A/N: We are in the final stretch of chapters for 'In Your Light' and while this one is challenging, I promise we return to fluff by the end of it (thus why it's so long). Since this is a story centered on family, I had one more person to include and one big conversation for Liam and Killian both to get us where we need to be. With that not so subtle hint in hand, I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!
"Auntie Emma did I tell you about the new tumble class yet?"
Emma looked up from where she'd been watching Garrett on the slide to where her niece was currently mastering the monkey bars. The truth was that Lena had already told her about 'advanced tumbling' a handful of times today alone, but Emma didn't mind. She'd gone two whole weeks without seeing her niece and nephew when she was away on her honeymoon, and she missed them, even their tendency to talk every subject to death.
"Yes you told her a million billion times." Garrett's reply made Lena pout for a moment but a second later she brightened.
"Did you hear that Granny's got a new ice cream maker?!" Emma had heard that, but not from the kids, so she pretended to be shocked.
"You're kidding!" Lena shook her head as Garrett chimed in.
"Nuh uh! Dad took us to see it yesterday."
"Leroy got to have the first taste before anyone else, but he dropped it all over himself."
"He looked like a big baby!" Garrett gave Leroy the label as if it was the worst slur in the world. Being a baby to a growing kid was a terrible prospect.
Emma muffled a laugh at her niece and nephew. They weren't very far off. The local man they were talking about did have a way about him, and he never really understood that kids should get special treatment. Would it really have killed him to let a clearly excited five-year-old try the first taste?
"So what flavor was better?" Garrett yelled that vanilla was at the exact same time that Lena said chocolate. They then devolved into a little argument about which ice cream was better and Emma laughed again.
With the spark of their disagreement, Emma was pulled back to a memory from her honeymoon, where she and Killian had gotten into a similar debate. Emma believed whole-heartedly that they should see at least some of the touristy attractions around them, but Killian had other ideas, ideas that did not involve them ever leaving their suite. He made a very convincing argument (one that Emma blushed just to think back at now), but so did she, and in the end it had been a trip of compromise.
They got to experience a lot of things together despite Killian's more bedroom-oriented agenda. Emma got to see where Killian grew up, and the places that had been the most important to him back home. It was like taking a tour of what made him the man he was. Emma could picture Killian there when he was younger, but at the end of the day she knew Killian considered Storybrooke his home and that warmed her heart. London was a beautiful city and the country around it was remarkable, but it didn't compare to their little corner of the world, at least not to Emma.
By the end of the trip Killian had already started to plan a dozen more, claiming there were all sorts of other places he wanted to show her. Emma made a joke at his expense, claiming that he just wanted to take her to the inside of hotel rooms in different countries, but he made her promise that they'd take a honeymoon of sorts together every five years. At first he'd said it should be annual but Emma thought that highly unlikely, especially since he was so keen on starting a family of their own.
Just thinking of the fact that they were trying for their own kids made the butterflies in Emma's stomach fly about like crazy. As she watched Garrett and Lena now moving beyond their argument on ice cream, she wondered what hers and Killian's kids would be like. Would they have the same want for adventure as their cousins? Or would Emma and Killian have a band of little bookworms? Emma didn't mind what her kids were passionate about, as long as they were happy, she'd be thrilled.
"Pardon me, Ma'am, you wouldn't happen to know where the heck North Street is, would you?"
Emma turned from where she'd been watching the kids towards the source of the voice and found a man who was tall, but older. His dark but graying hair and blue eyes were familiar to her, even though she'd never met him, and Emma could have sworn that she heard just the faintest trace of an accent. But the only thing she did know for certain was that there was a sense of uneasiness that came when he moved closer to her. The man now stood just a bit too near for strangers, and Emma's walls and defenses came rushing up to the forefront.
"Um, yeah. If you keep down that way, it's the third street on your left." The man looked in the direction Emma pointed, and Emma hoped he would just leave. Instead he looked back at her and his eyes traced over her in a way that made brought her discomfort up another few notches.
"That's a nice ring you have there."
Emma saw that he was looking at her engagement ring and immediately her hand moved to hide it. Was that what he was after, an easy mark to steal from? If that was his intention he'd picked the wrong girl. There was no way he was getting this ring. The women in Killian's family had it too long for her to ever let it go willingly.
"Thanks." Emma practically spat the word out, and there could be no construing her tone as engaging.
"You must be an extraordinary woman." The man's attempt at a friendly smile sent a chill through Emma and she took half a step towards the kids only for him to make a strange sort of bow and head off in the direction of the street where he'd parked his car.
Emma let out a sigh of relief when he was gone. Whoever the man had been she did not trust him, and she truly hoped he wouldn't be here long.
"Who was that man?" Lena asked her, coming forward to take Emma's hand.
"No one, honey. Just a stranger."
Emma started to wonder if Lena was just a good read of character or if Emma's tensing up was so obvious her niece had picked up on it, but when Emma tried to move back the little girl didn't let go of her hand. Suddenly Emma knew their interlude in the park was coming to a close. She just needed a way to bring back the day's fun before she was supposed to drop them back off with Anna and Kristoff.
"What do you guys say we grab some of that Granny's ice cream before heading home."
"Only if you get chocolate," Lena said with a triumphant smile.
"No, vanilla!" Garrett countered running back up to them. The same debate continued until they'd walked into the diner, and after placing their orders Lena and Garrett waited eagerly to see which side Emma would choose.
"I'll take a twist please Granny." The diner owner smiled, sending a knowing look between the kids and Emma. When she had the cone in hand, Garrett and Lena heralded her as 'the smartest aunt that ever lived.'
They all enjoyed their ice cream on the short walk back to Garrett and Lena's house, and though Anna invited her in to spend some time together, Emma excused herself. She was still a little shaken from the random guy before, and she knew the best cure would be seeing Killian. He had quickly become her beacon of safety since their meeting.
She could feel her tension dwindling with each passing step, until she'd gotten through the front gate and was moving towards the porch. Half way up the walk, she saw Killian rushing out of the house.
"Emma, there you are." His arms came to wrap around her quickly and it was impossible not to feel the anxiety clinging to him.
"What's wrong?" He moved back, his hands holding onto her arms and Emma could see the mix of emotions on his face. Killian was angry, but there was more to it than that. She could see a little fear and definitely some hurt swirling around too.
"My father's here." Emma should have been shocked, but it made sense. She didn't want to think anything like that before, but it had to be the man she'd seen earlier. Emma also knew exactly where he was heading given the street he asked for.
"He's at Elsa and Liam's." Killian nodded.
"I have to go love." Before he could leave, Emma took his hand in hers.
"I'm coming with you." Killian looked so relieved but all he did was nod as they walked quickly from their house in search of a most unwelcome guest from Killian's past.
…..
If it hadn't been for Emma's hand in his at this moment, Killian had no idea what he'd do. This was a situation so far out of his realm of expectation. His good for nothing father was here in Maine. Killian couldn't fathom what he could want. They had no ties to each other, and nothing between them but anger and resentment.
Last he'd heard his father had shipped off from England in search of friendlier climates. He had a good number of enemies, constantly gambling and conning people as he was, but Killian didn't give a damn. As long as the man remained far away from him, he could do what he liked. He'd learned long ago that his father's actions and choices had no bearing on him. He wouldn't turn out like him, no matter what happened. Such darkness would never touch his heart.
"Killian, I think I should tell you something." They were at the front door of Elsa and Liam's when Emma spoke the words. Killian could hear her labored breathing. They'd moved very quickly, and no doubt Emma could feel his strung out emotions. But before he could ask her what it was, Elsa swung the door open.
"Thank God you're here," Elsa whispered. "I didn't mean to – I didn't know who he was or what would happen."
Killian squeezed Emma's hand and gave her a look before letting go and heading inside. As angry as he currently was, he could only imagine what state Liam was in.
His elder brother was many things, loyal, honorable, stubborn as ever, but first and foremost he was a protector. He hated their father with a passion because he could never understand why the man had fathered children he didn't want with a woman he didn't love. All this emotion tended to cloud Liam's judgment, and though it had been years since they'd seen the man, they couldn't afford a repeat performance of what had happened then.
It took very little time to locate his father, but the sight he created made Killian's blood run cold. Brennan Jones looked too cheerful, and was making himself at home at the kitchen table in Liam's house. Liam meanwhile held onto the island so hard that his knuckles had gone white. There was very little holding Liam back from a full blown melt down, and Killian had to find a way to prevent that.
"Ah Killian, so good of you to stop by. I ran into your wife earlier. Pretty little thing she is. I quite liked meeting her." In five seconds his father had found just the right button to push, and Killian was about to go after him when Elsa and Emma moved into the kitchen.
"Yeah, that wasn't mutual."
Emma's words pulled Killian's eyes back to her and he saw her holding Elsa's hand. Her sister was clearly out of her depth here, overwhelmed with what was happening, but Emma wasn't. She stood in the face of this and stayed strong. That was just like his Swan. Luckily for Killian, her strength transferred to him, and where he'd had rage just a moment ago, he found the means to control it.
"Ah, she's a spite fire. Just like your mother."
"Don't you talk about our Mother!"
Liam's words were barked out in a show of aggression, and the tension in his muscles was unavoidable. He looked liable to launch himself at Brennan in a minute. Killian needed to get control of this. Liam was a teacher, and an expecting father. He could not afford the blow back of anything physical happening no matter how justified such actions might be.
"You've always been so testy, Liam."
"What are you doing here?" Killian ground out the words harshly. Brennan's eyes returned to him as he smirked.
"A man can't come to see his family?"
"He can if he has any. You gave up that right a long time ago. So what is it you really want? Money?" Brennan smiled fully and it made Killian's stomach sour.
"Is that what you really think of me?" Killian shook his head.
"Truth is I don't think of you as anything more than a pathetic disappointment." Now Killian could see anger in his father's eyes. The mask was beginning to fall away, but he held onto it somewhat, clearly trying to play a game with them all as he did.
"Have I hurt you so terribly, son?" Killian wouldn't take the bait, but Liam was another story.
"Don't call him that!" His brother had been reduced to these simple commands, and it worried Killian to see Liam like this.
"You've had your fun, but it's time for you to go. We've nothing to give you and no want to see you ever again." His father moved back in the chair, leaning slightly.
"Come now, Killian. You'll give your wife the wrong idea about me." Emma scoffed from behind them.
"Says the guy who showed up in a stolen car." Killian watched his father's face blanch at Emma's claim. "That car out there with the California plates isn't yours. It's registered to a veteran, but you probably missed that. California license plates are tricky that way. You also did a pretty terrible job of hot wiring."
In any other moment, Killian would think to ask Emma how she knew that. He had some ideas about what her past had been like in the system, but that she had such knowledge on car theft… it was a surprise, and a damn enjoyable one in this moment. Watching his father squirm right now was a rather pleasurable thing.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." That answer wasn't good enough for Emma.
"Let me spell it out for you then. I'm willing to bet that you're dabbling in more than just car theft, and I know for a fact the town sheriff would love a good collar today." Killian watched his father laugh, but the sound was hollow. Emma continued to glare at him, fired up in her anger.
"Don't let the small town venue fool you; he's like a dog with a bone. He'll track down ever bit of dirt you got and your couple of years for that Honda our front will be just the start. Since the judge in our district also happens to know Elsa, chances are you won't get anything close to leniency."
"You sound rather confident." Killian could hear the composure his father had deteriorating. He was afraid of Emma's threats, but Killian couldn't have Emma putting herself in his father's way anymore. He took a step in front of her, to shield her from this.
"Because she's right. So either you walk away and stay away, or prepare for an interesting change in plans for the rest of your life."
"That life won't last much longer if I don't get my money." And there it was – Killian had been right. His no good father was in hot water with someone and looking for help. As if he'd ever find it here.
"Not our problem."
Killian crossed his hands over his chest, but cast a quick glance to Emma. He didn't want her to think him cruel, but this man deserved nothing from them and giving him any sort of help would only entangle them all further. Emma's face as she looked at his father was completely devoid of emotion. There was no sign of empathy, only a fire burning in her eyes that Killian would guess was pure, undiluted disgust.
"You'd let me die out of what, resentment? How will you tell your child that you have your own father's blood on your hands?"
Killian didn't have time to think as Liam was springing forth from his spot. Killian had no idea how his father knew of Elsa's pregnancy, perhaps she'd let it slip at some point when frightened by him, but just the mention of his unborn child was enough to have Liam ready to kill. Killian barely got between him, pushing his brother back.
"Liam, it's not worth it." His brother growled aloud, beyond the point of hearing reason until Killian whispered low. "You don't want Elsa to see you like this."
Only that was enough to give Liam pause, and he shot a look at his wife who Killian knew was probably beside herself. He moved back, but barked out a warning.
"You need to go. Now." The inference in Liam's voice was undeniable, but still their father hesitated. He looked over to Elsa and Emma searching for some sort of assistance but Emma moved in front of Elsa some more, standing her ground. Finally realizing he was at a loss here, Brennan grabbed his coat.
"Alright, if that's the way you want it." Killian felt himself calm a bit at the thought that his father would leave, but gave him one more warning.
"It is. And if ever you should think of returning, know that wouldn't play well for you. I'll be taking out an order of restraint when you leave for everyone in this family. Stepping back in this town won't be an option."
Killian watched the tick in his father's jaw that came with the threat, but he left nonetheless, with all of them watching as he did. The door slammed, but soon enough the car out front started and sped off. Only when that happened did Killian let the breath he'd been holding out.
"Elsa, it's okay. He's gone, and he's not coming back." Killian saw that Elsa was still shaking, her hand covering the spot where she'd barely begun to show in her pregnancy. She nodded, but then looked at Liam for his comfort.
Killian wished with all his heart that Elsa could have that right now, but he didn't even need to look at his brother to know that Brennan had gotten his secondary wish. He'd stirred up past traumas and darkness in his eldest son, and when that happened, Liam needed time and some sort of release for his anger.
"Liam I'm sorry," Elsa's voice sounded out meekly through the room and the sorrow in Liam's eyes was evident. He moved towards Elsa, taking her hand in his, and for a second Killian thought he would stay, until Liam let go without a word and headed out the front door himself.
"He just needs some time, love." Elsa's eyes started to well up with tears but Emma stepped in to help.
"Come on, lets call the sheriff and Anna just to be safe. I'm sure by the time we do that, Killian will find Liam and calm him down a bit." Emma looked over to see if that could be done and Killian nodded, unwilling to ever let her down.
"Okay." Killian took Elsa's response as leave to find his brother, but when he was almost out the door, Elsa called out to him. "Please just tell him I love him. I know the man I married and I know he's nothing like his father. He's my Liam and nothing can change that."
Killian promised that he would convey the thought and with that was off to try and fix the mess his good for nothing father had just made of his brother's happy life.
It didn't take very long for Killian to find Liam for it turned out they retreated to the same place when angry and upset. He found his brother, relatively close to the spot where Emma found Killian on his first night in Storybrooke, staring out into the water as if it would somehow wash away the shame.
"I know I'm hurting her." The words were wrapped up in pain, but Liam didn't even so much as glance at Killian. "I swore I'd never hurt her, and now I've broken that oath."
"She's just worried about you. If anything she thinks she hurt you." Liam finally looked at Killian with a face that said that was far from the truth. "Elsa loves you, Liam, and whenever you're ready she'll be there."
"How did he even find us?" Liam mused aloud and Killian knew the question didn't require an answer. Brennan Jones might be a dead beat, but he wasn't without intelligence. One needed to be smart to cause as much chaos as he had and still live to tell the tale.
"It doesn't matter. He won't be coming back." Liam tensed up at the prospect, but eventually nodded. "What he said about the baby… he was trying to get into your head." Liam grimaced.
"He succeeded, as he always does."
"He doesn't have to have this power over you. We've done just fine for ourselves without him. You found everything you wanted and a woman you love. You're the man you were meant to be. I've never seen you happier, Liam. Don't let him take that from you."
"What you said in the kitchen about him being nothing to you – did you mean it?"
"I did." Liam ducked his head at that, and Killian wondered why that was so hard for his brother to believe.
"Well he's never been nothing to me. He's been the ghost that haunts me most. War wasn't as bad as that man in my mind. We came from him, Killian, and yes we had Mum, but there's no ignoring biology."
"That's all it is though. There's no genetic disposition to make you a crap father." Liam looked unconvinced.
"I've been worried for a while now about what kind of parent I'll be, but I figured with Elsa by my side there was nothing that could go wrong. She'll show me the way as she always does, and I'll do anything I can to see her happy." Killian followed the logic. He felt the same way about Emma in so many things.
"And she will. You're both going to be great at this. " Liam shook his head.
"The way I nearly snapped back there… that's not the kind of man ready to be a father." Killian realized then that Liam might never see his actions clearly. The emotion clouding all of it was too strong to combat, so Killian chose a different route.
"There's one flaw in your logic, brother. In every way that mattered you've already been a father." Liam looked over at Killian critically.
"That was different."
"Was it though? You protected me and kept me going when you were nothing but a boy yourself. You made a life for us when you had no choice, and there was never a moment when you even remotely resembled him."
Killian watched as some of the doubt started to dissipate in Liam's eyes, but he kept going, hoping to make his brother see that he could do this.
"And yes, it will be different, but the difference is that you and Elsa made a choice. You want a family, Liam, and you're going to be a hell of a father because of how much you already love this child. The mistakes you make will never be like his. You're not the man to walk away, or to make your son or daughter feel small because you need to feel big."
They stood there in silence for a minute more, until finally Liam turned towards him. Only when that happened did Killian suspect he'd finally gotten through to his brother.
"You're right."
"I typically am." Liam shoved at Killian, pulling a laugh from him as he did.
"Hard to argue with my results really. I mean look at you. You might actually be too well-adjusted given everything, though I think that has more to do with Emma than with me."
"You got me here, Liam. I may not tell you that enough, but you did, and I'm grateful. I have the life I'm living because of where you led me. Do the same for your children, and you'll find you can do no real wrong."
The hug Liam gave Killian then was strong and firm, a show of sincere gratitude when the words themselves could not be found, and it wasn't until they were almost back at his house, that Liam spoke again.
"I realize that this pep talk was about me, but I think it bears saying that you will be an excellent father, Killian." He hoped that was the case, nodding in subtle thanks for Liam's opinion. Whatever happened in his future though, Killian knew one thing, it looked nothing like the life his father had led. Not in any way shape or form.
Killian watched as Liam moved into the house and immediately found Elsa, bringing her into his arms and holding her close. She held on just as firmly, clearly wanting the connection more than anything and Killian felt better, hearing his brother try and make his wife see what had happened.
"Is he doing better?" Emma asked and Killian nodded as he took his wife's hand in his. The moment they touched, he felt her warmth again, and he thanked the Gods for his steady and sure Swan.
"Aye, love. He'll be fine."
"And what about you?" Killian brought Emma forward to kiss her gently.
"I had you with me all the while, Emma. I was never at any sort of risk." She smiled at that, and without another word they headed home, leaving Liam and Elsa to work things out.
The walk was a quiet one, with Killian holding Emma close to his side. He might not have grappled with the same heaviness that Liam did, but he needed Emma and he always would. Together they could do anything they set their minds to, and in his eyes, all this mess with his father was just another demon he'd overcome because he had the love of the best woman in the world.
….
Emma wasn't entirely sure what she expected. From the moment Killian told her that his father was here, she'd been completely reactive. Her only thinking had been about protecting her family. She tried to do that with Killian, and when he proved strong enough to fight the battle himself her attention moved to Elsa, who had absolutely no basis of understanding for the discomfort they'd all just gone through.
Even if Elsa was technically an orphan, she wasn't one by the choice of her parents. They'd loved her, and every story Anna and Elsa ever recounted about their parents was a happy one. For Killian and Liam they didn't have that. They'd lost their mother too young the same way that Elsa and Anna had but they should have had another lifeline. Instead, their father had no interest in stepping up. Not being chosen was a sharper wound of abandonment, and one Emma could relate to more than Elsa could.
While Killian had been off finding Liam, Emma and Elsa did what they said they would, calling the sheriff and reporting everything including the stolen car and plates. Emma doubted Killian's father would keep the same car for long since she'd burned him in front of everyone like that, but maybe they'd get lucky. Emma didn't think Liam or Killian would lose sleep for a second if their father was in prison, and she knew Elsa would definitely sleep better.
They'd made a quick call to Anna just to tell her what had happened, and after that it was about waiting and making Elsa see that none of it was about her. Sometimes people just needed to walk away when the past came calling, and all you could do was have faith that they'd find their way back to you.
"You found a way to amaze me again, love." Killian's words broke through the swirl of thoughts in Emma's head as she looked up to him.
"My car snatching knowledge is pretty awe-inspiring." He smiled at her joke, and Emma felt some of the tightness in her chest lessen.
"You were brave, Emma, just as you always are." Emma considered his compliment.
"It's easy to be brave when I have you."
Killian kissed the crown of her head and then they were home walking into the house. Emma knew they had to talk about this more, if not for her curiosity than for Killian. She didn't want anything that happened today weighing on him, and so she led him into the living room and on the couch to sit beside her. He automatically pulled her close, and she rested her head against his chest while she waited for the story.
"I've told you already about my father's general absence." Emma nodded, recalling that his father had left before Killian really had any firm memories. It was years before his mother got sick, and he'd always thought himself a child with one parent.
"Yes, you did."
"The last time I saw my father was just before I shipped off. Liam and I use to go visit my mother's grave every year on her birthday, and it fell just a week before my leaving. Only when we got there, we weren't the only one paying her a visit."
Emma's heart clutched in her chest, knowing that whatever story was about to come would be painful. She'd gone with Killian to his mother's grave one day on their trip, and though he'd worried it would sadden her, it felt right to Emma. His mother had given her so much without even meeting her, and Killian hadn't been to see her in a long time.
"My father was drunk, shitted in the middle of the morning, and stumbling about. When he saw us that same delusion you saw today was there in full force. He went on and on about how he'd been painted a villain when it was my mother who'd trapped him in the first place. She had the audacity to get pregnant with Liam, he said. If he hadn't married her he'd be a leper, and then she had to have another child just when he was about to go for good.
"Liam had years of anger inside of him at that point. My father came to my mother's funeral and showed up at odd times in the years since, but Liam had to be the man to raise me far sooner than he should have. All the times before, Liam bit back his rage, but that morning he snapped. He dragged my drunken father out of that cemetery and beat him so badly they had to take him to the hospital.
"The police took Liam in for it. An assault like that needed answers, but the force there knew us and my parents' story. He was released a few hours later, but he was too close to throwing everything he'd made himself away. He couldn't serve anymore with a record. To Liam though, it was a wake up call. Perhaps he was more like our father than he thought."
"Neither of you is anything like him, Killian." Killian nodded, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles gently.
"Aye, love. You've shown me that. My father has no capacity to love. He's a selfish man, a greedy one with no care for anyone but himself. Liam just needed reminding of that fact today."
"Do you think you got through to him?" Emma asked, thinking back to the embrace Elsa and Liam had shared when he'd come back before and Killian nodded.
"Yes. He faced a hard question though – what kind of father can either of us be without a true role model for the part." Emma's heart hurt at that and she moved back to look into Killian's eyes. She'd had that same thought quite a few times, wondering how an orphan wouldn't mess up the whole parent thing, but there was comfort in those kinds of queries.
"You'll both know everything not to do. Just like I will know that the best thing for a child is their parents and their family. All we can do is love them and protect them, and I have to believe that will be enough." Killian nodded.
"You will always be more than enough, Emma. Any child of ours will be more blessed than words can say for having you."
"And you too." Killian brushed his lips gently against her forehead.
"I have no worries about our future Emma. We were made to be together, that's the one solid truth in my life and we are going to have a beautiful life. Our kids will be our second chance at the families we should have had."
That was a wonderful way to look at things, and Emma knew she would hold onto that characterization forever. In Emma's eyes, Killian and she were already each other's second chances at love, why shouldn't their family hold the same kind of magic too?
With that guiding thought in mind, Emma pulled Killian to her for a kiss, finding him just as open and wanting as she was. It was fueled by the flurry of all they'd felt today and the left over mire of emotions they'd slogged through, but mostly it came down to hope and the healing that this love brought. It was enough to get them through any crossroads or trouble that may come.
Emma broke away from the kiss, not because she had any intention of this finishing, but because she had one last thing that she needed to say.
"Is it weird to feel like we needed this? Your father coming back I mean, and stirring all this up? Maybe it sounds crazy -," Killian shook his head, his hand cupping her cheek.
"It doesn't sound crazy at all, Emma. We faced the last demon. Slayed the last real dragon so to speak." Emma grinned, mostly because it was a pretty nerdy way of saying that.
"Exactly, and after everything all I know is that I have the chance to start the family I want with you and I don't want to waste it."
"Then we won't."
In a second Killian was kissing her again, and Emma realized that he was taking her request very literally. Clearly when her captain committed, he really went all in. Between his kisses and his skilled hands, Emma was on fire far faster than should have been possible.
"Killian, maybe we should take this upstairs." Both of them were already half naked by the time she'd gotten the words out thanks to Killian's mastery of distraction. His smile at that sent the hum of arousal in Emma's veins pounding louder.
"If you insist, love." He pulled her with him, leaving the clothes they had shed where they lay and Emma didn't care. All that mattered was the pleasure that came when he shut their bedroom door and brought her back against him.
Killian stole her breath with a pillaging kiss and those expert hands roaming all along the lines and curves of her body. She arched closer, glad that he'd gotten as much done as he had downstairs. Without his shirt between them, her fingers got to really feel him. In no time at all though, they managed to shed the rest of their layers away before falling into bed together.
Emma could see the wheels turning in Killian's mind when they finally hit the bed. His blue eyes were dark, and Emma knew that look always brought some of their best moments together.
"Just choose one." Killian smirked at Emma's words. She didn't have to elaborate for him to understand her meaning. She meant one way for him to make love to her tonight.
"Reading my mind now, love?" Emma nodded as she arched against him. He kissed her again before breaking away to kiss down her neck.
"Yes, and I also know that now that we're back from our honeymoon you're going to make it your mission to take me as much now as you did then." Killian chuckled and Emma felt it and the scruff of his beard against her skin.
"How right you are. I see a lot of stolen moments in our future. Coming home for lunches, sneaking away at odd hours, begging you so reschedule every damn appointment you have, and every time you'll know it's all in the name of our future."
Emma groaned as his mouth came to her breast. At the same time he'd opened her legs to the perusal of one of his hands and Emma moaned when he made contact with her clit. She let herself feel how good they were together and when she was awash in a climax that felt so incredibly needed, Emma felt him kissing down lower and lower. She could have argued that this wasn't exactly how one went about making babies, but why would she do that when it all felt so damn good?
Killian knew all the power he had here too. He made Emma cry out his name with need and every time she did, he hummed against her heated flesh and she couldn't stand the pulsing pleasure of it. Every lick and suck was meticulously designed to drive her mad, but when his fingers joined his tongue she felt close to losing her mind. Nothing should ever feel this good, but being with Killian was like this every time.
Only when he'd wrung out another orgasm from her did Killian come back up, and he had no apologies for treating her as he did. He'd told her and over and over that watching her passion was everything to him, but she could tell he was more strung out with need than usual when he'd barely started kissing her and was already thrusting inside of her.
Emma gasped at the fullness as Killian cursed in that way that told Emma he was just at the brink of fully losing his control, but he bit it back. They took it slow at first, and with each deep, languid stroke Emma's need simmered more and more. But as Emma started to clench around him, Killian moved faster so that their need spiked higher and higher, until finally they both fell back into that bliss they could only find together.
They stayed there a while and Emma luxuriated in the feeling of being wrapped securely in the arms of her husband. She knew that the life that was coming for them now was so much brighter than their pasts had been. Neither Emma nor Killian needed to say that anymore, it was just a certain truth. They'd transcended every last obstacle and all that was left was a journey that Emma couldn't wait to walk hand in hand with her Killian.
Post- Note: So I know we all know Killian's history with his father in the cannon of the show. I had a lot of problems with that line in the story, but more than that I always wondered what Liam would have said and felt. I also wanted there to be no doubts and no ghosts of any kind left between Killian and Emma before they get their HEA. Know that this mess is now behind us, and that my future chapters never stray back into this heaviness again. We've got baby cuteness, and future planning, and fluff to get to instead. I have two more chapters outlined and then an epilogue or two as well and they all are far smuffier than this was, trust me. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all have a good rest of your Monday!