Chapter Five | Making (Pretend) Plans
The photographer Mary Margaret eagerly introduces to them is a family friend named Ruby.
She and Emma spend a good five minutes catching up and laughing, effectively leaving Killian on his own to a discussion with Mary Margaret about the weather and how she hopes they have a spring wedding.
He's begun to realize that he's far too out of his depth here, and not in a good way where he can save himself. No, he's drowning.
"Let's go outside to the garden. I know it's cold, but I found this great tree you could stand under and the snow is super pretty." Ruby says with a crinkle in her nose.
"Oh, I know exactly which one you're talking about." Mary Margaret says. "It'll be perfect."
Emma goes to him and takes his hand easily as they follow Ruby and Mary Margaret outside to the garden, where he finds himself caught up in the wonder of winter. He hadn't realized the castle sits with its back to a lovely lake with mountains in the picturesque distance.
Snow makes it all the lovelier, most of it untouched as the flakes trickle toward them and melt almost instantly against his exposed skin.
It's truly stunning as he looks at their surroundings from the spot beneath the tree that Ruby wants them under. Emma's still holding his hand as he looks out, entirely enamored with the quiet and calm of it all.
"Quite the view," he says.
Emma hums. "It's pretty."
Killian can't help but smirk at Emma. She's staring up at him, snowflakes caught in her eyelashes and dusting the top of her head. Her cheeks and the tip of her nose are rosy from the cold.
"You're pretty."
He sees her blush deepen as her mouth falls open ever so slightly as if to admonish him. He chuckles and leans in to leave a kiss to the side of her head. When he moves away, he finds Ruby and Mary Margaret staring on giddily.
"That's perfect!" Ruby gasps. "Again! This time, Emma," Ruby moves in close to them and physically adjusts them so Emma's hands are pressed to his chest and she's turned toward her mother. "Okay. That's good."
They take a few like this, and a few of him holding Emma close with her hand on his arm. It feels like a proper portrait, with how she keeps adjusting their heads and chins and shifting their hips to get the right angle.
She's warm in his arms, and she still smells amazing. It's almost enough for him to forget they're standing out in the cold of winter, posing for engagement photographs he's fairly certain will somehow be his downfall.
"Okay, let's do… oh, I know. Forehead kiss."
It continues like this for a while. They take a few forehead kiss pictures, and then Mary Margaret suggests they go back inside where they can sit by the fire.
They move eagerly back inside, hand-in-hand, and Ruby takes a few pictures of them from behind before insisting they take a few in the garden with him standing behind Emma, his arms around her middle and his nose in her hair.
None of this does him any good emotionally. His stomach won't stop being flooded with butterflies and his heart feels achingly full at each press of her against him.
She turns to him at one point and grins so happily at him that he imagines that maybe, if he just got a minute to speak with her, they wouldn't have to keep pretending.
Oh, he is in love with her and none of this is helping matters.
Why did he agree to come along again? Right, because he's a good person and a good friend. But for some reason he feels less than good right now.
"Thank you for this, Ruby," Mary Margaret says after the last photo is taken on the floor of the den with the soothingly warm fireplace.
"Yeah, no problem! These are going to be killer. I'll get them downloaded and pick out a few for review by three this afternoon."
Mary Margaret cheers. "Oh, yay! Thank you. We'll keep an eye out."
Both he and Emma thank Ruby and the photographer goes on her way, clearly excited to see the fruits of their labor. Emma's mother turns to them and lifts her shoulders.
"Well, that was fun."
Emma's a little bit breathless. "Yeah."
"When do you want to start planning the wedding?" Mary Margaret asks. "I have some ideas, but I don't want to impose. I just… I am so excited, Emma."
Emma sighs. "Mom… we just got here."
Her mother nods in understanding, a frown riding her lips. "I know. I know. I'm sorry. It's… I've been planning for this day since you were a little girl and now that it's here, I can't wait to share with you."
His best friend softens. She tucks her hair behind her ears and nods. "I know." She glances up at him and back again. "I guess a peek wouldn't hurt. But we're not making any decisions."
The queen gasps excitedly. Her face brightens up so much that it's almost as if she hadn't been smiling before.
Killian watches Emma get whisked away by her mother and he laughs slightly at the frantic look on her face as he waves at her. "I'd come with you, but I've got plans with Leo."
Emma rolls her eyes a little, but has no room to respond because Mary Margaret's talking her ear off.
He watches them go for a few moments before he hears his name. Turning, he discovers Leo approaching from a cluster of people gathered nearby talking and gawking at the royal mother and daughter.
"Killian, you ready for our hike?"
He grins at Leo. "Of course. I'll need a minute to change into something more comfortable."
Leo bobs his head. "How about I meet you back down here in fifteen?"
/
Prince Leopold is adventurous at heart and quite fun to be around. They're climbing a nearby mountain while they talk about the world and the nonsense within it, and it's more fun than he's had in a while.
He genuinely enjoys being with Leo, and he gets the feeling Leo feels the same toward him.
They reach their objective and stand atop a cliff looking out at the castle that lies beyond.
"The world is so much bigger up here," Leo says, slightly out of breath with deep pink cheeks hiding behind his scarf.
Killian chuckles. "Aye. It is."
He takes in the enormity of the sky and how peaceful he feels. It's good at giving him a straight head where it comes to his feelings. They seem less significant as he looks around from way up here.
"So, I promised myself a long time ago that when Emma got engaged and it was serious, I'd bring my future brother-in-law on a hike and we'd talk about his intentions." Leo says honestly.
Killian meets his gaze and nods. "Alright."
Leo crosses his arms to make himself more intimidating. "My sister is incredibly important to me and I've seen her go through way too much heartbreak. I don't want it to happen again."
Killian knows this feeling all too well. He nods. "Aye. I know. I promise, I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt her intentionally. I… I love her and I'm not keen on letting her go."
Leo smiles at that. He looks over at the castle. "I can tell she feels the same about you."
From an outsider's perspective, the words bear more weight than they really should. Killian's heart races.
"Do you think you'll come back?" Leo asks. "For the wedding or… I don't know, living here?"
Killian shakes his head. "I don't know, mate. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here so far, but… I think that's up to Emma."
Leo sighs and nods. "I guess." He presses a hand to the back of his head and breathes the day in deeply. "I always thought when she got married she'd come home."
It's really not his place to make promises, but he figures one more won't hurt amidst a sea of lies they've already spread far and wide.
"I'll talk to her."
Leo's eyes widen brightly and he laughs. "Really?"
"Sure," Killian grins. "Family ought to stick together. That's what my brother's always told me."
Leo claps him on the back. "You know, you and I are going to get along, Killian. I can feel it."
/
"I've been planning for a long time for the chance to give you the wedding of your dreams," her mother admits as they walk into her study.
It's been a whirlwind of a day, complete with far too much Killian gazing at her with far too much affection in his eyes. But it isn't as if she's been any better. And that kiss. Even if it was shortly lived, she's having a hard time making ends of what any of this means.
This trip wasn't ever supposed to get out of control. It was always supposed to be simple and they'd show up and he'd be charming and her parents would be happy that she's happy. And then they'd go back to their lives as they were.
But instead, she's come face-to-face with a realization that her family really, really wants her to be married. To Killian Jones.
They love him more than she could've anticipated. Even her father, the man who once shot at one of her previous boyfriends, seems to have no problem whatsoever with his little girl marrying Killian.
What could they possibly see in him- in their relationship- that they haven't seen before?
Emma's eyes widen as her mother shows her the three gigantic scrapbooks of ideas sitting out on her desk.
"I have ideas for just about any theme you might want to pick from," her mother says. "But I was thinking… that you could have the wedding here and we could have it out by the water at sunset."
Emma stares at the pictures in the book closest to her as her mother flips frantically through another to find the page she's looking for. She stops finally and points out some details they might use.
"Look, your father and Leo could build this beautiful archway," Mary Margaret caresses the picture as if it's dear to her. "And we could decorate the garden with lantern lights and you could dance under the stars."
Truth be told, the idea is beautiful. Emma can't imagine anything better than a wedding like that. She imagines they'd have to do it in the summer, so they'd have plenty of time to plan, but at the same time no time at all.
Emma smiles fondly at her mother's description. "That sounds so beautiful."
Mary Margaret looks up at her and shakes her head on a soft sigh. "Emma, I can't believe you're getting married."
Emma smiles back at her mother. This is all she's dreamed about for a long time, giving Emma a wedding.
"I know," she admits on a laugh. "It's hard to believe."
Mary Margaret shakes her head. "No, I can see it between you. You and Killian were meant to be together. The way he looks at you, and the way you look at him..." Her mother sighs happily. "He's not like anyone else you've brought home. He's different. A really, really, good different."
Emma's heart flutters. "How can you tell?"
Her mother shrugs and lifts an eyebrow. "He makes you smile. With your whole face. And you look at him like he could change the world and you really think he could." Mary Margaret smiles. She reaches out to brush a strand of Emma's hair behind her ear. "And when he speaks, you hang onto every word. It was never like that with anyone else."
Her mother has tears in her eyes and Emma's chest tightens because of her words.
"And I imagine he's the first person you think about in the morning when you wake up and the last person you think about when you fall asleep. That's how it is with your father and I at least. He's your best friend and you're his."
The weight of her mother's words ring all too real with Emma.
Her mother clears her throat and straightens out. "Do you want to take a look at what I have? I know it's a lot to take in, but… it's a good start."
Forcing herself to stop thinking too much about the situation she's put herself in, Emma forces herself to smile and nod. "Sure."
/
Her phone buzzes in her hand as she stands outside of the door leading to the rooftop where Elsa had said they were waiting for her.
It's an email from her mother, sent with high importance. She taps into it and finds the email reads: I love them all! What do you think? I prefer number one for the announcement. Dad thinks so too. :) - Mom
There are a few photos attached. Emma's heart skips a beat when she realizes just what they are- they're from the engagement photo session they'd shared just a few hours ago.
It had been quite something coming off of their first kiss and moving straight into half an hour of close touching and easy laughter. She'd been surprised by how natural it all felt, and how calm she'd been with him holding her close.
Although, she isn't surprised at all when she thinks about it, because everything with him is simple and safe.
The first picture, her parents' favorite, is of them standing beneath the tree, both of them happy as they hold onto each other in a less than natural pose. She can't help but to think she fits kind of perfectly there, with her head pressed against his collarbone, and his arm wrapped around her.
The second is a picture of them laughing about something as they sit in front of the fire, wrapped in a quilt. It's a close shot, capturing just how widespread their grins are. Her mom was right about one thing- she smiles with her whole face around Killian.
The third is of Killian kissing her forehead. Their eyes are both closed and he's holding onto her so lovingly and tenderly she wonders if it had been as real to them in the moment as it appears.
She doesn't have time to check the rest of the pictures because she gets a text from Elsa begging her to come outside already.
So, she types off a quick, Love these! Number one is great. -Em and sends it back to her mother before opening the door to the rooftop party.
It's pretty out here, as it always is, with flowers her mom had planted for her secret garden all hidden away for the winter. The warm lantern lights hanging overhead give the space a familiar and safe glow. There's Christmas music playing near the outdoor bar her dad had installed and all of her friends from brunch are assembled, wrapped in blankets and baggy sweaters.
"Emma!" Elsa calls out happily. She hurries to her side and slings her arm through hers. "You have come just in time. Belle has brought with her the finest cheap wine and Aurora and Ashley brought snacks."
Emma laughs happily. Spending evenings out on the rooftop with her friends was always a highlight growing up at the castle, and this is no different.
They gather together on a blanket with pillows and cushions. Emma accepts a glass of wine when it's offered to her by Belle.
"So… how's being engaged?" Elsa asks in a sing-song tone.
Emma laughs and shakes her head. She mimics her friend's voice, "It's nice."
The girls chuckle.
"Do you guys have a date yet?" Anna asks.
"No, not yet." Emma says. "We just want to be engaged for a little while before we start drowning in wedding plans."
Anna's eyes widen. "Good for you! Kristoff and I dove right in. Not that I regret it. Because I don't." Emma smiles slightly when Anna rubs her baby bump. "But it's a lot of hard work."
Elsa shifts in her spot and grabs a cookie from the pile of snacks in the center of their circle. "So, how'd you guys meet?"
Emma takes a breath. "Um… well, we met-" She can't help but laugh a little. "We met at his brother's birthday party. I was dating this guy at the time that knew him and I mistook Killian for his brother when I introduced myself. I kept trying to talk to him about what little my boyfriend had told me about Liam and he was just so confused until I called him the wrong name and then he cleared it up."
Her friends giggle.
Aurora has a bite of cake and tilts her head. "And now he's your best friend! Imagine it."
Emma smiles happily. "Yeah. He is."
"Oh my gosh, tell us about your engagement story. I love engagement stories!" Belle insists.
She laughs and shrugs. The story she and Killian came up with for this is good, she has to admit. It's full of just enough facts that are true for it to come across as plausible.
"Okay. So one of our favorite places to go is this little diner called the Starlight Diner. He asked me if I'd like to go for dinner and I agreed, not really thinking much of it. When I showed up, he had our table decorated in flowers and he was wearing a fancy suit. So I asked him, 'what's going on?' and he said, 'can't a guy take his beautiful girlfriend out for a special dinner?'"
The girls laugh. She does too, mostly because this is something that actually happened. Minus the relationship stuff.
"And so we had dinner and I'm thinking the whole time that he's either crazy romantic or he's proposing, or both. But it didn't happen, and instead we went for a walk by the harbor, and I had decided it wouldn't… but then he pretended he noticed something on the ground." Emma shrugs, smiling happily at her own story. "And then he asked me and I said yes."
Her friends swoon over the entirely made-up story, and Emma can't help but feel the slightest bit of pride over the tale because of how sweet it is.
"I am so glad you're getting married to him." Elsa says. "He loves you so much, Emma."
Suddenly, as she had with her mother, she feels nothing but guilt. Killian can't love her. Can he?
"And he's not a jerk like what's his name," Belle adds. "He's a proper gentleman."
"He is." Aurora agrees.
Elsa hums. "Well, when you get to wedding planning, just remember, I'm your best girl friend and I have performed as maid of honor before."
The rest of the group tries to get her to nominate them for the position. Emma can't help but laugh as she looks to Elsa.
Of all the people she'd dream about having in her wedding, she thinks Elsa takes the cake. Elsa was there, through thick and thin, when she still lived at the castle. Come to think of it, Elsa was sort of her Killian before she met Killian.
She isn't sure what to make of that.
And she isn't sure what to make of the tightness in her chest as she thinks about Killian either.