Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT.

AN: I know I took me forever to update this but I had a writer's block in size of Sahara Desert and it seems too many emotion over my beloved ship switched of my brain. I'm ridiculously behind in all of my projects. I promise I'll try to catch up during the hiatus. I hope RL will let me. As always a big thank you to my lovely beta captain-k-jones. I would be nothing without you.:* Enjoy.

Epilogue

Emma stood in front of her bedroom mirror putting the tear shaped pearl earrings on. When the second clasp clicked into its place, she tucked a single strand of her hair behind her ear. She frowned as she noticed Tinkerbell's fur on her navy dress. How in the hell did that happen? She was so sure she'd kept the dress out of the cat's reach. Bending down a little, she started to furiously brush the hair off. She didn't have time to change. Fortunately, the ginger abomination didn't stick to the cloth to hard and she was able to get rid of it with a triumphant 'aha' leaving her lips.

Strong arms wrapped around her waist and she immediately felt warmth pressed against her back. Soft lips pressed against the back of her neck and a pleasant burn from three or more day old scruff followed. Straightening herself up, she leaned back into his chest and closed her eyes with a soft sigh. His tongue traced the path from her earlobe to the point where her neck met her shoulder, sending a shiver down her spine.

"Killian." She whispered beneath his touch.

"Hmmm ..." He nuzzled his nose against her neck making her feel weightless and she was tempted to give in into the desire burning through her veins.

Turning her head, she forced herself to look at him from beneath half closed eyelids.

"We don't have time for this…" Her voice caught in her throat as his teeth nibbled on her sensitive flesh.

"I always have time for this." He pulled away from her, tracing a finger against skin exposed to his touch by her backless dress. "Besides, you don't exactly make it easy for a man to behave properly looking as stunning as you do in this lovely number." His breath tickled her earlobe, making her eyelids flutter. God, she wanted to give into him.

She felt a pleasant burn when he rubbed his chin against her shoulder only to lean on it seconds later. His fingers intertwined with hers and he placed both of their hands before them, enveloping her in a hug.

"You look stunning, love." His husky murmur spread warmth through her body and she opened her eyes.

The sight in the mirror unleashed the butterflies in her belly. Smiling to herself she took in the picture they both made.

She in a knee length navy dress that hugged her figure in all the right places. Her golden hair pulled from her face in elegant braided bun. There was a spark in her eyes, shining like a star and her cheeks were flushed while a soft content smile lingered on her lips. She felt beautiful. Not only because of her looks, but because of Killian standing right behind her. He was all tall, dark, and handsome; dressed in a sharp black suit and dark gray shirt. His hair was in perfect disarray, making her itch to touch it, and yet elegant enough to suit his formal attire. His blue eyes twinkled at her from the mirror and she could see the dimples in his cheeks, indicating the he was smiling against her shoulder. He was a beautiful man. There was no other way to describe him. 'Handsome' simply was not enough.

She leaned slightly into him. His eyes twinkled as he took in their reflection and that made her smile even wider. He looked at her as if she was the most precious jewel, he had ever seen. She noticed sparks shining in her eyes too. It was something new, something she was not used to. Happy. She looked happy. They looked happy and she wanted to stay like this with him forever.

"So." His whisper sent a shiver down her spine. "How about we put Liam in bed for a nap." He tugged her closer to him. "And entertain ourselves with some more enjoyable activities?" He pressed his hips against hers. She could see his raised eyebrow in the mirror and that little smirk, the smirk that promised her deliciously inappropriate things.

Fighting to smile even wider, she bit her bottom lip.

"If we put Liam to bed..." Untangling their fingers, she turned in his embrace to put her arms around his neck. "...it will be occupied…" Tilting her head, she let her eyes fall to his lips as she finished in a teasing whisper "There won't be any room left for us and those a pleasant activities you have in mind." Lifting her gaze to meet his again, she traced her tongue over her bottom lip and watched as his eyes darkened, setting free the butterflies in her stomach.

"Oh, there are other surfaces we can use, love…" Resting his forehead on hers, he looked at her with hunger in his eyes. "That lovely cream couch in your living room for example." A peck on her lips. "Or that comfortable rug. I must say I'm quite fond of it." It was a whisper against her ear, making blood rush to her cheeks. "It's perfect for pillaging and plundering."

Rolling her eyes, she pushed him away playfully.

"Come on pirate." She rearranged his tie and smoothed the lapels of his jacket. "We have a wedding to attend."

Leaving the crisp winter air behind them, they entered the church hand in hand- Liam, Emma and him. The room went silent as dozens sets of eyes turned their way and, in that moment, Killian thought that maybe coming here was not such a great idea. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath in an attempt to regain some of the confidence he'd felt when Emma had first asked him to come here with her. It didn't help, not even a bit, but the warm hand squeezing him in reassurance did. Emma's hand.

He turned his head to look at her. Her cheeks were rosy from the cold as was the tip of her nose. There was uncertainty in her eyes. He knew she was scared, she tended to be in situations as this one, but she looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile. He felt tension leaving him quickly. Taking a deep breath, he returned the smile. Hr had no reason to be nervous, they were in this together.

Ignoring the curious eyes around them, he lead Emma and Liam to an empty bench where they could all wait for the arrival of the bride. Taking off his beanie and throwing it with a frown on Killian's lap, Liam jumped straight into Emma's lap like it was the most natural thing to do. In some ways it was. Killian felt himself smiling. Even if the day went horribly wrong, it was worth to see the two most important people in his life sitting right here beside him at such a family event.

He heard a movement behind his back and, judging by the sounds of dozens of sighs and a the really out of tune wedding march, he concluded the bride had arrived.

When he turned his head, there she was. The elegant all white gown contrasted nicely with her dark hair and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. The bride wore a small, happy smile as she walked down the aisle towards a very nervous groom. The groom swayed on his heels, his hands clasped tightly in front of him. But his eyes, his eyes were bright and full of hope.

He found himself smiling wider at the man. Three months ago, he would not have been able to look at a man so obviously happy and in love without pain shooting through his heart. Then again, he hadn't known Emma at time.

Turning his head towards the woman in question, he noticed that his son had started to doze off in her lap. Truthfully, it was his nap time and it was a miracle the lad hadn't fallen asleep in the car.

Liam head was falling to the side as he slipped further into slumber. Before Killian even a chance to react, Emma did. Her arms went around the little lad in an instant and she pulled him closer to her, placing a kiss on top of his unruly hair. The sight made his heart sing. He would never get over the fact that she loved his son that much or that Liam loved her back just as furiously. It was almost as much as Killian loved her, because he did love her. He had known it for a while, probably from the first time they kissed, if not earlier. It was nothing new. However it took moments like this, with his son in Emma's arms while she smiled so tenderly at the lad as if he was her own flesh and blood, to actually make Killian acknowledged how much she meant to him. This was not some fling. It was so much more - it was the forever kind of love.

Smiling softly, he turned his attention to the wedding once again. Scanning the sea of guests occupying the front rows of the church, he noticed eyes staring intently at him, eyes that looked just like Emma's.

He sucked in his breath and his heart skipped a beat, because suddenly he knew who was watching him so closely. She had the same line of eyebrows, the same cheekbones and chin. If it wasn't for the different coloring and the fact that the woman was evidently older than Emma, they could pass on as twins. Quite unexpectedly, Killian found himself in a staring contest with Emma's mother. The one she was so desperately trying to impress. Not that she told him anything about it but, if her asking him to come to the wedding with her was any indication, Emma didn't want her mother to meddle in their affairs. He had assured her everything would be fine then and he intended to keep his word. Knowing he was going to be attracting attention from all family members had helped him prepare for this.

"It's going to be like ripping of a band aid, love." He'd told her that night. "Honestly, meeting them all at the same time will spare us a lot of stress."

To be honest, he was thrown off a little by how much Emma and her mother looked alike. Then again, it helped him a bit because he could decipher the woman's expressions and right now, she was judging him. Not wanting to cause a scene, he tore her eyes from hers and looked to her left. The tense posture of the man sitting beside Emma's mother and his mop of dark blond hair indicated her father. Killian let out a sigh. At least the man was not interested in drilling a hole in his head. There was nothing he could do about the situation at the moment, so he tried to focus on the ceremony again. It worked, to a certain degree.

Liam woke up when the wedding ended. But he remained in Emma's arms, clinging to her like a lifeline. Not that she minded. In fact, she didn't look displeased at all to miss the whole bouquet throwing thing.

"Not my style," she muttered underneath her breath when he asked her.

He smiled at that. His Emma was most definitely not interested in participating in wedding traditions. She was quite content to hold Liam in her arms, rocking him gently as the lad tried to wake up fully. Somehow, along the course of their rather short relationship, Emma had learned how to soothe his son. Which is why her abrupt stillness a few minutes later caught his attention.

"Emma" A soft voice behind his back caused him to turn around.

Once again, he met the scrutinizing gaze of Emma's mother.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" He could practically feel the eye roll that he was sure followed Mrs. Swan's question.

"Mom, this is Killian." Emma tilted her head towards him. "Killian, this is my mother."

He took her mother's hand his. Bowing his head, he place a kiss against her knuckles.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, milady."

He raised his eyes to meet the probing gaze of Mrs. Swan once again. She smiled at him, a small impressed smile that reached her green eyes. In that moment, he knew he'd won her over.

Emma rested her head against Killian's shoulder as he talked animatedly with Robin. His arm hugged her close to him as his fingers traced a soothing patterns against her shoulder. Feeling his chest vibrating with every word made her feel safe and cherished, simply happy. She sighed contently and looked up to admire his sharp jawline and the scruff he insisted on trimming everyday like some high school girl who would not leave her home without make up. She called him vain jokingly one day and he had just thrown her one of his smirks before telling her more or less that he did that just for her pleasure. The thought made blood rush to her cheeks. It was funny that after such a short amount of time of being together, he knew her that well.

A soft chuckle interrupted her thoughts. She turned her head to face her cousin only to meet Regina's eyebrow raised and her red lips smirking. The look her dark eyes gave Emma, made her squirm in her seat. Regina wore her all-knowing expression, the one Emma normally hated, but now there was something more to it, something light, something she had never seen before. Untangling herself from Killian's embrace, Emma leaned towards her cousin and felt her own eyebrow raising.

"What?" she asked in a hushed whisper, almost laying on the table.

"He's good for you." The words were spoken so softly Emma almost didn't hear them.

"Huh?" It wasn't an eloquent response but her cousin was not exactly keen on complements or encouraging comments, so her statement threw Emma off balance.

Rolling her eyes as she usually did when annoyed, Regina tilted her head towards the man sitting next to Emma.

"Killian is good for you."

To say Emma was surprised would be an understatement. She knew she and Killian had a good thing going on, she had known that for quite some time now, but to hear that from someone else's mouth was an entirely different thing. Especially when it came from the normally aloof and sarcastic cousin of hers

"You think so?" The question sounded so breathless in her own ears that Emma almost wanted to let old habits to kick in and run. That was what she did before when people hit to lose to home- she ran. She didn't, or couldn't, because somehow being with Killian made that urge disappear.

"I know so." Emma did not expect to hear such conviction in her cousin's words.

Regina bit her lips as her gaze shifted to her husband conversing with Killian. There was so much love in her eyes that Emma felt like an intruder, disturbing a very important moment.

"You look happy, Emma." Her heart skipped a bit. "And I haven't seen you happy for quite some time." Her dark eyes regarded Emma for a moment. "If not ever."

Before she could even react, the DJ started to play songs again and Emma felt a warm hand on her shoulder. Tilting her head to the right she met the warm gaze of her boyfriend.

"Care to dance, milady?" His eyes twinkled with mischief and he wore the grin that made her melt every time she saw it.

Emma smiled. She loved when Killian went all cavalier on her. It made her feel special, cherished.

"Of course you may, kind sir." She said while placing her hand in his outstretched one.

He helped her off the chair and pulled her flush against him, ignoring potential scrutinizing stares of her family. She was just about to remind him about that when he carefully placed his hand on her lower back and took her hand in his other one. Looking into his eyes, Emma realized she didn't actually care what other people thought, not when held her close as he swayed with her across the floor and murmured sweet nothings in her ear, not when she felt like everyone besides them disappeared or became irrelevant.

She felt his heart beating steadily, even though it should not be possible. She smelled the spicy scent of his cologne which stirred a pleasant fire in her blood. His breath tickled her earlobe when he pressed his scruffy cheek against hers. Warmth enveloped her. She felt so safe, so carefree. Almost like she had found her own little piece of heaven.

A loud shriek tore her out of her musings. The shriek was followed by two small hands pulling on her and Killian's legs. They pulled away from each other just enough to look down at the toothy grin of Liam. Emma heard Killian chuckle before he bent down to pick up the kid.

"Looks like someone would like to join the party." The boy threw his arms around his father's neck, hugging him closely as soon as Killian crunched low enough.

It still amazed her how his whole demeanor change in the presence of his son. His face lit up every time he laid his eyes on Liam. There was so much love in his gaze, she felt tears stinging underneath her eyelids.

Picking up the boy, Killian turned to face her again. He must have noticed something different in her expression because he tilted his head and watched her for a moment with his brows frowned. She could see the unspoken question and a flash of worry in his eyes. Shaking her head slightly, Emma put her hand on his shoulder to slowly run her palm down it in reassurance. His face brightened up in an instant.

"What do you say, lad..." He turned to Liam again, tightening his grip around the boy. "Shall we dance with the lady?"

Liam's body moved up and down with enthusiasm and Emma laughed at the boys antics. A raised eyebrow and a smirk graced Killian's face as he pulled her once again to him. As soon as her body touched his, Liam threw one arm around her neck, tugging her close to himself and his father, so close that Emma and Killian's foreheads touched.

Emma's smile mirrored Kilian's as the three of them swayed with the music with their arms around each other. She saw Liam smiling with a glee only a child can possess. They were together and nothing else mattered. She didn't care about her family's opinion anymore. For the first time in her life, she did not care what her mother thought. The only thing that mattered was her little family. Her two boys, who appeared in her life when everything seemed to be going the wrong way, when she had almost lost hope. She might have been the one to save Liam's life but it was his unfortunate accident that lead him and his father to ER that night, it was his accident that led to her life being saved. That night had brought light into her life. It brought happiness she never knew existed. Lastly, it had brought love. Love that filled her with hope and, for the first time in her life, Emma was not afraid. For the first time, she did not feel helpless.

The End