AN: While I've mostly kept these oneshots within the realm of the current storyline, this popped into my head and kind of got away from me. So, yeah, here's a little future AU. I hope you enjoy!
There had been warning signs, from her unusual nausea each morning to her sudden aversion to foods she'd always loved. But life as the Savior didn't stop, and so Emma was too busy to think about these abnormalities all that much, chalking them up to symptoms of a stomach bug. It wasn't until things around Storybrooke had calmed down a bit that she even realized she'd missed her last period.
It occurred to her on a particularly quiet afternoon, rifling through her purse, that she had yet to get her birth control prescription refilled. Emma recalled taking the last pill what must have been nearly a month ago, promising herself that she'd pick up her prescription later that day. But, wrapped up in dealing with the newest villain, she'd completely spaced it. And now, she wanted to beat her past self's head against the wall for being so thoughtless.
Emma gripped the pregnancy test until her knuckles went white, then finally set it aside on the bathroom counter.
Two minutes. She thought fleetingly of the last time she'd done this, in the solitude of her prison cell, and couldn't help but appreciate the fact that, whatever the results, she wouldn't be alone in this. Then, she'd had no one to offer support or even to berate her for being irresponsible. Now, she had Killian and her parents, respectively, for those jobs.
Emma found her eyes resting on the engagement ring around her finger. It was hard to believe it had been five months since the proposal, five months since the day Killian had dropped to one knee and swore to -among other things- always be there for her. She just hopped that his promise accounted for this.
Her phone's alarm sounded, startling Emma into action. Two minutes. She silenced the ringer and reached for the test, taking a slow breath. She raised the stick to eye level and stared at the small, double set of pink lines. Emma exhaled, the sound too loud in the emptiness of the bathroom. She wasn't disappointed, exactly. Hell, she might have even been a little excited- but the thought of bringing a baby into their world now of all times terrified her.
And then there were all the other, more superficial things. What would the townspeople think of her? Her and Killian weren't even married yet, and now they'd probably have to push back the wedding date, and what the hell would Killian think of this, anyway? Or her parents? Oh, Christ, David was going to kill her fiancee-
"Emma?"
She jumped at the sound of Killian's voice, the test dropping from her hand. Speak of the devil, Emma thought darkly. "Yeah, I'm-" she cleared her throat, trying to rid her voice of its nervous edge, "I'm in here."
The familiar scrape of his boots against the floor sounded as Killian neared the bathroom. Emma sat completely still, filled with a silent panic. She didn't know how to tell him the news, even if she was reasonably confident that he'd be over the moon about it.
"Are you alright?" Killian questioned, rapping lightly on the door. "You sound a bit disheartened."
Emma could hear the urgency in his voice, but she needed time to sort this all out. She needed to process. "Fine." she assured, her voice a little too loud. "Just give me a sec."
She could practically see the way his eyes would narrow, not finding her response satisfactory. (Not that she could blame him- the words sounded fake to her own ears). There was a beat of silence before she heard Killian shuffling outside the door. "I'm coming in, love," he announced, pushing the door open while Emma scrambled to stash the test in her jacket pocket.
He took in the sight of her seated on the bathroom floor, and Emma tried to arrange her face into something that didn't look so terribly guilty. The stick of plastic clutched in her hand felt like it weighed twenty pounds.
"Alright, Swan?" Killian wondered, his eyes flitting over her, scanning her for any visible abnormalities. Seeming to find none, he took a seat beside her on the floor, concern still creasing his brow.
"Sure." Emma lied, managing a smile as Killian rubbed his hand down her arm. "Still sick, I guess."
At those words, Killian pressed the back of his hand to her forehead. (Emma stifled a laugh at that, despite herself. He'd picked up the gesture from watching Mary Margaret fuss over Neal). "No sign of a fever," he noted, and if Emma didn't know any better, she'd call the twinge in his voice suspicion. "You're sure it's a stomach virus?"
Emma moved his hand off her forehead, intertwining their fingers. "Of course I'm sure." she insisted, pleased when her voice sounded convincing. "What else could it be?"
Killian quirked a brow at that. "Well, you've been ill for a few mornings now...Not eating meals you typically enjoy...I can't help but wonder if this 'sickness' is something of a more permanent nature?"
Emma had to stop her jaw from dropping. She should have known better than to think her perceptive pirate wouldn't notice something was off. Meeting Killian's inquisitive gaze, her hand clenched more tightly around the test. "You're asking if I'm pregnant?"
Killian didn't respond immediately, measuring Emma's reaction to the word. He knew he couldn't be imagining her nervousness.
"Have I gained that much weight?" Emma joked feebly when Killian remained quiet. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Swan...I can't help but feel as though you know something I don't."
Emma stared at him for a long moment. At any rate, he didn't look upset at the prospect of them having a baby- just apprehensive, wanting to know the truth. She glanced at the bathroom floor, gathering courage.
"Hypothetically," Emma said eventually, looking back at Killian, "what would you think...of that?"
His gaze didn't waver, but she caught the flash of apprehension that passed over his face. "Hypothetically," Killian began, playing along, "I would be worrying about what you're thinking, love."
Emma blinked, considering that. Pushing aside all the other crap- her parents, the town, potential villains- she wanted this. She wanted Killian and their little apartment by the docks, and the ring on her left hand and the I do's and all of it. She wanted a son or daughter with his eyes and her hair, his courage and her intuition. She wanted a brother or sister for Henry, a second grandchild for David and Mary Margaret. She wanted this, their own happy ending.
"I know we haven't talked much about- any of this." Emma said, pulling herself back to the present. "And I know it's really bad timing, and David's probably already sharpening his sword, but-" she paused, taking in Killian's expression, the hope lighting his eyes making her smile. "Hypothetically? I know none of that other stuff matters if we're in this together."
Killian's lips turned up into a grin, gentle as the hand he moved to cradle her cheek. "Swan, are you saying...?"
She pulled her hand from her pocket, brandishing the pregnancy test. Killian tilted his head, clearly at a loss, eying the unfamiliar object. "Modern technology." Emma explained quickly. "The point is, yes. I'm saying that we're going to have a baby."
The smile that lit Killian's face was blinding. When he pulled her into a kiss, Emma tasted both worry and joy on his tongue.