Hi everyone! I am so sorry for this late chapter… I worked over 60h last week and it was just crazy, didn't have any time for myself. I finally got the time to go over this final chapter one last time today.
I'll leave you to it! Hope you like it…
423 Main Street, Storybrooke, Maine, Tuesday 5:17pm
"You can't be serious," Neal told her, the disgust in his voice almost making her lose the calm she was trying so hard to hold on to.
"I didn't ask for your opinion. I'm just asking if you'll be okay looking over Henry while I'm gone," she repeated again.
He scoffed loudly, and Emma closed her eyes for an instant, rubbing them with the thumb and index finger of her right hand before she rubbed her temple with them.
"You were the one saying you wanted to be here for your son, Neal," she added, and Neal raised his head to look at her, clearly knowing that she had a point there.
"Not while you run away to some pirate you've met yesterday," he answered, his voice rough. Emma raised her eyebrows. Was he seriously behaving like this now? She couldn't believe it.
"You know what, Neal? I got it. You don't care. I'll find another way. I'm doing this, whether you like it or not," she told him, turning around. She didn't have any more time to waste on this. She had lost enough time already, she wasn't about to lose some more.
"Emma," the man called after her, and she stopped walking, not turning around yet. "I'll do it," he finally agreed, voice filled with resignation.
"Thank you," she simply told him, turning around to look at him for a second before she turned back.
Climbing the stairs two by two, Emma opened the door to her room and grabbed the red gym bag on the bed. She had thrown a few changes of clothes, her bathroom essentials, and her pjs in an hour ago. She was doing this.
The idea had been stuck in her head since she had realized both her running shoes were back in her closet. She had tried to get a hold of Killian through human resources again, but it hadn't worked better than the first time, so she had told her boss earlier that she was taking a few sick days.
Granny had always been a really accommodating boss, and she had only raised an eyebrow at her request. Emma had never been one to miss work, so it had come as a surprise, but it wasn't too busy these days, especially during the week, so it hadn't been a problem to let her off.
Emma's mom had been the one to convince her to go. After all, if she didn't do it, she would spend the rest of her life wondering what would've happened if she had gone. What if she hadn't left without waking him that morning? What if they could've found a way to make it work?
What if…
She couldn't live her life like that; her mom was right. She couldn't leave Killian thinking she hadn't loved every single moment they spent together. It was so much more than just a fling. She had to tell him.
With all of that in mind, she had called her boss, asked Neal to take care of Henry, and packed her bags. She couldn't afford to buy another plane ticket to Orlando, so she would have to do the same thing Killian had done and drive there.
She was leaving tonight, sleeping a few hours somewhere, and was hoping to be at Disney before the evening fireworks. She had checked her Disney Experience app, and Captain Hook was scheduled to be seeing the kids until 8pm on Wednesday. With a little chance, she would get there a little before his shift was over and find him easily.
Going down the stairs, Emma threw her bag over her shoulder, not bothering to look at Neal who was still staring at her like she was out of her mind. She grabbed her running shoes from the closet and put them on, grabbing her keys from the small round table near the door.
"I should see you on Friday; I'll let you know if anything changes," she simply said. But he didn't answer and she didn't wait.
How could she have even just for an instant believed that this could really work? Emma asked herself as she walked towards her car. It didn't matter anyway. It was over, and it was from the start, Killian was way too much in her head even then…
423 Main Street, Storybrooke, Maine, 9 days ago
"Why didn't you leave him your phone number then?" Mary Margaret asked, and Emma hid her face in her hands. She had been asking herself that question non-stop for the last 48 hours.
"Honestly, I don't know," she sighed, lowering her hands to look at her mom. "I think I had a good reason then, but I just don't know anymore," she added.
Her mom gave her a small smile, resting a soft hand over her shoulder, squeezing it tenderly.
"You know honey, giving your heart away can be scary, but it can also turn out pretty great," she told her, looking at David from the corner of her eye.
"I've known him a week, how can I miss him?" Emma said, the rational side of her brain telling her that there was no way she could be falling in love with him already.
"Sometimes it happens slowly, but sometimes it can just fall on you unexpectedly. I remember not being able to stop thinking about your dad after we first met, even if it had only been for a few days," she confessed, eyes lost somewhere, probably deep in her memories.
"I don't know, Mom, I think I will just wait it out. I'll be fine," she said, shaking her head before she rubbed her face and got up.
"If that's what you think is best, Emma," Mary Margaret simply answered, and Emma could hear the small disapprobation in her voice, but she knew her mom would be supportive whatever she chose to do.
Emma was about to go upstairs and get changed for her evening shift when she heard the doorbell, and she turned around, walking towards the door.
She opened it mindlessly, thoughts still wondering somewhere in Florida. That's why it took her a few seconds to register the man who was standing in front of her.
"Emma," he said, and the sound of his voice shocked her, sending her back 5 years ago, in that small motel room.
Her breath caught in her throat as she started seeing the face of the man who had just appeared on her front steps. For an instant, everything came back, hitting her straight in the stomach and winding her. She had dreamed this would happened for so long now. What did it mean? Was he back? Why now? Why here?
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but nothing came out of it, and she closed it, aware of how ridiculous she must look right now. Neal simply smiled at her. They looked at each other for a few moments more, and then Neal took a step forward, taking her into his arms.
This felt somehow familiar and foreign at the same time.
Emma had imagined this moment probably hundreds of times, but she was realizing now that it wasn't something she wanted anymore. She was there, in the arms of the man she had loved so much, and all she could think about was Killian.
The realization made Emma pull back, pushing Neal so he'd do the same. She took a step back and looked at him, mind clearer now.
"What are you doing here, Neal?" she asked, finally regaining control over her voice.
"I learned about Henry. I couldn't stay away, Emma, you don't know how much I wanted to come back to you," he said, voice pleading, eyes full of the same expression she had seen a thousand times in the past.
"Why now? We're happy," she told him, not really knowing how he expected her to react after five whole years away.
"I couldn't earlier. Believe me, I would've come back before if I could have," he said, slowly. "I will explain everything, I promise, I just want to be part of your lives."
Looking at him, Emma realized he was serious about it, about all of it. Henry had the right to have a father, no matter how absent he had been in the early years of his life. Did she want him back though? That was a totally different question. A couple of years ago the answer would've been unequivocally yes. Even a few months ago, it may had been different. But now?
No.
The answer popped out so clearly in her mind that she wondered why she was even asking herself the question. How could she even consider it?
She didn't want Neal. She wanted Killian.
How could she have been so blind to think that she would just get over it? She wouldn't.
"Ok," she simply said when Neal cleared his throat, bringing her back out of her thoughts.
"Ok?" he asked, smiling at her and taking a step forward, obviously wanting to hug her again.
Emma raised a hand, putting it firmly on his chest to stop him from enfolding her in his arms again, and he stopped, raising an eyebrow.
"Okay you can be in Henry's life, but I'm over us, Neal. It's been five years. What did you think I'd do? Jump in your arms like nothing ever happened?" she asked, answering his silent question.
"No, but I thought maybe we could try and see if there was still something left of us. I never stopped loving you, Emma," he pleaded, and she sighed deeply.
"I'm sorry, but it won't happen. I don't have to try to know that there is no 'us' anymore," she answered, shaking her head.
Yes, a part of her would always have feelings for him too. He was her first love, the man who had made her heart beat faster for so long, the father of her son. But he was also the one who broke her heart in tiny little pieces, making her believe until just recently that she couldn't love anyone else again.
He had his chance, and he blew it.
"Okay, we'll talk about it again later," he simply said, and she couldn't help but feel like he hadn't understood at all, but she would have time to explain it again later.
Somewhere in Maine, now
Sighing, Emma shook her head, remembering how Neal had showed up at her front door. She was glad that he did, because every kid needed a father, and even if David was extraordinary with her son, he'd always be more of a grandfather.
Her parents had been great, letting Neal crash on the couch while he found a place in town and a job. He really did seem like he was serious about making this work, which was great, but then he had to pull this stunt about turning Killian around. That was absolutely unforgivable.
It would've been so much easier for everyone if Neal had just gotten Emma when Killian had knocked on the door. Instead, she was having to drive all the way to Disney World to see a man that probably thought she had been lying to him all along. This was not the way it should've gone.
Anyway, it didn't change anything to think about it now, Emma thought. Making this right was all that mattered.
Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Florida, Wednesday, 8:17 pm
"Stupid traffic," Emma actually said out loud as she parked her car in one of the empty parking spots in the Magic Kingdom's parking lot.
She had hit some construction work halfway through the day, and that had put her back almost an hour on her previous schedule. She wanted to arrive at Magic Kingdom before Killian finished work, but he had now been done for about 15 minutes and so she had no idea where to find him.
It didn't matter though, she would still go. She'd find a way to get to him; she had too.
When she came to the front of the Magic Kingdom entry, she foraged through her purse to find the tickets Killian had given her the night they went to Fantasmic. He didn't know if they had the park hopper, so he had given some of his free entries to her and Henry to enter Hollywood studios for the show.
They hadn't needed them though, since they did have the park hopper, and Killian had insisted for her to keep them. He wouldn't use them anyway, since no one would come to visit him here. Of course she had argued at first, but she was really glad now that she hadn't given them back. Who knew she'd have to come back so early?
Even at this late hour, Magic Kingdom was still bursting with people and magic, the fireworks due to start in a little less than half an hour now. How would she even find him here? she thought, walking slowly across Main Street and over the bridge in front of Cinderella's Castle.
She would go to the Peter Pan attraction; she knew there was a back door there. Maybe he would come out of it when he finished changing.
Her heart was beating a little faster when she finally spotted the familiar waiting area, and she looked around her.
It was crowded.
This was crazy.
It was just like looking for a needle in a haystack. A very handsome needle…
Employee quarters, Disney's Magic Kingdom, 8:36 pm
Killian was just sitting on a chair in the small room, still dressed in his Captain Hook costume when Sarah came into the room.
"What are you doing, Hook," she asked, taking in his costume.
"I finished a little late and I did not get around to change yet," he simply said, and Sarah raised an eyebrow.
Killian hadn't been the same since he had come back from Maine, and even though he didn't tell her exactly what happened, she knew that it must have been bad.
"Com'on, you know we're meeting Britney, Colin and their friends for drinks at 9. We're going to be late," she said, walking towards him and pulling on his arm.
"Yes, yes, I will get changed," he said, getting up and grabbing his clothes from his bag, walking into the changing room.
"We're gonna get stuck in the fireworks crowd, you know how crazy it gets," she added, looking at her watch for the second time in less than 5 minutes.
She was a little mad at Emma since she had caught Killian staring at a picture of her and Henry taken before the Fantasmic show. The woman had been smiling gorgeously at him looking like there was nowhere else in the whole world she'd rather be. She looked absolutely stunning. Sarah couldn't believe that she would then go and turn around her friend after he had driven for a whole day.
People did do crazy things in life though; she ought to know that by now.
That was the moment Killian decided to come out of the changing room, dressed in his usual dark jeans and t-shirt.
"Do we still have time?" he asked, leaving his costume on the rack and grabbing his bag, hanging it on one of his shoulders.
Sarah looked at her watch yet again before she replied.
"It's 8:51, we'll have to go all around, there's no way we can get through Main Street by the castle," she told him.
He simply shrugged. He was right, it was a beautiful night, and it wouldn't be so bad to walk.
They got out of the small room, walking towards the exit that lead directly behind the Peter Pan attraction. The air was a little colder outside, but it felt great, and Sarah turned around to look at Killian. He seemed lost in his thoughts, and she sighed. Maybe she shouldn't have gotten him this address after all. Although, was it really better just spending your whole life wondering "what if"?
There were so many people outside, Sarah didn't quite realize what she saw at first. The woman was just standing in the middle of the area, scanning the crowd. She was the only one that seemed alone, and she wasn't moving at all. She looked just like a deserted island in the middle of a boiling sea. Maybe that what had caught Sarah's eye at first.
Why did she seem so familiar? She wondered as Killian turned left, not quite looking around him. That's when she realized it. She was the woman in the picture.
Emma.
"Killian," she called, grabbing his arm and making him turn around. "Isn't that Emma?" she asked, pointing to the woman now looking the other way, turning her back on them.
His lack of answer was all she needed to know she hadn't been mistaken.
"What is she doing here? Didn't she turn you back when you went to see her?" Sarah asked again, hand still on her friend's arm.
Killian simply shook his head. "No, she didn't," he added in front of her stunned face.
"What?" she asked, not believing what he had just told her. Why did he come back so devastated then? This didn't make any sense. "Go see her then, she's obviously here to see you."
"The father of her child greeted me at the door, told me they were happy, that I had to leave. I can't go see her now. She has Neal," he explained, and everything now made sense in her mind. Of course it had to be more than a simple rejection.
"Did you even talk to her?" Sarah questioned, knowing that if she was here then there must've been a misunderstanding somewhere.
"No," Killian simply answered.
"Go! Go see her, she wouldn't be here if she didn't feel the same way about you," she told him, pushing him towards the middle area.
Emma was now walking the other way, eyes still searching but never quite seeing them in the sea of people around.
"GO! I'll tell the guys you won't be there, and you have to tell me everything tonight," she said, pushing him again.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, then looked at her, eyes meeting. He reached for her shoulder, pressing it in a silent thanks before he turned around and started jogging in the direction of the Emma.
Smiling, Sarah turned around, walking towards the exit. That was more like it. Maybe this fairy tale would have its happy ending after all.
Disney World's Magic Kingdom, 8:58 pm
Emma had to make herself see reason, he wasn't here and there was no way she would find him with this many people. She would have to come back tomorrow when she knew he would be there.
Turning around, she walked towards the crowd of people gathered to watch the fireworks. She would probably have to wait for them to end before she could make her way to the exit.
That's when the crowd's noise faded a little and the lights dimmed. Next thing she knew, a hand was settling down on her shoulder, startling her. Gasping, she turned around quickly, bumping into the man who hadn't stopped walking.
He held her so that she didn't fall to the ground from the shock of the collision, and the familiar arms around her made her look up.
"It looks like we keep bumping into each other," the man said, the low, deep Irish accent making her shiver, and she finally saw his face.
Their eyes met in what felt like an explosion of colors into her heart as she got lost in the deep blue of his gaze. He was here. She had found him after all.
"Killian, I'm so s…" she started, but she was cut by the voice of the Blue Fairy announcing the start of the firework show.
There were so many things she needed to tell him, so many things she had to explain, of course there had to be fireworks exploding all around. He looked like he didn't care though, as he raised his good hand to her cheek, caressing it with the tip of his thumb.
The feeling was almost too overwhelming for her to bear, and her eyes filled with tears she had been repressing since she had learned he had come to Maine and gone. She wanted to tell him that she never wanted to hurt him, that Neal never should have opened that door, that she should've left her phone number that morning.
She wanted to tell him all that, but it was way too noisy and she couldn't say anything. He looked like he already understood everything, just like he could read her mind, and she wondered how he could still be so hopeful about them after everything that had happened.
Finally deciding actions could sometimes speak louder than words, she took a step forward, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
His arms instantly went up around her waist, holding her up to him, and she buried a hand into his hair, the other one caressing his neck. She poured everything she felt into this kiss, and hopefully he felt everything too. They continued kissing as the fireworks exploded above their heads; they continued kissing unaware of everyone around them, just as if time had stopped and everything had stood still for a moment.
When they finally had to come up for air, he pulled her close to him, holding her against his chest like he never had the intention of letting her go anywhere, ever.
The music was still resonating all around them, making it hard to hear anything except the familiar words.
Fate is kind. She brings to those who love. The sweet fulfilment of their secret longing.
Like a bold out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.
"That's what I did you know. I tried what you did. I just wished upon a star, for you to be here," he whispered directly into her ear so that she could hear everything he said.
Sometimes, wishes can be granted in the most unexpected ways,
Jiminy Cricket was now saying, and Emma couldn't help but laugh at how perfect this song and whole fireworks show was perfect for them right now.
"I'm sorry, I was so scared. I still am," she simply said, close to his ear.
"I know. I'm scared too, but we can try. Maybe we get to have our happy ending together. We can make something work," he told her, his breath tickling the soft skin just behind her ear.
"Neal, he was so out of bounds, we were never together, he's just Henry's father, that's it," Emma felt the need to clarify, but she sensed Killian had already gotten that from the fact that she had come all the way here to see him.
"I know, and Henry deserves a father, I'm happy he stepped up," he answered, still holding her close.
Backing away a little, Emma laid another soft kiss on his mouth, this time not getting lost into the passion, but simply appreciating the family of butterflies taking residence in her stomach when he kissed her like that. It felt like magic.
When they back away, he rested his forehead against hers for a second before they both turned towards Cinderella's Castle.
Fireworks were still exploding, and Emma just stopped thinking about everything for a moment, just enjoying this. Her head was resting on his shoulder, her left arm behind his back, and her right one around him as he still held her close to him.
She could feel his heart beating, almost in sync with the music around them, and she closed her eyes for an instant. His chest started vibrating a few seconds later, and she realized he was singing to the music. She could just make out his low deep Irish accent above all the noise.
Like a bold out of the blue, fate steps in and sees you through. When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true.
Maybe that was it.
Maybe life could be almost like a fairy tale when you found the right person.
Maybe sometimes wishing upon a star gave you everything you never thought you could actually have.
Make a wish! Dream a dream! Trust your heart! And your wish will come true!
After all, that's what Emma had learned in the last 5 years. When you wished for something hard enough, when you worked for something hard enough, and with just a little bit of magic at the right time…
All your wishes could come true.
Raising her head a bit, Emma looked deep into the eyes of her pirate. Those incredible, beautiful blue eyes. When he smiled at her, her whole body came alive, and she smiled back at him, pushing herself up to give him a kiss as the voice of Jiminy Cricket echoed all across Magic Kingdom before the fireworks finale lighted up the sky like a thousand suns.
Haha! See what a little wishing can do?
Yes.
She could see it now.
They both could.
There it is… The last chapter… It makes me kinda sad for it to come to an end! From the moment I got the idea, to today it's been 15 months. I'm really happy with how it turned out though, and I hope you are too. It's been hard by moments to write it, since I went to Disney with my ex-boyfriend. That trip was most of the inspiration for this story, and it's a lot of memories.
Thank you all for sticking with me for the whole story, I hope you liked reading it as much as I liked writing it. If you did, PLEASE I'd love to hear your thoughts one last time! :)
That said, I would maybe like to write an epilogue… But I'm not sure! If I did, I would post it in a month from tomorrow, after my vacation. See you soon!
Finally, but most importantly, THANK YOU to the amazing Dancing Doula for beta reading this story from the beginning. She's absolutely amazing, I learned a lot, and she's been a great friend, her thoughts and comment on this story made it even better, I know it.