A/N: Woah what? 2 chapters in 2 days after not touching this fic for like 5 months? What is this madness?
Emma left the cottage excited to get to the bridal salon and meet up with her mom, Elsa, Ruby, and Belle to pick out the bridesmaids dresses. She liked he group of women she had picked, they had stood by her and been good friends all during her relationship with Killian. She parked on the street outside the bridal salon and went inside finding her mother and bridesmaids waiting for her.
"Hey guys!" Emma said as she approached them.
"Hey you ready to help us pick out some dresses?" Ruby asked excitedly.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Emma answered and pulled out her phone, "You sent me some really great dress recommendations Ruby, you have really good taste."
"No problem, it helps that you're letting us pick our own dresses, the whole "bridesmaids have to wear the same dress" tradition is so over," Ruby said.
"Agreed, but I do want you all in the same color and fabric though," Emma explained.
"And exactly what color would that be?" a sharp voice asked. Emma turned and saw Regina standing in the entrance to the salon her arms crossed in front of her chest.
"Um I was thinking navy, but Regina what are you doing here?" Emma asked awkwardly.
"Well I heard through the grape vine that you were picking bridesmaid dresses and assumed my invite had gotten lost in the mail," Regina said, a hint of sarcasm lingering just below the surface. Emma ran her hand through her hair trying to think of a delicate way to tell Regina that she wasn't a part of the bridal party.
"It didn't," Emma said, "I assumed being a bridesmaid wasn't really your thing," she shrugged nonchalantly. It wasn't that Emma and Regina weren't friends, Emma just wanted a fun and relaxed group of women around her while she stood at the alter and Regina somehow had a way to cause more drama than it was worth.
"Well you assumed wrong," Regina snapped. Emma looked to Snow trying to get a handle on the situation. Snow shrugged at her and Emma sighed.
"All right I'm sorry, would you like to be a bridesmaid Regina?" Emma asked, hoping the issue would be dropped.
"Well I thought you'd never ask," Regina responded with a smile that didn't fully reach her eyes.
"Okay so why don't we go pick out some dresses?" Elsa said trying to diffuse the tension. A bridal consultant came over to them and led them to the bridesmaids section.
"So Emma what were you thinking of for your bridesmaids?" the consultant Rebecca asked once they came to the racks of brightly colored dresses.
"Well we're getting married on the beach so I was thinking something short and kind of flow-y. I'm also feeling the color navy for all of them and they don't need to be in the same dress but I would like them to look cohesive all together," Emma explained and showed Rebecca some of the pictures Ruby had sent her.
"Ok I think we have a few great options, let's pick some out and try some on then," Rebecca said excitedly.
The women took to the racks, searching through the racks for something that caught their eye.
"Oh Emma what about this one?" Belle called as she pulled a short cotton eyelet dress with cap sleeves.
"Oh that's a good one! You should definitely try it on!" Emma said. She heard Regina tut under her breath.
"What?" Emma asked, feeling a prickle of annoyance.
"Oh nothing, it's just that that dress seems a little on the sweet side," Regina said.
"I mean it's Belle, she's sweet so it makes sense," Emma shrugged and kept looking through the racks.
"Hey Emma what's your opinion on high-low dresses?" Ruby asked holding up a navy chiffon dress with a high-low hemline.
"Umm I don't know, try it on and we'll see how it looks with the other dresses but maybe pull a few backups?" Emma suggested.
"Can do!" Ruby gave Emma a thumbs up and kept searching. Once they had a substantial number of dresses for each bridesmaid to try on Regina, Belle, Elsa, and Ruby went towards the changing rooms while Emma and Snow sat on some comfy arm chairs ready to look at all the dresses and narrow them down. Belle strode confidently out of the fitting rooms in the short navy dress she had picked and stood up on one of the pedestals in front of Emma and Snow.
"Belle this is adorable on you! But you do realize that since we're on the beach heels might not be the best idea," Emma said once she realized she had never seen Belle without at least 4 inch heels on.
"I'll wear flats for the wedding, but only for you and Killian," Belle assured her with a smile.
Ruby came strutting out next in the high-low dress she had pulled followed by Elsa in a flow-y floor length dress made from the same material.
"I think I actually like the high-low with the other two dresses, and I think if Regina decides on a shorter dress too it'll look great." As if on cue Regina walked out of the fitting rooms wearing a black knee length evening dress with an intricately beaded neckline.
"So what do you think?" She asked as she stood on the pedestal next to Ruby, Elsa, and Belle.
"It's a nice dress but it's a little more formal than I think I'm going for and it's the wrong color," Emma said.
"I checked and it does come in navy," Rebecca said.
"Yeah but I just don't think it goes well with the others, it kind of sticks out you know what I mean," Emma explained.
"Well I didn't expect the wedding of the daughter of Prince Charming and Snow White to be a backyard barbecue, I would have imagined something a little more elegance," Regina said.
"Just because it's a less formal affair doesn't mean it'll be any less elegant and beautiful. I've seen some of Emma and Killian's ideas for the wedding and I think the wedding will be beautiful," Snow piped up.
"Also this wedding is supposed to be about what Emma and Killian want, not you," Ruby said with a casual flip of the hair.
"Watch it wolf, all right then I'll go find something more appropriate for this wedding then," Regina turned on her heel and went back to he fitting rooms.
"Emma are you sure about Regina being in the bridal party? Is this what you want?" Elsa asked softly.
"Knowing Regina if I don't make her a bridesmaid she's going to hold a grudge and cause a scene at some point. It's not exactly what I wanted but I'll work with it," Emma sighed.
"Okay, don't worry we'll try to keep her in check as best we can. Just remember this wedding is about you and Killian and the love you two share for each other, other people's opinions don't matter," Elsa placed a reassuring hand on Emma's shoulder.
"I knew I made the right choice when I picked you as maid of honor," Emma smiled up at her friend.
"Okay is this appropriately casual enough?" Regina asked as she walks out from the fitting rooms in a navy crocheted dress with a swing-y skirt similar to Belle's.
"Yes, I think these four dresses will look great together," Snow said looking between the four women, "What do you think Emma?"
"Yeah I can work with this, I actually really like these four dresses together, they compliment each other nicely and I think they'll look good with my dress," Emma said.
"Has Killian decided on his groomsmen?" Belle asked.
"When I asked him this morning he only had two, but we can always double up or he'll choose two more," Emma shrugged.
"Well I would hope your groom has more than two friends," Regina muttered under her breath and Emma felt a surge of frustration course through her.
"You know what Regina, these snide and bitchy little comments of yours are exactly why I didn't want you in my bridal party in the first place. So if you still want to be up there standing next to me and Henry you should learn to keep those to yourself," Emma snapped.
Regina raised an eyebrow at her but kept her mouth shut as she and the other bridesmaids went to change back into their street clothes and pay for the dresses. Emma saw Ruby and Belle give her a sly nods of approval as they passed her.
Emma felt her mother's hand rest on her shoulder and turned to face her, "I'm sorry I snapped at Regina-" she began.
"No you didn't say anything that was over the line. I mean she did just invite herself to be in your bridal party, but I am so proud that you are able to keep the peace and still not allow yourself to be walked all over," Snow smiled.
"Thank you mom. I'm just ready for this day to be over so I can stop stressing about it as much," Emma said.
"I know the feeling, do you want to get some dinner together just you and me?" Snow asked.
"Yeah that sounds great. Killian, Henry, and David are probably still out on the boat so I have some time before they get back," Emma checked her watch.
After dinner at Granny's Emma dropped her mother off at the loft and drove back to her home, prepared to curl up on the couch with her fiancé, her son, and some Netflix. She knew no matter how crazy Regina drove her, they would be her constants.