So guys... This is the end! Thank you all so damn much for all the support you gave me through this story. It really touches my heart every time, you guys are the best! Stay with me until the end, because I have a little announcement to make at the end of the chapter. I hope you'll like this! Thanks a lot to Nightingale53, oncer4life11, paupaupi, Emilee Amethyst and Araya for the reviews!

Here's to the last part of this story!

It was Christmas's Eve. Everything was white outside. The snow had fallen non stop all day, sprinkling the roofs, making a thin immaculate coat appear, and had finally ended up stopping a few minutes earlier. It wasn't late at all, but it was already dark outside. It was cold, freezing even, but inside the house, the atmosphere was warm and cosy. Placed in a corner of the living room, a huge Christmas tree was proudly shinning. We hadn't skimped on the decorations that year, and the entire place was enlightened by dozens of colorful lights. Me who had spent each and every Christmas without anybody when I was a kid, I was telling myself that everything had definitely changed so much in my life, and I wanted to offer to my family what was still unkown for me not so long ago. Killian, the kids and I were expected at my parents', who'd invited us for dinner to spend the evening with them. The little loft was going to be crowded : in addition to us, there was going to be Reina, Robin their kids and Henry, who was staying at his other mom's that week. From the living room I was in, I could hear Killian's and Liam's laughter, who were both in the kitchen. They had wanted to bake a cake together for the desert, and had refused my help when I'd offered to join them, claiming that they were planning a surprise. They were obviously having a lot of fun, as always linked by this unbreakable bound between father and son.

I smiled. Laying on my side, my elbow on the floor and my head in my hand, I was watching Leia, who was laying on her play mat and was busy trying to catch her feet, her favorite hobby. She was now three months old, and she was absolutely beautiful. She was still a bit small for her age, but it wasn't a problem anymore. She had Killian's big clear blue eyes, and her hair had started to appear on the top of her head, showing its blond color, just like mine. I could have watched her breath for hours, and was each day remembering the chance I had to be able to see her growing up. With my free hand, I kindly tickled her belly, and she let go of a little cry of joy that made me giggle.

Yet, it wasn't always easy to take care of her. Unlike Liam, who'd always been a cheerful and calm little boy, she was quite often throwing huge tantrums that were lasting for hours and were keeping us awake the entire night. I was exhausted : I hadn't had a full night in ages. Sometimes, I had to admit it, I was feeling like I was going to turn insane. But, despite all of that, I was genuinely happy. My daughter was safe, my two sons were absolutely adorable, and Killian was always there to comfort me when I couldn't take it anymore, and we were more in love than ever. My little family was absolutely perfect, and I was so damn glad to have them by my side.

Leia chirped, releasing those sounds that were always making me chuckle in happiness, and I said in a very gentle voice, answering her babbling as if I could understand what she was saying :

"Yes, I know, princess. It's Christmas today, you know? Your first Christmas ever. It's going to be prefect, you'll see."

She let go of another cry, as if she was agreeing with me, and I burst out laughing at how adorable she was, continuing to gently tickle her stomach. Steps behind my back suddenly rang against the floor, and I sat down cross-legged to greet Liam, who was running toward me with a big smile on his little face. He was overexcited because of the little party, and was looking like the happiest little boy on earth. I kissed his forehead, gently rocking him against me, and I asked to kindly tease him :

"So, sweetheart, you're not helping Daddy anymore?"

"He said it was too dangerous for me." He explained, offering me a little disappointed pout that made me smile.

I guessed that Killian was probably using the beater or the oven, utensils that a little boy like Liam obliviously couldn't approach. I chuckled when I saw him frowning in front of my amused expression, and kindly fluffed his hair to give him his smile back.

"Daddy's right, baby. That's grown-ups stuffs, you could hurt yourself by using them, and I don't want that to happen, because I love you very, very much."

"But Mommy, I'm not a baby anymore!" He protested vehemently.

"What do you mean?" I said, tickling him to make him laugh. "You'll always be my baby."

"No!" He giggled, trying to free himself from my embrace to escape my little attack. "Peanut is the baby now!"

I smiled, tenderized, and stopped annoying him to hold him close to me. We'd continued to call Leia by that surname from time to time, since it was an habit we had taken during the pregnancy, and the kids of the family were liking this a lot. It was giving them the feeling they were older, and Liam was loving being a big brother more than anything. He was feeling empowered by not being the youngest anymore, and had matured a lot since the birth of his little sister. His vocabulary was now way wider, and, even if he'd always been quite curious, he was seeming even more attentive than before, trying to understand every new information the world was giving him.

"You're right, you're not a little baby anymore. But whatever happens, you'll always be my little prince."

A huge smile spread on his face as he was looking happy with my answer, and Leia suddenly started to babble again, what made us both turn to look at her. I approached my hand from her face to gently caress her cheek, what made her smile. I was loving my family so much and I couldn't have been happier.

"Mommy?" Liam asked with curiosity. "Why is Leia making noises like that?"

"Because she's still very little." I patiently explained. "She can't talk yet, so it's her way to communicate with us. I think she's trying to tell us she's happy it's Christmas." I added with a smile.

"But it's weird!"

"You were making the same sounds when you were a baby, you know." I laughed because of his comment.

"No, I was not!" He shouted as if it was obvious.

"Yes, you were!" I replied, laughing even louder. "And you were as small as she is!"

He seemed scandalized by this last statement and opened his mouth to answer something I guessed to be a protestation, but a huge clash coming from the kitchen, instantly followed by a noisy swearword, made us both startle. Leia immediately started to cry, frightened by the din, and Liam escaped my arms to go see what was happening. I sighted, realizing my peaceful moment was now over, and took Leia against me to try and calm her down, whispering to her ear :

"It's okay, princess, Daddy is just making a lot of noise. You don't have to be scared..."

I got up to go join Killian, rocking my daughter against my chest and wincing because of her heartbreaking sobs. I should have been used to it, but it was always making a lump appear in my throat when she was yelling like that. Once in the kitchen, my eyes met the scattered pieces of what was once a bowl made out of glass, and I understood it was the source of the din. I looked up at Hook, who was standing in the middle of the room with a sheepish expression on his face, scratching his ear as always when he was feeling embarrassed. Not far from us, Liam was bouncing up and down, obviously finding all of this really amusing.

"Well done." I scoffed, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I wanted to bake a cake for the desert." He informed me with a little pout.

I couldn't help myself but smile, myself quite amused by the expression his face was displaying and that was making him look like a kid that'd been busted doing something he shouldn't have. I was finding him pretty funny, specially because he was looking like he was expecting me to start yelling, as if he was thinking I was genuinely annoyed by the situation while I honestly didn't really care. It was just a bowl after all. To gently tease him, I said with a little nod as Leia was still sobbing against my shoulder.

"It didn't go as plan, did it?"

He looked up at me, still with this sheepish look, and I couldn't help myself but chuckle while shaking my head. I was familiar with this embarrassed expression, but I also knew he wasn't faking it : he was actually feeling ashamed by what he'd done. He was definitely way too adorable, sometimes. To reassure him and show him I wasn't mad at all, I approached him and carefully handed him the baby :

"Okay, take Leia. I'll fix this."

It wasn't complicated for me to fix the damage after all : with a little flick of my wrist, I'd made everything better thanks to my magic. Liam looked at the pieces getting back together while clapping, impressed by this little trick, and Killian offered me a relieved look, a shy smile on his lips :

"Thank you so much, Swan. You're not mad, are you?"

"Of course I'm not mad, you idiot." I smiled, tenderized by his childlike behavior. "It's Christmas's Eve. And I need more to really be angry at you, you know that. I love you way too much for that."

His smile widened and he whispered a "I love you more" before leaning forward to gently kiss my lips, keeping his forehead pressed against mine for a few seconds after our mouths had parted. Leia was still yelling in his arms, and I gently rubbed our baby girl's back to try and ease her, but it didn't work. He rocked her against him with a sorry sight, and stated :

"I'm so sorry, love, because of me she won't stop crying now. I promise you I'll fix this..."

"It's okay, just be careful the cake doesn't burn in the oven, and the entire house with it, and I'll be grateful for it." I answered, amused as he was snorting at my comment.

"Mommy!" Liam then cried out, both his hands against his ears and an angry look on his face. "Leia is too loud!"

"I know, sweetheart." I said with a little smile to my boy before turning back to Killian. "Come on, give her to me. She'll end up calming down eventually, the little monster."

He smiled, knowing all too well the way I'd just called our daughter was showing all my love for her, and he obeyed before bending in front of the oven to make sure the cake wasn't burning, answering my request. The baby in my arms, I walked to the living room while gently rocking her against me and sat down on the sofa, pressing a kiss on the top of her head, but it didn't ease her. An idea suddenly came to my mind to try and calm her down as she was still shaking from her heartbreaking sobs. Without asking myself more questions, in a very gentle voice, I started to sing, hoping that, as always, my voice would end up comforting her.

I'd discovered this trick two weeks ago, and it was the method that was working the best. All the songs from the cartoons of my childhood had ended up being sung to the baby, and, this time, it was the Anastasia's song, once upon a December, that had come to my mind first. Hearing my voice, Liam ran toward us and sat down beside me on the couch to listen to me singing, his eyes widened as he huge smile had spread on his lips.

As I was continuing the song, Leia gradually calmed down, and she ended up getting completely quiet, staring at me with her big blue eyes as if she was trying to analyze me. I however didn't stop to please Liam, who was still carefully listening to me, and the baby finally closed her eyes, comforted by my voice :

"And a song someone sings, Once upon a December..."

The room stayed quiet for a few seconds after I'd finished singing. It was Killian who started to talk again, making me look up as I hadn't noticed he was watching me, leaning against one of the wall of the room. His eyes were shinning with a spark of pure love, and I couldn't help but smile at him, feeling butterflies flying in my stomach as always when I was meeting his gaze.

"I love hearing you sing. You have such a beautiful voice." He simply stated.

"Come on, stop it." My smile widened as he was approaching me to press a kiss on my forehead.

"Ask Liam if you don't believe me. What do you think, little mate?"

"Mommy can sing really well!" My son shouted with enthusiasm.

"See?" Hook said with half a smile. "I'm telling the truth."

I kept on smiling without adding anything, feeling myself blushing a little bit because of all these compliments, and I leaned forward to kiss Liam on the crown of his head. Hook sat down next to us, and our son snuggled between the both of us, giggling in happiness by feeling us so close to him. I raised an eyebrow at Killian and playfully asked :

"You've gotten the cake out of the oven, right?"

"Who do you think I am, Swan?" He replied, falsely offended. "It's like you don't even trust me!"

"Of course I trust you, I was just making sure I was right to do so." I chuckled lightly, pressing a quick peck on his lips to make him smile. "We still have time before going to my parents', and everything is ready. So now what?"

"I propose we enjoy the quiet moment." Hook said with a smile, looking down at Leia who had fallen asleep in my arms.

Without adding anything, he wrapped his arm around my shoulders to hold me close to him as I was leaning against his chest and he was pressing his face against my head to breathe me in. It was something we were doing quite often since Leia's birth, these big embraces between all of us. We were staying close to each other for several minutes, just enjoying the others' presences around us. When Henry was with us, he would always moan about it when we wanted to pull him into the hug, complaining it was lame and cheesy, but he'd always end up letting go of his jaded teenage boy expression to join us in this family moment.

I looked at my family for a long while. Liam, who was growing up so fast and was more and more looking like his dad with each passing day. Leia, asleep in my arms, who was absolutely gorgeous. Henry, who wasn't there but who we were meeting in a little while, who was becoming a wonderful man, always ready to help, kind, polite, absolutely perfect. I turned my head to look at Killian, who was already watching me. He smiled at me and a spark enlightened his clear blue eyes. The love that was bounding us all was like crackling in the air. Despite my exhaustion, despite all of these little issues was had to face, I was so damn happy. Because my family was my everything, and I was loving them beyond words. Because before Henry brought me back to Storybrooke, before I met Killian, I thought I was destined to lead a lonely life, I thought no one would never love me. And here I was, surrounded, loved. I couldn't have been happier.

Killian seemed to hear my quiet thoughts, and he leaned forward to press a long, tender kiss on my lips, assuring me that I was perfectly right : I would never be alone ever again.

We decided to walk to my parents' loft instead of taking the car. It'd stopped snowing anyways, and we knew our son loved the snow. He was by the way having fun a few steps ahead of us, joyfully jumping into the thin white coat while giggling out loud. Leia was settled in a baby carrier that was tied around my chest, wrapped into a big red coat and a beanie on her little head. We were so careful with her, we were always scared she would get cold because she was coming from so far. Killian and I didn't talk much during the journey, just holding hands and trying not to fall over in the snow, watching Liam laughing as he was seeing his footsteps printed on the ground behind him.

We arrived earlier than expected at my parents'. Regina, Robin, Henry and the kids were therefore not there yet, and David and Mary-Margaret were busy getting everything ready in the kitchen. My mom greeted us with a warm smile and an embrace, and her eyes started to sparkle in happiness when she met my gaze :

"What?" I asked with a little chuckle, a bit embarrassed by the way she was looking at me.

"Nothing, honey." She shrugged. "I was just telling myself that after everything you've been through, you finally seem happy. You're absolutely glowing, it's beautiful to witness."

"Stop it." I blushed, sharing a little glance with Killian with a sheepish smile.

"Your mother's right, Swan." He answered with half a smile. "And you're absolutely gorgeous."

I shyly looked down because of all these compliments. I was dressed in a light knee-length red dress that was showing a good part of my back, and had tied my hair into a long braid that was resting over my right shoulder. Since I'd gotten out of the bathroom, Killian was looking at me like I was the most beautiful woman on earth, and he was regularly pressing little kisses on my face and on my lips, his eyes shinning with pure happiness. I had to admit it was actually kind of pleasing me.

"Emma! Can I hold Leia?" Neal asked, grabbing my leg with a huge smile full of hope.

"Of course you can, sweetie." I said, gesturing for him to sit down on the sofa. "You just have to be very careful with her, all right?"

He enthusiastically nodded and obeyed by settling on the living room couch. Neal was a big fan of his little niece, and he'd already taken her once or twice against him. He was four years old now, and Killian and I had decided that he was old enough to hold the baby if he was sitting down. Liam moved from his dad's arms to my mom's so Killian could help me to take the baby carrier of my chest. When it was done, I placed a still asleep Leia – which was pretty surprising as she was normally getting awakened quite easily – in my baby brother's arms, saying :

"You have to be careful with her head, remember?"

He nodded with a focused frown, and I sat down next to him in case he would need my help. I smiled at Liam, who was wriggling in my mother's arms, and asked him to come near me. He came to settle on my lap as I was pulling him close to my chest and kissing the crown of his head.

"Mommy? When could I take Peanut too?"

I shared an amused look with Killian, and he came to sit down next to us, wrapping an arm around my waist to pull me close. We'd discussed about this subject for a long while, and we'd decided that, since Liam wasn't even three yet, it was still a bit early for him to take his little sister. This didn't really please our son, who was finding it unfair that Neal was allowed to hold Leia, but not him.

"We've already talked about it, sweetheart. You'll be able to take her when you'll be a bit older." I kindly explained.

"But when will I be older?" He protested with a little pout. "It's long!"

"I know." I laughed, pressing a kiss on his forehead. "But don't be too eager to grow up."

He didn't answer anything, and I leaned against Killian, resting my head on his shoulder while watching Neal, who was still staring at the sleeping baby in his arms without moving a bit. He was always looking frightened to do something wrong when she was against him, but he was smiling at the same time, seeming happy to feel his little niece close to him. Without notice, Leia opened her eyes and started to cry, and my brother turned to look at me with his eyes widened in terror.

"Hey, don't worry, Neal, you've done nothing wrong." I assured him with a kind smile. "She probably needs to be changed.

"I'll go." Killian decided without giving me the time to add anything else.

He got off the couch, wrapped Leia's bag around his shoulder and took the baby in his arms before disappearing upstairs, in Neal's room. My parents had built a little corner for our daughter there after her birth, which was definitely quite useful when we were coming to see them.

"Wow." My dad said with a little appreciative nod. "He's doing very well, tell me."

"He is." I said with a little tenderized smile, hearing him talking in a gentle voice to our baby girl from upstairs, even if I couldn't understand what he was saying. "Who would have thought the famous captain would like to take care of kids that much?"

It was true. He was spending so much time with Liam, and was absolutely in love with Leia, taking her in his arms every time he could to cuddle her and tell her tales about oceans and hidden treasures. I had to admit that, while Liam was always calming down when I was taking him against me, Killian was quite often the only one able to comfort Leia when she was having one of her numerous tantrums. I could already see the bound that was starting to form between them while our daughter was only three months old, and it was so beautiful to witness. He loved our kids beyonds words, it was obvious, and I couldn't have wished for a better father for them. I also knew he was such a father figure to Henry, and it wasn't unusual for them to go sailing for an afternoon on the Jolly Rodger. I was so proud of my husband, of the love I was reading in his eyes when he was looking at our kids, of the way he was always there to advice Henry, of his strength that could reassure Liam when he'd had a nightmare and of his gentleness that could comfort Leia. I was so happy to have brought my walls down to let him into my life. I was loving him so much, I would never have thought I would be able to live this kind of relationship with someone before meeting him. He wasn't only my lover, he was also my best friend. My happiness, I had found it for a big part thanks to him. And even if I wasn't that good with words, I knew he was aware of what I was feeling for him. And I also knew he was feeling the exact same thing for me.

I got driven out of my thoughts by Regina, Robin, Henry and the kids coming into the loft. They approached me as I was getting up to greet them, and I saw Killian going down the stairs with a quiet Leia in his arms as I was hugging my eldest son. Hook smiled at the guests and winked at me before handing me the baby and going into the bathroom to clean himself up. Neal and Liam ran to go join Roland and Robyn, as the grown-ups leaned to look at Leia, all smiling at how adorable she looked. A few minutes later, they were all talking together, standing in the living room as I was holding a bit back, enjoying a moment alone with my daughter, who was staring at me while joyfully babbling. I was looking down at her, and startled when a little voice started to talk beside me :

"She's pretty."

I looked up to meet Robyn's beautiful eyes – the same as her mother's – who was looking a bit shyly at me. I was surprised that she'd come to see me by herself. She was a very shy little girl, and wasn't talking much. But she looked at the baby with a very gentle smile, and I kindly answered :

"Yes, she is. She's a little princess, just like you are."

She offered me a genuine smile, titling her head to look at me straight into my eyes. She was looking a lot like Zelena, with her long red hair, but their tempers were the complete opposites. She was now seeing her biological mother several times a week, always under the watchful eyes of Robin or Regina. We'd decided to erase a part of the little girl's memory so she wouldn't remember that Zelena had tried to abduct her : we wanted their relationship to be the best possible, and the kid would have been terrified if she'd recalled this episode. She was getting along with the witch pretty well, who'd become much kinder since she knew her daughter. I knew she was invited to eat at Regina's several times a month as well. It hadn't pleased Robin at first, which was understandable because the witch had used him in such a terrible way to get pregnant, but Regina had wanted to give her another chance. And, for now at least, everything was going just fine.

"It's great, because I'm not the only girl anymore, now." Robyn stated.

"Yes, it's awesome, isn't it?" I gently said. "I'm sure you two are going to be best friends when she'll be a bit older."

She smiled at me again and skipped to go join her friends. I decided to not stay alone for longer and went to find the other guests, my baby in my arms. The discussion was going well between my friends, and Killian immediately placed his arm around my waist once I'd joined the circle that had naturally formed in the middle of the room. He leaned to press a little kiss on the corner of my mouth, as if he wanted to greet me into the conversation. Everyone was looking in such a good mood, the kids were happy it was Christmas, the smiles weren't leaving the faces and the laughter were ringing into the space. It was going to be a good night, I could tell.

The few hours I'd just lived had been absolutely perfect. Leia had barely cried all night, the kids were seeming so happy and we'd shared laughter and jokes for hours. We were now sat around the table, eating the desert – a huge chocolate log cooked by my mom, and the cake that Killian had baked all by himself. The baby was in my parents' room, sleeping in Neal's old crib. Leaning against the back of my chair, I was absent-mindlessly listening to my family teasing each other. It'd been two months since the last crisis, and everything was just fine in Storybrooke for now. I was aware it was only a peaceful moment and we would surely have to face another monster soon, but oddly enough, it wasn't bothering me that much anymore. I was used to it, now, and I knew that no matter what, we would always win. And I was so grateful to be able to spend a little time with Killian and my kids without something threatening us. It wasn't usual in this town, and I was enjoying this moment like a true treasure.

Suddenly feeling watched, I turned my head to meet Killian's glance, who smiled at me with so much softness my heart skipped a beat. I searched for his hand under the table and pressed his fingers between mine. After all we'd been through, after all those tears, those cries, this fear, we were finally able to live peacefully. And we were going to enjoy this happiness, because after what we'd lived recently, we deeply needed it.

We stared at each other with so much intensity that for a second, I felt like leaning forward to start kissing him breathlessly, completely forgetting my family's presence around us. But we got interrupted in our quiet stares by Leia's cries, that were ringing from my parents' room. Without waiting any longer, feeling the need to go comfort my daughter, as always when she was starting to sob, I got up and said :

"I'm going."

I rushed toward the little crib to get to her the quicker possible, and took her against me, gently rocking her in my arms. My method didn't seem to work, though, because she continued to yell in anger. In a very soft voice, I whispered to her ear while walking back to my family :

"You're hungry, aren't you, princess? We're going to arrange this, don't worry."

"Give her to me." Killian asked with a kind smile. "I think it's my turn to feed her."

I smiled back at him. We'd initiated a schedule, and we were feeding our daughter in turn. That way, each one of us could spend a little time with Liam, and the other with the baby. I obeyed and carefully gave him the little one before taking the bottle of milk we'd put into the bag we were taking everywhere with us. With a surprising dexterity given the fact he only had one hand, he approached the bottle from Leia, who instantly stopped crying. Her eyes wide open, she started to greedily drink the milk as if she was literally starving.

"Are you guys sure you're feeding her?" Regina said in a teasing tone. "It looks like she hasn't eaten for three days."

"Don't make fun of us, because we're quite happy she's always hungry." I replied with a chuckle, my eyes still staring at Killian, who was watching Leia with a little smile. "Thanks to that, she's even beginning to reach a normal size. It's a good sign given how far she comes."

"But Mommy!" Liam started to babble, as he'd put chocolate all around his mouth, what made me raise an amused eyebrow at him. "Daddy can't eat anymore, now!"

I looked at Killian's still half-full plate, as he'd looked up to listen to our son with a smile, winking at him. When my eyes met his again, I shrugged and said in a playful tone :

"He's right, you know, you're pretty busy right now."

"Life is hard." He replied in the same falsely distraught tone, what made me snort in amusement.

"But you can help him to eat!" Liam shouted again, looking overexcited by everything that was happening.

"You want me to feed Daddy?" I asked, surprised by this unexpected demand.

"Why not!" Neal said, helping his little nephew and looking as happy as our son. "Mommy does that with Daddy all the time!"

"We really didn't need to know that." Regina mumbled with a falsely shocked expression.

Henry laughed so hard he almost spit the milk he was trying to drink, as my mom was becoming as red as my dress. Myself pretty amused by the conversation, pressing my lips in order not to start laughing as well, I decided to save my parents from this embarrassing situation anyways. I turned back to Killian, shaking my head :

"If the kids insist..."

He laughed, knowing all too well what I had in mind, and I got a piece of the cake with my fork to approach it from his lips. He played along and winked at me again, as I was leaning forward once he'd swallowed his part to share a kiss with a deliciously chocolate taste to it.

"Have we already told you you're so cute it's becoming sickening?" Regina jeered, what made us both chuckle as my forehead was still pressed against his, our noses brushing against one another.

"All the time!" Henry added, rolling his eyes.

"Oh, you have nothing to tell them, young man." My dad gently teased him. "Have you seen how you are with Violet?'

His comment made everyone laugh as Henry was turning bright red. I pulled away from my husband and casually left my hand on his thigh to keep a physical contact with him. It was true that my son was still dating the girl, it'd been three years since they'd met and it was becoming quite serious. She wasn't there with us that night, she was spending Christmas with her dad, but they were spending a lot of time together and were very, very close. Embarrassed, my son looked down at his plate to try and pull himself together, and I decided to help him so he wouldn't feel even more uncomfortable.

"Between all these couples, we can be happy there isn't any mistletoe in the apartment, because it would have been a kiss party in here."

"Because you think I need mistletoe to kiss you, princess?" Killian replied, raising an eyebrow at me.

We all shared playful glances from above the table and, as if we'd conferred, I leaned toward Killian to press a little peck on his lips as Regina and Robin and my parents were doing the same.

"Ew!" Roby, Roland, Neal and Liam shouted in a same voice, what made us all burst out laughing as we were pulling away from each other.

It was very late when we crossed the door of our house. The party had lasted for a long while, and we'd had a lot of fun, but the kids were now exhausted. Leia was sleeping in her baby carrier, and Hook got her out to take her in his arms and go upstairs for bedtime. Once he had disappeared into the staircase, I left Liam up from the ground, kissing his forehead and saying with a smile :

"Okay, come on, buddy. It's time to go to bed."

"But I'm not tired!" He protested while rubbing his eyes.

I shook my head, tenderized by how adorable he looked as he was yawning. Despite his affirmation, he was absolutely exhausted, and I knew he only wanted to stay awake to imitate Henry, who was still ready to stay up all night when we'd left the loft. I walked to the stairs and chuckled at his comment :

"On the contrary, young man, I think you are very tired." I replied as, exhausted, he had rested his head against my shoulder.

I quickly helped him put on his pajamas, and told him a little story until he'd closed his eyes, what didn't take very long as it was way past his usual bedtime. Once I was sure he was asleep, I pressed a last kiss on the crown of his head and walked toward my own room, leaving the door of Liam's bedroom open in case there would be a problem during the night. When I arrived, Killian was already waiting for me, leaning against a wall of the room.

"So..." He whispered, raising an eyebrow at me in a charming look as I was closing the door behind my back.

"So... We're finally alone." I stated with half a smile, turning back to face him, feeling my heartbeats racing at his sight.

Because I had held back during the entire night, but I wanted him. I wanted to feel his arms wrapped around me and his body pressed against mine. I wanted to kiss him everywhere as he would let himself go against me. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I bit my lower lip, feeling a familiar heat firing in my lower-stomach. I looked at him with what I knew were almost ridiculously longing eyes as he was approaching me with a slight smile, his one gaze darkened with lust.

"Are you trying to turn me on, Swan?" He whispered, wrapping his arm around me to pull me very close, allowing me to notice his growing arousal.

"What do you think, Captain?" I answered in a husky voice.

I didn't even have the time to realize what my sentence had provoked in him, because he'd attacked my mouth, his kisses giving me the shivers, and I moaned when he caught my lower lip in between his teeth. It was almost crazy that, after all these years, he was still managing to make butterflies appear in my stomach. Without waiting any longer, too eager to finally get what I wanted, I helped him get rid of his shirt to stroke his warm chest with my fingers. He wasn't long to make me take off my dress and we both fell on the bed. I buried my face into the crook of his neck to stifle my sights as he was gently biting my ear, and had to hold myself back so I wouldn't start moaning when his kisses started to trace a path on my stomach, his mouth getting lower and lower as I was cupping the back of his neck to encourage him in his task.

Snuggled against Killian's chest, my breathing still a bit jerky as we'd just finished our quite enjoyable activities – for the second time since we'd come home – I absent-mindlessly caressed his still bare chest with my fingers as his hand was playing with my hair. We were both exhausted, and I was slowly falling asleep in his arms. I hadn't even bothered on putting on some clothes, Killian's amrs were enough for me to keep warm, and the only thing covering our naked skins were the bedsheets. I closed my eyes, kissed Hook's collarbone one last time and felt I was drifting from the world...

"Daddy! Mommy!"

We shared a look and both sighted, aware that our peaceful moment was now over for good. I took the time to kiss Killian on the cheek, then on the lips, and on the neck one more time, before getting off the bed to put on panties and a wide t-shirt that was covering my thighs, as Hook was dressing as well. We both left the room to join our son's, our fingers interlaced as we were crossing the hall.

Against all odds, Liam didn't seem to have awakened Leia with his cry, which was a pretty good thing. My son was standing in his crib, and looked at us coming in, his hair messy and his eyes still full of sleep.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" I gently asked, placing my hand against his forehead to make sure he was okay and wasn't calling us because he was running a fever, and smiling when I realized everything seemed right. "Have you had a nightmare?"

"Is it time for the gifts yet?" He answered with his eyes full of hope.

I shared an amused look with Killian, and he chuckled because of our son's comment. Liam was overexcited about these gifts he was going to receive in the morning. He didn't know it yet, but he was going to have a ton of toys, and I was really looking forward to seeing his reaction when he would discover the little pirate ship we had bought him, along with a sailor outfit, knowing all too well how much he was admiring his dad. But for now, I had to admit it, I just wanted to go get some sleep. Killian then said, gently stroking our son's cheek with a little smile :

"Aw, not yet, little mate, we're in the middle of the night. But I promise you that if you sleep, the time will go fast and you'll have your gifts very, very soon."

"But I'm not tired." Liam answered with a pout.

"Okay, do you want us to tell you a story to help you sleep?" I patiently offered.

He enthusiastically nodded and sat down in his bed, waiting for us to begin. I smiled and went to grab the rocking-chair to place it just in front of Liam. Killian sat down on it, and I settled on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. He placed both his arms on my waist to pull me closer to him, and turned to our son to ask :

"What story do you want to hear, sweetie?"

"I want my favorite!" he shouted with a big smile.

I turned back to Killian and smiled at him, losing myself in the blue of his eyes for a few seconds. We both exactly knew what our son was talking about : It was our story he wanted to hear. The one telling how we'd fallen in love with each other. The one that was telling our entire tale, and it was like a real fairytale, because, at the end, we were actually living happily ever after. I kissed Killian on the corner of his mouth, then turned to look at our son, who was watching us with a bright smile.

"Very well, then. Once upon a Time, there was a pirate and a princess..."

And this is the end! It was such a pleasure writing this fiction, and reading your comments every chapters. Your support means the world to me! I really do hope you liked this story, I know it's far from being perfect, but I'm really trying to improve myself!

And for the little announcement... Well, I wrote something that can be considered as the next part of this story (no pregnancy this time, it's a promise!). It starts two years after this chapter, Liam is therefore 4, and Leia is 2. The fiction is already completely written and is 23 chapters long. It focusses on the issues a long time couple can face. It has a lot of angst, but also a lot of fluff, and a huge amount of jealous Emma (hehe). I hope you'll be there to read it! I'll start posting around the end of June, when I'll be done with my exams. I'll post a little word on here to let you know about it, for those who are interested :)

Once again, thank you all so so so much. I love you guys, and hope to see you soon!