A/N: So here is the sequel to How Many Chances (Before I Get It Right?) I've never connected with an AU version as much as I have with these two. Someone once mentioned that marriage and children were a big part of their story, and I tend to agree. So I am so happy to be able to share a little insight into their lives (and in my angst-filled way, unfortunately).
Six months…
The smile that crossed Emma Jones' face wasn't because she and her husband had been married for exactly six months that day. No, it wasn't quite that. It had more to do with his own smile. It had more to do with the way his eyes danced on hers and the way he stretched his hand out across the small candle-lit dinner table of the intimate restaurant.
Emma tilted her head, her eyes sliding down towards the hand that lay palm-up and waiting for her. Watching the way the candlelight caused shadows to flicker across Killian's wedding band, she slipped her fingers over his.
Six months. The thought came with an internal sigh as his fingers closed around hers.
Then she was shaking her head and almost rolling her eyes.
"What is it, love?" Killian's question was a soft murmur as he curled his hand over the fingers that held onto his firmly.
Emma sat up straight in her chair, his hold on her never loosening as she looked back at him.
"I was wondering if you planned on celebrating half-anniversaries from here on out," she asked with a sigh. An eyebrow rose sharply as she stared at him, waiting.
There was now a grin on his face. Killian attempted to sit as straight as she, but the fact that it meant he would have to let go of her hand seemed to stop him.
"Well, this is our first. Six-month mark, that is." The grin remained as he cocked his head just slightly to the side. "It seemed rather special. I thought."
Emma knew he couldn't feel it, but there was a tingle that ran throughout her entire body at his words.
This was her second marriage, so why…
She knew why it was different, why it felt absolutely right and why it filled her to capacity with love, devotion, and appreciation for the man in front of her. Killian Jones was… Not the man of her dreams, because she had never thought to dream so completely. Killian Jones was... everything that she wanted and didn't think she would have. (And, yes, those were the exact words that he had shared with her. There was something quite endearing about sharing those same feelings for one another.) He was the one person who knew her inside-out. He was the one person who had loved her and had taken the time to show her how worthy she was of everything she wanted for herself and beyond.
Six-month wedding anniversary…
"It is special," Emma agreed with a murmur.
His eyes did that dance again, flitting across her face. She watched as his tongue swiped across his bottom lip just as he pulled his chair closer to the table. That was something she'd noticed over time. It was as if he could never get close enough to her. He was always moving to get closer and closer yet.
"Happy anniversary, Emma." It was soft and almost quiet. His fingers squeezed around hers, his eyes remained focused on hers.
What they had was forever, wasn't it? Because the butterflies that flapped wildly in her belly told her that it was forever. She wanted it to be forever…
"Happy anniversary, Killian."
She shouldn't be so lucky. He shouldn't be the dream that he was. But… he is. Her husband is a dream that has given her… God, he's given her life! Life!
Emma felt the smile lifting her lips, she felt the tingle of happiness coursing through her body once again. Neither went away as she watched Killian move just then. It wasn't a surprise when his hand left hers so that he could grab at his chair by the seat and drag it and him closer to her.
Bright blue eyes gazing upon her was the last thing she saw before her eyes closed. Killian's kiss found her lips an instant later. Of course he'd moved closer so that he could kiss her. He was impulsive. With her, he was impulsive, giving into any and every whim when it came to showing and expressing his love for her. That's what Emma felt, as her smiling lips pressed against his.
"I love you." It was only a whisper. Her head and her heart made the need to tangle her hand in the thick hair at the nape of his neck almost impossible to ignore…
"I love you,Emma." Killian's murmured voice was even thicker, deeper.
He had less qualms about propriety in the crowded but quiet restaurant. Killian's finger's slipped over both of her cheeks, holding her there so that his mouth could feast upon hers without any regard to where they were and who would see.
Lucky was one way to think about her life with him. Complete would be…
When Killian slipped away from her, when he grinned at her as he leaned back in his chair and watched her, Emma couldn't contain her own smile. She couldn't give him all the credit for that smile. It also had to do with the other thought that was criss-crossing through her mind with that of her life with her husband and her teenage son.
Henry was only a little over a week from returning from Tallahassee. When he did make it home, he would be sixteen. Her son was sixteen years old. How much longer was she going to wait? Well, if it was up to her…
"What are you thinking now, love?" Killian's murmured question came on the heels of him picking up her hand and leaving a kiss on her knuckles.
Emma took in a shallow breath and looked up at her husband of six months. She gazed at the man who had been such an integral part of her life for almost three years now. She opened her mouth to speak the words, to spill out the thought that she knew he would… love. He would love it, wouldn't he?
It didn't come out… Instead…
"I saw Ruby today," she said lightly. "And the boys." It was her turn to cock her head, as she looked into those interested blue eyes.
"Ahh, the boys!" It was a different smile at the mention of their nephews. "Did Connor ask you if he could come see Henry again?" The smile grew more, and there was a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"He misses him, I know," Emma sighed. "To a toddler, a summer is a long time."
Connor was just a mere three months shy of turning three years old. Brennan was equally shy from hitting his first birthday. There had been an infatuation, a true friendship and bond that the Jones brother had formed with her teenage son. A bond that had Connor following Henry around whenever possible. Surprisingly, the summer apart had not lessened his ties to his cousin. There had been more than one occasion where Henry had entertained a quick video chat with the two-year-old.
"And now we're under two weeks," Killian pointed out.
"It'll be... a magical experience to witness Connor's reunion with Henry, I'm sure," she agreed. But the thought had her mind spinning again, spinning towards her own family- their family.
"And Brennan?" Killian let him thumb run over her knuckles this time, a soft caress that was as light as his voice.
The smile was involuntary because… wasn't the story always the same when it came to Brennan Jones? Even at nine months old, the little boy had a personality that was all his own A personality that only blossomed as the weeks passed by. Where Connor seemed destined to be the introvert of the pair of siblings, Brennan seemed poised and ready to take on the role of extrovert.
"Well, I think we had fun, judging by the way he grabbed onto my cheeks and made sure that he had my undivided attention as he babbled in conversation with me," Emma told him.
A pensive look that included a raise of his eyebrows and a purse of his lips took over Killian's face.
"Imagine him walking in a month or so." He looked as if he let himself get lost in that thought for a moment. "Liam and Ruby will definitely have their hands full, I'm sure."
Emma's smile was for her husband, for thoughts of their future. She wanted… She wanted so much…
"I remember Henry at that age," she said lightly, feeling as if she, too, could drift off into thought. "I can't believe it's been…." Before she could even fully drift back into a world that was so different from the one she was in now, it was, again, the fact that it had been more than a decade-and-a-half ago.
"Henry's growing fast, I know," Killian murmured, leaning over the table once more.
Emma's eyes connected with his. There was something that wasn't quite on the surface, something that was hidden much farther down. But… he was her husband. She knew him. She knew him just as well as he knew her.
"I think so," she finally agreed. Emma took in a small breath and let it out slowly. "Connor and Brennan? You can already see how different they are from each other. But you can also see the bond between them."
"And it'll only get stronger with time and age." Killian said it in such a matter-of-fact tone that she knew there was no doubt about it in his mind.
Family. It almost made her smile, knowing how much that word meant to him. But it wasn't just simply the word. It was the meaning behind it, the people behind it. There had been a time where he'd told her that it was she who had showed him what family meant, and maybe that was partially true. But if she had shown him, it wasn't because of the fact that she had parents in her life who had always been there and had always wanted to be there. It wouldn't have been because when she was younger, she had been a married woman with a young child. That wasn't the extent of the meaning. Family was what she'd experienced with him as a whole. The fact that she knew that there had to be something even more to what it meant was sitting right there on her heart.
"They have no choice but to be close, is that it?" Emma asked, only half-teasing her husband.
"No matter what, Connor will be a great big brother to Brennan. Just as Liam is to me." A corner of Killian's mouth lifted up as he smiled at her.
There it was, again. Family. Family. A family that had once consisted of on Killian and Liam, and then expanded to include wives and…
"I'm sure he'll be a… great big cousin, too," Emma sighed, turning a watchful and careful eye on him. "Something you guys missed out on experiencing."
"Connor as a big cousin?" Killian was slow to straighten up in his seat, his gaze never leaving hers.
She liked the anxiousness that coursed through her because… it was right there, wasn't it? Right there for them both to grasp onto only six months into their marriage.
"Perhaps a bit jealous though," he murmured, lifting his chin in thought.
Emma bit down on her lip, offering him her narrowed gaze to him. "Jealous?"
"He looks at Henry as he would his own older brother," Killian reminded her with a shrug. "Might feel a twinge of jealousy at being replaced by someone who can actually call Henry his brother. But other than that…"
The change in conversation, the light tones… It put a silly smile on her face.
"'His,' huh?" Emma asked lightly. "Do we have a preference for the gender of our baby already?"
They didn't talk about their future children. Not much. So…
"To be honest, a son would be nice," Killian conceded in a quick murmur. "Then, again, a daughter would be…" There was something… unique and miniscule about the change on his face. "She'd be a princess in my eyes, I'm sure."
Emma's smile was sudden and small. Her heart felt as if it would almost burst under the feelings of happiness spreading through her. Yes, they were all quite content with the family they now had, but the idea of having their own child together…
"Killian?" She tilted her head to the side, her eyes blinking down on the table between them.
She watched as his hand slid across the table.
"Yes, my love?" There might have been a hint of hope lacing his voice as his hand grasped her own.
Emma looked back up at him, her eyes only a bit wide at the thought of the question that was about to leave her mouth. "Do you think that six months is too soon to start trying to get pregnant?"
Killian's fingers held even more firmly onto her hand, an involuntary act, she was sure.
"I think it's the perfect time to start trying," he whispered in answer. He let the curiosity slip through the calm facade. "Emma, are you sure?"
"I am." There wasn't a need for even a second of hesitation. "I'm ready, if you are."
Killian squinted his eyes at her, watching her silent for only a moment before…
"Damn it, love." His smile was small, a glint in his eyes shone her way. "Let's get the check and be on our way."
Of course.
Emma laughed, a soft and quiet laugh that had her flipping her hand over in his and holding on firm.
No, it wasn't only for him, because she wanted their baby just as much as he did, but the excitement over giving him the child she knew he wanted so badly filled her to capacity.
"Sounds like a great idea."