There were no secrets in Storybrooke. Honest-to-god, it was like a miniature Peyton Place or soap opera the way rumors ran rampant alongside truth in the small town. Maybe because so many of the townsfolk were trapped there, unable to leave, or maybe because they were stories themselves, sprang to life in a different world. Whatever the cause, everyone knew everybody else's business. They had known that Regina and Sheriff Graham were sleeping together – they could have saved the wear and tear on that lovely tree he used to climb up and just used the front door. They knew that David and his wife were having marital troubles, that Mary Margaret and Dr. Whale slept together one time after a date, that Ruby had joined an online dating service, and that Graham had kissed Emma just before he died. Well, that did take place on main street, so maybe that one didn't count. Even the non-fairytale people in town knew that one.

So Wendy knew she only had a short window of time before the news of her unexpected condition made the rounds. There were only two pharmacies in town, Caterpillar's and the chain store that was out by the strip mall where Mother Hubbard worked. Soon as she presented the prescription for pre-natal vitamins, she could expect no more than an hour before parents called a school board member to complain about the unwed mother teaching their precious innocent child and what a bad example she would be to them. That didn't really bother her all that much – seriously, where were they going to find someone to teach a class mixed with fairytale urchins and non-cursed children, anyway – but the fact that her friends would hear from someone else did.

So her first object of business was to gather Belle and Ruby and tell them; she caught Ruby in the diner later the very evening after she'd learned about it herself. Belle had already closed up the library, but they got her on the phone, ordered enough Chinese food for a small army, and convened a support group on Wendy's boat without even knowing why. That's what friends did. She told them everything, literally everything since Ruby insisted on the details of it all, interrupting once to check out the size of the shower (declaring that was plausible but almost impossible) and again when Belle wanted to know all about the setting on the ship right down to the food and the type of sheets (that was the romantic in her thinking of possible future scenarios for her and Mr. Gold – and Wendy didn't think any more about that considering what she knew about Belle's beloved). She admitted to forgetting, or not thinking about birth control, because she'd come to terms with the fact that she hadn't been very proactive, mind caught up in other things like worrying about Cora taking her heart or killing Henry. They both agreed that was a good reason to forget to introduce a guy to the concept of condoms.

When she got to the part where Dr. Whale revealed the results of her tests to her, Belle held her hand as she described her immediate decision to keep the baby, damn the consequences, and to tell Killian everything, and Ruby put an arm around her shoulder. There were tears all around as Wendy started crying again when she repeated Killian's vows of support and his declaration of undying love. He'd been shocked, put off his game long enough to reveal his true feelings with a kiss, a very hot, very demanding kiss that pretty much claimed Wendy as his. To say he'd been surprised would be an understatement – Hook didn't like children all that much to begin with – but he'd promised that this child would be different because it was theirs, made together, probably one of their first times together since he'd come back to Storybrooke. He hadn't wanted her to leave him then, insisting they go back to the ship and that she needed to sit down, but she'd known he needed to deal with the fallout of Cora's previous actions and disappearance so she'd assured him she'd spend the evening with friends and sent him off to continue with his work.

"You know," Ruby said. "This will be the first baby born in Storybrooke from one of us."

The fact hadn't occurred to Wendy; she'd been too wrapped up in her own life to see the wider implications. It was true; the curse had kept them all just the way they were when it fell, with no memories of who they were for years. No one grew older, no one got sick, and no one had children. Even the children – look at the Hatter's daughter whom Wendy had had in class – stayed children somehow, no one noticing that they progressed so very slowly in grades, staying in the same one for years. Only the ones they now thought of as non-cursed were immune; people who were born outside the town and moved here, fairytale people who came through different ways like August, and Henry & Emma, of course. Even now, Wendy couldn't leave or lose her memories, but Henry could walk right out of town if he wanted to.

"Do you think he or she will be able to leave town?" Belle's mind must have been working the same way as Wendy's.

"I hope so." Wendy unconsciously rubbed a hand over her still flat stomach. "But it's good to know that he or she will grow up with such good people to help raise her." Belle and Ruby smiled back at her. "Now, I'm hungry. Did we get some Kung Pao Chicken? I'm thinking spicy sounds good."

…

Killian spent the next day cleaning up the deck of the Jolly Roger, scouring off any traces of Regina's spell, looking for leftover pebbles and grit from Meliah's necklace. He'd been busy saving Wendy and Belle and hadn't seen who had picked up what was left behind. Regina, his money was on Madame Mayor. She'd take any leverage she could get over Rumplestiltskin. Just thinking that name made his blood pressure shoot up and he tossed the rope down with unnecessary force. Too many memories, too new emotions roiling through him; Meliah died just down the steps there, the mother of Rumplestiltskin's child dead by his own hand. He wondered if Rumple had known, in that moment when he grasped her beating heart in his fingers, that there were two hearts that he was extinguishing, Meliah's and the unborn child inside of her. Maybe it was an added benefit to know that he was murdering Killian's baby along with his love.

"Damn it all to hell," he muttered, kicking the railing in his frustration. Now here he was, back in the same situation again; a baby on the way and too many enemies who'd gladly use the helpless child for their revenge. God, he wanted to be happy, to think of a gorgeous dark hair and blue eyed little girl that he could take sailing and spoil rotten. Wanted to picture Wendy on the deck of that boat of hers, the three of them out on a sunny day, making their way down the coast to one of those cities that was just a name on a map, free of this place, this curse, these damnable villains out for blood.

"Permission to come aboard?" Charming stood on the gangplank, waiting for a reply. They'd barely spoken since Killian had snuck into town with Cora; he'd actively avoided the Prince/Sheriff so as not to give away the plan.

"Welcome, your majesty," he said with a mocking bow, swing his arm wide. "My humble ship is yours, of course."

"Please, it's just David." Charming had on a worn pair of jeans, comfortable warm sweater frayed around the collar, and a pea coat to ward against the November chill. "May I call you Killian?"

Hook bowed his head slightly in reply, wondering exactly what David was up to. Maybe Regina had decided to press charges against him after all. He trusted her about as far as he could sail out of this harbor.

"I wanted to thank you. For what you did for Henry. I know Cora intended to hurt him; you helped stop it," David offered his hand to Killian. For a split second, he hesitated to take it, dreaming up all sorts of ulterior motives, but this was Charming after all. Man was incapable of being that nasty, so he shook the proffered hand.

"I didn't do it for Henry, you know. The kid's obnoxious and stubborn as a mule. But Wendy seems to like him." Being snarky made him feel better, more like his old self, the pirate again.

"Well, Wendy is one of Henry's favorite people, so that counts in my book." David paused as if thinking about what to say next. "Actually, Henry tells me congratulations are in order."

"Really?" Killian arched an eyebrow and just waited, leaving the man hanging.

"A baby's a wonderful gift. And a welcome sign as well, the first one born since the curse broke. Maybe it's not too late for the rest of us. Mary Margaret is over the moon; some of the other teachers are already planning the shower. Hasn't been a wedding in town in forever." David smiled indulgently at the mention of Snow White. Killian, however, was floored by the knowledge that not only did everyone know about the child but that word – wedding. He'd barely started to get his head wrapped around having a baby; his life was running ahead of his brain's ability to keep up with him.

"You're assuming a lot there," he drawled, falling back upon sarcasm to deal with the situation. "Maybe that's what they do at court, but pirates are a different thing."

David eyed him up and down, seeing right through the bravado. "Trust me, when Snow got pregnant, I was terrified; we weren't married yet and George was still king."

That was news to Killian. He'd thought Emma was conceived on the wedding night, just like in all fairytale 'and they lived happily ever afters.' So good little princes and princesses could jump the gun, huh?

"I do believe Wendy would say that we're in a different place now with different rules. And may I say I certainly enjoy the new 'rules' about sex." Killian winked boldly at the other man, trying to throw him off.

"I'd say that's obvious, but there's still a double-standard here. Wendy's job may be on the line if enough of the parents complain about an unwed mother as a teacher. You might want to think about that." David shrugged, still good-natured about the whole conversation. "Looks to me like you need all the friends you can get in town; Wendy's already one of us and we'll close ranks around her baby too. Maybe you should think about where you're going to be when that happens." He started leave, then turned back. "Oh, better be warned. Henry's decided when and where already. Last I heard, it was going to be a Christmas wedding complete with snowflake cupcakes. He loves cupcakes."

Killian stood there for a long time, thinking it through. What he hated the most was that Wendy would never believe it was always his intention to marry her now. She would already believe he was doing it because of the baby, and he had no idea how to make her realize he'd known the moment she invited him on her boat that very first night. He needed to plan; he was going to have to dig deep in his repertoire of charm to convince her.