Note: Thanks for the responses to the last part. Hope you enjoy this part! ~Steph

...True Love Waits: Part 5/8…

~Emma's POV~

I watch as Killian helps Lia board the Jolly Roger. He offers his hand to me next. I slip it into his, as I feel goosebumps appear on my skin at his touch.

Killian and Lia move to the anchor. He shows her how to lift it up and onto the deck. He then shows her how to raise the masts. His hand and hook work in tandem quickly and methodically. I've always loved watching him work, his hand so strong and his hook such a natural part of him.

I can't believe I'm here with Killian and Lia. I imagined this scenario a million times in my mind. But it was always an impossible dream. And, now, here we are. It's like we're a real family, the family we dreamt of. I feel a sudden pang of guilt at the thought of August. I can't help but feel like I'm betraying him in some way.

Killian's voice pulls me from my thoughts. "Ready, love?" he asks, as he nods towards the bow.

I bob my head and follow them to the bow of the ship. Killian stands before the wheel with Lia in front of him.

He gestures with his hook. "That's starboard, port, bow, stern. This is the helm."

He shows her how to turn the wheel to control which way the ship goes. He waits until we can no longer see shore and then offers her the wheel.

"You try now, lass," he says, propping her up on his knee and lifting her hands to the wheel.

I smile at how gentle and patient he is with her.

"A bit harder," he instructs, guiding the wheel with his hook.

"This is so cool!" she says with a huge smile in my direction. "Mommy, I'm sailing!"

Killian and I exchange a tender look. These are the moments we missed sharing for the past six years.

"She's fearless," Emma says.

"Just like her mother," he replies, his eyes sweeping across my face.

Our gazes hold for a long moment. I smile at how easy this is, how familiar it feels.

I force my gaze down, as Killian looks out at the horizon. His jaw tenses at the dark clouds collecting in the distance.

"Lia, let me take the helm," he says.

"No," she replies, tightening her grip.

"Love, there's seems to be a storm brewing up ahead. We must head back to shore."

"No! I don't want to go back!" she yells, her mouth turning into a pout.

"Lia, listen to you father," I say firmly.

"No!" she yells.

Killian kneels down beside her. He doesn't raise his voice. He speaks to her softly, but authoritatively.

"Love, I need you to give me the wheel now."

She sticks out her lower lip even further, but releases the wheel. She proceeds to cross her arms over her chest. Killian manages to turn the ship around and soon we are returning to shore.

Killian glances over at Lia and she fixes him with a glare. "I thought you wanted me to be happy," she whispers.

I raise my eyebrows at that. I look at Killian. He's just been faced with his first fatherly challenge. It's not easy when you have to be the bad guy. They never understand that your actions are for their own good.

He nods. "I do. I also want you to be safe."

Her face softens. "Well, I guess I understand that. That's what fathers are supposed to do."

My eyebrows peak, as I realize she just referred to Killian as her father for the first time. It's not lost on him either, as a smile pulls at his lips.

She looks at Killian. "So when are we going to go sailing again?"

He smiles. "There's no rush, love. We have all the time in the world."

The thought fills me with hope and joy. Killian and I have been given a second chance. Or maybe it's our third or fourth. But it's another chance at having the future, the family, we dreamt of. Maybe my mother's right. No matter how scared I am, how can I just let that pass me by?

"Mommy, I'm hungry. Did you bring any snacks?" Lia asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Yes," I say. "There's some in my bag over by the plank."

She walks over and begins to dig through my bag. I turn my head to find Killian staring at me. I feel my face grow red.

"What?" I ask.

"It's nothing," he says, but then adds softly, "I was just trying to imagine what you two would have looked like together when she was a baby."

I smile and walk over to my bag. Lia is busy eating some fruit snacks and staring out at the water. I pull out my wallet, remove a picture, and then return to his side. I hand Killian a picture of me in the hospital holding Lia. His eyes lock on our faces.

"She wasn't even an hour old yet," I say.

He doesn't remove his eyes as he speaks. "You were beautiful. Both of you."

I feel my chest tighten. That day was one of the happiest and hardest of my life. Not having Killian there tore me up inside. It wasn't until I saw our daughter's face that I realized he was still with me. He was in her.

He moves his eyes to mine. "What was she like as a baby?" he asks. He smiles sadly. "I know you told me a bit during your visits and I imagined what she was like on my own so many times that I suppose I made myself believe it was reality. Can you tell me?"

I nod. "She was a very happy baby. She always smiled and giggled. She was so adventurous and curious, always getting into things. Just like her father." She pauses as I chuckle. "She was also stubborn and persistent. When she was learning to walk, she would fall down a dozen times and just keep getting back up and trying again."

He smiles. "Sounds like someone I know."

I return his smile, but it soon fades. I swallow hard. "She was a great baby, but it didn't start out that way. When I brought her home from the hospital, she wouldn't stop crying. I had her checked out and the doctor said she was fine. I didn't know what to do. I was scared about being a mother as it was and to have to do it alone...without you. I just didn't think I'd make it. I had my family and friends to help me, but it wasn't the same as having you by my side." I pause and take a deep breath. "One night, I was so exhausted and frustrated that I couldn't stand it anymore. I got mad at you for dying...for leaving me."

I notice his eyes move to the deck. "I knew it was ridiculous. I knew you would have moved Heaven and Earth to stay with me. But I couldn't help it. I felt like a failure. I had given Henry up because I knew I couldn't be a mother then and I started to wonder if I maybe I didn't have what it takes to be the mother Lia needed now either. You always believed in me, Killian, even when I didn't believe in myself. I missed that." I suck in a ragged breath. "I was holding Lia as she cried when she suddenly grabbed the necklace with the ring on it you gave me in Camelot. She looked at it and her crying stopped. I thought of how you gave me that ring to protect me and so that I would have a piece of you with me. That's when I truly realized you hadn't left me. You were right there, helping me through it all. Helping me believe in myself."

I look at Killian, whose eyes are now filled with tears. He places his hand over mine and squeezes it. He takes a deep breath and opens his mouth to speak, but Lia appears by our side before any words can emerge. We both look down at our daughter.

She smiles and hands us each a fruit snack. "Here you go. I don't like the yellow ones."

Killian and I smile and say, "Thank you."

Killian looks down at the picture he still holds in his hand. He reluctantly raises his hand up and holds it out to me. "Oh, here. I forgot I still had it in my hand."

I smile and shake my head. I reach out and touch his hand, curling his fingers around the picture. "It's yours. Now you don't have to imagine it anymore."

A slow smile spreads across his lips, as I allow my hand to linger on his. I look at him and Lia and think of the family we could have. I'm not sure how much longer I can do this.

…

~Killian's POV~

I walk Emma to the door. Lia saw one of her friends on the docks and she was invited to dinner and a movie. She was going to be dropped off in a few hours.

Emma looks up at the darkened house and then at me. "I guess August is still out."

Our eyes meet and hold for a long moment. I can feel myself being pulled towards her and I know I won't be able to stop if I let things go any further.

I take a deep breath and say softly. "I better be going."

Her eyes remain focused on mine. "Don't go," she says softly.

I shake my head. "Emma, I don't think that's a very good idea."

She looks at me longingly, her eyes filled with love and pent-up desire. She walks over to the porch swing and sits down. Her eyes beg me to follow. I'm careful to sit on the other end of the swing, but she moves closer to me. She slips her hand into mine, entwining our fingers.

"Emma," I breathe.

She stares at me for a long moment. "You were right," she says.

I feel a smile pull at my lips. "My three favorite words, love, but what about?"

"I'm not in love with August," she replies softly. "I just...I needed you to know that."

I feel my heart speed up at her admission. "Thank you." I then tilt my head as I look at her. "It doesn't change anything though, does it?"

She shakes her head. "I have an obligation to August. I don't want to hurt him or our daughter."

"That's admirable. It truly is. But I what about what you want?"

She drops her eyes to her hands. "It would be selfish to put what I want ahead of our daughter's happiness."

"I don't believe giving our daughter a chance to grow up with her parents is selfish, love."

She squeezes her eyes closed, but doesn't respond. I bring my hand up to caress her cheek.

"Emma," I whisper. "I know you're scared to risk your heart again, to believe in a future with me that could be taken away again."

"Shh. Close your eyes," she says suddenly, as I slowly drop my hand from her face.

My brow furrows in confusion, but I obey.

Her soft voice fills my ears. "Sometimes I come out here all by myself. I close my eyes and I try to picture what our life would have been like if I hadn't lost you. I can see it all, so vivid it's as if it's real. I see you holding Lia as she drifts off to sleep. I see us sailing as a family. I see us falling asleep in front of the TV, your arms wrapped around me...making me feel so safe. I see us dancing at our daughter's wedding. I could see it all, Killian. I still can."

She touches my face and I open my eyes. Her eyes capture mine and I notice how her lips are tantalizingly close.

"I never thought that those things could be anything more than a dream," she whispers. "But here you are."

I swallow hard. "Emma, I don't know what else you want me to say."

"Don't say anything," she says. She then brings her mouth close to my ear and says, "I know things are complicated right now. And you're right, I am scared. But in my heart I know we'll find each other again one day, Killian. We always find each other."

Her lips brush against my cheek. Then she's gone, as if she were nothing but a figment of my imagination. Her words leave me filled with a sense of hope. Perhaps we will find our way back to each other. But it has to come from her. I learned long ago that Emma needs to do things in her own time. I'm more confident than ever that she will eventually make the right decision.

…

~Emma's POV~

I walk inside and close the door behind me. I lean up against the door and try to steady my breathing. His voice breaks through the silence.

"You're still in love with him, aren't you?"

"August?" I say, startled, as I peer into the darkness. I make out a shadowy figure sitting on the stairs.

I take a few steps forward. "Why are you sitting here in the dark?"

He laughs bitterly. "It's amazing the things people will say when they think there's no one around to hear them."

My breath catches in my chest. I look over at the window near the swing and notice for the first time that it's open. He heard us. He saw us.

"August, it's not-..."

He shakes his head, but his voice is eerily calm and soft, "Spare me, Emma."

He then stands up and walks over to me. His features are twisted in pain. "I didn't have any illusions when I asked you to marry me. I knew you weren't in love with me. I knew that I could give you the stable family you wanted. And that was okay with me because somewhere along the way I had fallen in love with you and I didn't care how I got to have you, I just wanted you. I convinced myself that in time you might fall in love with me. But that hasn't happened and it's never going to, is it?"

I blink back tears, his pain ripping right through me. He goes on. "I always knew that I would never be able to compete with Hook. Even if you managed to fall in love with me, you would never love me like you loved him. He's been here all along. Every time you looked at me, you wanted to see him."

"That's not true," I say weakly.

"Yes, it is. And every time we kissed or I held you in my arms, you wanted it to be him. I knew that. I accepted it because no matter how much you wanted it, I knew it wasn't possible. But that's not true anymore. He's not just a bunch of memories and dreams. He's real. He's alive."

His breathing grows ragged. "I said to you before that I knew Hook wouldn't let you go because I wouldn't. But I just sat there in the dark and listened to my wife talk about a future with another man. And I can't just accept that. I won't. I'm not going to go through day after day knowing you'd rather be with him, knowing that at any moment you might gain the courage to tell me the truth. So I'm going to let you go."

The tears are streaming down my face but I pay them no attention. "August," I say softly.

He swallows against the lump in his throat. "Please, Emma, don't say it's not what you want. I can see it in your eyes. I saw it the moment he came back."

"But we're a family. What about Lia?"

He takes a deep breath. "I will always love that little girl and I will always consider her my daughter. Nothing's going to change that."

"Then how can you just let us go without a fight?" I say the words I know I should.

He smiles sadly. "I may not be a hero, but I know enough to recognize a fight I'll never win."

There's a part of me that realizes if he lets me go, then I'll have no choice but to face my fear of losing Killian again. Nothing will be holding me back.

I shake my head. "But you say you love Lia and want her to be happy. This is the only family she's ever known. You have to think of her first, how this will affect her, what's best for her."

"I am," he replies sharply. "We could go on like this for years, Emma. Both of us too afraid to say anything, tiptoeing around the elephant in the room. But I would grow to resent you and you would grow to resent me. And the one who would suffer the most would be Lia. She would know, Emma. She would feel it. She deserves better than that." He pauses and then adds, "We all do."

I squeeze my eyes shut, as I realize there's no changing his mind. I slowly open my eyes and look at him.

My chin trembles as I take a step forward and place a hand on his cheek.

"I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

He nods. "I know you didn't. And I want you to know I don't regret a moment we spent together. I don't regret marrying you. I don't regret being that little girl's father. And if I knew what I know now I'd still do it all over again. For two wonderful years, I got to be with the woman I love. I got to have a family. I'm lucky, Emma. Some people go their whole lives never getting to have that. And for that I am grateful to you. For that I'll always be grateful."

He brings his thumb up and wipes at my cheek. I squeeze my eyes shut, as the tears sting my eyelids. I slowly open them back up again and bring my lips to his in a soft kiss. After a few moments, he pulls away from me abruptly, grabs his keys, and walks out the front door.

I'm left standing there, tears streaming down my cheeks. I feel awful for the pain I've caused him and the pain I know is to come for my daughter. But there's a part of me, a part I'm afraid to truly acknowledge, that feels free. Free to be with my true love. If only I can face my fear of losing him again.

...

End of Part 5

Thanks for reading! I'd appreciate any feedback you'd like to give. ~Steph