Thank you all so much for the reviews! You give me life.
Glad you all seemed to like the twins twist. Quick biology lesson regarding the whole 'twin gene' thing:
David is an identical twin. Identical twins are a mutation, rather than something passed on through genetics. Unlike identical twins, fraternal twinning can be passed down on the maternal side, or from father to daughter. Emma would technically be no more likely to hyper-ovulate (release more than one egg during ovulation) than a woman without twins in the family, because David is an identical twin. So, with the way the genes work, he wouldn't be 'passing down' the hyper-ovulation gene to Emma the way he possibly would if he was a fraternal twin. That said, you don't necessarily need twins in the family to hyper-ovulate and have fraternal twins. Sometimes it just happens. So there's that.
But I'm using a bit of artistic license in this chapter, and I'm going on the premise that a lot of people are unaware of the logistics of identical vs fraternal twins and how it actually works genetically!
Phew, biology geek rant over. Let's get to the good stuff.

Learning Curves

Part 8

Twins.

Just as she'd been starting to adjust to the fact that there really was a tiny human growing inside her, Emma's whole world was turned upside down again.

After passing out when the doctor had informed them that their unplanned bundle of joy was actually plural, she had come round a few minutes later and hoarsely requested that Flora double- and triple-check, just to make sure.

When the presence of two tiny heartbeats sounded, strong and loud, from the machine once more, Emma let out a shaky breath and met Killian's gaze as Flora informed them that she was about 13 weeks pregnant with fraternal twins.

"They're facing each other, and you see that membrane there? That's separating them. They're fraternal," at Killian's questioning frown, Flora smiled and rephrased, "Non-identical. Mom released two eggs that have both been fertilized, as opposed to releasing one egg that split into two."

Killian was listening intently, fascinated by it all, but Emma barely heard a word the doctor said. It was really happening. They were having twins. And if she hadn't felt nauseous from hormones already, then the gravity of this revelation would have done the job.

She'd remained silent for quite a while afterwards, trying to gather her thoughts and let the reality of their situation sink in. Numb with shock, she'd sat in the parking lot, knuckles white with her vice grip on the steering wheel, and Killian had tried his best to assure her it would all be okay.

She could tell he was holding back the happiness he felt – she could see it dancing in his eyes – in order to allow her time to adjust to the news, and part of her had softened at that knowledge.

When her legs had felt slightly less like Jell-o, she'd driven them home. As she parked in the driveway, they sat in silence until she cracked.

"We need to tell Henry and my parents tonight. They already know something's going on."

When Killian had nodded in agreement, she turned to face him fully.

"David might try to hurt you…"

At her words, Killian spluttered, indignant, and Emma tried to repress a laugh.

"I understand the fatherly instinct, Swan. I dare say I'll feel that way if we have daughters who ever dare to bring suitors home. But you are a grown woman. And it's not as though he can accuse me of taking your innocence."

Emma couldn't argue with that, so instead she rolled her eyes and sighed, her hand absently drifting to touch her belly as she moved to get out of the car. The mental image of Killian interrogating the imaginary future boyfriends of their daughters - if either or both of the twins were even girls - put a smile on her face and she found it oddly comforting.

CS

"I have absolutely no idea how they're gonna take this."

"Well, love, I'm hoping they take it better than you did."

Killian snickered as Emma delivered a sharp elbow to his ribs and a halfhearted glare. Emma had called Mary Margaret and invited her and David over for dinner at the cottage that evening. She'd then called Regina and requested both she and Henry join them for dinner too. Surprised, Regina had accepted the invitation, but Emma couldn't help but hear the note of suspicion in her voice.

When her parents turned up, punctual as ever with David carrying baby Neal in his travel chair, Emma saw Killian's shoulders stiffen. He was nervous, and somehow that managed to settle her own nerves a little. She wasn't alone in this, like she had been with Henry.

"We'll tell them during dinner. Probably best if there's a table between you and David, just in case."

Smirking a little, she saw the color drain from him and he shot her a bemused look before schooling his face into a mask of nonchalance and greeting Mary Margaret and David at the door.

As she prepared dinner with a little help from Killian, Emma could feel anxiety twisting in her gut and she toyed with the idea of simply getting it over with right there and then, announcing the news to them while they sat making idle conversation in the living room.

Managing to compose herself, she called for Henry to lay the table and everyone took that as their cue to gather around for dinner. Once everyone was seated, Emma felt Killian's hand squeeze her knee under the table and she turned to find him levelling a reassuring gaze on her. Nodding and taking a deep breath, Emma cleared her throat.

"Um…Henry, Regina. Mom, dad…we have something we need to tell you all…"

With four sets of eyes trained on her, expectant and curious, Emma's mouth suddenly went dry and she stumbled over her words. Mary Margaret and David looked somewhat concerned, but Regina raised her eyebrows with impatience. She'd known Emma hadn't simply invited her to a cozy family dinner on a whim, so the fact that they had some big announcement to share didn't surprise her at all.

"Let me guess, your pirate proposed? And of course, you said yes."

Regina said, filling in the silence somewhat flatly and picking up her fork, about to start eating when Emma swallowed hard and shook her head. Suddenly, Regina looked interested.

"No. I mean, we're not engaged," she looked flustered and Killian squeezed her knee once more, "I…I'm pregnant."

She finally managed to force the words from her lips and Regina promptly dropped her fork in surprise, as Mary Margaret gasped and David looked absolutely floored, unable to find words no matter how hard he tried. Henry rolled his eyes, despite the huge grin that lit up his face. He was the only one who wasn't particularly surprised.

Mary Margaret stood up suddenly and rushed around the table to pull her daughter up to standing and wrap her in a hug.

"Oh, Emma, that's wonderful news. I'm so happy for you both! We're so happy for you both, aren't we, David?"

They all looked expectantly over at David, who was still struggling to form words as numerous emotions fought for dominance. Killian was holding his breath, silently hoping he'd proved himself enough by now to avoid a right hook to the jaw.

David stood up and held out his hand out across the table to Killian, who stared blankly at it for a moment before tentatively grasping it in a firm handshake.

"You better take care of my daughter and that baby, Hook. Otherwise you'll lose this hand too."

He warned, his tone lacking the authority he was trying for thanks to the emotions that were overwhelming him. Killian shot a pointed glance at Emma then, but she just quirked her eyebrow.

'I did the hard part. Now it's your turn.'

Killian clenched his jaw but nodded succinctly, understanding her unspoken order.

"I promise you I would go to the ends of the earth for your daughter, mate. But we haven't told you all of our news just yet…"

David narrowed his eyes, his hand still firmly gripping Killian's in a hold that tightened at those words.

"Well, come on, pirate. You're dragging this out."

Regina snapped, folding her arms and leaning back in her seat. Even Henry looked intrigued now.

"She's, erm…we're having two. Two babies. Twins."

The silence that descended on the room was deafening, and Emma winced, waiting for some kind of response, any response at all other than paralyzing shock. David looked as though he was actually about to cry, though Emma couldn't tell if it was out of happiness or something else. Regina smiled then and broke the silence.

"Well, congratulations are in order, I suppose. I raised one, and that was challenging enough. Good luck to the both of you."

She raised her glass and Killian shot her a watery smile, Emma levelling a bemused glare on her when Mary Margaret suddenly laughed, giddy with the surprise and excitement that had only just sunk in.

"Well, you have your father to thank for passing his twin gene on!"

Confused, both Emma and Killian's gazes shot to David and he finally smiled, albeit somewhat awkwardly, loosening his grip on Killian's hand before releasing it completely.

Emma suddenly remembered Henry's book, and the story of how David had ended up becoming royalty. He had a twin brother. She glared at her father and then at Killian, amusement dancing in her eyes, and she couldn't help the short laugh that fell from her lips.

"So when I'm the size of a house and unable to tie my own shoes, guess who I'm gonna be blaming? Both of you!"