Happily Ever After

Chapter Two

Emma woke early this morning to run some errands she had been putting off for the past few days. She left Killian sleeping, with a note for him to wake to by his side explaining where she was and that she'd be back soon. This was a thing they did now; reassuring one another of their whereabouts as not to worry themselves over the possibility of another curse or evil spirit coming between them ever again.

No.

They had been separated far too much, in both life and death, and they were extremely lucky to be standing where they were today: side by side, hand in hand. And they were determined never to lose each other again.

Emma walked through Storybrooke with a spring in her step, happy with the life she was living: the one she dreamed of as a little kid but never thought possible.

She checked her phone; 7a.m. Killian will wake soon. She thought. He's a pirate, after all, and pirates don't know the meaning of a lie in. She smiled at this, knowing just how early Killian woke some days.

She remembered one day profoundly, on which Killian woke at 5a.m. He watched her sleep for a while, so he said, before she too woke up. They had gotten into some warmer clothes before walking downstairs and outside to sit on their porch, where they waited for the sun to rise. Killian had wrapped his arms around her, keeping her warm; protected. He told her stories of his time at sea, and the sunrises he had seen, in the different places he had sailed to. Like Killian, Emma had seen many sunrises. Yet, somehow, they were more beautiful now than ever before as whenever the sun rose, she thought of her husband, and thought of how blessed she was to spend each new day with him.

Her first errand of the day, and possibly the most important, was to pay Dr Whale a visit. She had been experiencing symptoms of fatigue and cramping for a few days now, and Killian had instructed her to see a doctor. But, Emma being Emma, she put it off and told Killian it was probably nothing. Of course he didn't believe her, but he found that it was easier to accept Emma's decisions than argue them, as he knew that she would figure things out on her own. She always did.

"Emma! How lovely to see you so bright and early this morning. What can I do for you?" Dr Whale asked.

"I wouldn't usually come see you this early, Dr Whale, but Killian's been worried about me and I wanted to get this over and done with to put his mind at rest." Emma stated.

"What's bothering you, Ms Jones?" He replied.

She smiled at the "Ms Jones", still not used to hearing it.

"Well, the thing is, I've had some cramping and I've experienced several dizzy spells over the past few days. I put it down to my period, as I usually experience these symptoms days before I'm due on. Except, I was due on two weeks ago, and I've not had even the slightest bit of spotting. So, I thought it was best to come here and try to get some kind of medication or remedy for whatever I'm going through, as it clearly has nothing to do with my period." Emma explained.

Whale nodded his head before questioning Emma further.

"Have you experienced any food aversions or cravings lately?"

Emma thought hard before answering, "well, not exactly. I've noticed my appetite has grown slightly, though; I'm not sated by the things I usually eat."

"Hmm," replied Whale, "what about mood swings?"

Emma laughed. "Aside from the usual, I don't think so no. It's hard to tell, my emotions have never been easy to keep up with."

"And, you mentioned you should have had your period two weeks ago? Does that not concern you, Emma? Are your periods usually late?" Whale raised his brows, looking rather agitated.

"I mean, I guess? I don't know. I never thought about it that much. They've been late before, sure. But not since... oh."

Emma stopped talking and her eyes widened. Her heart started pounding, fast; loud. She could hear it in her ears, and feel it pumping around her body.

"But not since I was pregnant with Henry." She finished, almost in a whisper.

Dr Whale bowed his head and waited for what he knew came next.

"I'm..." she started, reluctant to let the following word fall from her lips, "pregnant."