In my Once Upon A Time Fanfic, Adrift, Killian Jones is hit with a curse that completely changes the course of the last few years of his life. Emma gets thrown into a tailspin, facing a very altered Captain Hook who’s fought some very real inner demons and paid a heavy price for it.

This scene is from the opening chapter, set shortly after the Season 3 Finale, when Killian and Emma have made a tentative move toward a full-on relationship…

They decided not to make their way into the restaurant for breakfast – Emma was concerned that Henry might figure out she hadn’t come home the night before, and while she wasn’t trying to hide what she and Killian had going, she wasn’t really ready to have a full-on conversation with her kid about it, either, and knowing Henry, that’s exactly what it would be.

They stopped in briefly at the apartment, catching David in the middle of a diaper change, which of course, amused Hook to no end.

“You missed a spot over there, mate,” he directed, gesturing to the baby’s underside.

“It’s…everywhere!” David complained. “How does one baby produce all this?”

Snow looked over from the kitchen, where she was heating a teapot. “Oh! Don’t forget to cover his – ”

It was too late. Baby Neal christened his father right between the eyes, and Killian let out a bark of laughter.

“Looks like you need to pay more attention to his arsenal,” he chuckled. “He’d had that trained on you, waiting for you to let your guard down.”

David gave him a dirty look, reaching for the towel that Snow was handing to him.

“Second time today,” David grumbled.

“You’ll get the hang of it,” Snow said, smiling. “We both will.”

“Yeah, well, until then, I might need to look into some waterproof armor,” David said wryly.

“At least you know his aim is good,” Killian pointed out. “Imagine how handy he’ll be with a crossbow one day.”

Emma rolled her eyes just as her cellphone went off. She glanced down at the number. “It’s Henry,” she said, lifting the phone to her ear. “Hey, Henry.” She listened a moment. “Right now?” She looked across at Hook, who shrugged as if to say “Whatever you want to do is fine.”

“Yeah, we’ll be right down. See you in a few.” She put the phone back in her jacket pocket. “Henry wants us to come down to the dock. He says he’s got something to show us.”

“But you haven’t had breakfast!” Snow objected. “At least take a muffin. We brought them from Granny’s.”

Killian reached out, taking a muffin and passing it over to Emma. “Go on, love,” he said, giving her a wink. “You need to keep up your strength.”

David gave Snow a pained look, passing the baby back to her. “Shall we take Neal for a walk down by the docks? It’s not too cold out there.”

Emma reached out, taking her brother out of Snow’s hands. “You won’t be needing a stroller,” she said with a smile. “I’ve got this guy.”

David grabbed the diaper bag, hoisting it over his shoulder. “What’s in here, anyway?” he asked.

Snow shook her head. “We’ve got diapers, wipes, a bag for the used diapers and wipes, burp cloths, a change of clothes, gas drops, baby lotion, extra blankets – ”

“Okay, okay…” David held up a hand, forestalling her.

“I packed less provisions for a month at sea,” Hook replied, raising his brows. He gave Snow a cheeky grin. “Well, at least he’s got a portable food supply.”

Emma grabbed his collar with one hand, holding baby Neal against her shoulder with the other. “Come on, you, before you get assigned the next round of diaper duty.”

Killian smiled, holding up his hook. “Not bloody likely.”

She gave him a stony look. “I’ve seen how you can manage with one hand. I think you’ll be a pro with a little practice.”

“You’ll certainly have to figure it out if you ever plan to have any of your own,” Snow chimed in. Her remark was followed by five seconds of dead silence, as David, Emma and Hook looked at her in complete surprise.

She gave an uncomfortable shrug. “Just an observation.” She herded David toward the door, and Emma followed, pulling Neal back off her shoulder and dropping a kiss on his forehead. Hook brought up the rear, staring thoughtfully at Emma’s back, his mind whirling around Snow’s words.

If you ever plan to have any of your own, she’d said. In truth, he never had. He’d always considered himself most definitely not the parenting type, then he’d had a brief taste of it with Baelfire. He’d mucked that up so badly, he knew he’d most likely been right about his lack of nurturing ability and he’d made sure that fatherhood was something he’d never have to worry about.

And now, here he was, spending family time with a bona fide family, feeling almost like he belonged. Well, he belonged with Emma – that much he was sure of. And with Emma came all the rest of her twisted and extended family tree. He hadn’t thought of the word “family” in many, many years, and hers was just something that came as part of the package. He hadn’t put any other connotation to the term beyond that.

Until now.

And damn, if Emma didn’t look good with a babe in her arms.

Adrift can be found on Fanfiction.net or at Archive of Our Own (AO3).