A/N: Happy New Year all! I thought it very fitting to begin it with all the smuff and rounding out this last chapter of this series you all have been so supportive of. To the people reading with me again thank you so much, and to the newbies amongst you I hope you'll check out some of my other fics in the future. Thanks again!
January 1st, 2017 – A gorgeous beach on the Isle of St. Lucia
"Do you, Graham, take Ruby as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day on, for better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" The officiator asked.
"I do." The smile on Graham's face was so sincere and his eyes were so open that Emma could swear she felt his love for Ruby second hand. She bore it with a happy tightness in her chest as she was truly happy for her friend.
To her right, Emma heard a sniffle and then another and without looking knew she'd find Mary Margaret in the throws of a happy cry. Her friend just loved a happy ending. Prepared for this, Emma pulled out a wad of tissues from the delicate pocket of her dress and passed them to Mary Margaret. Mary Margaret mumbled a thank you quietly and furiously dabbed at her eyes.
"And do you, Ruby, take Graham to be your lawfully wedded husband-" Ruby interrupted.
"Yes. I do. All of it, yes." The friends laughed and the official smiled.
"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife."
They didn't wait for the permission to kiss. Ruby and Graham just went for it, too happy at their union to be contained. The kiss was slow and sensual and as the sun set behind them, Emma thought to herself that it was a picture perfect wedding. Then her gaze shifted from the happy couple to her hot as fuck boyfriend and her pulse quickened.
His piercing blue eyes bore into hers and then took a slow perusal of the figure she cut in the smooth, rich, red fabric of the dresses Ruby had chosen for her bridesmaids. In her hair Emma wore a wreath of white flowers which could have come across as corny or cliché but had somehow been woven into her golden hair so intricately by the resort stylist that she looked more like a fairy or a nymph than a silly looking bridesmaid.
As Killian took his fill of looking at her, Emma's eyes wandered of their own volition and she catalogued how sinfully attractive he looked in his three-piece suit. Though out of place on the white sands of the private beach, she'd never get over how good her man looked all buttoned up and formal when she knew how primal and wild he could be with her.
"Emma?" Mary Margaret asked from beside her and Emma quickly brought her attention back to end of the ceremony. "It's time for the toasts."
Ruby and Graham had opted for a private exchange of vows and immediate dinner on the beach after. Before retreating to the quiet, candlelit supper further up the beach, a member of the hotel staff brought flutes of champagne for the toasts from the maid of honor and the best man. Emma was apparently up first.
"Right." Emma reached into the other pocket within her dress and pulled out the card on which she'd written all of the words she wanted to say but after a quick glance, decided to wing it and speak from the heart.
"Ruby - as long as you and Mary Margaret and I been friends, people have been trying to figure out how the three of us work. We've been broken down and examined and called a lot of things. People tried to box us into our corners. Mary Margaret was nice, you were dangerous, and I was strong. But being a part of this trio – being your best friend – means knowing that those labels are bullshit. You bring together in one person this incredible spirit of adventure and kindness, of sass and sexiness, of courage and loyalty. Every day I feel lucky to have you, and for a long time now, I've also felt really really happy because you found someone to love fully who loves you back. Graham, the way you treat my best friend, the way you look at her and care for her helped make me a believer. Between you and David, it was hard to think good guys weren't out there."
With this Emma looked at Killian and smiled. His eyes were filled with raw wanting and a fierce love, but his mouth held only the slightest twist of a smile.
"And here we are, two years later and I only see a stronger, happier duo. I wish you guys all the joy and love life has to offer, but I say that knowing that my wish isn't a necessity. You guys are meant to be together and I know you're going to have everything you've ever wanted. I can't wait to see it. To Ruby and Graham."
The others echoed Emma's good wishes and took a sip of their champagne. Ruby hugged Emma to her and Mary Margaret joined as well and the three women, now each with tears in their eyes laughed at how right the world seemed in this moment. When they pulled apart, it was Killian's turn to speak. He cleared his throat and ran his hand through his hair before beginning.
"There are two time periods in a person's life - before love and after love. And I don't mean the puppy dog fantasies of youth. I mean the real deal. That love that's true and never ever going away. I've been lucky enough to know Graham in both those periods. At uni you were one of my best mates. Always there when I was in a jam, and the first to join on a late night shenanigan, you were and are a good man, an honorable man. For a while we lost touch, but our paths crossed again in the second stage. Watching you with Ruby, I know you've entered that better age of life and I too wish you all the good things that should come with it. Ruby, I hadn't known you more than a day when I realized what a good woman you truly must be. Not only have you stolen the heart of one of my best mates, but you're in every way the sister of the woman I intend to marry someday. With two such people in your corner, it was only a matter of time before you pulled me in there too. You both are destined for happiness, and though the seas may not always be smooth, I know you're both decent enough swimmers to pull through." This earned a laugh from everyone.
"To Graham and Ruby." Everyone saluted again and then each couple walked arm and arm down the beach to the awaiting meal. When Emma took Killian's arm, she pressed a soft kiss to his lips and rested her forehead against his for just a beat.
"I love you, you know," she said.
"Aye, and I you."
…
Killian felt himself falling into a nervous habit he had throughout the dinner. The fingers of his right hand, which were intertwined with Emma's left under the table, absently strummed imaginary chords to a song with no name. Sensing his uneasiness, Emma dropped her fork to the table and slipped her other hand to hold his steady. He looked at her and found her soft and caring eyes scanning his face.
"Is everything okay?" she whispered to him.
"Aye. I'll just be a minute love. There's something I have to do."
Emma looked surprised and a little disappointed but she nodded. He brought her hands to his mouth and gave them both a tender kiss, relieving some of the tension that had coiled in her shoulders. He looked then at Graham and Ruby who both smiled at him, happy and content holding each other close as they picked at the meal before them. Then he turned back towards the resort and set off at a brisk pace.
As he walked a mix of excitement and anticipation filled him. She would say yes, she'd said as much the night before but still the butterflies persisted. A man only had one chance at a proposal and his Emma deserved the best.
"Mr. Jones, your guests have arrived sir and are waiting on the veranda," a small woman dressed in the hotel uniform informed him.
"Thank you Marta." He read her nametag quite sure he'd never seen the woman before.
"Will you be needing anything else, sir?"
"A bit more courage I dare say." Marta smiled.
"She will say yes, and you will be happy. I have seen it."
Killian smiled at the kind but peculiar statement then walked by. A second later he thought to send someone to fetch the others for him but when he turned the woman had gone. Strange, there was nowhere for someone to have gone in such a short time. It was almost like she'd vanished.
"Bloody hell get a hold of yourself, Jones," with that, he hurried down the rest of the path to the private alcove he'd found earlier that day. Now transformed to include white flowers and twinkling lights all around the spot looked truly magical.
"Not bad for a scoundrel and a pirate," his brother Liam's voice called from behind.
Turning Killian saw his brother and Will standing with the orchestra he'd hired for the evening and smiled. Their being here meant the world and when he'd gotten the crazy idea to ask Emma to marry him tonight he knew he wanted them by his side. He'd checked with Graham and Ruby that they wouldn't mind sharing the day but was reminded by them that January 1st was a special day for each of the friends. Mary Margaret and David had gotten engaged then, Ruby and Graham had just married and he and Emma… well this was their anniversary in most every sense of the word.
"Interesting song choice, Kil. Certainly not our usual fare," Will commented.
"It's Emma's favorite."
No sooner had he spoken her name than she was there, still sheathed in that miraculous dress, the tendrils of her hair glowing in the twinkling lights and her face looking completely surprised to see him there. Then he gave the signal and the orchestra along with he and his band mates began to play their own rendition of 'I Hadn't Anyone Till You." While he lacked the feminine sweetness of Ella Fitzgerald or the soulful crooning of Sinatra, he meant every word and felt the love in him course through each lyric.
I hadn't anyone
Till you
I was a lonely one
Till you
I used to lie awake and wonder
If there could be
A someone in this wide world
Just made for me
And now I see
I had to save my love
For you
I never gave my love
Till you
And through my lonely heart demanding it
Cupid took a hand in it
I hadn't anyone
Till you
And through my lonely heart demanding it
Cupid took a hand in it
I hadn't anyone
Till you
When the song was done, Killian moved forward to Emma and saw her face now streaked with tears of joy. Yeah, he'd done the right thing. Lowering to his knee he pulled out his mother's ring and offered it to Emma.
"I think the song pretty much said everything I could hope to Emma but it's still not enough. Nothing is enough to truly say how I feel. You are my lightness in the dark and my savior. If you'll have me, I'd like to show you everyday just how much I love you. I have dreams for us and our future together but the only one that matters is the one where you're by my side happy. Please, love, make me the happiest of men. Marry me."
"Yes. A thousand times yes."
With her happy response Killian rose to his feet and pulled her in for a soul-shattering kiss. Caught up in so much feeling that it lacked all possible labels, the kiss stole both their breath and their doubts. When they pulled apart, the band repeated the song again and this time, Killian sang the words to her alone as they moved across the floor. Emma had never felt more like a princess or more loved in her life.
Sealed as one now, the world was theirs to make of it what they would. And what they'd make was a long and happy life, with health and leisure, with the blessing of children and with the simple truth that they loved one another enough to weather every storm and every obstacle.
They hadn't been able to wait the full year to commit to each other, but both still considered the 1st their real anniversary. As such, each New Years Day from then on the three couples made sure to spend time together, often traveling. Most times Elsa and her husband and Killian's band mates and their significant others came as well. But each year, when they had all gone to bed and when it was just the two of them, Emma and Killian would put on their special song and dance together. And when the song ended (or sometimes while it was playing if they felt particularly impatient) they came together for another New Years kiss.
A/N: Thank you all so much for reading and for the support along the way. I just want to say that I am wishing all of you a wonderful year filled with laughter, love, and some good CS moments. I hope you enjoyed and thanks again!