Killian fell back against the couch in Emma's—no their—living room, letting out a frustrated breath as he heard the back door slam.

"Less than a week of living here, and I'm already mucking up my relationship with your lad, love," Killian said, tossing her a decidedly unhappy look.

Emma smiled tenderly at him and then brought her hand up to play with the hair at the nape of his neck. It was a caress she'd only recently taken up, but it was one that Killian found himself greatly enamored of. He felt himself instantly relax under her ministrations.

"Don't beat yourself up, Killian," she said gently. "The teenage years are…volatile. Thanks for jumping to my defense, by the way."

Killian leaned over and gently kissed her. "I'll always come to your defense my love," he said intently, thinking of the shears he'd hidden in the shed out back. "Always."

"Well, don't worry too much about Henry," Emma said. "I know how much he loves you. He'll come around. Probably sooner than later; these teenage mood swings never last that long."

The morning had begun pleasantly enough. As he'd already determined was quite normal, he'd woken before Swan and her lad, and he'd made his way downstairs to make the three of them breakfast. (Dave had surrendered his recipe for pancakes, and though Killian had yet to figure out how to work all of the technology in the kitchen, he'd managed to perfect that particular dish.)

Emma had shown her gratitude for his domestic skills in a most delightful way—Kissing him senseless right there in the kitchen.

It was rather unfortunate that was the moment Henry chose to lumber down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"Really?" Henry said irritably as he slumped down into his chair at the table. "You guys have to make out all the time?"

"Sorry kid," Emma said, passing her son a plate of pancakes, "just got carried away I guess."

"Hrmph," Henry said grumpily as he began to dig in.

Clearly something was bothering the lad this morning. He was never this surly. The three ate in silence, the pall of teenage angst and drama seeming to hang over the kitchen like a pall, and then Emma delivered the proverbial straw which evidently broke the camel's back.

"Hey Henry," Emma said over her shoulder as she took her now-empty plate to the sink, "don't forget to take the trash out before you head off to school. I noticed you forgot to take care of it last night."

"Why should I always have to take out the trash around here?" Henry asked, getting angrily to his feet. "You're so concerned about the trash, you take it out. Oh that's right! You're too busy kissing your boyfriend to do anything else, anymore."

Killian quickly got to his feet, feeling his ire rise. "Apologize to your mother, lad," he said in a low, carefully controlled voice. "I'll not stand for anyone talking to Emma that way. She's asked you to complete a chore; you'd best get to it."

"You're not my dad!" Henry said. "Why are you bossing me around?"

"Henry!" Emma said, "I don't know what your deal is this morning, but it's about time you check your attitude. Now, either take out the trash like I asked or you can forget about going to that movie with Violet this weekend because your butt will be grounded."

Henry shot both of them one more rebellious look before he angrily grabbed the large, kitchen trash bag and headed for the door.

"I hope you're right," Killian said, coming back to the present. "I hope the pendulum of his 'mood swing' as you call it soon swings back to his normal pleasant demeanor soon."

But as the lad returned to the house a few minutes later, Killian's heart dropped. Henry shot him a glance that, if anything, oozed even more ice and suspicion than before. What was one to do when his True Love's lad had evidently decided to loathe him for no apparent reason?

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

That evening, Henry resolutely made his way to the docks, intent on confronting the pirate once and for all. When the boathouse came into view, he stopped for a moment looked around to make sure he was truly alone, and then pulled the shears out of his coat pocket and looked at them.

Waves of betrayal washed over him. He couldn't believe Hook would hurt his mom or him. He just couldn't…but there was still that nagging voice at the back of his mind that made him wonder if the Evil Queen wasn't right. If…if maybe Hook had fooled them all.

Henry felt the tears well up, and he blinked them resolutely away. He wasn't confronting Hook like some kind of sniveling baby. He wasn't a little kid anymore. He could protect his mom and make sure no one got hurt again.

At that he almost laughed bitterly. Who was he kidding? All it seemed anyone ever did around here was get hurt…or worse…or turn out to be the one doing the hurting. Was it not bad enough his real dad had died? And then Hook died, and then Robin. And then what about his moms? One of them was having visions of her death, and the other one was convinced she might have to die to stop her evil half.

Nothing good ever happened and he was sick of it! Henry stomped his feet, uttered every curse word he'd ever heard, wished desperately there was something around he could hit, because he felt like he needed to punch something until he collapsed from exhaustion.

Maybe that would make the pain and fear go away. At least for a little while.

"Henry?" Hook asked hesitantly, stepping from the shadow of the Jolly Roger into view. "Is that you, lad?"

Henry had come to the docks specifically to have it out with his potential future step-dad, but for a moment, for one brief moment, all he wanted to do was turn tail and run away. Killian looked so concerned about him, so genuinely compassionate that Killian felt the tears burn the back of his throat again.

Enough of this! He wasn't getting sucked in again. He was going to get to the truth, and he wasn't going to let Killian fool him into thinking everything was alright if it wasn't. Taking a deep breath, Henry straightened his spine and then took a step forward.

"Yeah, it's me."

"From the…colorful…choice of language you employed just now, I'd wager something is weighing on your mind," Killian said carefully. "Should you wish to talk about it, I'd be honored to provide a sympathetic ear."

"I don't want to talk," Henry growled. "I want you to talk."

"Very well, lad. On any particular topic?"

Henry reached into his coat and pulled out the shears with a dramatic flare that would have done his paternal grandfather proud. "I found this in an old tool box in the shed," he said finally.

If Henry had any hope that the Evil Queen was simply lying, that she'd found the shears after Killian disposed of them, that she was merely framing Killian, that hope died a quick, painful death as soon as Henry saw Killian's reaction.

"Henry, I…" he said, his face going ashen as took a swift step backwards. "How did you find those? Bloody hell!"

"It's true, isn't it?" Henry bellowed. "The Evil Queen told me the truth. You lied to my mom! You want to use the shears on her! You…you want to take away what makes her special!"

To Henry's chagrin, his voice broke on the last word, and the tears he'd been willing away all day overflowed and slipped down his face.

"Henry, lad," Killian said, in a voice that was far from steady himself. "Damn that woman! Don't listen to her! She wishes to divide this family, and we cannot allow it!"

"Do you deny it?" Henry asked. "I won't let you hurt my mom! I won't! I swear I'll stop you somehow, no matter what I have to do!"

Killian uttered a strangled cry. "Hurt her? Bloody hell, lad! Don't you know that I'd sooner go back to the Underworld and be torn to shreds by that devil dog of Hades' than ever willingly harm your mother or you? Don't you?"

"But the shears," Henry argued. "Why do you have them? Why did you lie to my mom?"

Killian bent down until he was on eye level with Henry, taking the boys shoulders with his hand and hook. Henry watched as tears began to track down the pirates cheeks. "Why did I keep them? Because they're the only bloody thing in this entire world that we know can save Emma's life! Because I love her so deeply that I feel a physical connection to her, as though if she were taken from me I would simply shrivel and die. As though she's the very air I breath. I cannot dispose of an item that could be her salvation. I cannot! I'll not watch her die before my eyes if I have the means to prevent it."

The fears Henry had been pushing aside ever since his mother confessed the truth of her vision came rushing back, and he looked up at Killian with tortured eyes. "I don't want mom to die either. Everyone gets hurt or dies, and I just want it to stop!"

Wordlessly, Killian opened his arms, and Henry stepped into them, holding him tightly. "We won't let that happen, lad," Killian said in a choked voice. "Whatever it takes, I will not let your mother be taken from you."

"Even…even if you have to use the shears on her against her will?"

Killian stepped back, shaking his head vehemently. "Henry, I'll never take away your mother's free will, but I damn well intend to have the shears at her disposal should all else fail and she wishes to take drastic action."

Henry felt a kernel of hope well up within him. He may not have his mom's superpower, but he could tell Killian was telling the truth. He could see the sincerity shining from the pirate's eyes. For the first time in longer than he could say, Henry began to feel as though he could relax. He knew Hook, knew he didn't give up, would literally do anything to save those he loved. Killian would find a way to save Mom if anyone could.

Nodding firmly, Henry extended his hand, holding out the shears. Killian took them with a grateful smile. "Rest assured, lad, I will guard these with my life. And should your mother choose to use them, I want you to keep something very important in mind. The Evil Queen is a liar. Your mother is special not because she has magic or because she's the savior, but because she's Emma bloody Swan. Even should all her powers be stripped away, she could never be anything short of extraordinary. Never forget that. I love her not because of what she can do, but because of who she is, and come what may, I will cherish her—and you—until the end of my days."

Henry surged forward and hugged Killian again, before stepping back, surreptitiously swiping at his wet cheeks. "Thanks Killian," he said thickly, "and…I'm sorry about, you know this morning."

"You're forgiven lad," Killian said immediately.

"It's just been kind of hard, you know?" Henry said. "With everything that's happened, and my mom's vision and the Evil Queen and everything. And then when you moved in things changed again, and I guess I kind of worried you would take all mom's attention and…I don't know. I guess it was stupid."

Killian shook his head. "Henry, your mother loves you more than any person in any realm. There's no one who could come between you, and I promise I will never try. I care for you both. You're the family I lost centuries ago. Now what say we return to our home and spend the evening with your mother. Perhaps we might view one of those moving pictures you've recommended to me?"

"Sounds good," Henry said, turning back in the direction of the Swan-Jones home. "I think we ought to start with Star Wars. I think it's time you learn all about the Wookie prisoner gag."

"Wookie?" Killian said, brows furrowed. "What the devil is a Wookie?"

Henry smirked. He was going to have fun introducing his future step-dad to Land Without Magic pop culture.