AN: Due to personal reasons, I was unable to maintain my account, and when I finally found the energy to restart it, I had no inspiration to write. I slowly started writing other stories, and left this one to gather a layer of dust.
Now, I re-read the whole story (and realised that this story actually has a load of mistakes, sorry about that), I have newfound inspiration to go on with this story. This chapter is smaller than all the other chapters, but I still have to get back into writing this.
I know how I can finish this story, and I have every intent of doing so.
I would love to apologise for the long wait, but I feel like the personal matters are not a reason to apologise for. I am sorry that readers of this story 'fell victim' to it as well as I did.

Emma had helped Ariel into a nightgown - she'd taken it from the closet, picked one from the dresses that apparently were hers before they were Emma's - and laid her in bed. Ariel was exhausted, bruised and cold; she had asked Emma if she could stay with her until she fell asleep. And she did.

"She asleep?" A black-haired male asks her once she leaves she room. Emma nods. "Thank you," he extends his hand towards her, she moves the dress she is carrying to her other arm and shakes his hand. "I'm Eric."

"Emma," she answers with a small smile, letting go of his hand. Eric smiles and walks behind her, soundlessly opening the door to Ariel's room. On deck she finds the second girl they had taken from the island, she's looking over the waters as they sail away further and further from what used to be her prison. Emma touches her shoulder to get her attention; she flinches. "I got you a dress," she smiles apologetically.

"Thank you, your majesty, I could really use a decent dress after being in these rags for so long," Wendy smiles.

"You're welcome. But would you mind calling me Emma?"

"Okay, Emma. Is there a place I could change?"

"Yes, take the stairs down there and keep walking straight to the end. There's a small bathroom, you can cleanse yourself there as well if you please." The girl gives her another kind smile, nodding once and turns around. Emma watches her as she disappears below deck. She stops one of the crewmembers as he walks by, grabbing hold of his arm.

"Where's Killian?"

"In his cabin," the man answers silently, Emma nods, letting go of his arm upon realising this is one of the two men Killian had kept behind, realising she never even knew his name - nor does she knows the name of this man.

"Thank you..." She trails off, leaving space for him to fill in his name but he simply nods and leaves her alone again. Emma takes a deep breath and walks into his cabin, this without knocking, causing for her to see him take off his shirt and throw it in the laundry basket.

"Sorry, should I have knocked?"

"No," Killian replies, his voice distant, like she had awoken him from a daydream. "All my men knock, so I know it's you when you come in. You always did, no matter how many times your parents tried to teach you to knock," he shakes his head and turns around. "Why did you lie to me?"

"I didn't lie to you?"

"Yes you did," he accuses her, "This morning when I asked you if you were all right."

"Oh so I was supposed to know that I was two months pregnant even though I never had never done the deed until two nights ago?!" Emma yells. He stares at her, eyebrows raised - and that's when she realises. "I'm sorry," she mutters, "I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's all right," He pulls back a chair and gestures that she sits down. "Tea?"

"Yes," she whispers while sitting down. "Killian I think we have to go back to the Kingdom, our child is likely more safer there than here."

"I don't know if you remember love, but when I stole you away, you were on the verge of getting married."

"Yes, to a man who turned out to wanting to destroy us," Emma raises her hand as if that should explain the matter, "I'm fairly certain my parents will understand."

"Or they'll have my head!" Killian hisses. He closes his eyes briefly and sighs. "Can we change the subject, I don't want to fight with you."

"We're going to have to talk about this one day..."

"Not now," he says, placing a cup of steaming tea in front of her before sitting down himself. A subtle scent of cinnamon rises up to her nose.

"Okay fine, Ariel," Emma shrugs, taking her spoon to stir in the teacup.

"What about her?" Killian leans his arms on the table, reaching out to light the candles upon realising it's already becoming dark.

"These dresses and outfits they were hers." It's not much of a question, just a statement.

"That's correct," he answers playing around with another match, letting it burn until it nearly reaches his fingertips; he then shakes the match until it fades out.

"So where do you know her from?"

"She followed my ship once when I came here the first time. I captured her, because I thought she was a danger to me and my men, which she was not. She explained she was just curious about humans. But she stayed aboard too long and started drying up; that's when she found out that her tail became a pair of legs when she stayed out of the water for too long. And she got excited, I thought a female aboard would lighten the tense sphere a little so I promised to show her the worlds.

"Did you sleep with her?" It is silent for a long moment before he nods.

"Yeah, I did." Sometimes, she could really curse his honesty, but somehow she wishes he would continue talking. And he does. "One time on the way back home, it had been a nice day, the sun had shined and pirates did what pirates do. They drank. I took her to my cabin, and told her all about you, I kissed her but she let me, and from one thing came another. Afterwards I told her that I did it to get my mind off you, an asshole move I realise now, but she told me that she did not care, she enjoyed the human experience. We met a few times after that."

"All right..." Emma whispers, taking a sip from her tea. "I don't know if I should be angry with you for telling me all this, or be happy that you didn't lie about it."

"I wouldn't lie to you Emma, I never have. The last time we met up like that, around two years ago, she told me she couldn't do it anymore because she found her true love," he snorts and shakes his head. "And that man is now aboard as well."

"Eric..." Emma whispers.

"Yes," Killian nods once, tracing his finger along the edge of his cup. "You know, I spoke with him a moment before you came in; he said he'd been captured by Peter Pan - for a reason he did not know. Ariel must have been on her rescue mission before we came by."

"And screwed it up for her," Emma finishes his sentence.

"We got them back safely, didn't we?" He smirks and empties his cup of tea, putting it in the sink.

"After what seemed for them two months," Emma objects, following his example and filling the sink with water to wash the cups.

"That's not our fault, love," Killian takes a towel and dries the first cup as she hands it to him. A smile plays on her lips, something that does not go unnoticed by Killian. "What?"

"Nothing, it's just... I've never done dishes before in my life, and this is all so casual. This could have been our life, doing damn dishes together, just the two of us," she places the clean cup on the counter.

"And in a few months our baby," he gives her a pained smile. This is not how he had imagined it all.

"Gods, are we even ready for it?"

"We will be," Killian promises her, kissing her forehead while pulling her in an embrace. "I love you. Always have. And we'll get through all of this, together. I promise." Emma looks up, her arms wrapped around his waist and presses a kiss against his lips.

"Shall we go to bed?"

Waking up in the morning was tough, Emma had barely slept and in her mind she had a whole list ready with arguments of why they should get back to the castle. But all unspoken arguments were quickly swept off the table when Killian - who really didn't look all that good either - suddenly says "we need to get you back to the castle." Emma looks at him, slightly puzzled.

"It's for the best," Killian sighs, "I will accept my fate, but I will not put my daughter at risk every day over and over again because I'm too stubborn to admit that I can't protect her on my ship."

"Okay," she answers softly, reaching out for his hand over the table. He takes her hand in both his hands and presses a kiss against it.

"I love you," he whispers.

"I love you too," she smiles, leaning over the table to kiss his lips. "I do think, it would be better if I go alone first, to explain the things that happened."

"We'll go at night, I'll stay in the shadows, I really don't want to leave your side now."

"Don't worry, I'll protect you," Emma grins.

Killian squints his eyes, "my love, you are so hilarious."

They decide to go at night anyway, moving in the shadows. It's strange, Emma notices, she used to move in the shadows as well when she was a kid, but it was to play in the castle. And now, she's basically an invader in her own home.

But finding her father isn't as hard, he is having a midnight stray through the gardens. Like he always had when he was troubled and couldn't sleep. She stared at him, steadying her breath, Killian squeezes her hand softly and nods. Carefully she steps towards him, but she must have stepped onto a leave or something, because he is slowly reaching for his sword.

"Father," Emma whispers her voice gentle not to startle him, David turns around in one swift movement. Already running towards her smilingly.

"Emma," He sighs in her hair, pulling her as close as possible, his arms go fully around her. And it feels so safe. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, I am," she whispers, burying her head in his shirt, trying not to cry.

"Where is Killian?" King David questions, there is no anger in his voice, merely worry. And Killian must've heard it too because he steps out of the shadows without hesitation. David lets go of his daughter to look at him. "And you, are you all right?" He reaches out for his neck. "William," The guard looks up, confused as to why there are suddenly three people outside - and perhaps a bit embarrassed he didn't see them. "Tell Sophia to get her band aids." William nods and leaves them.

"Sire, I – " Killian objects, knowing that he shouldn't be nurtured now; he should be punished. But King David stops him by holding up his hand.

"I do not blame you for anything," he assures Killian, "But I do want to know what brought you back." David guides the both of them towards the castle, ordering for a meal to be made and a bed to be readied. Queen Snow was woken up and asked to come to the great dining hall.

Emma and Killian told their whole story over a two course dinner, King David had often asked questions, while Queen Snow had kept silent.

"So, is it a boy or a girl?" David asks, after they told the entire story and left a silence. Emma looks at Killian, allowing him to answer.

"A girl," he smiles.

"Good, my little girl is having a little girl," he reaches over to hold his daughter's hand.

"Mom..." Emma starts, "you haven't really said anything..."

"I know," The Queen smiles, "I'm happy you're back sweetheart, and I understand that there is no way there will be a wedding between you and Thomas now. But you must marry, and soon, before the bump really starts showing," she takes a deep breath, "and you leaving us has set me to think. If you wish to marry for love, then you should. I should not be the one to tell you no. I have locked you away from love, in the benefit of the realm and I'm sorry. Emma, I know you love him, and he clearly loves you back. Or else he wouldn't have risked his head for you." Emma looks down at the table, trying to hold back her smile as Killian squeezes her hand under the table. "But Killian, you do understand that if you marry her, you will one day sit on the throne?" Killian nods and looks at Emma.

"I am aware of that, but to be with her, to keep her safe, I'd do anything."