He may be an old soul, but he has eyes. He was once a younger man with the sparks of young love in his eyes, so it wasn't like he didn't know the signs of it when he saw them.

The way Alice's eyes linger on her new muse. Watching closely with whatever Robin happened to be doing: target practice, making new arrows, chatting with her cousin and Ella, scrolling in that talking phone of hers for a new song the pair could listen to. Alice's gaze would always be so sharp in that lingering way he hadn't been able to witness firsthand in a long while with a sketchbook propped open against her lap the nub of a well-used pencil in her hand glides smoothly over the page, another tucked behind her ear, as she works.

He needs to remember to get her some new drawing books and pencils next time he's close to town or maybe he could ask Robin seeing how close the pair were becoming just to be sure his starfish was properly stocked up for her favored activity.

The soft lingering looks over the firelight the growing number of times his starfish was sweet-talked into staying over just a little longer, the soft touches the pair shared whenever possible really when they thought no one was paying attention.

The way one would just drifting to sleep with their head resting against the shoulder of the other or a few times with their head pillowed against the other's lap. Mostly Alice when she comes for a visit after she got back from another adventure or one of the Dark One's little side jobs, but he's seen Robin play the role of sleeping octopus a time or two before she'd be coaxed back to her tent for a proper rest mainly by Alice or Henry.

He hasn't had much time to pick up on the changes in Robin as he does with Alice but Zelena assures him that she certainly has over the past months since the pair first met so he can be sure this budding romance the pair have been trying to hide from them wasn't just single-sided.

Killian had noticed how the young woman seemed to take it upon herself to argue on his daughter's behalf every time she so much as thought someone would talk about his little girl out of turn. Not to mention how eager she was about delivering his letters. At times even stopping by his tent to remind him to write them so Alice could know everything going on at camp.

Then there were the more glaring signs.

Like that time Robin had spent a good part of the day carrying Alice around after his daughter hurt her ankle although curiously neither girl had allowed Rumple, Regina nor Zelena to heal it for her. Not that any of the magic-user had thought to ask after Robin's protective decline to allow any of them close enough to try.

It was only later closer to nightfall that Killian had learned the truth of his daughter's deception.

He'd been on his way to ask Henry to look in on them before bed when he'd caught the pair making a mad dash into the trees hand in hand in the fast-coming darkness. Only because he was curious as to why Alice had felt the need to lie to him did he follow at a safe distance.

Whether the low suggestive moans that soon had him turning tail in retreat back toward the camp when the pair finally did stop was Alice's or Robin's Kilian never wants to find out.

Safe to say that when the pair did eventually make it back to camp well after first light that they almost missed breakfast entirely both looking disheveled yet with such a happy glow about them that no one dared asked what kept them so late that Killian dropped the need to push the issue.

Even if all thought the rest of the day he did send a blushing and guilty-looking Robin warning glares every time he catches her eye after spotting another of the claiming marks the archer's teeth had left on his little girl's neck. Now he thinks on it Zelena had been doing the same to Alice after seeing the mirrored marking peppering her own daughter's skin.

Regina and Henry had spent the time trying not to break anything important as they struggled to keep from laughing while the girls sent blushing glances between themselves as they were put to work in separate sections of the camp that really just makes the situation all the more adorable to witness.

"You love her, don't you Starfish?" It shouldn't have been meant as the question it came out as once, he remembered how fresh all those love marks Alice was trying to hide every time, she tugged her shirt collar up were while they walked.

After all what kind of father would he be if he didn't walk his little girl back to her cottage every once and a while?

Alice slows her steps a little her teeth moving to nibble at her lower lip as she looks away to hide the blush in her cheeks. "Papa I…." she hesitates peeking over at him as they keep moving down the winding pathway.

"It's alright that you do Alice." He assures her and he can see her shoulders visibly relax a little as her hand continues absently caressing the rainbow-colored band around her wrist.

A now ever-present gift from his daughter's love.

"Love is love, Alice. Be it between a man and a lass, two lasses like you and Robin or hells whatever else they are pairing off these days." He shrugs "As long as Robin makes you as happy as I can see she does I could care less about her gender."

It takes all of Alice's concentration to keep from closing the distance between them and throwing her arms around him for a tight hug. Instead, she wraps her arms around herself as more happy tears slide down her cheeks as she holds his eyes. Going by his returned smile he understands the movement. "She's my Nobin, Papa, of course, I love her. How could I not? Even when she called me a spy when we first met" His full-grown daughter hiccups with a beaming tearful smile.

Killian would have said something else, but another voice cuts him off.

"Dammit Henry, will you stop saying 'the glowing skip of shame'. That wasn't what that was now will you just drop it already?"

Really, he hadn't been keeping that close of an eye on the time. He was just enjoying spending time with his daughter even when their current closeness did make the painful throb in his chest rear up again like a vengeful ocean wave. Not that he would ever tell Alice that. She was so far out of his reach as it was. Telling her that the curse was growing stronger would only push her further away. He'd already lost so much time with her he couldn't bear losing anymore.

"Oh, so what was it then?" the author asks in a laugh

Alice's blush deepens at the questions while the voices they belong to float closer before Robin speaks again "Where the hell are, we going anyway?" the young archer asks rather than giver her cousin his answer "I mean not that I'm complaining seeing as gets me away from my girlfriend's very intimidating and sword carrying father but come on Henry-what's up?"

"Funny you should word it that way….." Henry laughs before raising his voice a little louder before adding "Nook?"

"Wh…W…What?" Robin squeaked stopping cold in her tracks. Or maybe her sudden fears were more because Kilian had picked that moment to smoothly unsheathes his cutlass from his belt. Letting the calming slide of metal against metal ring out before he stepped into view on the path ahead of the late coming pair.

"Papa…." Alice scolds hurrying to her love's side while Robin stayed frozen in the middle of the pathway her eyes wide like a trapped deer. "He's just playing love." She soothes taking Robin's hand and bringing it up to press her lips against her girlfriend's knuckles in greeting.

"No, I'm not" Hook smiles while his blade catches the light making it gleam between them before he flipped it catching the blade in his hand and holding it out toward the still stunned archer. Robin trips backward a few steps only being forced to stop when she runs into Henry standing behind her. "It will just be a friendly sparing match." He explains with that fatherly wink that always seemed to calm Alice's fears. That was until now.

"No Papa," Alice argues while Robin's hand tightens around her own. Not that she blames her. Everyone that knew the name 'Captain Hook' knew how skilled her father was with a blade.

"Come on Starfish it's my right as your father." He reminds in a pout that was so like Alice's it had Robin's heart aching in her chest.

Alice rolls her eyes her hand tightening in Robin's "You already know what she is capable of." She points out remembering Robin telling her how her father had taken to helping her with her sword work.

"Yes, but that was before you confessed to loving her, little rook." The pirate explains while Henry lets out a low chuckle from his place stripping down a branch of a tree into a makeshift staff. The first already resting against the log he was sitting on as he worked on the second.

"You already knew I loved her Papa." Alice sighs wrapping her arms around her girlfriend's middle.

That seems to break Robin out of her haze bringing a shy smile to her lips as she catches Alice's eye. "Really?" she giggles as if she doesn't believe what she was hearing.

"Really." Alice nodes her smile becoming even more devilish.

Robin swallows.

Oh no. She knows that look….

"Well good." She nodes "Cause I love you too." Her mind is scrambling as Alice's fingers braided themselves into her hair as she leans closer, but she isn't going to admit to swooning. No way she has a reputation after all. New Robin Hood doesn't swoon. No matter how beautiful the woman she loves is as Alice's breath minglings even more with her own.

Alice's lips were so close now….just a little farther…..

"Hey, come on will you stop with the heart eyes and the lovey-doveyness for a second." Henry cuts in earning three hard glares in return. "What?" the author prince asks shifting just a little in unease while his cousin huffs unhappily when instead of kissing her Alice's focus was now only on him.

"Come on Robin, I thought you and Nook were gonna you know play fight it out before we lose the light." To be far Henry was a little upset about putting a damper on his cousin's love life but in his defense, he had put in all the work in stripping the branches to not see them in use.

"You and Ella make the heart eyes with each other all the time." Alice snaps while a shy and red-faced Robin nuzzles her face against her girlfriend's shoulder. "Besides we were keeping our relationship below deck, so our heart eyes aren't as common as yours is. Everyone knows you and Ella are together."

"On the down-low…it's on the down-low babe." Robin corrects sharing a chuckle with Henry over the more modern slang.

Robin knew she was so losing more of her cool points by the second by hiding in the crook of Alice's shoulder, but hey. Alice can handle herself and she just smelled so good. The delicate mix of her home-made soap, the dried tang of sweat from their late-night activities of the day before, and that just so Alice scent that never failed to make the archer's head spin and her heart beating triple time against her ribs. "Aye that." The adventuress nodes pulling Robin back before she became too lost in her head.

A good thing too considering how close Robin's wandering hands had gotten to the ties keeping Alice's corset in place.

"And everyone in camp had their suspicions about you two they just didn't want to say anything because Robin is really intimidating when she wants to be." Henry defends.

"She does have a point, Henry." Killian agrees sharing a look with his daughter. Alice's eyebrow rose as her gaze moves first to Robin then over toward Henry before landing back on her father's. Kilian grinned reading the unspoken words his daughter was trying to suggest "As my Starfish wishes." He announces giving a little node even adding a bow that had both Robin and Henry gulping to see while Alice leads Robin back several more steps giving her Papa a wider birth to advance on the nervous Author with an amused round of happy giggling.

"Humm guys…." Henry asks his eyes now on Robin for back up as the pirate re-sheaths his sword before unhooking his weapon belt and sets it aside reaching for one of the two waiting staffs instead.

"See you in the morning, Papa." Alice chirps sending Robin a reassuring wink as she pulls her willing archer in for that kiss Henry so rudely interrupted earlier. One that promised more to come as soon as they were back behind the safety of a locking door.

"Be safe Starfish." Hook answers his soft tone contrasting in every way with the hard set of his jaw then his eyes meet the archer's over his shoulder. "Robin look after her for me. Make sure she gets home." he adds kicking the other staff into the downed man's lap as he levels the end of the branch in his hand at Henry's chest as if the wooden thing was a sword he'd already set aside.

"Of course, Captain." Robin nodes giving a playful at attention salute that brought out one of the pirate's warmer smiles. "Shall we, my lady?" she asks with a little bow in Alice's direction before she holds out her arm while Alice giggles before linking her arm with her lover's. "We shall good archer." That plan was stalled a little by another traded kiss.

"Come on guys you're not just going to leave, are you?" Henry asks worried now as he was held down by the end of the tree branch being pressed against his chest.

"Yeah, kind ah." Robin nodes a little breathless when she and Alice pulled apart from the lack of air with that little mischievous smile on her lips that had Alice's heart flipping in her chest.

"Guys come…." Henry started to plead but he didn't get the chance to finish seeing as he was rolling away from Nook's warning swing at his head with his wooden weapon while the laughing couple melted into the night leaving the pirate to his teaching lesson.