A/N: The end is here… It's been great fun diving into this story that was born out of a song. When I first heard "Driver's License" by Olivia Rodrigo, I had always thought it was a kinda of sad story. Here is this girl who wants nothing more than to be able to drive herself out to her friend. I guess the ball rolled in a bit of a different direction and the characters became famous, Killian a singer and Emma a writer. The whole set-up with the female character being a writer getting her first movie deal, and then reuniting with her old flame is one I've stored in my "to-be-written" list of story ideas. So that is tested out in this fic, things changed and stuff happened that I had no control over. But in the end, I love the journey Emma and Killian took in this.
The whole deal with Emma's fantasy story idea is based on my own attempt to write a fantasy story. I live my dream through Emma in this. The characters are a figment of my imagination and through the program "Hero Forge" I tried to bring them to life…(see the picture in my Tumblr profile: Mie779)
Now before I let you go so you can dive into the fluff pile below I want to thank my beta Jonesfandomfanatic, she's been such an awesome help with this.
A huge thanks to my ever-faithful readers, and an extra shoutout to the regular reviewers: TiganaSummertree and OUATadmire who without fail commented on pretty much every chapter. And Kmomof4 your flails over on Tumblr have made this such an awesome journey. THANK YOU ALL.
I have no idea what I'll be working on next, though I'll be wrapping up my CSSNS pretty soon. Have sent the last chapters to my beta reader.
Okay, end the final rant here.
ENJOY
EpilogueONE YEAR LATER
Emma's head was buzzing with new faces that had walked by her table, and her hand was starting to hurt after having signed countless books. Everyone expressed their joy and elation at finally meeting her face-to-face. This was her first big book convention and having just published her long-awaited fantasy novel she was a highlighted author on the guest list.
It was the final day and she only had a small stack of her dragon shifter princess books to sell.
Conventions were a crazy crowd of people milling about in various costumes some more creative than others. While there was a small break in the line of readers who wanted her signature Emma took a moment to breathe. Taking in the venue before her she smiled when a group of girls dressed as elven princesses giggled as they crossed paths with a band of warrior knights. She had no idea what books they wanted to portray but it seemed that most had gone all in.
Her eyes scanned down the jam-packed aisle, and when she spotted a mob of black hair, her heart jumped, could it be? Killian? She squinted her eyes as more of his person was revealed, he wasn't dressed in his pirate gear as he'd claimed he would be. No this was more familiar at least to a point of what had been inside her mind for the past two years or so.
Killian wore leather pants, big worker boots, and a utility belt holding a large blacksmith's hammer. Crossed behind his back leather straps held a backpack, and a sword was slung low on his hip. A short-cropped leather coat finished the look off. It was open and showed a white billowing shirt partly undone.
Vaguely Emma noticed the group of elven princesses craned their necks as they walked past Killian, their warriors all but forgotten. A bubble of pride rose within her as she greeted him with a knowing smirk.
"Is this where I can get this new fantasy author's book signed?" Killian asked and lifted a curious eyebrow, his hand resting on top of the big hammer at his waist.
Emma chuckled. "I like the look." She made a fake pout, "But where's my pirate?"
Killian leaned over the table, his hands spread out over the piles of books. "He offered the spot for the poor Timothy Faber."
"Oh, how sweet of him," Emma drawled, taking in his attire. "You look good."
"Hmm." Killian's eyes swept up and down her form, she had opted to dress as her main character, much to the delight of the readers who had already read her book. "You look amazing, princess."
Emma shifted forward and lifted herself up so she could place a kiss on his tempting lips, a soft moan erupted from them both. It had been days since they'd last seen each other, the convention had taken up all her free time.
Someone cleared their throat beside them and when Emma pulled away and looked to the side, Belle gave her an amused look and pointed behind Killian. "You have books to sign."
"Oh, yeah." Emma gave the newcomers a sheepish smile. "Sorry about that."
"That's okay." The woman smiled and winked. "If my man was as hot as him I'd lose track of time."
Emma laughed and looked behind the woman. "Is he with you?"
"Heavens no, he hates conventions like this." The woman waved her off and presented Emma with a copy of her new fantasy book. "I was hoping you could sign this."
"Sure." Emma took the book and gave the woman a big smile, as she signed the book.
The next person came up and the process was repeated one more time, smile, small talk, sign book, say a few more pleasantries, on to the next reader. Emma vaguely noticed that Killian settled in behind the desk, and it felt good having him here.
In the next half hour, Emma signed even more books and quite a few commented on the Timothy look-alike behind the desk, and several also noticed that it was in fact Killian Jones who'd dressed up. It might have been his black hair giving him away as he didn't wear a sandy blond wig, the hair colour of the character, Timothy Faber, from her book.
It was on the rare occasion that a reader would comment on their relationship, gushing endlessly about how romantic her stunt at the Oscars had been last year. Apparently pulling an act like that at such a huge event wasn't that easily forgotten.
Both Killian and Emma took it with a smile and agreed to have their picture taken with a few fans along the way. Some were very excited to be there with them dressed up as the two main characters from her book.
When it was time to pack up they only had a small box of books left, Belle took them along with all the backdrop posters that had been made for this event. It was crazy to see her name displayed on those large banners. But this was her life now and she didn't want it any other way. In fact, she was already furiously working on her next novel.
Emma walked alongside Killian out of the convention centre, waving to a few of her fellow writers whom she'd had time to get to know in the past few days.
"Did you pack an overnight bag?" Killian asked, his arm wrapped around her shoulder giving her a small kiss at her temple.
"Hmm." She looked up at him. "So are you still not going to tell me where we're going?"
"Nope, patience, love, patience."
Emma harrumphed and glared at him, but she couldn't hide the smile breaking over her face as she took in his mischievous eyes. She followed him to her car. He'd taken an Uber to the convention centre.
"Where's your bag?" Emma asked as they settled inside her rented car.
"It's already at our destination."
"Hmm." She started the engine and asked. "So where to, Captain?"
"To the marina."
"Okay." Emma started the vehicle and drove towards the marina. "So we're going sailing?"
"Perhaps," He said shrugging, giving her a sheepish smile.
Emma shook her head and kept focusing on steering them safely through the traffic. It might be Sunday, but traffic was always crazy in LA.
An hour later she parked the car at the marina, stepped out of the car and retrieved her overnight bag from the trunk. They were both dressed in their costumes, so it was no surprise that they got a few more awkward stares as they walked towards the Yacht club's main building.
Captain Nemo greeted them outside and Emma knew they would be sailing.
"Good evening, Mr. Jones. I have the Jolly up and running, ready for your overnight trip."
"The Jolly?" Emma asked and gave the nice captain a small smile.
"Aye." Killian rubbed behind his ear. "I bought a yacht a few weeks ago."
Emma smacked his chest. "Why didn't you tell me this?"
"You had your plate full of convention stuff to sort out, and I wanted to plan this little surprise for you afterwards." Killian gave her hand a small squeeze.
Emma beamed at him, she leaned up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, I can't wait to spend some alone time with you."
Nemo motioned for them to walk to the docks, and Emma could feel her heart flutter in her chest. This was such an awesome surprise.
Almost at the end of the pier Emma saw a massive yacht, a lot bigger than the one Ruby owned.
"Behold my magical vessel, The Jolly Roger." Killian swept out his hands towards the yacht.
"The Jolly Roger?"
"Aye, I'm doing a killer hot Captain Hook, so it's only fitting that I have a vessel to suit my alter ego."
"You do know that Captain Hook sails a ship, with sails, masts and all that." Emma waved her hand to the yacht. "That there is a rich man's attempt to conquer the open seas."
"Seemed a bit much to buy a pirate ship so I opted for the luxury." Killian shrugged and waggled his eyebrows. "We can play pirate on a yacht if you want to."
"Gods, so full of yourself." Emma smacked his chest then she stepped up on the gangplank and boarded the large vessel.
It did ooze luxury and everything still shined of being a new ship all the way through. Emma gulped down, how in the world had she not contemplated how wealthy Killian might be? He rarely flaunted his riches for everyone to see.
"Wow." Emma twirled around on the front deck. "This is amazing." She stepped up to him a looped her arms around his neck. "I can't wait to go on adventures with you on this boat."
"Yacht." Killian corrected with a smirk and pulled her in for a kiss. "Our vessel for the night."
"Where are we going then?"
"Just a bit down the coast, lay anchor some miles south of LA, and wake up to the sun rising over the beautiful land." Killian tugged at her overnight bag. "Let's get this down below deck and find a bit of late-night snack while we sail to our anchor place.
Emma nodded and let Killian show her the way below deck to their cabin; it was more of a suite with a double bed and soft lounge furniture alongside a small coffee table.
"Come let's go up to the front parlour where we can enjoy the view for the night."
"Not out on the deck?"
"Nah, might be a bit too cold right now."
Emma nodded and Killian showed her to a lounge room with large windows on three sides, giving a perfect view of the ocean before them.
"The captain's deck is just above us," Killian explained while he urged her to sit on the soft couch facing the large windows. As Emma sat down, he found his way to the bar and poured two flutes of champagne. Killian managed to hold them with one hand while he carried a plate of cookies and other sweet treats.
He settled it all on the coffee table and sat next to her. "I'm so proud of you," Killian told Emma.
Emma nuzzled closer to him and said, "I'm proud of you too. It's been crazy this past year."
"Aye, we found each other and you finished your book, and it's flying up the bestseller lists."
Emma hummed in response still not fully believing how much success her book had already gained.
"Let's not forget the new album you released last summer. It's still at the top charts all over the US and around the world as well." Emma leaned in closer, kissed his cheek, and said, "That's so amazing."
"Aye." Killian rubbed his chin. "And Will won't stop jabbering about a European tour this fall."
"That's amazing!" Emma exclaimed, shifting in her seat so she could see him more easily. She noticed a sort of weary look fall over his face. "Are you not thrilled about that?"
"Oh, aye, it'll be awesome for the band…" He looked at her and sighed. "But a tour would mean being away from you."
"Yeah, I didn't really think about that." Emma moved closer and lifted her leg so she straddled his legs, her hands smoothing over his scruffy cheeks. "But that can be fixed. I mean surely I can go with you."
"You sure you want that?" He lifted his eyebrows. "Life on the road isn't exactly romantic and idyllic."
"I could join you for some of the tour. I can write my book anywhere, and I can take some time off from the bookshop." Emma shrugged. "We can make it work. Don't say no to a tour because of me."
"Have I told you how much I love you?" Killian whispered as he pulled her closer for a deep kiss.
Emma hummed in response and kissed him back, weaving her fingers through his hair. "I love you too," she mumbled against his lips.
When the kiss ended Emma stayed in his arms and rested her head on his shoulder. She suddenly started to feel a little more tired, her body still strung high from the past three days at the book convention.
"Tired love?"
"Hmm."
Killian urged her to sit beside him and reached for the flutes giving her one. "Let's make a toast and enjoy the view for a bit before going below decks."
Emma agreed clincking her flute with his, then took a sip enjoying the bubbles rolling over her tongue. This was nice and comfortable, and she hoped the future with Killian would be filled with more moments like this.
They enjoyed a few of the treats on the plate and emptied the flutes of champagne before they retreated to the cabin. Emma was bone-dead tired and apologised for her lack of energy. But Killian waved her off and proclaimed that they would have all the time in the world to enjoy each other.
The next morning Emma woke alone in the bed, and as she took in her surroundings with a puzzled look she heard feet shuffling outside the cabin door.
"Killian?"
"Aye." He opened the door and smiled. "Good morning."
"Why are you up so early?" She squinted out of the window, it was barely sunrise. They'd moored in a smaller bay south of LA, the land bathed in an orange glow from the rising sun.
"Get dressed, I have a surprise for you up in the lounge."
"What?" Emma mumbled as she stumbled out of the bed, pushing her hands through her tangled hair. She did manage to find her spare pants since she'd only slept in her underwear and a tank top. Pulling on her sweater she walked out of the cabin and found her way to the lounge room.
As she stepped inside she gasped at the sight. The view of the coastline was amazing, painted golden by the sun, which had begun rising above the land. The room was decked out with large flower bouquets, the scent of them filling her nostrils making her slightly disorientated.
"What?" Emma searched the room for Killian, who emerged from behind the bar with a huge grin on his face.
"Good morning." He walked up to her and gave her a quick kiss.
"What's going on here." She waved to the flowers. "Where the hell did you hide these last night?"
"It's a big yacht." Killian grinned and tugged her over to the large window where the view of the coastline was easier to see. "I wanted to give you a small surprise." He gave her a small kiss on the cheek and pulled away.
"This is not small, this is…" She turned towards him and gasped when Killian was crouched beside her on one knee, holding a small box in his palm.
"Emma Nolan, our story is as complex and intricate as one of your romance books, but this is me finally mucking up the courage to ask you… Will you marry me?"
"Yes." Emma heard herself squeal, when did she ever squeal? Well, this was the moment she'd been dreaming about so she didn't really care. She dropped to her knees and cupped his face. "Yes, a thousand times yes! I'll marry you."
"I love you," Killian whispered and turned his head to place a small kiss on the palm of her hand.
"I love you too."
Killian bit his lip as he looked down at the box in his hand, and when Emma looked down as well he flipped it open. Inside was a princess-cut diamond ring, the stone not obnoxiously large but still larger than Emma would have ever imagined.
"This is… It's too much…" Emma whispered, her hand covering her mouth.
"Not for my very own dragon shifter princess." Killian smiled plucking the ring from the box and reaching for her hand.
Tears fell down Emma's face as she watched him slip the ring on her finger. "It's beautiful."
"You're beautiful," Killian proclaimed and lunged forward to claim her lips in a heated kiss that had her heart hammer in her chest.
While it did take some time before they sobered up and rose from the floor Emma hadn't stopped smiling. Not even when Captain Nemo came into the lounge with a tray of breakfast for them.
"I see congratulations are in order." Nemo nodded to Emma's hand.
"Yeah. Thank you." Emma walked over to the selection of food. "This looks amazing."
"Enjoy," Nemo said with a smile and looked at Killian. "So the plan is still to sail further south?"
"Aye," Killian agreed and started to plate up with various food.
Emma joined him and soon they sat down to eat. "So where are we going?"
Killian pursed his lips and rubbed behind his ear. "Ah, yeah well you see, I planned this whole proposal here, and… I kept wondering what our next step would be."
"Yeah."
Killian grabbed her hand, his thumb idly playing with the ring. "I want us to have a place of our own, somewhere to settle down."
"Hmm, I like the sound of that."
"I did some research and it seems as if there's some new land being sold for private properties just south of LA."
"Oh." Emma looked out of the windows.
"Nothing's finalized, I just wanted you to see, and perhaps search for other locations until we find a spot we want to call home." He looked down at their clasped hands. "Starting our own family?"
"I like the sound of that, I want forever with you, including a home and a family."
Killian leaned over and kissed her, it was as if he couldn't get enough of her, and Emma didn't mind one bit. Today had been the best day ever, not even the news of another movie deal last week topped this. Right now all that mattered was the fact that she was getting married to the man she loved with all her heart. This was forever, she was his forever girl.
Later that day the social media sites went into a frenzy when Emma posted a simple picture of her hand, showing the diamond ring on her finger. The only caption was; I'm in love, I'm happy, this is forever. I'm his forever Girl."
THE END