A/N: A rather short chapter, full of angst. Sorry! But it's needed :)

Chapter 11

"Mom," Ava begged her mother once more. "Please, I just want answers! I want to know him, I need my Dad in my life!"

Killian gently squeezed Ava's hand, silently letting her know that he wanted exactly the same thing. Granted that 24 hours before, he had no clue she existed, but now that he knew, he couldn't bring himself to let her disappear from his life. His little girl, with her bright blue eyes and her dimples, had already carved herself a place in his heart. And he silently vowed to make up for the 18 years of her life that he had missed.

"Can we just be civilised and eat dinner? We can talk about anything but what happened between the two of you!"

Emma was obviously struggling to make a decision. She knew that if she refused, Ava would let Killian leave. But she also knew that her daughter was an adult and that technically, she couldn't forbid her from seeing Killian. Figuring that it might as well be in her presence rather than behind her back, Emma agreed to let him stay, which earned her a squeal and a tight hug from Ava.

Once the three of them were seated at the small round table in the dining area of Ava's kitchen, Killian offered to pour the wine, noticing that Emma kept avoiding his gaze at all cost and instead digging into the creamy chicken dish.

"So, erhm," Killian decided to break the silence. "What are you taking in college?"

Ava smiled broadly as she started telling Killian about her studies as pre-med and how she'd been accepted into medical school for the upcoming fall semester.

"Medical school? Wow! That's impressive!" Killian toasted to her and to Emma, trying to show his former flame how proud he was that she'd managed to single-handedly raise a future doctor.

"Yes, I know!" Ava acknowledged. "Mom's worked hard all my life to make sure I'd go to the best schools and could truly become whatever I wanted!"

"Well, if you need anything, I'll be happy to help, just say the word," Killian told her.

That's when hell broke loose.

"Oh, you think that we need you now? Now that MY daughter is all grown up? You don't think I could have needed your help back when I could barely afford diapers and formula?"

"MOTHER!" Ava shrieked.

"I would have been there for both of you had you told me you were pregnant!" Killian angrily replied.

"I DID TELL YOU!" Emma yelled. "I called your house, I wrote you letters! I sent you a picture of the sonogram! The only time you dared reply to me was to tell me to get an abortion!"

"HOW COULD I HAVE, EMMA? Not once you replied to my letters after you left Ireland! So there is no way I could have told you to get an abortion!"

Ava kept glancing back and forth between her two shouting parents, arguing about who had or hadn't done what, and who was at fault.

"STOP IT!" Ava finally shouted angrily, standing up. "I don't CARE what happened between the two of you 19 years ago! All I care about is now and how much I want Dad to be a part of my life! And I suggest the two of you come to term with my decision and learn to get along for my sake!"

With that, Ava stormed out of the room, making both Emma and Killian jump as they heard the apartment door bang shut a few seconds later.

Killian remained silent as he watched Emma get up from her chair and walk straight to the cabinet above the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of whiskey. His eyes never left her as she came back to the table and poured each of them a tumbler of the dark liquid.

Grabbing her glass, Emma gestured towards the living room.

"I think we need to talk."