6. waterfall in the woods

Prompt: ''So, I found this waterfall…''

A/N: Whoops. Inspiration struck and this somehow turned into much more than a short drabble. Hope you enjoy it anyway! ~2K words of future fluff overdose.

Emma should probably have grown used to the ridiculous things that kept happening in this town, but sometimes they still managed to surprise her. This had been one of those times. A villain trying to turn Storybrooke into the new Atlantis? Seriously?

They'd defeated him, of course. Nobody had ever been successful in their battle against the ever optimistic heroes with their endless hope speeches. And their brute strength in the form of magic, swords, arrows and a hook. That had definitely helped as well. It had been a close call, but that was nothing new. Her family had grown quite accustomed to near death experiences, she was sorry to say.

This time, particularly Killian had been determined to win the battle, partially because he was quite done with people trying to murder him, and partially because, as he'd said it, ''I've survived the terrors of the seas for centuries, I will not have that reputation be marred by being turned into a bloody fish.'' Because yes, that had been part of the diabolical master plan. Turning all of the Storybrooke citizens into fish. Now that it was over and everything had gone back to normal (as normal as their lives ever could be, that is), it sounded even more ridiculous.

It wasn't all bad, though.

''So, I found this waterfall...'' she began enthusiastically, flopping down on the couch next to Killian, who put his newspaper down at the sound of her voice and the odd announcement.

''You... found a waterfall?'' His hesitant question was met with a determined nod. He moved to the side to face her, his shift of position prompting her to put her hand on his knee to close the distance between them further. ''You're saying that we've lived in this town for years and until now, nobody knew of the existence of such a place?''

''Yes! Well, no. I think it was created by the water that was left after the whole Atlantis business. You know, pretty much the entire forest was flooded, so today I decided to take a look around there to see if nobody had been hurt, because there's always some dwarf getting himself into trouble, but mostly because the most exciting thing at the office was paperwork, and you know I never feel like doing that, and my dad said he'd take over for the rest of the day, and...''

A gentle smile graced his features while he patiently listened to her ramblings, always amused by the deterioration in her story-telling abilities whenever she was excited about something.

''Anyway...'' she seemed to notice it too, cutting herself of so she could get to the point she had originally been trying to make. ''I found a waterfall, right in the middle of the woods, not far from the toll bridge. It's beautiful and nobody knows about it yet and...''

The sudden end of her sentence made him raise an eyebrow, silently wondering what was on her mind.

''You know what? You should see it for yourself.'' She flashed a toothy grin, clearly thrilled about the idea she had just come up with. With a flick of her wrist and a puff of white smoke, they were suddenly standing in front of the waterfall in question.

'Beautiful' didn't even come close to accurately describing it.

It was in the middle of a clearing, surrounded on one side by a forest heavily populated by tall trees, and on the other side by a steep hill. There, water trickled down from the rocks, forming various small streams at the bottom. Near the middle of the hill was a cavern, almost completely hidden by the waterfall in front of it. The drops of water created a soothing rhythm, reminiscent of rain on the windows on a stormy autumn evening. The sunlight bravely filtered through the leaves during its last hours of the day.

''Wow.'' Emma chuckled at Killian's incredibly eloquent description of the scenery.

''Have I really reduced you to one-syllable words?'' She moved closer to him, replacing his view of the body of water with a radiant smile and bright green eyes. ''Shouldn't you be calling it, I don't know, beautiful or stunning or something along those lines?''

''No Swan, those are solely reserved for you.'' He recovered quickly from his astonishment, knowing exactly how to stun her into the same silence from moments before.

''You're ridiculous.'' She stepped further into his space, placing her right hand over his heart and softly pressing her lips to his. He often made her feel like she was part of a fairy tale romance, and she hoped she was repaying him by taking them to such a dreamy location. Although simply being there couldn't possibly compete with the way her heart sang with joy during a slow kiss like this one. She could swear that love was almost tangible during these moments, warm enough to heat up her fingertips and cold enough to bring goosebumps to her skin.

They ended the kiss with a shaky sigh, both catching their breath as their body swayed ever so slightly, like tall grass in a gentle breeze. Their foreheads were pressed together, noses brushing each others cheeks, his hand in her hair and her fingers trailing along his jaw. The only sound apart from their heartbeats was a soft melody from a single bird somewhere in the distance.

Emma decided to use the quiet moment to her advantage. Right now, he wouldn't suspect anything. She slowly let her left hand run along the leather of his sleeve, ultimately intertwining her fingers with his. Suddenly she looked up at him with a mischievous grin. She could practically see the wheels in his head turning as one eyebrow shot up. But before he could get the chance to react properly to this suspicious turn of events, she tugged at his hand while taking a big step backwards. Right into the shallow pool of water. Under the borderline freezing waterfall.

''Swan!'' he exclaimed in a tone that almost sounded offended, prompting her to laugh despite the chill of the water running down her neck.

''What, the great Captain Hook can't handle a little bit of water?'' she asked teasingly, moving her hands up to tug on his collar in order to keep their bodies close.

''I'm soaked.'' Killian was practically pouting at this point, and it sent her into a fit of giggling. ''Bloody hell Swan, I'm still wearing all of my clothes.''

She bit her lip, unsuccessfully trying to suppress the broad smile on her face while she moved the two of them deeper into the cavern, their legs creating ripples in the water as they waded through it.

''Exactly. Let's get you out of those.''

''As if you-'' A kiss on his cheek while she pulled of his jacket. ''Ever need an ulterior motive-'' A line of wet kisses along his jawline as she hastily unbuttoned his shirt. ''To do that.'' The constant kisses had it made it quite difficult for him to even finish that sentence.

While his jacket and shirt fell into the water with a soft splash, he put his hand on her sleeveless arm in an attempt to dodge the next kiss attack.

''Emma, hold on a second, I-'' Killian promptly stopped talking when her movements came to a screeching halt. Her hands had moved down from his instantly drenched chest hair to unbuckle his pants, but one of them now rested on his right pocket, completely motionless. She could feel a square object under her palm.

She hesitantly lifted her gaze up to meet his eyes, her lips parting without speaking as she looked at him in shock. He wasn't doing much better. His eyes darted around wildly in an attempt to avoid eye contact, while he let out a nervous chuckle.

''Well, this didn't go as planned.'' She could see him gather his courage while he attempted to brush the dripping wet strands of hair out of his eyes with his hook, slipping his hand into his pocket to pull out a red velvet box. If possible, her jaw dropped even further, eyes blinking rapidly as her mind worked overtime in order to comprehend this development.

''Emma.'' his voice was slightly shaky for a few seconds, the tension of his confession weighing heavy on his shoulders.

''You know I can always think of something to say. But this is different. Because what could I say that I haven't already proven to be true? Still, I will try.'' He twisted the box in his hand, unable to keep it completely steady.

''I would cross realms for you.'' Neverland, the Enchanted forest, New York and Camelot immediately come to mind. He had never once hesitated since the moment he first decided to help her. Never questioned his own unwavering belief that he would find her, no matter what it took.

''I would give up anything for you.'' He had given up his ship for her. The only place left with memories of his loved ones, the only place where he had ever truly felt at home. That is, until he met Emma. In her arms was where he belonged.

''I would die for you.'' He had proven this to be an indisputable fact far more times than strictly necessary. Her chest tightened at the memory of every single one of those instances, tears she hadn't even noticed yet threatening to spill over.

''I would live for you.'' There had been a time where it hadn't mattered to him whether he lived or died. Consumed by the darkness and loneliness that came in the form of an endless desire for revenge. But Emma Swan wasn't just worth dying for. She was worth living for. Truly living, savoring every second of every day. He wanted to spend the rest of the second life he'd been granted devoted to her.

''You told me that I helped take off your armor. But if necessary, I would have gladly spent the rest of my life breaking down your walls brick by brick. You did the same for me, after all. You were the flame that guided me when I had lost my way. You loved me when I couldn't love myself.'' Salty tears now mixed in with the water already on Emma's cheeks.

''I always know for certain that I can't love you more, but then I wake up the next morning with you by my side and I discover that I do. I always have, and always will, choose you.'' His voice was gentle but determined, his eyes a brilliant shade of blue, nearly overflowing with all of the promises he intended to keep. Then, the corner of his mouth turned upwards, creating a smirk with one eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

''This time, I am proposing.''

Killian got down on one knee, ignoring the sting of the undeniably cold water in favor of what he wanted to say. He lifted his hand with the velvet box and opened it with his hook, revealing a silver ring with an emerald gemstone.

''Emma Swan. Will you marry me?''

A whirlwind of laughter and blond hair crashed into him, knocking him backwards and sending the two of them into the water with a loud splash and a miniature tidal wave.

''Bloody he-'' the disoriented words died on his lips as they drowned in a series of wet sloppy kisses.

''Yes! Yes, of course I will!'' her chuckles were contagious while she lay on his bare chest, peppering his cheeks, nose, forehead and neck with kisses as numerous as the drops of water in the pool they were laying in. His arms went around her back, his right hand stroking up and down her spine as he locked their lips together whenever he could tone down the enormous smile on his face.

They made no move to get up, their bodies a mess of tangled limbs and wet hair.

''Was it really necessary to end this romantic occasion with the possibility of hypothermia?'' He finally uttered breathlessly, the taste of her accepting words still fresh on his lips.

''Do you even know how much willpower it took to wait through your speech before being able to pounce you?''

''What, you didn't like my speech?'' He feigned a hurt tone, tilting his head to the side.

''Shut up, shut up.'' she lowered her head to press her lips to his, softer and slower than before. She would never have imagined a proposal like this. Her boyfriend- no, fiancée, half naked and both of them soaked to the bone. She wouldn't trade it for the world.

''I loved it.'' There was a moment of silence as they gazed adoringly into each others eyes, seeing a future in the lakes of blue and green. ''I love you.''

''And I you.''