We're finally home. I can't believe that after months of planning it's finally over. Killian's still unpacking. I take my shoes off and start looking for a blanket when I realise there's a cup of warm chocolate with cinnamon on the kitchen table. There's a note with my name on it. I open it.
Call me when you get home. Enjoy. Love, mom.
And so I do. And she sounds enthusiastic as ever. She wants to hear all about our trip, and surprisingly I can't wait to tell her.
"Is that your mother?" Killian asks from behind me, kissing my shoulder. I just nod. "Tell her about the album"
"Oh yes! We bought that album you told us to!" I say
"Good! We're on our way over, then. You'll fill it with your wedding and honeymoon pictures. Your photographer sent us the printed photos a few days ago. Be there in ten!" she said, before hanging up. I sighed and looked at Killian, whose smile was painted from ear to ear.
I grab my mug and blanket and snuggle on the couch, mentally preparing for the soon-to-be frenzy.
What was my perfectly peaceful haven a few moments ago turned into daycare central. David built what looked like a portable crib, while Killian put everything Mary Margaret described as a choking hazard away. Henry got all the baby food and toys out and my mother held my brother. I… I just stared in awe at my family's efficiency. But the mayhem is over now, and she hands me a blue envelope. She smiles sweetly.
We all sit down on the floor in the living room, except for David who is putting baby Neal to sleep. I wait until Killian sits still next to me, so I can lean my head on his shoulder. I open the blue envelope carefully, so I don't accidentally rip off one of the pictures. The first one I see is a beautiful shot of the location for our wedding ceremony. The location itself was a topic for discussion that lasted months, but I won and it was finally decided to be in New York. Transporting people from this world to Fairytale Land is a lot harder than driving a few hours, after all.
On the wedding day It was 9 am and I was still in my PJ's. The guests were asked to be at the garden at 2 pm. I still had time. But I was clearly wrong, as Mary Margaret showed up at my door and freaked out when she realised I hadn't even taken a shower. Ruby, Belle and Regina came in with makeup boxes, my shoes and my dress, respectively. I wasn't even dry yet when they started dressing me and sitting me down in front of the mirror. After a couple hours I was in my white dress, in my very high heels and with so much makeup on that I couldn't even see my pores anymore. Yet, I looked beautiful to be honest. My mother was crying, along with the other two. Regina looked happy, but not to the verge of tears. Mary Margaret's phone rang. "Yes, she is ready. Yes. We're on our way. What do you mean Killian's not moving?! Carry him if you have to! Meet you there. On time, yes. Call me if anything comes up." From the tone of her voice I presumed it was my father. We left the hotel in a white limo. It was a half an hour car ride, but it felt like an entire week. We went upstairs and they did the final touches to my makeup and hairdo. I looked at the clock as the hands reached the twelve to read the '2'. "It's time!" Mary Margaret said. David came in with baby Neal in arms. He gave my brother to my mom and hugged me tight. "Ready kid?" He offered me his arm. "What am I doing again?" I said, jokingly. But honestly, I was so nervous I even forgot how to walk. Then I remembered: 'What do you mean Killian's not moving?!' Yup. Now it made sense. Although the garden was part of the house, we still had to walk a considerable distance from the second floor to where the ceremony was going to take place. "You'll be okay, Emma, I promise." David said, holding my hands, then my face. I was shaking so much my teeth were chattering. I smiled. Or at least tried to. We stood on our end of the white carpet. The music started playing, the guests stood up, and he finally turned around. He was wearing something I had already seen on him before, and while we were walking down the aisle I tried to remember when. David was giving me away and I was holding Killian's hand when I remembered. It was the same outfit he wore on our time-travel adventure. And the dress I was wearing was the same I wore that time, too, but in white, of course. I smiled at the thought and he smiled back. Facing the priest, I held his hook. Vows were given, we both said 'I do' and we kissed. He whispered in my ear that he loved me and I bit my lip to not cry. Giving our first steps as husband and wife down the aisle I looked at Henry. He was clapping excitedly and mouthed 'finally' to me. I laughed. The wedding reception was a few feet away from where the ceremony had been. A big tent covered a beautiful clearing near the garden. We sat down at our table and the guests started approaching us to congratulate us. After we had dinner, Killian cleared his throat and said: "From 1 to 10, how badly do you want to run away from all this, love?" "Like, 20!" I laughed. I looked into his eyes and for the first time in the day I realised we were now married. As if he had read my thoughts, he held my left hand and played with my ring. "How does this sound: we hear the speeches, we give ours, we dance, and as soon as people stop noticing our presence we bail?" he proposed, with his signature eyebrow-raising. I nodded and kissed him quickly. I didn't want to catch the other people's attention. I looked around at our guests. They all looked so happy, especially my family. Regina was sitting on Robin's lap, laughing, while Rumplestiltskin procured his pregnant wife more than usual. Henry hung out with Ava and Nicholas Zimmer and my parents were just delighted talking to other guests and thanking them for coming. Their nobility was showing. My father gave the first speech and Tinker Bell followed. Now it was time for Hook's. But I interrupted and gave mine first. I wanted to get it out of my way. He kissed me and laughed after I was done. Then he stood up and raised his glass. "When I first met this woman she was a threat to me. She endangered my plan to kill my enemy and I was not going to let her ruin it. Nonetheless, after a while, we were forced to become allies. For a short time period, at least. And so our tango began. A series of betraying one another, mistrusting and miscommunication. But in the process, I realised something inside myself lit, some kind of flame that I was sure was completely extinct. I started craving her voice, her eyes, her lips, her conversation. It felt like I was going through withdrawal of a drug I hadn't even tried yet. And so I decided I had to taste this drug I couldn't live without, and that was our first kiss. And I thought that it would be enough to leave my cravings at ease, but it just gave this new drug a name: love. Today we stand before you as Mr. and Mrs. Jones, but Emma… love… you'll always be 'Swan' to me" I stood up and kissed him. I would have said 'I love you' if it hadn't been for the knot in my throat and the tears running down my cheek. He led me to the dancefloor and wiped my tears with his thumb. The music started, and it didn't surprise me it was the same song as the one we danced to back at Fairtytale Land. "Just this dance, love. Just this dance and we sneak out. Just you and me." he promised. I followed his lead, as always, and rested my head on his chest. When the song ended, Henry tapped his shoulder and asked to dance with me. Hook hid his frustration the best way he could, and I laughed at his attempt to convince me. "Have you thought about him at all today?" Henry asked me while we danced "I think about your father every day, kid." I answered honestly He hugged me by the waist, his head on my shoulder. "You look beautiful mom." "Thank you" He pulled away. "Should I tell Grandma and Grandpa that you eloped?" "Half an hour after we leave." I replied "Should we wait for you?" "Meet us back at the hotel and check your cell constantly. I'll let you know." "Deal" he smiled mischievously "Deal" I said excitedly The dancefloor was filled with people jumping up and down in sync to the upbeat song played by the band. Killian was waiting for me by our table, holding his hand out for me. I ran towards him and grabbed it. "Where do you want to go, Swan?" he asked, his forehead touching mine "Just let me drive" I said, kissing his nose. We drove into the city and parked near Central Park. Before going out of the car, I took my shoes off and let my hair down. I took the veil off and looked for my red leather jacket. When I reached to the back seat to grab it, Killian stopped me. "If you get cold outside, at least let me have the courtesy of giving you my coat" he said. And so we walked into the heart of the park, sitting every now and then. He tried to kiss me more than a couple times, but I rejected him. I wanted to find the perfect spot. On my quest, though, he stopped me under a street lamp and pulled me towards him. He placed his hands loosely around my waist and looked me in the eyes. He leaned in slowly for a kiss. I tried to move but those eyes paralysed me. He touched my lips softly, barely, once. Twice. Three times. The fourth time he tried to pull away I wrapped my hands around his neck and forced him to stay. I could feel his smile against my mine. He opened his mouth slowly, carefully. My lips danced to a choreography led by no music, but his lips seemed to know it, too. As the kiss deepened, his loose arms tightened around by body, pulling me closer to him, while I tugged from the ends of his hair. He started sliding his hand down my body and looked for my neck. Something snapped me back to my body and I pulled away from him. We were both gasping for air, smiling. We laughed. I took a step towards him again, and he hugged me. "I love you" I said, still panting. "I love you more" he replied "Impossible" We walked around the streets, daylight present again. Shops and cafes were opening, people rushing from one place to the other. We stood out by our outfits and everybody stared, but this time I didn't care. We walked to our hotel rooms and changed. We would have to be at the airport in a couple of hours. Downstairs in the lobby I waited for everyone to come down and say goodbye, and I stared at my wedding ring. The possibilities of our forever overwhelmed me, but I was fine with it. Because forever couldn't have had a more perfect beginning.I place the last picture on the last page of the album. "I guess we'll have to buy another one for the honeymoon pictures" I say
"We will" Killian says, kissing the top of my head.
I close the album and hold it close to my heart. It's good to be back home.