Okay, so when I started this story it was JUST about Christmas. I have no idea what's happened. It's just when I go to write Christmas all this other CaptainSwan stuff pops in. You guys don't mind, right? Right? I mean, is anyone really going to complain about a Captain Swan wedding in the works? Also- if you guys think that there's something Christmas that you want incorporated, let me know! Christmas prompts accepted. And sorry about this chapter. It got sad. Where did my fluff go? It will be back, I promise.
And thank you! I'm almost up to 100 followers. That's crazy to me. You guys are amazing.
\\
"Mom, do you by any chance want to go shopping this afternoon?"
"Emma, you've finished your Christmas shopping. In fact, I think you've bought everything in Storybrooke. What else can you buy?"
"This isn't for Christmas, I swear." Emma had to admit, she had been going overboard on buying Christmas gifts, but she really liked the idea of giving people presents. It was the first time in her life that she had people to buy for, and she was excited about it. "This kind of shopping I think is right up your alley, and I think you'll want to come." Emma paused. "I want to look at wedding dresses."
Mary Margaret squealed like a teenager. "Oh my goodness. Yes, yes I want to go shopping with you. How soon will you be ready?"
Emma almost instantly regretted asking her mother, but also knew Mary Margaret was the perfect person to take wedding dress shopping.
"Have you and Killian been talking about the wedding at all?"
"Yes and no. We keep saying that we'll think about it after Christmas, be we've said we want to keep it small. And simple. Nothing fancy. But I was outside Granny's and I saw a wedding dress in the window across the street. It just made me think that maybe, even if the wedding is simple, I want the dress. The princess dress. White satin or silk. The big poofy skirt. You know, a wedding dress."
Mary Margaret squealed again. "Let me get your brother ready and we can leave."
Once they got to the shop, Emma eyed the dress in the window. It was a princess dress if she'd ever seen one. It made her think of the look on Killian's face when he first saw her in the red gown, back during their mishap in the Enchanted Forest.
She'd never admitted to anyone, and barely even to herself now that she was an adult, but when she was younger she would dream of being a princess. Disney princess movies were one thing foster homes usually had. The parents prefered to keep the kids occupied with movies rather than having to spend time with them, and the VHS tapes of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and her favorite, Cinderella, were always around. She'd imagine a future where a man had picked her. Picked her to spend the rest of his life and start a family with. She loved her long blonde hair, picturing it pulled up and with a tiara and a veil. Once she got older, Neal killed the fantasy of a husband, or even a family. She gave away her son and gave up on men. It wasn't until Henry found her and Killian came along that she thought that a family of her own could be a part of her future.
"Sylvia," Mary Margaret said, addressing the shopkeeper, who had also been one of the dressmakers in the Enchanted Forest. "This is my daughter, Emma. She's getting married and just starting to look. We'd love to have her try on some gowns today, just to see what she might be leaning towards."
Sylvia jumped to attention. Snow White's daughter was in her shop! Emma was a princess, and it was an honor to serve her.
The dressmaker was good at her job. She had been outfitting royals and brides alike for quite some time, and had mastered her trade. She saw the way Emma was eyeing the dress in the window, but thought that was not where to start. She already knew that was the dress for Emma, but wanted Emma to see herself in other options before finally putting on the dress.
She made pleasantries, asking about the wedding, location, guests, all under the guise of figuring out the right kind of dress. She started Emma in some dresses that would have been much more like what someone would have thought Emma would have picked. Simple, no frills, straight lines. They all admitted a 60s style boat neck empire waist gown looked gorgeous on her, but all knew it wasn't the right one.
Finally after several more gowns, Sylvia casually asked, "what about the gown in the window? Let's just see what you look like in a true princess gown."
It took Sylvia and two of her assistants to get Emma in to all of the layers and buttons without messing up the lace. Sylvia insisted that Emma not see herself until all the final touches had been put in place. They pulled Emma's hair up in to a quick chignon and added a tiara and veil.
When they finally allowed Emma to turn around and see herself in the mirror, she had the most uncharacteristic reaction. She burst into tears.
Mary Margaret was quick to jump up and put her arms around her daughter.
"Emma, what's wrong? You look so beautiful. Why are you crying? Oh, please, please stop." Mary Margaret had never seen her daughter, her strong, independent daughter cry and wasn't quite sure how to handle it.
Seeing the look of worry on Mary Margaret's face, and realizing she was publicly displaying emotions, something she tried to never do, Emma quickly pulled herself together.
She turned to Sylvia, who had made herself scarce during Emma's outburst, and said that she would very much like this dress, and asked what she would need to do about alterations. She quickly changed, and got out of the shop as fast as possible.
Once they'd gotten a little ways away from the shop, with the crisp December air clearing Emma's head, she turned to her mother and explained everything that had suddenly run through her mind. Mary Margaret always hated hearing about Emma's childhood, upset with herself that they hadn't done more to protect her from the loneliness and sadness. She and David were doing everything they could now, and the more she saw Emma with Killian the more she appreciated the reformed pirate's presence in her daughter's life. He understood their daughter in a way she and David never could, and they brought out the best in each other.
She and Emma walked home quietly, both lost in thought. When they got home they greeted the men, who had been out running Christmas errands. Emma went to sit next to Killian on the couch.
In a low voice she said to him, "I bought my wedding dress today. It will be ready on the Saturday after Christmas. Would you mind if we just got married then? I don't want to wait any longer."
Killian noted Emma's subdued demeanor. He had his arm around her, and he answered just as quietly. "I'd marry you tonight, Swan. If you want to wait for your dress, let's wait for your dress." The two sat on the couch and discussed the rest of their wedding plans in hushed tones, David and Mary Margaret trying not to listen or interrupt. Within twenty minutes, they had every detail finalized. Emma texted Henry to tell him they'd set a date, and they told her parents at dinner.
That night, as she was falling asleep, she pictured herself in the dress, and imagined Killian by her side. Smiling, and happier than she had ever been knowing how close the life she'd dreamed of was, she texted Killian.
"This is the best Christmas ever."