A/N:

So I had this weird plot idea when I went to some friends' house? I really don't know how you guys will react to this, but having witnessed this in real life, I felt like this is also part of all the things you experience if you have a child.

Let's see how this goes :)

Thanks again irishswan for the beta work. I can never thank you enough!

Emma Swan was scared.

She has been for years, now.

It all started with the initial shock when she saw the positive sign on her pregnancy test. Killian had been there with her through those terrifying and never-ending 3 minutes, talking to her about how they could do this as long as they were together and squeezing her knee in a way of comforting.

Unfortunately, no matter how much they actually wanted this, the situation could never be comfortable for her.

There was that fear creeping inside her. That little voice that she wasn't ready to take care of a child, she never would be.

However, she never told him about this, preferring to battle it herself and leave him unaware of this insecurity. The pretending wasn't really that hard. She was actually excited, beaming with happiness, really. And that was enough to make her forget it.

Time passed, and she became more confident. Seeing Killian's ease while he told her what he had found out that day from one of Mary Margaret's borrowed books made her calm. They were ready for this, and they definitely weren't alone. It was all going to be okay.

Ava is 4 years old when she first falls down the stairs.

Emma and Killian were on the couch, downstairs, watching Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - Henry insisted they watch it, only to leave halfway through the movie to finish some forgotten homework.

Emma was fighting sleep, her eyelids becoming heavier and Killian's chest feeling more like her bed. Until she heard a big smash followed by the most heartbreaking sound: her daughter's pained crying.

Living in a house with stairs can be a beautiful thing, but it is not so attractive when it comes to raising kids there.

Emma and Killian had always been careful around her when she started crawling and venturing beyond her bedroom.

Now that she was older, they had made it clear: no running, hand on the rail and always, always watch out for the steps.

No book could have prepared her for this. No one had told her that this could happen. Nothing could make the sight of her little baby sprawled on the floor, at the end of the stairs, with her hand pressed against her stomach and her mouth open with sobs any less horrifying.

"Daddy! Daddy, it hurts so much!" she sobs as Killian immediately goes to pull her up in his arms, bridal style, and the 3 of them quickly climb down the rest of the stairs to lay her down on the couch.

"It'll be okay, sweetling. It'll be okay."

"Where does it hurt, baby? Tell mommy where it hurts."

"Here." she sobbed, her hand pressing on her abdomen.

Emma is quickly pulling her shirt up and palming her skin. "Does this hurt?"

"No."

"It's just bruised now. This might be sore, tomorrow."

"I'll go get ice." Killian speaks behind her and before she can turn around to agree with him, he's already in the kitchen.

"Does it hurt anywhere else, Ava?"

"No, mommy." she says, her voice breaking at the last word as she starts taking quick breaths.

"Calm down, baby. It's over, now. It's all okay."

"Here." Killian comes in half-running, ice pack in his hand. He finally sits down on the couch and pulls Ava onto his lap, an action that is well-received by her as she snuggles closer with her cheek against his warm chest and he breathes in the scent of her blonde hair. The sight of them together manages to calm Emma's heart.

"Stay with the ice for a bit and then it's bedtime, okay?" Emma ordered before pressing a kiss to her other cheek. "I'll just go check on Henry." she explained to him and also gives him a peck on his lips.

Although, before she could even get to the second round of stairs, her eyes catch something on the floor. A paper.

"Sweetheart, I think this is yours!" she shouts, talking to Ava. But her mind is focused on the adorable drawing that is in her hands, as she sits down on one of the steps.

There's a dad figure wearing what would appear to be a black gown but Emma knows it's actually Killian's leather outfit, Henry is next to him holding a girl's hand - Emma guesses it's Violet (violet dress and all) - and then there was herself, wearing the floral dress and denim jacket that Ava always loved to see on her mother. She always says things like "You're so beautiful, mommy." or "When I'm old, can I wear that dress, too?" whenever she wore it so her feature on the drawing with that outfit didn't surprise Emma at all.

Then there was a big house - their house - except well, she had drawn a tower with a well-lit room on the very top and a flag with a heart on top of it.
And of course, it was forbidden to forget to draw the Jolly Roger. It was at the docks; (there was a line separating the water and the ground), as if waiting for them, and Ava was there on deck, her blonde hair with black lines overlapping which meant it was supposed to be a braid.

She had almost one hundred drawings on her bedside table's shelf, sure, and many of them were very similar to this one. However, this feeling of pure love, of perfectness, of... everything she's ever wanted being finally accomplished... it always takes her breath away.

She's never asked for this. She's never believed she could deserve something like this.

And still, here she is.

She stands up and goes back to the living room where she finds her already asleep in his arms and Killian holding the ice and the towel on her skin.

"Poor lassie could barely keep her eyes open." he tells Emma with a chuckle and the sight of them makes her heart melt once again - if that was even possible after everything that had happened in this last hour.

"She was bringing this to us. When she fell- Probably why she fell." she sighs, sitting on the couch next to them and showing the piece of art to her husband.

She watches his reaction, unexpected tears forming in her eyes and she quickly looks away.

"I love when she makes these. She got the skill, Swan! Look at this she drew a braid!" he's laughing with himself, oozing pride that she can feel without even looking at him.

"Swan?"

She doesn't respond. Instead, she turns around to face him and takes a deep breath.

"Love. Come here to me. Snuggle with daddy." he teases her, looking down at the sleeping form of their daughter using him as her pillow.

"Gosh." she starts laughing and rests her head on his shoulder.

His good hand is already being used to hold Ava, but still, he softly rubs her arm with his hook.

"She scared me so much."

"Aye, love. Me too. But it's going to happen many times."

"But it's our job to prevent that from happening."

"And we will do the best we can. What's really troubling you, Swan?" he asks, concern evident all over his face.

"We should have been more careful- I don't know, Killian. What if next time it's worse?"

"No, she should have been more careful. I can assure you that with the fright she got now, she will be more careful next time."

"She's only 4."

"And that's exactly how she'll grow up. We have to let her go. Little by little."

She's letting his words sink in when he pulls her closer, bringing her face to the crook of his neck.

"This is scary." she whispers to him. "How are you always so calm in these moments?"

"We are together in this."