A Happy Beginning

Chapter Two

"Emma, what exactly did your mother say?" Asked a worried Killian, looking in the rear-view mirror to check on Leia, who was happily eating her goldfish snacks, and quickly turned his attention back to the road. They had decided to take the SUV, since the bug hardly had enough space for any of Leia's belongings; neither of them were aware of how serious the issue actually was and just wanted to be ready in case their stay in Storybrooke had to be extended. Henry's first day of his third year in college was tomorrow, so he had made his parents promise that they would keep him updated on everything, and they made a plan for him to meet them in Storybrooke in a few days.

Emma leaned her head back on the seat, sighing, "She didn't say much - just that Belle had found something in the library," she looked out the car window, not wanting Killian to see her teary eyes, "And that she thinks Leia's in danger because of it."

Killian grabbed the steering wheel with his prosthetic hand, reaching over and holding Emma's hand with his free one. Ever since they had left for Boston, Killian wore a prosthetic attachment for his hand. He never failed to complain about it at least once every time he used it, but having a hook did not seem like something that would be easily accepted outside of Storybrooke, so he knew that he had no other choice. Although at home, he would often sport the hook, which Leia loved as it gave her the chance to play pretend with the real life Captain Hook himself.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze causing her to turn her head to face him, a single tear ran down her cheek, "I'm scared," she whispered.

They came up to a red light, so Killian took advantage of the opportunity and leaned over, kissing the tear away, then planted a soft peck on her lips, enough to make Emma smile for the first time in the last three and a half hour car ride.

To their relief, this had been the first time that they had not needed  to stop multiple times for Leia to use the restroom. Back when she was in diapers, long car rides like this were simple, but now that she was potty-trained, everything had become twice as complicated; it also did not help that Leia had apparently inherited her grandmother's small bladder - you could not drive anywhere more than an hour away with Snow without needing to stop at least a handful of times, an annoying habit that usually irritated everyone around her. After stopping for the first and only time at a gas station in a nearby, barely even populated town, Emma and Killian were relieved to finally be less than fifteen minutes away from Storybrooke.

Coming back home always brought on bittersweet emotions. Storybrooke had been the place where Emma first connected with her son, where both Killian and Emma had found their family, where they had many of their "firsts," where they promised to love each other for eternity, and where their daughter had been born. But, it was also the place where they lost numerous loved ones, where Killian had to watch as the darkness consumed the love of his life, the place where Emma had to be the one to take Killian's life, as he sacrificed himself for the entire town. They tried to not dwell too much on the bad memories, but they seeped in from time to time, making them glad they had decided to move to Boston for a fresh start.

Years ago, Killian had said something that had stuck with Emma ever since - he had reminded her that there was always a crisis when it came to their family, which was all the more reason to enjoy the quiet moments. That was exactly what Emma planned to do. She knew that this situation with Leia was only going to become worse with each passing day, so she just wanted to enjoy this quiet moment in the car with two of the people she loved most in the world.  As they drove towards Snow and David's house, Emma peered out the window at all the familiar surroundings. The small town had not changed much in the past few years, besides a couple of new businesses, including a charming coffee shop and a pet store that had been built after Regina found some wiggle room in the budget. They passed Granny's and Emma pointed to it, turning back to look at Leia with a massive grin on her face, "Look baby, that's where they make the best grilled cheese in the entire universe," she exclaimed. Emma had eaten so many grilled cheese sandwiches during her pregnancy with Leia, that it was no wonder it had become their daughter's favorite food as well. Often times, Emma and Leia would join forces against Killian and would not stop their whining until he drove across town to Roxy's, a local grilled cheese truck, and brought them back home a few sandwiches. Roxy's was amazing, but nothing beat Granny's, making it one of their Storybrooke trip highlights every time they were back in town. They had visited Storybrooke several times since their big move, but the last time they had come, Leia was hardly two and a half years old. Since then, she had added a couple dozen words to her vocabulary and comprehending ideas had become much easier, so Emma and Killian were hoping that this time around, even amidst all the chaos, they perhaps could take Leia on some exploring adventures.