The end of another story is here, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Thank you for all your encouragement along the way; it meant the world to me!

Killian sits in an armchair across the room from Emma, still sleeping in their bed with her hand gripping the edge of her pillow, a thin golden wedding band proudly sitting on her finger.

Sometimes he still can't believe he's not dreaming, stuck in prison and imagining things he can never have, but when it happens he just looks at his baby boy or sifts his fingers through Sienna's dark curls or kisses his wife, his Emma, and then he knows that it's all real.

Aidan fusses a little where he's nestled in the crook of Killian's bad arm, the bullet wound long since healed but the ache still ever-present, and Killian cups his baby's tiny head as he rocks him until he quiets again.

After a few minutes of just admiring Aidan's perfect little face Killian stands up and crosses over to Emma's dresser, making sure to hold his son securely as he searches through the drawer until he finds what he's looking for; the pretty green shoes Emma had made a long time ago for Henry.

His wife sleeps on as Killian sits on his side of the bed and lies Aidan down so that he can slip the shoes on his tiny feet, kissing each chubby leg once he's done and smiling when his son wakes up and looks at him with Emma's brilliantly green eyes.

"Good morning, little love", Killian says and Emma mumbles a good morning back, sighs and goes back to sleep.

Aidan waves his arms a little as if asking to be held and Killian obliges gladly, feeling like he might explode for all the love he feels for his wee lad.

Unlike Sienna when she was this little, Aidan almost never cries, he just gets more and more fussy when he's hungry, so Killian goes to the kitchen to prepare him a bottle, and Emma is still asleep by the time the two of them return.

Aidan eats greedily with his eyes closed and a frown of concentration creasing his brow and it makes Killian smile as he watches him.

Emma sits up so abruptly Killian almost drops the bottle, her hair wild around her face as she scans the room, her shoulders relaxing only when she finds her husband and son.

"You're okay", she whispers and wrestles herself free of the covers.

"Of course we are, sweetheart", Killian murmurs and watches her pad to him across the thick carpet, her night gown hugging her curves beautifully.

They both still have nightmares now and again, and it's their unspoken rule that neither of them leaves the house in the morning without saying goodbye.

Emma sits on the armrest of the armchair and leans down to kiss first Aidan's forehead then Killian's lips, his wedding band swinging from a delicate necklace hanging around her neck; he had worn it for exactly a day on his new prosthetic hand before they both came to the conclusion that it doesn't feel right, and so Emma gave him back his skull and dagger necklace and put on the one with his ring.

"I'm gonna keep it safe so you don't lose it in the kitchen", she had said, and he had kissed her and made love to her once more.

"Did you sleep well, love?" Killian asks but Emma doesn't hear him, too focused on their son and the shoes on his feet.

"They fit", she whispers and Killian nudges her shoulder with his nose in a hopefully comforting gesture.

"They fit perfectly."

Aidan continues eating and Emma rests her cheek against the top of Killian's head as they keep watching their son, both counting their blessings and thanking their lucky stars that they've picked the road that lead them to each other.

Henry spends every other weekend with Emma. It didn't happen overnight once Emma and Killian moved to town with Sienna, but Henry's adoptive parents never had any objections to him hanging out with his birth mother and her family. Over time they've all grown incredibly close, and the fact that Roland and Aidan were just a few months apart helped matters immensely.

Today is Henry's 11th birthday and they are all gathered in The Jolly Roger, Killian's pastry shop; it's closed for business but opened to all the friends, which in this little town pretty much amounts to the same thing.

Killian is busy in the kitchen and Sienna's helping while Emma sits in a booth with Henry, holding Aidan on her lap and exchanging an amused look with Ruby as her son chatters away about all the presents he'd gotten and how Killian had promised him a cake shaped like a race car. Emma still can't believe that Ruby had relocated here too after flying in to see Aidan; there's something about this town that just refuses to let people leave, but in an entirely good way.

More guests arrive and Regina appears, urging Henry to go greet them, and Emma looks around the crowded room with a brilliant smile, feeling perfectly content to just sit there and have Aidan pull on her curls.

A few minutes later Killian and Sienna roll out the cake that really does look like a racing car, 11 candles arranged around it not to mess up the smooth surface, and everybody gets to their feet to sing happy birthday.

Emma goes to stand by Killian's side, smiling when he picks up Sienna to help her see better when Henry approaches the cake and blows out all the candles in one go.

"Well done, lad", Killian says and Henry grins, then thanks Killian for the cake in such a grown up way that everybody laughs.

Emma hopes that whatever wish he'd made, it's going to come true.

Killian is still at work when Emma comes across Sienna's red shoes while putting away laundry and she glances at Aidan over her shoulder, wondering if he's old enough for his big sister's shoes to fit him.

"What do you think, baby?" Emma asks as if Aidan can answer and smiles when he puts his fist in his mouth. "Let's try and see."

Sienna's shoes are still a little too big on him but Emma puts socks on his feet and then they are perfect. She laughs as she picks him up and twirls him around, her heart feeling warm and so light in her chest when he giggles and tugs on Killian's ring that's resting against Emma's chest.

"Here, baby, you can bite this", Emma says and hands him a rubber toy just as Sienna's voice pierces the air.

"Mommy! We're home", she yells and Emma meets her in the living room, unceremoniously discarding her pre-school book on the coffee table.

"Did you have fun today?" Emma asks and sits on the couch, her eyes focused on Killian when he comes in as she waits to see if he's going to notice the shoes.

"It was good but I have homework", Sienna pouts and pokes Emma's knee. "Can daddy do it for me?"

"That would be cheating, darling", Killian says and sits down next to Emma, his eyes widening when he realizes that Sienna's baby shoes are now on his son's feet.

His arms reach for Sienna and set her on his lap, their daughter completely unaware of the gravity of this moment; still, she nestles deeper into Killian's embrace and plays with his pendants while Killian looks at Emma over the top of her head and smiles.

"We got to use them after all", he says and takes Emma's hand in his, then leans down and kisses Aidan right on the nose.

The children giggle, and their parents' old scars heal just a little bit more.

Sometimes Emma finds Killian down by the river, sitting at the edge of the old pier and staring at the distance, so lost in thought that he only notices her when she lays her hand on his shoulder.

It takes her some time to gather up the courage to ask him if he misses the sea, partly because she already knows the answer but mostly because she's scared of asking the follow up question.

"I do", Killian says and tugs on her hand, making her sit on the worn wooden planks next to him. "But I don't regret us moving here, if that's what you're wondering."

"You don't?"

Emma looks at her husband's profile and entwines their fingers, holding on while he gathers his thoughts.

"Even after I met Milah, I still couldn't stay away from the ocean for more than a week. I didn't understand it at the time because I loved her, but now I do", he says and traces the outline of her wedding ring with his thumb. "I don't need the ocean anymore, Swan, because I've found you. You are the home I've been searching for."

Emma is stunned into silence, Killian's eyes making her feel like she's falling again when they meet hers, so much love and devotion shining in their blue depths that she can't find her voice for a long time.

"I love you", she says when she finally manages to swallow the lump in her throat, and Killian leans in to kiss away her tears, his arm wrapping around her waist and holding her close.

"I love you and our children more than I have ever loved the ocean", he whispers and Emma knows it's the truth.

She loves him more than anything else in the world.

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