It wasn't quite second nature to Elsa that she had a bed partner now, but Liam was more than patient in letting her remember. However, the morning after his misunderstanding her symptoms as pregnancy, he was sporting a purple bruise on his cheek from where she had hit him during the middle of the night. He wasn't even sure when or how she did it, other than the fact that she had rolled out of their mutual embrace at some point and then followed that up with rolling back and throwing her fist into his face. He woke up immediately, but she continued to sleep, unaware of the damage she had done.

That was another thing he had learned about her. She liked to sleep in a freezing cold room, complaining that even at 65 it was way too hot for her to get a decent night's rest. So they piled their new bed up high with blankets and covers that she always managed to use until about 3 a.m. when she pushed them all way.

That night he had woken to find his own nose practically sporting icicles as he clung to the edge of the large mattress. Elsa was spread eagle with only one foot beneath the heavy quilt. He had nudged her and covered her, placing a single kiss against her cheek and wrapping her back up in his embrace.

"Hot," she mumbled against his neck, placing her palms on his chest and pushing away. "It's way too hot to cuddle, Liam."

He sat up to watch her kick at the blankets until her long legs were once again exposed to the cold air of central air conditioning and two fans. She was always like that, pushing such things away and complaining that she was always feeling too hot and never too cold.

"What?" she asked, prying open one blue eye to look at him. "Seriously? It's the middle of the night. Stop staring."

"Sorry, I was just going to see if you were about to slap me again," he said, pulling the covers up to his shoulders, as his internal thermometer was somewhat more sensitive.

"I didn't slap you," she said, rolling to her side. "Did I?"

"Aye," he affirmed, "right on the cheek. I would assume you were asleep during the assault, but it happened nonetheless."

Both of her eyes were open now, looking toward his face to inspect the damage in the darkened room. "What did you do?" she asked, reaching out a hand and running her thumb over his cheek where the bruise was already forming. "You must have done something to deserve it."

"Oi, whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Isn't that the motto in this country?" he asked, clamping his hand down over hers and kissing her wrist. "I was just innocently sleeping and wham! You didn't even flinch."

She appraised him carefully. "You must have been snoring," she finally surmised, looking mildly proud of herself for having solved the mystery. His snort told her otherwise. "You do snore. It's cute, but sometimes…"

"You assault me in the middle of the night and this conversation turns into a list of my flaws." He huffed indignantly, the ice blue blanket wrapped around him. "That hardly seems fair, darling."

"I said you snore," she said after a yawn. "That's just one thing. If I was making a list, I would have commented on the fact that you are a drama queen and tend to keep me awake on nights when I need my sleep. Then there is the whole assuming I'm pregnant when I'm not."

"You just had to bring that up again," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "I had to send a text to my brother explaining why I set off his new house alarm when I went to get the wine back. He's going to give me a devil of a time about it." His face reddened. "I was simply trying to be supportive and loving, but instead I have become a laughingstock."

"I wasn't laughing," she asserted mockingly. "I'm sure your intentions were good, but the tact was lacking. You don't just go around assuming or accusing a woman of being pregnant. I could get a complex about my weight from that." She yawned again, her long fingers of her free hand wiggling in front of her mouth.

"I apologize," he said, having already told her the same thing three or four times. "And I will continue to do so."

"I'm not holding a grudge. I'm just teasing you." She gave him her best innocent look, which he only scoffed at the insincerity of. "Make it up to you?"

"You better," he growled, pulling her in for a searing kiss. Their lips slid against each other, warm and slower than one would assume. She wrangled her hand free from him to loop around his shoulders and pull him down on top of her. It was one of the benefits, he thought, slowly running his own along her. They had all the time in the world.

***AAA***

"My brother is an absolute prat," Killian announced to Emma from his spot on the bed. The overly fluffed pillow was folded behind his head and the blanket thrown low over his hips. "I hope you know that Granny did you a favor by pairing you up with the right Jones brother."

She leaned precariously out of the bathroom that was attached to their room, a toothbrush in her hand as she scoffed at him. "It's a bit early for the ego, Mr. Jones," she told him. He was clearly amused, which had her curious. However, she was also aware that her son was hoping to go for a hike that morning and was probably tying his sneakers at that very moment. "What did he do?"

Killian related the story to her, the abbreviated one that Liam had shared with him over text message. Yes, he had been the first of the three to cave and power back up his phone. "He could have just asked her."

Holding her hair back with her hand and spitting into the sink, she stifled a laugh about the man running all over town in a panic. Still the image didn't strike her as preposterous as Killian was making it out to be. Walking back into their shared room, she perched on the side of the bed as she reached for her earrings off the bedside table. "You know, I think it's kind of cute. I'm sure that he was freaking out on the inside, but his first thoughts were to protect his child and the mother of his child. That's sweet."

"But there is no child, love," Killian pointed out. "He did it for nothing."

Emma shrugged as she turned the back on one of the earrings. "That's why I called it cute and sweet, not smart. Anyway, I kind of get the feeling that he might not be too far off base. I could see them having kids in the future. I don't know if he has that as a plan, but Elsa's always said she wants one or two of her own." She bent and grabbed her sneakers off the floor, placing them in front of her and pointing her toes to fit them to her feet. "So are you getting up or are you just going to lounge around here all day?"

"Momentarily, love," he said, dropping his phone to the side and running his hand up her arm. "You know we've never talked about it. Do you want kids? I mean, someday."

"I have a kid," she told him, leaning down and dropping a quick kiss to his mouth. "A great one who is probably dying to get outside for the day." She paused at his earnest expression, biting down on her lip a bit harder than she meant. "Why? Do you want kids?"

"I suppose I was just thinking about the subject after this rather humorous tale of misinformation and lack of communication. Is it so odd to wonder if you and I would ever…"

Emma ran a hand through her long blonde hair. "I don't think we have time for this conversation right now." She swallowed hard. "Maybe we should do this over a few drinks or something?"

Smiling at her, he shook his head. "I love you, Emma."

She returned his grin shakily, standing abruptly and spinning off toward the door. "I love you too, but I'm still postponing this discussion. Now get dressed and get your butt downstairs for breakfast and hiking."

"Emma, I didn't…"

"I know. Just…let's talk about this later." She hurried out the door, closing it behind her before leaning against it and folding her arms around herself.

***AAA***

Elsa tapped her fingers on the table as she watched her sister read the document slowly – too slowly for her tastes. "It's going to be out of date by the time we sign it," she muttered, ignoring the way that Regina was looking at her.

The documents regarding the changes to their upcoming tour meant new contracts had to be signed. The first round had gone much easier with Emma explaining everything and answering questions before Anna could even think of them. However, without the blonde to lead them through the process, Anna was showing off her one semester of business law class and attempting to become the Perry Mason of the duo.

"So when it says we will perform live…" Anna began, dropping off. "Does that mean…"

Elsa interrupted her sister and Regina. "It means we perform live. You know, like a concert? The whole point of these documents?" She pushed back from the table. "Regina, I appreciate your having us in, but can I just sign them? I'm sure they are fine from what I read. Anna can read to her heart's content, but I'd rather just sign and leave."

Stoically, Regina restacked the papers that were in front of her. "Actually, Elsa, I was thinking we could do the signing as part of a press conference to announce the mini-tour. People are expecting you two to do a larger tour this fall, but we can announce this one and beat the reporters to the story."

Elsa's lips pursed into a thin line. "Fine, whatever. Let's just get this done, Anna."

Bobbing her head up and down, Anna dragged her finger across the page she was looking at, pausing every few words. "So this says we will have to be responsible for the procurement of costumes. What does that mean exactly? Are we talking about animal costumes or Halloween? I'm not sure that I understand. I mean I don't have a problem wearing a costume if it fits the songs, but I can't imagine what costume would. A witch, for example, wouldn't make for a good one at all. Witches would sing about feeling alone, but not about having a broken heart. What do you think Elsa? Should we try to find witch costumes?"

The one benefit to Anna's stream of consciousness was that she was able to shock and surprise Regina into near speechlessness. "I think it means we are responsible for our own clothes," Elsa offered, resisting an eye roll. "And I think I'm going to go take a walk."

Regina told Anna to continue her reading and followed the older sister into the hallway. Closing the door firmly behind her, she gave up a very stilted laugh. "Is she always like that?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Elsa stared at the directory that was printed on the wall. "She's a good sister, really. It's just that all our lives I'm the one who makes the decisions and researches everything. I think with the baby coming, she's trying to prove she can do it." Closing her eyes, Elsa sighed. "Emma's usually pretty good with her, but since this pregnancy, she's been nearly impossible."

Regina steered Elsa from the conference room down the hall to her own office. "You know, I'm not the older sister but I do have some experience with these things. My sister tends to be the one who relies on me. She wouldn't even know how to run this company that Mom left us. It can be pretty tedious pretending that I need her assistance on certain things. However, it helps keep the peace, which according to all the business journals is imperative in running a business." She unlocked the door to her office and rummaged through the minifridge for some water. "I can't tell you how many times I've bit my tongue and let her think that some idea was her own."

"I thought that was just an older sister thing," Elsa said tentatively before she took a sip from the bottle that Regina offered her.

"I wish," Regina lamented. "Do you know how much I wish I could be the one spending a fortune to buy and renovate a bar that has almost folded six times in the past two years? It's my sister's pet project that she will probably get bored with after spending half of her share of the budget. What does she know about running a night club? You'd think she came up with the idea after watching reruns of 90210."

Even Elsa found that idea funny, as she could hardly keep the image of a pajama clad Regina from entering her mind. For whatever reason the pajamas she pictured were gray or black business suit style with fluffy pink slippers. "So she's serious about wanting to buy the Rabbit Hole?"

"Very. She's even trying to pilfer part of my staff for it."

Elsa's mouth gaped at the news, as she knew of the offer that had been made to Emma, but was unware that Regina knew too. "I don't think…"

"Relax," Regina said coyly. "I have known already. Zelena's not exactly much for keeping things quiet. She even went to HR here to have the contracts drawn up. Those women aren't exactly known for keeping secrets from me." She scoffed, running her hand across the desk to wipe at the condensation. "I don't blame her. Emma's quite talented and a quick learner. She seems to have a magic touch when it comes to finding talent and honing it. So while I hope she turns my sister's offer down, I'm not surprised that it is an issue. Zelena's using her head for once."

***AAA***

Henry craned his neck back to look at the tree above them, squinting his eyes into sun just as his mother admonished him for his lack of sunglasses. He gave her the obligatory comment about forgetting and promising to do better in the future. Normally his mother would laugh at his robotic recitation of such things, but she was quieter than normal.

"Are you okay?" he asked, cupping a hand over his eyes. "Did Killian do something?"

It was one of those moments when she had to remind herself that this was her son and not one of her friends. She didn't need to have this conversation with a preteen. "No, I'm just in a mood," she responded. "What's next on the list?" The two had picked up a set of the laminated cards that Eric and Ariel offered to visitors. They were miniature nature scavenger hunts that were supposed to be conducted with a digital camera. Anyone who got all the items checked off received a t-shirt, keychain, or some other trinket. Henry had chosen the bird hunt, which would net them a free ice cream dessert that night.

"You're the one holding the list," he said, crossing his eyes at her in jest. "Seriously, Mom, what the heck? It's like you're drunk."

"I don't want to know how you know what I'm like when I'm drunk." She cringed as she tried to recall, but found nothing in her memory banks. That left her feeling uneasy and worried over what she might have forgotten. "I am just having a bad day."

"You know, he probably didn't mean it."

"What?"

"Whatever Killian said to you," her son elaborated, pointing the camera in the direction of a woodpecker. "I bet he didn't mean it. He's never been out and out mean to you before. So why would he start now?"

Emma pursed her lips and waited for her son to snap the photograph. He did and whirled back around at her. "He didn't say anything wrong. He's probably waiting on us to get finished with this. We should head back." She squinted through the haze of the summer day toward the direction of the building. "What?" she asked, noticing the sad expression on her son's face.

"I had just thought things were getting better for the two of you. I kind of hoped they were anyway."

Henry took two steps to her every one, trying to keep up with her. It wasn't as though he had a lot of experience with this kind of stuff, but he wasn't blind either. Last night his mother and Killian had been fine, sneaking kisses and holding hands beneath the table. It wasn't the easiest thing to watch, but he could see a happiness to his mother's behavior and wanted her to have that. And if Killian was doing something to endanger that, he was willing to step up and stop his teacher from being a jerk about it. He told his mother as much.

"You're a good kid, you know that?" She smiled, dropping a kiss on his forehead. "But I promise this is just one of those adult things. Killian didn't do anything wrong. I promise."

"He better not," Henry said gruffly, adjusting the strap on his backpack and heading back inside.

Emma waited a moment before she followed, finding Killian sitting at the counter with Eric and looking over some sort of brochure about a boat that the bed and breakfast owner wanted to buy. He was laughing over something, the melodic tone carrying about the wood paneled room. Throwing his head back, he caught her eye and stopped, a slower and more tender smile replacing the easiness of his conversation with Eric.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be back before dinner or not, love," he said as she approached. "You and the lad had a good time?"

She didn't lean in as she usually did, choosing to stay a step or two back. "You could have come with us."

"Aye, I suppose that would have been ideal, but after you had a bit of a moment this morning and Eric invited me to go fishing, I thought it might serve us well to do separate things today." He muttered a thank you and a see you later to Eric before placing his hand under Emma's folded elbow and guiding her over to the sofa nearest the cold fireplace. "I apologize for this morning. I completely spoke without thinking first."

He looked sad and almost worried, she thought as his blue eyes searched her face for any sign of forgiveness. "You don't have to do that," she said warily. "You don't have to apologize. I'm the one who had the moment, not you."

"Don't I?" His perplexed expression only served to cut her a little more deeply. "I'm afraid I'm a bit confused, Emma. I assumed that we were quite well with each other and then I brought up my brother's mistake this morning. If there is anything I should have picked up by now, you don't appreciate being rushed. And that was clearly me rushing you."

The jumble of thoughts that flew through Emma's mind almost crippled her with fear. She recognized the symptoms from the sweaty palms to the way her heart was beating way too fast and then too slow. Her eyelids felt as if they were moving independently and perhaps even spasming out of control. It was in her head, but she knew the symptoms well enough. "I hate this," she said finally, not exactly being specific about her current dislike. "I hate that you have to be so careful around me because I'm a broken mess who can't have a conversation about normal things. Do you know what the conversation Neal and I had about Henry was like? It was him saying he didn't have a condom and one time wouldn't possibly hurt. I've never had another conversation on that scale. None. The closest is that I always insist on a condom. If a guy doesn't have one, I have my own pack. I am as faithful to my birth control as anyone could be. I have alarms set up on my phone to remind me, but I don't need them because I have an internal clock to tell me too. When Henry was eight, he asked Santa for a brother or a sister. I got him a goldfish because my apartment didn't allow furry pets."

Killian's lips twitched at the mental image of a young Henry getting a fish rather than a sibling. "It was way too soon for me to have brought up such a thing," he said, curling his hand into a tightly wound fist. "I honestly didn't mean for it to start a discussion, love. I was merely laughing over my brother's folly. I should have been more sensitive to your plight."

She closed her eyes briefly and sucked in a deep breath. "I don't want that, Killian. I don't want you to have to hold back on a perfectly reasonable question because you're afraid I'll freak out. Yes, I've thought of having children, but it hasn't been exactly something I was counting on or planning on. Maybe someday, but right now I'm kind of enjoying just being with you." She offered him a wavering smile. "Are you having thoughts like that?"

"About marriage and family?" he asked, still keeping his voice to the low tempered pitch. "I assure you that I am in no rush to hurry along that path. Most of my thoughts are not quite that far into the future, love. I prefer to think a little more short term in the way of considering where we might spend our nights or what movie we might watch with your boy."

She let her head loll back on the couch, her cheek sandwiching her hand between it and one of the cushions. "You do realize I hate it when you do that?" His blank stare told her that he didn't. "You always seem to know just what to say. It makes me feel like an idiot sometimes."

He reached up and drew his finger against the spot behind his right ear. "Sorry, love?"

She laughed, reaching out and pulling him closer by his collar. "I don't think you can help it," she said before pulling him the rest of the way to meet her lips. "You quit with the apologizing and I'll work on my panicking over the future."

***AAA***

The next morning was not nearly as bright, Emma realized from the muted light coming through the window. It was overcast and the clouds were building for what the forecasters predicted as an afternoon of rain showers. Killian had been up earlier, promising to take Henry for a walk on the beach to capture photos of the sunrise that was sure to have been more colorful with the clouds mixing with the light. She'd been fast asleep when he snuck back in the room and curled up behind her to catch a bit more sleep while Henry posted his newest pics to social media.

His breath was warm on her neck as she tugged at the cover and thought about the book she was hoping to read. All three of them had brought rainy day activities like books or a deck of cards, but she was a bit disappointed in a way that she could be cooped up inside for a while. Bending her knees, her feet snuggled in between his legs and her arm closed over his around her waist.

"Good morning," she said groggily as he pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. "Have fun?"

"Lovely morning," he said, moving himself closer to her. "Lovelier still to find you still in bed, relaxed and waiting for me."

She smoothed her fingertips over the back of his hand. "And it would be even lovelier if you brought me breakfast, but I guess nobody's perfect."

"We are quite the pair, you know?" he whispered against the shell of her ear. "Ask and you shall receive."

Turning her head, looked over her shoulder at him, noting the smirk and raised eyebrows. "What the hell did you do?" she asked, her next question cut off by a quick kiss.

"Look over on the side table," he instructed, running his fingers over her hips before rolling away so that she might get a better view of his accomplishment. Sitting next to the old fashioned alarm clock was a covered plate and a steaming cup of coffee. And atop that was a folded note.

"You even wrote a note?" she asked, scooting up to a sitting position before reaching across him to grab her breakfast. "Why bother with it when you were going to be here?"

"Well," he said, grunting a bit when she accidentally elbowed him in the stomach during her reach, "I had planned to leave it for you to wake up to, love. However, seeing you all curled up in this bed alone did things to me. I couldn't resist climbing back in myself." She wondered if he had gotten too much sun the day before or if he was blushing.

"This is very sweet of you," she remarked, breaking off a piece of bacon and handing it to him. "Have you already eaten?"

"Henry and I did earlier." He chewed thoughtfully before eyeing another piece of the succulent breakfast treat. "I dare say he hardly left anything in his wake."

"Growing boy." Drawing a fork through the cheesy scrambled eggs, she hummed. "You know, the first thing I ever learned to cook was breakfast. It was at one of my foster homes. The husband used to bring his wife breakfast in bed every Sunday. I would get up early and he taught me a few things like scrambling eggs and making pancakes. I don't know why I just thought of that." She closed her mouth around the fork.

"Feeling nostalgic perhaps?"

"Maybe," she said, lowering the fork again. "You're a good cook though. Where did you learn?"

He ran a hand through his messy hair, curling them under at he reached the apex of his head and keeping it there. "I suppose from my mother," he said offhandedly. "I can remember her making these amazing meals and preparing a table for our father. He was usually late or didn't show at all, so Liam and I didn't each like most children our age. Where other children had starchy comforts, we had prawns and lobster. She was quite good at cooking and wanted to pass it on to us. Liam was too busy, but I…I liked seeing her turn the ingredients into something. It was a bit like magic to me. I think she even told me that a few times, called her recipes magic tricks."

Putting the plate aside, Emma slid back down in the bed to his side, placing a single kiss where the neck of his shirt met his skin. "She must have been a great mom, raising the two of you like she did."

"We were a handful to be sure," he chuckled. "She would have liked you. As I recall, most of her friends were strongly independent lasses who came from good stock or so she would say. I don't even remember all their names, but can certainly remember the tales mum would tell us of what they had overcome and how they made the world better for it."

She laid her head on his chest, ear over his heart. "I wish I could have met her."

They did not have the luxury of staying like that long, as she wanted to shower and go find Henry. It did not turn into the rainy day that she had imagined with her book and a cup of coffee. Instead, the three of them played with an old version of video game console and had tournaments where the stakes included chores back at home. After it was decided that Henry had trash duty for at least two weeks and that Emma would have to make both of their beds, Killian was up for the racing game against them both. Two rounds later, Henry and Killian were both tied at one race each. Emma used that as an excuse to scrounge up drinks for them.

"You know," Henry said, folding his legs up under him so that he sat even taller on the sofa. Killian had noticed that it was a move Emma often did too, right before she was going to say something that made her nervous. Maybe it was the added height that made them more comfortable. "My dad is taking flying lessons."

"That must be a fun thing to do," Killian responded, confused as to why this was such a big deal to Henry. Perhaps he was idolizing his father, but still it was odd.

"He wants me to go flying with him. Next week when we're back in Storybrooke."

The alarm went off in Killian's head, realizing that Henry was bargaining for this little adventure. His mother wouldn't approve of it. "Ahhh."

"Do you think maybe you could talk to my mom? I know that she doesn't like me to do anything dangerous, but it's my dad."

Knowing that it is a fine line between being Emma's significant other and a father figure to Henry, Killian looked concerned. If he stepped in, Emma might see that as him usurping her power as a parent. However, he knew that Henry was seeing this as a way to get what he wanted. "Have you spoken to her about it?"

Henry shook his head, lifting a finger to his mouth when he saw his mother coming back to join them. She plopped down on the couch next to her son, winking as she handed him a sugary drink that she proclaimed was only okay because of vacation. He sipped it eagerly.

"So another round to proclaim the champion?" she asked. "Or more if I happen to whip you two."

***AAA***

Elsa strummed the first few chords, nodding her head as if approving of the melody silently. She repeated the chords twice more before pulling the pencil out from behind her ear and made a notation on Liam's notepad. Three little lines appeared above the bridge of her nose as she wrote. "What?" she asked him, looking up into his cerulean eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that? You know that Emma's got me on a schedule. We need to have this ready to record when she gets back."

"You're bloody gorgeous when you're working," he teased, the corners of his mouth twitching. "I can't help but stare, darling."

Her pale skin quickly turned a blushing shade of red as he did just that. "Liam, I can't work like this. Look here. I changed my intro to this octave. It's easier for me to hit these notes." She scribbled a bit more, then pierced her braid with the pencil. "Let's try it this way."

Their voices and instruments melded together seamlessly, his a richer tone to her softer and yet still strong one. She warbled a bit on one of the end notes, frowning afterwards as her hand slapped on the wood of the acoustic guitar body. "I'm not sure I like that. What do you think?"

"I think you did it beautifully," he told her. "How can I not when I clearly fancy you?"

"Liam, everything I do isn't perfect. Come on now. Let's try it again but with you doing this part, okay?"

He didn't put up much of an argument, performing it as she wished and offering no suggestions when she wasn't happy. Clearly frustrated, she put her guitar aside and frowned at the now messy notes in front of her.

"You seem vexed?"

Tilting her head to the side, she turned that frown to him. "Aren't you going to offer anything here? You're not working with me at all. I just want to know what you think. You wrote this. Isn't there anything…"

He cleared his throat. "Killian and I wrote it, but to be honest, he's better at the lyrics. I'm not quite sure what you were going for here, darling. The bridge seems to be tripping us up a bit. Maybe we should look at it." He spun the spiral pad back around to face him, reading through the notes she had made and his own scribblings of lyrics. "Perhaps…" He began to strum again, each chord getting a bit stronger and more confident.

Her frown melted away as she noticed his half closed eyes and the way that he was singing so low both in register and in volume. She was scared to pick up her own guitar, opting to hum along with the newly arranged melody and letting him take the lead. He wasn't even looking at the page, When he finished, his eyes drifted back open to catch sight of hers.

"That was beautiful, Liam," she said softly. "Absolutely beautiful."

"It's not quite right yet. I don't like the verse here and I think it needs a bit more flourish there at the intro to the chorus." He still smiled proudly though as she picked up the pad and threw it to the side. To his amazement, she pulled the guitar out of his arms with very little effort and scooted over to sit between his splayed legs, her head resting back on his right shoulder.

Placing his guitar on her lap, she motioned for his hands to join hers on the strings. "Sing for me again?"