This is inspired by a story I wrote for Captain Swan (again) back in the day, 'Le Pirate et la Princesse,' where Killian read his and Emma's story to their daugther after she had a nightmare. So, basically here it's quite the same plot:
Jake reads he and Amy's daughter their own story, rewritten 'fairytale-stylez' (i.e. this is a Royalty!AU) by Terry as a wedding gift a few years prior to that.
Proofread by middleclassaunty and itsgarbagecannotgarbagecannot on Tumblr.
"Daddyyyyy!"
Jake is in the kitchen, quietly cleaning the dishes when he hears footsteps rushing his way, and the recognisable voice of his little girl resonating against the walls.
He barely has the time to put the plate he was holding into the sink when a small human being comes and wraps her arms around his legs, immediately hiding her head in them as she does so. He can feel her falling tears wetting his jeans.
"Hey baby girl," her father gently calls her, concern audible in his voice as he strokes her dark, curly hair with his hand in a soothing gesture. "What's going on?"
"I… had… a… nightmare," the child cries. Jake reacts by forcing her to detach herself from the embrace, and squats to meet her height. He puts his finger on her chin to make her look up towards him and kindly smiles at her when she does so. "Come here," he says, opening his arms widely and she curls up against his chest in an instant.
"Shh, it's okay now." He hugs her tight, and smooths his hand up and down her back until her cries have gone silent. This time, when they break apart, she's the one initiating it. She still has a few tears falling onto her face, but at least it's not big sobs anymore. "Feeling better?" Jake asks then.
She silently nods in answer while he removes some of the last salty pearls from her cheek with his fingers. "Where's Mommy?" She speaks again after a short while, looking around in search of Amy and frowning when she doesn't find her anywhere near.
"At work," Jake explains. He waits a second before adding anything – he's afraid this new piece of information is going to take them back to another round of crying. When it doesn't, he goes on, "Remember, I told you she had to work late? But she'll be back soon, promise."
"Can I wait for her?" the girl asks.
The detective pauses to think. His wife sent a text a few minutes ago, telling him that her case was taking longer than she first expected. Plus, it's already almost nine – which means one hour past bedtime, and she didn't even have a whole hour of sleep since he had tucked her in.
He doesn't have to think for long to come to a conclusion, then: waiting really isn't a good idea.
He knows his daughter won't like what he's about to tell her, so he remains careful when he says, "Sarah, you have school tomorrow."
She pouts at his words. Sarah might be only five, but she's quite the intelligent girl, and thus knows this is not looking good for her request.
"So you need to rest," he continues. "But if you go to sleep now, time will actually go faster, and when you wake up Mommy will be here and make you breakfast. Would you like that, breakfast with Mommy? I'm sure if you ask her nicely she'll even agree to make you pancakes."
She seems to enjoy the idea very much, because he doesn't have to argue more for her to go back to bed. Once she's all tucked under her covers, though, and Jake's about to leave her alone, Sarah tries again. "Can you stay and read me a story? I'm afraid the monster is going to come back…"
As she speaks, tears start sprinkling in her brown eyes once more, and Jake remembers what all of this was really about in the beginning: his daughter having a nightmare. He surrenders to her plea then, and comes back to sit next to her.
There's a shelf full of books by his side, but he doesn't have to search through them all to pick one. He already knows which one he's going to read. The one that's carefully put aside by itself; The Peraltiago Story. It's a book Terry wrote – and illustrated – as a gift for Jake and Amy's wedding, a few years earlier.
And, as its name suggests, it recalls their whole story – though put in a fairytale world, and romanticized a bit for the story's purposes. Jake read it for the first time the day after the ceremony and cried the entire time. He had always dreamed of that moment when he could read it to his own children, too.
So, obviously, the choice is easily made there. It's time for Sarah to learn about her parents' love story.
After making himself comfortable, and once sure the little brunette is all ears out, he starts sharing in a slow voice, "Once upon a time, in a land far away from here, the 99th land of the Brooklyn Forest, there was a castle. And, living inside this castle, there was a family – the royal family of the realm.
"The people of the 99th land of the Brooklyn Forest loved the royal family, and the royal family loved them back. So much so that, when one day, a mother and her child came to the castle asking for their help after the father of that family left the house, leaving them all alone and penniless, they didn't hesitate to welcome them in their home.
"Thankful, the mother asked how she could pay the King and Queen back for their kindness. They didn't need to be paid back; after all, it was their duty to take care of their subjects as they had taken a vow to always look after them and be sure they'd never lack of anything.
"But the woman insisted, so they hired her as an arts teacher to their children, for she was an artist, and they had a lot of children. Six, to be precise, soon-to-be eight as the Queen was expecting not only one, but two happy events the next month. As for the woman's son – Johnny was is name – he was raised among the royal siblings.
"It didn't take long for Johnny to fit in and befriend them all, and especially one of them: Dora, the only girl of the whole brothers and sister.
"Though in many aspects they were very different, they both had one thing in common that brought them close; they were both hugely competitive, always trying to outdo the other at every chance they had – and they did find a lot, in every one of all of their different trainings.
"That's how they came to learn that Johnny was by far the best at ball dancing and riding horses, but no-one could win over Dora at mathematics or music lessons.
"They grew up, but nothing changed, still challenging each other over every new skill they were supposed to learn. Until Johnny became old enough to apply to the army, and he became all serious about his trainings all of a sudden – or at least, as serious as someone like Johnny could ever be.
"'It's my dream, Dora!' he'd tell his friend as he'd pack his things, ready to leave for a whole summer of trainings and tests to see if he was fitting for the job. 'And it's about to come true. Finally I'll be a real John McClane.'
"John McClane was Johnny's hero since childhood, from a famous legend that was told around the realms, about a true, brave soldier who was always there to save the world.
"Dora simply smiled in return to his excitation. She, too, had an important summer waiting for her: she was going abroad on a camp to gather some more knowledge about 'the codes of royalty.' Every volunteer prince and princess of the 39 different realms of the Brooklyn Forest were invited to attend. And of course she volunteered.
"She loved learning new things, despite how Johnny would make fun of her about that and call her a 'nerd.'
"Plus, there was a chance she would finally meet her future husband there, too.
"Ever since she was old enough to understand it, Dora had known she was promised to a prince for an arranged marriage. She didn't know much about him, apart from the fact that his name was Ted, and he was from the 82th realm, and their parents were looking forward to merging their realms into a bigger one thanks to them.
"So she hoped she would be able to meet him before the wedding, so that she could get to know him.
"'Well, if he's at that camp, at least you can be sure he's a good match and he's as nerdy as you are,' Johnny teased her when she talked to her friend about him.
"They parted ways for two months with a hug, wishing each other good luck in their own journey. It was the first (but surely not the last) time these two were going to be separated that long.
"They didn't feel the summer pass by, though – thus they didn't have time to miss each other too much. While Johnny was all busy with training and hanging out with new friends that were to become his squad if they all passed the final test – one of them was Rosie, a tough, fearless girl – Dora, on the other hand, saw her wish come true.
"Indeed, upon her arrival at the 'codes of royalty' camp, when everyone gathered around to do the presentations, she found herself faced with a tall, handsome boy who bowed at her with a beautiful smile and kissed her hand in courtesy while revealing his name, 'Enchanted to meet you, Princess. I'm Prince Ted.'
"He had her charmed right on the spot. 'Enchanted to meet you too,' she replied, feeling her cheeks turning red. 'I'm Princess Dora.'
"'Princess Dora?!' his face lit up at the sound of her name. 'As in, Princess Dora of the 99th land?'
"'Herself indeed,' she nodded, and he took her hand in his – a simple gesture that made her blush even more than before.
"'Let's take a walk before the camp begins, shall we?' he offered, then. She didn't hesitate one second to agree.
"As days turned into weeks, Dora and Ted got closer, and soon became inseparables. They discovered they had a lot in common, and all the anxiety Dora could have first felt about meeting her promised vanished as she learned to know him better. She'd always trusted her parents to make a good choice for her but never would have she imagined them making the perfect choice.
"Every time they could, they'd sneak out into the woods to share picnics and stories away from prying eyes. Their last night at camp at the end of the two months made no exception. Except this time, when the sun started coming down and they had to go back to camp, Ted took Dora's hands in his and watched her intently, nervous.
"'May I… kiss you goodnight?' he eventually found the guts to ask. He'd wanted to do it for weeks, and now was his last chance before long.
"Dora was startled at first, though she should have expected such a question. They were really getting along, and would be husband and wife someday. Kissing was quite an evident part of what they would be doing once married.
"Still, she was hesitant. She hadn't kissed anyone before, though she was sure she knew how to do it at least correctly – she'd read books about it, after all. Lots of them.
"After some quiet time debating with herself, she accepted his request, and closed her eyes as his lips chastely met with hers.
"She was back home the day after, already missing him. Johnny hadn't returned from his training yet – he wouldn't before a few more days. But when he did, it was with a huge grin upon his face that he greeted his friend, taking her into his arms as he let her of know of the great news.
"'I've been accepted into the royal army!' he exclaimed, and his happiness spreaded upon the girl, who congratulated him, hugging him back. She was truly happy for her friend – it was his dream, and he worked really hard to achieve it. He deserved it, more than anyone else.
"After that, he told her all about his time away – about what he did during the trainings, the friends he met, the test he had to pass. He also recounted to her about the new commanding officer that would be at the head of his squad, whom he met on his last day. He was replacing the former one, Officer McGintley, who was retiring.
"'He's soooo boring,' Johnny complained with a sigh. 'He wants us all to put a uniform, says it's super important. He's making too many rules already.'
"'What's his name?' Dora asked, curious. 'On the contrary, from what you've said, he seems great. Don't tell my father, but I hated Officer McGintley. He was so useless.'
"'Officer Ray Hold, I think,' the boy shrugged. 'And I'd rather have McGintley back. At least he wasn't behind my back all the time.'
"'Are you kidding me?!' his friend suddenly exclaimed, apparently in shock by his revelation. 'Officer Ray Hold is the best! You have to introduce him to me. I need to ask him to give me some lessons. He's my idol.'
"Johnny didn't bother to reply with anything; simply laughed at the girl's sudden excitement. Then, after a short pause, he asked, 'And you, tell me about your summer! Did you meet your Prince Charming there?' he joked, and all of a sudden Dora was back to being serious again.
"She wasn't so sure she wanted to talk about what happened. Especially not with him, which was strange, since he was usually the one she'd want to share everything with.
"'It was… great,' she eventually began with her explanation, though. 'We learned tons of very interesting things. And… yes, my future husband was there.'
"'So, how is he? Wait, let me guess… does he have like a super weird soul patch or something? He has to have one!' Johnny got very excited about the conversation.
"Dora hit him in the side for this. 'No, he doesn't,' she informed her friend, and blushed as she went on, 'He's really handsome, actually. And kind. We have a lot in common.'
"'So I was right!' the newly-graded soldier exclaimed. 'He is a nerd!' he laughed, but the girl didn't laugh along with him. She barely listened to him, too lost in her memories of the summer she'd spent with Ted, and how she felt like her heart was going to explode when his lips tenderly brushed hers.
"'Can I tell you a secret?' she suddenly felt the urge of sharing the moment with someone as she went back to reality.
"'Sure,' Johnny answered, his brows furrowed with concern, looking intently at his friend. She got him curious with her question.
"'It's nothing too important, don't worry,' she reassured him immediately. 'But, on our last night there he took me out and asked me to kiss me and… I said yes.'
"'Oh,' he simply let out. He didn't know what to say more, caught off guard by her declaration. Weirdly, he felt his stomach starting to ache, but still tried to put on a straight face as he told her, not knowing what was so suddenly happening to him, 'That's great, congratulations!'
"Idiot, he immediately thought to himself. Why would he congratulate her on such a thing? It was just a kiss. Shared with the man she was promised to marry since childhood.
"There really was no big deal, here, then. He'd kiss girls too – and she knew that already, because he'd brag about it every time, mostly to her.
"Never did she congratulate him about that, though. Because that was stupid. He was being stupid.
"She didn't seem to find it too strange, since she simply thanked him with a shy smile, her cheeks as red as he'd ever seen them before.
"After their reunion, they never talked about that topic again, and went back to their life as they knew it before each one of them left for the summer: a life full of friendly banter and challenges. They took the latter to another level when, while Dora was all excited about Officer Hold agreeing on training her, Johnny started teasing her about it.
"'I'd love to see you around a sword,' he gently mocked her, soon accompanied by two of his colleagues: Rosie, and Charly, his partner, whom he met at entering the army.
"Lina, Dora's maid, was also there – the five of them had taken the habit to meet several times a week, getting along all pretty well.
"'I'd be so good at sword fighting,' his friend was soon to react. 'Way better than you. Leave me just one year of training, and I'll show you how great I can learn to be.'
"'Please,' Johnny laughed. 'I'm in the army now,' he loved to repeat it to whoever wanted to know, 'In a year I'll be unbeatable.'
"'Wanna bet?' the princess's competitor's side woke up instantly at his daring words, and of course he agreed. 'What are you ready to bet, then?'
"'Anything. There's no way I'm losing this,' Johnny assured.
"'What about your Mustang?' Rosie proposed, taking part of the conversation – all of it seemed very amusing, from an outside point of view.
"'No, Johnny, you can't do that!' Charly tried to stop him. 'Your horse is a girls magnet! You can't risk to lose that.'
"'I'm not gonna lose it, since I'm gonna win,' the concerned boy insisted again.
"'Okay, so, what would be the worst thing to you, Dora?' Lina turned to the princess.
"'To be one of those girls Johnny took on a ride with this horse.'
"'That's settled then,' the maid sealed the bet. 'If Johnny loses, he has to give Dora his horse. But if Dora loses, she has to go on a date with Johnny riding said horse.'
"'Prepare to live the worst night of your life, Dora,' her friend jokingly threatened her as they shook hands.
"'You wish,' she replied, staring at him with determined eyes. There was no way she was letting him win."
At that point in the story, Jake takes a pause, heart beating fast in his chest, and tears of emotion menacing to fall down his face.
He's read the book tons of times, to the point he knows it by heart, just like he knows every line of every drawing, but still it gets to him every time.
Even more so now that he's telling it to his and Amy's daughter, who was born of their love, the first of, he wishes so, several siblings. More than ever tonight he can see how far they've come from that girl and this boy who made a stupid bet about who was the best detective between them to becoming husband and wife and having a child.
If he could go back in time and tell that to the Jake of January 14th, 2013, he'd certainly laugh at him.
"D'you want me to stop?" he asks when he spots Sarah letting out a yawn – it's getting late for her. But she shakes her head in return.
"No, please, go on. I wanna know who wins," she says, and it's all it takes for one happy pearl to leave his eye – seeing his child being all excited about her parents' love-story-turned-fairytale is quite the wonderful sight.
"Okay, then. Where were we… Oh, right," he finds the paragraph where he stopped again. "After that, for a whole year Johnny and Dora trained mercilessly to beat the other when time would finally come for them to sword fight, and thus show which of the two was the best at it.
"Throughout the months that passed, word about the bet between the princess and her friend got passed around the people of the 99th land of the Brooklyn Forest, so that when time eventually came for them to have this battle, they had a whole crowd coming from all around the realm to watch them and enjoy the show they had to offer.
"They didn't waste any second, and started their fight after wishing each other good luck – they were still friends, after all, and it wasn't this silly competition that was going to change that. It quickly turned out that they were both good – truly good at handling a sword. For long, it was impossible to tell which one of them was going to win.
"Sometimes Johnny had the advantage, sometimes it was Dora who would get back on top, or vice versa.
"But, in the end, while the princess thought she was winning for good, her friend gave one last perfect strike that ensured him victory. He let his sword fall onto the floor then, and rushed towards the defeated girl, kneeling in front of her with a huge, happy grin lighting his face.
"'Princess Dora,' he called her name, unable to hide his amusement at the grumpy look she was offering him right now. 'You've made me the happiest man on Earth… will you go on the worst date ever with me? You have to say yes.'
"'Yes…' she reluctantly answered him, and Johnny stood back up, yelling 'she said yes!' in victory in front of a cheering crowd.
"Nothing could be worse than this humiliation, Dora thought.
"At exactly 8:00 that same night, Johnny was knocking on Dora's door, ready to go. 'Dora, it's date-time!' he called her. 'Time to date!'
"'Johnny,' she complained as she passed her head through the doorway before opening it completely, offering the perfect view on the dress he made her wear for the night. 'This outfit is ridiculous.'
"He simply laughed in return, reminding her of their deal as they made their way outside: until midnight (this was the King and Queen's curfew for their daughter, they wouldn't let her go out later than this – weren't really keen on the whole concept of the bet anyway), he would be the one deciding on what she would wear, eat, and do.
"He'd spent a lot of time working on the perfect plan to make this night the most embarrassing night possible. It was going to be a lot of fun. For him, at least.
"Maybe less for her. But she was the one who thought she could beat him, not the contrary, after all.
"'Oh, and there is one more rule,' he added as he stopped in front of his horse, whose harness he decorated for the occasion. 'No matter what happens, you're not allowed to fall in love with me,' he joked. She rolled her eyes, and smiled as she refused his help to mount on the animal.
"'Won't be a problem,' she swore.
"Before going anywhere else, they made a stop at the nearest tavern; it was where all the members of the army used to gather together at least once a week. And tonight was a special night for one of them, as they were celebrating Charly getting a medal of valor for taking a blow for Rosie, more than likely saving her life.
"As his best of friends, Johnny had to come over, if only for a short moment, to congratulate him.
"Passing the front door of the place, Dora turned to her friend, and asked, 'Permission to go to the ladies' room?'
"'Granted,' the soldier accepted. 'But you only have three – choose them wisely.' She rolled her eyes, and left him alone.
"Johnny went to join his friends while she was away, taking a seat next to the older member of his squad. 'Congrats again buddy, I really am proud of you.'
"He then apologised for not being able to stay too long at the party, but surprisingly enough, the other man didn't seem to bother too much about that.
"More truthful than ever that night due to the medications he was taking, he talked to his friend about his relationship with Dora, and this supposedly terrible date he threw for her. 'All of this teasing, this elaborate date… I think you like Dora. Like… like her, like her.'
"'Okay, that's straight up insanity,' the other was soon to react, on the defensive.
"She was just his friend, nothing more than his friend. That were the only feelings he had towards her. But Charly insisted nonetheless, advising him to simply have a chat about it with her. Which was a stupid idea, Johnny thought, since even though it were true and he did like her, they couldn't be together in any way.
"She was engaged to another already, and he wasn't royalty himself. So, there was no chance at a love story here.
"'I do not like Dora!' he denied one last time before leaving his friend behind – the princess was coming back.
"While they were still at the tavern, Johnny invited Dora into performing some elaborate dance in front of everyone, knowing all too well how bad she was at it.
"'Romantic,' Charly couldn't help but whisper into the soldier's ear as he was about to take the girl to the center of the dancefloor, where everyone could witness the fiasco.
"'No, embarrassing,' he corrected before concentrating on their dance, and the show they would obviously make.
"Right in the middle of it, though, his Officer interrupted them, asking Johnny for a word. The two of them were getting along better, since the first time they met, after learning to know each other and their working styles. Sometimes Johnny even perceived him as a father figure, after being left by his own when he was a child.
"Not that he would ever admit that to him.
"'I need you to go on a patrol for me,' he explained, telling the young man that a stranger had been spotted in the realm, terrorising people on his way.
"'But… I'm right in the middle of this date, and…' Johnny tried to argue, but Officer Hold shushed him.
"'This is not a negotiation, so go,' he severely told him.
"The brunette gave in. 'All right, fine,' he sighed in defeat. 'But I'm taking Dora with me.'
"That's how the two friends ended up riding the boy's horse away from the tavern, and deep into the forest, where that stranger had last been seen according to the witnesses that warned Ray Hold. Once arrived at the place, they hid behind some bushes in order not to be caught up by the criminal if he were to reappear on the scene of his crimes.
"In the meantime, while waiting for any unusual sign, they fell into chatting and laughing together, sharing stories and nuts that Johnny had taken with him as a snack.
"'Throw one at me,' he asked Dora, and she did so – he perfectly, and rather proudly, caught it in his mouth. 'Your turn,' he invited her to do the same afterwards.
"Unfortunately, she wasn't as good as him, and let the nut he threw at her fall on the floor, which made them both laugh uncontrollably. 'What are you doing?' he teased.
"He looked at her for a minute, and while her laughter still filled the air, he froze. It was as if he was seeing her for the first time – she was so beautiful, seeming so happy, and with the only light brightening up her face the one of the moon above them reflecting on a lake a few feet away. Charly's words skyrocket back to his mind. You like her.
"Maybe he did, after all. If liking someone meant wanting to make them feel this way all the time – happy and laughing and simply having fun – and feeling that pang in his own chest just by staring at them.
"But he couldn't think about it more that night, since soon after that, a shadow appeared on the lake, and they burst out of their hiding place to catch the stranger, first playing pretend they were lost and needed guidance before revealing their true identity to him, and taking him back to the castle for judgment.
"When later, Johnny accompanied her back to her room, time having come for them to eventually part, Dora stopped at her door, and turned back to her friend with an apologetic look on her face. 'I'm sorry we couldn't do everything you planned tonight,' she said. 'Must have turned into a terrible date for you indeed…'
"'Nah, it was still a good date,' he reassured her with a smile. She frowned in confusion, and he quickly added then, 'You know, 'cause we caught the bad guy.'
"She smiled back at him. 'That's very mature of you,' she acknowledged.
"'I'm a very mature man,' he joked in answer. She rolled her eyes, then wished him goodnight, and Johnny left for good, joining his own room in another aisle of the castle.
"After that night, and the realisation that came along with it, Johnny tried to lock his feelings deep inside his heart, never talking about them to anyone, and simply praying for them to fade away if he just repressed them enough. He couldn't like Dora. There was no point in that – she didn't like him back, and in the unlikely event she would, they couldn't be together anyway.
"He managed to do it for quite some time. Until one day, when Ted came and visited the castle. It was a real surprise for Dora, who hadn't seen him for a whole year, since the camp they attended together during that summer, and wasn't expecting for him to come that soon.
"The instant they met each other again, though, they clicked again fast, and even harder than the first time.
"Johnny tried not to care too much. But when he suggested they all should go to the tavern with their friends to enjoy some free time all together, for the first time ever Dora passed on it – she had plans already, with Ted. He was going to take her on a picnic under the stars, just like old times.
"This was to be the last straw for Johnny. He couldn't enjoy his night without his best friend being there. Charly tried to comfort him, but in vain.
"After that, everything changed between the pair of friends. They weren't spending as much time together as they used to. Johnny missed his partner, more than he was sad about not being able to be 'the one' for her, to tell the truth. And Ted didn't seem to be like sailing back to his own realm either, unfortunately.
"Johnny had thought he would stay only a week, maybe two – a month at the maximum. But this one month turned into several of them, and in the end, Johnny was the one to leave first. Indeed, the sovereigns of the Iannuci land, long-time enemies of several of the realms of the Brooklyn Forest, including the 99th land, declared war on them.
"The soldiers were called to go and fight for their people then. Johnny was called.
"The night before their departure, as it was tradition at the 99th land of the Brooklyn Forest, a feast and a ball were thrown out in honor of the ones who were leaving their homes, putting their lives at risk for the sake of others. Johnny was nervous, as this was going to be his very first war.
"Really excited about it, too.
"The night of festivities happened to be really great for Johnny. Indeed, after that declaration of war was sent to the King and Queen of the 99th land, Ted rushed back to his own realm to see if the same threat was looming upon his own people. Which meant, he couldn't attend the ball.
"Johnny was able to spend the whole night with Dora then, only the two of them like they used to. She was so beautiful, dressed in a wonderful blue ball gown that fitted her so well it made her look like a mermaid – something he didn't miss his chance to tell her, despite the confusion this declaration caused her, clearly not expecting it from him.
"Later during the night, while they were casually chatting, he even managed to steal her a dance. Everyone around had been weirdly looking at her for quite a while now – it wasn't fitting for a princess not to engage in at least one dance, after all. So, when Johnny took her hand and led her in the middle of the room, she didn't complain.
"Dora hated that, though. Had only one wish: for it to stop as soon as possible. She was so bad at it…
"But then, after she managed to step on both Johnny's feet at the same time, he finally suggested, 'Do you want me to teach you how it's done?'
"It's with a sigh of relief she agreed, and he started making her move around in shared rhythm this time. Quickly, she got caught up in the game, and looked at her partner with bliss in her eyes. 'That's fun,' she acknowledged, and he simply nodded in return, smiling broadly. He couldn't have asked for more for this last night with Dora.
"Suddenly though, she broke their moment when she added, contemplative, 'Maybe Ted and I should take classes together before the wedding, to train.'
"'Yeah, maybe,' Johnny simply answered, his smile long gone and his heart broken into pieces at her words. He didn't want to think about Ted – certainly not tonight.
"Other than that, the rest of the party went on smoothly. Once every guest was finally gone, Johnny took Dora back to her room to be able to say his last goodbyes without having people around listening. He hesitated only one second before letting everything that he'd kept inside for the past months out.
"'I don't know what's gonna happen during this war,' he started his speech, and his friend frowned at that, but he didn't give her time to cut him off.
"'And if something bad goes down, I think I'd be pissed at myself if I didn't say this. I kinda wish something could happen between us – romantic-stylez. And I know it can't 'cause you've been promised to Ted forever, and I'm not royalty myself anyway, and… that's just how it is,' he concluded his confession, looking down.
"He couldn't bring himself to watch her reaction. Which was to remain frozen, as he eventually rushed away, not letting her the occasion to answer. 'The realm needs me!' he justified himself, shrugging before disappearing at the corner of a corridor, leaving his friend all alone and confused in front of her room's door.
"What had just happened?!"
"Johnny will come back, right, daddy?" Sarah suddenly interrupts his father in his reading, fear easily recognisable in her voice.
"Yes," Jake tells her to reassure her, thinking about that first of a too-long list of separations between he and Amy. Hopefully though, they always managed a way back to each other, no matter how the world tried to keep them apart. It never broke them. On the contrary, all it did was draw them closer and closer each time.
Indeed, their first separation was followed, a few months later, by them eventually getting together.
The second, by them moving in together after planning on doing so right before he got the call.
And the third… well, after the third, he was finally able to do what he'd been planning for a long time already: propose to the love of his life.
"Go on, please," his daughter takes him back from his reverie, gently shaking his arm with her little hand. She still isn't nowhere near tired, too concentrated on the story to fall asleep. He looks at the clock on her bedside then, and decides from now on he'll pass on some passages to come quicker to the end.
He'll have plenty of time to re-read the entire, full of details story of how he and his wife fell for the other to the point of getting married and having a child later.
He goes on then, "War lasted for six months. Six long months during which Dora spent each passing day wondering about the people gone at war, and how they were doing.
"Her father. Most of her seven brothers. Johnny. The boy, who had grown into a man now, didn't leave her thoughts once during those six months.
"But then, after those six months, they were back home safe. He was back home safe. They'd successfully won the war against the people of the Iannuci land.
"Even though of course she was relieved to know nothing happened to the people the closest to her heart, and excited to see them again after all this time, Dora was also quite nervous about how her meeting with Johnny would go. After all, last time they saw each other, he admitted his feelings for her without letting her time to discuss more about it.
"He denied them all the moment he asked her to talk privately, though, telling her it was nothing, and she let him know Ted had come back to the castle during his absence.
"Until the day passed, and they met at the tavern with the rest of their friends to celebrate his comeback – he'd been the only one of the newly-formed squad to be able to go to war, the others had been judged too young and unexperimented still for that. He let her know about the real truth this time, when he offered to share a beer with her.
"'The thing I said to you before I left for war, about how I wished something had happened between us romantically, that wasn't nothing,' he confessed. 'That was real.'
"Dora was confused. 'What are you saying?' she frowned, carefully listening.
"'I know that you're engaged to Ted. I'm not trying to change that. And I get there's stuff I can't control. But this morning I told you that I didn't mean any of it, and that was a lie. I just don't want to hold anything back,' Johnny concluded his speech.
"His friend remained silent for a short while processing what he just said. Then, she offered him a shy smile. 'Well, thank you for saying that.' Before quickly adding to that, 'Just as long as we're clear that I'm promised to someone and nothing's gonna happen.' He replied with a joke of his own, and she let out a heartfelt laugh at it.
"'He's back!' she happily exclaimed, truly glad to have her friend by her side again and trying to concentrate only on this – not the strange feeling taking over her heart once again – the exact same feeling she felt the first time he confessed his own sentiments to her.
"She couldn't let herself linger onto that. She had someone already. The rules hadn't changed during his absence. And she wasn't one for breaking rules. So they decided upon simply remaining friends, and nothing else – they both loved what they had too much to risk it.
"It took Johnny some time to move on from Dora, but he eventually did. He met a girl at the tavern one night, while out with a friend of his. Sophie was her name. She was funny, and beautiful, and nice, and from that first meeting, they seemed to have a lot in common. Very important too – she was of no rank, which meant he could date her.
"The more time they spent together, the more they got along well, and soon Johnny found himself in love. He thought this was it, then – the moment he would let Dora go.
"When he would accept to only be his friend.
"And it did for quite some time, actually, until the day before the actual wedding, since the princess was finally in age to marry. With the King and Queen's approval, Johnny had invited Sophie to come to the castle earlier to get ready for the event together, and Ted was supposed to arrive some time before dinner.
"'I can't marry him,' Dora suddenly let out, to much of Johnny's surprise, while they were both hanging out in the castle's gardens – Sophie was in the guests' room unpacking her stuff for the night and taking a shower after the long ride it had been for her to come from her own little house. She'd thought about it a lot, for the past weeks.
"Truth to be told, she'd thought about it since her birthday, when it finally occurred to her time had come to get married with Ted – for realz.
"For a long time she'd been okay with marrying for the sake of her kingdom, and not out of love. Especially when she first met her future husband, and grew to appreciate and truly love him throughout the months spent together. It wasn't the case anymore – there was no spark between them anymore, she explained her friend when he asked.
"He was boring, and she couldn't picture a lifetime spent with a boring man.
"'What are you gonna do about it?' Johnny wanted to know if she had a plan, caring about her well-being, and sorry for her this was happening.
"He really thought the two of them were getting along pretty well.
"'I don't know,' Dora acknowledged, lowering her eyes, unable to meet her friend's. 'I think after dinner tonight, when Ted leaves to gain his own room, I'll go talk to my parents and tell them the truth. They'll know what to do about it and advise me.'
"Unfortunately though, she wasn't able to last that long. Ted seemed so happy about their upcoming nuptials, she had to spill the truth, not taking it any longer.
"'I can't do this anymore,' she apologised, stealing a glance at her friend in search of any help. 'I'm sorry, Ted, but I can't marry you.'
"From every side of the huge table, reactions didn't wait to come. Obviously, Ted was furious. Her parents were confused. As for Johnny, he wasn't surprised.
"At least, at the beginning. Because then, as things were starting to get pretty heated between the supposed betrothed and he and Sophie were about to leave the dining room to go back to their own rooms so that the royals could take care of the problem alone, Ted stopped them, pointing at Johnny with anger.
"'All of this is your fault,' he blamed the soldier, who didn't understand what was going on. 'You told her you liked her before you went to war, and then coming back. And, every time you would do that, she'd be confused. And I think it's because Dora liked you back.'
"Sophie turned around in his direction with a questioning look. She didn't know Johnny used to like Dora. What he certainly didn't know, is that she liked him back…
"'Did you?' he needed confirmation coming from her.
"She was blushing, not knowing where to stand anymore. 'Maybe,' she eventually let out, hesitant. 'Yes. I was… confused,' she repeated the prince's word.
"Johnny's face instantly lit up, and Sophie, watching him, shook her head. 'Okay, I think that's too much for me,' she left.
"Then Ted followed. Then the King and Queen, running after him. Then Dora's brothers and Johnny's mother, too uncomfortable to stay any longer, not really knowing what was the whole fuss between all those people and not wanting to take part in any of this either.
"Soon Johnny and Dora found themselves all alone at the big table, sunk into an awkward silence. When their eyes finally met, Dora suddenly let out, standing up, 'I… think I'm gonna head back to my room now.' Johnny agreed, leaving the room too. He didn't gain his own quarters just yet, though.
"Instead, he went straight to the guests' room, where his girlfriend was staying the night, to apologise to her for everything.
"The day after, the wedding was called off, and Ted left to go back to the 82th land of the Brooklyn Forest, never to be heard of again. The realm was in shock by this sudden news, but not one of its subjects dared questioning their sovereigns' decision nor ask what happened.
"Only Johnny asked Dora, after she asked him about how things went with his girlfriend – pretty well, he had to admit, as she had forgiven him and they were back to being happy.
"She told him then that she'd spent the whole night talking with her parents, explaining them everything, and that they'd come to the conclusion that their daughter's well-being was, and would always ever be, a lot more important than any rule, tradition or alliance. They were willing to wait until she found the right prince to marry.
"She didn't tell them, or him, that, but she wasn't quite sure anymore that 'the one' for her was going to be a prince. More of a certain soldier.
"Who was still pretty much in love with Sophie, though. But, as weeks passed, it turned out she wasn't as much attached to him as he was, and she ended up breaking both his heart and up with him at the same time. Both friends were free of other lovers then – which didn't mean a happy ending was in sight for our two main protagonists yet.
"For a while, things went back to what they were before that summer they got separated and everything changed; when it was so simple to just be best friends. They truly believed everything between them was now in the past, until Johnny got framed then taken hostage by some enemy he made and Dora got the biggest fright of her life.
"Thankfully, with the help of Rosie, they managed to find him before anything happened to him.
"A few weeks after that, another ball was thrown to celebrate the union between Lina's mother and Charly's father, and the friends' flirty behavior skyrocket back.
"Johnny realised then that he still had feelings for his friend. Surely they never left him in the first place, from the moment in realised he liked her the night of their fake-date.
"But, before he got the chance to find the guts to tell Dora all about it, another prince landed in their realm, having some business to do with the King and his army. It wasn't any casual prince – Prince Dave Majors, a very handsome, very famous prince across all of the 39 lands of the Brooklyn Forest.
"And, of course, as soon as he landed eyes on her and exchanged some words with her, Prince Dave got his heart set on Dora, informing Johnny while they were having a drink together at the tavern that he was going to ask for her hand once the mission would be over. Johnny was desperate by the news.
"Because he was sure Dora would accept to marry him, this time. Prince Dave was absolutely perfect – she couldn't possibly dream of any better match.
"'Did she do the double-tuck yet?' Rosie asked when her colleague came complaining to her about his love life the day after.
"'What?' he didn't understand what she meant with that.
"She showed him then, explaining herself, 'When Dora really likes someone, she puts her hair behind both ears at the same time,' backing up her words by action.
"Turned out she hadn't, no. At least not that he'd noticed her doing it. Which meant there was maybe still a bit of hope for Johnny.
"And there was indeed because it appeared Dora declined Prince's Dave proposal a few days later. She simply wasn't interested, she let her friend know when he asked her what happened. He didn't see it, but when he left her that night to go back to his own room, she 'double-tucked' him as she watched him go away with a sigh.
"Not so long after, Johnny and Dora shared their very first kiss. It wasn't a kiss that came from love, though. Not yet.
"Indeed, Johnny had been given some mission to tail up a man that was accused of being a thief to see if the assumptions were true or not. Dora, who had nothing better to do and was bored of staying at the castle, prayed her father to accompany him. Johnny wasn't too keen on such a thing.
"He still liked Dora, but knew as a fact she wasn't ready to find someone just yet, so he was afraid a trip with only the two of them would trigger his feelings and simply hurt him too much. But after she asked him what was going on, and he spilled out the truth, they came to an agreement they could do that.
"It was going to be a fun trip between friends, and they were good at working together anyway.
"So, backed up by Rosie and Charly, they followed the man into a tavern, where he and a woman stopped to get some dinner. For the sake of their mission, and not to be suspected, Dora came up with the idea of pretending to be a couple, so that no-one would be suspicious of their coming into the tavern.
"And, one thing leading to another, while their cover was about to get blown up by said man, Johnny reacted quickly, without truly thinking about what he was doing, and kissed Dora in front of their suspect. It was quick, but enough for both of them to feel their hearts explode in their chest.
"Fortunately enough, it appeared also very real, as the man didn't seem to get any suspicion about them.
"After that, they tried to remain professional, acting like nothing happened and that this kiss didn't affect them, until they got all the information they needed, and were able to go back to the castle, only to come to the bad news that Officer Hold was getting transferred elsewhere, and had to say his goodbyes immediately.
"Having both grown into loving the man, his leaving devastated them.
"'I knew I'd find you here,' Johnny entered the archives room of the castle later, where Dora was hiding, processing what had just happened.
"They chatted for some time then, talking about it all, until Johnny finally took a step closer to Dora, and did what he'd so often dreamed of during the past years: he kissed her. She didn't push him – had done it enough for a lifetime, and was tired of fighting against her own feelings too. So she kissed him back.
"'I really like you,' the soldier let her know once they parted, both watching the other with bliss in their eyes, not really realising yet that what they just did was real.
"'I like you too,' the princess confessed, and it made Johnny smile."
In her bed, little Sarah squeals with happiness at hearing her father's words. "Johnny and Dora are in love!" she exclaims with excitement when he counts the story of their very first true kiss – the one that truly mattered, the first of a long series of kisses.
Jake looks up from the book and towards her, a little chuckle escaping his throat and his chest filling with endearment. "They are indeed," he agrees.
She's never been more right. They are in love, of a love that isn't going to fade any time soon, only grows stronger each day, no matter how long they've been together already.
"You might think this first kiss sealed Johnny and Dora's happy ending, but no: the world still had a few adventures to put ahead of them.
"Indeed, as Johnny still wasn't a member of royalty, they first decided to keep their dalliance a secret, until they could figure out a way to make things work. It didn't last long, though, and soon everyone was aware of their little love story. And, while some people got really excited (Charly, to name but one), others weren't too keen of the news.
"Like Johnny's new commanding officer, for example, who prevented him from being with Dora as long as he would be under his command.
"It was considered inappropriate, you see, for a soldier to court a princess when their duty was to look after their family and their people.
"Thankfully though, Officer Hold made his comeback, and managed to convince Officer Pembroke – the new leader of the army – to leave the two lovers be.
"And a few weeks after that, with Johnny's help, he was able to regain his place as the commanding officer of the army of the 99th land of the Brooklyn Forest.
"For a while then, things went on smoothly. Johnny and Dora, in-between minor adventures, spent most of their time together, their liking of each other quickly turning into love into true love as time went by and their relationship grew stronger and stronger.
"'I love you,' Dora told Johnny for the very first time during a sailing trip around the 39 lands of the Brooklyn Forest he had been offered for the two of them by some stranger at the port one day, that turned out to be a ruse from his all-times nemesis, the famous bandit Dog Juby, to save his life.
"They were dancing in the ballroom of the giant boat after having figured of the whole 'Dog Juby problem' (and after he succeeded in escaping Johnny's grasp… once again) when she let out the words after thanking him for changing his plans of doing nothing for a whole week to doing all the activities she had planned with her.
"Of course he loved her too – with his whole soul – more than he'd ever loved anyone else, even. But the man had always struggled with emotions, so he didn't reply with the words right away. Until he did, stopping his movement and looking her right into the eye as he said, 'I love you too.'
"She smiled, heart filling with bliss at hearing it from him, and they both leaned forward, towards the other to meet in a tender kiss, full of love for each other and happiness.
"'I love you so much,' she let him know of her strong feelings a few months later, after having been separated for a short while, with Johnny gone on a dangerous mission. She'd been afraid she would never get the chance to let him know that not only did she love him indeed, she even loved him so much. More than anyone before.
"This time, he didn't hesitate one second when he told her back, 'I love you so much too.'
"Unfortunately, right after that, Johnny had to leave again. It turned out that his commanding officer and himself were in danger, and needed to be put on a private island, far away from everything (and everyone) to keep them safe until the threat was gone for good.
"It took a little more than six months to neutralize it. Six months before Johnny was able to come back home. To come back to Dora. But he did, eventually.
"And, with his comeback, King Victor, who until then had followed the two young people's love story only from afar, thinking it was just a fling for his daughter before finding the true prince she was going to marry, got involved into it when he realised he'd been wrong all along, and what she and the soldier had was a lot more than that.
"The truth went out one night, during a dinner the three of them were having together, and after the sovereign told Johnny about his thoughts regarding him and his daughter being in a romantic relationship together.
"'Your father thinks I'm not good enough for you,' he let out when Dora asked him what was going on with him, seeing well enough that something was bothering him.
"'What?!' she turned out to her father, eyes wide open in shock.
"'I wanted his approval, and he said…'
"'What?!' she cut her boyfriend off, now looking at him with her brows furrowed. She couldn't believe what was happening right now. She'd thought all of this was behind her, but apparently it wasn't the case. She sighed, before letting go of everything she had inside.
"'I thought ever since we agreed on breaking off my wedding with Prince Ted, I'd be the master of my own decisions here,' Dora blurred out, her eyes fixed on both her father and Johnny, apparently very upset in both of them. 'You two are acting like it doesn't matter what I feel, and everything is about you only.'
"She stopped one second, only to take a deep breath in order to calm down a little, then went on with her speech.
"'Dad, you're the one who told me from now on I could choose whoever I wanted to be with. So Johnny, it doesn't matter what he thinks of you, or us. The only thing that matters is if I want you too. And you know I do. I love you,' she said more tenderly this time, taking his hand in hers and offering him a smile that he soon matched with one of his own.
"Both men remained silent after that. The princess was right. And the king had to admit, even though he was still skeptical about his ruling abilities, that Johnny seemed to make his daughter happy – he only had to look at her when she was around him to understand it.
"Which was all he wanted for his little girl – who had grown up a lot, and so fast, turning into a wonderful, independent woman. A perfect future queen.
"After that insightful conversation, things went back to normal in Johnny and Dora's lives. Normal being for them to end up separated at least once a year after only a few month of break and happiness together, that is.
"This time, while on duty in another realm, he and his partner Rosie got framed as they were working on trying to prove how corrupted some sovereign's of that other land was, and were both sent to the dungeons there for treason against the crown of that particular realm.
"The princess begged her father to do something and free them; unfortunately, he had no power in a land that wasn't his own. Her daughter was so desperate after that, and worked so hard in search of an evidence that her boyfriend didn't do anything wrong, he finally understood that he was 'the one' for her, no matter what he first thought.
"He knew his blessing didn't matter anymore, but still if it were, now he would be glad to give it, and welcome Johnny into the royal family.
"That's why he helped her and the rest of the two soldiers' squad to get them back home as soon as possible. And, after he did so, he was happy to hear a knock on his door, and Johnny informing him he was planning on asking his daughter in marriage (while never asking for his permission in the process) before leaving as fast as he entered the room, not letting him time to react in any way to his words – he was too afraid of him, to tell the truth.
"King Victor simply smiled at hearing the news.
"The young man had thought about that so many times, especially while rotting in the dungeons, he knew exactly how he was going to propose – he was going to do it during the annual Halloween Heist that had become a true tradition at the castle, ever since he started it with his officer four years earlier.
"This year's prize was a golden belt with the inscription 'Amazing Human/Genius' written on it. The winner would be the one in possession of it at midnight. And, after a long night of fighting against one another, Dora was finally the one proudly holding on the belt as the twelve strikes of the clock started ringing.
"Or so she thought. Because, as she was bragging about it to Johnny while they were both alone in the archives, he told her with a nervous grin to give it a better look before assuming victory. Scared of what he might have come up with, that he could have bested her somehow, she quickly read the inscription out loud.
"'Princess Dora,' she read, 'will you marry me?' All of a sudden her eyes were back on her boyfriend, who was now on one knee, showing off a wonderful ring at her.
"She couldn't quite believe it at first. Though it was a logical next step in their relationship, she still first assumed all of this was just a ruse, only some plan that was part of the heist. But then Johnny started speaking, and made the most beautiful speech she'd ever heard, pointing out all of her qualities and what he loved about her and she understood.
"This was really happening. Finally they would be able to officially share their love forever.
"'Princess Dora, will you marry me?' he repeated what was inscribed on the belt, and of course she agreed.
"'Johnny, I will marry you,' she answered, and both of them let out a relieved sigh before coming towards the other. Johnny put the ring on Dora's finger before kissing her.
"'I love you so much,' she told him when they parted, and he smiled, true bliss shining in his eyes as realisation was hitting him – he was going to marry his princess.
"When they all learned about the engagement, Charly fainted in happiness, and the rest of their friends and family simply congratulated them cheerfully. A few months later, then, after weeks and weeks of tight plannings the day came and Johnny and Dora finally got married. And with that, they lived…"
"… happily ever after, and gave birth to a wonderful little girl," a voice behind Jake's back interrupts him in his tale, finishing his sentence for him. Surprised, not having heard someone enter the room, or even the house before, he turns around, only to come face-to-face with Amy, leaning against the doorway and listening to him counting their story to their daughter.
"Mommy!" the child notices her too, apparently still wide awake, and rushes out of her bed and straight into her mother's embrace.
"Hey baby," the woman greets her with a tender smile, gently kissing her on the cheek. "Still not asleep, huh?"
"I wanted to see you… I missed you today," Sarah sadly answers her, and looks up at her with such puppy eyes, Amy can't be mad at her for staying up after curfew.
She simply melts at the sight and sound of it, holding her tighter.
"How long have you been there?" Jake asks, coming towards the two girls of his life and welcoming his wife with a chaste kiss of his own.
"Long enough to realise how good of a storyteller you are," she jokes back, then puts her attention back to the little girl, who's yawning a lot. "Let's put you back to bed, okay baby?"
Too tired to let out another word, the child only nods as an answer. Both her parents wish her goodnight, offer her a kiss, then leave the room in the dark.
Once in the kitchen, Jake looks up at the clock, and realises it's not even 10 p.m. yet. "I didn't think you'd be back home that early," he tells Amy.
"My sergeant offered to stay and help me out so that I wouldn't have to leave too late," she explains with a smile. "And I have to say, I'm glad she did. Otherwise I would have missed you counting our story to our daughter," she confesses. "It was beautiful."
"Yeah, about that…" the detective suddenly approaches his wife and encircles her waist with both his arms to pull her closer to his chest, a playful grin appearing on his face as he does so and goes on, "I can tell you all about a whole new chapter of it, if you want," he whispers in her ear.
"Oh yeah?" Amy immediately enters in his game, and lets a small giggle escape her throat as Jake starts kissing her neck. "What's it about?" she asks, playing along.
"It's about how Princess Dora and Johnny worked really hard to give their daughter a sibling," he draws himself a bit from her and says with a wink, in a voice full of innuendos about his intentions.
Amy truly laughs this time. "Mmmh, I like this tale already," she replies, and lets him lead her to their room, lying her down on their mattress, kissing her all the way.
Even though in Terry's fairytale, getting married was their 'happy ending,' in their real life, it truly hasn't been.
On the contrary, it's only been a happy beginning, with so many more wonderful adventures to live together, and memories to create for their family, like this particular moment is…