Killian
His legs shook all the way down the town street and his hand hesitated above the doorknob; the moment of truth. A hand came up to rest in between his shoulder blades, her hand, and he took a deep breath to steady himself. Everyone was expecting them, except for one, and this was one moment he could never do over. If it ended badly, it would be scorched into his memory forever. He's missed so much already, birthdays, friends, just being together, that jumping in now was a daunting task.
Brief flashes of a small bundle in a pink and purple blanket crossed his mind, of saying goodbye, and he could wait no longer. Gripping the metal knob of his in-laws home, he went inside with his wife.
Emma
She wasn't going to push him; he needed to do it on his own. Past the threshold of the door waited their beautiful six year old daughter with her grandparents, unaware that a man would be stepping back into her life forever. Many scenarios could take place, but none were what she imagined.
Her parents had taken the arrival of Killian back in strides, everyone just knew to ride the waves. News spread through the town quickly, but everyone knew that Rae was to be kept in the dark until it was time. Mary Margaret had her suspicions of what would happen when he walked into the door, and she made Emma not tell her daughter anything.
It was almost like she could see courage come over her husband as he grinned the metal knob and almost threw open the door.
Killian
The three of them were gathered around the kitchen table playing with a puzzle with large pieces. A little girl was sitting in his mother-in-law's lap trying to force a piece that just didn't quite fit right into place. His wife stepped out in front of him, while he waited right inside the door, and knelt down next to the mop of curly blonde hair so that they were eye level. She held out a hand to the girl and helped her off the stool.
For the first time since she was just a newborn, he was able to glimpse her face and was floored. Her eyes matched his and so did her chin. Many of her features resembled her mother, but there was no mistaking him in there as well.
The girl tilted her head to one side and scrunched up her fine, blonde eyebrows for a moment; the look was so like her mother.
"Daddy?"
Emma
He seemed at a loss for words or actions, so she decided to step in just a bit. Going forward and kneeling down, she whispered nothing to her daughter to give any indication of who the man was. Both her parents turned in their seats to witness the moment.
Rae hopped down off her grandmother's lap and stared at the man in a plain black tee shirt and jeans with a hook for a left hand. Her face moved to the one she would use when concentrating really hard on something when finally Emma could see a light turn on in her head.
If she hadn't been there to witness the moment, she never would've believed it. The town never said a single word to the small girl and neither did the family.
Her head righted itself. "Daddy?"
Killian
Shock. Emma hadn't said a single word to his daughter, yet she knew who he was. He couldn't speak, but instead fell to his knees and nodded as the little girl, who looked so much like her mother, came running forward into his arms. The blonde curls were everywhere, but he didn't care.
Emma
Tears pricked her eyes as she watched the reunion. Only able to hold herself back for so long, she finally came forward and wrapped her arms around both of them.
Rae looked up through the mess of both of them. "Daddy came back," she said to her mother and smiled.
Emma nodded. "Yes, he did." Killian raised an eyebrow, but she shook her head and he kissed her. There would be time for catching him up on everything later.
-/-
They went home together later that night, all three of them, and Rae refused to let go of Killian's hand; her small digits wrapped around two of his large ones all day. Questions flees from the curious girl's mouth and the parents attempted to answer them as best they could.
"Bedtime," Emma announced about an hour later than she should've, they'd all been so caught up in just being together.
Rae turned and tries out her signature pout-face, but Emma just rolled her eyes. "Bed or no story," she told her, the girl would already be cranky the next morning. Rae let out a dramatic sigh and headed back to put her sleeping clothes on.
She turned to her husband and smiled. "I think I'll let you do the honors tonight. I usually use the Storybook, but anything works."
Killian leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "I love you."
She smiled against his mouth. "I love you, too." Giving him an encouraging push, he gets up. "Now go, before she gets impatient. I don't want to fight tonight. But not too long, if you know what I mean," she called after him. Killian turned to wink before heading into their daughter's bedroom.
Killian
He knew just where to go; she had never moved the girl from the same room as the nursery. Rae was sitting in her little white framed bed with ocean colored covers. The walls of the bedroom were different and covered in beaches, pirate ships, and beautiful water. He knelt down next to the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin.
"Is it okay if I tell your story tonight?" Killian asked hopefully. Doubt filled him every moment he spent with her; he was waiting for the rejection or the hate because he left her. Her mop of blonde hair bobbed up and down excitedly against the pillow. "Would you like The One Little Island or The Princess and The Pirate?" Names and story ideas started to form quickly.
"Princess," she said seriously and he had to smile.
"You're the boss, little mermaid," he slipped into the nickname without even a thought. "Once upon a time, in a land of magical creatures and castles, lived a beautiful princess with long blond hair. She lived with her two parents in a boring castle until one lonely pirate was stranded upon her shores.."
Emma
She could hear the story from the living room, but only snippets. Killian was using them as the main characters so she crept down the hallway and stood outside the threshold of the door, hidden by the wall to listen.
The story was truly magical, better than her stories by far.
-/-
The story went for around twenty minutes until she finally heard his voice gently dying off as he realized Rae was asleep.
Killian left the room and rolled his eyes upon seeing her. "I thought I heard you, my pirate." The Princess had left the castle in the story to sail the seas with her true love, The Pirate.
"You're so good with her," Emma whispered and leaned her head on his chest.
He kissed her hair, "Thank you for never giving up and not letting her forget me."
Emma laughed quietly. "I don't know how she knew it was you. I don't have any photographs here."
He pulled her closer, "Maybe one day she'll tell us. Now come to bed, we've got some time to make up for."
{{Wow, we're getting so close to the end. Sorry this took so long, I was on a cruise.}}
YOU ARE READING
A Piece Of My Life (Captain Swan)
Fanfiction"Smack". Hook looked at her, stunned, before again assuming his cocky smile. "What, love? Can't handle the truth?" "You bastard," she spat, "I thought you'd changed, that you were better, but you're still just a filthy *pirate*."
