The Third Sunday in the Month of June

The past year had been rough, real rough. Cora had left a mess in her wake and Emma and crew had a real time cleaning up after her. But she was finally happy. The hole in her heart had been cared for and mended by way of one Killian Jones and she had Henry.

Love and her son; what more could she possibly ask for? Certainly not this! Not that it was a bad thing, per say, it was just…unexpected.

Henry arrived home after school, dropping his bag by the door and sneakily peeking in all the doors of the apartment.

"Hey, Kid, whatcha doin?" Emma cautiously asked, eyebrow raised, creeping her head around the corner of the hallway.

"Killian around?" Henry asked, his voice almost whispering.

"No," she chuckled. "Took the ship for a run, you know how he gets if he's on land for too long and none of us want a crabby pirate on our hands." Emma rolled her eyes at the thought, lord knows she loved him, but damn if he didn't get pissy when he was away from his beloved ship. She couldn't blame him though, she really was a marvel, and the times he took them out to sea were some of her fondest memories. She never thought she would dance beneath the stars to the tune of a humming pirate, let alone fall asleep in his arms. "So what'd he do? What's with the secrecy?"

Henry grinned and pulled his mother over to the kitchen table and gently pushed into a chair. "He didn't do anything; I want to do something for him…for Sunday." The boy was bouncing in his seat with an undeniable joy behind his eyes.

"Sunday?" Emma's eyebrows furrowed, "Henry, what's Sunday?" Couldn't have been his birthday, she had asked him once and he admitted he had even forgotten it had been so long since he had celebrated.

"Mo _m," he whined, shaking his head disapprovingly and stalking over to the fridge and removing the calendar from the wall.

She scanned the month of June until her eyes found the date in question and her eyes went wide.

"Henry…are you sure about this?" Her mouth still hanging open in a surprised state. She honestly didn't know what to say, she sure as hell didn't want to deny the kid, not after he looked so excited. But how would Killian react?

"O-kay," Emma drew out, "what did you have in mind?"

.

.

Killian groaned at the sudden clatter coming from the other room and his arms tightened around Emma's waist.

"Someone tell that lad to pipe it down," he murmured into her hair, pressing a kiss on her shoulder.

Emma chuckled and turned in his arms, being greeted by a pair of heavily hooded deep blue eyes and a twitchy smile.

"This coming from the Captain who lives to see the sunrise." She pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, "Perhaps if you spent more time sleeping than doing other activities you wouldn't be so grouchy in the morning."

"I'd rather wake up to the sight of you than a million sunrises; and I've probably seen that many. Besides, love, I didn't hear you complaining about said activities." Killian rolled on top of her and captured her lips in a slow kiss, dragging his teeth along her bottom lip when he pulled away and began to pepper kisses down her neck line. "If I recall correctly, you were voicing yourself in a totally different manner last night."

He braced himself with his forearm as his right hand crept slowly down her side and came to rest between her thighs, pressing gently against her warmth.

"Killian," she breathed into his ear, her hand fisting in his dark tresses.

"Mmm, aye," he nipped at her pulse point gently, "it began something like that."

"I should get up, before he comes barging in here," she said with a heavy breath, Killian's hand reappearing next to her face and tracing a line down her cheek.

"I'm already up, darling. Up and willing," he winked and ran his tongue over his teeth, leaning in for another kiss.

Emma laughed, "When aren't you?" She tried her damnedest not to give him an eye roll but a small one might have snuck out anyway. She reached up and ran her thumb along the small scar on his cheek, enjoying the serene look that was in his eyes. Yes he was cocky, yes he was a walking talking innuendo, and yes he was a pirate with a very questionable past; but he looked at her as if she were the only thing left on this earth, like he needed nothing else to be complete.

And she believed him.

Emma took her bottom lip between her teeth and huffed out a small laugh.

"What?" he questioned, his thumb grazing her chin.

"I'm sorry you know, for leaving you behind on the beanstalk…and knocking you out; but I'm glad you found you're way here. Even if you said you were through with me."

"Oh, Emma, don't you know?" He nudged her nose with his before stealing a kiss, brushing his tongue over hers ever so lightly. "I'll never be through with you." He kissed her again, murmuring against her lips, "Never, Swan, I'm never letting you go."

Sometimes the past still hurt. There were people who had let her go in the past, her parents for example. Sure they had done it for her own good, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt. Then there was Neal.

Fucking Neal.

He let her go and basically never looked back until her and Gold found him in Manhattan, where he basically told her if he would have known who she was he wouldn't have come near her. That hurt even more. But Killian had been there to pick up the pieces. To bond with Henry when he would hardly speak to her on the Jolly Roger on the voyage home. The night they shared their first dance beneath the stars as she sobbed into his chest. The cocky pirate didn't exist that night, not an innuendo was uttered, only comforting mummers and strokes of her hair.

A tear slipped out of her eye, trekking down the side of her face and into the pillow under her head. Killian's look of awe turned quickly into a frown. He quickly brushed the next tear away with the pad of his thumb and rolled onto his side and pulled her into his chest.

"Hey now, princess, what's this? Emma, love what is it? He rubbed circles into her back and felt her bury herself deeper into his side as she shook her head.

"Nothing," she said softly, "it's nothing."

She pulled back and cradled his face in her hands, smiling lightly.

"Then why the tears, love?"

"It's just that…" she paused, taking a breath and breaking her gaze with him. "I just…"

Killian turned his head and pressed a kiss to her palm, "Just what, Emma? I'm not going anywhere."

He wasn't was he? He had plenty of moments to make his getaway by now, yet here by her side he remained. Day after day, night after night, he had come to call this place his home, their home.

Emma pulled his face to hers and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips, her fingers stroking the scruff on his cheeks. She pulled back, running her hand down his face until it rested over his heart.

"I love you, Killian Jones," she whispered with a shy smile.

Killian's eyebrow quirked and the corner of his mouth twitched up. "I'm sorry, love; I'm an old man after all, must have a hearing problem. Mind repeating that?

"Killian!" she groaned, whacking him with her pillow and moving to get up from the bed. She had pulled on some sweats and a tank top when his arms snagged around her waist and his stubble was tickling her neck.

"Let me go, Hook."

"Ouch, darling, that hurts a man's ego." He began to press open mouthed kisses to her neck, leaving trails of shivers in his wake.

"It's impossible to hurt your ego, it's larger than all the realms combined," Emma scoffed, giving in and turning around to face him.

"Too right, lass," he agreed with a nod, pressing a quick kiss to her lips then resting his forehead against hers with a content sigh.

"Emma?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Her eyes flitted up to see a serene sea of blue staring down at her paired with a sweet smile meant just for her. Killian smoothed a hand down the back of her head and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I'm going back to bed now, you coming?"

Her arms looped around his waist. "No, I'm going to see what Henry is up to. Don't be too long okay?"

She felt him nod against her and his lips were being pressed to the top of her head before he slunk back to the bed and buried himself under the covers.

.

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"Oh, good you're up!" Henry beamed when Emma walked into the kitchen. He had already managed to pull out the pans and a variety of breakfast items from the fridge and had a bowl of eggs already scrambled and ready to go.

"Hard not to be when someone is making such a racket just down the hall," she yawned. Emma eyed the contents of the counter top and shook her head with a laugh. Killian might have a strong appetite, but there was no way he would be able to eat eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, oatmeal, cereal, bagels and a variety of fruit. "I think this is a little much, kid."

"I didn't know what he liked more," Henry shrugged, "I remembered how to do the eggs so I started those already, you can pick the rest I suppose."

Emma ruffled his hair and moved past him to get the coffee pot going.

"Mom," his voice called, quiet and a little afraid. She turned to see him standing there with his hands twisting around each other in front of him. "Do you think he'll like it?"

Emma felt a painful tug in her stomach, she had never had this chance as a child, and this might be as close as Henry was going to get. Killian adored her son; she knew that, even if he did make the poor man watch Peter Pan on a weekly basis. Emma ruffled his hair and swooped down to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'm sure he'll love it."

"But he's not-"

"Henry," Emma cut him off, her hands resting on his shoulders, prompting him to look up at her. His eyes were laced with worry and doubt. She'd been there, afraid of rejection, she knew what was running through his child like mind. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

She helped him prepare the eggs, they made a stack of pancakes (it seemed as if Killian could eat his weight in pancakes), bacon (as well as bacon) and Emma finished it up with toast and some orange slices. Henry was persistent that he made the platter up himself and set the table just as Killian emerged from the bedroom, slinking his arm around Emma's waist as she stirred the sugar into her coffee. His lips brushed against her cheek and he gave Henry a full grin.

"Ah, there's the noisy lad of the morning!"

Henry blushed and his eyes fell to the floor. Killian shot Emma a worried look, knitting his brows together and frowning slightly.

"Is everything all right?"

She smiled, running a hand down the length of his arm and gave his wrist a tug. "C'mon, Henry's been a busy bee this morning." She pulled him over to the table and nodded to the chair in front of the massive plate of food.

"That's an awful lot of food for such a small boy as yourself, lad," Killian chuckled, ruffling his hair.

Henry looked up, lip between his teeth, looking every bit like his mother. He rocked back on his heels before meeting the pirate's eyes momentarily and blushing again.

"We made it for you," he mumbled, looking away.

Killian looked back at Emma, his face scrunched up in confusion and she motioned for him to go back to Henry with a little wave of her hands.

"Well, I suppose I have a healthy appetite, but this is quite the feast, Henry." Killian took a step towards him and crossed his arms over his chest. "You get into trouble?"

Henry shook his head.

"Trying to bribe me for a go on my ship. Because you know, lad, I'd do that anyway."

Henry's eyes brightened and a smile flickered upon his small features before he shook his head again.

"You want something?"

Again he shook his head and Killian chuckled, rubbing the scruff on his chin in thought. "What's the occasion then? I'm out of possibilities."

"Today is…um, well, today…" Henry stammered and looked back to his mother who gave him a nod but the boy still looked weary.

"Sometime today would be nice, lad," Killian smirked. "Just like his mother," he chuckled under his breath.

Henry bit his lip and ran over to the fridge and retrieved the calendar, his gait slow upon returning to stand in front of the pirate Captain. He held the document to his chest for a long moment before he held it out at arm's length to him, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

Killian took the calendar from Henry's stiff hands. He looked down at the calendar and scanned the dates, his eyes falling on the third Sunday of the month of June, the fifteenth. On the bottom of the little box in small blue printed letters were the words Father's Day.

Killian's breath hitched. He was vaguely familiar with these holidays; he had been around when Henry wanted to do something for Emma on Mother's day a few months back and while they were just starting out the year before. He also remembered seeing this date on the calendar and how disappointed the lad was when Neal (or Bealfire as Killian remembered him) failed to show up to spend the day with him. That was when Killian knew he wouldn't let anything hurt them again. He cared too greatly for the pair of them to see them go through any pain.

Killian still hadn't said anything, he stood stoic with the calendar between his fingers blinking at the words in front of him. It wasn't until Henry started to speak that he began to snap back into it.

"It's okay you know," his quiet voice whispered. "I know I'm not your kid and all, I just thought…well," Henry turned and began to march back towards his room. "I guess I don't know what I thought."

Killian tossed the calendar up on the bar and took two strides to meet him, gently grasping his arm and dropping down to his knee so he was at his level. Killian smiled and clapped a hand on Henry's shoulder.

"I'm honored, Henry. Honestly, thank you."

"Really?!" Henry's face lit up and a smile spread over his face that reached well past his eyes. "You mean it?

"Aye, 'course I do! Why do you think I stick around, hmm?" He leaned in closer to whisper in the boy's ear, "I love your mum and all but let's face it…what's a Captain without his first mate?" Killian winked with a grin.

Henry threw his arms around his neck and held tightly. Killian took a moment before wrapping an arm around his body and giving him a few pats on the back. "Thanks, Killian," he said quietly after he pulled away.

"Thank you, Henry," he said standing and giving him a subtle bow. "Now why don't you run off and prepare yourself for a day at sea while I eat this fantastic breakfast."

"Okay!"

Killian had never seen him smile brighter than he did just before he turned and ran off to his room.

Emma slid her arms around his waist, going up on her toes to press a chaste kiss to his lips before resting her cheek on his chest. "That meant a lot to him, you know. He's been planning it for days."

She felt a chuckle rumble through his shirt. "Is that right?"

Emma nodded, holding tighter to him, sighing when his hand got lost beneath the waves at the base of her neck as he began to rock them back and forth in the kitchen and a soft hum escaped from his lips.

These were her moments, ones that she held close to her heart and replayed over and over again in her minds eyes each night before she fell victim to sleeps call. Every so often he would stop his melody and press a kiss to her hair line and continue swaying her slightly, his fingers kneading the base of her skull.

She had never felt so at home than she did when she was with him. Killian Jones sealed the wound that had been left gaping in her heart and he had made sure it was closed permanently.

"Killian?" she beckoned quietly.

"Hmm?" he hummed, still rocking her softly.

"You're going to be a great father."

Their dance stopped then, his arms stiffening around her and Emma heard the moment that he stopped breathing.

She released her arms from his middle and slid them up to his chest and pushed back slightly; he released her and stumbled away, his blue eyes wide and full of fear. He raised a finger and pointed it in the direction of Henry's room while shaking his head. Neither of them had talked of marriage so this wasn't about the boy in the other room.

Emma chewed her lip and confirmed his action with the same head shake. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat when his shaky finger turned and pointed at her.

With her lip still between her teeth, threatening to draw blood and on the brink of tears she nodded.

His closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. In all his years he had never thought himself father material, bloody hell, he hardly even remembered his own father. He mustn't have been that great if he drove him to a life of piracy.

"Killian, say something please," Emma's voice cracked.

He wasn't fit to be a father. He was a murderer, a womanizer, a thief; the pure definition of pirate should come with a warning to not bear children. And yet he was to have one with Emma Swan. The woman who had bested him, and he had let her. The woman who had made him forget the evil that had run ramped in his soul for so many centuries with her kiss. The woman he loved more than life itself. And Henry liked him he supposed, well enough to want to celebrate a holiday dedicated to fathers with him. If Henry was willing to welcome him as a father figure perhaps he could do this after all.

"Killian, don't do this, please. Don't shut down on me, not now." Tears were streaming steadily from her face when he looked up at her and he immediately felt a twinge of regret. She thought he was going to leave, to abandon her like the past before him. Killian had already vowed to himself that day in Manhattan that would never happen.

"A girl, I hope it's a girl," Killian finally spoke.

"What?" Emma sniffed, blinking away her tears as to see him clearly.

He crossed the room and closed the distance between them. "A tough lass, just like her mother." He reached out his hand and let his palm cover her abdomen. "Strong, beautiful, head full of golden curls, a re—"

Emma cut him off, grabbing the back of his neck and pulling his mouth to hers, her teeth grazing his bottom lip until he opened his mouth to her and she swept her tongue over his. She pulled away, breathless and Killian's grin reached all the way back to his ears.

"A real charmer," he breathed, pressing his forehead to hers.

"That'd be one of your traits, Captain," Emma chuckled, toying with the fluff of chest hair that was peeking out the top of his pajama shirt.

"Aye, let's hope that's the only one."

Emma frowned, "Killian, despite what you've done before, it's not who you are now. This baby, she's going to be loved, by two parents and a brother. You are a man with a sense of adventure, a great love for the sea, and a passion for those you keep in your heart. I don't blame you for wanting revenge for Milah, Killian; if anything I respect you for holding her in that regard for three hundred years."

Killian's eyes met hers and for the first time she had seen a glossy sheen over his clear blue. She took his hand in hers and laid her hand in the crook of his left elbow. "Have you done some terrible things? I'd say so, yes, but you also fought for what you wanted, Killian. You fought for me. And look at where we are now."

"You, Emma Swan, are a marvel, you know that?" Killian lifted her hand and kissed her knuckles. "And my love for you will last far longer than three hundred years." He dropped to his knees and lifted the hem of her shirt and pressed a kiss to her stomach, his scruff tickling the skin. "This one too, and Henry as well. When the world begins to fade and we grow weary of watching our loved ones die we'll board the Jolly Roger for one last voyage and sail for the second star on the right. We might already be old and grey but we'll have each other, and our children, and maybe by then their children—"

"Life shouldn't be like a fairy tale, Killian" she sighed, running a hand through the top of his hair.

"But it can be, Emma, love. And so long as I have you it already is."

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A/N: Look at that box down there...it's empty and all oh, so sad. You should leave something in there to make it happy again.