A/N: You can all thank Jrob64 for this update. They drew something to my attention that was the perfect little kick I needed for inspiration. Thank you all for your patience and continued support, now enjoy.
Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT
Like A Virgin
"What do you mean you've never been to Disney before!?"
Killian pointedly covered his ears whilst perfectly arching one eyebrow, that caused his fiancée to lower the tone of her voice; after-all, there was only a foot of space between them on the bed and he was pretty sure she'd just busted one of his eardrums.
"Sorry," Emma muttered quietly, "I just don't understand. How can you never have been to Disney before?"
Part of him wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the conversation, but looking at the absolute severity in Emma's expression, he decided to take the less sarcastic approach.
"My mother was gone and my father certainly wasn't the type to take his sons on holiday. By the time it was just Liam and I, there was no way we could afford such luxuries and then I was in the Navy, where a trip to Disney World isn't exactly part of the day to day curriculum. Besides, I had that day with Robin so technically, I would now say that I have been to Disney."
He looked on an as range of emotions played across Emma's face, from sorrow over his parental experience, to pride for his resilience and then abject horror at the end.
"Robin's tour absolutely does not count as having gone to Disney. That's work. You've never even been to any of the shows."
"That's because I'm in them love, I can't exactly hop off the stage mid-performance to watch with the rest of the audience; Regina would castrate me and we wouldn't want that now, would we?" His hand began to slowly trail up her bare thigh and sneak under the hem of the shirt she had salvaged from the heap of clothing on the floor.
Just as things were about to get interesting, she slapped his wandering fingers away.
"Don't try and distract me Jones. There's no way I can go another day knowing that my future husband has not experienced the full effect of the most magical place on earth."
He tried in vain not to smile like a giddy fool when she called him her future husband, reaching out to play with the ring on her left finger that she refused to remove no matter what, even after a fight about character consistency with Regina, though it proved to be a huge internet hit again once people realised that the 'once upon a dream guy' and his princess were going to get married.
So caught up in his thoughts, Killian only came around when Emma pointedly dropped her phone back onto the nightstand with a victorious smirk etched across her face.
"Done," she announced, leaning over to press a chaste kiss to his lips that he failed to respond to in his confusion.
"What's done?" he asked, getting the feeling that he already knew.
"Tomorrow mister, you and I are taking the day off work to go to Disney World."
"Swan, we work there," he pointed out, "We do that every day, so how is it skipping work."
"Because we are going to go in the visitors entrance, in normal clothes, with backpacks and sun-cream and all that other touristy shit and you, Killian Jones, are going to have your first real trip to Disney World."
~E&K~
The queue was ridiculous, was Killian's first thought.
They'd left the house a mere hour later than usual, in order to get there early and yet it seemed as if there were already hundreds of people desperate to get through the gates.
"Why couldn't we just use the staff entrance," he whined, shuffling from foot to foot whilst simultaneously trying to avoid being jostled by the endless hordes of mid-western moms with pushchairs.
"Because that is not part of the true Disney experience," Emma insisted, the warning in her eyes clear that he was not to challenge her on this, "We are not staff today, we are just Killian and Emma celebrating our engagement with a romantic trip to Disney World. Now would you like to keep moaning or can you at least try to be excited."
Though there was an element of a game to today's experience, Killian was quick to pick up on the strong undercurrent of hurt in Emma's voice, not to mention the sudden hunch in her shoulders and that she was pointedly looking at the map (which she definitely didn't need) in her hands.
"Hey," Killian whispered, cupping her face between his palms and ducking down to meet her eyes, "I'm sorry love, that was bad form, I just didn't realise how much this meant to you."
He could feel the people behind them getting restless at the fact that they hadn't edged forward into the two inches of space that had opened up as the queue moved, but he really didn't care at that point. His Swan was upset, everything else could wait.
"It's just," she started with a heavy sigh, "I only ever came here once in my childhood on some state funded charity case thing with one of the smaller group homes, but it was only really enough for entry and I was too short to go on a lot of the good rides. I spent the time imagining the day in the future when I could come back with someone special and really experience the magic of it all. Mary-Margaret took me to the one in California but it wasn't quite what I pictured. Don't judge, but I was absolutely the kid who had fantasies of taking their fiancé to Orlando; kissing on the log-flume, going through 'It's a Small World,' because you just have to and cuddling during the fireworks, it's stupid but-"
Killian cut her off with a desperately passionate kiss, that was borderline inappropriate for such a public, supposedly child friendly forum.
"That's not stupid at all Swan," he breathed having finally gained the control to remove his lips from hers (but only by millimeters) "In fact that sounds wonderful and I am honoured that you want to share that with me."
She ducked her head into his shoulder, in a move that he recognised as trying to hide how wide her smile was, though he could still feel it pressing into the side of his neck.
"Come on tiger," she said, pulling away and tugging on his hand to lead them forward, "Let me show you why this is the happiest place on earth."
Killian already knew why, he'd found his reason months ago, but allowed himself to be lead onward anyway.
~E&K~
When they'd finally reached the entrance, confusing some of their colleagues when they did, Emma had used a coupon to get their discounted admittance to the park and fast-track passes. He'd stood by and smiled as she fell completely into the role of a tourist, spinning around and proudly pinning his 'first time' badge to the strap of the bag he was carrying; the grin that lit up her features was entirely worth it as she grabbed hold of him and practically skipped onto the Main Street.
"Okay," he said, "Now I get it."
He'd seen the castle from many different angles in his time, yet there was something different about being amongst the crowd of stunned individuals as they gazed at the all too familiar turrets that had carried them through their childhood. Emma was still staring with equal amounts of wonder in her eyes, so he used the opportunity to turn to a woman on his right.
"Excuse," he said, gently tapping the stranger on the shoulder, "I was wondering if you could possibly take a picture of me and my fiancée?"
The woman glanced between the two of them with a slight smile on her lips, before nodding and taking hold of Killian's phone. He wasted no time in pulling Emma tightly against his side, where she fit perfectly as always, his eyes finding hers rather than looking towards the camera.
"I got it," the woman spoke, interrupting their moment by passing the phone back, "Congratulations by the way, you two make a beautiful couple."
They offered their thanks before taking off into the park, hands twined together so as not to get separated, which is how they continued for the rest of the day.
Killian was happy to be towed from ride to ride by Emma, discussing which pose they should do at each camera (he bought the one of them kissing on Big Thunder Mountain.) They also joined the various queues to meet each of the characters, which was a shock for some but highly entertaining none the less. At lunch Killian ordered them both a monte-cristo while Emma vanished for a couple of minutes only to return with a twin set of Mickey and Minnie ears, merrily shoving the former onto his head and giggling at his fake exasperated expression.
They watched the villains show, where he fangirled over Captain Hook even if he knew it was just Walter in a suit, while Emma booed heartily whenever Cruella showed up; she absolutely hated her.
As the day wound down and evening encroached, Killian took charge giving her a secret wink as he nudged a churro into her hand and started guiding them through the maze of exhibits, aiming for one in particular.
"You did say it was mandatory, love," he whispered as they tool their seats on 'It's a small world,' brushing away the hint of moisture that was gathering in her eyes, pulling her close so that her head could rest comfortably on her chest as they went round. He didn't care that the damn song was stuck in his head for what felt like several weeks after.
~E&K~
"Killian let's just stay here," Emma begged as he continued to push his way through the crowd, a man clearly on a mission, "We can see perfectly well from here."
"One minute Swan, I promise," he grunted as he edged past a particularly burly man who glared pointedly at them, "I can see the perfect spot, if I can just...there!"
They came to an abrupt halt, Killian turning quickly to face her, something expectant in his gaze that she couldn't quite figure out.
"Great," she said slowly, "It's a good patch of sidewalk for sure, I just don't see how it's any different from the one back there."
Her husband to be let out an overly-dramatic long suffering sigh and moved so that he was stood behind her, arms locked around her waist and his chin propped on her shoulder so she could hear every word.
"Look across the street love, what do you see?" He asked softly, his fingers reaching to play with the ring on her finger.
"People," she deadpanned, earning herself a nip to the earlobe.
"Very funny Swan, try again."
This time it was her turn to heave a sigh as she tried to focus more on the background.
"I don't know Killian, all there is is some metal fencing and a tree."
"Exactly," he murmured, pressing a tender kiss to the side of her neck, "That there is a very special tree and this is no ordinary piece of sidewalk."
She tilted her head up to meet his gaze, still drawing a blank, though he didn't seem to mind.
"It was in this particular spot many, many months ago, that I heard the most enchanting sound and saw the most beautiful princess, not yet knowing that she was going to be the love of my life and accept my quite frankly terrible proposal, though I do remember wanting to marry you even then, though it seemed a bit forward at the time."
Emma could only stare at the tree in wonder, the memory playing behind her eyes of the first time she ever met him.
"I can't believe you remember that," she whispered, her voice just loud enough for him to hear over the rising din of the audience and the parade music.
"How could I possibly forget," he answered with complete honesty, holding her tighter as he buried his face into her neck, feeling the shuddering breath she took.
"You can always propose again," she said, "If that would make you feel better, it's a pretty great moment."
"I will propose to you every day for the rest of our lives, if that's what you want; but I think I would struggle to kneel right now and also worry about what would happen if I tried to take the ring off you for even a second, Robin tells me that Regina thinks she needs corrective surgery on her eardrums."
He grunted as her elbow connected with his ribs, though he knew that she was holding back based on the sudden onslaught of laughter that had overcome her.
It was when the fireworks started that he spun her around so they were toe to toe, holding her left hand in his right;
"Marry me, Emma?" He asked nudging her engagement ring more securely onto her finger as she answered him with a kiss that left him seeing a whole new set of fireworks.
The most magical place on Earth indeed.