title: When In Sherwood, Chapter 2 - new arrivals
pairing: captain swan! with hints of snowing & outlaw queen
author's note: i really cannot guarantee that i will upload more chapters to this, as i am generally a one shot author by nature, but i can say that i am having lots of fun writing it!
disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time.
Several hours later, they were all settled into the plane for take off. Killian had swapped seats with a middle aged woman, and wound up next to Emma on the flight. Mary Margaret and David were across the aisle, looking grossly in love. Emma downed a couple of pills and leaned back into her seat, clearly attempting to project some sort of calm, as she was not a fan of flying.
"I didn't think you were going to show," she said, so softly he almost didn't hear her, as the plane began to roll down the runway.
"Well, I did," Killian said, with a grin. "It's just crazy enough for me to have to go along with it."
"You're insane," Emma replied, faintly ill.
Killian shrugged, "Just relax, and have fun."
"Yeah, when you're a maid of honor, you can eat those words," the blonde grumbled. Killian laid a hand over hers, squeezing it gently.
"It's going to be okay," he reassured her, recognizing that this was to be his role for the rest of the week.
Half a day later, when they got out of the Sherwood airport, Regina was there to greet them. She was a fierce-looking woman with dark hair and full, red lips. Killian had never met Regina, as he had been brought into the friend group after she had moved out of Storybrooke for her high-power-CEO-I-am-woman-hear-me-roar business job. He'd heard stories about her from Emma and the others, and thought they'd probably get along quite well.
Mary Margaret screamed and ran forward to throw her arms around Regina, who smiled and accepted the hug with grace. The dark-haired woman and Emma embraced as well, both looking happy to see each other but awkward with the display of emotions. Killian chuckled at the reunion; the three of them were the most typical trio of women he'd ever seen: kind, gentle Mary Margaret who was lovely in an angelic; high fashion Regina, who made fierce look sexy, and feisty, tomboy Emma who was beautiful in an effortless kind of way.
"Hello," Regina said, eyeing him. He recognized steel in her dark brown eyes eyes, and made a mental note not to piss her off. "So you're Emma's hero, hm? Well, at least the money isn't going to waste. And you're better looking than that other guy."
"Regina," Emma hissed, a hint of desperation in her voice, but she was ignored, and that was Killian's first impression of the bride, which made him instantly like her.
It turned out that the hotel was managed by a cousin of the groom, so the wedding party had two entire floors to themselves, at a reduced rate. The rest of the guests would be arriving on Friday night, which appeared to be mostly the groom's family, which sounded like it was half the population of Sherwood.
Regina was rattling off the schedule as they pulled into the hotel parking lot. They were to have a casual dinner tonight, with her family and the bridal party, to hash out scheduling. Tomorrow were dress and suit fittings and finishing touches, at some point decorations had to be picked up and stored until Saturday, and would someone handle the final deposits? Thursday was July Fourth celebrations, as well as bachelor and bachelorette parties. Saturday was the big day.
While Regina talked, Emma took notes.
When they piled out of the van, there was a young, handsome waiting for them. He greeted Regina first, with a gentle kiss and a shoulder rub. Killian was struck with the obvious love between the two of them. Regina was clearly stressed out, but her fiancee seemed able to melt it away with just a touch.
"Robin," Emma greeted, as he came to her with open arms. The groom laughed, picking her up and spinning her around, just as brotherly as David might have behaved. "This is Killian; Killian, this is Robin."
"Ah, good to meet the knight in shining armor," Robin cajoled, with a good natured grin, extending a hand to Killian. "Thanks for coming, man. You've saved us a lot of stress."
"Well, anytime you need me to show up and eat and drink at no cost to myself, you just let me know," Killian joked, which won him a laugh.
"I just need to ask you two things, and then I'll let you come to my wedding," Robin said, attempting to be serious but the twinkle in his eye gave him away. Killian exchanged a look with Emma, who rolled her eyes, while David chuckled.
"All right, lay 'em on me."
"One, do you like competition?"
Killian looked at Emma again, who spiked an eyebrow in return.
"Uh, yeah, one could say I get competitive." Beside him, Emma snorted and David coughed. Killian had been known to throw a controller once or twice when gaming.
Robin nodded, as if filing this information away. "Okay then two, can you handle moonshine?"
Killian laughed, "Usually, I'm a rum man, but I think I can make an exception."
"All right, you're in," Robin announced, clapping Killian on the back.
Regina allowed them to go to their hotel rooms and relax, announcing that they were all to meet for dinner in the lobby at 6, with directions to dress cute and casual. Killian had thrown all of his nicer clothing into a duffel bag in haste that morning, and was mentally calculating what he could wear, when Emma opened the door to their room.
"Holy shit," he muttered.
It was a big, beautiful king-sized bed with a balcony overlooking the ocean. A flat screen TV and mahogany table were set up, along with a sitting area, closet, and full bathroom with walk in shower.
"Not bad," Killian commented, and Emma nudged him in the ribs. She threw her bags onto the sofa and collapsed onto the bed. Killian quickly joined her, and they stared up at the ceiling together.
"Thanks for doing this," Emma said.
"Doing what? Showing up for a free trip to Sherwood? Yeah, you ask a lot of me, Swan," Killian teased her. From the corner of his eye, he could see the blonde smiling. She rolled onto her side, propped herself up on an elbow, to look down at him.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked him, her green eyes serious.
Killian looked at her and replied honestly, "I don't know. You're fun. I like hanging out with you, David, and Mary Margaret. I figure Regina and Robin can't be too bad, either. Spending the week with you in this amazing place at no cost to me...not bad for Killian."
Emma searched his face for a moment longer. She seemed to find something there, as she reached out and lightly touched his cheek. Killian lay there, stunned by the simple gesture, as she bounded to her feet and went off to the bathroom to get ready for the luncheon. For a little while, it was like they were simply hanging out together before heading out to meet up with everyone else for drinks.
A few minutes later, Robin stopped by to check in, and brought a cooler full of beer and some bottles of wine.
"If we keep anymore liquor in our room, we'll get kicked out," he joked. "Have as much as you want, just make sure it's full again for the parties, and the wedding."
Killian cracked open a beer on the balcony, throwing his long legs up onto the railing, while Emma finished getting ready. She flipped on some a music, a blend of the rap he so enjoyed, and the alternative rock she loved. He appreciated the sentiment, knowing she was trying to make sure he was as comfortable as possible.
When Emma emerged from the bathroom, her hair was pinned back in a stylish half ponytail. She wore a simple green dress which matched her eyes and brought out all the yellow colors of her hair. As she slid into her gladiator sandals, Killian quickly changed into khaki shorts a denim button down. She cast a critical eye over his appearance, smoothed down his hair, and then threw the door open.
"You look lovely," he said, and she responded by rolling her eyes and sticking her tongue out at him. The banter between them was one of Killian's favorite things in this life. Emma could always be counted on for a sassy comment, a wicked joke, or a serious discussion. It was the sort of the thing that made her timelessly attractive.
When they stepped out of the elevator, Regina cast another critical eye over their appearance; she appeared satisfied and quickly directed everyone out to the van that would be their second home.
"So, where are we going?" David asked. As husband of a Mary Margaret, who was Regina's ex-step-sister, he was a groomsman.
"My father's house," Regina replied.
"Your mother will be there, too," Robin put in, casting a look over her shoulder to Emma, who shrugged. "And Zelena."
"Yep, the whole gang," Regina grumbled, and Killian could feel the tension. He attempted to build a family map in his mind. Regina was Mary Margaret's ex-step-sister, that meant that Mary Margaret's father had been married to Regina's mother...that meant that Regina's mother was divorced from her father...and Zelena was her half sister, but not related to Mary Margaret. Killian's head spun. It sounded like Regina's mother was a busy woman.
The scowl on Regina's face was suggestive enough.
"We're having this meal to basically schedule the rest of the week," Emma said, intercepting the conversation. "And so the important people can all know who is who."
"Important people?"
"Family members, the bridal party, etc.," Mary Margaret answered.
"Somebody get me a beer now," Robin groaned, winning a laugh from the car pool.
Regina's father's house was an elaborate mansion, typical of the Sherwood style Killian had seen around town. It was all brick and sloping roofs, impressive and suggestive of a gorgeous interior. The iron wrought gate creaked open as they pulled in, and when Robin parked the car, a squat man came striding out from the house. He embraced Regina and Robin, then Mary Margaret and Emma as if they were his long lost daughters.
"Ah, and this must be Walsh," Henry Mills said, spreading his hands to greet Killian. He could physically feel Emma flinch, and Mary Margaret quickly took over and explained the situation. "Ah well," Mr. Mills bumbled, shaking Killian's hand. "It is nice to know that Emma has a knight in shining armor to rescue her."
Emma snorted in response to this as Mr. Mills ushered them inside. Killian desperately wished they would all stop referring to him as her hero, and briefly wondered if he was in over his head.
What if I quit grad school now and just wrote captain swan fanfiction for the rest of my life?