EPILOGUE:

"The men are coming with the last of the boxes!" Emma said proudly, placing the lamp she carried on the floor.

"Thanks. I know it was necessary, but not moving would have definitely been easier," Mary Margaret said.

"You wanted to stay in the burned loft? Damage aside, it was definitely starting to feel cramped," Emma said.

"What are you complaining about? You were hardly there in the past three weeks," Mary Margaret said.

"You weren't there much either I might add. How's your house coming?" Emma asked.

"You would know if you had been around," Mary Margaret said pointedly.

"I'm sorry I had other things to take care of. Helping you move is just one of the many tasks that have demanded my attention in the recent weeks."

"One of those tasks being making sure that I'm almost never alone," Hook said, putting down a box and walking up to put his arm around her.

"I'm not sold yet that you're over revenge on Gold," Emma said, patting him on the chest.

"Darling, that crocodile will always be a less than desirable presence in my life. But he is Henry's grandfather, so for him, I will refrain." Hook gave her a kiss to confirm his words.

"If only you'd refrain from other things," David said, entering with another box balanced on his thick arm cast.

"David, calm down. You can't act like this forever you know," Mary Margaret said.

"I can act like this until they come to their inevitable end," he said under his breath. Emma and Mary Margaret gave twin eyerolls at the comment.

"You're not carrying anything too heavy right? Dr. Whale said you were lucky not to need surgery to fix your arm, but it's not going to mend any faster if you put too much strain on it," Mary Margaret said to David.

"It's fine," David said.

"Well, that's because I'm carrying all the really heavy stuff," Henry complained, breathing out deeply as he placed a new box on the floor.

"I think the last thing to come in is the couch. You big strong men can handle that, right?" Mary Margaret said. Once the men were out of the room, she was able to question her daughter on the topic she'd been avoiding ever since they returned from their various portal-jumping adventures.

"So, you're sure this is real? You and Hook?"

"Killian and I are very happy together. It's not like this is super new either. I've told you before, nine months together in Neverland."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure there weren't any – extenuating circumstances?" Mary Margaret asked, her tone saying more than her words.

Her question was answered when Emma's hand involuntarily went to her stomach. "How did you know? I only started suspecting this morning. I haven't even told Killian yet."

"Going to the future provided me with a lot of insights." She smiled brightly.

"You won't say anything, right?" Emma pled.

"Of course not. But I may have to give your father some warning, or he'll probably kill Hoo – Killian."

"Lift it more to the right. No, my right." David's voice could be heard coming through the door.

"I don't need advice from the person carrying the cushions, mate. It won't fit that way anyway. I told you we should have carried it on its side," Killian said, his voice carrying a distinct amount of annoyance.

"Uh, Gramps, Killian, I think it's stuck," Henry said, his voice managing to stay the calmest.

"This is all your fault!" David said.

"My fault! You're the one who isn't doing anything to help!" Killian shouted back.

"Unless he kills him today," Emma murmured.

"We should go help them before they get a chance to pull out their swords," Mary Margaret said.

Two weeks later, Emma and Killian were officially unpacked and ready for the house warming. They had invited most of the town, excited that things had finally calmed down enough to just have a party with no problems. Emma had been running around all day, trying to make sure everything was perfect.

"Calm down love. Everything looks wonderful!" Killian said, wrapping his arms around her waist as she scrubbed frantically at the pots in the sink.

"I need to get these dishes done before anyone shows up. The party starts in ten minutes, and I haven't even gotten dressed," she said, panic rising in her voice.

"No problem. Henry!" Killian called.

"What?" Henry yelled back.

"Come down here. Your mum needs our help!"

Henry responded to the request, hopping down the last few steps.

"Now darling, you go get dressed. Henry and I will take care of this."

Emma gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thank you."

Henry was not so grateful, and grumbled his way through the task.

"Cheer up lad. There's a party going on tonight. I think young Grace will be in attendance. Plus, tonight is the night," Killian said, bumping the boy's shoulder gentle to prompt a smile.

"Wait, tonight?"

The doorbell rang, and the conversation stopped.

"Killian, will you get that?" Emma yelled from the bedroom.

Killian and Henry answered the door together, and Mary Margaret rushed in without an invitation. "Hi! I have ice cream here that's about to melt!" She ran for the freezer without a second look.

David followed behind at a less cheetah-like pace, his expression more somber than his wife's. "Welcome to our home!" Killian said, hoping to get a smile out of the other man.

"Hi gramps!" Henry said, hugging his grandfather tightly, finally prompting a happy expression from David.

"Hey Kiddo. Great house!" David said.

"Hi Dav – Dad," Emma greeted him, attaching earrings as she walked forward. She was still getting used to referring to her parents as such, but she was making the effort. "Where's Mar – Mom?"

"I'm here. Emma, it looks wonderful!" Mary Margaret said with a hug for her daughter.

Emma led her parents into the house, leaving Killian to greet Archie, Marco, and Pinocchio who were coming up the path. He was slightly upset at being brushed to the side. He did want to try and get David to accept him, but every time he did, something would prevent them from having a real conversation. One day, he would get Emma's father to like him.

"Emma, Hook, it's beautiful!" Ruby gushed as she entered their home, Dr. Whale by her side.

"Thank you, we're very happy," Emma replied. She eyed the waitress suspiciously, trying to figure out what was going on between her and the doctor.

"Victor, look! They have a gold chandelier!" Ruby pointed at the light fixture in awe, but Whale's expression was much less excited. He continued nodding along with Ruby's exclamations of praise.

Killian made rounds through the guests at Emma's request. He would rather be joining those drinking at in the kitchen, but she had insisted he be pleasant with people he barely knew, and understood even less.

"Hey, Hook, pretty nice place here," Neal said, clapping the man on the shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks," he replied, trying to keep their conversation short. He was determined to stay civil for Emma's sake, but this was still the man who had abandoned Emma, and he was also the Peter Pan who had corrupted a slew of young men into thievery and careless behavior. He certainly was not ready to become best friends with the man.

"It seems like you have made some great improvements in your life," Gold said, walking over to stand next to his son, creating Killian's least favorite duo ever.

"Yes, so it would seem. Maybe you should try it some time." Killian found himself staring alternately at father, then son, none of them willing to make the first move to escalate, or back down. Killian doubted Gold would actually do anything; since the destruction of the dagger, he had been keeping a very low profile.

"Hey, Killian, would you help me with getting more ice?" Mary Margaret asked, seeing the cold exchange between them.

"Yeah. Thanks for coming," Killian said, walking away.

Emma was refilling the nuts on the kitchen island when she saw Regina and her new friend for the first time that evening. "Regina, Kanin, thanks for coming."

"Thank you for the invite. It's a beautiful home. Henry has been saying how excited he is about it for weeks," Kanin said.

Regina smiled at him broadly, ignoring Emma completely. She might have been offended if she didn't recognize the look Regina had in her eyes - the same that had possessed her since she sent Tamara to Wonderland in exchange for Kanin – True Love.

Hook stood on a chair and tapped his glass with a fork. "Everyone, can I have your attention please? I'd like to say a few words."

When the noise settled to a quieter level, he continued, "Thank you all for coming. It means a lot to Emma and me that so many could come and spend time with us in our new home. It's still a little odd for me – my sea legs are not enjoying being on land that much. But everything is worth it – because of this beautiful woman right here."

Hook pointed at Emma, and the room erupted into claps and cheers. "Without Emma, I would be a lonely man with nothing to look forward to in life. I wouldn't have this beautiful home, or the friends I've made when I make her mad and the only ones who'll accept me are the bar rats down at the White Rabbit."

Another, smaller cheer went up from Leroy, Anton, Smee and a few other men who were already on multiple drinks for the evening.

Hook stepped down off the chair, and his voice got softer now. "Emma, you are my world. Nothing else truly matters except you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Everyone in the room gasped when Hook lowered himself to one knee. "Emma, my Swan, will you marry me?"

Surrounded by friends and family, Emma stared at the ring presented to her, and the man that was holding the ring. She couldn't think of a single thing to say, so with tears in her eyes, she nodded and bent down to kiss him. Whoops and cheers echoed around the house, but all Emma cared about was the man in her arms, the one who would be her husband.

"I'm never going to be rid of him," David said mournfully to his wife.

"Don't worry, I'm sure he'll grow on you," she replied.

Aurora stared at Phillip, silently praying that he would open his eyes soon. She and Mulan had done everything they could; they crushed the berries into his mouth and Samson was tethered nearby happily crunching on carrots. All they could do now was wait. Aurora was becoming slightly worried, and for the first time she doubted that Charming was going to come through for them.

When they had first encountered the prince, Aurora had seen so much of her own dear Phillip in the way of his heroic manners and chivalrous attitude. Despite Mulan's distrust of the man, she hadn't seen anything to alarm her, and then when he revealed himself as Snow White's husband, she knew that he could be trusted. Unfortunately, that trust was waning.

"Any change?" Mulan ask. Aurora jumped at the suddenness of her approach. "Sorry."

"It's all right. No, no change with Phillip. Charming is going to come through, right?"

"I think he will. He promised that he would do everything he could, and failure is not something that comes easily to him," Mulan said.

Aurora smiled brightly at Mulan's words. "I'm glad you finally chose to trust him. I don't know if we could have gotten this spell without him. And we certainly couldn't have defeated someone who's in a complete different world."

Mulan nodded, then turned her attention back to the lifeless prince. "What happens when he wakes up?"

Aurora looked away from her friend for a long moment, not knowing how to respond. The two of them had become close because Mulan had made promises to Phillip, promises that he could fulfill himself once he was revived. But that didn't change the warrior's feelings for him. She was obviously still in love with him, and having him back would only serve to make those feelings more complicated.

"I'll leave as soon as he is strong enough to take care of the both of you," Mulan answered her own question when Aurora refused to do so.

"No! I don't want you to leave!" she insisted.

"It will be easier for all of us if I just go. It is about time that I return to my own land after all."

"But..." Aurora's argument was cut off by a deep groan. Both women turned sharply to see Phillip begin to slowly open his eyes.

"Phillip!" Aurora shouted. Instinct took over, and she kissed him soundly, smiling into the intimate embrace.

"Aurora! You need to leave me. It's not safe!" he yelled.

"What are you talking about? Nothing is wrong," she attempted to reassure him.

"The wraith! It's coming for me!" He pushed her away, eyes searching the skies frantically.

"The wraith is gone. You're safe," Mulan said.

"Gone?" Phillip's eyes remained fixed in a panicked and saucer large expression.

"Phillip, don't worry. We're all safe," Aurora said, taking his face gently into her hands.

"Safe?" His eyes slowly softened.

"Yes. Everything is perfect." Aurora once again kissed him deeply, and she swore to herself that she would never let go of him again. Whatever happened from this day forward, they would be together.

Tamara began screaming. "Get away from me you stupid things!"

"Why doesn't she like us Dee?" one of the twins asked.

"Maybe we should sing her a song," the other replied.

"I know a good one – 'The Song that Never Ends!'"

Tamara tried to run, but her path was blocked by the sudden appearance of that horrible purple smoke cat.

"Don't you know it's incredibly rude to leave a performance?" he said, pushing her back to the horrible screeching.

"I hate Wonderland!" she screamed.

END

AN: So, it's finally done. I hope the epilogue wasn't too disjointed or confusing. I wanted to be sure that everyone got their happy (or not so happy) ending. A HUGE thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. Your kind words were what kept me going. I am planning on doing a companion piece to integrate episodes 2x05 - 2x16 into my story, showing Killian caring for Emma. I'm also toying with the idea of a sequel, but that may or may not actually see the light with all the other ideas that are currently vying for my attention.

Thank you again to all my readers! You're the best!