Well, readers we're almost finished. I'm actually almost as sad as you - of course, I've thought of a dozen more scenarios I should have put them in...but this fic has run its course and it's time to wind it up. Thank you again for reading - and reviewing! If you like my work, check out the link in my profile for my author page, where you can find episode recaps and information on my published romance novels!

Emma raised her head with a start, not realizing she'd dozed off. Strangely, her sleep had been dreamless.

"Maybe I'm all dreamed out," she mumbled, pulling out her phone to check the time. The shop windows showed a wan stream of light filtering through them, falling across Killian's face.

"It's morning," she said quietly, pushing a lock of hair off his forehead.

"Yeah, and I'm awake," Henry said, leaning against the doorway. Emma leaped to her feet.

"Henry!"

"Mom!" He wrapped his arms around her. "I'm so glad you're back."

"I feel like I just saw you yesterday," she smiled. Then she pushed back, her eyes growing wide with realization. "Did he do it, Henry? Is Morpheus gone?"

Henry smiled. "He did it."

Emma pulled him in again, hugging him tight.

"He did it!" she said, relief washing over her.

"Didn't doubt it for a minute," David called from the doorway. He smiled at Emma. "Henry wanted to come over as soon as he woke up."

"I had to," Henry explained. "I've got a message to deliver."

Emma's eyes locked with his. "You do?"

Henry nodded. "Killian wanted me to tell you he's doing okay."

"That's it?"

"And no matter what, he'll see you tonight."

Emma waited a moment, but there was no more. Henry just looked at her and smiled. She turned away, and walked over to the window.

"I think it's time for breakfast," David said, walking over to put an arm around Henry.

"I am kind of hungry," Henry answered.

"You two go on," Emma said quietly, without turning around. "I'll catch up."

David moved to usher Henry to the door. He paused in the doorway.

"Emma - it may have all been a dream, but that doesn't make it any less valid. You still lived it all."

Emma turned to look at him. "I know." David gave her a nod, and she watched them both go, hearing the outer door to the shop slam shut behind them. She walked over to Killian's side, taking his hand again and sitting down next to him.

"Well, it's just you and me," she said. "You're running from bears or sailing on your ship over a waterfall or something, and I'm here with your life in my hands." She glanced around, letting out a huff of air. "No pressure, right?"

She laid his hand back across his chest, brushing his jacket pocket with the side of her hand, and she couldn't help but feel the lump within it. She reached down inside, and pulled out the compass.

"I haven't held this since we came back to Storybrooke," she said. She looked down at him sheepishly. "I always felt guilty about leaving you at the top of the beanstalk," she admitted.

She remembered the look on his face - and the way she couldn't meet his eyes.

"I should have trusted my gut then," she said. "I knew you were more than what I was seeing." She slid her hand over his again, twining their fingers together. "You saw so much of me that I never showed to anyone. You saw it because you knew it all too well yourself. That's why I pushed you away, you know. You...terrified me. You saw too much."

She put her chin down, resting it on the backs of their joined hands. "You're always so right about me. You're always calling me out when I try to run from myself. And now when I need you to be all up in my face, you tell Henry to tell me you'll be waiting? Like, it's not a big deal? Really?"

She pushed up to her feet, gesturing wildly with her hands and pacing with agitation. "This is just like you, you know! Leaving it all up to me because you don't want me to be able to say you pushed me into this, but in the meantime you're just biding your time..." she let out a short, exasperated sound - "Which is exactly what you're doing because you've got an eternity now. You're already a couple of hundred years old. What's a few hundred more, right?"

Emma threw her hands up in the air, striding back over to him, pushing the chair out of the way and sliding down to sit next to his side on the couch. She reached out, gripping his lapels in her hands and giving him a tiny shake. "You listen to me, you infuriating pirate - I'm going to try this. I'm going to try this now even though it probably won't get us anywhere, and then I'm going to go to bed and I'm going to hunt you down and curse you out," she said.

She leaned in closer, her lips just barely above his as she whispered:

"And then I'm going to try again tomorrow. And the day after that. Because I just can't imagine a lifetime without you in it anymore."

She set her lips gently on his, and she kissed him.

The light was blinding, rippling out from him as he opened his eyes and gasped. Recognition folllowed a moment later, and then the full weight of what had happened settled in. He reached up, cupping her face in his hand.

"Took you long enough, love," he said, giving her a lopsided grin. Then he pulled her down, and kissed her long and thoroughly.

###

"So you had Neville trick him into taking the potion?" Emma asked, digging her fork into another helping of Granny's pie. They were all gathered around the largest table, and Henry was eating up every word of Killian's thrilling tale.

"I wish I could have seen that battle," Henry said. "I was talking to Luna Lovegood, if I remember right. She was knitting sweaters to put on the venemous tentacula."

"Yes, they were quite charming," Killian agreed. "I had dinner with Luna one night while I was waiting for Morpheus. She's quite the character."

"Wait a minute," Emma said. "How long was it from the time I disappeared to when he showed up?"

"About three weeks," Killian said. "Enough time to procure another bottle of Felix Felicis, which I drank immediately. I began lessons with Neville and Luna to learn the spells I needed to learn, and Felix also gave me a good feeling as to when I should be expecting Morpheus. The day of his arrival, I handed the empty bottle over to Neville, and that was that."

"You didn't save any for the battle?" David asked.

"Didn't need it. A pirate makes his own luck, mate."

"I can't believe you're an animagus," Henry said. "That is so cool!"

"I got to be a wolf once," Emma said. "And a mermaid."

Killian reached out, taking her hand. "I'm happy to settle for you in your human form, love. And bloody glad we're not running from lava or dodging explosions anymore."

"Lava?" Snow looked alarmed.

"That one actually worked out all right," Emma said. "At least until the tidal wave came," she amended.

"It seems like it all worked out all right," David said. "And I'm glad we're back to normal again."

Emma raised her brows. "In this place? Who knows what that entails."

"We've all got each other," David said. "We'll get through together - whatever it is."

"I think Killian and I can pretty much get through anything now," Emma noted wryly.

Killian turned his head to look at her, bringing her hand up to his mouth. "I like the sound of that, love." She gave him an odd look and he smiled. "Our names. Together. You don't usually do that."

She smiled back. "Yeah, well, this isn't my usual sort of day."

David pushed his way out of the booth and stood abruptly. "I think it's time we got Henry to school," he said. "Don't you think?" He nudged his wife, who was looking dreamily at Killian and Emma - who were too busy looking at each other to notice much.

"C'mon, grandma," Henry said, "This is about to get embarrassing, anyway." He gave his mother a good-natured smile and she flushed, giving a nervous little laugh. Snow looked down at her, smiling ear-to-ear.

"We'll see you later," she said, picking baby Neal's car seat up from the booth and following her husband and grandson out the door to the truck. Emma looked up at Killian, raising her brows.

"Now what?" she asked.

He gave her a slow, smile that lit up his eyes with a devilish gleam.

"Now we go for a walk."

###

It was a perfect, sunny day, almost like the one they shared the day of the picnic, when their whole adventure started. They strolled through the streets of Storybrooke to the docks in an unhurried fashion, not even talking much, just content to be back in reality and where they belonged. When they reached the Jolly, Killian led Emma up the gangplank, helping her step down onto the deck. He shaded his eyes, staring up at the sails.

"I may have to climb the riggings later," he said. "I've a few repairs to make on the sails before she's back to peak condition."

"Killian."

"'Course, the lashings are going to need to be replaced on a few - it looks like the trip through the portal wasn't terribly smooth..."

"Killian." Emma reached out, touching his arm. "You really aren't going to ask me?"

He looked down at her in confusion. "Ask you? Ask you what?"

She gave him a guilty look. "Ask me to tell you what I should have the guts to tell you to your face."

Killian crooked an eyebrow. "Ah. That." He slid his arms around her, pulling her closer. "Well, I expect you'll get around to it."

Emma smiled, sliding her arms around his neck. "Maybe I'm waiting for you."

He gave her a shake of his head, and grinned. "Oh, no, Swan...you're not getting out of it that easily. I'm only too happy to remove that obstacle."

He leaned in, putting his forehead to hers. "I love you, Emma. I've made no secret of it."

She sighed as his lips brushed hers. "I know," she said softly. "I mean, I tried to pretend I didn't know, but I knew."

"And...?"

She closed her eyes. "I'm afraid."

"I know." He kissed her again, softly. "I know, love." He pushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. "So tell me when you're ready. I know it's there."

He kissed her again, his lips moving on hers persuasively, his hand shifting over her back and tangling in her hair as they parted, breathed, and dove in again. Emma felt her body straining against his, so familiar, and yet all still so new in the face of what she'd finally admitted to herself, and to him.

"Perhaps we'd better go below," he suggested. "Before this takes its natural course."

"Okay," she said reluctantly, kissing him softly once more before stepping back. He reached down for her hand, tugging her toward the hatch that led down to the cabin and sliding it open. He followed her down, jumping off the last couple of rungs to land beside her.

He pulled off his jacket, then reached into his pocket, pulling out the compass.

"I should put this in a place of honor," he said, glancing around a moment, and then settling for leaving it on the table.

"Now, where were we?" he asked, reaching for her. Emma stepped back.

"I love you, Killian."

His eyes widened, a fire leaping behind them in response. Then his gaze softened. "I don't want you to feel like you had to do that."

"I did," she said. "I'm not leaving you at the top of that beanstalk again."

He gave her a quizzical look. "Beg pardon?"

"I should have gone with my gut. You and I recognized what we had in each other from the start. I was just too afraid to believe it. But I believe now. I love you, Killian."

He took two long strides, pulling her back into him. "You'd better practice some more," he said against her lips.

"I love you. I really lo - "

She wasn't able to finish before his lips were on hers, and his hand and mouth were igniting her, burning them both in an inferno as he pulled her to the bed.

She was more than happy to oblige him, saying it over and over as the pleasure built and swept them both away.

###Seven Months Later###

"Well?" Emma asked, looking at Killian expectantly.

He raised a brow. "How long has it been?"

She looked down at her phone. "Two minutes and fifty-eight seconds...fifty-nine...three minutes." She looked up, biting her lip.

Killian looked down at the white stick in his hand.

And then he smiled.