Three Little words
It was very rare. Emma had never heard it growing up, but when she came to Storybrooke it was Henry who had said it for the first time. After she broke the curse and told her she loved him he said it back. Then it was Neal when he fell through the portal, but she had said it first. She was always the one to say it first. Her parents, while obvious and left it unspoken, never said it not once. Not in so many words at least. She was always the one to say it first, most everyone had never said it and when it was said that she was loved she always had to say it to the other person first.
Then she met Killian. He had been the one to say it first, the words she had always longed to hear. It had been after they'd returned from the past outside after their kiss at Granny's.
'I love you.' He had said eyes closed taking in the essence of the kiss, savoring it, his forehead resting gently against hers and his hand caressing her cheek. Walls down, heart open, he had said it. He had said it first, before the words could leave her lips. She pulled back and looked at him as he timidly look back at her with his simmering ocean blue eyes. She smiled said it back and to his immense pleasure, kissed him again. Their hearts beat together, fast rabbits tied in a race.
But still Emma felt like there was a hole. Something missing, words left unsaid, but she couldn't place the statement. What were the words she longed to hear the most.
Killian had assimilated nicely to Storybrooke, they had moved in together spending most of their weeknights together in intimacy and then weekends laughing with Henry. Then it was New Years. Henry was celebrating with Robin, Roland and Regina. Snow and Charming were probably home asleep all worn out from baby Neal. So, it was just them, Emma and Killian sat on a blanket on the beach waiting for the festivities to begin. She stared at the night sky, thankful for their secret spot on the hidden beach, happy to be alone, together.
'Emma?' He whispered in her ear. He propped himself up on his hand as she had and looked into her green eyes. He could have sworn as she stared at the sky she was stealing stars and hiding them within her irises.
'Hmm.' She hummed in pleasure as she came in closer to brush their noses together. Killian pulled the picnic basket closer to them.
'Close your eyes and hold out you hand I have something for you.' She did what he asked with a simple raise of a blonde eyebrow and held out the hand that wasn't brushing his. With his other, returned hand (curtsy of the Dark One) he pulled his surprise out of the picnic basket placed it in her hand and lit the candle.
'Okay.' He whispered lovingly. She opened her eyes and with a shocked expression she looked down at the tiny cupcake in her hand. It was vanilla with white frosting and a blue star candle. Similar to the one she had blown out the night Henry had found her, the night she had wished she wouldn't ever again have to be alone on her birthday.
'Happy Birthday, Emma." He had said she looked into his eyes, his deep loving gaze and saw nothing, but devotion and bliss. A single tear fell down her cheek and he swept it away with his thumb.
And there it was the three little words she had always longed to hear, since she was a little girl. Every memory of every birthday she spent alone and crying herself to sleep was swept away with those three little words. She had never wanted to hear anything more or at least that's what she had thought until three years later when he said three different words to her, asking her a question to which she promptly answered yes and six months after that when they both said 'I do'.