A/N: Hello lovely readers! This little epilogue concludes this story. I hope you've enjoyed my rendition and like this little ending I put together for them. I wanted to end on a little extra fluff. Thank you for reading my story, Your comments, reviews, and questions were amazing and I love to hear from you. They totally made my day.
Chapter 9/Epilogue: The Ugly Truth
Killian came back to The Ugly Truth and Emma. He never felt right taking the job at the new station and after his no show on the air during the Ballooning Festival they didn't stop him from leaving.
Things between them settled into a nice rhythm now that their feelings were out in the open. He enjoyed spending time with her and even conceded that he became somewhat of a romantic with her because it was easy. He couldn't think about her without smiling so surprising her with the occasional rose on her desk or candlelight dinner was not unusual anymore.
He had to admit that being in a relationship had its perks for him too. He had a key to Emma's condo and spent most of the evenings with her. One night he walked in to find her dressed in sexy red lingerie, black high heeled boots and her hair was wildly curly. She had dirty dice and a bucket of edible body paint ready to play. He was never so happy to be a canvas in his life and would happily admit if she asked that he was losing the game on purpose.
She also made a habit of actually talking dirty to him over the mic on a secure channel. She may look like a princess but she had the foul mouth of a seasoned professional. It was their little joke but the fact that she did it for him did make him feel special.
Every now and again she would do it while he was on the air. It got him so hot and bothered that he couldn't remember half of what he told the audience during the segment. He just watched her cracking up in the booth. Later she told him it was payback for the panties incident at the restaurant.
She was great with his family too. She often helped with Henry to give Ariel a break so he had the perfect cover for his surprise. She thought they would be going to the local park for bike riding but he'd enlisted Ariel and Ruby to help him come up with something perfect. They'd been dating for about six months and he thought it was time to go away for the weekend.
She never thought that this would be her life. The last six months had been amazing. She woke up most mornings wrapped in Killian's arms nuzzling close to him. If they woke up early they would make love in and grab something quick for breakfast as they ran out the door. She would make a point of waking up early; the man knew what he was doing.
The segments were getting a lot more depth now that he was giving a bit more of the woman's perspective too. He seemed to appreciate her desires as well; after all she reminded him that he wasn't the only person in the room who might need a little reassurance. He always laughed when she threw his advice back at him but in doing that she was also validating him so she was ego stroking both ways.
Mary-Margaret and David were expecting a baby. After taking Killian's advice their marriage got better in a lot of ways. It was sometimes hard to pry them apart for shows. They were so cute together. David was over the moon and of course already predicting it would be a boy. They were proof that Killian's advice worked and there would be a living person to show it. He reminded her of that often when she had objections to his segment ideas.
He made her life better in a lot of ways. One of them was through his family. She didn't have any family so the fact that Ariel and Henry were so willing to take her in felt really good. Ariel was so happy to see her brother finally happy. He also seemed to surprise her regularly but the fact that he was so at ease with her around his family surprised her the most. They would take Henry sometimes over the weekend to allow Ariel to have a life outside of work.
Henry's first date with a girl was to the Sadie Hawkins dance. Killian was the proud Uncle and acted as their chauffeur for the evening. He was really good with him. She loved seeing that soft side of him that he only saved for his family and now for her. She also imagined what he would be like if they had kids someday.
He also tried hard to fit in a little romance for her. Who would have thought Killian "Man-Whore" Jones would be such a romantic. He would leave her single roses on her seat at the office or in her car for her to find. He would pop out from behind corners and steal a kiss when no one was looking. He liked leaving her breathless and wanting. He would just laugh and go back to work. She got him back by turning him on by talking dirty over the mic. She liked being about to turn him on, she who he deemed a prude was quite the temptress in his words.
She even got him to double date with Ruby and Victor. It took some coaxing at first and just a little extra special role play the night before involving a bucket of edible paint but he agreed. It turned out that Victor was a fan of his show so they got a long great. It was nice to have a couple to go out with sometimes too. She caught him watching her from time to time and the look of adoration on his face sent sparks right through her.
They planned to take Henry to the park on the weekend to go bike riding. Ariel was going to a nursing conference and they were going to be helping out. Henry was going to stay over her place for the first time. She should stop kidding herself though because technically Killian had been living with her for three months so it was really their place.
He'd stayed at her place almost every night and taken over half of her closet and half of the bathroom. It was gradual at first but she encouraged him by giving him a key. He was so touched by the trust she put in him with that gesture. She'd already given him her heart, the key just seemed inconsequential.
She wanted to show him her quiet thinking spot. She hadn't been out there since her half date with Graham. She wanted to create some new memories there and reclaim it as theirs. The weather would be perfect for a picnic and bike riding. She just had to convince him of it. She bought some fuzzy hand cuffs and satin pink lingerie that she wanted to surprise him with. This might be the perfect time.
Saturday came and he had to change his plans a bit after a special night with Emma involving handcuffs. The minx had him screaming yes to her plans by the end of the night. She drove him wild but this was only a small give in comparison to what he planned to ask her for today.
"Emma, Love, are you ready?"
He sat in the chair holding Baelfire as he waited for her to emerge from their bedroom. She was right about this sneaky cat, he was always on the prowl. He heard her heels clacking along the hardwood floor as she entered the room.
His mouth hung open at the site of her. She was wearing a light blue sundress that showed off her beautiful soft curves, a pair of cowboy boots and her hair was tied back in pigtails, a fantasy come true for him.
Her gorgeous face was smiling wide showing her beautiful dimples. He loved that she remembered that he had a fantasy about her as a cowgirl. She never ceased to amaze him.
She twirled in front of him."So do you approve?"
He was dumbstruck. He blinked hard. "You look amazing Love."
She was beaming. "Well I know you had a fantasy about me as a cowgirl so I thought I would give you a little tease today."
"Yes, love and you have now made it nearly impossible for me to want to leave the house."
He scooped her up in his arms and spun her around kissing her gently on the lips. She pulled back laughing. "We have to go, we can't keep Henry waiting."
He put her down slowly grabbing her hand and pulling her back for another kiss when she started walking towards the door. "Keep your lips to yourself. There will be plenty of that for you later if you are a good boy." She teased.
"Bloody Minx." He swat her on the arse and she jumped, laughing loudly. He grabbed the picnic basket and patted his jacket pocket to make sure the box was there one more time. He looked down at her orange tabby and smiled. "Wish me luck Baelfire."
He walked quickly to catch up, fumbling with his phone as he was fast on her heels. She was packing things in the back when he approached. He pretended to be talking to Ariel on the phone about Henry, speaking loud enough for her to overhear his false conversation so she knew that they wouldn't be picking him up anymore.
"No Henry today?"
"No Love, Ariel said we should just take the day to ourselves. Her trip got cancelled so she and Henry are going to an amusement park."
She smiled and took his hand."Sounds good to me. I get you all to myself." He leaned over and kissed her softly. "Aye. Sounds good to me too." He opened her door and she slipped into her seat. She watched him smiling as he ran around to his side of the car.
He liked that she slipped her hand into his while they were driving. He brushed his thumb over her hand and thought about what it would be like to see her wearing the ring. He was nervous, excited and hopeful that she would seem him as a worthy husband. He never did ask her what his score was on her check list but by the way she looked at him, he didn't think it mattered to her anymore.
They arrived at Emma's special spot in the park. The setting was just as beautiful as she described. He hurried out the car and around to her side to help her out of the car. She smiled up at him. "So chivalrous." He lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss. "Of course milady." She laughed and swatted him on the shoulder.
He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have her. He pulled the basket from the back and she grabbed the blanket. She too his hand in hers lacing her fingers through pulling him along."The perfect spot for our picnic is right this way."
She led him across the rocks to her favorite spot near a waterfall. "I love it here. I come when I need some time to think and reflect on everything. You know being tightly wound comes with its drawbacks too. Thanks to you I've felt more relaxed than I have in a long while."
"I'm glad I could help with that." He surveyed the scene in front of him and it really was the perfect setting for what he had in mind. The waterfall was rushing and the sun was peeking down at them through the trees. Emma's hair was all aglow under the sunlight. She looked like an angel.
"Love, you sure do know how to pick the perfect spot. I would bet that it's secluded enough that no one could hear us if you were interested in a little fun?"
"Play your cards right and we could test that theory."
She loved that she could get him so hot and bothered. She put on the cow girl outfit because she thought she was going to be able to tease him all afternoon but with the absence of Henry things might heat up a little sooner than she thought.
She had fun teasing him the other night. Handcuffs and a feather was all it took to get him to submit to her demands. She smiled at the thought of him writhing under her and the way he held her after. She still liked a little control in her life.
He looked so good today in a light blue, short- sleeve, fitted Henley and dark washed jeans. His dark hair was a little unruly as the wind blew giving him that sexy disheveled look that she loved so much. In spite of all his bravado he really was a generous lover and if he kept giving her that look of adoration she might be the one who can't wait this time.
She helped him spread the blanket on the ground. He had a bottle of champagne, chilled in the basket. He lay out all the items for the picnic on the blanket and put the basket over to the side. He had her favorite sandwiches from Granny's, pasta salad from the Doc's deli, and a pail of Strawberries with a little whipped cream on the side.
"These are all my favorite foods. You are so sweet."
"I know what my lady likes."
She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. He smiled."Love, would you grab the napkins out of the basket?"
She got up, walked over and bent down to get the napkins. When she turned around Killian was on bent knee in front of her holding out a ring box with the most exquisite ring she'd ever seen. The diamond was sparkling radiantly under the sun. Tears began to pool in her eyes immediately. She covered her mouth with her hands to hold back the sobs.
"Emma Swan, you can drive me nuts but you also drive me crazy. You've proven me wrong at every turn and I'm happy for that. You've opened my eyes and made me see what I was missing in my life, you. Would you do the honor of making me the happiest man in the world and Marry Me?"
She bent to her knees in front of him, cupped his face in her hands, looked into his beautiful blue eyes full of hope, leaned forward pressing her lips to his, and whispered "Yes".
The earth started to spin again for him. For that brief moment, time stopped until she said yes. His heart was thumping so hard in his chest he thought it was going to pop out. He pulled her forward and held her close as his mouth claimed hers.
Her warm lips tasted of the salty tears that were slipping down her cheeks. He leaned back brushing away her tears, trying not to become tearful himself. He pulled the ring from the box and placed it onto her extended finger.
She held out her hand under the sunlight and it was a perfect fit. "I love you Killian."
"I love you too Emma." She climbed into his arms and he pressed little kisses all over her face tickling her until she fell to a fit of laughter.
Needless to say neither of them could wait until they got home and the perfect location was just secluded enough to make that spot special for many reasons. Any previous memories were completely erased as they lay on the blanket in a state of bliss.
She snuggled into him and looked at her ring. She was going to be Mrs. Emma Jones.
They had a whirlwind engagement. She was so happy that she had to pinch herself sometimes to make sure that it was real. Ruby and Ariel helped her with the planning of a simple ceremony at Killian's request. She was happy to oblige considering they were compromising very well. She couldn't expect him to change his spots overnight. He did help with some of the decisions and made some suggestions on his own which was great progress from where they started.
Ariel and Ruby helped keep her control freak tendencies at bay so that she could actually relax on her wedding day. The wedding went off without a hitch and she was happily Mrs. Killian Jones.
As they looked over the large table filled with their friends and family he made the perfect toast to them reminding everyone that True Love trumps a checklist any day and that with the love of the right woman the truth isn't ugly at all.