I know! It's been a while! But this chapter has taken me quite a while, it's a beast at nearly 10k words. So enjoy it, and please leave a review telling me what you think, it really keeps me going with writing.
CHAPTER 20- Drowning For You
2 Months Later.
A glint. A shine. A shift from white diamond to a spectrum of colors sparkling from the gemstone. It was magical. Emma couldn't stop twirling the solitaire cut diamond set in a pure silver ring base. The polished surface of the gem moved fluidly between the colors of the rainbow as she played with the ring from a chain around her neck.
Emma smiled at the ring, as the white diamond sparkled once again with hundreds of tiny rainbows. If she were to ever see a physical burst of true love, her engagement ring was the perfect example.
Emma sighed dreamily, her head resting back on her car seat as she sat in the parking lot of the sheriff's station, staring at her ring. She and Killian had mutually agreed to keep their engagement quiet for a while, simply enjoying being together without the mad rush of wedding preparations around them. They didn't mind that they wouldn't be married immediately, they were purely happy to know that it was definitely in the near future for them.
It had been two months since their shared proposal, and Emma couldn't be happier. She was in a relationship that was heading somewhere, for the first time in her life. And it was with her best friend, her confidant, her true love. Emma twiddled the ring again, seeing the sunlight reflect off of the crystal surface.
"What's that?" An Irish voice shot through Emma harshly, causing her to practically jump out of her bones. She gasped, attempting to hurriedly tuck the ring back down her shirt, but Graham caught her wrist through the car window that she had stupidly opened to allow better sun rays to glint off of her ring.
"Nothing." She squeaked, her fist clenched tightly over the small circular band. Graham raised an eyebrow, clucked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and cocked his head at her.
"Nonsense. Let me see."
Emma sighed, mentally apologising to Killian as she slowly unfurled her fingers, showing the ring to her partner. Graham's eyes widened, his grip on her wrist loosening as he stared in shock at her hand.
"Holy shit."
"Yeah."
"You're engaged?" He said, a smile finally pulling at his lips. She blushed slightly, finally tucking the chain back under her loose shirt. She nodded, unable to contain her smile as she confirmed it to another soul for the first time.
"Yeah. Have been for two months. But please don't tell anyone, especially my dad. We want to keep it quiet." She begged him, turning her body towards the window. Graham nodded, smiling slightly.
"Of course, Emma. What are friends for? And besides, I'm good at keeping secrets. Did you know I am definitely for sure sleeping with the mayor?"
Emma laughed, rolling her eyes at his joke.
"I would be inclined to believe you, if she weren't hopelessly besotted with my boyfr- fiancé's best friend." She corrected herself, the word fiancé foreign on her tongue. Graham smiled again as she spoke. He shrugged at her comment.
"Stranger things have happened."
Emma rolled her eyes, smiling at his comment, before pulling her car keys out of the ignition and clambering out of the yellow vehicle. She grabbed her jacket from the back seat, sliding it on, along with clipping her deputy sheriff badge to her belt. She shut the door and cracked her knuckles.
"Come on, Humbert. We have work to do."
"Honey, I'm home!" Emma called out as she shut the door of their house behind her. She slipped her jacket onto the hook by the entrance way and pulled off her boots, sighing as her feet were freed from the tight confines of the leather. She couldn't contain her grin, it was like a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders after accidentally revealing their engagement to Graham. She started towards the kitchen, where she could hear light music floating through the open doorway. "How is my lovely fiancé this fine evening?"
A scream stopped her in her tracks. A scream that was soon joined by another voice as two figures emerged from the kitchen.
"What?!" Belle and Ruby cried as they burst towards her. Emma shared a terrified and shocked look towards Killian who had followed them and was currently bright red and grimacing. Belle and Ruby bombarded the two with questions. "Are you two engaged?" "This has to be a joke." "How did he propose?!"
Emma nervously looked at Killian again, who nervously shrugged as if to say 'your call, Swan.' She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and slowly nodded at them. Her eyes opened to their open mouths and wide-eyes as they gaped at her. "I guess the cat's out of the bag. Yeah, he proposed."
"Technically you proposed first, love." Killian reminded her. She shot him a blank stare, but smirked when he winked at her. Belle and Ruby looked utterly shocked at the exchange that occurred before them.
"You don't mean..." Belle started, staring at Emma.
"Emma Swan, queen of being closed off and afraid of commitment, proposed first?" Ruby finished, her jaw practically touching the floor. Emma and Killian chuckled, nodding as they grinned at each other. "Holy shit." Ruby raised a perfectly manicured hand to her mouth, covering her perfectly painted red lips in disbelief. Belle, however, simply gasped and rushed forwards, grabbing Emma by the shoulders.
"Is there a ring? You had better have a ring."
Emma glanced at Killian again, who raised an eyebrow and smirked proudly. Emma, who couldn't hold back a smile, reached beneath her shirt for the sparkling white diamond set in silver. She removed the chain from around her neck and showed the ring to her best friends. Both of them gasped.
"Oh, Emma." Belle said, tears filling her light blue eyes. "It's beautiful."
Ruby looked to Killian. "Good job, it's a nice rock." Killian stared at her wide-eyed as she raised her clenched fist. He met her halfway, knuckles clashing in a friendly fist bump. Emma grinned as her friend and Killian bonded, her smile proud as Belle fawned over her ring.
Ruby watched as Emma and Killian glanced at each other, reading that they wished to be alone for a while, evidently to discuss the accidental reveal of their engagement.
"Beauty, come on. I want to go break it off with Whale so I can try to hook up with that hot chick with the cute dog." She said, flipping her high ponytail over her shoulder. Belle hugged Emma and Killian, grinning.
"Congratulations, to both of you. You deserve it." They thanked her. "We'll keep it quiet, let you tell everyone. Right, Ruby?" Belle said, shooting a look over at the brunette who sighed dramatically and rolled her eyes.
"If we must." She said, acting stand-offish but winking at Emma, who smiled and hugged her friends.
"Thank you."
"No problem, Em. Gotta leave you alone with the future husband, enjoy your engagement." Ruby winked and Emma rolled her eyes. Emma could hear Killian chuckling softly behind her, his laugh getting louder as he drew closer. His hand slid over her shoulder to rest his arm around her. She leaned into him, and Belle couldn't stop smiling.
"Congratulations again guys, I'm so happy for you." Emma looked up at Killian, his eyes warm as he looked back at her with love. Ruby tugged Belle away, whispering something inaudible to her as they left the Swan-Jones house. Emma sighed, her head coming to rest on Killian's chest as his arms surrounded her, holding her body against his.
"You alright there, Swan?" He asked softly, nose brushing through the hair on the top of her head gently. Emma sighed again, but nodded against the soft fabric of his shirt.
"Yeah, I'm just sorry about that, I didn't realise they were here." She muttered against him, before pulling her head up to look into his eyes. He shook his head, smiling.
"It's my fault, love. I should've sent a text informing you your friends decided to pop round for a visit." She laughed gently, her head falling back down to rest against his neck. His cheek fell onto her head as he held her.
"I suppose we should tell your family now, Ruby will be shouting it from the rooftops before too long, despite any promises she may have made." Emma laughed as she saw an image of Ruby screeching about their engagement from the top of Granny's to any passing pedestrians below her. Her laugh stopped abruptly though when her stomach dropped as she thought about telling her parents, making it truly official.
Killian apparently sensed her fear by pulling the ring still clutched in her hand away from her, sliding it off of the chain. He held it gently, his prosthetic reaching underneath her chin to lightly make her look at him.
"Remember, Swan. You have nothing to fear, Westley said it himself, 'this is true love'." He quoted, his eyes glinting as a smile etched itself onto her lips. He placed his prosthetic under her hand, holding it up to him as his other hand slid the ring onto her finger. She smiled wider as the kitchen light hit the diamond, the rainbows once again dazzling her. True love.
"I love you." She whispered, her eyes gentle with the sheer amount of trust and love she had for him. She practically saw his heart jolt through the depths of his eyes, as he smiled warmly at her.
"I love you too." His head lowered as he pressed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. Emma felt warmth spread from where his lips touched her skin, trickles of love adding fire to her veins. Her heart skipped a beat, her eyes soft and full of adoration for the man before her, for whom she held a plethora of devotion. He smiled at her.
"Your parents will be thrilled for you, Emma." Her heart shuddered again as he said her name, something that was apparently a rarity, but never failed to send a burst of pleasant electricity up her spine. Killian chuckled, ducking his head slightly. "At least, your father will be thrilled after he's given me his usual 'you hurt her, I hurt you' speech."
Emma laughed, shaking her head at him. "No way, Jones. He knows that you would never hurt me, and even if you did, he'd have to dig you up to hurt you after I'm done with you." Killian blushed, but laughed at her phrase. Emma hummed happily as her fiancé grew embarrassed, loving the red flush that crept up his neck, cheeks and ears. "He'd probably just be upset you didn't ask for his permission first."
Emma's jaw dropped as Killian turned a deeper red, his gaze dropping to the floor as he bit his lip to hold back a grin.
"Did you? But, I asked you first!"
Killian's eyes met hers again, his hand dropping hers to perform its usual act of scratching behind his ear whenever he was nervous or uncomfortable. "I... simply said after we started dating that I intended to marry you someday and asked if he would be okay with it. He blessedly granted me permission to ask you when you were ready. And I think you asking me first was enough to make it clear to me when that time was." Emma laughed, her hands reaching up to tuck her thumbs under the neckline of his t-shirt.
"Are we though?" She asked after leaning forwards and kissing him gently. "Ready?" She smiled dreamily as his arms wrapped around her waist and his cold silicone hand slid underneath her shirt slightly. He pressed a feather-light kiss to the tip of her nose.
"I certainly hope so, otherwise we just told your friends we're engaged for naught and even though they are the only two who know, they won't keep it quiet for long. That Ruby rather has a blabbermouth."
"Oh, yeah." Emma said awkwardly, it was her turn to blush. "I forgot to mention that Graham knows." Killian opened his mouth to object but Emma hushed him. "Let me explain, he saw my ring while I was in the parking lot at work. But he's gonna let us tell my mom and dad, don't panic."
Killian smiled, kissing her forehead and muttering against her skin. "Okay, love." Emma leaned into him for a moment, safe in the warm embrace of his arms and enjoying the light tickle of his stubble against her head. But finally, after her stomach rumbled slightly, since she had somehow forgone eating lunch due to chasing down a perp for a few hours over midday. Emma pulled her face away from his to look up at him, a wicked grin pulling at her mouth.
"So, what's for dinner? Chasing criminals has made Miss Swan hungry."
Killian laughed softly at her comment, his eyes sincere and full of adoration as he looked at her. Emma felt her joke dissolve into the seriousness of his warm, soft eyes. His besotted gaze practically turned her limbs to jelly, and she was grateful that he had his arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her steady. His right hand detached itself from its position beneath her shirt, reaching up to touch her chin and push a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. His thumb gently caressed her cheek as they continued to eye each other.
"Your heart's desire, Swan. I promise that's all I want you to have."
Emma melted, her limbs well and truly losing and hope of remaining taught as she fell forwards and pressed a kiss against his lips. He sighed into her, his hand cupping her face to steady the kiss. Emma clutched as his shirt, needing to be close to him. She opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, head tilting against his palm. He followed, letting her lead.
Under the warm lights of their hallway, Emma and Killian felt truly together. Safe, comfortable. Their home was warm with the strength of the love that they had created together. From friends, to strangers, to lovers, the two had lost an unspeakable amount in their short twenty-five years of life, but had found so much more than they could have ever dreamed.
After a while of gentle but wholesome kissing, Emma pulled away, her stomach growling. Killian laughed as he felt the vibrations, their close proximity allowing him to feel her hunger. She grinned up at him.
"My heart's desire?" He nodded. "Chinese it is then."
Killian rolled his eyes and chuckled at her comment. She beamed at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I'm only joking, Jones. Of all of the things that my heart could desire, It's gotta be you."
Emma's heart raced as she held tightly onto Killian's hand, which was hidden behind her long gray coat to conceal the diamond on her finger from her parents. Her father was chatting away to Killian about sailing, whilst her mother bustled away in the kitchen.
"Emma, sweetheart, you couldn't give me a hand could you?" Mary Margaret called from her position over the stove, where she seemed to be juggling stirring a pot and chopping vegetables all at once. Emma agreed, taking a deep breath and unlocked her fingers from Killian's. He smiled encouragingly at her, and she gave a faint grin back. She kissed his cheek, slipping her hand into her pocket and heading over to her mother.
"Hey." She said. "How can I help?" Emma's hand was firmly clenched into a fist inside of her coat pocket, she was reluctant to say much to her mother in fear of revealing anything without Killian by her side.
"Oh, honey, hi. Can you just stir the sauce please while I chop all of the vegetables?" Mary Margaret asked, looking incredibly flustered. Emma nodded, hand still hidden inside of her coat as she reached forward to grab the wooden spoon inside of the pot. She tried to keep her stomach steady as she stirred the sauce, the smell of food not easing her nerves one bit. She glanced over at Killian who didn't seem to be any less nervous than she was. He kept looking at her whilst his fingers playing with those of his prosthetic, a nervous tick that she had come to pick up on after being with him for so long.
Finally, the food was ready and Emma could breathe again when she was sat next to Killian at the table. Her hand remained under the table, where he occasionally reached over to give it a squeeze. As Mary Margaret was dishing food onto plates, she finally decided to address the elephant in the room.
"Emma, honey." Mary Margaret said, causing Emma to fidget slightly with anxiety. Killian looked like he was about to faint, the blood draining from his face as his complexion paled significantly.
"You mentioned on the phone that you needed to talk with us about something. Is everything okay? Nothing is wrong between you two, is there?" Mary Margaret asked as she finally sat down next to her husband and taking what seemed to be a much needed sip of wine.
"You're not pregnant, are you?" Killian was taking a hesitant bite of bread when David said it, and the shock of the question caused him to inhale most of it as he choked. Emma stared wide-eyed at her father, shaking her head vigorously.
"David!" Mary Margaret scorned, hitting him lightly but firmly on his arm. David shrugged at his wife, looking confused as the why she had hit him. Mary Margaret turned back to Emma and Killian, who was drinking his glass of water in a effort to clear the bread in his throat. "Of course, we would be incredibly happy and excited for you, if you were...?" The end of Mary Margaret's sentence was a question, one which Emma happily denied.
"No! It's okay, I'm not pregnant. However..." She trailed off, looking anxiously at Killian who did his best to smile encouragingly with watering eyes. She took a deep breath, playing with her ring under the table. "We...uh... we're engaged."
There was a moments silence where Emma doubted everything. A million thoughts ran through her head all at once. What if they don't approve? What if it's too soon? What if Dad hits Killian? Her fear increased David rose from the table to move around to Killian. He pulled him up and Emma felt her heart stop. Killian was shaking slightly, terrified that her father would hurt him. Instead, David simply reached out and dragged the dark-haired man into an embrace.
Mary Margaret burst into tears, babbling incoherently. Emma smiled with tears pricking her own eyes as she watched her father pat the man she loved on the back, telling him he was so happy to have such a great man join their family officially.
Once David and Killian had returned to their seats, and Mary Margaret had managed to calm her crying to a few tears falling through a smile, the meal continued. Emma couldn't stop grinning, a huge weight seemed to be lifted from her shoulders.
"Okay, you two have to tell us the full story." Mary Margaret hiccuped. "How did he propose? Was it romantic? Did he have the evening all planned out? Oh, you have to tell me!" Mary Margaret started asking, her hands pressed together eagerly in excitement.
Emma and Killian shared a glance, but had to look away from each other promptly to refrain from bursting out loud at how they got engaged.
"Well, technically Emma asked first." Killian said, beaming at his fiancé widely. She smiled back, in awe of how happy he was after the anxiety of telling her family had worn off. Mary Margaret and David were shocked, asking how she asked, and why. Killian struggled for a moment to come up with an appropriate excuse, while Emma blushed and squeezed his thigh under the table gently.
"We were... uh... making tacos."
Emma snorted with laughter at his excuse, quickly trying to play it off as a cough. Her parents seemed too interested in Killian's story to take any notice of how red her face was with barely contained laughter.
"And she just said 'marry me'." Killian continued. "And I was taken aback at first, I will admit it, but I quickly regained myself. I had of course, said to David that I intended to marry Emma and well, she proved to me she was ready. I already had a ring, it was my grandmothers. I was just waiting for the right time."
Mary Margaret was crying again, David smiling proudly as Killian spoke of how he had waited for his daughter. Emma, who had managed to control herself, was gazing Killian, amazed at his amazing ability to spin a tale. She quickly picked up the story when he looked at her for help. She grinned at him, then turned to her parents, finally showing them her left hand.
"So he gets out this ring, says this beautiful speech about how much he loves me and asks me to marry him. Even though I had just asked him myself, I felt this huge burst of shock. I guess it was just hearing him speaking so articulately and elegantly about our story and love that made me feel like I didn't know what was coming. But we're happy and I can't wait to be his wife." She finished. Emma turned to Killian, seeing a tear slip from his eye as he heard her confession. She leaned forwards to kiss him quickly.
Mary Margaret, who was almost uncontrollably crying again, took her daughter's left hand between both of her own, admiring her ring. Even David seemed moved by his daughter's love story.
"When did this happen?" David asked. "The other night?"
Emma and Killian shared another nervous glance, they hadn't anticipated being asked such a question. Killian shrugged at her, causing her to sign and bite her lip in hesitation as she revealed the truth.
"The, uh... the night we moved into our house..."
David choked on the mouthful of wine he had just taken. As he spluttered, Mary Margaret looked wide-eyed at them, in disbelief.
"What!?"
Emma shrugged. "We wanted to keep it quiet for a while." Killian chuckled when Emma placed her head on the table as Mary Margaret started ranting about how her daughter had been engaged for nearly two months and she had lost a large amount of wedding planning time. As soon as Mary Margaret mentioned the words 'wedding' and 'planning', Emma let out a loud groan that led to Killian sympathetically massaging her between the shoulder blades. David sighed, catching Mary Margaret by the elbow as she stormed past him in the middle of trying to figure out the number of bridal shops in Storybrooke.
"Mary Margaret, calm down. You freaking out like this is probably why they decided not to tell us for a while. Don't go into planning mode and just let them take their wedding at their own pace." Emma and Killian sent David some incredibly grateful glances while Mary Margaret awkwardly sank down into her chair, twiddling her thumbs and looking at her feet.
The rest of the dinner was relaxed. Mary Margaret rarely brought up their wedding, and when she did it was mainly to discuss finite details, such as color schemes and dates for the future event.
After a heavy and emotional evening, Emma and Killian lay in bed together, Emma's head resting on Killian's chest. She sighed heavily, eyes closed and a smile on her face as the impending weight of telling her parents of two months had finally been lifted. She snuggled closer to Killian, her leg sliding between the two of his. He pressed a kiss to her head.
"Killian?" She said quietly, her cheek pressed against his heart beat. His arms tightened slightly around her as she spoke, her voice breaking the still and comfortable silence that surrounded them like a cocoon.
"Mmm?" He responded, murmuring a querying sound against her hair as he nuzzled against her silky blonde tresses lovingly. She giggled as his nose hit a particularly ticklish spot on her scalp, prompting him to do it again until she slapped him slightly on the chest.
"Stop it!" She giggled against him, smiling as he chuckled softly against her head.
"Sorry, love. What did you want to ask?" She shifted on him slightly, his thumb slipping beneath the old shirt of his that she was wearing to stroke the skin of her bare hip lovingly. She hummed at his touch, the soft caress sending shivers up her spine pleasantly. Emma's hand slid down his chest to hold his scarred left wrist, her own thumb following his movements on her hip against his mangled flesh. Emma drew in a heavy breath before finally asking her question, looking up to see him watching her expectantly.
"When do you want to get married?" Emma breathed, a finger trailing through the light dusting of hair on Killian's chest, trying to hide the slight tremor in her voice as she nervously played off her sudden wish to plan their wedding as inspired by her mother. Killian hummed, his chest moving slightly, causing her to move so that she was lying facing him, her head propped up on her hand. He also manoeuvred himself so his elbow supported his head next to hers. He leaned forwards, pressing his lips to hers gently.
"It doesn't matter to me, Swan. As long as we're married, I have no preference to a date." Emma's eyes seemed to melt as she stared at him. He smiled happily as she gaped at him. A few seconds passed before she blinked a few times, closing her mouth and grinning. She pushed herself forwards to kiss him. He was taken aback as she threw herself at him, pushing him back against the pillow as her body landed atop of his. He quickly returned the kiss, his hand sliding up to cup the back of her head, his fingers playing with her curls as she kissed him.
"Spring." She muttered against his mouth as his stump ran up and down her spine below her shirt.
"What?" He said, his wrist stopping as his mind was too hazed by her kiss to remember their previous conversation. She pulled back, grinning, her hand still wrapped in the hair at the nape of his neck. She sat back on her heels, as she had somehow ended up with her knees on either side of Killian's legs as she sat atop him.
"Spring. I want to get married in the spring. It's my favorite season, the pink blossom, the warm sun but still breezy. And all the birds singing in the trees." She smiled dreamily as Killian grinned at her. "I know, it's sappy." She blushed. "But I think a spring wedding would be perfect." Emma had started babbling, apparently afraid that her idea was stupid and needed justifying.
"Emma." She stopped talking, looking at Killian who was simply smiling at her. She blinked, before blushing and biting her lip awkwardly. Killian laughed and pressed yet another kiss to her lips. "Spring sounds perfect, how about May 5th?" Emma's face lightened up immediately. A grin spread across her lips as she let out an incredibly out of character giggle, which immediately led to a deep red blush spreading across her cheeks and down her neck, even her arms turned slightly pink as Killian's mouth fell open in a grinning gape at her reaction.
"Oh my god." She breathed, staring at him. "Did we just start planning our wedding?"
"I think we did." Killian's voice had softened, along with his eyes as he smiled at her. Emma pressed a hand to her own smile, excitement setting in. After a few moments of quiet, exhilarated bliss, Emma ran her hands down Killian's arms, gripping his wrist and entwining her fingers with his remaining ones.
"Hey. So... I was thinking about a venue..." Killian raised an eyebrow, his heart beat starting increasing. This was actually happening. This was his happy ending. His Swan, his Emma, wanted to marry him. She had even thought of a venue. Killian smiled, staring at the woman who was currently beaming down at him from her position atop his lap, the woman who held his heart forever and always. "How about the beach?"
"The beach?" He responded. "In spring? Why not the beach in summer? Or a nice town house or somewhere in the country?" It was Killian's turn to babble now. He was desperate to know why Emma could possibly want to get married on the beach. She usually complained about sand, how it gets everywhere, between your toes, in your ears, your hair. She always fretted when Killian had been for a run along the beach and she had to vacuum the rug when he entered the house. He blinked at her when she shushed him, another few out of character giggles escaping her lips.
"I want to get married at the beach because you love the sea. The ocean was such a huge part of your childhood, and even though he can't physically be there, I want Liam to be at our wedding. And I know you feel closer to him when you're by the sea."
Killian was speechless. He simply gaped at her for a moment, before his deep blue eyes became hazy and he bit on his lips hard to prevent any tears from smiled sadly, cupping his cheek and kissing his forehead.
"It was just an idea, Jones. We don't have to get married by the ocean if it's going to be too painful." And as the words slipped out of her mouth, Killian swallowed, before grinning, shaking his head, and flipping them over so that he was leaning over her. Emma giggled as he pressed wet kisses to her neck, her hair spread out around her head like a golden veil. "Killian? Yea or nay for the beach?" She asked.
"Oh, Emma." He murmured, his head rising from her collarbone to look into her eyes. "I think it's a grand idea. So, aye, yea for the beach." Emma smiled, her arm sliding up to pull his head down to hers, lips tangling in a kiss. They stroked lazily against one another with their mouths, kissing now a slow dance for them in the comfort of their relationship. However, before the kiss could turn into a tango of passion, Emma pulled away.
"Do we seriously have a date and venue for our wedding?"
"I believe we do, my love." Emma grinned, excitement coursing through her veins. Killian grinned down at her, his hand pushing stray strands of hair from her face as they gazed at one another.
"I love you." Emma said. "I can't wait to be Mrs Jones." Killian's jaw dropped.
"You're changing your name to Jones?" He asked breathily, feeling as though all of the air had been knocked out of his chest. "What happened to Emma independent-woman-who-doesn't-need-a-man-to-give-her-authority Swan?" Emma laughed.
"I love you, Killian. And I want the world to know that. I'll only change it if you're okay with it, I'll even go with Swan-Jones if it were to make you happier-"
"I'm more than okay with it, love. As long as I still get to call you Swan because I don't think I could train myself out of that little habit." Killian said, grinning at his wife to be.
"Deal." And with that, Emma pulled him back down to continue their kiss, allowing the slow dance to become a passionate tango. And a while later, when both Emma and Killian were breathing heavily and definitely sated, basking in the afterglow of quite a vigorous tango session, Killian managed to gather enough breath to turn to Emma.
"Oh, Emma?"
"Killian?"
"I love you too. Future Mrs Jones."
"That's what I like to hear, Future Mr Swan."
Gods, he loved this woman.
Five Months Later.
Emma groaned. She felt like she was drowning in chiffon and lace. After months and month of cake tasting, invitation making and other such wedding prep, the day was finally here. The day she would find her dress of dreams. At least, that's the way her mother saw it. Emma saw today as being more a day of squeezing into many a garish white gown until she found one that she sort-of liked and she thought Killian would find her hot in. Emma was joined in the white and pink dress shop by her bridal party. This involved her mother, Ruby, Belle, and her maid of honor, Elsa, her cousin who had returned from her five-year expedition across Norway to take a part in Emma's wedding.
Emma seemed to have lost any fashion sense whatsoever and was relying purely on suggestions made by her friends as to what dress she should try on. She had tried on gown after gown, attempting to find any that didn't cause her to feel completely ridiculous. Mary Margaret had picked out a ghastly dress, exclaiming that it was almost exactly the same as hers had been. It was full of puffy layers and a large hooped skirt. Emma glared at Ruby who was attempting to muffle a laugh when she stepped out of the changing room in the gown, whilst Belle was shaking her head harshly and Elsa tried to find positive features.
"It has a flattering neckline."
Yet, even Mary Margaret ended up agreeing that the dress was not suited for Emma and definitely wouldn't 'knock Killian dead' as Ruby had eloquently explained previously as being the key factor to Emma's final decision. The dress was finally laid to rest in the 'hell no' pile when Emma moved to change and nearly tripped over the hooped skirt.
Belle's choice had also ended up being discarded. Sure, for some, a tulle, sparkle-embedded, sweetheart-necklined, princess dress would be the dream, but for Emma, it wasn't.
"I feel like a haberdashery exploded next to a glitter factory when I was stood between them. Sorry, Belle, but this dress is not for me at all." Emma said awkwardly, trying to be delicate around her friend who had recently been through a rough break-up, even though it was with Mr Gold, something that she and Killian had celebrated in the solitude and comfort of their house. Belle simply nodded, claiming that even though she loved the dress, she understood that it was not something every woman wanted.
At this point, Elsa presented Emma with her choice of dress. It was significantly different from both Mary Margaret and Belle's choices.
Elsa's dress was long-sleeved and figure hugging. The sleeves were made of lace whilst the bodice was embedded with miniature sparkles and long slit ran up the side of the left leg. Emma held back a grimace as she walked into the mirrored area of the store, as Elsa fawned over the dress, muttering away about how a side braid would be a gorgeous hairstyle.
But, this dress also was shot down by Emma, who wasn't digging into the whole sparkly dresses idea. Emma did promise Elsa that she would consider a side braid though, before taking the dress that Ruby presented to her proudly.
"No." Emma cried from behind the curtain. Ruby rolled her eyes. "No, Ruby. Just, no."
"Come on, Em. Let's have a look at you." Emma glared as she stomped out from behind the curtain. She could barely move in the skin-tight, mermaid dress with the low back and long train. One positive factor was that there were no sparkles, but the sheer bodice that showed a significant amount of what Emma looked like beneath the dress made the sparkles on the other dresses look much more enticing.
Mary Margaret was vehemently shaking her head muttering words such as 'your father' and 'probably die' while Belle and Elsa fell about laughing as Ruby tried to defend her choice with her previous statement of 'knocking Killian dead'. It was Emma's turn to roll her eyes as she drained her champagne flute and turned on her heel and stalked straight back behind the curtain.
Back in her own clothes, Emma decided that it was her turn. She moved swiftly along the lines of dresses, flicking through them. Roughly ten minutes of listening to her friends make idle chatter behind her later, Emma stopped in her tracks. Her heart shuddered in her chest as she looked at it. This was it. The dress.
"Oh. My. God."
Her friends suddenly stopped gossiping about Ruby's new girlfriend and sprang up.
"Did you find one?"
"Is that it?"
"Try it on!"
"Girl, is it gonna knock Killian dead?"
Emma remained silent as she turned to the woman whose name she had completely forgotten and who seemingly couldn't stop smiling and asking if they needed any help. This woman was one of the reasons Emma was starting to regret trying to find a wedding dress and was considering just wearing her red leather jacket to marry Killian. But the dress that caught her eye halted any thoughts of bailing.
"Could I try this one next, and not see it on until I'm in front of the mirror?" Emma asked her quietly, holding back a grimace as the woman's smile grew even larger and she flipped her perfectly curled brown hair over her shoulder, revealing the name badge that was perfectly positioned on her perfectly ironed purple shirt. Aurora. A perfectly pretentious Disney princess name for a perfectly pretentious woman.
"Of course!" Aurora said happily, pulling the dress from the rack and leading Emma over to the dressing room. Mary Margaret looked like she was about to cry at how in awe her daughter was over the dress, knowing that this was it. Emma smiled at her friends before Aurora closed the curtain.
The usually chatty four were deathly silent as they heard Aurora whispering to Emma from behind the curtain and the rustling of fabric. A few minutes passed before a sickly sweet, over-enthusiastic voice called out, "Are you ladies ready?"
No one replied, their heart beats simply increasing as the curtain squeaked along its rail, and Aurora lead Emma out, her eyes covered by a blindfold. All four gasped, with Mary Margaret and Belle bursting into tears. Emma breathed heavily as she felt herself being positioned in front of a mirror.
"Are you ready?" Aurora said, her perfectly manicured fingers playing with the knot at the back of her head. Emma breathed out, letting air escape from between her lips. She took a second, a second to allow herself the blind, selfish, hesitating relief of not knowing, being free before seeing what will change her life, whether her decision will be 'the one' or not. Her eyes squeezed shut as she nodded slowly. She felt the gentle silk slip from her face, and she clenched her jaw. She counted to five, before slowly, and nervously, opening her eyes.
Oh.
"It's perfect."
"Stunning."
"You look so beautiful."
"You're gonna knock Killian dead."
The dress was white, not cream or champagne or beige. It was an elegant white, not too bright or bold or garish. It was made of a bodice and a skirt that connected to form a dress. The bodice was boned, forming a corseted back and embroidered in a lacy batiste fabric. The sleeves were long and flowing, capped with more lace as the ends descended into a point that nearly reached her ankles when her arms were by her sides.
It wasn't your stereotypical wedding dress, there was no tulle or glittering. But as Emma looked at herself in the mirror, the way the organza skirt pooling out into a train behind her. Her lips pressed together as she held in her gasp and tears. Mary Margaret let out a sob that caused Emma to turn to face her mother. Emma let out her own hiccup, seeing her mother's tear streaked face and let her own tears fall.
"M-Mom..." Emma choked, her head falling. Mary Margaret jumped up and rushed forwards, her arms wrapping around Emma. "I'm getting married." Emma cried into Mary Margaret's sweater, her mother's embrace soothing her as she sobbed.
"I'm marrying my best friend..." Emma muttered. "I'm marrying Killian. It's actually happening, we're going to spend the rest of our lives together, we're going to be happy."
"Oh, Emma..." Mary Margaret lulled, her hand stroking her daughter's hair gently, quietening her tears. "Honey, I am so happy for you. Killian is all I could have ever wished for you." Emma smiled against her mother, allowing herself to be moved as she was settled down into the comfy chair that the rest of her bridal party were currently sat in. An arm slung around her shoulders and a fresh glass of champagne was pressed into her hand.
After a while, Emma had calmed down and was finally eagerly discussing her wedding with her friends, have consumed a number of strawberries and a glass and a half of champagne. She played with her engagement ring as she stood before the mirror again, now trying on veils and shoes and tiaras. But she dictated what she tried on, she didn't allow her friends or mother to pick out anything in fear of experiencing the same hellish process as before.
Finally, eventually, Emma was re-clothed in her jeans and jacket, her body already missing the soft, and expensive fabric of her dress. She couldn't stop bouncing on her heels as her mother spoke to Aurora about money. Being the lovely and welcoming parents that they were, especially as Killian had no one, David and Mary Margaret had decided that they would pay for the wedding if Emma and Killian payed for their honeymoon. Obviously their decision had been countered, but Emma's parents could be incredibly stubborn if they wanted and insisted on pain of death or, well, at least, pain of the removal of their blessing, which was apparently a 'genuine' thing, according to David.
Emma was ecstatic. It all finally felt real. It was going to happen. She was going to marry the love of her life. Her true love. Her best friend. Emma Swan was marrying Killian Jones. And she couldn't be happier. She smirked as she sipped at her champagne proudly. She was going to knock Killian dead in that dress.
3 Months Later
"Have a good day." Emma said, reaching up to kiss Killian on the cheek. Excitement coursed through her with the adrenaline of knowing that tonight was her bachelorette party. And tomorrow, she'd be walking down that aisle. A gust of wind pushed her hair into her face, which resulted in Killian laughing softly and tucking her hair behind her ears. They were stood on the beach, the sea crashing softly behind them after the wedding rehearsal. "Don't let them take you to a strip club." She said, causing him to chuckle again.
"You too, love. On both counts."
It was Emma's turn to laugh now, her hand reaching behind his neck to pull him forwards and into a kiss. They both lingered for a moment, enjoying their time together. They breathed each other in, trying to memorise how they felt, trying to overload their senses with each other. It felt ridiculous, they would only be apart for a maximum of twenty-four hours. Even when their lips parted, Emma pushed herself onto her toes to wrap her arms around Killian's neck and bury her face in his neck.
"I'm gonna miss you."
"Swan, we're going to see each other tomorrow." He said, his arms tightening around her and holding her closer despite himself. "I'll miss you too." He whispered against her, breathing in the strawberry scent of her hair. They sighed together, not wanting to part. They both groaned when their phones practically simultaneously vibrated, signalling them that their friends were waiting.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Emma."
Emma's mouth twitched into a light smile.
"I'll uh- see you at the aisle I guess..."
"Wear something white."
Emma winked before sliding forwards a gently kissing him again.
"You betcha I will."
"GET HER!" Emma screeched as she pointed her gun at the approaching enemy. Elsa's gun fired, hitting Ruby clean in the chest with a large splatter of blue paint. "Woohoo!" Emma and Elsa cheered as they high-fived. "Third game in a row! Our team is a force to be reckoned with."
Emma could hear Ruby grumbling to Dorothy about Emma's unfair advantage, what with her being a cop and all. Belle was in the process of attempting to scrub the bright pink paint from Ruby's gun out of her hair when her teammate accidentally shot her in the back.
Emma proudly pulled of her helmet, grinning.
"Best. Bachelorette party. Ever." She wheezed, out of breath from clambering over Styrofoam logs and padded boulders. Elsa followed her motion, her own helmet dropping to the ground as her braid slipped from underneath.
"Agreed, this was well worth the twenty hour journey from Oslo to Portland. Paint-balling, genius idea."
Emma and Elsa fist-bumped all members of their team who finally joined them. Tink was grinning ecstatically, despite the large amount of pink paint dripping down the side of her face. Despite losing, many members of Ruby's team were still smiling broadly, the excitement and exhilaration of the game winning over their defeat. Emma wiped a small splatter of blue paint that had flown from Elsa's gun when she had hit Ruby.
Mary Margaret finally managed to join them, having been watching from the side-lines, after picking her way through the arena and dodging puddles of paint.
"Well done! And commiserations to your team, Ruby." Emma laughed, it was so like her mother to make sure that every single person was having the time of their life. Emma hugged her mother, before turning to the rest of her bachelorette group.
"So, what's next on the agenda?"
Ruby, Belle and Elsa shared a mischievous look.
"Yeah, no. I promised Killian no strip-clubs."
Ruby rolled her eyes, groaning, while Belle giggled and Mary Margaret blushed. Emma looked at Elsa, biting her lip to hold back a smile.
"We weren't going to take you to a strip club, Emma. Don't worry." Elsa muttered to her. "We're taking you out for dinner so you'd better get back to Ruby's and dress up."
Emma grinned.
"Well, let's go."
Killian leaned against the railing of the boat, beer bottle in his hand as he stared out to sea. The waves lapped lazily against the edges of the boat, the gentle rocking soothing his active mind. Killian sipped his beer, watching the sunset. A party raged on behind him, all of his friends having a ball. But all Killian could think about was tomorrow, nerves and excitement raging through him like a tempest. His heart couldn't understand how the thought of Emma walking towards him in a white dress could be equally terrifying and exhilarating.
"Jones, you alright?"
Robin had appeared next to him, joining Killian leaning over the railing. Killian drew in a deep breath, took a long draw of his beer before nodding.
"Aye, mate. I am."
"Big day, tomorrow."
Killian hummed, smiling as he watched a few fish darting about in the blue depths below. The sky had turned into hues of purples and blues and oranges. Killian stared dreamily at the deep mixture of color, feeling the chill of the night setting in above the waves. Not long now. His bachelor party had taken up most of the day after 2 pm, when he and Emma had parted ways for the night.
"Alright, mate." Robin said, clapping him on the back. "I can tell you want to be alone to daydream about the fact that you're becoming an officially-taken man tomorrow. And I respect your wishes. That's what best men are for right?"
"Thanks, mate." Killian grinned at his best friend. "Go and make sure Scarlet doesn't get too buggered, alright?"
Robin laughed. "Sure thing, Kil."
And with that, Killian was alone again. He downed the remainder of his beer, making a mental note to drink a large glass of water before finally sleeping tonight. He pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over Emma's name, debating whether he should call her or not. After a moment, he tutted, rolled his eyes and shook his head.
Of course not. Don't be a fool, Killian. Let her have her fun, talk to her tomorrow, when she's your wife.
The thought of having a wife made Killian smile, but the thought of his wife being Emma made him grin widely. He quickly sent her a text, knowing that even though he couldn't ring or see her, he wanted some way of letting her know how much she meant to him.
Emma Swan.
Emma Jones.
Killian's mind traced back to that day, that blessed day. The day he met his Emma Swan.
Killian had fidgeted nervously in the seat of the car next to Liam, who rolled his eyes at his younger brother. Six years between them, but they were still best friends. An eleven year old and a seventeen year old.
Despite his 'bravado' exterior, Killian could tell that Liam was almost, if not equally a nervous for their first day of American school as he was. The schooling system differed greatly, they wouldn't even be in the same building. Killian tried to rectify his messy flop of hair, that wouldn't stay neat for the life of him. Oh, how he had wished for Liam's curls that remained perfect all of the time.
Killian's stomach had nearly dropped out of him when their father pulled up outside the big white building, saying "Killian, get out. I have to take your brother to his school, and he can't be late.". Liam had given Killian a encouraging smile as the car door shut behind him, and their father drove off, shouting "See you later" to his youngest son.
Killian had drawn a deep, nervous breath, adjusted the straps of his backpack, and followed the streams of children into the school, anxiously asking a boy where the reception desk was.
Before he had known it, Killian was stood before a class of students, next to a pretty girl with brown hair and a scar above her lip, who didn't seem to be at all nervous. The teacher was addressing the class, his salt and pepper brown hair flopping into his eyes as he sternly spoke at a boy who had told him where reception was, who Killian had now learned was named August. August had apparently missed a lot of school due to a leg injury. But, Killian couldn't tear his eyes from her.
Her green eyes, hidden behind thick-rimmed glasses, sparkled with contained laughter as the boy on the desk next to her got a verbal lashing from Mr Gold. Her long blonde hair was thrown back into a ponytail and her clothes showed that she preferred hanging out with boys to girls, aided by the fact that she sat on the side of the classroom that was apparently designated to males. She had only really glanced at Killian, but her focus was taken by the teacher and August currently.
Killian eyed the empty chair beside her, gutted that the brunette beside him would probably be placed there. He longed to meet the blonde beauty, to learn her name. But why we she be interested in him? He was a scrawny kid from England whose hair was a mess and was far too long.
But still, Killian watched her as she pressed her hand to her mouth to hold back her laughter.
Killian's stomach dropped again when Mr Gold finally stopped berating August and turned to introduce Killian and the other girl to the class.
"This is Regina Mills and Killian Jones."
Killian's heart had skipped a beat when he saw the blonde mystery looking at him, a slight hint of a smile on her face as she watched him. He could tell he was blushing deeply, hoping that it played off as being from nerves. His eyes widened when Mr Gold told the other girl, Regina, to sit next to August, which meant...
"Jones, next to Swan."
Swan.
Killian smiled as he picked up his bag and made his way over to the girl who had grinned and waved her hand at him, signalling that she was Swan. He awkwardly sank down into the chair next to him, feeling the eyes of the class watching him before beginning to relax when chatter started up again as Mr Gold pulled out a newspaper and ignored the rising volume of the room. He was shocked to see Swan stick out her hand to him.
"I'm Emma." She said. "Emma Swan." He blinked. Emma. It suited her, her entire name. Emma Swan. Like a fairytale. Her hand was still extended to him as she spoke. "I'm gonna make sure you settle in here."
Killian let out a gratuitous laugh and placed his hand in hers, shivering as a jolt of electricity shot up his arm.
"Thank you."
He bit his lip when her eyes widened.
"You're British?"
And that was that. He knew he was hooked. He would never let this girl out of his life, even if she hated him, he would always remember the Swan girl who had been excited to hear his accent and had welcomed him into her life when not many other people would. If he could, in the future, he would marry that girl.
Emma wasn't drunk. Sure, she had had a few and felt slightly woozy, but she could still remember everything when she flopped onto her bed that night, heels and dress still on. She smiled, her eyes closing as she breathed deeply. Yet, there was something she was forgetting. Something important.
Her phone buzzed next to her, simply a calendar update for something that she couldn't read with her blurry vision. She scrolled down, seeing the green notification signalling that she had a text. She blinked a few times, clearing her eyes and unlocking her phone to read it.
Killian.
Crap.
She'd forgotten she was getting married in the morning.
A giggle escaped her lips at the memory. I'm getting married in the morning. She glanced over to her closet in Ruby's bedroom, the white dress hanging on the open door. Emma kicked off her heels, crawled up the bed to lean against the headboard and looked at her phone.
Swan.
I know I probably shouldn't do this, but I was looking at the sunset and was thinking about how close it is now. I am equally excited and terrified about tomorrow, but trust me, my love, I will be there on that beach. I can't wait to see you again, I know you will be beautiful and stunning.
I can't believe that the girl I met all of those years ago has become the woman who marries me, I have seen many sides to you, Swan, and I have loved them all.
You are a marvel, darling. Your selflessness, your wisdom, and your courage make me fall more and more in love with you each day.
I just want to wish you a happy evening, I hope your day was brilliant and everything that you needed.
I love you.
(Hopefully) See you tomorrow.
Yours forever, Future Mrs Jones,
Killian x.
Emma was crying. She knew she had mascara running down her cheeks but she couldn't find it within herself to care. She brushed away her tears with the back of her hand, sniffing. She drew a stuttering breath, a huge smile on her face. She typed out a reply before manoeuvring from the bed to remove her dress and makeup. Once comfortable in one of Killian's shirts, she clambered into the bed, sad at how empty it felt. But she reread his text a hundred times over before finally drifting off to sleep.
Killian was awoken by his phone lighting up.
Emma.
He read her message, a smile gracing his tired face as he imagined her saying it to him.
Jones.
Damn you, you bastard, making me cry on the night before our wedding.
I love you too, I miss you. This bed feels too big without you here to keep me warm.
On the day we met, I made a promise to myself that I would crack the enigma that was the thin, scrawny, floppy-haired, British kid, Killian Jones. And I think I have.
You're suave, but sweet. Handsome, but gentle. You always have the most perfect things to say and you never let me down.
I love you so much and I can't wait to be your wife.
Yours forever, Future Mr Swan,
Emma x.
Emma and Killian slept peacefully that night, hands clutched around their phones as they dreamed of one another. And as dawn broke, and morning sunlight streaked through the curtains of their respective bedrooms, their next adventure began.
Thanks for reading this chapter! Just wanted to say that Emma's wedding dress is inspired by the one she wore at the Camelot ball in 5x02, so go and look at a picture of that if you need your memory refreshing.
Thanks again for reading, and extra thanks if you leave me a review, I love hearing what you all think. You can all guess what's coming up next. I also think I am going to continue What's Your Favorite Memory?, the Dust Storm AU that I posted a one-shot of a little while ago. So if you want me to definitely continue that, please go leave a review on it.
Thanks a lot guys, I love you all and thank you for nearly 13k views on this fic, it means a lot.