Chapter 4: The Dress
Emma took a sip of her hot cocoa, savoring the creamy chocolate, the slight bite of the cinnamon. Killian leaned over the booth they were sharing and swiped at her top lip.
"Bad form to wear your breakfast, darling," he said with a grin.
She playfully shoved at his arm, grinning back. "Why don't you come over here and kiss it off for me, pirate?"
Emma watched his eyes blaze at the suggestion, then he leaned back, never breaking that cocky swagger. "I fear it would be dangerous for my health, love."
"Yeah," she said, taking a bite of her pancake, "why is that?"
"We're due to be joined at any moment by your parents and your son," he said taking a sip of his coffee—black, of course. "Your father may be my mate, lass, but I doubt he'd take kindly to the sight of me—what was the phrase Henry used?—'making out' with his little girl right before him."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Maybe one day he'll realize that his 'little girl' is a grown woman and there's nothing wrong with her 'making out' with her fiancé any time she pleases."
"Wouldn't count on it love."
Neither would she. It did make her feel good in a strange way to have her parents care so much for her. She'd been alone all her life; she'd only had herself to depend on. It was nice to finally have a real family who loved her. But…her father seemed determined to fit every moment of protective fathering he'd missed out on during her crazy teenaged years into these last six weeks before she became Killian's wife.
Killian's wife. Emma allowed herself a small ecstatic sigh, feeling a bit like a teenager with her first crush. It was really happening! In little over a month she would marry him! She would never be alone again.
Opening her eyes, she found herself face to face with Killian's knowing grin. He leaned forward and dropped his voice conspiratorially. "That besotted sigh, that secret smile. It can only mean one thing."
"What's that"
"You're thinking of me."
Emma rolled her eyes, unable to keep the grin from her face. "You wish, buddy," she said taking another sip of her cocoa. "It just so happens that it was this cocoa that brought me to bliss."
He leaned over even farther, and her breath caught. "Emma, love," he whispered.
Really, that intimate whisper shouldn't even be allowed! "You're a terrible liar."
With that he closed the remaining distance and captured her lips. Emma's mind went blank. All that existed in the world was him, and them, and this feeling, this true love between them.
Someone cleared his throat. Emma reluctantly pulled away and looked up at her parents standing before their table. Mary Margaret wore a dreamy look, but, as Killian had predicted, David looked as though he wanted to strangle her pirate.
"We interrupting something?" David asked pointedly.
"Not at all, Dave," Killian said in a voice that could be called nothing but roguish. He smoothly got to his feet and slid into the booth next to her, making room for the Charmings. "I was merely enjoying a little dessert along with my breakfast."
David growled deep in his throat. "Careful, pirate! That's my daughter you're talking about. Remember, I gave you my blessing, I can always take it away."
"Good thing I'm a pirate, then," Killian said. "I'm well adept at taking what I want. Never let princes of the realm stop me before; don't intend to start now."
Emma reached over and deliberately laced her fingers with Killian's. "No need for you to take what's already yours," she said. "Seriously, though David, this 'scary dad trying to put the fear of God into his daughter's boyfriend' routine is getting old. I'm a thirty-year-old woman. If I want to kiss my fiancé over breakfast at the diner I will."
"She's right, you know, David," Mary Margaret said with a sentimental little smile. "They're in love. Can you blame them for wanting to show it?"
David sighed and then grinned. "Alright," he said, "I know when I'm beat."
"Good man," Killian said with a wink before leaning over to kiss her soundly.
"Are you guys kissing again?" Henry asked as he and Regina stepped into the diner and headed their way.
"I must say, Miss Swan," Regina said, "Henry has a point. We're meeting here for breakfast. Don't make me lose my appetite before I even have a chance to order."
Emma looked up at Henry's other mother as she took a seat next to Mary Margaret. She looked…defeated. The last five months since returning from the Enchanted Forest had really grated on her.
"Don't worry, Madam Mayor," Killian said, draping an arm lightly over Emma's shoulders, "we don't wish to ruin anyone's appetite. We shall be circumspect."
"Doubt it," Regina grumbled raising a hand to hail Ruby.
Emma slid over in the booth, making room for Henry. "How was your week, kid?" After some trial and error, she and Regina had decided their best arrangement was to switch off weeks with Henry. It had become something of a tradition to make the trade off over Saturday morning breakfast at Granny's
Henry shot Regina a quick concerned look, and then pasted a falsely exuberant smile on his face. "It was great!"
Emma's frown deepened. Henry worried about his other mother; she knew he did. They'd talked about it many times after he'd returned from a week at Regina's house. Henry talked about her listlessness, her sadness. Emma wondered when Regina would get over this sadness, almost depression she was clearly feeling. Emma couldn't blame her. Having to leave Robin Hood and Roland back in the Enchanted Forest had to have been agonizing. Emma tried to imagine what it would have done to her if she'd been forced to leave Killian behind, and the thought was too terrible to consider. Pity welled up within her…pity she knew the mayor would not appreciate.
"So Mom," Henry said, taking a sip of the hot cocoa Ruby automatically brought him. "What's the plan for today?"
"The plan for you," Emma answered, "is to hang out with Killian and maybe your grandfather."
"Cool!" Henry said. "Hey Killian, can we go out sailing again? Can you teach me more about navigation?"
Killian reached over Emma to ruffle Henry's hair. "I see no reason we can't, lad."
"So what's your plan while we're out on the water," Henry asked turning back to Emma.
"We," Mary Margaret said, "have big plans today. We've got an appointment at 'The Fairy Godmother's Closet'. Today is the day we find your mom a wedding dress. There's not much time left, so we're not going to stop until we find the one!"
Emma sighed. She'd been secretly dreading this day for weeks. The thought of spending all morning at a stuffy dress shop while pretty much all the women in town commented and made suggestions made her just about break out in hives.
"What fun," Regina said in a voice laced with sarcasm—sarcasm that Mary Margaret clearly either didn't notice or was ignoring.
"Why don't you come with us?" her mother gushed. "It'll be fun. We'll make a real girls day of it!"
Emma glanced at Regina, expecting snark. She didn't expect the brief moment of pain and longing that flashed across her face.
"It's okay," Emma started. "You don't have to…"
"Sure," Regina said finally. "After all, somebody has to protect Miss Swan from the monstrosities the ladies of this time will try to foist on her."
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Monstrosities was right! Emma knew she was in trouble the moment she walked into "The Fairy Godmother's Closet." It was like stepping back in time—and not to a time with good fashion and beautiful clothing. She would swear she'd suddenly been transported back to the eighties. Posters in bright, neon colors and bold patterns vied with photographs of brides with poufy dresses—and even poufier bangs. Racks after racks after racks of dresses with huge puffed sleeves and tulle—so much tulle!—covered the entire front of the store.
As Emma, Mary Margaret and Regina walked through the door, a bell began to stridently clang. A moment later, the fairy godmother herself walked toward them. Wait…the fairy godmother? Hadn't she read in Henry's book that Rumplestiltskin had decimated her?
"Welcome ladies!" the fairy godmother gushed. "Welcome! Come with me through these doors. The rest of your party has already arrived!"
The rest of their party? Just how many people had her mother invited to go dress shopping with them?
Most of the town, as it turned out. Emma walked through a gauzy curtain to find herself face to face with Granny, Ruby, Belle, Tinkerbell, Ashley and Ariel. Belle rushed forward to greet her with a warm hug, her large diamond ring glinting in the garish showroom light. Belle had been, if possible, even happier and more optimistic since her wedding to Gold two weeks before.
"Isn't this place great?" Belle asked, taking hold of Emma's hand and dragging her to a throne-like chair facing a wall of mirrors. "It's brand new; just opened last week!"
"So I guess they're going for the...um…retro look" Emma said.
"That's how everything around here starts out," Granny said, sitting back in her easy chair and knitting furiously at the blue baby afghan she was making. The minute Mary Margaret had begun to show, Granny had declared that she could feel it in her bones that the Charmings were having a boy.
"Everything starts out in eighties décor?" Emma asked.
"Well, yes, Miss Swan," Regina said taking a seat by herself and elegantly crossing her legs. "That's how the original curse worked. Storybrooke came into existence in the eighties and remained stuck in time for twenty-eight years until your arrival. Now…well, every new establishment follows suit."
Well that's…weird.
"So, what made you decide to open a dress shop?" Mary Margaret asked the fairy godmother as she bustled into the room with an arm full of fluffy dresses.
"The fact that my curse was finally lifted," she said with a slight frown.
"You see," Belle said, "before I married Rumple, I insisted he make restitution for the people he harmed."
"That must have taken a while," Regina said under her breath.
"And one of the people he'd harmed was the fairy godmother," Belle continued. "He'd cursed her to a kind of limbo. When he brought her back here, she opened her dress shop!"
"Just in time for Hook and Emma to get married!" Tinkerbelle said with a theatrical sigh.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Ruby asked clapping her hands. "Let the dress shopping begin!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
"Ooh! Ah!" Ariel said, clapping a hand to her mouth. "This is the best one yet!"
Emma looked at herself in the massive mirror and grimaced. It shouldn't surprise her, really it shouldn't. What kind of dress would Ariel chose but mermaid style? And this dress was about as mermaid style as it could get. It was complete with an actual mermaid tail—with scales. The sad thing was Ariel was probably right. This probably was the best dress she'd tried on yet—and as long as they'd been in the store, she'd probably tried on ever dress in here!
"Whatever!" Ruby said, "my choice was clearly better!"
Um, yeah if I was a stripper. The dress Ruby picked was really more of a very wide belt than an actual dress. It was so high cut—and low cut that if she were to move at all—well all the wedding guests would get quite the show.
"Killian would have liked it!" Ruby insisted.
But bad as Ruby's choice was, it didn't even hold a candle to Granny's.
"Look at you!" Granny said, setting down her knitting to admire the truly horrible dress. "Now that's what I call a bridal gown!"
"I look like a marshmallow threw up," Emma said. How was it even possible for puffed sleeves to be this big? And the skirt! There is no way she'd fit though any door in Storybrooke. Big didn't even begin to cover it. She was a satin and lace and tulle covered monster!
"Just wait, dear!" the fairy godmother said with excitement. "I have the perfect veil to complete the look! It's the perfectaccessory for Miss Swan!"
And then the dress that couldn't possible get any worse…got worse. It looked as though two swans, their wings outstretched, had landed on her head. Their heads dipped together to form a horrible mockery of a heart that came to a point low on her forehead.
"Um…mom?" she asked Mary Margaret, silently begging her for help, "what do you think?"
Mary Margaret caressed her slightly distended belly. "Emma, honey," she said with a smile, "you'll look beautiful no matter what you wear."
Not helping mom! Not helping at all!
Finally, at long last, Regina got to her feet. "Enough of this! The merchandise in this store leaves a lot to be desired!"
Thank you!
"You'll have to help me, Miss Swan," Regina said. "My magic is strong, but I'm not exactly used to crafting wedding gowns."
"What do you need me to do?" Emma asked
"Think of the perfect dress," Regina said. She rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh, "and think of your pirate. Let your love fill you until it bursts out of you in true love magic."
Emma closed her eyes. She was like any other girl. She used to dream of her wedding day. She used to read fairy tales—never believing they were true—and dream that one day her prince would come and sweep her away from the mess that was her life. She thought of the dress she wore in those dreams. A princess dress with a fitted, corset top, a full and flowing skirt, thick straps just off her shoulders. It was beautiful. She imagined her hair softly swept up, a gentle tiara settled gracefully on her head.
And then she thought of Killian. She saw the love and the wonder in his eyes. She imagined their wedding day, taking the vows that would bind them together forever. She felt the magic bubble up inside, felt it flow through her finger tips, felt it connect with Regina's magic. And then it stopped.
There was silence, absolute silence in the salon. Emma cautiously opened her eyes—and gasped. It was the dress! The very dress of her dreams gracing her slim form. It was beautiful!
"Oh, Emma!" Mary Margaret gasped wiping tears from her eyes. "You look like a princess."
This was it. Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles she'd found the dress!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
Several hours later, Emma made her way to the Jolly Roger. Killian stood on deck, looking out to sea, watching the waves lash against his precious ship. He turned as she walked up the gangplank and headed toward him. He looked at her with the look—the same one he'd worn in her dreams. His eyes filled with love and wonder and delight at the very sight of her.
"So love," he said, "was your mission successful."
Emma looped her arms around his neck and leaned up for a quick kiss.
"Absolutely."
"Might I get a glimpse of the dress that put such a glow of happiness on your lovely face?"
"Are you kidding?" she asked, latching onto his arm. "My mother would have a fit if she heard you ask such a thing. Don't you know it's bad luck for the groom to see the gown before the wedding?"
"Bad luck, ey?" he grinned, "then I must steer clear of this gown for sure."
"If you let me share your rum, I'll show you the pictures I took of the…um…not so perfect gowns."
He chuckled as he led her below decks. "I take it from your tone the losing dresses were bad."
"You have no idea!" Emma said. "I'll show you all of them…except Ruby's pick."
"And what precisely is so terrible about the wolf-girl's choice?"
Emma blushed scarlet. "Well, let's just say you might just see that much skin on the honeymoon."
Killian raised his eyebrow suggestively. "I think I might have to convince you to model this dress for me. Strictly for the purpose of showing me how truly terrible it is, of course."
Emma laughed and swatted at his arm. "In your dreams, Jones."
"Indeed, love," he said with a wicked grin, "I'm sure it will be."
Notes:
-So there you have it. Wedding dress shopping was a chore, but in the end, Emma found the dress of her dreams.
-I had fun googling photos of truly terrible eighties wedding dresses!
-By the way, I modeled Emma's dream dress after the one she wore in Charming's dream in the Rapunzel episode.
-Up next: The talk, pt. 2. This time it's Killian's turn to get "the talk" from Charming. Only this talk doesn't revolve around marital intimacy. Charming threatens Killian with all kinds of horrible-ness if he ever hurts Emma. The plan, of course, is to make this funny and fluffy, but I make no guarantees. Let's just say the Charmings are not on my good list after the last episode (particularly Charming. Snow never really was completely in Killian's corner, so I can kind of understand her being suspicious, but Charming? Come on, Hook saved your life!). That being the case, this might turn from fluff into righteous indignation as Emma stands up for her man. You have been warned. :-)
-Oh, btw, if you've noticed a lot of cs kisses in this story, that's intentional. I have decided to include at least one cs kiss every chapter until the show finally resolves the whole "Hook's lips are cursed" thing.
