Disclaimer: Characters from and any references to "Once Upon A Time" belong to their respective owners. I'm just playing with the characters.

a / n: Thank you again for the support and feedback, it means the world. As promised, here is another look at our favorite couple! Enjoy!

She was still fast asleep when Killian opened his eyes that Sunday morning. Judging by what little light was peeking through the curtain, he deduced it was still rather early.

Emma stirred in his arms and he looked down at her, smiling slightly when he saw her peaceful face. His arm was wrapped around her and she was laying almost on top of him, her arm wrapped around his waist. She was a little over seven months now and they'd both decided they wanted to wait until the birth to know whether it was a boy or girl.

He'd been hesitant at first, wanting to know the gender of his child. But this whole thing had been a shock to both of them, and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. So they decided they wanted to be surprised.

Things had changed between Emma and him. After everything happened, they'd finally sat down and talked. They fought too, but that was expected when you put two strong personalities like them together. And it hadn't been smooth sailing from there, no. Emma still had her insecurities about being enough for Killian, and Kiillian still had his doubts that he could be a good father, be the man his Swan deserved. They were both damaged in their own ways, but they helped heal each other.

Honestly, he'd known he was in love with her within a month of knowing her, but he didn't say the words until about a week after they reconciled. He didn't want to scare her off.

She hadn't said it back, couldn't, she'd said. But he understood she had walls around her heart, and he assured her he'd be there to break them down.

She'd said the words not long after and he thought in that moment that he could never be happier than he was right then.

Emma shifted in her sleep once more and he looked back down at her, stroking his free hand softly through her hair before caressing her cheek. Her eyes fluttered before they opened, and the brilliant green met his own.

"I'm sorry, love," he murmured quietly. "Did I wake you?"

She mumbled into his chest and snuggled closer, making him chuckle. "I was having a dream," she said.

"What about?" he asked, running his hand through her hair as he gazed up at the ceiling and listened to her voice.

"We were in the delivery room, it was really calm, and then they brought this little bundle in, but...I woke up before I could see him."

"Him?"

She lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest. "Or her. I don't know, I didn't see."

He smiled down at her, pushing her hair out of her face. "Would you like to go back to sleep? Perhaps you can get a glimpse of our little one."

Emma's mouth widened into a brilliant smile. "I'd rather be awake and be with you both in the real world."

His heart clenched at her words and he tilted her chin up gently, meeting her halfway with a chaste kiss.

"Mmm," she hummed against his mouth. "Killian."

The timbre of her voice caused a stirring to begin in his trousers. "Aye, love?"

"You know what I'm in the mood for?" she asked, running a hand down his chest.

He swallowed hard. "What's that?"

"Mmm...pancakes...chocolate chip pancakes with vanilla ice cream. And strawberries. Do you have strawberries?"

Killian stared at her for a moment before he broke down into chuckles, pulling her closer.

"What's funny?" she asked with an adorable frown.

"Nothing, my love. I think I have strawberries. I'm not sure about the ice cream though."

Her frown deepened. "Rats. I have some at my place." She groaned and buried her face in his chest.

"If only there was a way to rectify that, his and her place. Oh wait..."

Emma looked up at him again and glared. "Don't start."

He shrugged, feigning innocence. "Start what?"

Letting out a heavy sigh, Emma pushed herself off of him, swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her hand instinctively going to her belly.

"The baby doesn't like having serious conversations this early in the morning," she murmured with her back to him.

"Is that right?" he asked, his eyebrow raising.

"Yes."

Killian sat up, shifting over to her, his hand going to her back while his head rested on her shoulder. "Emma..." He kissed her neck, making her shiver. "Emma, I want to talk about it again."

Emma lifted her shoulder, effectively pushing him away before she pushed herself up to stand. He reached out for her arm as she gained her balance.

"Please drop this," she said. "Please."

Killian sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her to stand between his legs. "Why?" he demanded softly.

"I already told you, I'm not ready."

"Sweetheart, the baby is going to be here in a matter of months. We need to figure out our living situation."

Emma placed her hands on his shoulders. "Why can't we both just have a nursery? You have the guest room, and I can move into a bigger place so I'd have a room for the baby."

"For how long, love? How long are we going to be separated?"

"We're not going to be separated, we're going to be co-parenting."

"Wouldn't it be easier if we were under the same roof?"

"Not necessarily," she said, running her hand up his scruffy cheek. She leaned forward and placed a kiss to his cheek, moving down to his neck. "I don't want to talk about this anymore," she murmured against him.

"No?"

"No. I'd like to do something else." She pulled back and looked at him with a coy smile before biting her lip. "Something that doesn't involve talking."

Killian clenched his jaw. Because although he loved his Swan, loved any moment he had to worship her body, he didn't appreciate that she was using sex to avoid having a real conversation about this.

She started placing kisses down the other side of his neck, moaning his name. He gave into the sensation for a few seconds before his hands went to her arms and he pushed her away gently. She looked down at him with a pinched brow and he averted his gaze to the carpet.

"I think I'm going to grab a shower."

"Alone?"

"Aye," he said. "Alone."

She stood there for a minute or so, her hands dropping from his shoulders before she turned and walked out of the room without another word.

In the shower he let the hot water cascade down his back as he replayed their lack of conversation over and over. It had been an ongoing discussion between them. Killian thought hey should move in together before the baby was born, but Emma was hesitant. He wasn't sure if it was her independence she was afraid of losing, or if she just didn't want to live with him. Either way, it was an unresolved argument that caused tension between them. He just wished he knew how to make her see he wasn't going to ever hurt her, or leave her. He wished she'd trust him. He wished she'd just let him take care of her.

OOOOOOO

He didn't have any strawberries and he only had chocolate ice cream in the freezer. She sighed before closing the fridge and moving over to the pantry where he did have pancakes and chocolate chips. She didn't feel like standing for that long cooking, but she also didn't want to ask Killian to do something for her since the tense exchange in the bedroom.

She ended up standing at the counter, staring at the pancake box not really thinking about anything. She wasn't sure how long she stood there before she heard Killian's footsteps and she snapped out of her trance, turning to look at him as he emerged from the bedroom wearing a pair of black sweats and a white tee shirt. She picked the box up and returned it the pantry as he entered the small kitchen.

"Do you still want pancakes, love?" he asked, his voice sounding different, distant, lacking the affection the endearment usually carried with it.

"You don't have the ice cream and strawberries I want," she mumbled, closing the pantry door and moving to the counter once more.

He stood across form her with an unreadable expression. "I can go down to the store. It'll take half an hour, tops."

She shook her head. "I don't want you to go to any trouble."

"It's no trouble, Emma," he said, frustration seeping into his voice.

Emma shrugged, her hand resting on her round belly. "I don't know what I want," she murmured quietly. She wasn't sure if she was even talking about the pancakes.

"Well I'm a patient man, take your time," he said softly.

And he was patient. She knew despite their disagreements, despite how frustrated he could be with her, he still loved her and he'd truly do anything for her. So why was she so afraid to let him in completely?

"Mmm...I guess...if you're going...I want vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and a loaf of fresh bread. Warm, preferably," she said, peeking up at him and finding relief when there was a small smirk on his face.

"Anything else?"

She moved around the counter and walked over to him. "Just one more thing," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I love you with everything that I am. I just...I wanted you to know that. That I love you and I know I'm difficult and I'm sorry, but I love you. I love you so much."

Killian reached down and tilted her face up to meet his. "I know that, love," he said. "I know."

Tears sprung to her eyes as she looked down at his chest. "You're so good to me. You're amazing and I know it makes more sense to live together, I know that." She sniffed back tears and looked up at him once more. "I've just...I've never lived with a guy before. And you're not just a guy, you're..." She shook her head, unable to find the words to describe just what he meant to her. "You're everything to me and I don't want to mess up and lose you or...or I don't know, I just know that losing you would kill me because I love you too damn much for my own good."

Killian wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest as he rubbed soothingly up and down her back. "Oh, Swan. I know you're scared, darling. I know that. I would never make you do something you weren't ready for. Maybe I was being selfish, and for that I'm sorry."

Emma shook her head and pushed against his chest so she could look up at him again. "Killian, you're the least selfish person I know. I just want to make you happy."

"You do make me happy," he said imploringly, both hands cupping her face. "Everyday, you make me the happiest man alive. And there's nothing you could possibly do that would make me want to leave you. I love you too much to do that. I won't ever be able to do that."

Emma sniffed. "Really?" she asked shakily.

"Really. And I'll wait for as long as it takes for you to believe me. I am a patient man after all," he finished with a smirk and raise of an eyebrow, making her giggle through her tears.

Her laughter subsided and she looked down at his chest once more. "So what if...what if I'm still scared, but I want to?"

"Want to what, love?"

Her eyes moved up to his. "Move in with you."

"Emma..."

She cut him off with a kiss to the lips and he lost himself in her for a few moments before gently pulling away, his forehead resting against hers.

"Swan, you don't have to decide this now. I told you, I'll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready."

"That's just it, Killian. I may never feel ready. But I want this. With you and only you."

A hopeful smile graced his lips. "Aye?"

Emma ran her hand through his hair and bit her lip before nodding once. "Aye."

He muffled her squeal of surprise with a firm kiss on the lips, making her dizzy. They were both breathing heavily when they pulled away for air a few minutes later.

"You know," she panted, "you denied me earlier."

"Aye, love," he said, his voice gruff. "Apologies, my head wasn't right."

She smirked. "Well? Aren't you going to make it up to me?"

His blue eyes snapped back to hers, the intensity in them setting her entire body ablaze. "Of course," he murmured. "What does the lady wish?"

"You know what I like," she whispered against his lips.

His entire control snapped and he fused his mouth back to hers. Carefully, he walked them towards the couch, his hands moving under her sleep shirt, breaking away from her just for a second to pull it off. She cried out as his mouth latched onto one of her sensitive nipples, suckling and placing wet kisses all around it before moving to the other one. When she couldn't take anymore, she pulled his hair, forcing his head back up so she could attack his mouth once more.

Killian's hands moved to her shorts, pulling them and her panties down her legs, helping her step out of them. When Emma moved to undo the drawstring on his pants, he stopped her, turning her around so her back was to him.

"Killian?"

"Trust me?" he murmured against her neck.

"Always."

She watched as he grabbed one of the large cushions on the couch and set it in front of her, asking her to lean on the couch.

Still slightly confused, but also curious, she climbed onto the couch on her knees, leaning over the pillow and bracing her hands on the back of the couch. Killian helped shift her so she was bent over further, her ass in the air. She was slightly insecure being so vulnerable to him, but that lasted until the second she felt him lick a stripe through her wet folds and she cried out in surprise.

"Killian," she moaned as he kissed her just like he did her lips, drawing out her pleasure.

It only intensified when he added two fingers, his mouth sucking on her clit as her gasps and moans filled the room. She just about saw stars when he spread her ass cheeks wide and dove back in, his tongue going further than it ever had before and before she knew it, her entire body was overcome with hot pulses of pleasure, her wetness coating her thighs as he gently brought her down from her high.

When he shifted to sit beside her, she was still bent over and panting heavily, feeling dizzy and completely sated.

"Am I forgiven?" he asked cheekily, placing a lingering kiss on her bare shoulder.

"Aye," she nodded, still panting. "Always."

OOOOOOO

They moved into a two bedroom closer to David and Mary Margaret. A little over two months later, Scarlet Jane was born; seven pounds and six ounces.

The first couple of months were hell. Scarlet barely slept and Emma and Killian were exhausted. But they'd managed through it and their friends had been there to help along the way.

Emma and Killian had both taken a leave of absence from work and Killian was due to return back in just a few weeks. Emma wanted to make the most of what little time they had together before the real world intervened once more.

Scarlet was just four months and Emma was breastfeeding her on the couch while Killian had gone down to the store to get more diapers.

They were both wound tight and exhausted. They'd only been intimate a handful of times since Scarlet was born, too busy when she was awake and too tired when she finally went down for the count. Emma missed that closeness she had to him, but she knew once things calmed down they'd get to share that with each other again.

The front door opened and closed and Emma smiled down at her daughter, who was lapping up the last remnants of her lunch.

"Daddy's home," Emma cooed. "Daddy." She looked up as Killian walked into the living room, setting the bags down beside him.

"Hey," he said, walking over to join them. He sat on the couch beside Emma, reaching over to cradle Scarlet's head. "Hi, little love. You're hungry, huh?"

"So hungry," Emma added affectionately, running her index finger down her daughter's face.

She was just finishing up and Killian helped pull Scarlet away so she could clean up and right her clothing. Once she was situated, she looked over at Killian, smiling as he held their daughter, gazing down at her in wonder.

"I missed you," she said, causing Killian's head to snap up. "When you were gone. I missed you."

A slow smile spread on his face. "I know, love. I missed you too."

Emma snuggled in closer, resting her head on Killian's shoulder and running her hand down her baby's head. "She's so perfect," she whispered as Scarlet's eyes fluttered closed.

"Aye, just like her mother."

Emma smothered her smile in his shoulder and shook her head. "Well she completely takes after you in one regard."

"What's that?" he asked distractedly, his eyes completely focused on the bundle in his arms.

"She completely stole my heart...just like her father did."

Killian looked up at her then, more happiness in his eyes than she'd ever seen before.

a / n: You can find me on tumblr at WriteMyAnchor just to say hi or send requests for a prompt :-) thanks for reading!