It took every last ounce of self-control for Emma to refrain from pinching herself, just to make sure this wasn't just a dream. When David and Mary Margret had asked her to meet them at Granny's for lunch, she hadn't expected to find an entire buffet of food prepared, along with the most gorgeous six tier cake she'd ever seen, decorated with pastel blue buttercream icing, golden fondant and gum paste flowers. To top it all off, there was a mountain of presents piled on one of the tables, all for her. That alone was enough to leave Emma stunned. It had been years since she'd gotten an actual birthday present that she hadn't had to purchase herself. But what had been the most welcome surprise was the number of people who had arrived for the surprise party. Of course she expected to see her parents and Henry, and even Neal and Regina's presence wasn't a huge surprise. But there was also Granny, Marco, Pinocchio, Archie, Tinkerbell, Anton, Ashely and Sean with little Alexandra, Phillip and Aurora, Ariel and Eric, Grace with her cursed parents, and even Nicholas and Ava with their father, Michael Tillman. And, as Emma continued to look around the room, she could spot Robin and Roland, sitting in the corner with the rest of the Merry Men, a few of the former Lost Boys, the dwarfs, and even Starkey, who had an arm casually draped over Beverly's shoulder. It was almost unbelievable to see so many people had showed up to this surprise party David and Mary Margret had organized. The only people who seemed to be missing were Jefferson, Belle, Ruby, and everyone else who had ventured into the Enchanted Forest to secure the contents of Rumpelstiltskin's vault. Well, them and Killian, who Emma couldn't help but notice was conspicuously missing.

Throughout the party, Emma kept trying to make covert glances around the diner, looking for a sign of the missing pirate, but he never showed up, even when she had finished opening up her presents and the cake was being distributed. Deep down, she couldn't help but feel confused and hurt by his absence. She didn't think they'd had a fight. Everything had seemed rather normal yesterday, when he'd stopped by the sheriff's station to bring her lunch of grilled cheese and onion rings. And, since it was proving to be a slow day, Emma had invited him to stick around so they could watch a movie together. Killian had been slightly sour after Henry had finally showed him the Disney movie, Peter Pan, so when Emma had located a copy of a live-action movie called Blackbeard's Ghost, she had purchased it without hesitation, hoping it would make him feel better. After all, from what she'd recently learned from him and Starkey, Killian and the actual Blackbeard loathed one another. In spite of her discouragement at Killian's current absence, Emma couldn't help but smile at the memory. It had been the first time she'd seen Killian laughing so openly.

At one point during the party, Grace had approached her with the small enchanted mirror she'd been carrying around since Jefferson had left with the Enchanted Forest expedition. The mirror had been part of an unofficial homework assignment Regina had issued her during their ongoing magic lessons, when Emma was learning the spell they'd used to contact Henry in Neverland. With the mirror, Grace had been able to keep in contact with her father while he was away, as he'd been given the other half. Today, however, Jefferson, Belle and Ruby had all decided to use the mirror in order to wish Emma a happy birthday, and to convey their regret that they couldn't be there in person. They'd also given the Nevengers a brief update on their progress at Rumpelstiltskin's vault. So far, the process of properly disposing the more dangerous artifacts had been going quite well, apart from a slight incident that had involved a stone gargoyle coming to life. Thankfully, that had been alleviated fairly quickly, with the worst injuries being a few scrapped knees and a bloody nose. At the present time, the fairies were investigating a strange golden urn that had been located within a cabinet.

After their absent friends completed briefing everyone on the status of the mission, Ruby had changed the subject to ask Mary Margret how the baby was doing, now that she was starting to show. As Mary Margret continued to talk with her best friend, Emma took the chance to join her father by the counter, where he was helping himself to more of the punch that had been provided.

"Thanks again for putting this all together," Emma said, slightly leaning against the counter as she spoke.

"Of course, Emma," David replied. "Your mother and I realize, of course, that this is probably not enough to make up for the past 29 years, but we hope it's a start. And if anything, you can see how many people there are who care for you."

"Yeah, I guess I can," Emma agreed. However, her smile was short-lived, and she once again scanned the room for the one face that was still missing.

"Emma," David suddenly spoke again. When Emma turned towards him, she saw he looked reluctant about something.

"What's wrong?" she asked. David didn't reply right away, making a slight groaning noise in the back of his throat. Finally, he went on.

"I'm…still not completely okay with this," he stated. "But…all things considered, I suppose you could have done worse." Before Emma could ask him to explain what he was talking about, David pulled out an envelope from his pocket and handed it to Emma.

"What is it?"

"Hook asked me to give that to you," David explained. "He said it had something to do with your birthday present from him." Curiosity getting the better of her, Emma promptly opened the envelope and pulled out a small note that was written in an elegant script.

Swan,

Happy birthday, love. If you wish, meet me at my ship after your birthday luncheon. Be sure to dress warm.

-Killian

Tearing her eyes away from the letter, Emma saw her father was giving her a slightly reluctant smile.

"Go on, then," David ordered. "I'll make your excuses for you. Don't keep him waiting."

"Thanks," Emma said, giving him a quick hug before ducking out of the diner, directing herself in the direction of the loft apartment for a change of clothes.

Emma made it to the docks when it was still relatively early in the afternoon. As she neared the Jolly Roger, she caught a glimpse of Killian standing at the bow of the ship, seemingly scanning the horizon. But when she reached the foot of the gangway, he turned towards her, as if sensing her presence.

"Permission to come aboard, Captain," Emma called up to him, a teasing smile on her face.

"Your presence is always welcome, your highness," Killian replied, making his way across the deck to meet her at the gangway platform, offering her his hand to help her on board. "I hope your birthday luncheon was enjoyable."

"It was," Emma said. "But I did wonder why you never showed up."

"My apologies. I assure you my absence was not meant as a personal slight against you. I simply needed to make sure everything was ready if you responded to my note."

"Did you think I wouldn't show up?"

"Well, I confess I had my doubts that your father would actually comply and pass the message on to you." Killian confessed. "I'm not so sure he approves of me."

"Just give him time," Emma suggested with a smirk, remembering what David had said when he had given her the letter. "He might not be as opposed to you as you might think. So….you were saying you wanted to make sure everything was ready. Ready for what, exactly?"

"Well," Killian shrugged, lightly scratching at his ear. "I admit I still don't know much about the customs in this land, but from what Henry was telling me the other day, birthdays here are generally the same as they are in the Enchanted Forest. Including the offering of presents."

"Yeah, that is the general idea," Emma confirmed. "But if this is your roundabout way of saying you got me something, you could have just came to the party at Granny's."

"Yes, except….my gift wasn't something I could simply bring to you," Killian explained. "We're the ones who have to do the traveling. That's why I didn't join in the festivities earlier. I was going over the maps and charts, plotting the best course to take."

"Best course?" Emma repeated in confusion.

"There was a reason I requested you to dress warm," Killian pointed out. "We'll be taking the Jolly Roger on a bit of an evening trip. I've already arranged things with your parents, and Henry's staying with Neal tonight, so you're completely free for the rest of the day."

"Is that right?" Emma asked with a smile. "And where might we be going?"

"That'll be a surprise, love," Killian commented with a wink. "Now, are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, sure," Emma agreed. "So, should I untether the ship, or….?"

"The term is actually releasing the mooring lines. But you don't need to lift a finger. This is your day. Just sit back and relax." Emma rolled her eyes, but obediently took a seat on the small set of stairs leading up to the helm, simply watching as Killian went about preparing the Jolly Roger to set sail.

Before long, the ship was finally making her way out to sea, with Storybrooke's harbor slowly fading from sight. Once they were out in the open ocean, Killian announced that they might be out at sea for a while, which led to them swapping stories to pass the time. Killian recalled some of the adventures he had with Liam, during their days in the Royal Navy, while Emma told him about some of her most memorable cases as a bail bonds person, including her final case with Ryan. As she finished that particular story, she let out a small chuckle.

"That was the same night when Henry appeared at my door to bring me to Storybrooke," she said. "I can't believe that was exactly a year ago today."

"And what a year it was," Killian commented in agreement.

"You know, you never explained that comment you made that one time," Emma stated, suddenly remembering. "When we were talking about me continuing learning magic from Regina, when the whole mess with Zelena was just starting, you mentioned something about seeing Cora try and take my heart."

"Aye, I did."

"Except you were lying unconscious at the time," Emma reminded. "I knocked you out, remember? So, how were you able to see that?" Killian didn't reply and fixed his gaze straight ahead, as if he hadn't heard Emma's question. But when she saw the reddish flush coloring his cheeks, Emma's eyes widened in realization. "Are you saying you were faking?!"

"Don't take this the wrong way, love, but it was obvious that you'd never been in a duel before that day," Killian said with a sheepish shrug. "But with Cora watching, I couldn't make it too obvious, could I?"

"So you…you let me win?"

"Not quite, but I admittedly wasn't giving it my all back then."

"Why?"

"I thought the answer to that was obvious, Emma. You were so desperate to get home to Henry, it was clear how much you loved your boy. Even then, I couldn't help but want to see you succeed. And while I had another way to get to Storybrooke, with Anton's bean and Lake Nostros' restorative waters, the compass and ashes was your only chance at getting home to your son. As…upset as I might have been after you left me behind, I realized I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I knowingly broke up another family."

Emma, feeling moved by that admission, leaned forward to kiss his cheek. But before there was a chance to do more than that, they were interrupted by an unexpected sound. Turning in unison, they watched the water spout rising out from the ocean surface.

"Is that….?" Emma gaped in wonder, moving closer to the railing. Looking over the side, she saw a small pod of humpback whales swimming past, breaching the water. "Wow! I've never been this close to a whale before!"

"Yes, I didn't think you would have," Killian said, joining her at the railing.

"Is this what your big surprise was?" Emma asked.

"No, we're not quite at our destination yet. But I was hoping we'd come across them on the way. Henry and Grace helped me find the information about their migratory patterns on those magic boxes at the library, but it sounded as if they would have already left for warmer waters by now. I suppose these are the stragglers. It looks like we just got lucky."

"So, if this isn't what you were planning, then what is it?"

"Patience, Swan. We're nearly there." Emma frowned slightly, wondering how he was able to tell something like that. That's when she noticed that the air was starting to grow colder, and the daylight was slowly fading. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was only around five in the evening. Much too early for sunset.

Before she could formulate a question, Killian's face lit up and he pointed out at the horizon.

"There!" he announced. "Do you see that?" For a few moments, Emma stared blankly in the direction Killian was pointing in, unable to see what she was supposed to be looking at. But after a minute or two, she noticed a faint dark shape in the distance. She slowly realized it was land.

"Is that where we're going?" she asked.

"It is," Killian confirmed.

"And where exactly are we?"

"An island that I believe you call Iceland."

"Wait, Iceland? We're in Iceland?" Emma cried, eyes wide in shocked amazement. "But…we only left Storybrooke a few hours ago! Iceland is….."

"As I told your parents and the loud dwarf some time ago, my ship is a marvel. And I'm a hell of a captain." Emma chuckled softly, shaking her head. She now understood what Killian had meant when he advised her to dress warm. As she continued to watch Iceland's coast grow closer, the sun continued its descent, turning the sky red and orange. After a while, however, Emma realized that the sky was also beginning to display a shimmering green light. At first, she was confused by the unusual color of the sunset, but then realization sank in.

"It's the Northern Lights!" she gasped. Turning her head to take in Killian's reaction, she noticed that he was looking right back at her, a wide smile gracing his face. Immediately, she realized that he'd known that the Northern Lights would appear. "You mean….Killian, did you really bring me here to see the Northern Lights?"

"I'd hoped it was something you'd appreciate," Killian said simply. "I understand that most people can live their whole lives without seeing them in person. Now, you don't have to be one of them." Emma let out a choked gasp of amazement, unable to tear her eyes away from this man. She couldn't believe that he'd successfully surprised her once again. From saying he'd been willing to step aside and wait for her, regardless of how long, to admitting he'd secretly worked to ensure she'd be able to return to Storybrooke, and to Henry, and now he brought her all the way out to Iceland, just so she'd be able to see the Northern Lights up close. Unable to formulate a verbal response to express what she was feeling, Emma slowly closed the distance between them, initiating a slow, languid kiss, which he responded to in kind.

Killian carefully made his way into the Captain's Quarters, being very careful to not jostle Emma, who was sound asleep in his arms. She'd fallen asleep a few minutes ago, when they'd been sitting around on the deck of the Jolly Roger, which was currently anchored in a secluded bay. They had been simply admiring the Northern Lights after a meal of Icelandic cod that Killian had managed to catch. As much as he'd wanted to take Emma to one of the dining establishments in nearby Reykjavik, she'd reminded him that while people in Storybrooke were willing enough to accept doubloons as payment, people in Iceland might not be as understanding. She'd also mentioned something about them lacking something called passports. While he wasn't entirely sure what they were, he gathered they were this world's equivalent to letters of transit, which allowed people to legally enter different countries. Either way, she seemed to be content with what he'd been able to prepare for her in terms of an evening meal. Once they'd eaten their fill, they'd continued to admire the Northern Lights, which were now fully underway. As they did so, Killian had regaled Emma with the various myths and legends that had been built around the natural wonder, which he'd learned about within one of the books at the Storybrooke library, before comparing them to tales from the Enchanted Forest, which had their own unique auroras up in the northernmost regions. Eventually, Emma had drifted off to sleep, lulled by the sound of his voice.

Being careful not to wake her, Killian gently placed her atop the bed within the Captain's Quarters before stepping over to gently remove her boots, placing them on the floor next to her once the task was complete. Unwilling to risk disturbing her by moving the patchwork quilt that Emma was now lying atop of, he pulled off his leather coat and turned it into an improvised blanket, tucking it up under her chin. When he was sure his coat was completely covering her sleeping form, he crouched down next to the bed, simply gazing at her face.

"I know I probably sound like a coward, saying this to you when you're sleeping and unable to hear me, Swan," he whispered. "But it's not because I'm unwilling to say it out loud. It's because I realize that you might not be ready to hear it quite yet. But that's quite all right. Because I meant what I said that day at the hospital. You're a woman worth waiting for. And I can wait forever for you to be ready to hear this. At the same time, I can't hold it in any longer. So I hope you'll forgive me for saying it now, when you're asleep and cannot hear me." Pausing, Killian carefully extracted Emma's hand from beneath his coat and brought it up to his lips. "I love you, Emma Swan. And I will wait, and look forward to the moment when you're ready to hear me say it to you directly."

AN: A final thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this story. I hope it was to your liking.