A/N: Thank you so much for your patience and all the follows/favorites in the meantime :)

Here is the first of the two promised updates. This one doesn't contain smut, but the next one will.

Disclaimer: This story is straight out from my imagination. However, the characters don't.

Chapter 5

It was getting late and Ava still couldn't sleep. She'd tried boring herself senseless with readings on differential calculation, but it didn't work. She was still way too wired from her day at the convention and from meeting, finally, her dad.

Tired of tossing and turning in bed, Ava sighed and got up. Wrapping her duvet around herself, she padded into her living room, flicking on the lamp before crouching in front of her DVD library. She smiled as the title of one DVD caught her eye, sliding it out from its place. She loaded the DVD into the player and went to grab herself a tall glass of milk and the chocolate chips cookie box she tried very hard not to buy often to no avail.

When the movie started, her mind drifted to the day she had seen it at the movie theater. With her mom.

January 29th, 2011

"So, what do you want to see Ava?" Emma asked her daughter, looking at the movie listings at the theater's entrance.

"That one!" Ava pointed a tall poster, showing Anthony Hopkins' face in the shape of what looked like a cross.

"The Rite?" Emma suspiciously asked. "Sounds gory, no?"

"So?" Ava chuckled. Emma had never been one for scary movies, but Ava just LOVED them. And she was finally 13 years old, old enough to watch horror movies without going behind her mother's back.

"Oh Ava, I'm not sure," Emma hesitated.

"Mooooom!" Ava whined. "You promised that for my birthday, I'd get to choose the movie!"

Emma sighed.

"I'll hold your hand?" Ava smiled broadly.

"Fine! Let's get some popcorn and Swedish Berries though!"

Ava couldn't have been any happier. From the moment she had seen the trailer on YouTube, she'd promised herself to do absolutely everything and anything to see it. Not only that, she wanted her mom with her, not her friends.

When the movie started, Ava kept glancing at her mother, trying to see the emotions on her face. But Emma's reaction was even better than Ava had anticipated. She heard the very sharp intake of breath, saw her mother's face literally freeze as Emma grabbed Ava's wrist and squeezed hard.

"Ava!" she heard Emma whisper.

"Yes, mom?" Ava bit the inside of her cheek to avoid smiling.

"It's him! It's Killian! Your dad!"

Ava just nodded. She already knew. She'd recognized him in the trailer she'd watched. And she'd searched and found his filmography, just to make sure she was right. Leaning back in the comfortable seat, Ava grabbed a handful of popcorn and watched the movie intently. From the corner of her eyes, she could see how her mother couldn't tear her gaze away from Killian's face as soon as he could be seen on the screen.

When the movie was over and they were in the car, Emma turned to Ava.

"You knew, didn't you? You chose that movie because of him?"

Ava nodded, a bit sheepishly.

"I would have wanted to see it nonetheless, it's my type of movie, you know that," she added, to her defense. "But yes, I knew. I'm sorry?"

Emma nodded then turned her gaze to the window, staring at the star-crossed sky.

"I'm so happy that he made it. His dreams came true. He deserves it," her voice soft, laden with emotions.

"Yup! My dad, in a movie with Anthony Hopkins. It's so awesome!" Ava giggled.

Ava recalled how her mother had had a dreamy look plastered on her face for several days after they'd seen The Rite. She'd even caught Emma looking up pictures and videos of Killian online. Emma had blushed profusely and had said she was just being curious about "his career" and had certainly not been searching his relationship status!

He'd been single more often than he'd been in relationships, being with one woman a mere few weeks and spending several months alone. Ava had kept track, to be ready in case her mother had a meltdown of some sort. Emma had told Ava countless times that she was ok with Killian's love life. That she didn't care who he was with, as long as he was happy.

But Ava knew better. Emma's heart still belonged to Killian and always would. She dreaded the day her dad would meet the right woman, get married and have children. She just hoped her mother would be ok in the end, and would finally move on.