Here is the epilogue. I can not believe this story is already over. I am so excited for you to read this chapter. It takes place about a year and a half after the last chapter and will cover a few years of Emma and Killian's future and what happens in Storybrooke. I hope you all enjoy!

A message to all who reviewed and read: Thank you for your encouragement throughout this story. Your kind reviews always made me so happy and I loved getting to see what you guys were thinking. You have all made this experience so much better. You are all amazing.

Make sure to keep watch for my next story, Retrograde, coming soon! Also make sure to see my new little project Red Rose. I might be updating soon!

Chapter 28: Epilogue

Emma's heart swelled with pride when she sat in the audience for Henry's sixth grade graduation. The boy insisted she be there, along with Killian. They sat with Robin, Regina and Roland, all proudly watching their boy up on stage.

Henry had come a long way from when she met she looked at him, she still saw a little ten year old boy with shaggy brown hair and the biggest, sweetest eyes. He was a little over twelve now, with his hair much neater and his voice getting lower. Henry was growing like a weed and Emma joked that within no time he would be taller than both her and his mother.

A tear slipped from Emma's eye when Henry was given an award for his writing skills. The boy had definitely come into his own over the past year and found his talent with words. He was discovering who he was with a pen in hand.

The ceremony continued, different children accepting different awards, until they announced the graduating sixth grade class. There was no turning of the tassels or long speech, just a congratulations on their hard work in elementary school and an encouragement to keep it up in junior high.

After it was all over,Henry rushed to find the group at the reception, his award in hand.

Naturally, Regina embraced the boy first. "Oh, Henry, I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks, mom." Henry blushed. His relationship with his mother had been a tough one, but it was getting better. His mother had changed for the better over the past two years, with the help of both Henry and Robin. They had been constants in her life and helped her become the person she wanted to be.

Regina retreated back to her fiance, Robin's side, as little Roland rushed over to Henry. "Watcha get? Watcha get?" The now six year old bounced with excitement. Henry kneeled down and showed his soon to be step-brother the award. Henry had taken to the role of big brother like a fish to water.

When Henry stood up, Emma let out a not so subtle cough to get Henry's attention. He smirked and walked over to her.

"Good job, kid." She whispered to him as she hugged him.

"Thanks, Emma."

Killian patted him on the back. "Well done, lad."

"Thanks, Killian."

Roland's patience started to wear thin so his father took him to get the piece of cake he had been promised for sitting through the entire ceremony. A few moments later, Henry said, "Hey mom, is it alright if I go see with my friend Violet? I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Violet?" Regina raised an eye at her son.

"Mom." Henry groaned.

"Go." His mom said with a small laugh. "Just don't get dirty. I want to get some more pictures.

"Thanks mom!" He ran off.

"Violet?" Regina questioned to Emma, who shrugged. "I don't know if I can handle dating yet."

"Don't worry." Emma said. "As long as he doesn't come up with an operation name, we should be fine."

Regina and Robin got married a month after Henry's sixth grade graduation. It was a small ceremony at a local church. Neither of them had much family, so they kept it to some close friends and of course their boys.

Henry was Robin's best remembered Regina had been shocked when Robin made that decision, thinking the role would go to either Will or Killian. But he explicitly stated he wanted Henry to do it. Henry looked quite handsome standing up next to Robin, both dressed in suites. By Henry, Killian and Will stood in as groomsmen.

The wedding went off without a hitch. Regina looked beautiful in her simply white dress and all three of her boys looked quite handsome. The happy family celebrated at the reception, Roland devouring his piece of cake, and his father and new step mother having their first dance as his new older brother made watched him.

After the couple's first dance, the dance floor was opened to all. They started with a few slow songs, at Regina's request. She was currently dancing with Henry with Robin close by, Roland in his arms. He swung the boy around, a bit too fast for the beat of the music, but the laughs from Roland made it all worth it.

Emma felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see Killian, dopey smile and all. She had not seen him much that day due to his duties as groomsman, but she was more than happy to see him now.

"Care to dance, Swan?" He waggled his eyebrow.

"I'd love to, but I don't really dance." She told him.

He did not seem to care, though, as he took her hand in his good one and led her to the floor, wrapping her up in his arms. "There's only one rule when it comes to dancing, love." He straightened up and and moved her hand to his shoulder as he brought his hands around her waist. "Pick a partner who knows what he's doing."

She snorted as he started to move them around, taking the lead. It took Emma a while to get comfortable, but eventually she got the hang of things. "You look handsome."

His lips curled into a smile. "You, my love, look exquisite." He looked at her simple green dress. "This will be us someday."

"Yeah?" Emma murmured.

"Aye." He nodded. "Dancing at our own wedding."

Normally the mention of a wedding would terrify Emma. She was not good when it came to commitment, to believing in a future, but with Killian things were different. She trusted him, leaving her no room to be scared. They were in love and she deserved to be happy.

"It will be nice." She noted.

"You'll look beautiful," He whispered in her ear. "You always look beautiful."

"Maybe we'll get married in the summer. On the beach."

He hummed in acceptance. "It will be small. Us. Henry, Regina, Robin and Roland."

"David, Mary-Margaret and Leo." She added, looking Mary Margaret, who recently announced her second pregnancy, and her little toddler Leo.

"Maybe their next child will be a girl so she can be the flower girl." He laughed.

"Maybe."

"I want to have a future with you, Emma." He said in a much more serious voice.

She raised her hand to cup his cheek. "I want a future with you too."

Killian proposed two months after their conversation at Regina and Robin's wedding. It was a late August night and they were returning from sailing for the day when he asked if she would like to take a walk on the beach, stating that he did not want their night together to end.

It was on that walk that he popped the question. He skipped the flowery words and the long rehearsed speeches and just spoke his mind.

"Emma, love. I can not imagine a life without you. I love you so bloody much and want to spend the rest of my days with you. So, Swan, will you marry me?"

Of course she said yes.

It was a cold October day and Emma was thankful Mary Margaret made soup. The sheriff used her lunch break that day to visit her friend, who was not working due to her being in the last few months her pregnancy. She had about two months before her baby girl would come and the doctors, along with David, insisted she get some rest.

An excited Leo ran about, telling Emma all about his new toy truck in his toddler talk. The boy was not quite two, but had exuberant amounts of energy that kept his parents busy.

"How have you been feeling?" Emma asked as Mary-Margaret placed a bowl of hot soup in front of her.

"Tired." Mary Margaret rubbed a hand over her belly. "It's harder this time because I have him to take care of I am playing with him and completely forget I am pregnant until he wants me to do something I can't"

Emma hummed as she took a bite of her food. "Do you guys have any names yet?"

"Okay," The pregnant woman started as she sat down. "We aren't really telling anyone, but you're my best friend so I have to tell you." She laughed. "We decided on Everly Ruth."

"Pretty. Everly Nolan."

Mary Margaret nodded. "Ruth is David's mother's name. We wanted to honor her like we did with my dad and Leo. And my mom's name was Eva and Everly is a variation of it. We thought it fit."

Leo started screeching happily, ramming his cars into one another as he played in the living room.

"Quiet, baby." Mary-Margaret told him.

"You know, I can watch him one weekend." Emma offered. "That way you and David can actually get some sleep before the next one comes."

Mary Margaret waved her hand. "Nonsense. You have enough going on with the wedding."

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm not getting married until the summer. We've got tons of time."

"That's what I said." Mary Margaret's voice was light, as if recalling a memory. "You've got a lot on your plate, Emma. Planning a wedding, work, finding a place for you and Killian to live-"

"And watching Leo will be a break from all of that. Besides, the munchkin needs some Aunt Emmy time."

Mary-Margaret sipped her water. "Won't be long before you have one of those."

Emma laughed nervously. "I think we have some time. We aren't even married yet."

"I know." Mary Margaret smiled.

Emma didn't want to fight with Mary-Margaret, so she changed the subject. "I was thinking Everly could be the flower girl."

Mary Margaret was all ears.

Emma and Killian got married in June on the beach. It was a simply wedding, neither of them wanting anything to big. Mary-Margaret was Emma's matron of Honor and Robin was Killian's Best Man. They kept the wedding party small, with only those two and Ruby, Belle, Will and David.

Little Leo, who was getting bigger and bigger every day, served as ring bearer. He walked slowly and started at the pillow as he walked, taking his role quite seriously for a two year old.

Next was the flower girl. Everly was not walking yet, so they placed the chubby six month old in a white wagon that Henry would pull. She did not get the concept of throwing the flowers, so Henry had to help her with that too.

Knowing how close both Killian and Henry were with Roland, the couple wanted to incorporate him into the ceremony too. He was the last of the children to walk down the aisle, holding a sign that read. "Uncle Killy, here comes your girl."

Killian's jaw dropped when Emma walked in and despite being a tough guy, he shed a tear or two. She was dressed in a white lace gown with a smile on her face. The minute her eyes found his she felt at peace. She was marrying the man she loved.

She wore Mrs. Abernathy's necklace around her neck. They both wanted a piece of her to be present that day. Emma smiled at the thought of the woman. She would be so shocked at what these two were doing. She must have had no idea what the future held for those two foster kids.

It was a beautiful, simply ceremony, filled with love, tears and kisses. They exchanged their vows, proclaiming their everlasting love for each other and committing themselves to the other forever. Forever always made Emma nervous-nothing lasted forever-but looking at Killian, she was excited for the future, their future.

During the reception, Killian tugged her out to dance. She happily complied, knowing the only place she wanted to be after a long day was his arms.

"You look beautiful, my love." He whispered to her.

"Thank you." She moved closer to him. "You don't look to bad yourself, sailor."

"I love you, Swan." He murmured.

She pulled back a bit to see him face. "Isn't it Jones now?" She teased.

He chuckled. "I suppose you're right, Mrs. Jones. But you'll always be my Swan."

She rested her head on his chest. "Good."

Emma and Killian stayed in Storybrooke after their wedding. Neither of them could even fathom moving anywhere else. They bought a gray house with a view of the water, ready to start their lives together.

Marriage was much different than either of them thought. They both saw how selfish they were and how hard it was to live with another person. During the first year, they saw their fair share of arguments and tension. There were many hard days.

But all those hard days were nothing compared to the good ones. Emma loved being able to come home after a long day at the station and just sit on the couch with Killian with something on the TV and talk to him about anything and everything. She loved having dinner with him and talking about their days and falling asleep next to him.

Her favorite thing was mornings when neither of them had to rush out the door to work. When they could stay in bed for hours, with lazy kisses and slurred words. It was those moments, those simple moments, that she loved the most.

About two years into marriage, however things changed. Emma could remember the day crystal clear.

She found out she was pregnant.

She and Killian had talked about kids, but decided to wait a few years before making any type of decision. They just wanted to enjoy a few years of being married.

Emma knew she was not mother material. She had grown up in the foster system and knew nothing about being a family. Marriage was one thing, but having a child-that was another story.

When Emma told Killian, he had been ecstatic, but immediately picked up on her concern.

"What's wrong, darling?" He asked, cupping her cheek. "Are you not excited?"

She looked down and moved away from him. Running a hand through her hair, she turned back to face him. "I can't be a mother." Emma breathed out. "I don't know how."

"Oh, Emma-" He whispered.

"I never had a mother." She continued. "I wouldn't know what to do. I don't think I-"

"Hey," He took a step closer to her hesitantly. "You had Mrs. Abernathy. I know it's not the same, but she loved you like a daughter. And you Emma have the biggest heart I have ever seen. You will be an excellent mother."

"What makes you so sure?" Emma hated how whiny she sounded.

He finally wrapped her up in his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple. "I know you, love. You are bloody brilliant at everything you do."

They stood there in silence, him holding her while she silently cried. She eventually whispered. "I'm scared."

He ran his hand over her hair and then rubbed her back. "I know, darling. If I'm honest, I am too. But we will do this like we do everything. Together."

She leaned out of his embrace to see him better. "You think we can do it."

He wiped away one of her tears before whispering. "We do make quite the team."

Emma leaned against his chest again. They did make a pretty good team.

A few months later, Emma sat outside her and Killian's house on the white porch swing they put in when they first got married. The white bench reminded them of their favorite spot to talk when they were foster kids.

In her arms, she held her little girl, Ellie Hope. Ellie was named after Mrs. Abernathy. When they found out they were having a girl, both Emma and Killian immediately knew they wanted her to be named after their foster mother.

Emma loved Ellie more than she could ever explain. She had been terrified for months about the baby's arrival, nervous that she could not be the mother the child deserved. But when her little girl was born, Emma forgot all of her fears when she saw the child's face. Emma had come so far from the lost girl she once was. No longer was she the foster child afraid to trust. Now she had a family of her own, a family she loved. It was better than she could have ever imagined.

Emma looked at her daughter and smiled. She remembered when she first met the girl, when she first held the little girl and whispered, "Hey there, Ellie.I'm your mommy"

For the first time, Emma Swan was no longer scared of hello.

And she never wanted to say goodbye.

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