It wasn't what Emma would have thought she would be doing - standing in front of a mirror at her parents' house, getting ready for the wedding.
Her wedding.
It was supposed to be a royal affair - the daughter of Snow White and Prince David marrying a handsome prince, or duke, or some other nobleman.
But she wasn't. Instead, Emma Swan (not princess, no matter how many people outside her family members tried to call her princess) was marrying the son of The Dark One who had been a petty thief in his younger years. It was far and away the wedding her mother had pictured for her, she was certain of that.
On the other hand, it also wasn't the wedding Emma had envisioned for herself either. Emma had thought she'd just go down to the courthouse wearing a pair of jeans and her leather jacket, but instead, Ruby had done her hair up in a bun, small pearls dotting her hair, and a long veil cascading down her back. Her dress was floor length and lacy, but form-fitting. Emma hadn't thought she would have wanted something like this, but when she'd gotten a look at herself in the mirror at the bridal shop, she couldn't have said no.
Planning the wedding would have been easier if they hadn't lived in Storybrooke, so between Pan separating them from Storybrooke, her unexpected pregnancy in New York, everything with Zelena, Ingrid… so many adventures they'd gone on.
And now they would be going on one of the biggest adventures of all. Even if everyone already considered them married.
"Mommy! Mommy look!"
Her daughter's voice broke her from her thoughts, and Emma glanced over just as Audrey burst into the room, blonde curls bouncing as she moved. "Lookit! Grandma got me in my dress!"
Emma smiled. "Well, don't you look pretty, Audrey?"
Her daughter giggled and twirled on her toes. Audrey's dress was a standard flower girl dress - while, puffy, princessy, with a purple bow wrapped around her waist the same color as Regina's dress.
"What do you think, Audrey? How does your mother look?" Regina asked, following Audrey into the room. They had only needed two witnesses for the wedding, so she'd selected REgina as her Maid of Honor, and Neal's Best Man was Killian. Though Emma had doubted it would happen, she hadn't wanted to deal with the bridesmaid drama today.
"Mommy looks pretty too."
"Yes she does. She looks beautiful," her mother said from the doorway, dressed in a long, burgundy gown with soft makeup to match. "But if you don't mind, grandma needs a minute alone with her."
Regina understood and was quick enough to distract Audrey with the basket of flower petals waiting for her downstairs, leaving the two of them alone.
"I said I had the perfect something borrowed for you," she began, holding out the necklace box to Emma. "It was my mother's. I finally got it back from Rumplestiltskin, and I knew I wanted you to wear it on your wedding day."
It was a beautiful crystal necklace, far more elaborate than anything Emma had ever worn, but it complimented the dress beautifully, almost like it was meant to be worn with it, and Emma smiled as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
"Oh Emma…" her mother breathed. "Look at you."
"Do I look like a fairytale princess?"
To her surprise, her mother shook her head. "No… but I don't think that's what you want to look like. You still look like Emma. My beautiful daughter, who may or may not ever want to dress like a princess."
Emma laughed and hugged her. "Thanks Mom…"
"Now let's get you married, hm?"
Emma nodded and grabbed her bouquet from its spot on the dresser, then followed her mother downstairs to Regina's car, where Regina and Audrey were waiting.
Even though the wedding was supposed to be small, with only close friends and family, it seemed like the entire town shut down just to watch as she was driven toward the beach, like she was Kate Middleton or something.
It was weird, and caused a small bundle of nerves to form in her stomach.
But she was marrying Neal, and after everything they'd been through, a wedding would be a breeze.
David was waiting for them as they pulled up to the beach, Regina, Audrey, and her mother vacating the car before David helped Emma out of the back seat. She could already hear the soft rock music playing from the speakers set up at the altar. Archie, Neal, Killian, and Henry were already standing there, waiting.
An instrumental version of "Only You" played softly as Audrey and Regina made their way up the aisle, and Emma felt like she was gliding as she followed behind with her parents on each arm.
Emma had never felt so secure in her life. Her parents and brother who loved her, friends who cherished her, and finally, Neal and their children, waited at the end of the aisle for her. All of it felt so good and so right. She never wanted to lose this feeling.
And she wouldn't, as she took her place beside Neal and took the vows she'd mocked as an angry, unloved teenager. But she had that love in spades now, and she understood just how important this was.
Neal's face was wet with tears as they had their first kiss as Mr. and Mrs., and Emma could only chuckle against them, the sound of the applause a dull roar in her ears. All she could see was him, and the bright future they had together.
They turned, reaching out for their children before making their way down the aisle and toward the tent where the reception would take place.
Behind them, Emma heard Regina snap her fingers, moving the chairs toward the tables waiting for them, and she knew the canopy had been moved as well, closer to the tent to make taking photos easier.
Dinner was simple - hamburgers, grilled chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and fries and onion rings. Regina had turned her nose up at the menu, but had settled for chicken and a glass of wine, which looked absolutely hilarious in Emma's opinion.
The kids hadn't complained though, all of them having towers of fried goodness on their plates, leaving the actual meal looking small in comparison.
The music had been chosen by her and Neal specifically for people to be able to get up and dance and have a good time. Neither of them were stuffy people, but there were some slow songs on the playlist to give people a reprieve.
"Sorry we couldn't get everyone to Tallahassee," Neal rumbled when they had a quiet moment to themselves on the dance floor.
Emma smiled. "It's okay. But you know you lied to me, right?"
"What? When?"
"I spent a few years in Tallahassee after I got out of prison. The nearest beach is two hours away."
Neal blinked in surprise, then sighed. "Ah shit, is it really? I was thinking about taking you there for our honeymoon. I was gonna buy tickets tonight and everything."
She shook her head. "I don't need to go back to Tallahassee. I have it right here, with you and our family."
He grinned down at her, that boyish grin that had gotten her into trouble all those years ago. "Sure that's what you really want?"
"What I really want is you. Until death do us part."