Hey so it's been while since I've written anything for this. The reason probably being that the multi-chapter fic I've partially written for this universe is now lost :( I'd thought that I'd sent it over to myself before the hardrive on my old laptop crashed, but I can't find it anywhere which made me frustrated and wanting to step away for this universe series in general. The main reason I made this one-shot collection series was to give some insight into Hope and Alice's relationship and the Swan-Jones family dynamic before posting the multi-chapter. Happily now I feel like I can start trying to re-create the multi-chapter fic and therefore am feeling more positive about this universe in general. So yay!

About this fic: The prompt for this was "Emma and Killian have a fight, Hope and Alice think the worst" Therefore it is more about the aftermath than the actual fight. I tried to write in the cause of their fight, but couldn't quite make it work or find a place to put it. Therefore you need to know that before this they had been at The Rabbit Hole, Emma was doing some kind of honey trap date with a man they suspected of low-level crime and Killian had insisted to keep watch of it. The man got handsy, and Emma seemed to be egging him on, Killian got jealous and acted rashly. I might someday write this scene, but that day is not today.

Anywho, here's what happens next:

They waited till they'd seen Belle out the door, thanking her for taking care of the kids. The librarian had clearly sensed the tension between them, but had thankfully seen better than to comment. They stood there in silence, staring at each other in their entryway. The atmosphere steadily thickening around them.

Finally Killian moved to the kitchen, feeling the urge to imbibe in some rum. As he reached for a bottle, he heard a sound from behind him. Almost like a disgruntled tut. Killian turned to his wife, who had remained standing in the hall and who's eyes were boring into the bottle in his hand.

"What?" Killian spat out.

"Do you really think more rum is the answer right now?" Emma turned her glare to her husband.

"Never hurts." Killian forced out a chuckle as he set the bottle down on the kitchen counter. He could still feel the force of his wife's look, burning into his skull. "Don't look at me like that. You knew who I was when you married me. What is it they say, A one-handed pirate with a drinking problem?"

"If the shoe fits." Emma could feel her anger building, fizzling beneath her skin and awakening her magic. Killian gave an overdramatic hand sweep, finally unscrewing the lid. Before he could pick up the bottle, however, there was a smashing sound as the glass shattered and caused the amber liquid to drench the table.

"What in the bloody hell did you do that for?" Killian thundered, slamming his hand down on the wet surface.

"Keep your voice down." Emma bit out through gritted teeth, mindful of their daughters asleep upstairs.

"Says the one who just smashed a glass bottle. Out of anger I may add." Killian did lower his voice, knowing on some level that his wife was right. About the volume of their voices, if nothing else. "That's a fine waste of rum, Swan."

"Well if you're that desperate for another drink tonight." Emma held out her hand and materialised a straw, clearly meaning for him to use it to drink the rum off the table.

"Oh I will be having another drink tonight, believe me. But I won't be needing that." Killian snatched the straw from his wife, throwing the thin plastic to the ground and crushing it under his boot. "Thanks for the thought, though." He stepped around the blonde, not looking her in the eye as he made towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Emma stared at the straw, now crumpled on the floor. It had been a shitty thing for her to offer. She was just so angry.

"I happen to know a vessel stocked with the good stuff." Killian swung open the door, hitting their coat rack so that it tilted precariously.

"You don't have to prove them right, you know." Emma kept her back to him as she spoke, finally allowing an emotion other than anger or disgust into her voice. A twinge of sadness also laced her words. She was hoping it would be enough to get him to reconsider. However, a second later, the front door slammed shut. It was followed by another crash as the coat rack was sent plummeting to the floor. Emma sighed, knowing she was partially to blame for that. How they allowed it to get this far? This heated? Still he walked away. He was the one to leave. Something which they had both promised not to do anymore, especially not to each other.

Emma used her magic to clean up the rum and the broken glass shards, knowing in her current state she'd probably end up accidentally cutting herself if she was to do it by hand. She then picked up the coat rack, placing all of the jackets back in their rightful place. She took a moment to run her hands over her daughters' matching puffer jackets – black with white swans – hoping it would calm her somewhat. She still remembered her husband's face when he brought them home from the store, how proud he had been of his purchase. Emma shook her head. Her dorky pirate. God, she loved him so much it hurt. Even when she was seething with anger, her love for him remained a constant. Turning towards the stairs, intent to change into something comfortable, Emma's heart jumped into her throat at seeing a figure sat about halfway up. She quickly discerned that it was in fact two figures, huddled closely together.

Two little girls, scared and upset.

"What are you two doing up?" Emma sat on the step below them, cupping a cheek in each hand. She felt tears on both of their skins, making her feel even worse than she had done.

"Goh cold." Alice mumbled, her hand clasped tightly in her sister's. "Check Hope ok." Emma's heart twinged at that. Even at three years old, Alice's first thought when cold was to go check on her older sister. It was beyond sweet. However, she shouldn't have had to. Her parents should be the ones to do that, and if they had been less involved in their own argument they'd have noticed the frigid temperature. Emma sure did now.

"That very kind of you, baby." Emma smiled at her youngest, before turning to her oldest daughter who was unusually quiet. "And are you ok, Hope?"

"I guess." Hope shrugged her shoulders. She was clearly not saying the whole story, but Emma wasn't going to push her. Not right now, anyway.

"Ok, well, I think we all need to get back to bed. It's pretty late." Emma stood, holding out her hands for her girls to take. They did and together they climbed the rest of the stairs. In the upstairs hallway, however, the children were reluctant to let go of their mother and go to their separate rooms.

"Daddy gone?" Alice's bottom lip started trembling as fresh tears filled her eyes.

"Baby, Daddy will be back soon." Emma lifted the toddler onto her hip, the girl's small hand grasping her hair. "He's just gone to sort out some stuff on the Jolly."

"At night-time?" Hope scrunched her face up. For a six-year-old, she had way too many street smarts already. Emma was pretty certain Hope had inherited her lie-detecting abilities.

"Uh-huh." Emma tried to sound as breezy as possible, bouncy her hips slightly for Alice's benefit. And her own, trying to work out her nervous energy.

"Will he be back tonight?" Hope was clearly not buying her mom's current attitude.

"I don't know, sweetie. You know Daddy sometimes loses track of time when he's working on the Jolly." Emma smiled, knowing at least that much was true. Many a time she had tried to stay up for her husband, failing and falling asleep only to be awoken by a call from him saying he was crashing on his ship. It never bothered her. She knew going into this marriage that she was sharing him with his other true love. Also he never failed to return before she awoke, usually awakening her in a most pleasant way with coffee and kisses. She wasn't sure if that would be the case this time though. "You know what? Why don't you guys come sleep in our bed tonight? That way you'll be there if Daddy comes back tonight and, if not, you'll be keeping me company." Emma turned towards her bedroom, before looking back to her oldest daughter. "Hope do you mind grabbing your sister's baby blanket from her room for me?"

"Ok." Hope sighed heading to her sister's bedroom before retrieving her own baby blanket from her bed. Neither of them could sleep a night without it, not that they had ever had to. The young girl returned to her mom picking clothes out of drawers with her sister still on her hip. Alice was always more clingy than she had ever been.

"Right, Alice, I'm going to have to put you down whilst I change, ok baby?" Emma should have known it wouldn't be that easy, blame that old Charming optimism for her even trying. When Alice didn't release her grip, Emma turned to Hope for assistance.

"Alice, look what I've got!" Hope laid both of the baby blankets out on the bed. "Why don't you come with me whilst Mommy gets changed for bed?"

"I'll be quick." Emma pressed a kiss to her youngest's cheek, sighing with relief when Alice allowed herself to be placed on the bed. The mother shot her oldest daughter a wink in gratitude, which Hope returned – albeit half-heartedly. She then hastened into her ensuite to change out of her short black dress and earrings. Emma grimaced as she pulled on her comfortable sweats; this was not how tonight was supposed to end. She had been looking forward to having that dress ripped off her by her husband as they spent the night showing each other how much they loved them. Emma banished those images from her mind, that frustration was not going to help her current mood.

On the return to the bedroom, Emma snuggled into bed with her girls either side of her. Alice practically lay on top of her mother, whereas Hope curled into her side.

"Who wants to hear a bedtime story, then?" Emma really wanted her daughters to fall back asleep as quickly as possible. The guilt for waking them increased with every minute that their sleep remained interrupted.

"Belle already read us a bedtime story." Hope shook her head. "Also we're not in our beds." Emma smiled at that comment, it was so quintessentially Killian to be that pedantic. Her heart ached at that comparison.

"Well what should we do then?" Emma questioned, feeling at a bit of a loss.

"Umm…" Hope suddenly leant over Emma to whisper in her sister's ear. Alice's eyes lit up and she nodded her head. Hope rearranged herself with a grin against her mother. "Will you sing for us, Mommy?"

"Umm…I don't…" Emma was still not really a fan of singing, only her immediate family got to hear her on rare occasions. In her opinion, Killian was much better at it and actually enjoyed it so the call for singing usually fell to him.

"Pwease." Alice batted her long eyelashes at her mother, who could still see a shine of tears in her little girl's eyes. Emma's heart melted. If this got them back to sleep then so help it.

"Ok, I'll sing for you." Emma smiled as her daughter's let out small cheers. "But you have to close your eyes, you know the deal." Alice did as she was told straight away, Hope was more reluctant to do so. However, at a look from her mother, the six-year-old laid down and followed suit. Happy that they both now stood some chance of falling asleep, Emma began to sing.

"They didn't have you where I come from
Never knew the best was yet to come
Life began when I saw your face
And I hear your laugh like a serenade

How long do you wanna be loved
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you wanna be loved
Is forever enough
'Cause I'm never, never giving you up

I slip in bed when you're asleep
To hold you close and feel your breath on me
Tomorrow there'll be so much to do
So tonight I'll drift in a dream with you

How long do you wanna be loved (how long do you wanna be loved)
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you wanna be loved (how long do you wanna be loved)
Is forever enough
'Cause I'm never, never giving you up

As you wander through this troubled world
In search of all things beautiful
You can close your eyes when you're miles away
And hear my voice like a serenade

How long do you wanna be loved (how long do you wanna be loved, do you wanna be loved)
Is forever enough, is forever enough
How long do you wanna be loved (how long do you wanna be loved, do you wanna be loved)
Is forever enough
'Cause I'm never, never giving you up"

Alice quickly fell back to sleep, one hand grasping her baby blanket and the other wound in her mommy's hair; a habit of hers since she was a baby. Hope, however, was more stubborn and had been clearly waiting for her sister to fall asleep.

"Is Daddy coming back?" The uncertainty in her voice fully broke Emma's heart.

"Of course he is, sweetie. You know we always comes back." Emma stroked her daughter's hair with her hand which wasn't trapped by Alice. "Alice said it was cold. Was that because of your magic?"

"Heard you and Daddy fighting." Hope sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her hand.

"I'm sorry, Hope, we both are. We shouldn't have been shouting." Emma attempted to position her daughter so that she could see her face, but it was difficult when trying not to dislodge a sleeping toddler. Luckily Hope seemed to get what her mother wanted, as she manoeuvred herself to be facing Emma with her chin resting on her hands on her mother's chest.

"Are you and Daddy still going to be living together?" Hope whispered with wide eyes, as though fearful of the answer.

"Hope, me and Daddy had a fight. It doesn't mean we don't still love each other." Emma implored her daughter to believe her. "Like, when you and Alice have arguments, you still love each other don't you?"

"Always! She's my sister." Hope smiled at her little sister, who was still sleeping so peacefully.

"Exactly, it's the same with me and Daddy. Even if we annoy each other sometimes, we're still very much in love." Emma smiled as she saw her daughter begin to relax. "Where did this all come from, sweetie?"

"Melody's parents aren't living together anymore." Hope began to sniffle once more. Emma winced, she should have seen this coming she guessed. She knew that Ariel and Eric were getting a divorce, something about that mermaid-human relationship cross not working for them anymore. "She's just living with her Daddy and doesn't get to see her Mommy all the time." Snow had told Emma that Melody was going to be staying in Storybrooke with Eric for the most part, and joining Ariel in the seas for school holidays. Emma didn't know that Ariel had moved out already, but she guessed she should have kept tabs on it seeing as their daughters were classmates/somewhat friends. "Don't want Daddy to leave too."

"I'm not going anywhere." A voice from the doorway interrupted their conversation. Thankfully because Emma was at a bit of a loss for what more to say, especially without Killian there.

"Daddy." Hope jumped of the bed and ran towards her father, who swooped her up into his arms.

"Princess." Killian pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek.

"You came back." Hope leaned back with a smile, even as a couple of tears fell down her cheeks. Killian was quick to wipe them away

"Of course I did. I always do." Killian looked over at his wife, who looked more concerned and less angry than she had done an hour or so ago. "And I always will."

"I told you so, sweetie." Emma smiled, hugging both of her arms around Alice now that Hope was in her father's.

"I knew you would." Hope yawned, laying her head on her daddy's shoulder.

"I think she's been keeping herself awake for you to come back." Emma mused as her six-year-old's eyelids began to flutter.

"Well, now that I've returned, I'd say it's about time to get you back to bed." Killian went to take his daughter back to her bedroom.

"Nuh-huh." Hope blearily lifted her head and gave it a little shake.

"Hope, it's really late and you need your sleep. Don't want you getting cranky at Grandma and Grandpa's tomorrow." Emma tried to be stern, but it was hard when she was part of the reason her daughter was awake if the first place.

"Not until you two kiss and make up." Hope crossed her arms defiantly. Killian's eyebrows shot up at that. They should have seen it coming. They always made the girls 'kiss and make up', it made sense that Hope would make them do the same. "Now, say you're sorry."

"I'm sorry, Emma." Killian made eye contact with his wife, hoping she could see that he meant it.

"I'm sorry, too." Emma smiled sincerely.

"Now, kiss." Hope declared.

"As you wish." Killian walked back over to his wife and leant down enough to kiss her forehead, still holding his daughter on his hip. "Now say Goodnight to your mother."

"Goodnight, Mommy." Hope pressed a kiss on precisely the same spot that Killian had.

"Goodnight, sweetie." Emma blew her daughter a kiss, then watched the leave the room.

Killian lay his daughter down in her bed, tucking her princess duvet around her. He thought that she had already fallen asleep, so slowly tiptoed towards the door.

"Daddy…?" Hope's voice was foggy with sleep.

"Yes, princess?"

"What were you and Mommy arguing about?"

"It matters not now, little love. We have kissed and made up, so now we move on. Don't worry yourself about it, ok?" Killian waited but received no reply, his princess already asleep. He left the door slightly ajar and then walked back to his bedroom.

"Is she asleep?" Emma asked when she saw her husband, sooner than she expected given Hope's insistence to see her daddy.

"Aye, love, she was clearly exhausted." Killian came round to sit on the edge of the bed, rubbing Alice's back lightly. "What about our littlest lass? Should we return her to her quarters?"

"Umm…" Emma bit her lip, eyeing her daughter's tight grip on her hair and her top. She doubted they'd be able to release her grip without waking her, and Emma was sure to lose some strands of hair in the process.

"I'd say Alice looks mighty comfortable where she is so, if it's not bothering you Swan, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt keeping her with us tonight." Killian saw his wife's struggle. They had been working on Alice sleeping in her own room more in the last year; for her first two years, Killian could probably count the amount of nights Alice spent fully in her own bed on his one hand. It was something to get used to, for certain. They hadn't really had to even ferberize Hope, the young girl had always been fiercely independent. Alice, their sweet little flower, was not. It made it worse that she rarely screeched when crying – only when hungry - instead just sniffling to herself. Killian was a pirate, not a monster.

"Thank you." Emma nuzzled her nose into her baby's hair, breathing in her smell.

Killian quickly took his clothes off for bed, keeping his boxers on; he used to sleep as bare as the day he was, however having young children around who haven't quite mastered knocking means being prepared. Instead of getting into bed, however, he remained standing.

"What's wrong?" Emma's brow furrowed at the uncertainty in her love's eyes.

"I was…well…" Killian scratched behind his ear nervously. "Truthfully, Swan, I was unsure as to whether you would want me sharing your bed tonight."

"Firstly, it's our bed, always has been and always will be." Emma pulled back the cover next to her, revealing a place for her husband to lay. "Secondly, the fight was on both of us and we both made wrong choices."

"I suppose you are correct, love." Killian promptly lay next to his wife, pulling the cover back over him. "I do apologise for walking away, that was bad form."

"Did you go to the Jolly?" Emma whispered.

"I did." Killian sighed, scrubbing his hand down his face. "But, I didn't stay long. Didn't even have a single drop of rum."

"How come?"

"You're all over that blasted ship, Emma." Killian grimaced, worried that his wife would take his words much more harshly than he had intended them. However, Emma took his scarred stump in her hand and laid a kiss to the skin. Killian's heart never failed to jolt at that, no matter how many times she did it. "The Jolly used to be my escape, however, since I've opened her up to you and my family, being there just makes me yearn for all of you."

"Guess there's no escaping me then." Emma shrugged, the emotion was clear in his eyes even in the dim light of the room.

"I guess not." Killian pressed a sweet chaste kiss to his wife's lips. "Not that I would ever really want to."

"Good." Emma guided her husband's face to hers for one last kiss before settling back down, facing her daughter.

"She's precious." Killian slung his stump over Emma's waist, moulding his front to her side so he too could view their sleeping angel.

"Isn't she?" Emma hummed in agreement, finally feeling herself relax now that the world seemed a little bit right again. "She'll need a big hug from her daddy tomorrow, she was quite upset that you weren't here. We all were…"

"Again, love, I can't apologize en-"

"Hey, I didn't say that to guilt trip you." Emma squeezed her husband's wrist to interrupt his spiral. "Just that this little one will be happy to see you, as she always is."

"The feeling is mutual, I can assure you." Killian lifted his stump enough to stroke Alice's chubby cheek. He wondered how long the puppy fat was going to last for, Hope's was long gone now. Time had never felt so fast in his three-hundred-years as it did now, with his happy beginning and young family. However, seeing Alice like this with her hand curled in blonde locks of hair and her cheek resting on Emma's breast, Killian was thrown back a few years to sleep interrupted by night-time feeds and diaper changes. He felt a nostalgia settle over him, a tug that pulled at his heart with the question of if he'd ever experience that again.

"Don't even think about it." Emma's eyes were closed when Killian looked to her in surprise, slightly guilty and very much amused.

"About what, love?" The pirate feigned ignorance, but couldn't keep the grin from spreading across his face. Emma opened one eye to mock glare at him.

"Let's get this one to successfully sleep in her own bed, before considering adding another one ok?" It was Emma's turn to smirk as it dawned on Killian that she wasn't completely shutting down the discussion, or the possibility, rather simply postponing it.

"As you wish." Killian couldn't resist giving his wife one last kiss – of gratitude, of forgiveness, of family – definitely of love, before finally allowing himself to settle down and give in to sleep.