Prompt: "The ornate cedar box had a Victorian look about it, and it smelled like the sea." From veiledinspiration on Tumblr.

Author Notes: No spoilers. Reviews are loved and greatly appreciated. Please tell me what you think, what I could/should improve on. You know, the usual.

Quite Moments

The ornate cedar box had a Victorian look about it, and it smelled like the sea. Inside the box sat a thin gold band topped with a small, but perfect ruby. It was a family heirloom and had been passed down from generation to generation. His father had given the ring to his mother, and it belonged to his grandfather before him. It was the only thing of his mother that remained after more than three centuries without her.

Although the two of them had been together close to three years Killian just hadn't been able to find the words to ask Emma to be his wife. He found himself riddled with doubts. What if Emma didn't like the ring. What if the stone was too small. What if she wasn't ready to marry him. And yet, Killian was more certain than ever that he wanted to marry her.

Killian slipped the small box into his pants pocket before making his way to the kitchen. The sun was just starting to rise and he wanted to get a head start on his plan for the day. Today was the day that he was going to ask Emma Swan to marry him. It's the same thing he told himself yesterday, and the day before that, but today was the day.

Yesterday he had attempted to propose to his girlfriend during a picnic lunch on the docks, but he had somehow ended up in the water while Emma stood off to the side laughing. The day before that their romantic dinner was interrupted by Leroy screaming about some kind of danger. (Which turned out to be a stray kitten stuck in a tree)

Today was different though, today he would go through with it, just as soon as she woke up, before a town crisis could occur. But how to do it? How could he make it special? He remembered watching a movie where the male character served his wife breakfast in bed, and he knew what he had to do.

He set about the kitchen pulling out the pans and utensils that he would need to make a stunning breakfast for his Swan. Pancakes, toast, bacon, eggs, and hot chocolate. Killian headed to the pantry to grad the flour from the top shelf. He blindly fumbled around above his head until his hook connected with the plastic container that housed the flour, and he pulled it towards him. He reached up with his hand to pull the container down, but it slipped from his hook and fell towards the ground.

There was a loud crash and a cloud of white dust exploded from the plastic container as it hit the ground. Killian coughed a few times as the dust settled. Everything, himself included, was coated in a light dusting of flour. Killian groaned as he took in the sight before him. Emma was not going to be pleased.

"What is going on in here!?" Emma yelled from the doorway. Her hair was a mess, her pajamas were thrown on haphazardly, but she still looked beautiful to him.

"It wasn't meant to be like this!"

"Oh really, and just what was it meant to be like then?" She stepped towards him, leaving small delicate footprints in the flour.

"Love, this probably isn't the time, can't we just..."

"No we cannot 'just' anything! And I'm warning you, this had better be good." She had squared her body to face him, arms folded across her chest and eyes blazing. Killian thought she looked magnificent. Terrifying, but magnificent.

This was not how he imagined it at all.

"The thing is, Emma, there was something I wanted to ask you." He fumbled in his pocket for the little box as he went down on one knee amidst the mess of flour.

The words weren't even out of his mouth as she threw herself into his arms. "Of course I will!"