded for that portal."
Regina says with suspicion as she crosses her arms and David considers her statement.
"Well, let's hope for the best." He says with an affirming expression.
"And prepare for the worst…" Regina says as she disappears in a puff of purple smoke.