16.

"Emma. Emma, wake up love." Killian gently shook her shoulder. "You overslept," he continued when she began to stir. "It's already a quarter past eight."

Her eyes shot open then as her head spun around to check the clock on her bedside. "What the hell!" she moaned and sat up, struggling to untangle herself from the sheets and climb out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me sooner?" she snapped at him.

"Sorry, I got up early with Hope. We both fell back to sleep on the sofa downstairs with her morning milk," he explained as he followed her to the bathroom.

"Great!" she huffed and shut the door in his face.

Killian winced, knowing that his wife was likely to be in a bad mood for the rest of the day now. He turned to head back downstairs with Hope on his hip, clinging to his chain and wondered if perhaps he could appease his wife's mood with an on the go breakfast.

Emma was downstairs almost 15 minutes later, still pulling a sweater on over her head and fighting with the stair gate at the bottom of the stairs. Killian had this house more protected than fort knocks with his childproofing once Hope had found her feet. "Dammit!" she hissed, jiggling the gate, "I am going to be so damn late!"

Calmly, Killian stepped out of the kitchen and easily unfastened the gate for her with a smile. Emma took it the wrong way. "No need to be smug about it!" she grumbled, pulling her hair from her sweater.

She missed the eye roll Killian gave as he returned to the kitchen. He knew there was no point in saying anything, she'd pick a fight over the dumbest things when in this mood.

Hope, who had been playing with a mound of toys on her blanket on the floor, looked up at the sound of her Mom's voice and toddled over to her excitedly. "Momma!" she grinned wide and threw her arms in the air, asking to be picked up.

"Hey pumpkin!" Emma gave her daughter a smile as she scooped her in for a big cuddle, covering her face with playful kisses as Hope giggled. "Eew, I think someone has a stinky butt," she poked the toddler in the belly. "Shall we get that changed?"

Hope shook her head. "No!" she said firmly. At 18 months old, Hope already had a dozen or so words in her vocabulary, her most favourite being 'no'.

"But you don't want a dirty diaper, honey," Emma said, struggling with the wiggling child in her arms who wanted down.

"No! Momma!" she giggled as she was placed on the floor again and ran off.

"Hope, come on! Mommy has not got time for this!" she groaned, chasing after the little one. "Come and get that stinky butt changed! Eurgh!" she grimaced and threw her hands in the air as Hope crawled under the table.

"Get yourself off to work, Swan," Killian instructed as he handed her a travel mug of coffee and a muffin. "I got this," he assured her.

"You're sure?" she checked, glancing back at Hope who was still giggling. This was all a fun game to her and she wanted to play.

"Aye. A dirty diaper has yet to defeat Captain Hook! I'll see you at lunch," he murmured and leaned in to give her a soft kiss

Nodding, she pulled her boots on. "I love you guys," she called and waved as she grabbed her jacket and headed out the door.

"We love you too!" Killian called after her just before the door closed.

It would appear that Killian's suspicions had been correct when they met up for lunch later. Emma was rather irritable after having a bad morning with some paperwork going missing. And her mood took another dive when Granny announced that her delivery guy had never showed and she was out of cheese, so no grilled cheese today. Emma sulked over that, with a full on pout whilst Hope gleefully entertained the entire diner with her performance of her banging a spoon on her high-chair tray repeatedly.

Emma mournfully went back to work with a headache.

Later at home that night, she had picked a fight with Killian over the water jug being empty and put back in the fridge. It was her claim that he always did it, which bemused him since he could never remember her filling the damn thing, ever!

She had another strop when they went to bed because he had put her favourite pajamas in the laundry and they weren't were she had left them – screwed up on the chair. And when he tried to snuggle up with her in bed, she shrugged him off, claiming he was making her hot and grumbling how he always hogged the bed.

A less confident man might have taken it personally and start to question their relationship. But, whilst Killian merely rolled over and got comfortable on his side of the bed, he just sighed to himself. He was completely secure in the knowledge that Emma loved him, appreciated him and respected him, just as he did her. He knew his wife very well, perhaps better than she did herself and he knew exactly what was going on with her, even if she didn't yet. When in this mood, she had no recognition of just how cranky and moody she could get.

The following day started off much better. Killian woke with Emma cuddled up to him and they took their time to enjoy the peace of the early morning, neither of them wanting to move or start their day. That was until a little body crawled into bed with them, bouncing on their feet. Hope had figured out how to climb out of her crib a couple of months previous and no matter what they tried, she still managed it.

They savoured a delicious leisurely breakfast together before seeing Emma off to work and Killian began his day of wrangling the 18 month old and keeping her entertained.

But by the time the pair of them showed up at the Sheriff's station to escort her to lunch, Emma had become that stressed out, grouchy beast again. Her computer had crashed and lost some work, the phone had been ringing none stop and she claimed she had no time to stop for lunch today. He suggested getting some take out food from Granny's and they could eat it at her desk and she was about to agree, when the phone rang again just as Hope decided to let everyone know she was cranky and ready for the nap she'd been fighting. Emma couldn't hear herself think as the baby howled, let alone the person who had called, so decided it was best if Killian took Hope home.

Her mood hadn't improved much by the time she got home a little late that night. She seemed tired and rather quiet and didn't want to do much other than laze in front of the TV with Hope and watch her shows.

Once Killian had got Hope into bed and she was asleep, he returned downstairs to find Emma still lying on the couch, watching nonsense on the TV. "Is Hope asleep?" she asked.

"Aye, she's away in the land of nod. Do you fancy a cocoa?" he asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Sounds good!" she replied whilst turning the channel and wrapping herself in a blanket.

He smiled to himself, humming in the kitchen as he made the drinks. Once he'd made hers he took it over to her, as well as a glass of water and a packet of pills.

She took a sip of her cocoa and then frowned at the pills. "What are those for?" she asked, reaching for them. "I didn't ask for any…" She stopped as she read the package and realised what they were, her Midol medication that she usually took to help relieve PMS and period symptoms. "What did you bring me these for?" she looked back up at him.

Killian shrugged. "Just trying to be helpful."

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes as she tossed the packet back at him. "Not everything I deal with is because of my menstrual cycle or because I am merely a delicate woman!" she scoffed.

"I don't...I didn't…" he huffed. "Fine," he said tentatively, not wanting to start a fight as he picked the pills up from the floor. "I'll put them back then if you don't need them." He left Emma grumbling under her breath as he returned to the kitchen to finish the dishes and make his own cocoa, figuring he deserved a shot of rum in his tonight.

He hadn't been stood there long, just rinsing the last glass and draining the sink when Emma came up behind him. Her arms slid beneath his and wrapped around him as she pressed her face against his shoulder, hugging him from the behind. "I'm sorry," she mumbled after a moment. "I've been a cranky bitch and I don't deserve you," she apologised.

Killian smirked to himself and turned his head slightly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye as he dried his hand and blunted wrist on a dish towel. He knew he'd been right, he knew his damn wife!

"How the hell do you put up with me?" she asked, sounding sulky and rather contrite.

He turned to face her, placing his hand and bare wrist on her hip as he gazed directly into her eyes. "Because I love you," he answered simply and kissed her forehead.

A small smile grew on her lips as her eyes watered. "I love you, too," she replied. "And you're right, I probably do need those pills right now. How did you know?"

He chuckled softly. "Love, I have known you for over seven years now, I have lived with you for at least five of those years and I know you well. I can guarantee that like clock work, for a few days every month you become a different person, moody, sulky, irritable and a bit grouchy. I understand what's going on and try to be supportive because I love you and care about you, that's all."

Emma sniffed as her damn mixed up hormones got the better of her and she fell into his arms again, hugging him tightly. "I don't know what I did to deserve you," she mumbled into his chest.

"You loved me back," he answered, resting his chin on top of her head and rubbing her back in slow circles with his hand. "Now, why don't you take one of these pills, then go up and take a warm bath and get an early night?" he suggested. "I'll be up soon."

"Okay," she nodded and wiped her eyes as she pulled back from him. "As soon as I finish my cocoa."