AN: I swear that I fully intended for this to be a quick, fluffy chapter. But sometimes the story writes itself, and now it's turned into an occasionally angst-y, multi-chapter deal. This is part one of three or four, depending on how much more inspiration I have. (This first one is more Henry, Snow, and Emma-centric than Captain Swan, but I hope you enjoy it!)

"So what do you think, kid?"

Henry pried his eyes from the view to grin at his mother. "It's awesome." he enthused, looking back at the house. "And I told you the waterfront was a good idea." He couldn't resist adding, watching his mother roll her eyes.

"You just have to be such a teenager about this, huh?" Emma joked, wrapping an arm around him. She didn't let herself dwell too much on the fact that he was almost taller than her now (no matter how old he might be, Emma still saw the ten year old that had shown up on her doorstep all those years ago).

"Of course." Henry agreed, smiling widely (he was so Neal sometimes). "But seriously, Mom," he went on, his voice softening-however much he had begun to look like his dad, he was still Henry- "Killian's gonna love it."

Emma smiled at that, but the pang of nervousness she'd been feeling all week once again made itself pronounced. She'd been planning the move for nearly a month now, working behind Killian's back to keep it all a secret. (Which was much easier said than done; how many times could she claim to be "washing her hair tonight" before it arose suspicion?)

Yes, her pirate was perceptive. He had to know something was up, but Emma just hoped that Killian could be kept in the dark for another day or two. (Also easier said than done; from Marco building their furniture to Leroy and the dwarves being assigned her own personal U-Haul, Emma had enlisted the help of nearly the entire town.)

She was taking this project pretty damn seriously (and being a little demanding in the process, but it was all for the greater good). Emma wanted things to be just right with the house and just right with Killian before popping the question. She had never lived with a boyfriend, after all (not in a house, anyway, not somewhere other than the Bug), and the prospect that Killian could very well refuse the invitation made her more than a little nervous.

Realistically, Emma knew she was being stupid. Of course Killian would say yes to living together, if only to get out of his room at Granny's (he never complained, noble as he was, but Emma could sense his reluctance to stay there) and have a shower with some decent water pressure. Plus, Emma tried to remind herself, he loved her. She wasn't blind, for Christ's sake-though it scared the hell out of her-even she could see that much. Killian hadn't exactly told her yet (not in those three little words), but Emma had a hunch that this was only because he was waiting for her to say it first.

And she did love him. She just couldn't quite tell him yet, but Emma told herself that this was all the more reason to try living together. Maybe here, in a place of their own, she could. Tell him, that is. Maybe this was just the push she needed.

A push which was largely credited to her son, who had clearly inherited persistence from his grandparents. For months Henry had been urging Emma to find her own place, starting off subtly with leaving apartment listings on the coffee table and eventually building to less sneaky tactics, such as introducing Emma to a realtor Henry had "bumped into". She had finally given in late last month, after a particularly heated goodnight kiss from one pirate boyfriend.

"I really need my own place." Emma had panted. It had been her mantra for weeks on end, yet nothing ever came of the plan (whether because Saviors didn't get much time for checking out real estate or because she was simply scared, Emma wasn't sure).

"You do." Killian agreed, equally breathless. He tightened his hold on Emma's waist. She sighed against his lips, pulling back after a moment.

"Your room at Granny's is looking better and better..." she hinted, knowing as she did that it was a moot point. Killian already had first-hand knowledge on how thin the walls there were, and he and Emma had unanimously agreed that they didn't need the whole town hearing their dalliances. Until she moved out of her parent's loft, they were stuck with almosts in between villains and interrupted make out sessions in the living room. (Each time the latter occurred, Emma felt more and more like a teenager).

"Or there's always the Bug," Emma added, not for the first time. It wasn't as though they hadn't attempted it before, but the car didn't allow for much, well, leg room.

Killian chuckled, remembering their failed endeavors. "It's merely a 'waiting game', Swan." he teased, throwing Emma's words from one of their first dates back at her. She pinched his arm playfully, feeling incredibly put-out. They were two smart, consenting adults, yet they had nowhere to take their consent. "Soon enough, love," Killian whispered, kissing down her jaw, "I'll have you."

Emma refused to shiver at his words, no matter how husky his voice was. She smirked and pushed him back, looking at him through her lashes. "Maybe sooner than you think." she assured. It was getting ridiculous, really, and regardless of her hesitance to move out, well...desperate times called for desperate measures. That night, Emma had marched inside and straight to the newspaper sitting on the kitchen counter. There had to be something available for rent.

There were plenty of places, Emma had found, but none of which were the right one. The next morning, her mother and Henry in tow, Emma had finally met with the realtor. The more places she was shown, however, the more bleak her searched looked. All the apartments sounded great on paper, but in person Emma kept finding something wrong with them. The trio eventually retired to Granny's for what should have been a victory lunch, but turned out to be a consolation prize.

"All of this searching," Emma griped, holding up the Classifieds, "And I couldn't find even one apartment I liked."

Snow placed a comforting hand on her daughter's arm. "Maybe you're just being too picky." she said gently, "We can finish up eating and go back out. There has to be one that caught your attention..."

Emma sighed. "I just can't believe we looked at all these places an-"

"That's cause we didn't." Henry piped up, taking the newspaper from his mother across the table. He flipped it around to show the page he'd been studying.

"Henry!" Snow reprimanded, but stopped when she saw the article Henry was indicating. Of all the advertisements they'd crossed out, one remained untouched, a single circle of red ink around it. Emma didn't bother to read it, grimacing.

"I don't know, kid." she said uncertainly, "It's probably just another dud. I mean, I don't even remember circling that one."

Henry read over the paragraph again, a smile lighting his face. "Maybe it's like the book." he said confidently, "When grandma needed it and it just appeared? This place sounds perfect, so maybe it only showed up when you were out of options."

"Waterfront...Two bedroom...Open floor plan..." Snow read aloud, "And the rent is within your budget." She shared a conspiratorial look with Henry. "It does sound pretty perfect, Emma."

Emma gave the two of them an incredulous look. "You guys seriously think that this house, what, just popped into existence? Because I needed it?"

Snow and Henry merely grinned, sharing another glance. "Stranger things have happened?" Henry tried, looking back at his mother. Emma gave a scoff of laughter, shaking her head.

"Alright," she conceded, taking the paper back to read it over, "Magic real estate, it is."