Author's Note: I still don't own OUAT. The story is almost over - the rest of the chapters will consist of multiple shorter scenes… glimpses of life for our favorite family, rather than single scene chapters.

Twenty-nine hours later, Liam David Jones was resting quietly in his mother's arms. It felt like a dream to Emma. She was a mom. She had Killian by her side. Sophie was on her way to the hospital with Mary Margaret and David, who had graciously watched her for the entire time. She had a family. People that loved her, people that she loved.

"Do you want him to be Liam David Jones or Liam David Swan-Jones?" Killian asked tiredly.

"Just Jones," she responded easily. "Remember, I'll be a Jones soon enough… I'm not letting you out of that promise, Mr. Jones." She said it teasingly, but she meant every word. She'd be a Jones soon enough, as would Sophie when the DNA and paperwork went through. They would be one big, happy unit. Her boyfriend (almost-fiancé? baby daddy?) leaned in and cupped her cheek tenderly, his other arm around her and the baby.

"You don't have to worry about that love. I'm not letting you go," he said before kissing her passionately. She pulled away, not wanting to wake the baby before it was time to nurse him again. Though Killian had been prepared to bottle feed Liam, it was quickly decided after his birth that his mother would breast-feed him. When he finally latched on and nursed, a sense of peacefulness, of right, washed over Emma. The abandoned child was gone. The jilted teen was gone. The distrusting Emma was gone. All that was left was a girlfriend, mother, and friend. A confident woman who was sure she would never be alone again.

And a few minutes later, when they filled out the information for Liam's birth certificate, with Killian looking at her with such love and adoration, all remaining doubts and insecurities floated away. She was loved and she loved. And she'd never been happier.

Emma was jolted out of her thoughts by Mary Margaret, David, and Sophie entering the room. David was carrying the sleeping girl – it was well after her bedtime after all. She was in her pajamas and sucking her thumb. When David placed her on the sofa, Emma couldn't help but compare Liam to his older sister. Like Sophie, Liam had Killian's dark, curly hair and pale skin. But she saw herself in his little face. He had her bright emerald eyes. He had dimples like her. He had her chin and bone structure. He was the perfect mix of the two of them. And she was so lucky.

"Hello," Mary Margaret announced as she came to the opposite side of the bed from Killian. She leaned over to give her best friend a kiss on the cheek and admire the baby. "He's beautiful, Em," she said.

"Meet Liam David Jones," Killian whispered as David joined his fiancé. David's eyes met Emma's and she smiled.

"You two the closest thing to family I've ever had, you couldn't really think you wouldn't be part of this," she said. "We, we want you to be his godparents." At that, Mary Margaret started crying so Emma handed the baby to his father and gathered her best friend in her arms.

"Thank you," Mary Margaret whispered. Emma saw David and Killian doing an awkward man hug around Liam's sleeping form. She would have laughed if she weren't so bone tired. "How are you?"

Emma smiled. "I'm tired but also so great… I'm a mom, a girlfriend, almost-fiancé', I have Sophie and you guys, and I… I… I'm just so, so happy."

"Soon, that will be us," David said, coming to his fiancé's side.

"What?" Emma asked.

"I, well, I'm pregnant. About 13 weeks. We wanted to wait until the first trimester was over…" Mary Margaret explained. Emma tried to sit up, but was unable to do so. So instead she pulled Mary Margaret down onto the bed.

"You're going to have a baby!" Emma exclaimed as loudly as she could without waking the baby (so really it was a whisper-yell). She hugged her friend close and then pulled David down to join. Killian kissed Mary Margaret on the cheek and shook David's hand. The baby started crying then, so Killian immediately gave him back to his mother.

"He needs to eat," Emma announced. Killian and David decided to go get some coffee from the local café, leaving the two women and a dozing Sophie alone with the baby.

"You're a mom…" Mary Margaret said, wiping away tears and watching Emma set up to feed Liam. "Sorry, it's the hormones. I've been crying at everything."

"I feel so guilty… I can't believe I didn't notice that my best friend was pregnant!" Emma exclaimed as Liam began nursing.

"Well, to be fair, you kinda had your own stuff going on. You've been in here. So I forgive you, although I am expecting an awesome baby shower," Mary Margaret said.

"Don't worry. The doctor said I can go home in two days. Then I can fawn all over you. Between moving, having a newborn, and raising a five year old, I should have plenty of time!"

"So, you and Killian are really doing this?"

"Yep, we are. We love each other. I want to be with him and the kids. And they want me just as much. Sophie said she wants me to be her mommy…" she said as she pulled her shirt back up and began burping Liam.

"Emma, that's amazing. I'm so happy for you!" Mary Margaret yelled. Before Emma could even remind her to be quiet, Sophie woke up.

"M-mommy," a small, tired voice called from the sofa. Mary Margaret glanced at her friend, eyes wide. Emma just smiled.

"Hey Soph, Daddy and David went to get coffee. You wanna come meet baby Liam?" As tired as the girl was, she ran to Emma's side. Mary Margaret pulled her onto her lap, allowing her to better see the baby.

Sophie leaned over and examined Liam carefully. She touched his hair, his cheeks, his arms. Liam was done eating and was in his blissful, post-meal happy time. He looked up at his sister with wide green eyes.

"He kinda looks like me," Sophie announced after a few minutes.

"Of course he does, little lass. You're his sister," Killian's voice rang through the room. Emma was surprised to find Neal with Killian and David. "He came in to meet the baby," Killian explained. Then he called a nurse in, who was more than pleased to take a family picture.

The picture, of Emma and Killian with the kids surrounded by Neal and their friends, went on their mantle as soon as they got home from the hospital.

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Six weeks later, Killian and Emma were huddled together in the nursery with a crying baby. They were both exhausted and overwhelmed. Emma's shirt had spit up all over it and her blonde hair was frizzy and unwashed. Killian had dark circles under his eyes and his hair was on end as he rocked Liam back and forth while Emma hummed quietly. Finally, after what felt like hours, the sick baby lulled into a slumber. Killian gently placed him into his crib and silently followed Emma out of the room. As they sat on the living room sofa, Emma sighed loudly. Just as they closed their eyes, however, out came a sleep deprived six-year old, dragging her teddy bear behind her.

"The baby woke me up again," she mumbled, crawling onto Killian's lap. Emma pushed the little girl's hair from her forehead soothingly.

"I know honey. Tomorrow, you're gonna go visit Auntie M and Uncle David. They said you can have a sleepover until Liam's medicine kicks in," she assured Sophie. Killian reached for the remote control and put on the TV for himself and Emma as he rocked his daughter back to sleep. Emma grabbed a blanket and threw it over Sophie before settling in next to the duo. Killian wrapped his spare arm around his girlfriend, and before long, the three were asleep.

When Killian awoke three hours later, Emma was splayed across half the sofa with her arms hanging off the side. Sophie was squeezed in between her parents, sitting up straight and fast asleep. Quickly, Killian picked her up and carried her to her bed, sure that she would be complaining in the morning if she slept all night on the sofa. As he walked back into the living room, he saw that Emma was still sound asleep. He picked her up bridal style and carried her to the master bedroom, placing her gently into their bed. Pulling the comforter over her, he smiled at the peacefulness on her face. The past 48 hours had been exhausting because Liam came down with a stomach bug. So, on top of the general difficulty of a newborn, they were dealing with vomit. Lots of vomit. He was cranky and didn't want to sleep – meaning that no one slept. That's why Killian was so happy that, finally, Emma was sleeping. She'd been so nervous about Liam that Killian couldn't get her to rest at all, as much as he insisted that she sleep whenever Liam slept. But now, here she was, sleeping soundly. And Killian had never seen such a beautiful sight, even with spit up and frizz.

Emma had bloomed into the kind of mother he knew she had been scared that she would never be. She was dedicated, loving, and supportive with both Liam and Sophie. And she seemed happier than ever. It was like she was meant to be a mother. And while their relationship faced struggles (what relationship wouldn't struggle with a new baby and a six-year old?), they were getting stronger every day. In fact, the ring was all picked out and in his safe, awaiting the perfect moment.

As he lay down next to his beloved, the smile never left his face. When she curled into his side and rested her head on his chest, letting out a contented sigh, he thought his heart would burst from his chest. Despite lack of sleep, a sick baby, and a cranky kid, he was happy.

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"Damnit, Killian, I said NO!" Emma screamed angrily, slamming her fist on the dining room table and jumping up from her chair before remembering that the kids were sleeping and settling down again. She just couldn't believe they were having this fight again. It seemed like every other day that it was brought up.

"But Emma, you've spent your whole life for your career. You're allowed to work, love. You don't have to stay home to be a good mum," Killian said, and Emma could tell he was fighting hard to stay calm despite his frustration.

"I know that Killian, but I like being home with the kids. I swear to God, it's like you don't want me here with the kids!"

"Well, I thought you would want to contribute a bit, be independent," he replied. Emma stopped breathing for a second. That was a new argument in this repetitive conversation. And she was seeing red.

"Wait a second…" she said, trying, and failing, to calm her temper. "You don't think I contribute? What, you think I'm mooching off of you or something? You're right. Taking care of a six month old, a six year old, a man who might as well be a third kid, and a household surely is not contributing," she spit out sarcastically. "I cook, I clean, I take care of Sophie and Liam, I make sure you're taken care of, I do everything Killian. I don't complain because I like it! But for you to say I don't contribute. Clearly, you think I'm with you for your money, because I'd definitely rather be here cleaning up poop and doing your laundry than having a career…"

Killian, for his part, looked sufficiently ashamed of himself. "I… I didn't mean it like that, love. I just meant, I mean, I know how you are such an independent woman. You've always taken care of yourself…" he started, before Emma raised her hand to stop him.

"I… I'm going to go out for a bit – to get ice cream or something. We'll continue this conversation when I get back and we've both calmed down." Killian nodded. When Emma walked out the door, she took a deep breath. She knew Killian didn't mean it the way his comment came out – anger and frustration had taken over for both of them. But he didn't know how much she struggled with the decision to stay home. She had always wanted a career, he was right. She worked hard and wanted to do it on her own. That ambition was only outweighed by the love that she had for the kids. She never, ever thought it would have happened… but it did. And he thought she was just saying that… he felt guilty because she gave up her career. She needed to make him understand that she liked being home. She felt like she contributed to the family. Hell, she was the center of the family. It was everything she never thought she would want – and everything she could ever dream of.

When she came back home forty-minutes later, Killian was still sitting in the dining room. "Hi," she whispered.

"Hi," he replied, turning toward her. She walked over to him, standing between his knees. "I'm sorry, I know you're not with me for my money - I just don't want you to give up what you love," he mumbled, holding her hands in his and kissing them.

"I'm sorry too. I just, I get so frustrated with your insistence that I work. I love being home with the kids. And I know you feel guilty – but it's my choice. And I made it."

"I'm sorry love, it's just… I don't want you to think I want you to be home or that you can't work. I want to make sure you're doing it for the right reasons. And trust me, I know you contribute. This household would never function without you. I don't know what I would do without you. As long as you want to be home, I want you to be home. But if that changes, promise that you'll tell me?"

Green eyes met blue and Emma nodded before leaning in and kissing him. Killian's hands ran over her body sensually and he sighed, pulling her closer to him. She had to admit, she did love when they made out like teenagers. In the midst of all of the crazy in their lives, it was nice to know that he still wanted her. Before the kiss could get any more heated, Emma pulled away.

"Liam will be up for his feeding soon… then I'll be to bed. Why don't you go get ready and I'll meet you there…" she trailed off with a wink and a tender kiss on the cheek. Swinging her hips, she heard him groan behind her and giggled as she made her way to the nursery.