Where We Belong

A Family Recipe

Killian arrived in the kitchen to see a confused Anna Elizabeth sitting cross-legged on the floor with two of the cabinets opened. Killian sat down beside her and asked, "Do you need help finding something, Anna Elizabeth?"

She turned her head to look up to him and said, "Uncle Killian, I can't member what Mommy used to make cookies."

"Well, lucky for you, I do," Killian said, as he kissed the top of Anna Elizabeth's head. He then began recounting to his niece what they would need, as he watched her dig through the cabinet. He got on his feet and pulled a chair up to the long kitchen counter so Anna Elizabeth could easily place everything up there.

As Killian was watching her, it suddenly dawned on him that he wasn't quite sure where Elsa's recipe actually was, so he began rummaging through the various drawers in the kitchen. His niece gave yet another confused expression as she questioned, "What are you looking for, Uncle Killian?"

"Well, love, I don't know where your mommy's recipe is to make the cookies," Killian answered.

After a few moments silence, Anna Elizabeth quietly said, "I know where it is." She then ran off to her room to return a few moments later with a large index card in hand.

"I wanted to draw a pretty picture that Mommy and Daddy would have liked," Anna Elizabeth confessed as she handed the index card to her uncle.

This wouldn't have been the first time Anna Elizabeth colored on this recipe, but as he turned it over, it took everything he had in him not to break down.

Anna Elizabeth had drawn three figures on the back of it, labeled "Mommy, Daddy, and Me". Killian then bent down to his niece's level and wrapped her in a hug as he said, "You did a marvelous job, love. They would have loved it very much."

Anna Elizabeth simply smiled at him as they pulled away. Killian's eyes then moved to the recipe card in his hand, and he realized they lacked quite a few of these ingredients.

He then told Anna Elizabeth, "We'll have to go to the store once Emma gets here to get some of these things. Why don't you go to room and get the apron that Aunt Anna gave you, so we'll be all ready to bake when we get back."

Anna Elizabeth nodded then excitedly ran off to her room. As Killian began scanning the kitchen cabinets and refrigerator to see what they did have, he unconsciously started singing as he was doing so. He then heard a voice calling his name.

He recognized it as Emma's, and called out, "In the kitchen, love," then went back to singing.

As Emma walked through the door, she instantly heard Killian and said, "She gets it from you, you know."

He stopped singing as he turned to look at her and asked, "What?" Emma smiled as she replied, "The singing. Anna Elizabeth sings all the time. She gets it from you."

"You think so?" Killian innocently questioned.

"Yeah. Except for Bryan Adams, though, she's singing 'You Can Fly' from Peter Pan."

Killian smiled as he replied, "Yeah, I'm pretty sure she knows all the words to that song. Well, the entire movie, actually," which made Emma laugh.

"You know, most little girls' favorite movie is one of those princess ones. But of course, your niece's favorite would be the one involving a pirate," Emma said as she continued to laugh.

Killian raised an eyebrow at her as he questioned, "Are you trying to imply that's my influence, Swan?"

Emma then stepped a bit closer and said, "Maybe I am, Captain." Emma backed up from him as she heard small feet running toward them.