AN: Here it is - the end. I started this fic a year and a half ago, to challenge myself to actually finish a novel length story. And here we are, with all the ends tied up. Thank you so much to everyone who's read this story, and especially to the people who have given me encouragement along the way. Every word has meant the world, and I'm so grateful to have so many supportive people around me. This is pretty much entirely fluff, but I think these characters have earned it.

Epilogue

'Daddy! Daddy, wake up!'

Awake in an instant, Killian opened his eyes and pushed himself up onto his elbows just in time to see Eva jump onto the bed, but instead of crawling under the covers like she usually would, her two small hands circled his elbow and pulled. 'Come on, Da, we have to go!'

Blinking away his last remains of sleep, he glanced to the side and confirmed that Emma wasn't in bed beside him. If she had been, she either would have been welcoming Eva in with open arms or groaning into the pillow for more sleep, depending on the time. Lacking backup, Killian let himself be pulled from the bed, taking note of the light in the room and guessing it to be an hour past sunrise at most. It was abnormally early for Emma to be up so early without reason, but not at all for Eva. 'What's your rush this morning, little love?' he asked with a smile, putting up his hand to stop her when she tried to push him towards his dresser.

Eva stopped pushing him and straightened up with all the dignity of her royal line despite the fact that she only had seven years behind her, and her hands on her hips almost didn't ruin it. 'Mama said you'd take me down to the harbour today.'

Oh, did she now? He tried his best not to smile at the determined look on her face, but it was a near thing. 'And just where is your mother then?'

'She's going to meet us there,' Eva insisted, looking thoroughly frustrated that he'd stopped to question her rather than immediately doing her bidding. 'Please, Da, or we'll be late.'

That caught his attention, even more so when her cheeks started to redden and her mouth dropped open when she realised her slip. He'd been unsure whether to believe her or whether using Emma as an excuse was just her way to trick him into taking her to see the ships - she was a trickster, his daughter - but she'd clearly given more away than she'd meant to. Late for what? he wondered. He certainly didn't know of any events in the harbour or even in the city today.

What are you and your mother planning? he thought, equal parts suspicion and affection filling his heart. 'All right, I'll take you to the harbour. Give me a minute to dress though, aye?'

Her answering grin was the reason why she got away with so much mischief, but he couldn't help it when she brought so much light to his life. Spinning on her heal, she left to wait in the sitting room while he washed his face and dressed.

Anyone would have thought that he'd taken an hour rather than the five minutes at most from the way she was fidgeting in her seat when Killian rejoined her. Wrapping her fingers around the curve of his hook, she tugged with surprising strength, and he was grateful that he'd double checked the clasps on his brace. 'Not yet, love. To the kitchens, first.' He'd rather sit her down and give her a proper breakfast, but he knew that there was a better chance of getting her to eat something while she was in this mood if it was the grab and dash kind.

He shouldn't have been surprised to see Red standing on the other side of their door when he opened it, especially with the smug grin on his daughter's face. Red's own was full of cheerful innocence as she took the covered basket hanging from her elbow and held it out to him. 'Breakfast, Captain?'

He raised an eyebrow at her, pretending that he didn't hear the muffled laughter behind him. 'What a coincidence this is, Red,' he said wryly.

She shrugged. 'I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.'

'Uhuh.' He eyed her thoughtfully for a moment. 'And I don't suppose you'd tell me what it is that you know nothing about?' he muttered under his breath.

Her keen ears heard him anyway, just as he knew they would. Winking at him deliberately, she lopped the handle of the basket over his hook. 'Absolutely not,' she assured him. 'Enjoy your walk!'

Their breakfast consisted of fresh, sweet rolls, sliced open and lathered with butter, and after making sure that Eva had eaten at least one, he took one himself, chewing it slowly while he tried to wrap his mind around the events of the day, as short as it had been so far. He lost himself in his musings as the two of them walked through the streets of the city that was his home, smiling and nodding to familiar faces automatically, the sound of Eva's quiet humming from beside him comforting him somewhat.

It wasn't his birthday - or rather, the day that Emma and Tink had decided they were going to celebrate as his birthday since he'd forgotten the proper date many years ago. It wasn't the anniversary of his marriage to Emma - he wasn't going to forget that one if he could help it. Nothing about the day seemed particularly special, nor had Emma or anyone else given any clue to any goings on the night before.

If it weren't for the blatant excitement and mischievousness on Eva's face, and the smug knowing look on Ruby's, then he'd be willing to pass it off as a usual family outing. Besides, Emma wouldn't have left without him...

He found himself picking up his pace a little.

The smell of salt and the steady rumbling of noise reached them before the harbour itself came into sight, and he managed to relax into the familiarity a little before the docks came into view. He smiled at the semi-familiar masts and sails that were lined up, but faltered in his step when he recognised one in particular.

Huffing in disbelief, Killian felt the corners of his lips stretch in an uncertain smile. He'd lost hope of ever seeing the Jolly Roger again after watching her sail away from him in this very harbour. He knew that Emma had started looking for her not long after the curse had been broken and Rumpelstiltskin dealt with, and he'd been devastated to hear that the "Jewel of the Realm" had been taken, once more, by pirates. There'd been no word for years, but now...

'Da?'

Tearing his eyes away from what had been his home for more years than he could count, Killian looked down to find Eva watching him, and he realised that she'd stopped trying to drag him along. 'They found your ship,' he said thickly, his mind filled with memories of the joy on her face when she'd seen it the last time - followed by the panic when they'd lost her.

Eva rolled her eyes, but the look in them afterward was full of understanding. 'Mama found your ship. With Grandpa's help. They told me that it was your ship first. I thought we could surprise you.' Her eyes dropped, toeing at the stone road with her little boots. 'Was it okay?'

Laughter bubbled out of him before he could stop it, and he quickly knelt down beside her, pulling her into his arms to reassure her that he wasn't laughing at her. Giving her a tight squeeze, he pulled back far enough that he could see her face, using the blunt tip of his hook to push back the hair that had fallen into her eyes. 'Darling, it was a wonderful idea. I'm very surprised.' He smiled at her, his daughter, and felt his heart swelling beyond belief when she smiled back at him. 'I love you very much, Eva.'

'I love you, too, Daddy.' She leaned forward to give him a quick kiss on the cheek before pulling out of his grasp. 'Can we go aboard now? Mama said I had to wait until you could show me. Please?'

He didn't want to make her wait, nor was he capable of it himself, so he took her hand in his and led her through the crowd of people going about their regular business. He wasn't surprised to see Smee standing beside the gangplank, his red hat in his hands. 'Smee,' he said, acknowledging the man with a nod and the smile that he couldn't rid himself of.

'Captain. Your Highness.' Smee bowed to Eva with an awkward wave of his hat before turning back to Killian. 'We've cleaned her up for you nice and right, sir. She's just as seaworthy as the first day I laid eyes on her.'

Dropping Eva's hand, he clapped Smee on the shoulder, wishing he could convey to him just how grateful he was. 'Thank you, Smee.'

His first mate just nodded him onward, and Killian didn't argue. Turning back to the Jolly, he rested his hand on Eva's back and guided her forward, stopping just at the end of the gangplank. He'd caught sight of Emma and Henry just a few paces away, but he kept his attention of Eva for now, wanting to make this as much of an event for her as it was for him. 'Permission to come aboard, Captain?' she said, her voice strong and clear without a prompt from him.

He couldn't help but laugh, knowing exactly who would have told her to say that. 'Permission granted, lass. Go on.' Pushing her forward gently, he followed a step behind, letting his breath out slowly as his foot landed on familiar planks.

His home was more than a place now, but he knew that a part of him would always belong here.

He welcomed Emma's suggestion that she and Henry show Eva around, offering Emma a grateful smile when she squeezed his hand on the way past. He wanted to share this with Eva, but he also needed a moment to get his bearings. As the others disappeared below, he made his slow way along the deck, running his hook along the railing to hear the familiar noise, feeling the familiar give of a certain step.

When he stood before the helm, he took his time in wrapping his fingers around one spoke and curling his hook around another. Closing his eyes, he breathed.

He wouldn't trade his life for anything, no matter that it had turned out to be the last thing that he'd ever expected. He had more people to love than he would have thought possible, and the confidence that they cared about him in equal measure. He had a home, a family. As much as he hated to be parted from them, he even had an occasional post in the navy when his experience required, or when his blood couldn't deny the pull of the sea. Even so, he couldn't deny that he'd missed this more than anything else.

It felt like only minutes before he heard approaching footsteps on the deck, and he didn't have to open his eyes to know that it was Emma. When she hesitated, though, he turned anyway, holding out his arm to her, taking half a step back so that he could fit her between himself and the wheel.

Her hand came up to cover his, her fingers slipping between his own while her other hand held the spoke above his hook. When she leaned back, he pressed forward, taking comfort in the feeling of her pressed against him. Tightening his fingers around the handle, he lowered his left arm to wrap it around her waist, craving that extra bit of contact. 'Thank you,' he breathed against the bare skin of her neck, knowing that it was pointless to try and better articulate the depth of his feeling, knowing that she understood anyway.

She nodded, leaning further back so that her head rested on his shoulder. There was no tension in her body, and he wondered at how easily she adjusted herself to the gentle rocking of the ship. 'I'm sorry that it took so long.'

Only Emma wouldn't be able to accept his thanks without thinking about what she could have done better. 'How long have you had her?'

'A few days,' she told him. 'We found her a few weeks ago, but it took time to buy her back and sail her here. I put Smee in charge of getting rid of anything that wasn't yours and replacing things that you might miss.' She turned slowly in his arms, looking up at him with a glint in her eye. 'I wanted to do it myself, but I figured that he'd know better what a pirate ship needs, and -'

'And someone needed to keep me from spending too much time gazing outside,' he finished slowly as things started to fall into place. He put on his most affronted look, even as he felt almost giddy with happiness. 'And here I was, thinking that you were merely feeling particularly amorous,' he teased. He hadn't thought to question her motives when she insisted on spending as much time as possible in bed with him over the last few days, but in hindsight he had to applaud her distraction techniques.

Huffing a laugh, she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, catching his attention instantly. 'Well I can't say that I didn't have fun along the way,' she told him, reaching up to pull his head down to hers but he was already on his way, his eyes sliding shut as he closed his mouth over hers.

He could get lost in her for hours - often still did - but he contented himself with kissing her until she was breathless, breaking away before it could get too heated. 'Where are the others?' he asked, knowing they'd only be alone for so long.

Emma laughed again, pressing her cold nose against his neck. 'Henry's letting Eva believe that she's locked him in the brig. I figured I'd leave them to it, since it'll keep them out of the way until everything's ready to go here.'

Taking her by the shoulders, Killian pulled back to see her face. 'What do you mean, ready to go?'

Her eyes were full of excitement when she grinned up at him. 'Why, we're going on an adventure, sailor.'

They didn't have a destination, not really, but they didn't need one. Killian spent the day at the helm, sometimes joined by Henry, sometimes Emma and often Emma. He'd made a token protest about the appropriateness of having Eva on board, saying that a pirate ship was normally no place for a young girl, but had been relieved with the sceptical look that Emma have give him. She's your daughter, Killian, she'd said, and there wasn't really much more to it, as far as she was concerned. She certainly looked at home, standing in front of Henry, her face lit up like the sun as she helped him steer, and he truly believed that he couldn't be happier than he was in that moment.

After the sun had set and they'd put Eva to bed, Killian left the ship's command in Smee's capable hands and took his wife to bed, having her on the edge of his cot with her legs tight around his hips, her face pressed against his shoulder to muffle her cries as she came, her mouth covering his to stifle his own when he did. Afterwards, they lay face to face on his narrow bed, his leg between hers and her hands resting lightly on his side, her head pillowed by his outstretched arm. 'I apologise that the bed isn't large enough to sleep ten,' he told her with both amusement and sincerity, pushing back the first hints of drowsiness that were starting to creep up on him. He usually only slept well when he was at sea or by Emma's side, and now he was lucky enough to have both.

Emma sighed, closing her eyes for a moment and he wondered if she felt the same about sleeping on land or whether she'd acclimated yet. 'I don't think it matters when we barely take more space than one person anyway.'

'That's true, aye. But perhaps you'll not steal all the covers now if there's less of them to share.'

She hummed in amusement but didn't bother arguing, so he busied himself with tracing the freckles on her nose with his eyes, or what he could see of them in the dim candlelight. He loved every spot, every crease around her eyes, despite her protests of getting old. As he told her, if she was allowed to say that the grey in his hair made him look distinguished, then he was allowed to enjoy her just as much.

It was a concept that he'd stopped considering when he was in Neverland. Now, he found that he didn't mind it as much as he thought he would.

'You wouldn't believe how excited Eva was when we told her about this,' Emma said quietly, lifting him from his thoughts. 'Well, maybe you would. I hope it's as much fun as she's expecting it to be.'

'It will be,' he promised her. 'We won't let her get bored.' He paused, trailing his hand up her side, rubbing his thumb over her shoulder. 'You're certain that Neal didn't mind us taking her when we're not sure when we'll return?'

She was silent for a few seconds, then opened her eyes to look up at him. 'He wasn't overly keen at first,' she admitted, 'but he understood. Tink was a great help, though. It'll be good for her to have some peace with Neal before the baby comes.'

'Aye, she told me that she's been feeling tired an awful lot lately.' And Eva was a constant bundle of energy and excitement.

As happy as he'd been for his friends, it had been hard for him at first not to begrudge Neal this next chance at fatherhood. It was good for him, he knew, not only as a chance to move on from the hurt of finding out that his daughter wasn't really his own, but also to continue to redeem his family line. Rumpelstiltskin still resided in the dungeons below the palace, with few visitors aside from his son. Yes, it was a good thing, and a chance at further happiness that Neal deserved, but it had hurt at first, that he was once more getting the chance to enjoy something that had been denied to Killian. The chance to watch his wife's belly grow large with child, the wonder of the birth and the first years of life. The last years with Eva had been more than he could ever have wished for, but he still would have given anything to have been there for her from the start.

They'd talked about having another child, but had decided in the end that they were happy with the two that they'd had, even if Henry was a man in his own right now. Emma was nearly forty now, and she'd been upfront with her concerns about childbirth in the Enchanted Forest. She'd told him that she didn't think she'd have been able to do it the first time if she'd had her memories of her own life and the differences in medicine. And as much as he regretted those missed years, he still had the most perfect daughter, and a stepson that he was so proud to call family.

'What about Henry?' he asked, remembering his own conversation with him earlier in the afternoon. 'He told me that he was happy for the adventure, but I can't imagine Grace was too pleased about losing her husband.'

Emma laughed, shifting slightly to find a more comfortable position. 'I told her she was more than welcome to come. We can't help it if she gets seasick. Besides, some time apart will do them good. I'm not ready to be a grandmother yet.'

He pulled back, eyeing her suspiciously and ignoring her gentle slap at his chest for moving his arm out from under her head. 'You can't lie to me, love. You tried to convince him to stay, didn't you?'

'No... Well, maybe I suggested it.' She smiled at him sheepishly. 'He said that he knew how important this would be for you, and he wanted to be there for you like you've been there for him. And that he might as well make this his last big hurrah before he and Grace started a family of their own.'

He couldn't help the swell of pride that he felt, both at Henry's consideration and the idea of him becoming a father himself. 'Well, we best not be gone too long then,' he said, setting back onto the bed and pulling Emma closer into his arms, pressing his lips against the top of her head as she hummed her agreement.

'Let me guess,' she said dryly. 'Just long enough for Eva to learn that it's a pirate's life for her, yo ho?'

Killian grinned into her hair. 'Of course. She's a little young for the rum, but there's plenty more to teach her.'

And plenty of time to do it, he thought, no longer resisting the lull of sleep that pulled at him as he felt Emma relax further against him. He had everything he needed, and all the time in the world to enjoy it.

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