David watched with pride as his wife proceeded down the stone walkway toward the arbor where he stood as Killian's best man. He couldn't help the smile that stretched from ear to ear as he thought back a few years to their own wedding, and the feeling of happiness that had overwhelmed him as she approached. She looked just as beautiful today in the periwinkle blue bridesmaid dress as she had in her own wedding gown, and the smile on her face was just as bright and mesmerizing.

He took his eyes off of her for a few seconds as he looked to the second row of folding chairs which had been set up in Marco's flower garden. Mary Margaret's mother and father were there, wrangling ten-month-old Joshua, who had a hard time sitting still for five minutes at a time. David didn't envy his in-laws the job of keeping the little chatterbox quiet throughout the length of the wedding ceremony. When he looked back at his wife, he saw a twinkle in her eye that told him she was thinking the same thing.

He heard the music change which signaled the appearance of the bride. While everyone else was watching Emma and her father making their way down the path, David looked over at his best friend to see his reaction, and wasn't at all surprised to see Killian's face turning a bit red. Leaning forward, he whispered, "Breathe, man."

"I don't think I can," the groom said out of the corner of his mouth. "She literally takes my breath away."

The closer Emma got, the more shallow Killian's breathing became until David started mentally going through the steps of what to do if the groom fainted, should that become imperative. He hoped it wouldn't, since he felt like that would be going far beyond the duties expected of him as the best man.

Fortunately, the ceremony proceeded without the groom passing out, and soon David was handing over the wedding rings that he pulled from his jacket pocket. He listened to his friends make their pledges to one another, and then watched them slide the silver bands onto each other's ring finger. Emma placed Killian's on his right hand, which broke with tradition, but was a necessity in his case.

When the pastor pronounced them husband and wife, David grinned and began to applaud as they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Then he linked his arm with Mary Margaret's and followed the newlyweds back up the walkway, stopping to relieve Ava and Leo of their wiggling grandson, who was holding his arms out to his parents and demanding their attention.

After pictures had been taken and everyone was settled at the tables for the meal, it was time for the matron-of-honor and best man to give their speeches. David listened to Mary Margaret deliver hers, and watched Emma wipe away tears at her friend's heartfelt words. Then he stood to share his prepared thoughts.

He cleared his throat, focused his attention on Killian, and began to speak. "I know it's traditional for the best man to poke fun at the groom and tell embarrassing stories about him, but I'm not going to do that, if you don't mind." Killian gave a slight nod and David turned to face the crowd of people.

"I met Killian when he was in my basic training class. Once he finally opened up to me a bit, I found out that he joined the Army because he had no family left. He had already lost his mother, brother and father. We lost touch with each other when I left the Army, and the next time I saw him, he was recovering from the injuries he received in an IED blast. To say his life has been filled with tragedy is an understatement."

"I became friends with Emma through Mary Margaret, and have come to think of her as the sister I never had. She's seen her fair share of sadness and pain in her life, as well."

"We're here today to celebrate the marriage of these two people who, despite what could have been devastating circumstances, have found happiness with each other. I once told Killian, 'A man unwilling to fight for what he wants, deserves what he gets', and I've been very proud to see him fight against the odds to be here today, ready to share his life with the woman he loves."

"I am incredibly honored to be part of their special day and to call them my friends. My wish for you," he said, turning to the couple whose eyes were both swimming with tears, "is that you have nothing but joy, laughter and happiness for the rest of your lives. Of course, the laughter part won't be hard to come by, if you continue to be friends with that idiot Will Scarlett…"

"Oi! What did I do to deserve that remark?" Will groused. A ripple of laughter passed through the crowd. Emma hid her giggles behind her hand, as Killian grinned and shook his head.

David grabbed his glass of champagne and raised it. "Here's a toast to one of the best couples I know, besides my wife and I, of course! May all your dreams come true, and may you live happily ever after!"

Shouts of "Hear! Hear!" rang out as everyone joined in the toast. Emma and Killian each took a sip of champagne before sharing another sweet and tender kiss to the sound of everyone's silverware gently tapping against the glasses, as they basked in the glow of being newly married and ecstatically happy, something that neither of them ever thought was possible before devastation brought them together.

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