"Do you have any idea what we are looking for, lad?" Killian asked as Henry meandered through the store, his fingers occasionally dragging along some item or counter. "I did promise your father I'd have you over there before long."

"Violet's birthday," Henry mumbled, having to repeat himself when Killian asked for clarification.

"Is it indeed?"

The nearly 13 year old blushed, explaining that her birthday was one week before his. After much discussion with two of his friends, his mother, his father, and even Ruby, he had determined that he had to buy her a gift. While none of those confidants could give him a suggestion about what to buy, they had all agreed it should not send too bold a message, be too expensive, or too intimate. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he had about two weeks to figure it out. The fringe of his hair falling over his eyes, he pushed it back. "I don't know what to get her?"

"I see," Killian said, taking a better stock of their surroundings. "Perhaps we could look for some bauble or trinket over in the jewelry section?"

Henry blanched at the mention. "Not jewelry," he said, offering as explanation that he didn't want her to get the wrong idea.

"I'm not sure what wrong idea she would get given your ages, but I wouldn't wish either of you ill with it." He sighed and began to throw out a few suggestions. All of them met with rejection and growing panic in the chocolate eyes of the youngster. "I am about to suggest a gift card to Granny's, but I doubt that would suit your needs either."

Leaning against a display of running shoes, Henry appeared near tears over his lack of progress. With the weddings, back to school shopping, and the final performance from the honor band summer program coming up, he was running out of time. "What did you get your first girlfriend?"

Killian lifted his eyes upward and considered that for a moment, trying to recall. "I wasn't very popular with any woman until I was older than you," he admitted. "But I believe I did give one young lass a mixed tape. Stayed up all bloody night coming up with a list of songs to record."

"A what?" Henry asked, confusion wrinkling his nose and forehead.

"Basically a playlist."

"As a gift?" Henry asked incredulously. "What are you getting my mom? Her birthday is in October."

Killian scratched behind his ear, staring over at the store across the way. "Perhaps something in the form of jewelry might be appropriate for your mother. I don't quite have the same fears that you do over the message."

Nodding thoughtfully, Henry walked over to a display of shirts with different funny sayings. He fingered one that spoke about the dark side and cookies. "Like an engagement ring?"

Happy that the boy was looking at the shirt rather than him, Killian tried not to cough in surprise. "I didn't say that, Henry. I'm not sure that…"

"I think you guys should get married. Then you'd be like my dad. I mean I have a dad, but then I'd have two. It's kind of cool when you think about it. And my mom loves you. You love her. What are you waiting for anyway?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Killian said, grateful for the pole in the center of the aisle that allowed him to find his balance against the mirrored surface. "We are in love, but I'm not sure that we are ready…"

"My dad and I talked about him and Tamara," Henry interrupted, clearly bolstered by this change in conversational topic. "He said that once he knew he loved her, he knew he wanted to marry her. So was it like that for you and my mom?"

Clearing his throat, Killian wished that he was not alone with the boy. Emma had run off with her friends on wedding errands and Neal had to work at the pawn shop a bit later than expected. So that left Killian to watch him. Normally that was fine, but the questions of relationships and dating were not exactly comfortable ones. "I don't know that it has progressed quite that way," he answered vaguely.

"I think she'd say yes."

"And if I should desire to ask that particular question, I'll be sure to include you on the decision," Killian answered back, hoping that he had ended the conversation. "Now what are we going to find for you to buy Violet?"

***AAA***

Elsa hummed the song that she was supposed to sing at the wedding as she twisted and braided Emma's hair in an intricate that pattern that had both Ruby and Mary Margaret worried for the end result. The bride made two comments about not wanting any bald attendants, making Anna laugh from her spot and almost sputter the fruit smoothie over the magazine cut outs that were littering the table at Killian and Emma's house.

"I don't get why you didn't just do all this on Pinterest," Anna said, tossing the dark haired woman her phone to show her own inspiration for her wedding. "It's so much neater and easier. No papercuts. Don't have to worry about storage."

Dusting Mary Margret's cheeks with a glittery pink concoction, Ruby laughed. "Pinterest didn't exist when this one started planning her wedding. Rumor has it that she's been considering bands and cake flavors since kindergarten."

"I wouldn't doubt it," Emma chimed in amusedly. "While the rest of the world sang along with Sesame Street or learned Mary Had a Little Lamb, she was memorizing the Wedding March."

The living room at Killian's had once been a comfortable and yet neatly tidy place before his brother's arrival. Now that Emma and Henry had moved in there was still a comfortable air to the room, but it was more lived in and natural. Magazines seemed to breed on the end tables, mixed with junk mail and some of Henry's graphic novels that Killian pretended not to peek at when no one was looking. Throw pillows had multiplied and never seemed to be in the right spot, along with softly knitted throws and usually a shoe or two under the coffee table. Cell phones were always charging and cords dangled from odd spots on consoles and shelves. Henry's gym uniform shirt was draped over a dining chair as a reminder to Emma to get his name sewn onto it before the first day of school. Emma had apologized to Killian numerous times, stating that despite her best efforts it was hard to keep the chaos under control with a near teenager and a job that required odd working hours. He had told her he could hardly mind it, as he much preferred the liveliness of living with them than alone.

"You guys make me sound like I was wedding obsessed since I could walk," the bride pouted before laughing. "Maybe I was. Do you think that's why David asked? I wore him down?"

"Of course not," Ruby answered quickly, leaning back on her haunches to inspect her handiwork. "He loves you. This is just the natural continuation of an epic romance." No one made a sound at the wistful observation that was so out of character for Ruby. "What? You guys told me that when I complained about still being on the dating scene when everyone was settling down with someone. It's not like I'm secretly reading romance novels under the covers or anything."

It was Anna who laughed first, but soon each of them were tittering behind their hands or in the case of Ruby and Emma with their heads thrown back in raucous laughter. The quintet of women were not exactly the usual group to hang out. However, when Mary Margaret had run into Anna earlier that day, the curse of the mysterious lace had been cast. The two brides to be had compared notes, leaving both desperate to find new trim for their wedding day accessories. Calls to Emma, Elsa, and Ruby were made and the five had abandoned their Saturday plans to pile into a crowded SUV and drive two hours to a fabric store. It had taken more than two hours for the two women to find what they wanted, change their minds, and then be convinced by Ruby that they were right the first time. A late lunch at a roadside diner, two hours of driving back, and they were left spending a final girls' night before the wedding at Emma and Killian's. He had been dozing on the sofa with a book when they came through the door, fresh from having dropped Henry at Neal's. Despite their protests that they could go to another location, he had packed himself up and headed to visit his brother at work rather than break up the party or send them in another direction.

It was going to be a busy couple of weeks. Anna and Kristoff were getting married just a week after Mary Margaret and David. Henry's birthday party was planned for the week after that. School was starting back and Elsa's duet with Liam was scheduled for release in the midst of it all. Looking at the calendar one evening, Emma had told Killian that she would be collapsing in October from exhaustion and stress. He'd sweetly promised her foot rubs and hot chocolate as the leaves turned from green to brilliant reds and yellows, as well as other things to beat the stress and distract her from the world around them. As she thought about the dirty things he'd whispered into her ear, she blushed and hoped that the other ladies didn't notice.

Elsa did. "So Liam was saying he suggested to Killian that you two should be the next ones to get married." It was as subtle of a suggestion as the blonde could muster, as at times she did come off just as brash as her sister. "Has he brought that up?"

"You knew about that?" Emma was still not a big fan of her life, especially her love life, being discussed so casually even among friends. "I am still trying to find a way to shove my shoe up Liam's butt over that one. Seriously? He thought we should get married to get Gold off our backs?"

Elsa's smile didn't budge, but she shrugged her shoulders casually. "You know how Liam is. He still has that naval officer thing in him. He sees a problem or a potential problem and he goes for a logical solution."

It was true in a way for both Jones brothers. They were artists with their music, creative thinkers in terms of performance and writing. However, they both had a practical side that was annoyingly correct at times. Killian shopped and planned that way, visiting the grocery store once a week and buying things for multiple meals while Emma threw things that appealed to her into the basket and then made meals from whatever it was she had procured. When they had vacationed over the summer, Killian had searched out reviews and itineraries before making a decision, Emma just said she wanted to go to a quiet beach. Liam was excellent at his new job for his ability to estimate the needed alcohol and food, keeping costs down and never running out of an item or having too much. Even his reaction to thinking that Elsa was pregnant bordered on the needed logistics rather than the emotional.

"I think that when Killian and I get married that I would prefer it to be something a little more romantic. I'm not saying I need to do the whole princess thing like these two." She waved a hand toward Anna and Mary Margaret squealing over something on Anna's phone. "I just think that love should take a higher place than practicality on some things."

Tying off the end of the braid, Elsa's hand rose up to Emma's forehead. She used the back of it to check and see if her friend and manager had a fever. "Emma Swan? Are you aware that you just said what I think you said?"

Green eyes rolled upwards with exasperation. "Yes, I said when we get married…I know…big step from the girl who won't even buy a Halloween costume until the day before because I'm afraid I'll change my mind. And no I don't have anything to announce. Just call it a feeling."

The smile on Elsa's face widened as she dove for her friend and enveloped her in a giant hug. She didn't let go right away, swaying back and forth on the leather couch until the others noticed and made comments.

"Killian is thinking about proposing?" Mary Margaret asked, her hands clapped together just below her chin. Even without x-ray vision, Emma knew that her friend was already coming up with color schemes and seating charts. She had to put a stop to that.

"No, no, no," Emma said. "I was merely saying that…"

"She's just open to the idea," Elsa interrupted, saving her friend a bit of embarrassment. "We all know that he will eventually. I mean, have you seen him. He is writing songs about her and his love for her. Maybe we should consider starting a betting pool about when. I think it'll be at her birthday."

Anna chimed in that she thought Christmas or Thanksgiving would be a more natural choice, which led to discussions of whether or not Liam and Killian even celebrated the holiday that was not really their culture. Ruby seemed rather quiet, giving an opinion that it might not be a special date at all and might happen in bed on a lazy Sunday morning or something like that. However, she was not quite as invested in her guess as the others.

"I sort of," Emma began, blushing furiously as all eyes turned to her. "I sort of told him that I might be the one proposing." She did not wait for any of them to respond before burying her face in her hands.

"You did what?" Elsa screeched, not sure she could picture her friend doing this. "You actually said it. Like a joke or…"

"A threat?" Ruby chimed in after a long sip of her beer. "What? That's how I would have said it."

"It just sort of popped out," Emma said, her voice still muffled from her hands. "I don't know. Maybe I was just trying to tell him that I'm not going to freak out and run away." Parting her fingers to peek through the space, she was not surprised to find Mary Margaret and Anna smiling proudly and Elsa looking almost sympathetic. Ruby, on the other hand was trying to smile past what one could assume was a horrified realization.

"Oh, Emma," Anna said, the excited immaturity of her way coming out full force. "When and how are you going to do it? Are you going to get down on one knee? Do you have to buy him a ring? I mean if he was the one proposing then he has to get you a ring. Do they sell engagement rings for men? Or maybe you get the ring and give it to him to give to you. That would work. You could pick out the color and cut that you want. No worries about him picking the wrong thing." She glanced at Mary Margaret who was nodding emphatically. "You could do it over dinner. But don't put it in the champagne. I've seen people choke on it that way. No, it's best just to hand it to him. How did David ask you, Mary Margaret?"

Ruby threw herself backwards and landed on one of the floor pillows that Killian had found absurd when Emma first unpacked them. However, he had been using one almost every night to join Henry in a tournament of video games. "We've all heard that story a million times. Can we focus on the fact that Emma is not acting like Emma at all? You didn't even want to go out with him. People were trying to convince you. I'm not going to have a melt down over another friend getting engaged, but seriously, Emma. You were on my side."

Mary Margaret patted her troubled friend's knee and scooted a bit closer to Emma and Elsa. "How did he react when you said it? Killian doesn't seem this way, but you know how men can be about women trying to take the upper hand sometimes. Did he seem okay with it?"

Lowering her hands, Emma sighed. "I don't really know. He had his mouth open and I sort of ran downstairs to the bedroom."

"Wait," Ruby said, shooting back up to a sitting position. "You said to him that you might propose to prove that you wouldn't run away. Then you ran away?"

***AAA***

"So what would be the trouble?" Liam asked his brother, wiping up a spilled drink at the bar. "You love her, right?"

"Aye, we've established that." Killian knew he was scraping the bottom of the barrel but with days to go before the wedding, his choices of confidants were slim. Emma and the ladies were busy with something each night and even Henry had been spending more time at his father's in the wake of the new understanding over both Emma and Neal's relationships. Roland had a late summer cold that had Robin sleep deprived and making very little sense. So that left his brother or Will for love advice. Liam seemed a more logical choice. "I rather think she fancies me to what with us living together and whatnot."

"And you do plan to ask her, do you not?" Liam had not quite given up on the idea that marriage would somehow preclude his brother from future trouble with Gold. While Killian had said quite vehemently that he would not propose to Emma out of convenience or protection, Liam had continued to persist that it was the right thing to do. "Don't lie to me, brother. I've seen the way you've looked with all this wedding goings on with a mixture of longing and fear. You've clearly set your way for her."

"I think she might have some say in the matter." Killian nursed his beer and pretended to ignore the pointed look of his brother's lighter blue eyes. Of course he had thought of proposing to Emma, practically from the moment he realized that he loved her. There was no doubt in his mind that she was the only one for him, which had no ill effect on him at all. Instead, he dreamed of their future together and saw no need in making a big deal of it. Lately though he'd felt a bit more of a tug in that direction. There was his brother's insistence and Henry's questions. Then there was Emma's declaration that she might propose herself. "As a matter of fact…"

"Liam," Zelena's voice rang out with that insincere song to her lips. "I have a VIP group about to arrive. Might you straighten up a bit and polish the table over there. I know it's the job of some of the lesser men around here, but do be a dear."

Offering his own slight smile of acquiesce, he nodded and followed suit with the directions. Once Zelena disappeared in the office, Killian followed his brother with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not a career, brother," Liam declared giving the nearby round oak table a single wipe with the rag before returning to check the top shelf items. "I am only doing this while the band takes off."

"Much like the Navy and Porter's fish mongering," the younger of the brothers noted. "I've often said you needed to learn a bit of humility. This job certainly gives that to you."

"Aye, it surely does, but that's not what you're here to discuss. And I'd bet you were not here for my company either. So out with it, little brother. What has you so vexed tonight?"

Killian slumped forward at the bar, his hand wrapped around the damp bottle and his ears ringing from the loud music and conversation around him. He was not much for clubs or bars, having spent far too much time in them in his younger years in an attempt to drink away the memories that had sent him reeling without direction for a bit. And brother or not, the cliché of opening up to the man tending bar was not exactly something he was seeking at that moment. "Emma said something that has me thinking."

The distracted hum of acknowledgement from Liam wasn't comforting, but it was enough that Killian knew his brother was at least partially listening. "She said that she might propose to me." The younger of the brothers cringed as he waited for an answer.

"You think she's putting the pressure on you?" Liam asked, his face scrunching into a thoughtful expression as he played the possibilities in his mind. "Maybe she wants you to propose and is threatening to do so if you don't hurry along with it?"

Killian shook his head with his frown deepening. "She's not like that at all, Liam. She said she is content with the way things are at the moment, but…"

"But she's throwing around a pretty big threat there, brother. I know it may not seem like her, but she has two friends about ready to marry. Perhaps it has put the idea into her head that she would like more than a bedmate. A lass can act quite loony when it comes to marriage and commitment. I have my own worries about Elsa with her sister marrying that Kris bloke."

Killian knew his brother was only joking that Emma might be pressuring him. He felt none of that was true, but still he wondered and replayed that statement in his head. If she wanted to marry quickly, he felt that she would just tell him. She did not play games, as that was one of the things he liked about her. But still it must be playing in her mind somehow that two friends and even her ex were on the verge of such commitments. While Emma had lost many of the walls that kept her at bay from commitment, she was still a bit skittish. Perhaps her way of retaining a sense of control was to be the one deciding the when and where of a proposal. If she needed that role to be hers, he'd give that to her too.

"If she is the one to propose, do you think she'd offer you a ring?" Liam interrupted, scratching at the underside of his jaw. "I'm just trying to picture it, brother. She could get on one knee…"

"I should have known better than to confide in you," Killian seethed, downing the rest of the beer. "Even Will would be a better sounding board."

Chuckling and backing up to go check the register, Liam winked. "You'll be sure to tell me, right? I want to oooh and aww over your engagement ring."

***AAA***

By the time Killian arrived at the seaside cabin, Emma's friends had left already. He'd stopped at Granny's after he had driven around for more than an hour and sat in the car for a bit longer before deeming it safe to return home. Thankfully there had been clues, the largest of which was Granny receiving a call from her granddaughter that she couldn't find her keys and needed to be let into the private residence.

The older woman had scoffed at his reluctance to talk, telling him that she came from a time when men knew what they wanted and went after it. "I wouldn't have dreamed of proposing to my husband, but if he had waited too long I might have found another." He had listened to that and wondered if there was warning in that worth heeding. Emma might not leave him another, but she might leave for a more solitary life out of frustration.

The last thing he wanted was for things to feel awkward between them, as their comfortable life was something he wanted to make permanent. Yet despite that wish, he felt a knot in his stomach as he let himself inside and found her curled on the sofa. Her feet were under her and legs bent. Her head rested on the sofa's arm and her own arms were folded underneath like a pillow. Her hair had been loose and flowing earlier, but now sat plaited in at least four braids that were intertwined and twisted into a knot at the nape of her neck. Tiny wisps of golden hair escaped and her lips were parted as she breathed in and out with her eyes closed.

Toeing out of his shoes, he padded past her on the couch to turn off one of the lights and make it a bit dimmer for her. She was an infrequent napper, but at that late hour it hardly mattered. She had taken the time to straighten up, he noticed. The dishes were in the dishwasher and the trash can almost full of rubbish. Still a few of Mary Margaret's magazine clippings had been left on the table, with colorful post-it notes dictating comments. One closest to his girlfriend showed a smiling woman in a strapless knee length dress of soft layers that were gathered and tucked. In Emma's handwriting was a note asking if the dress came in red.

He dropped the paper down and sank into the center of the couch next to where Emma was sleeping. It had never crossed his mind to wonder if she had such a collection as Mary Margaret. The stereotype that all women have planned their wedding since childhood seemed a bit off in terms of Emma, but she had probably thought about it. Did she want something as big and lavish as her friends? Or would she want a quiet gathering of just a few at the beach. Perhaps she would rather forgo all that and get married at the courthouse. Or maybe her style was more of a destination wedding with just the two of them and Henry. He would be up for any of it, if she only gave him a clue.

His eyes felt heavy as he watched her sleeping, falling shut with the thoughts of her dressed in white approaching him down a long aisle. He had to admit that the sight was one he would not mind seeing in reality, feeling the adrenaline build like the music and sliding a ring over her finger as everyone in town watched with envy at the sight of them proclaiming their love for each other.

He might have had more visions of weddings if she hadn't woken saying his name. "Killian?"

His eyes shot open to find her blinking at him in a state of disbelief he didn't quite understand. "Love?"

"I didn't hear you come in," she said, pushing herself up to sitting and almost losing her balance into him. "How long have you…"

"Just a bit," he said, offering a steadying arm about her waist. "You looked quite peaceful." Maybe it was the exhaustion that she was feeling or maybe she just gave in to the comfort of his embrace, but she left herself curl into his side.

"I'm glad you're here," she admitted a bit huskily. "Girls night is fun, but I like being here with you and Henry best."

With a peck to her temple, he settled back against the leather of the sofa and matched his own breaths to hers. "Wedding plans going well? Or are you tired of the brides already?"

"They are getting a little nervous, but nothing I can't handle. Granted I usually deal with cases of stage fright and not pre-wedding jitters, but it's all good." She sighed, breathing in the scent of laundry detergent on his collar and cracking her eyes open to see that he had opened the curtains to let the moonlight in as it played off the waves outside. "I like this."

"It is a spectacular view," he consented. "Or was it something else that you liked?"

"The view, the company, the quiet," she listed. "But I do think we need to talk." She regretted saying those words instantly as she felt him tense his muscles. Reaching a hand up, she ran her fingers over his clenched jaw in a soothing pattern.

"I don't have the best track record with that request, but if you insist."

"I think that maybe I am giving you mixed signals," she admitted, pulling away to sit up. She was still within grasp of him, but he did not pull her back. Instead he watched her, reach behind her head to pull at the knot of hair there, carefully unpinning and twirling it by touch. "I hope you know that I wasn't pushing you for a proposal…you know, with what I said the other night. I only meant that…"

"I didn't think that you were, love," he echoed softly. "I will admit that the idea took me by surprise. You've always shown yourself as quite independent and a bit reluctant to be with anyone long term. So I was shocked that you would be…"

"Did you know that when Neal and I were young and so in 'love," she made air quotes around the word, "that we did live together. It was in my car. Long story, but that was our life for a little while. We talked about places to go. The future. But we never talked about anything that would sound at all like marriage and family. We were going to start over in another town. Tallahassee. Marriage? It wasn't ever mentioned. And since him? I've dated a few guys. Three dates has been my limit. Mostly one date or a hook up. Nothing serious. We didn't even know each other's middle names, let alone anything more intellectual. And then you…"

Smiling fondly, he tilted his head as he listened to her with the realization that she wasn't having a moment at all. "And then I…"

"You made me realize a lot of things that I had settled myself into thinking weren't necessarily true. I told myself that I wasn't the relationship kind of girl. I wasn't sure if I'd ever get past those first date pleasantries. And here I am with you. You know my middle name. You know that I have really cold feet in the winter and that I love to turn a fan on full blast and still sleep under the covers. You know that I love eggs and bacon, but hate oatmeal and gag at the sound of its name. You know that I hate loud noises in movies because they make me jump. You know that I sing along with boybands and that I like to paint my toenails different colors." She reached over and took his hand from his thigh, covering the back of it with her own. "You know all of that and still say you love me. I'm not saying that in a freaked out way, but it does still surprise me sometimes. It surprises me that anyone can love me."

His eyes fluttered shut for a moment. "I wish it didn't surprise you, Emma. As many things as I regret and wish I could change about my own life, I wish that I could help you see that you are far from unlovable. I only wonder what was wrong with those who did not fall instantly in love with you. But I suppose I'm grateful to them too, as they helped you be led to me. I also suppose I can understand how you feel in a way. I wonder how you can love me as you do when it seems that I have never fared very well with that either. Perhaps that is what makes the love we do share special? We are able to fully understand and appreciate it better because we both have felt as though it might never come to pass?"

She rolled her bottom lip over her teeth and leaned her head back on the cushion of the sofa. "I think I want to stop analyzing it," she admitted in a breathy voice that was barely audible. "I want to enjoy being with you and stop waiting on the other shoe to drop. And I want to stop protecting my heart from you when you have never done anything to hurt it."

"I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you or Henry," he assured her, mimicking her head position with his own. "I hope that you…"

"I know that. And I would never want to hurt you either. So maybe that's why I'm ready to stop fearing the future. And I just want you to know that I wasn't fishing for a proposal or trying to pressure you…"

"I know that," he repeated her words back to her. "Love, if you wish we could get married at any time. I can propose in a lavish fashion or as simply as you desire. The only thing holding me back is the fear of making you uncomfortable."

She smiled at him with her eyes shining. "I think I'll leave that up to you. You do what you want and I promise to consider it." She laughed lightly at herself.

"Consider it?" he questioned, head lifting up. "You mean it is not a guarantee?"

She shrugged before snuggling back into his side. "I don't know what I'll say. Nobody's ever asked me before."