When the Black Fairy’s curse cut Emma and Killian’s wedding celebrations short, they missed out on many of the newlywed traditions. Now that the curse is broken they both make secret plans to rectify that.
For @csmarchmadness
My sincere thanks goes to @hookedmom who was a wonderful beta for me. I’m so glad you reached out to me & that we got to know each other!
Also, thank you to my good friend @kymbersmith-90 who once again walked me through the posting process. Thanks for your encouragement & your patience!
Ch. 1 Ch. 2 Ch. 3 Ch. 4
Also on Ao3
And now, the end of the story.
Emma was a little disappointed the next morning when they didn’t wake up until late in the morning.
“I was looking forward to seeing the sunrise,” she sighed.
Killian kissed the crease that her frown was making between her eyebrows. “We have plenty of mornings to see it, Darling,” he soothed. “Sleeping in is enjoyable also, especially when we’ve been up rather late the last few nights.” He smirked at her and wiggled his eyebrows.
“Yeah, you’re right, but I wouldn’t change any of it,” Emma smiled, stretching her arms above her head.
After breakfast, they went exploring around the island. Every time they crested a hill or turned in a different direction, they saw another breathtaking view. They found several small waterfalls and were glad that they had worn their swimsuits under their clothes, so they could take advantage of the clear pools of water that were at the bottom of the falls.
Early that evening found them relaxing together in the hammock. Killian had his right arm wrapped around Emma’s shoulder while she grasped the end of his left, stroking soft fingers across the scars there. This was nothing new to him as she had made it a habit of doing so, seeming to find it soothing for both of them.
It had taken him a long time to ever let her see his damaged wrist because he’d always thought it to be ugly and repulsive. After Rumplestiltskin had taken off his hand, Smee had done his best to close the wound. Despite his efforts, he wasn’t skilled as a physician, so the scars were thick and jagged. They were a reminder to Killian of all that he had lost that fateful day on his ship, and how it had caused him to turn to a life bent on getting his revenge.
When Emma had finally seen his arm without the brace, she had shown no signs of revulsion. She had simply studied it briefly before placing a kiss on his wrist. Ever since then, he had gotten more and more comfortable with letting her touch it. Over time, she had fallen into the habit of rubbing her fingers sweetly and lovingly over the raised scars. Every time she did, he marveled at the kind and caring woman that he had fallen in love with.
“When we first met, would you have ever imagined that we would end up married, Love?” he asked.
“You mean before or after I held a knife to your throat, and then left you chained up with a giant at the top of a beanstalk?”
Killian chuckled. “I think you were just trying to hide your feelings for me.”
“Oh yeah, that’s definitely what I was doing,” Emma snorted. “But to answer your question, no I wouldn’t have imagined it. My walls to protect my heart were so high at that time that I didn’t think anyone would be able to scale them. Falling in love wasn’t something that I ever expected to do, but I guess true love can’t be denied.”
Emma’s fingers moved their way up Killian’s body to rest below his heart, rubbing over the scar that lay there. This was another spot that she was drawn to caress, almost always sighing deeply as she remembered the anguish that she’d felt when she drove Excaliber through his body. No matter how many times he told her that she’d done the right thing, she still found it hard to forgive herself.
He decided that a change of topic was in order, to pull his wife away from memories that sometimes overwhelmed her and started her thinking about regrets that she had.
“What shall we do tomorrow, my love?”
“Well, I really do want to see the sunrise.” Killian nodded in acknowledgement. “Then I think maybe we should try out those kayaks that we found in the storage shed. The one stream that we saw today would be perfect for that, don’t you think?” She twisted her head to look up at him.
He nodded again and then kissed the tip of her nose. “Sounds like a plan.”
******
On their third morning on the island, Emma and Killian took a long walk along the beach to enjoy the sunrise. As they neared the house on their way back, Emma pulled her husband with her as she plopped down on the sand.
“Can we just sit here for a little while before we go in to get breakfast?”
“Your heart’s desire, Swan. I promise that’s all I want you to have.” He leaned over to kiss her cheek, then turned his eyes to the clear, blue water. “Perhaps this will be the morning that the dolphins make their appearance.”
Emma sighed. “I hope so.” As her eyes searched the horizon, she asked, “What animal would you say is your favorite?”
“I quite fancy the swan.”
Emma scoffed and bumped her shoulder into his. “I was being serious”
“As am I. I find them to be remarkable creatures. Have you ever seen a cygnet? They’re rather pathetic little things.”
“Yeah, I know. Ugly Duckling, remember?”
“Aye, but they develop into elegant, magnificent animals. It’s lovely to see them gliding across the water, so gorgeous and strong, but needing the strength and support of their feet paddling below them to keep them afloat. Threaten a swan’s territory, and it becomes a fierce fighter, capable of defeating foes larger than itself.”
Killian was always eloquent in what he said, but in this instance, he was eloquent in what he wasn’t saying. She realized his description was a metaphor of her life. She was seemingly orphaned and unwanted as a child, but once she found her home, she fought fiercely for her family and those she loved. Of course, she had the support of her son, her parents, the townspeople, and now her husband.
She affectionately bumped against his shoulder again, before leaning her head on it. The couple continued to sit quietly, watching the waves and feeling the sun warm their faces. After a while, Killian could tell by the rhythm of Emma’s breathing that she had dozed off. Suddenly, he caught something out of the corner of his eye.
“Swan, wake up,” he whispered urgently, as if speaking out loud would break the spell.
She stirred beside him. “What is it?” she asked groggily.
“Look!” He pointed off to their left.
Emma directed her eyes to where he was pointing and gave a loud gasp. “Dolphins! Oh Killian! There they are!”
She jumped to her feet and clasped her hands under her chin. Killian stood up beside her, watching the dolphins leaping and playing in the water. Then after a few moments, he turned his head to look at his wife. She stood mesmerized, wearing one of the biggest smiles he’d ever seen on her face. With the sun making her face glow and the breeze off the water blowing wisps of her hair into a halo around her head, he didn’t think he had ever seen her look more beautiful.
******
The next day, Killian finished cleaning up the kitchen after their lunch and then went outside to find his wife. She was sitting on the porch swing with a wistful look on her face. Without saying a word, he held a small seashell out to her.
“What’s this for?” Emma asked.
“Call Henry,” he said simply.
“You brought a shell phone along?”
“Aye, and Henry has the other one. I knew that you would miss the lad too much to go three weeks without any contact with him. He promised that he would carry the shell with him at all times so he wouldn’t miss your call.”
Emma eagerly took the shell and started calling Henry’s name into it. He answered almost immediately and Emma started peppering him with questions about his trip and his well-being.
Killian sat and listened to his wife’s conversation with his stepson. It sounded like he was enjoying the trip immensely. Henry said that they had spent quite a bit of the first day or so in the car, which had led to some temper tantrums and meltdowns, but then Zelena had gotten herself under control pretty quickly. Emma couldn’t help letting out a loud laugh when he told her about that.
When Henry finally signed off, Emma threw her arms around her husband, squeezing him tightly. “You really are the best, you know that?”
“Yes I do,” he replied cheekily.
******
The days flew by while the couple enjoyed one adventure after another. The dolphins swam by regularly, almost as if they were swimming laps around the island and passed by them about every third morning. A few times they came close enough to shore for the humans to enjoy swimming among them. This thrilled Emma to no end, which caused Killian to be extremely happy as well.
They took some short day trips on the Jolly Roger, visiting with Ariel and Eric one day, and making use of four more of the magic beans to travel to Arendelle and Agrabah to see their friends in those kingdoms.
Finally the day of their designated departure came. They rose early to catch one final sunrise from the east porch, fixed a quick breakfast, then started packing. After loading everything onto the Jolly Roger, they did a final check around the house and grounds to be sure that they were leaving everything in the same condition as they had found it.
After they verified that things were clean and neatly stored, Killian boarded their ship to begin getting it ready to sail. Emma started up the gangplank behind him, and then turned and looked longingly at the place that they had made their home for the last three weeks. It was their own little piece of paradise and she was certainly going to miss it. She never would’ve believed that she could relax and enjoy herself as much as she had, but her husband had surprised her yet again by finding a place where they could forget all the stress and drama in Storybrooke.
Now it was back to the real world of ringing telephones at the sheriff’s office, late night patrols in freezing temperatures, and finding lost dogs. Of mornings at the diner listening to Leroy complain about the bacon taking too long while Granny threatened him with her crossbow, babysitting her screaming brother while her parents enjoyed a night out, chaperoning dances at the High School, and listening to the groaning pipes in their house when she turned on the kitchen faucet.
It was also back to cozy Saturday mornings wrapped up in her husband’s arms in their own bed, laughing at his stories while they patrolled the town, and walks down to the dock to check on the Jolly. Back to watching her dad work on their farm with Wilby running around him in circles, and listening to her mom tell about the antics of her students at school as she baked cookies, while Emma rocked a sleeping Baby Neal. And back to Henry.
“Are you ready, Love?” Killian asked, coming down the ramp to meet her.
Emma turned and looked at him. His eyes showed a bit of concern as he gave her a small nod and smile. She reached out to take his hand.
@jonirobinson64 replied to your post “CaptainSwan Taking Care of Each Other Recs”
Aw, thanks! Cant wait to read these! I'll add another one to your list-the "You Give Me" series by ForPony39 on ffn. Includes You Give Me Fever (in which Emma is sick), You Give Me Chills (in which Killian is sick), You Give Me He'll, You Give Me Love & You Give Me Breakfast. Many laugh-out-loud moments along with very sweet moments. Check them out. Thanks again fior all your work!
You are welcome, I had a lot of fun making this list. And I will certainly check this verse out.
God speed, fellas. (Don’t pretend like you all are looking at those jets flying over, and not me and @colinodonoghue1 ‘s backsides in that trailer... )
I’m sorry, but I need a gif of Colin with all his fighter pilot gear walking out to the jet from the new TRS trailer, now that it’s been confirmed that it is indeed Colin’s backside that we see!
Hope this is okay?? I thought it worked best like this and not just... focused on Colin himself (he’s very small in the frame so it would have made a questionable quality gif).
Such a supportive and awesome person and I am always so pleased, and never shocked, to see you’re always one of the first people to like/reblog/comment on the content I make. You are one of the people in our fandom that are a constant reminder of why content is still being made - you make time to show everything you love just that - love. And it’s so damn appreciated!
