Note: So I started writing this before I saw that sneak peek. I didn't expect Snow to want to have something simple at Granny's and David to want something befitting a princess. So I wrote this the way I think it should go. Hope you enjoy it! ~Steph
...Motherzilla: Part 1/1…
~Flashback: Emma at age 7~
Sarah and Rachel danced around Sarah's room. Sarah took a pillowcase and placed it over the back of her head as she pretended to march down an imaginary aisle.
"I can't wait to get married. It's going to be in a big, beautiful church with lots of flowers."
Rachel grabbed a bunch of fake flowers out of a vase on Sarah's desk and spun around.
"I'm going to get married on the beach. I'm going to wear a beautiful dress."
Emma watched them from her spot on Sarah's bed. They were all in the same class at Emma's new school, her fifth in two years. Every time she changed foster homes, she changed schools. She didn't usually make friends quickly. But Sarah and Rachel were nice and welcoming. She had been excited when Sarah invited her over for a sleepover.
That excitement was quickly wearing thin as she watched them dance around the room, excitedly discussing a future Emma couldn't fathom for herself.
Sarah turned to Emma. "What about you, Emma? What kind of wedding do you want?"
Emma's mouth opened, but no words came out. She finally dropped her eyes to the comforter and shook her head.
"I'm never going to get married," she whispered.
Sarah and Rachel stopped moving and stared at her in shock.
"Why not?" Rachel asked.
Emma shrugged, unable to meet their eyes. "Because nothing good ever happens to me. No one in my life ever lasts more than a few months. I'll never have a real family that loves me. I'll never have anyone who loves me."
The little girls stared at her awkwardly, unsure of what to say or do in response. So instead they returned to their game of pretend. And Emma returned to watching them do something that she believed would only ever happen in her dreams.
...
Emma rolled over and was met by the beautiful blue eyes of her new fiancé. He offered her a smile.
"Good morning, my future wife," he said.
Emma felt a smile appear on her face at the mention of being Killian's wife.
"Good morning, my future husband," she said.
He leaned forward and placed a kiss on her lips, neither concerned with morning breath. They were just so glad to be back in each other's arms again.
Emma reached out and caressed his cheek as he pulled back, her thumb tracing along his lower lip.
"I missed you so much," she said.
"I missed you too, love. I feared I would never see you again."
Emma blinked back sudden tears. "A few minutes later and I would have lost you again."
"Hey," he said, taking her hand in his and kissing her palm. "You'll never lose me. I'll always be by your side, remember?"
Emma shook her head. "Until the next time something separates us."
He shook his head, taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "And if that does happen again-..."
"When," she corrected.
"If it does," Killian continued steadfastly. "Then we will do everything in our power to get back to each other, just like we always do."
A tear slipped down Emma's cheek. "Until the one day when we can't," she replied softly.
Killian pulled her into his arms and he felt her tears wet the skin of his shoulder. After a few moments, he pulled back and cupped her face with his hand.
"I know you have a tendency to expect the worst, Swan. I know you have a tendency to believe that happiness doesn't last and good things always go away."
"Can you blame me?" she asked. "I never thought I'd get married as a kid. While all of the other little girls were pretending and planning their future weddings, I couldn't even imagine it. I couldn't even fathom a time when I could be as happy as I am now, that I could find a love like this. That I could find love at all."
Killian smiled gently. "But you did, Emma. You opened your heart to your family and you opened it to me. Now we are about to get married. And I know that's frightening because getting everything you've ever wanted always is. It means you have so much to lose. But we can't focus on the what if. We can't live our lives like that. We need to focus on the here and now and the wonderful future I know awaits us."
Emma nodded, as his thumb swiped at a tear on her cheek. "How is it you always know exactly what to say to make me feel better?"
He grinned. "It's a gift."
Emma paused for a moment, gnawing on her lower lip.
"I don't want to wait," she suddenly spit out.
"What?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.
"I don't want to wait to get married. I want to marry you as soon as possible, Killian. I know we talked about waiting because of Gideon and now the Black Fairy. But my parents are awake now and the timing will never be perfect. There will always be something going on. After everything that's happened, everything that's stood in our way, I don't want to waste anymore time. I just want to be your wife."
Killian smiled. "I've dreamt of being your husband for as long as I can remember, love. I'd marry you today if I could. But it's my understanding that weddings take time to plan."
Emma shrugged. "We said we wanted something small and simple and intimate. With my mother's help, we should be able to pull it off pretty quickly."
Killian cocked his head to the side. "Knowing your mother as I do, Swan, I am going to assume she isn't thinking small, simple, or intimate when it comes to her only daughter's wedding. A daughter who also happens to be a princess."
Emma looped her arms around his neck. "It doesn't matter what my mother wants. It's our wedding, Killian. All that matters is what we want."
Killian chuckled. "Oh, how I love the naïveté of that statement."
Emma silenced his laughter by placing a kiss on his lips.
…
One week later, they made their way to the loft door. Killian kissed Emma's neck, his arms wound around her waist from behind. Emma giggled as she raised her hand to knock, but was too distracted by her fiancé to make contact.
"Okay," she managed to say, as Killian sucked on a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear. "Enough."
"Never enough, love. Never," he muttered against her skin.
Emma smiled and gently poked him in the ribs with her elbow so he would extricate himself from her.
"We have the rest of our lives for that. Right now, we need to act presentable in front of my parents while we make wedding plans."
Emma raised her hand to knock again, but the door flew open before she made contact. It revealed her mother.
"I'm so glad you two are here. There's so much to do!" Snow said.
"How did you know we were here?" Emma asked.
"I was watching at the window," her mother replied.
Emma and Killian exchanged a glance as Snow grabbed each of them by an arm and pulled them inside.
"Hi, Dad," Emma said to her father, who was sitting at the kitchen table.
"Hello, sweetheart. Hook."
"David."
"Sit, sit!" Snow ordered.
Emma and Killian sat down beside each other, while Snow sat beside David.
"So I know you haven't picked a date yet, but I was thinking we should have the wedding at the mayor's mansion. It's huge, so it will be plenty big enough to accommodate the whole town," Snow said, speaking a mile a minute.
Emma's eyes widened as Killian's mouth dropped open.
"The whole town?" Emma said. "Uh, Mom, Killian and I were thinking of having something small, simple, and intimate."
"Emma, the entire town is invested in your relationship. They all care about you and this family, as evidenced by the fact that they all took a piece of the sleeping curse to wake us up. And with everything that's been going on, they could use something positive to look forward to. Plus, you are a princess. You should have a wedding that befits one," Snow said.
Emma turned to her father. "Dad? A little help here?"
"Honey," David began, addressing his wife, "I know you're excited, but this isn't your wedding. It's Emma and Hook's. If they want small and simple then we should respect that."
"Thanks, mate," Killian said.
Snow sighed. "This is our only daughter's wedding, David."
"I realize that. And it can still be special without becoming an extravaganza. I was actually thinking Granny's would be perfect. Ceremony on the patio. Reception inside."
Snow's eyes flared. "No daughter of mine is serving grilled cheese and onion rings at her wedding reception!"
Emma and Killian laughed.
"That does sound really good actually," Emma said.
Snow let out a breath and then covered her daughter's hand with hers.
"I dreamt of your wedding before you were even born, Emma. Walking you down the aisle. The beautiful dress you would wear. And then we had to give you up and all of those hopes and dreams left with you. We missed so much. I never thought I'd get the chance to share this day with you and I am so happy that I can. That we can. But your father is right. This isn't about me. It's about you two."
Emma sighed and looked at Killian. "What do you say? Do you want the whole town there?"
Killian shrugged. "The fact that everyone in this town cares for you, Swan, is a testament to the impact you have made on their lives. That should be celebrated on our special day."
Emma smiled and then looked at her mother. "Okay, the whole town it is."
Snow clapped her hands excitedly. "Yay!"
"But I still want to keep things simple," Emma added.
Snow nodded. "Of course. I know you said you wanted to wait, but we should start planning as soon as possible."
Emma nodded. "Yeah, about that. Killian and I decided we don't want to wait. We want to get married very soon."
David arched an eyebrow. "How soon is very soon?"
"Three weeks," Killian replied.
Snow's eyes nearly fell out of her head. "Three weeks?! You must be joking. I...we...can't possibly plan a wedding in three weeks. There's far too much to do!"
"Well, that's why we're keeping it simple," Emma said.
Snow looked as if she were about to hyperventilate. David began to rub her back comfortingly.
"Take deep breaths, honey," he said.
Snow inhaled and exhaled deeply, and then plastered on a smile.
"Okay, we can do this. We just need to be smart and organized. We will have to find you a dress right away because alterations take time. Find a venue. Pick the food and cake. Order the flowers. Choose the music."
"Bloody hell, that's a lot," Killian mumbled.
Snow nodded. "Yes, it is. Oh, I have an idea for the music. As you may or may not know, the dwarves formed a singing group a few months ago. They're looking for gigs and they asked if they could sing at your wedding."
Killian shook his head. "I don't want those miniature annoyances singing at our wedding!"
"Yeah, and you know Leroy will find a way to interrupt it," Emma said.
"I have to agree," David chimed in.
Snow groaned. "They said they'll do it for free. They're actually really good and it would mean so much to them and me. They even write their own songs. They have 'Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Off to Work We Go' and 'It Ain't Easy Being Vertically Challenged'. Oh and my personal favorite, 'Grumpy Dwarf, Grumpy Dwarf, Why Are You So Irritated?'."
Emma and Killian exchanged a glance.
"Snow, I don't think those songs are appropriate for a wedding," David said.
"They have other songs. And they can sing whatever you want," she said pleadingly.
Emma met Killian's eyes and then slowly nodded. "Fine."
Killian gestured with his hook. "But I reserve the right to throw them out of our wedding."
"Deal," Snow replied triumphantly. "Okay, back to venues."
Killian took Emma's hand in his and smiled, as he lovingly gazed into her eyes. "How about by the water? I think that locale would be very romantic."
Emma nodded, as she kept her eyes glued to Killian's. "And beautiful."
David shrugged. "Eh. If we have it on the Jolly Roger, then your guests could get seasick. If we have it on the docks, then they're liable to get pooped on by a seagull."
Emma and Killian's smiles disappeared, their lips turning down distastefully.
Snow bobbed her head. "I have to agree with your father."
Just then, Henry walked into the loft.
"Hi, Mom, Hook. Grandma, Grandpa. What are you up to? Hatching a plan to take down the Black Fairy?"
Killian sighed and shook his head. "Far more difficult than that, my boy. Wedding plans."
Henry chuckled. "Oh, that bad, huh?"
Snow shook her head. "No, we're just getting started, but everyone has different opinions on where to get married."
Henry's eyes lit up. "I have an idea. Follow me."
The two couples exchanged glances before following Henry out of the loft.
...
They walked the short distance, stopping in front of the library.
Emma cocked her head to side. "The library? I don't know if we want to get married in a library, kid."
Henry shook his head. "Not in. Come on."
Their brows furrowed as they followed him inside. He took them to the staircase and they climbed all the way to the roof.
Once on top, he waved his arms. "What do you think?"
David's eyes widened. "You want my daughter to get married on a roof?"
"Better than Granny's," Snow scoffed.
"Rooftop weddings are all the rage," Henry said. "I saw it online."
Emma slipped her hand into Killian's and met his gaze. "What do you think?"
"I think it could be beautiful. We'll have the sea as a backdrop," he said, gesturing toward it with his hook.
Emma nodded. "And we could have the ceremony as the sun is setting. That would be gorgeous."
Snow sighed heavily. "Not to rain on your parade, but what about the wind? It can whip a lot up here."
Emma shrugged. "I think we'll be fine."
Henry gestured. "We can put down grass and a floor. Flowers everywhere. String some lights and put up candles."
"Brilliant, lad," Killian said.
"I love it," Emma replied, as she wrapped her arms around Killian's neck and his wound around her waist.
"What if it rains?" Snow said.
"We can have a canopy ready to go," Henry replied.
David pointed to the sky. "I see a lot of seagulls circling."
Emma let out a frustrated breath. "I think this sounds like it will be beautiful."
"Sweetheart, a lot can go wrong. We just want your wedding to be perfect. You deserve that," her mother said.
Emma smiled. "Thank you, Mom. And I understand this is important to you too. But Killian and I don't need perfect. Our journey to this point wasn't perfect and we wouldn't change a thing because it led us here. Our lives are never going to be perfect. We don't need perfect on our wedding day. We just need each other and to be surrounded by the people we love."
Killian nodded. "Aye, that's right. It matters not where we exchange vows. We could go down to the town hall right now in fact."
Snow's eyes grew wide with panic and she wagged her finger at them. "You are not getting married at the town hall!"
Emma shook her head. "Our point is that the logistics don't matter. The venue doesn't matter. All that matters is that we share our special day with the people we love."
Killian grinned. "Besides, who doesn't want the possibility of seeing a seagull defecate on Leroy?"
They all had to laugh at the one. As their laughter subsided, David nodded.
"Okay, it's your wedding," he said.
"We just want you to be happy," Snow added.
Emma smiled, as she placed her head on Killian's shoulder. "We are. And we will be on that day."
Killian slapped Henry on the back. "Brilliant job, lad!"
Henry smiled proudly, as Snow hooked her thumb behind her. "Well, we better get back to the loft. We have a lot of plans to make and very little time to make them."
Emma nodded. "We'll meet you back there in a bit. We just want to stay here a little while longer."
The rest of them left. Emma slipped her hand in Killian's and they walked to roof's edge.
"This is going to be so beautiful," she whispered.
"It will pale in comparison to you, love," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple.
Emma looked up at him, as she rested her head on his shoulder again and he wrapped his arm her waist.
"I don't know if I can wait three weeks to marry you. I want to be your wife now."
Killian smiled. "And I your husband. I suppose we could always elope. Go down to town hall right now and then still do the wedding with your family in three weeks."
Emma gnawed on her lip as she dropped her eyes from his.
"But I suspect that you would miss having your family there as we exchange vows for the first time," he added.
Emma nodded. "As much as I can't wait to marry you, I want to make it official with them there."
"As do I. We've waited this long. We can wait a little longer." He paused and then gently used his hook to lift her chin so she would meet his eyes again. "If it helps, in my heart, I've already been your husband for a long time now, Emma."
Emma smiled widely. "I feel the same way. This will just make it official."
Killian reached into his pocket and pulled out two boxes.
"I picked up our rings this morning," he said.
Emma smiled and took them from him, opening the boxes excitedly. "Oh, they are gorgeous."
"I can't wait to slip it on your finger as we say our vows, love."
"I can't wait to put it on yours either."
Killian lowered his gaze to the ground. "Are you disappointed that I can't wear my wedding band on the traditional finger?"
Emma's eyes widened for a moment. She cupped his cheek so he would meet her gaze.
"Hey, I could never be disappointed in any part of you, Killian."
Killian felt a smile pull at his lips at her words.
Emma continued. "Did you know the tradition of wearing the ring on your left hand started because long ago people thought that the vein in that finger led directly to your heart? It was supposed to be a sign that the wearer had a claim to their heart." She paused and smiled. "You claimed my heart a long time ago, Killian. And I literally held yours in my hands. We don't need anything telling others we have each other's hearts. We've always known that."
Killian smiled and pressed a kiss to her lips. "I gave my heart to you long ago, love."
Emma ran her fingers across the rings. "I actually talked to Regina about our rings the other day."
Killian's eyes widened. "Regina's a bit old for a ring bearer, no? And it's my understanding they're usually male."
Emma laughed and shook her head. "No, I asked her about placing a spell on them."
Killian arched an eyebrow. "A spell? What kind of spell?"
"One that would ensure the people who wear them could never again be separated."
Killian's mouth opened slightly and then a grin spread across his face.
"You're brilliant, Emma. I never want to be parted from you again."
"Me neither. I couldn't stand it."
"I didn't think such a spell existed though."
"It doesn't...yet. Regina promised me that she would try to come up with one. She said it could be a while though, so it may not happen until after we're married."
Killian nodded and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Well, it's settled then. We must not be out of each other's sight until then."
Emma giggled and placed a kiss on his lips. "I think I can live with that."
Just then, she heard her cell vibrate. Emma took it out of her pocket and read the text.
"It's from Henry. Apparently, my father suggested we have cupcakes instead of a cake at the reception and my mother threw a bagel at his head. We better get over there."
Killian chuckled. "Are you positive you don't want to elope, Swan?"
Emma laughed and grabbed his hand, dragging him towards the stairs. "Come on."
...THE END...
Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'd appreciate hearing what you thought. ~Steph