A/N: Hey everyone! So I know I promised that the next chapter would be bringing the wedding, but alas a little thing called the muse got in the way and what I thought would all be one chapter now has to be two. The wedding will be hopefully be posted in about two weeks (I know crappy to wait, but I will be on vacation next week so alas, no writing time). That being said, before we get to the good stuff, there's one last moment for our two heroes to get through. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy!

"I can't believe this day is really here," Ruby said as she and Emma hopped into their undercover car a few hours after they'd clocked in for work and finished up some weeks old paper work. "It's your last patrol, Detective Nolan. How does it feel?"

"What do you mean it's my last shift?" Emma scoffed as she put the car in drive and began navigating towards Tiny's where she and Ruby planned to spend their lunch break in the best way they knew how, with pizza, neighborhood gossip, and a seat by the window on this lovely, mild day. "I'm taking a month off, not absconding from the country and turning in my badge."

"I meant it's your last shift as Detective Nolan. Come next week it'll be Detective Emma Jones."

The reminder of that impending change hit Emma right in the heartstrings and she couldn't help the rush of warmth that manifested at the mention of her marrying Killian. To say that she was excited would not be doing this feeling justice. Emma was more than ready to be his Killian's and to call him her husband and honestly part of her wished they'd just run off together and eloped, but then the rational part of her knew that not only would she miss the chance for a wedding shared with her family, but her mother might actually kill Emma if she tried to pull a stunt like that.

"Do you think I'll have to take a new picture for my ID? They probably have the old one on file right?" Emma joked but trying to diffuse the situation and pretend she wasn't feeling as much as she was but Ruby saw right through that, sending her a smirk as she shook her head.

"I think that man of yours is taking you to two weeks in paradise after the picture perfect wedding your Mom dreamed up. Mix all that happy and the no doubt killer tan you'll have and you should be so lucky that they let you retake it," Ruby said, making Emma laugh heartily. After all Ruby was right and there was no point in denying that if everything went to plan (and even if it didn't) Emma was going to be one happy person when she was finally wed to the man she loved.

"It is going to be pretty perfect, isn't it?" Emma mused aloud and her friend immediately agreed, proclaiming that if there was one thing the world could count on Emma's parents for it was protecting this city and going above and beyond for their only daughter's wedding to a man they approved of.

"Honestly the only way it could be more perfect is if Tiny was catering," Ruby acknowledged and Emma kind of had to agree. After all there was no better place for pizza in town and it was a regular staple in their lives for a very good reason.

"Speaking of, what's on the menu today? Let me guess, twinkies and a party pizza, or maybe donut holes and a calzone?"

"Actually, I'm kind of thinking salad," Ruby tossed back casually.

The immediate reaction to Ruby's words were to laugh hysterically because after years and years of friendship Emma had never once in her life known her partner to willingly choose vegetables when junk food was an option. It was honestly borderline hilarious to her and her hearty chuckle indicated that, but then Emma noticed that Ruby was actually serious and she was floored.

"I'm sorry, I must be losing it. You, Ruby Lucas, want what you have referred to numerous times as 'rabbit food' or worse? This has to be a prank. Where are the hidden cameras?"

"Jeez you make it sound so bad," Ruby said before shrugging and flipping her hair over her shoulder as she opened the door to Tiny's. "I'll have you know I can eat healthy. I've just, you know, chosen not to the past twenty some odd years."

Okay this was just too weird, and as she tried to find an answer for why this was happening, Emma took her partner in completely, studying Ruby maybe harsher than need be but feeling in her gut that there was something bigger at play here. Maybe Ruby was sick or something, or perhaps she'd finally gotten guilted into healthier eating by a doctor, but then a tell popped up when Ruby averted her gaze down for a second and her hand came over her stomach. Suddenly it dawned on Emma – holy shit!

"Oh my God you're pregnant!" Emma yelled, prompting Ruby to turn an unusual shade of red for her and causing her to shush Emma. "Oh my god I'm going to be an auntie!"

"Jesus, Emma do you have to tell the whole freaking world?" Well it wasn't a flat out denial, which meant it was totally true, and if the late lunch crowd inside of Tiny's knew now so be it. This news was too wonderful not to share.

"How long have you known?" Emma asked, not even remotely trying to hide her excitement and joy for both Ruby and Graham.

"Took the test last night," Ruby admitted and Emma couldn't resist it anymore, she had to bring her best friend in for a hug.

"Well way to bury the lead, girl. This is wonderful news. We're excited right?" Emma asked, leaning back and checking in with her friend who was smiling genuinely.

"Yeah, we're really excited and that's not the only good news…"

"Ruby Lucas if you tell me you are engaged right now I will lose it," Emma said, but when Ruby looked caught red handed at her words, Emma knew she was right. "How the hell did you hold out on me so long?! You know how much better paperwork would have been if you'd told me this earlier?"

"I know, I just… I didn't want to crash your moment."

"Crash my moment?" Emma asked, really not understanding and Ruby nodded, waving her hand as they walked up to the counter to place their order and then sat back down at their favorite table by the window.

"You know with the wedding and everything. This is your time, Emma, and I know how excited you are. I don't know I guess I just felt like I didn't want to take that attention off of you."

While Ruby was absolutely correct in saying that Emma was excited for the wedding, her logic fell off the rails with the idea that Emma couldn't be excited for more than one thing at a time. Marrying Killian was going to be magical, of that Emma was more than certain, but hearing that her best friend had found a similar happy ending didn't create any resentments, it merely bolstered Emma's already heavily present joy into something all the better. There was surely more than enough happiness to go around, and Emma wanted her partner to understand that.

"Ruby, I love you, but that's gotta be the crazy baby hormones talking. This wedding isn't about attention or spotlight. It's about marrying the guy I love, and nothing aside from that could make me happier than seeing you get the same chance to live the life you want too. "

"And this is why I love you, Ems. Best best friend ever." Ruby said sincerely with a laugh though Emma saw tears starting to collate in her eyes and she was shocked. Wow, she'd really hit the nail on the head with those off the charts hormones because Ruby never cried, not even out of joy.

"Okay enough of the sappy stuff. Let's get to what really matters, like when the heck were you going to tell me and when is this wedding taking place?"

Emma listened then as Ruby promised that she'd been intending to tell Emma sometime soon and then ran down the particulars that she and Graham had discussed. According to Ruby, the two of them weren't really interested in the whole big white affair (which Emma could understand given how much work went into that) and instead they were hoping to elope in about a month or so when Emma and Killian got back from their honeymoon and could be the witnesses along with Ruby's Granny.

"Ruby that sounds perfect," Emma agreed with a smile. "And I'm sure Killian will feel the exact same way. You know how close he and Graham have gotten."

"Oh I know," Ruby joked good-naturedly. "The bromance is in full force with those two, and with Will too when he can get his head out of his ass."

Emma was about to laugh at that not incorrect image when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She had this strange feeling of foreboding like she was missing something, and that only ever came when a situation was about to springboard. Why she'd be getting that while they were on break at the pizza shop Emma couldn't imagine but in a split second she knew why.

"All right everybody freeze! One wrong move and I will not hesitate to put you down!" A man in a black ski mask yelled from the front of the shop. He was holding a gun, and looked pretty close to using it as he waved it around at the very few patrons in the shop, coming to make direct eye contact with Emma and Ruby as he did.

The adrenaline spike Emma got in that moment was sharp and swift, but years as a cop had taught her how to channel that fear into results. She had to keep focused on the end game and figure this out. If it was just one guy and they were lucky enough that he'd taken a look at them in plain clothes and didn't know who they were they could manage this, but then Emma caught the sight of one of Tiny's cooks being forced over to the counter by another masked man in black that had come from the back of the shop.

"Of course things pops off on your last shift. Typical," Ruby muttered sarcastically but Emma didn't spare her friend a glance, not wanting to draw any more attention to them. Instead Emma made sure that the assailant wasn't looking her way before she pressed the emergency trigger on her belt. That would send an alert to the station that they'd walked into something bad and hopefully get someone the hell over here ASAP since it would be crazy for either Ruby or Emma to reach for their guns when there was a potential hostage situation unfolding.

"All right man, now open up and give us that cash. Put it all in the bag, and no fancy shit. You hit an alert button I start shooting, got it?" The man hounding the frazzled cook asked and the man gave a shaky nod, looking sheet white and ready to hurl all at once. Emma felt for him, but she really hoped this guy could handle this, at least for a few more minutes.

The best case at this point would be these guys finished the robbery and got the hell out of here. If shots were fired things would get bad, and there were ten of them who could be caught in the cross fire including two young kids who were currently cowering in the corner with their Mom and an elderly couple Emma recognized as two regulars named Marie and Charlie. Charlie was a war vet from back in the day Emma knew, and across the restaurant she shared a look with him and he nodded to her, conveying that he would stay put and be with his wife and not play the hero.

Unfortunately though, there were two other guys here Emma didn't recognize who'd been eating, and while she was hoping they would sit still and not draw attention like any sane person would, one of the guys hands tightened to a fist and Emma could tell he was poised to strike. Clearly he thought he could take this situation on and the reality was he couldn't, at least not safely. Emma tried her best to make eye contact with him and when she did she shook her head, telling him to cut it out but not knowing if he read her or not.

"Where's the rest of it?" the man in charge yelled and the cook shook his head as his hands quivered with the drawer now completely cleared out.

"This is it, man. The owner made the weekly deposit yesterday. There's nothing more to give."

"It's not enough!" the masked man yelled, before shoving the cook to the ground and checking out the drawer and the area behind the register for himself. "I thought your guy said this place packs twenty grand easy, J!"

Wow these guys were green if they were giving away information like this on top of hitting a spot without knowing the shop's schedule. Limited research was a sign of desperation, and the last thing Emma wanted to face was a desperate man with a gun, never mind two of them.

"They do man, but I don't know nothing about no bank deposit shit," the guy closest to Emma and Ruby countered, his free hand coming to his head in a nervous gesture. "How much we got?"

"Not even ten large."

"Fuck," The guy said, clearly shocked at this stroke of bad luck. "This is not good, Smitty said we need -,"

"I know what Smitty said! You think I don't know?!" The guy said waving his gun around and making Emma worry. She signaled to everyone else in there to stay low and tucked away, but even that would only do so much.

At the same time Emma and Ruby were left to have a silent conversation of their own, where they managed to get on the same page. Yes they were good shots, and in a contest of who could draw faster no one beat Emma on the whole force, but there were too many civilians here for them to make this a standoff. Without shooting each attacker straight out which would be against protocol, there was very little they could do to ensure the safety of everyone here so they needed to get a message out to patrol. Emma had registered the threat, but they needed details of what they'd be walking into. Pulling out for a text was too much, but Ruby, with the utmost care to be discrete slipped her phone from her pocket, dialing the station's emergency line directly and then letting the phone pick up on their surroundings.

"Well what the hell do we do man? Is there another spot we can hold up?" the following assailant asked.

"No there's not another spot, genius! This is it! We gotta get that money one way or another."

Through the glass Emma could see multiple under cover cars and cops at the ready, telling her that as long as she could get these guys out of here, the immediate threat could be handled. As long as they were in here though there were too many pitfalls and too many civilians in the line of fire to take the risk of striking back. This meant the only thing Emma could do was try and reason with them to get them the hell out.

"Look man," Emma said as she got up from her chair, immediately drawing both men's gazes and their aimed guns but focusing primarily on the weaker link in this job who happened to be closer to her. "The longer you two are here the greater your chance of getting caught. If you shoot someone or something, you're leaving a trace that could get back to you and the longer you stand here the greater the risk someone from outside will see something. So the smart move is to just take the money and get out of here."

"And how the hell would you know that?" The leading guy asked.

"I love Law and Order," Emma replied automatically pulling a snort from Ruby, which unfortunately the guys heard.

"You got something to say, lady?" the guy asked Ruby, waving his gun her way. "Or is it just the blonde who thinks she's so smart?"

"No I'm pretty much with her on this. That show doesn't lie," Ruby said, somehow managing to still bring some sass while appeasing the man's bruised ego. It was a fascinating tight rope Ruby walked, and Emma knew only her partner could pull that kind of move off, but just as Emma thought they had these guys got, one of the guys from behind the counter blew everything.

"Listen to them man, they're cops."

Oh fuck! Emma thought to herself, knowing that was the final trigger this guy would need. He was clearly unhinged whether from nerves or fear or something darker and knowing they were cops was the final straw, plunging him into a full blown rage and panic that was by definition the shit hitting the fan.

"Shit you're cops?!" the guy yelled, his gun raising towards Ruby again, and the next thing Emma knew instinct took over. She'd seen enough situations go south to know what was coming, and this guy was far enough over the limit of stress and crazy that he'd pull that trigger, taking out her best friend in the process.

Shoving Ruby out of the way and down to the ground was a split second decision, and she was already in motion when the bang of the shot sounded out. It cut through the parlor and pulled a scream from one of the kids, but that scream didn't last long, at least not for Emma because it was soon drowned out by two other gunshots and the sharp searing sting of Emma's being hit.

The space of time where the impact of the bullet gripped at her abdomen stole the breath from Emma's lungs and blurred the lines of time. She couldn't take in what else was happening and her thoughts were scrambled, caught between making sure Ruby was okay, making sure the perps didn't hurt anyone else, and thinking that oh shit, she might have just been really hurt. She was hit, she was hit and as she realized an image flashed into her mind of Killian and the real fear set in for just a second that her choice to be heroic would take her from him.

"Emma!" Ruby yelled, cutting through the barrage of sound and swirling chaos in Emma's mind, and then Ruby was looking at her, pulling at her jacket and then looking with relief that signaled to Emma even in her pain confused brain that it was okay. If Ruby had that face it had to be all right, it just really didn't feel that way at the moment.

"It got your vest, Ems. You're all right. Thank God you're all right."

Emma nodded remembering for the first time in all of that that she was outfitted for this worst-case situation. When she'd jumped into action she hadn't thought twice about the vest but now she was more thankful for it than she could even process. Her instincts told her to walk this off or try to push through this now that she knew it was the vest, but Ruby was having none of it, requiring that Emma stay down and telling her that the perps were down too and the situation was diffused. An ambulance was on the way, and they had to wait, because even if the vest had caught the worst part of that bullet, this pain was real and there was still potential damage.

"You got lucky, detective," the EMT said to Emma when she was finally sitting up in the back of the ambulance minutes later being treated on their way to the hospital. Her vest had been removed for evidence and the sight of her injury was now exposed with her pulled up to reveal the already rapidly bruising point of impact. "A few inches over and this would have been a hell of a lot worse."

"Don't let my fiancé hear you say that. He's probably going to have a heart attack as is," Emma said before turning to Ruby with actual fear returning. "Shit, did you use my name on the radio call? Does everyone know?"

"Oh they know," the EMT replied before Ruby could. "The Police Commissioner's daughter gets shot… that kind of thing doesn't fly under the radar."

"Oh God," Emma groaned, moving to put her arm over her eyes and wincing at the pull it had on her aching, pained muscles. God this injury was going to get old quick, and yet she had to deal with it and also deal with her freaked out parents and an understandably worried Killian. "Ruby you told him I'm okay, right? He has to know I'm okay."

"He knows," Ruby confirmed. "I called your Mom before we even left the scene. They're meeting us at Mass Gen."

"Good," Emma said, surprising herself with the sentiment. Two seconds ago she'd been frustrated that they would all be bothered by this when it wasn't a true emergency, but now she was relieved. All she wanted right now after that scary as shit moment was to see the people she loved, and them meeting her at the hospital would guaranteed that happening.

Emma expected some kind of witty reply or a teasing joke to cut the tension from Ruby, but none came and that caused some alarm for Emma. It was enough to make her look past the EMT and back to her friend who Emma was just noticing was very pale and looking even shakier than Emma herself felt.

"Ruby are you okay?" Emma asked and Ruby shook her head, looking like she was still in shock, but Emma waited her out, not giving up until Ruby admitted what was wrong.

"I don't know whether to thank you for saving my life or scream at you for being so reckless, Emma. You could have been killed by a bullet meant for me."

"Ruby you're my partner, not to mention my best friend. I saw the chance to save you and I took it. I don't regret that and look it turned out okay, right? I'm fine. This is nothing."

"It's not nothing, Emma. I heard you, you know," Ruby said, tears forming in her eyes when Emma was so far from used to seeing them on her friend's usually happy face. "When you fell to the floor you said Killian's name. You knew as soon as you got hit what you might be losing."

Emma didn't remember saying anything aloud, but Killian had been on her mind yes, and in the flash of a moment where she'd believed she might be really hurt she'd been clinging to that image of the wedding they were heading towards and the future they were going to have. She'd been determined to live through whatever would come because she was never going to give him up, but that didn't mean Ruby should feel guilty. It just put into perspective some things for Emma about what she wanted and what she might be willing to do for this job down the line.

"But I didn't, Ruby, and maybe it was my imagination, but the way he was aiming that gun at you… I think you would have been hit a lot worse than I was."

Emma heard Ruby mumble that she was probably right, but her friend seemed unconvinced. Yet whether she noticed it or not, Ruby's hand went over her still flat stomach and Emma remembered just how much more was at stake in all of this than they realized. Not even twenty minutes ago Ruby had been confessing her good news to Emma, and that had all been over shadowed by a call too close to be even remotely comfortable.

"Remember that talk we used to joke was never coming?" Emma prompted, alluding to the moments the two of them had had on patrols over the years where they said they'd never go the desk and paperwork route or transfer to less intensive task forces. Once upon a time that career choice had seemed like a death sentence, but now, at least in the midst of today's negative aftershocks, it didn't seem so terrible at all. In fact it felt like the best choice given the fact that both Emma and Ruby were starting lives where they had so many more people to care about and so much more to potentially lose.

"Yeah," Ruby said expelling a shaky breath. "We might have been wrong about that one."

"Eh, it's all good," Emma joked. "We've been wrong before, we'll be wrong again."

"Maybe," Ruby agreed, lightening up enough to smile a bit. "But you can be damn sure that you're ass is never getting shot again Emma Nolan. I can freaking promise you that."

"Sounds good friend," Emma agreed, taking Ruby's hand in hers. "Sounds really, really good."

…..

There would never come a time in Killian's life when he enjoyed the minute details of wedding planning. Maybe that was wrong of him, and maybe he should be more involved in what color schemes were chosen or flatware selected, but at the prospect of all these choices, Killian felt just how unimportant it was in the long run. What mattered wasn't that his groomsmen would wear navy or charcoal or that the china patterns were floral or stately. All that mattered to Killian was that in a week's time he would be marrying the best woman in the world and the one he'd been lucky enough to be loved by in return.

That being said, however, Killian was hardly in a position to deny the usual fanfare of a wedding, and with his future mother-in-law calling the shots, Killian knew better than to resist. Doing so would only cause unnecessary conflict with a woman who'd be in his life forever, and worse his lack of choice would only make for more work for Emma who didn't need the headaches caused by debates on the merits of lilac or lavender shades.

"How a person can dedicate so much energy to napkin wares I will never know," Liam muttered as he saddled up to where Killian had taken up across the ballroom from the rest of the organizing. This was only supposed to be a temporary break so as to clear his mind from some of these frivolities, but Killian should have known his elder brother would follow him.

Honestly Killian was rather surprised that Liam hadn't just suggested ditching all of this and leaving Emma's parents and a happily situated Elsa to bounce ideas off of each other, but then again Liam had been adamant since finding out about Elsa's pregnancy to never be far from his wife. It was a protective instinct that Killian understood but didn't have the chance to actively partake in, for where Elsa and Liam worked together at the State's Attorney's office, Killian and Emma were in separate forces all together. Much as he might like to be out there with her while she was on patrol, Killian knew it would be for nothing. He didn't have the proper training, and Emma was damn well capable of handling herself on her own.

"As long as Emma's happy and we're married, they can have every kind of bloody napkin in the city," Killian acquiesced and Liam chuckled at that before slapping his hand on Killian's shoulder.

"Not to worry brother, a wedding will come. You might be completely gone over this woman, but I'm happy to report she's just as tied up in you."

Damn right she is, Killian thought to himself as he grinned, feeling a lot lighter already than he had throughout this morning's rather last minute planning.

"Your brother's not wrong," Chief Nolan said as he approached from the other surprise. "Emma's just as ready for this wedding to come as you seem to be. You should have seen the look she gave her mother when Mary Margaret hinted at needing another week to get things perfect."

"She really wanted to wait another week?" Killian asked, shocked given how many things were locked in and how many deposits had been paid months back but then David chuckled and shook his head.

"Hardly. She just wanted to get a little rise out of Emma, and she was nothing if not successful."

"I don't doubt it," Liam replied with a laugh, cementing the moment as a positive one of two families coming together in a way Killian had never expected, but too soon it was broken by something that caught his attention. An alert that Killian recognized from Emma's emergency calls sounded across the way, and then Killian saw his soon to be mother-on-law's reaction and he knew, he just knew that this was serious and that it had to do with Emma.

"Oh God," Mary Margaret murmured, but by the time she looked up both Killian and David were already in motion towards her. Only when she conveyed the information, Killian couldn't comprehend it at all.

There was an incident. Emma and Ruby were on break at their favorite spot, a place Killian and Emma had been many times when their free hours coincided, when two assailants came in armed and looking to rob the place. Somehow things had gone south and there was an officer injured at the scene. That officer was Emma, and they didn't have any more information than that an ambulance was en route.

"We have to go," Killian said and thankfully there was no pushback as he said it. Instead Emma's parents were right there with him, rushing to the car without any more delay.

"Killian, if it's too much…" Mary Margaret began to offer as they got to the car, signaling at his driving, but it wasn't. He could be cool under pressure. He'd get them to Emma wherever she may be and rise above this. What they needed was Emma's mother monitoring the updates so they knew things as they happened.

"No, ma'am. I can do this. Just tell me where to go."

"They'll take her to Mass General because that's the closest place. Head there now, we can probably get there straight away."

Killian heeded the order from Emma's mother, and took every indication from the Chief about which routes to take to avoid the traffic. While that was happening more updates came in, the most important being that the shot, while still damaging, had hit Emma's protective vest. She was awake and responsive, bruised and battered, but given what could have happened and what Killian had been fretting over the past few minutes that felt like years, it was so much better than he'd been preparing himself before.

That didn't ease the ache inside of him that remained for the torturous fifteen minutes that they were driving though, and though his brain rationally knew that Emma would be okay, he was still wracked with that lingering spike of almost crazed worrying. He needed proof that Emma was truly okay, and it wasn't until he saw her there in the private ER bed fully conscious and sitting up that Killian felt any kind of relief. She was alive and alert and their time together wasn't over before it even really got the chance to begin as his heart had fretted when they first got the call.

"You're here," Emma whispered when she saw him, her eyes softening and some of her own anxieties melting before Killian's eyes as she looked at him and then glanced to her parents.

"Of course we are, Emma," her mother responded as she came to take Emma's other hand after giving Ruby a hug quickly. "We're just so glad you're all right honey."

"That we are, love," Killian agreed as he pressed a kiss to her temple and felt Emma lean into that bit of affection.

But before any more could be said or questions on specifics asked for, the doctors were there, bringing their expertise and saying that while Emma had some considerable bruising, they weren't seeing signs of breaks or fractures anywhere. In short she'd been damn lucky and gotten off about as easy as a person who was shot could get, but even that comforting bit of intel didn't change the need that Killian felt to keep his future wife's hand in his and to stay right by her side in every moment that was possible. Emma, for her part, didn't seem to mind either, and funnily enough there were moments when she seemed to forget she was the patient and she tried to make him feel better instead.

"It's fine, Killian, really. I mean I know I got lucky, but I'm okay, and they got the guys who did it so there's nothing left to worry about."

Maybe for a man who loved less that would be true, but Killian knew as logical as Emma's words were he'd never adhere to them. He was completely and utterly gone over this woman and no matter what her line of work or what her path in life was he'd want to protect her. He felt that need deep down in his soul like his place was beside her caring for her as she cared for him and being her partner. The thing was at work she had another partner, someone who Killian did trust just as much as Emma did, but that lack of control and that distance from the moments that might put Emma at the most risk had always and would always scare Killian more than anything else.

"Well I wouldn't go that far," her father clarified, putting in words much of what Killian was thinking. "There will always be worry about losing you, Emma. You matter too much to all of us to let that go."

Killian felt that claim all too keenly, and the tightness in his throat and surging emotion he was reeling from told him that. The truth was though that Emma had chosen a profession and in turn a life where this was a risk. She was on the front lines of danger even if this fluke of an incident hadn't actually been sparked by her being on patrol, and that wasn't going to change, not as long as she was a detective out in the field. That was a hard thing to accept too especially when Killian felt so bonded to Emma that the thought of losing her was too unbearable to linger on, but at the end of the day this was who Emma was. She loved her job, she felt an undeniable passion for helping people in the way she knew how, and Killian would never make her choose a safer path, not when he understood that drive and need to be on those frontlines just in a slightly different way.

"I know," Emma acquiesced, looking over to her father as she did before offering an attempt at a smile, and deflecting a little from her current situation by prompting Ruby to distract everyone with some better news.

Killian wasn't really sure what Ruby could possibly say to bring light into this situation, but when Ruby told them all that she and Graham were getting married and there was a baby on the way, he was happy for them, even as he was still caught up in all these feelings about Emma. Killian only had so much capacity for celebration right now, and though he wished he might be strong enough to rally and be totally fine, he was still stuck in the flux of all that had happened. He congratulated Ruby and Graham when he arrived minutes later of course, but there was still an edge underneath it all that kept Killian from feeling the joy for their friends as much as he might like, and though he seemed to be flying under the radar on that from the others, his Emma knew something was amiss.

"I vote that we never have another day like this," Emma said softly and Killian sighed, running his thumb along her knuckles gently.

"I do as well, love, but with the lives we've chosen we run the risk of this not being a one time thing."

"I'm sorry, Killian," Emma whispered and he searched her face for a reason. This wasn't her fault, so why would she apologize? But then she filled in the blanks of her statement and he understood. "I didn't ever want you to have to face a close call like this, not after what I felt when you saved Gus. That feeling… it's the worst feeling in the whole world."

Yes, it was. Emma was not wrong in that regard, and that reality was something that had been bearing down on Killian even before this mishap. He'd carried the memory of that night when Emma came to him after his close call with him always, and he'd been grappling for months about what his future with the force would look like. He loved the men and women he worked with, and he felt the impact of what they were all doing so strongly. They made a difference and saved lives but it came at a cost, and now that he had Emma, it was a cost Killian never wanted to pay.

All he wanted was to marry this woman, get started on that family the two of them had been dreaming of, and find a way to combine his love of the firehouse and his crew with a slightly safer track. The adrenaline rush did nothing for him anymore, and it was a false high of sorts when compared to what he'd found with Emma, so right here, in this moment, Killian made a silent vow that he'd find compromise. He would put in for a transfer or a new line of command that was less in the direct path of danger, but just because Killian might be ready for a sojourn from the front lines didn't mean Emma was, and it didn't mean Killian would try and influence her to get to the same page as him much as he might like to.

"I knew from the start that you were a woman capable of greatness love, and part of that greatness is that you're willing to give all of yourself to protect and serve. Scary as that might be at times when the chips are down, it's honorable, and it's one of the many things I love about you. I'd never resent those choices, Emma, because they're part of who you are."

Not for the first time since he'd first entered the room tears entered Emma's eyes, and the sight of them tugged at something in Killian. He hated to see her upset at all, but these tears signaled something different from pain or remorse. In speaking the truth, he'd said what Emma needed to hear most, and by doing so he'd set them both free in a way from the worries of their day.

"Marry me," Emma whispered and Killian laughed for the first time since all of this had happened, feeling so much of that pent up emotion seeping out as he did and he brought her hand that he was holding up to kiss gently, his lips lingering just a touch longer than might have been polite.

"Already happening, love," he promised, vowing there and then that no matter what may come they would be man and wife and he would make sure to bring Emma the kind of life a woman like her deserved.

"No, I mean tomorrow. Marry me tomorrow, Killian. I don't want to wait another day to be married to you. I don't think I can bear it."

Killian was struck with surprise at her request, but immediately his instincts told him that's what he wanted to. He never considered it a possibility, not when so much felt set in stone for their impending nuptials, from the venue to the food to the bloody cake, but he would make it all work for Emma. No matter what mountains needed moving or battles would be fought to get her her heart's desire, Killian would face them all and make them both happy in the process.

"As you wish, love."

The two of them shared a kiss then, mostly disregarding the fact that the room was still filled with family and friends and nurses. It wasn't swift by any means but sincere and sweet, an unspoken proclamation of love between the two of them and the loveliest kind of relief after this difficult day they'd faced.

"Mom," Emma called out when she and Killian had pulled away from each other. "I know you have everything planned, and I know it's going to be beautiful, but…"

"But you don't want to wait to get your happy ending," her mother replied as if she totally understood, and Killian watched as Mary Margaret took David's hand in hers and shared a look of love with her husband before turning back to Emma. "Don't you worry, Emma. I'll take care of everything and it will still be the single best wedding this city's ever seen. How does sunset tomorrow sound to you?"

"It sounds perfect," Emma said, her eyes never leaving Killian's as she did and her smile invigorating him in a way that no other remedy the world over could provide. "I guess this means we've got work to do."

"Oh no, there is no we Ems," Ruby said. "You've been through more than enough today. What you two need is to get your love-sick butts home."

Emma laughed at the ridiculous label Ruby had given them and Killian couldn't help but grin either. After all love-sick wasn't so far off. He was totally consumed with his feelings for Emma, he just happened to find the sensation to be the most pleasurable of things and not an ailment of any kind.

"Are you sure?" Emma asked, feigning concern for the rest of them where Killian could see she was actually fine with that idea. She was putting on a façade to offer, but underneath that she was weary from the day, and like him, likely ready to be home and done with all of this.

"We're sure, princess. We've got this," David said as he came to press a kiss to her forehead. Then he stood up straight and nodded to Killian before tossing him a command. "You take care of my girl. Got that Jones?"

"Yes, sir," Killian replied, knowing he'd do right by the request no matter what and watching as the others took their leave to plan that sudden ceremony after bestowing all their love and affection on Emma.

"So if we're going home… I guess that means we're breaking with tradition. So much for that night apart my mother wanted," Emma said, pulling a growled out sound of disdain from Killian that made her smile even brighter.

"We were never abiding by that particular set of superstition, love. I was just letting your parents believe that we would to appease their more old-fashioned sensibilities."

"Oh really?" Emma asked, now highly amused. "And what, you were going to scale to the second floor of my parents house and sneak into my childhood bedroom like it was no big deal?"

"If that's what it took, yes," Killian said, totally serious. "You should know by now that there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Emma, and much as you might like to tease me I know you didn't want that night apart either."

Emma's green eyes deepened in their color then, telling Killian everything he need to know. He was right, after all, and though it might feel unbelievable that he'd been so lucky as to make Emma fall in love with him as he was with her, that was their reality. All he had to do to know her heart's desires was look inward, for they were in this together and in sync in a way that only came with a true and enduring love.

"So is that what tonight's going to be all about… giving me what I want?" Emma asked her voice dipping lower and that so perfectly familiar heat flaring back to life between them full force. How she could be this damn tempting while injured Killian couldn't know, but he'd have to resist for a while until he knew his lovely wife was truly all right and he wouldn't hurt her in any way.

"As long as what you want coincides with what you need, love, it's yours. I'd give you the world as long as I could still keep you safe."

"I love you," Emma whispered and Killian smiled before making the same vow back. And when the doctor's discharged Emma an hour later saying she might be tender for a few days but could go about her business regularly, Killian made good on his promises of giving Emma everything she wanted and gratifying them both immensely in the process.

Post-Note: So thank you guys so much for bearing with me in this last chapter before the wedding. I know I thought I was going right towards the wedding but I knew I wanted to mirror Killian's close call with one for Emma too. Originally I thought I could articulate that in a smaller portion and then have the second half of this chapter be the wedding, but that just wasn't going to happen. Anyway I promise that when I do finally get back from the vacation I'll be taking next week I will bring all the fluff and cuteness to this wedding. I always love writing some CS vows and this will be no exception. Thank you all so much for reading and hope you have a great rest of your day!