The Wedding Date—pt. 4
CS Genre: Fake Dating Au
The wedding was beautiful, idyllic, like a fairy tale. Regina may have been a bundle of nerves until the very moment before it all began, but as soon as the strains of Pachelbel's Canon began, signaling the procession of the bridesmaids, a preternatural calm seemed to descend on her.
Most people watch the bride as she walks down the aisle during a wedding, but Emma liked to watch the groom. She liked to catch his expression as his bride came toward him. The aching love, awe and incredible joy that transformed Robin's face the moment Regina came into view in her elegant, lacy ball gown and filmy veil was everything a bride could wish for.
Emma didn't cry at these kinds of things, but she felt the tears gather as her sister-in-law's sister and her true love vowed to love, honor and cherish each other forever. As Robin spoke of second chances at love, finding his soul mate and feeling complete at long last after years of being broken, Emma glanced out at the audience, her gaze landing on her "date". Her cheeks heated as she found he was looking right back at her, a look on his face that was eerily similar to the look the groom was giving to the bride. Maybe it was the romantic, almost sappy atmosphere of the wedding, but for just one split second, Emma let herself dream that it was real; that Killian was really looking at her like that—not because she was his "date", but because he truly wanted her.
When Regina and Robin were pronounced man and wife, the groom kissed his bride with so much spirit and gusto that he elicited a wolf whistle from Ruby. And then suddenly the wedding was over and the bridal party was spirited off to the reception venue where they formed a receiving line and greeted all the well-wishers.
With the ceremony over, Emma's nerves came back to the fore as Ruby's heads-up about Mary Margaret's reception plans flitted through her mind. How the hell was she going to make it through this evening? It would have been bad enough at the beginning of the weekend, but now…when her feelings had started to change toward Killian? When she'd begun to wish for something more despite how convinced she was it would end in heartbreak? Kissing him, dancing with him, acting in love with him was going to break her.
"You're stunning, Swan."
Emma gasped as she looked up into Killian's startling blue eyes. She'd more or less gone on auto pilot as wedding attendees made their way through the receiving line; so much so that she hadn't even realized he was heading her way until he was right before her.
"Th…thanks," she said, hating herself for the startled, breathlessness of her voice. "You look…"
He chuckled, raising one eyebrow playfully. "I know."
Emma smiled in spite of herself, enjoying the gentle flirting.
"Your beauty puts the bride to shame, Swan; bad form, that." Killian took her hand in his, brought it to his lips and brushed a feather-light kiss against her knuckles. The touch sent liquid fire coursing through her veins, and she suddenly felt as breathless as if she'd just run a marathon. How was a woman to keep her head under such a romantic onslaught?
This was bad. This was really bad. She was in over her head and she didn't know what to do.
So she did what she did best. She ran, metaphorically speaking, at least. Snatching her hand back, she averted her eyes, looking anywhere but at the man before her. She prayed fervently that he'd take the hint and head off to his place at the head table.
"Swan? Is something the matter?"
No such luck. Of course he wasn't going to let it go that easily.
Emma pasted on a smile and looked back into his concerned blue eyes. "Not at all. Everything's just fine."
Her voice sounded brittle and overly bright even to her own ears. Killian's brow furrowed as he peered at her for long moments. Finally, he took her elbow and nodded his head to the doors that led to the hallway. "Come Swan. I think we need to talk."
"Don't be ridiculous, Killian," she said even as she moved in the direction he indicated. "I can't just leave the receiving line."
"Come on Emma," he coaxed. "They'll do quite well without you for a few minutes; it's the bride and groom they truly wish to greet."
That was true enough, and Emma was beginning to feel like she needed air; the walls of that stupid ballroom were starting to close in.
When he'd steered them to a deserted hallway and seated her on a sofa that was leaning against the wall, Killian took her hand once more. "Would you care to tell me what's truly bothering you, love, because you were anything but fine in there."
She looked away, embarrassment, annoyance, frustration, hopelessness overtaking her. Finally she looked back at him. "I'm just….I'm just sorry I roped you into this, okay? I mean you've been great, playing along and everything, but…well, you ought to know, Mary Margaret has plans, and things are probably going to get really uncomfortable. I'm just…sorry."
She couldn't meet his eyes; couldn't look at him as she told him what her sister-in-law had planned, couldn't even find the words to tell him. Instead, she looked down, studied the swirling pattern of the carpeting.
A moment later, she felt the gentle pressure of his finger under her chin, urging her head up, forcing her to look at him. What she saw in his eyes was compassion, understanding, and…something more, something tender.
"Emma, you've no need to fret. Your brother told me all about your sister-in-law's plots for the evening."
"So…so you know she's going to expect us to kiss and dance and…whatever else she'll come up with? And you don't have a problem with it?"
He chuckled. "Do I have a problem with kissing the most beautiful woman in the ballroom? Hardly, darling." He sobered. "But I was quite serious last night, Swan. I have no wish to make you uncomfortable. Just because your sister-in-law makes demands doesn't mean we must follow them. If you'd prefer, I've a plan of my own to get around her plans."
"Really? What's that?"
"Just follow my lead. I'll be sure to steer us away from dangerous waters."
Emma, squeezed his hand, grateful beyond measure that he seemed to get her; to just understand what she needed without her even having to mention it. "Thank you. It's…I mean, it's nothing against you, it's just, being paraded up in front of the whole world it feels like, being on display. I just…well, thank you."
"Not a problem, Swan," he said, getting to his feet and offering her a hand up. "And for the record you didn't rope me into this. I agreed quite willingly and I'm thoroughly enjoying my weekend with you."
~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~
Dinner actually went pretty well. She, Killian and the rest of the wedding party sat at a long banquet table facing outward toward the rest of the wedding guests. Killian proved to be an engaging dinner partner, talking, laughing, putting her at ease.
Well, putting her at ease for the most part. There was that moment at the very beginning when he steered her toward her assigned chair. Pulling it out, he seated her, his hand brushing her shoulder as he pushed her in. The feelings that evoked in her could hardly be described as ease. Electricity, maybe. Butterflies, definitely. Terrifyingly dangerous territory, without any doubt.
The first time Ruby started tapping her water glass was just before the entrée was served. While couples all around them grinned good-naturedly and leaned in for a kiss, Emma shot Killian a furtive, alarmed look.
"Calm down, Swan. Just follow my lead," he murmured, and then raised his hand before her. She snorted a quick laugh as she caught his meaning. Raising her own hand, she gave him a resounding high-five.
"Mary Margaret's going to kill us," she said, the laughter evident in her voice. "And if she doesn't, Regina will."
And so it went. Every time the wedding guests began tapping their water glasses, Killian gave her a mischievous glance and improvised another way to get around the kissing requirement. Fist bumps, hand-shakes, kisses blown in her direction, he seemed endlessly resourceful.
But, of course, it couldn't last. Eventually Ruby caught on to their ruse and rushed over to their side of the table.
"Uh, uh guys!" she said, her finger wagging before her. "No way. That's not how this works; we need kisses. Hot, steamy kisses."
"Ruby, I'm not making out with my boyfriend in front of an entire ballroom full of people," Emma hissed.
"Sorry, those are the rules. I didn't make 'em. I just enforce 'em," Ruby said in a sing-song voice. "This is a wedding after all."
"It's not my wedding," Emma grumbled under her breath as the perky wedding planner headed back to her own table.
"Doesn't matter," Ruby called over her shoulder. "Rules were made to be followed. As a sheriff, I would have thought you'd know that better than anyone."
It came as no surprise to Emma when Ruby started vociferously tapping her glass the moment she'd seated herself once more. "No worries, Swan," Killian said. "A sheriff may be averse to breaking the rules, but an inveterate committer of misdemeanors has no such compunction."
But as Killian prepared to defy the "rules of weddings" in whatever creative new way he'd come up with now, Emma made the mistake of looking into his eyes, so blue, so tender, so loving.
Suddenly, it didn't matter that it was all a ruse. It didn't matter that they were in a room full of people. It didn't matter that they were basically being forced into this. Suddenly, all that mattered was that he was here with her and she was grateful beyond measure for all his efforts to make her comfortable. All that mattered was that she wanted this; wanted him.
Ignoring her better judgement, she grabbed the lapels of his suit coat and hauled him into her. If their one, almost kiss in the car had set every cell in her body to tingling this one, the real thing, positively set her on fire. Everything fell away, everything but them, the desperate way their mouths meshed, the way she ran her hand through the hair at the nape of his neck, urging him yet closer, the way he stiffened for half a second before diving in with both feet, meeting her kiss for kiss, holding her close.
Emma was beyond reason, beyond caring. This might be the one and only time she was able to kiss Killian Jones, and she was going to make it count.
~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~
"Alright folks! Time for the bride and groom's first dance," came the enthusiastic voice of the Master of Ceremonies, a man named Leroy. "Well…the bridal party's first dance that is."
Killian got to his feet and offered his hand to Emma. "Shall we Swan?"
She gave him a quick, shy smile as she took his hand and let him lead her to the makeshift dance floor. This wedding had been nothing like he'd expected when Emma picked him up in her little yellow bug the day before, but he had no complaints. Truth be told, this weekend had been earth-shaking.
When Emma had actually followed the "wedding rules" and kissed him…well, at the risk of sounding melodramatic, it had changed his life. It was indescribable, bliss like he'd never experienced. It was as though a piece of himself he'd never realized was missing suddenly clicked into place, and he knew he'd never be the same again.
After long moments, she'd finally pulled back, but only far enough to rest her forehead against his. He'd wanted to say something profound, elegant, worthy of expressing the revolution going on in his heart, but all that came out was a breathless "That was…"
She'd chuckled. "Yeah."
It was only after they'd pulled apart and gone back to their dinner that they realized they'd created a spectacle that had every eye in the room on them. Emma'd blushed as red as her lovely gown when Ruby whistled suggestively and the diminutive MC suggested they get a room. While Killian sympathized with her embarrassment, he couldn't find it in him to regret the moment. Surely if a woman kissed a man like that there must be some feelings involved. Dare he hope the evening would end with happiness rather than heartbreak?
The first official reception "event" was the cutting of the wedding cake. The new Mr. And Mrs. Locksley had a large, lavishly decorated cake, but each of the other members of the wedding party had a small cake of their own, each with their own distinctive flavor. He and Emma were assigned to the devil's food cake.
"Quite appropriate, love," he quipped, teasing sparkle in his eye, "given my devilishly handsome appearance."
She'd laughed, and slapped his shoulder playfully, the vague unease of the moment sliding from her face, as he'd hoped it would. "Somebody's got a high opinion of himself."
He shrugged. "When somebody's a dashing rapscallion, it comes with the territory."
Each of the couples grabbed their knives and cut their cakes. Killian took up a small piece and popped it in Emma's waiting mouth, smearing a bit of red frosting on the corner of her mouth in the process. Staying focused on her green eyes, he swiped it off with one finger, which he then brought quite deliberately to his own mouth. There was no mistaking Emma's quick, indrawn breath.
When it was her turn to feed him, she returned the favor going a step further. Rather than using her finger, she brought her lips to his face and kissed the smeared icing off. Killian doubted he'd ever experienced something so sensual—or anything that stirred him more. She was a marvel, his Swan, and he'd never wanted anything as much as he wanted to make their fake relationship real. He didn't just want her for a weekend; he wanted her forever.
Killian had been to enough weddings to know the bride ordinarily tossed her bouquet, that the groom ordinarily removed her garter and tossed that as well, but Regina had roundly put her foot down to both traditions. She'd gone to a lot of trouble to find the perfect bridal bouquet and she was going to keep it, thank you very much. As to the garter situation, she didn't care how many other couples might go along with it, she was not being undressed by her husband in a room full of people (including her new stepson)—even if that undressing only went as far as a small garter. Any undressing going on would take place in the privacy of the bridal suite later that night.
And so, now with the first dance, they'd reached the final formal element of the reception. As the band (a local group known as "The Merry Men") struck up the opening bars of Bryan Adams' "(Everything I do) I do it for you", Killian pulled Emma into the circle of his arms, relishing the feel of her arms around his neck.
They swayed to the music in silence for some time, Killian smiling gently down at her. "Are you happy, Emma?" he asked softly. "Are you enjoying the wedding?"
"Yeah," she answered, unconsciously pulling him closer. "It's been a surprisingly good weekend. Thanks for everything you've done. I couldn't have asked for a better fake boyfriend."
Killian couldn't help the slight wince that crossed his face at her reminder, once again of the nature of their "relationship", but he masked it quickly, determined to enjoy the moment, enjoy holding her close, regardless of what might come in the future.
As the song built into a crescendo, Killian heard the tinkling sound of glasses once again being clinked, his heart racing at the thought of sharing another kiss with the woman in his arms. He quirked an eyebrow in question and she nodded slightly as an attractive flush covered her lovely cheeks. Slowly, Killian lowered his head, closed his eyes and captured her lips. This kiss was different, slower, gentler than their first during dinner. Killian poured his heart into the kiss, telling her without words what she meant to him, how much he cared for her.
The song was coming to a close when Killian finally broke the kiss and pulled back. It took Emma several heartbeats to open her eyes, and Killian's heart turned over at the blissful smile on her thoroughly kissed lips.
"What are we doing, Killian?" she finally asked, her voice so quiet he had to lean in to hear it.
"Dancing," he said trying for levity, even as his heart pounded at her question.
She gave him a quick, exasperated look. "That's not what I meant and you know it."
He blew out a long breath and then nodded. "Aye. Perhaps we'd best talk about this?"
"Yeah," she said, stepping out of the circle of his arms, taking his hand and leading him to a balcony off the ballroom. "I think we should."
She started pacing as soon as they were away from prying eyes. "I can't do this, Killian. It wasn't supposed to be like this! I wasn't supposed to have feelings….or whatever this is. This wasn't supposed to be complicated. I don't know what to do with this. I can't get my heart broken again!"
He rushed to her and enveloped her in a hug, needing to comfort, needing to protect even more than he needed their relationship to become real. "Easy, Swan."
David had warned him that she'd been hurt in past relationships, but he had no idea the wounds ran so deep. Killian had a sudden desire to find the miserable wretch who had broken her heart so definitively and plant his fist in the poor-excuse-for-a-man's face.
After a moment, Emma pulled away, turning her head, refusing to meet his eyes. "Sorry. I…know this all isn't real, and I know you're just playing a part, and I'm probably making this whole thing about ten times more awkward than it has to be."
He stopped her with a finger to her lips. "Emma, how many times must I tell you I'm here because I want to be? You've nothing to apologize for, and in fact….I've a bit of a confession to make, myself."
She tilted her head, giving him a questioning look.
"You see, Swan," he began, glancing aside and scratching at his ear, "I'm not nearly as much of a criminal as I might seem to be. From the moment you came to town I wanted to know you, wanted to get your attention. Thus my bouts of law breaking which were guaranteed to catch the sheriff's attention."
Her eyebrows shot up. "You…what? Killian's that's crazy."
He chuckled shaking his head in self-deprecation. "Aye, love. Being smitten with a fascinating woman can turn the sanest of men to craziness."
She laughed. "So, you're telling me everything you did…it was all because you were interested in me?"
"Guilty as charged."
"Well that's…something I didn't see coming," she said. "So you agreed to be my 'boyfriend' this weekend even though you had feelings for me, even with all my insistence that it was fake?"
He looked deep into her eyes as he answered. "Aye. I had hopes that you might come to know the real me, that you might develop feelings as well. Might I hope my wishes weren't entirely in vain?"
She held his eyes for long moments, and then she turned away, staring out at the carefully manicured garden below. "After those kisses…I think you know the answer, but…I can't. I just can't get my heart broken again. I don't think it would ever mend again."
Killian joined her at the railing and turned her gently toward him. "Emma, I can't see the future. I don't know what will be tomorrow or a year from now or ten years from now. What I do know, what I'm absolutely certain of, is that I'm in this for the long haul. If there's one thing this weekend has shown me, it's that you're infinitely worth fighting for. I wish to win your heart, but one thing I can assure you: whether I succeed or not, my heart is in your hand, and I never plan to take it back again."
He saw the tears pool in her eyes, and he caught the first to fall with his thumb. Then, taking both her hands, he laced their fingers. "Come on Swan. Take a leap of faith. You've no need to fear; I'll catch you."
She searched his face for another moment, and then she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently once more. "Okay."
~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~
Emma never told her sister-in-law the truth about the "boyfriend" she brought to Regina's wedding. There was never a need. By the time the wedding reception was at an end, there was no ruse left. Her relationship with Killian was every bit as real as they'd been telling David and Mary Margaret from the start.
They decided to take it slow, both Emma and Killian realizing they had something real, and deep and true, something they wanted to get right. Long talks turned to even longer kisses. "I'm captivated by you" turned into "I love you", and in due course, Killian succeeded in winning Emma's heart every bit as much as she'd won his.
Eighteen months later there was another wedding in Misthaven, and as Emma walked down the aisle on her brother's arm, she'd swear no bride had ever seen such a look of love and utter adoration on her groom's face as she saw on Killian's.
Some might say making up a fake boyfriend to take to a wedding back home is crazy, but Emma thought it might very well be the best (and sanest) idea of her life.
Notes:
-Alright, so there it is; the conclusion of The Wedding Date! This chapter was kind of long (and it fought with me every step of the way), but from everything that's come out about this Sunday's episode, it looks like it's going to be really good—but really angsty. I figured you might need a bit longer installment of fluff to prepare yourself.
-So, Killian's creative ways to not kiss Emma when people tapped on their glasses at the reception….yeah, that kind of came from real life. I went to a wedding a few months back where that's exactly what the newlyweds did. It was pretty amusing.
-I chose "(Everything I do) I Do it For You" as Robin and Regina's first dance song for a couple of reasons. 1. The song was on the soundtrack to the movie "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves", which I thought made it particularly appropriate for the OQ wedding. 2. It is such a perfect song for CS!