It wasn't something that they really talked about for the next few days; which was frustrating because it was something that they should talk about but none of them were really…wanting to. Emma worried that if they did, then they'd start fighting again, and go off on their own and it all fall through.
But Emma was terrified and she could tell from the restless way Jefferson acted that he was too. He wouldn't stay in one spot. And when she was in the room with him, he was constantly moving around. Playing with the hundreds of books he had, or screeching out something on the cello or playing with the fire….
But he didn't talk to her. He wouldn't even look her in the eye, like he was ashamed of himself and embarrassed that he'd proposed this insane idea.
Emma did her best to play off the tension. She spent more time with Alex but left the room when it was Jefferson's time. He was spending more and more time away from the baby and she wanted to say something but he was in his arts and crafts room, which he asked that she never go into because that was his place. Emma allowed him that room, just like he was never allowed to go into her room. They had their places of privacy.
She tried to entertain herself by thinking of 'glass half full' things. Now she'd be a wealthy lady, and she'd be her son's mother and have a home that was half hers. That was what she always wanted wasn't it? Comfort and a family?
Even better glass half full thing; she could see what he kept under that scarf of his. He never uncovered his neck, and that aroused her curiosity.
But that was something else that they never talked about.
On Friday night, his mood was darker than it had been for a while. Emma avoided him. Not because she was scared but because she was moody in of herself. Moody and nervous that this would all likely go wrong.
She spent most of Friday doing her own thing or entertaining her baby. She heard him leave the room several times but he never came to find her or Alex. She had dinner alone, fed the baby, and put him to bed.
Then, when she went to turn in herself, she found a black bag hanging outside her door. Emma looked at it and gently unzipped it. She pulled the flaps back and let out a gasp. There was a wedding dress inside. A strapless mermaid wedding town with a bit of a train. At the seam where the legs fanned out to the tail, it had layers of white lace separate from the dress which trailed out into a train.
The second part, also hung up was a sheer white cover for her arms and the upper part of her back that would be bare otherwise. The sheer part of it was tied in a knot where it would meet the dress and the rest of it hung free, making its own train.
Emma let out a gasp at how beautiful it was and she was almost afraid to touch it in fear of messing it up.
""I trust you like it?"
Emma looked at him, "You haven't gone into town lately."
"I have not."
She looked back at it, "Did you make this?"
"Yes," he said almost shyly, "Do you like it?"
Emma didn't take her eyes off it as she nodded, "No one's given me something this beautiful before. Not intentionally anyway."
Jefferson leaned against the wall in the hallway. Emma thought she saw him blushing, "I know that I haven't been talkative lately."
"You're nervous," she noted.
He nodded, "And I know how unorthodox this is. Marriage should be for love you know, true love."
Emma frowned, "It's okay….I gave up on that a long time ago."
She saw something in his eyes, something similar to sadness and she felt some sort of guilt at her wry comment.
"Yes well," he shuffled his feet, "I'm….when it's done, things will be less awkward."
"You're sure about that?"
He gave her a smile, "Hoping so at least."
"Me too," she told him truthfully. These past days were SO awkward; she wasn't sure how to handle it. Was this what it was going to be like when they were married? God, she hoped not. She just really hoped that it was nerves.
Emma took the dress and slipped into her room with a quick goodnight. She went to the bathroom and took a long bath. She washed her hair and shaved and then got out and made sure she was dry before she tried it on.
A perfect fit.
And Emma let herself take that as a sign.
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Rumpelstiltskin was called at 5 in the morning to be a witness to the wedding. Apparently Jefferson remembered everything but getting witnesses. The minister would find one if Jefferson did and Jefferson called him.
He was a bit frustrated but he wouldn't miss it for the world. Just….why did it have to be on Saturday? He wanted to sleep in.
"Your cravat is crooked," Rumpelstiltskin told him as he tried to get ready in the bathroom of the courthouse.
"My cravat's fine," Jefferson snapped but went to adjust it. Rumpelstiltskin saw his hands were shaking.
"Oh gods, just like the first one we went through," Rumpelstiltskin swatted his hands away and went to die up the cravat. Jefferson was a nervous wreck then too. Oh, he would bed down every maiden in the Enchanted Forest if he got the chance but the idea of commitment and suddenly he was philosophical about life and what love meant and….oh Rumpelstiltskin was going to gag.
"You should've called in the girl's mother to be a witness."
"It's hardly a real marriage," Jefferson told him and squirmed, "I doubt we'll last five years. She'll find out what's going on eventually and then she'll run."
"Or she'll like you so much that she won't."
"Doubtful," Jefferson moved again, ruining Rumpelstiltskin's concentration, "She won't even talk to me since I proposed."
"She's nervous, most ladies are."
Jefferson played with the rings he was holding, "What if she gets hurt."
"She won't be hurt."
"We're doing this to keep her here."
"You're doing this to keep Regina distracted while I laid down grounds for a better identity," Rumpelstiltskin brushed some dandruff off Jefferson's suit, "But mostly yes, we're doing this to keep her here. If you two form a bond where she trusts you…even better."
"She won't be trusting me when she finds out what we're doing and why we're doing it."
"Or maybe she'll love you even more," Rumpelstiltskin smiled, "But that's unlikely. She doesn't seem very trusting. I mean, she doesn't seem ready to trust me."
"Imagine that," Jefferson muttered.
Rumpelstiltskin gave him a look of faux hurt, "How rude!"
He tied the cravat a bit tight for that. If Jefferson fainted at the wedding, it was his own fault for sassing him, "You're ready."
Jefferson shifted uncomfortably, "Promise me that we're not going to hurt her. She's been hurt enough because of people"
"Oh dearie, that's entirely up to you and what you choose to divulge," Rumpelstiltskin told him with a slight rise in the nasal passage for old time's sake, "Now come on….let's get you married."
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It took about five minutes for Emma's life to change. She went from Emma Swan to Emma March in just a few short sentences and really that was something scary when you thought about it. A whole life could change based on some words.
Certainly took a few words from Neal to put her in jail.
Emma closed her eyes tightly; she didn't want to think about it.
The wedding came and went. The minister or whatever he was asked all the questions that they asked in TV, and then Jefferson put a wedding band on her finger, and she returned it. They were sapphires….not diamonds. But they were pretty, Emma sort of liked them.
The kiss was the lightest quickest kiss that Emma ever had….not that she had many. She was the sort of girl that most boys didn't want to be around, they called her 'trash' and teased or pitied her. She was never sure what.
But here she was. Married to a rich man and they had a son together….look at her now.
"You were quite the beauty today," Mr. Gold told her as they sat in the diner afterwards. Emma's only real regret that it was a fast wedding was that she didn't get to spend more than an hour in the beautiful dress that Jefferson made. Everyone changed and came to celebrate. Well…except Mr. Gold. He always looked fancy.
She gave a small blush. There was something that she didn't trust about Mr. Gold. He was too quick to smile, all his words seemed to have a double meaning and the look in his eyes wasn't all the way kind….he looked at her like she was his favorite pet or object. There was warmth but there was also an edge of coldness just surfaced enough that anyone that dealt with men like him before could see.
"Thank you," was all she said. She watched her son carefully as he made little baby noises in Mr. Gold's arms. To make things worse, Mr. Gold held him in his lap and was cooing at him…which was weird.
Jefferson seemed to have a weight off his shoulders now that it was done. He sat there quietly until Mr. Gold's compliment. His head shot up and he nodded, "You were beautiful."
Emma blushed redder. It hadn't even sunk in yet. She wouldn't let it sink in that she was married to a man that she knew of all a month. If she thought about it, she'd be terrified.
"Well now," Mr. Gold said jovially, "I've never seen two people so shy after their wedding. And I've seen plenty of weddings that were less about love and more about money and power."
Somehow Emma believed that. He gave off a vibe that he had been to far more places than she'd ever know.
"This wasn't like any wedding you've ever been to," Jefferson muttered and took a sip of his soda.
"Certainly wasn't, I never have to pay for the reception," Mr. Gold smiled down at the baby, "Oh but Emma, I'll get those adoption papers drawn up for you….so you can be the legal mother of your son. It'll be my wedding gift."
Emma shifted, "Thank you."
He gave her that….hidden smile that he was so good at, "Indeed."
Emma twiddled her thumbs and looked around awkwardly. Jefferson caught her eyes and looked away, with a bit of a reddening face.
So….she was married.
What now?
