CAPTAIN SWAN GOT MARRIED

Killian grunted from Emma’s side and she glanced over at him, brushing her thumb over the furrow in his eyebrows. He had mentioned not filming today, which had Emma particularly curious, since it was a Friday and he almost always filmed on Friday nights. But she knew if she asked him about why he wasn't filming, he'd say the same thing he always said: “no spoilers.” But it was only a matter of time before Emma knew what was going on in the season; the premiere for Never Landing was only tomorrow night.

And Emma was excited, to say the least.

But she was also nervous. Tomorrow night, Killian and Emma were going to announce to the world that they were soulmates. She wasn't nervous about the announcement–she wasn't afraid of making their life known. Emma was afraid of the reaction that would follow. Being in the spotlight was going to be a challenge for Emma, especially since she knew her past would come to light and crazed fans would be begging for her head on a platter.

But as long as Killian loved her, Emma thought that she would be okay.

Killian grunted again and his hands tightened around her stomach. His face scrunched up and Emma grew worried. It wasn't the first time that she had noticed this behavior from Killian in his sleep. Since their love proclamations, Emma had rarely been to her apartment and had been staying the night nearly every night for the past two weeks. So Emma was able to notice Killian's sleeping habits.

And this one in particular worried her.

“Killian,” Emma whispered, shaking Killian's arm. “Killian, wake up. It's just a dream.”

Killian's eyes tightened as he dreamed and Emma moved her hand to lay it against his stubbly cheek. He began to whimper, so quietly that Emma almost missed it. Emma gently shook Killian's head and whispered at him to wake up. It broke Emma’s heart to see him like this, terrified of what his own dreams have conjured up. Whenever she asked Killian about his dreams, he somehow dodged the subject, attributing the bad dreams to stress. He hadn’t been mumbling about Milah in his sleep again, so Emma was sure that it was something else besides the nightmare that almost tore them apart all that time ago.

Killian woke up with a deep breath and looked up at Emma, his arms tightening around her. But not a moment later, he pulled away and sat up, the comforter falling to around his waist. Emma reached toward him and gently touched his back, reminding him that she was there.

“What happened?” Emma asked, even though she knew she'd get the answer he always gave her.

“Nothing. Just a stress dream. Don't worry about it,” Killian responded, running a hand over his face. He turned toward Emma with one of those heart-stopping smirks on his face as he began to move over to her, leaning down with his head just above Emma's core. “But I can think of something that'll make me feel a little better.”

And even though just the thought of him going down on her was almost enough to make her forget about her question, Emma wasn't going to give up so easily.

“Don't do that,” Emma told him as he nosed at the band of her ratty sleep shorts. “What's going on with you?”

“It isn't important, love.”

Emma raised an eyebrow at him and Killian sighed. “It was just a silly dream, Emma.”

“I know it wasn't.”

Killian dropped his head onto Emma's stomach as his arms wrapped around her legs and his groan rumbled against her. “Stupid dream about my stupid father.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows because he very rarely spoke about his father, except the mention of him on their drive to the wedding. And what he had told Emma wasn't good–a man who left his sick wife and two boys because he couldn't handle the stress of her sickness, without a glance back at the family he was leaving. From how it sounded, Killian hadn’t seen his father since that night, since Killian had said that his father didn’t even make it to his mother’s funeral.

Emma ran her fingers through Killian's floppy hair and angled his head up so she could look at him, placing her arm under her head so she could look down at him. “What happened?”

Killian sighed and his eyelashes fluttered against his cheeks. “Just some memories I'd rather forget about that man.”

Emma’s heart stopped at the suggestion Killian’s words gave her. She knew what it was like to want to forget aspects of her past: loveless foster homes, name-calling from foster families who were supposed to love you, handsy foster brothers that didn’t understand the word ‘no.’ Emma even wanted to forget about Diane, with all of her controlling and condescending glory. If Emma could, she would erase her past before she went off to college. And it seemed as though Killian had the same mindset about his own past.

Emma continued to run her fingers through Killian’s hair silently, allowing him to decide if he wanted to tell her about his dream. She stared up at the ceiling as Killian seemed to purr as she stroked his hair. His arms tightened around her legs as he moved to lay his cheek against her stomach, his wild hair beginning to tickle her sensitive skin.

“My father wasn’t the greatest man, as I’m sure you remember from what I’ve told you before,” Killian spoke. “Not only did he end up leaving us in our greatest time of need, he also had a bit of a temper. And when he combined that with alcohol, he could be particularly volatile.”

Emma’s eyes slid shut at the image of Killian as a little boy, being terrified by the father who was supposed to love him. Unfortunately, Emma understood what it was like to be constantly afraid in a house that was supposed to make you feel safe. More than one of the foster families had a temperamental father who drank too much and didn’t like it when the children were heard.

“He never touched my mother when she was sick. When she was sick, he was the doting and loving husband he should’ve always been. But it seemed as though as soon as she went into remission, something switched in him,” Killian continued, moving his head to look back up at Emma. Emma looked down at him and he smiled weakly at her. “But when she was sick, Liam took the brunt of everything my father wanted to throw at her. He hit me once and Liam nearly killed him. Pushed him off the porch behind our house and broke his wrist. After that, my father took out all the rage on Liam.

“One night, he and Liam got into a particularly bad fight. He pushed Liam down the stairs and I saw the entire thing,” Killian spoke, his eyes going dull as he relived that memory. “He just laid at the bottom of the stairs and there was just blood everywhere. I thought he was dead, honestly. I started shoving at my father to make him fall down the stairs. That was the second time he hit me and I ended up hitting the wall just behind the stairs. My mother called 999 for us, but my father left before they showed up. Liam broke his arm very badly and I had a concussion.”

“Was that your dream?” Emma asked quietly.

Killian nodded. “Yes. My mother couldn’t leave because she couldn’t afford to provide for us and for her health problems. She couldn’t work because she was always sick. She wanted to leave–dear Lord, she did. I think when my father left, she was actually happy for once. It didn’t last long, obviously.”

Emma’s heart broke at the knowledge of what Killian went through when he was young. No one deserved that kind of pain. And even after living through all of that, Killian was still understanding and loving and caring. Emma didn’t know how he was able to be like this when so many horrors happened in his childhood.

“Actually”–Killian cleared his throat–“this was the dream that made me call Milah that night.”

“Come here,” Emma whispered and Killian gingerly moved above Emma and rested with his head on her chest, listening to her heart beat. Emma ran her fingers through his hair again, wishing that he hadn’t had so much heartbreak in his life. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I shouldn’t have kept it a secret for so long. I’m sorry,” Killian replied, his raspy voice vibrating against Emma.

“Don’t apologize,” Emma told her soulmate. “I know how it is. Believe me. I just don’t want you to think that you have to keep things secret. I’m your soulmate and I love you and I’m here to stay.”

Killian planted his chin on Emma’s chest and smiled up at her. “I’m so lucky to have you here.”

Emma smiled back at him, warmth filling her chest. “I’m lucky too.”

“Are you free today?” Killian asked, moving further up Emma to place his arms on either side of her head.

Emma nodded. “Well, until later. Celeste wants to see me at Fae tonight, so Mary Margaret and Ruby will be coming along.”

Killian furrowed his eyebrows. “Didn’t you already choose your dress for tomorrow night?”

Emma nodded again. “Yeah, but apparently one just came in yesterday and she demands that I must see it.”

“Well, if you like that dress more, don’t worry about the money, alright?” Killian told Emma, leaning down to brush his nose against hers. “It isn’t a problem. Honestly. This is something that happens quite frequently.”

Emma sighed, knowing that she needed to get used to Killian wanting to pay for things. She knew she didn’t want him to constantly pay for everything, but when it did come to overpriced dresses for his many events, she knew he would have to help out. Well, until she was able to pull her own weight in this relationship.

But she would never tell Killian that.

<>

Emma stood in front of Fae, just as she did all that time ago, when she was shopping for the dress to wear to Regina’s wedding. She laughed under her breath, remembering that that event nearly tore Killian and her apart. But just like with his dream about Milah, they were able to fight through those things and come out stronger than ever. But still, some nights, the whispers of those women haunt Emma’s ears, telling her that she isn’t good enough to be in this lifestyle and to be the woman at Killian’s side.

Then, Emma kindly tells those voices to fuck off.

Regina had raised holy hell when she discovered the pictures when she returned from her honeymoon that next week. Robin and she had a no phone policy during the honeymoon, so she had no idea what had occurred until she returned. She swiftly cut the cousin off from the family, after demanding her to remove the picture (even though the damage was already done), and assured Killian that everything had been taken care of.

Then when Killian told Regina that he and Emma were planning on announcing their soulmate status to the world anyways, Regina about had an aneurysm. She didn’t have a problem with Killian having a soulmate (Killian had explained that to Emma before they arrived at Regina’s office to speak with her); she was worried about how the sudden change would affect his fanbase. Killian had gone through his career being the heartthrob that was eternally single, minus a few flings here and there. Regina was worried that the sudden change, with no apparent warning, would fling some fans over the edge.

To Emma, it sounded more like Regina didn’t want her client to lose out on roles and Twitter followers because of his soulmate status. But Killian assured Emma that even though it may come across that way, Regina was also worried about how some fans reacted when Killian even had a semblance of a relationship revealed in the media. Killian told Emma that Regina very much wanted to make sure Emma was safe and happy in her situations, even if she came across as cold and uncaring.

Emma felt that even if she did indeed not belong in the spotlight with Killian, and that people would be out for her blood once they found out about her past, Regina would truly hold up her tabloid name of The Evil Queen and make sure Emma would remain safe. Even though Emma wanted to announce her relationship with Killian because she didn’t want to constantly hide their love, it definitely helped to know that Regina would be watching out for Emma’s best interests as well.

Ruby and Mary Margaret flanked Emma as they stood in front of Fae, where they could see Celeste hurrying to the door and unlocking it. Emma had been lucky that no one was around to witness a particular blonde waltzing into the renowned boutique that Killian Jones was known to shop at for any event. Killian and Emma wanted to make the announcement on their own terms and she would be damned if a fucking paparazzi ruined it for them.

“Come, come,” Celeste spoke as she ushered the three women into the boutique, locking the door behind them once they entered. “It’s too quiet out there. There hasn’t been a paparazzi in sight.”

“Isn’t that good?” Ruby asked as Celeste walked with the women toward the sitting area they sat in weeks ago for when Emma tried on the dresses for Regina’s wedding.

It seems so long ago, Emma thought.

Celeste shook her head. “It means they’ve gotten sneakier. They know Mr. Jones has a love interest and they want pictures of her. There’s a high demand for anything about his mysterious arm candy.”

Emma gulped. It’ll all be okay.

“This appointment won’t take long. I simply want you to try on this dress we just received,” Celeste spoke as she waved for Mary Margaret and Ruby to sit down on the plush couches in front of the mirrors. “It’s perfect for the premiere of a young, hit show and its younger cast. And, if you would like, we have plenty of heels that you can try on to go with the dress.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I have heels at home,” Emma replied as she followed Celeste toward the fitting rooms.

Celeste glared over her shoulder, an eyebrow raised toward her flaming blue hair. “No offense, Ms. Swan, but your outfit must be impeccable. Your picture will be looked at by millions of people. You can’t be wearing a pair of $20 shoes that you bought from Payless because they were on sale.”

Point taken.

Emma didn’t even want to tell Celeste that the shoes were actually bought for $5 from a thrift store. She was sure Celeste would have a stroke, right then and there.

Once Emma entered the fitting room, she didn’t waste any moment before stripping down to her underwear. At least today, Emma had the decency to wear a black push-up bra and a matching set of underwear. Celeste didn’t look like she was about to have a heart attack, so Emma counted it as a win. She just wouldn’t mention that she bought them on sale from Victoria’s Secret and it only cost $20 altogether.

Celeste quickly helped Emma step into the dress, which Emma hadn’t had time to see on the hanger before Celeste grabbed it for Emma to try on. The fabric was soft against Emma’s skin as Celeste stepped behind Emma and zipped it up. Emma looked into the mirror in front of her and instantly realized why Celeste urged Emma to try it on.

It was perfect for the premiere of Never Landing, a young hit show with a hot cast. The dress was short, hitting a few inches above her knees, but it was still tasteful. It exuded playfulness, with the skirt of the short dress covered in black feathers that ruffled outwards. But it also exuded business, with a structured bodice and a single strap crossing over her right shoulder. Emma ran her hands over the dress, stunned that Celeste hit the nail on the head with this dress. Then again, Emma wasn’t so surprised that Celeste was able to find the perfect dress for the premiere; it was her job after all.

“Here’s a pair of simple black heels that I recommend to wear with this dress,” Celeste spoke as she held the heels up for Emma to look at, forcing Emma to look away from the mirror and the stranger she had been staring at.

The heels were indeed simple–just a black, pointed-toe, leather pump–, but the red underside of the shoes told Emma that the price wasn’t so simple.

“Mr. Jones said not to worry about the cost,” Celeste assured Emma, placing the shoes on the carpeted floor and helping Emma step into the sky-high shoes.

Emma silently nodded as Celeste quickly threw Emma’s hair up into an updo, like it would be for the next night, and Emma then followed Celeste out of the dressing room. After just a short walk, Emma stepped up on the pedestal in front of Mary Margaret and Ruby, hearing their gasps of joy as she modeled the new dress for their eyes.

Emma could honestly say that she felt a lot better in this dress than compared to the other dress she had purchased. She would have to find another use for the other dress since her conscience simply would not let her forgive herself for letting it go to waste, but Emma knew this dress was very much the winner for what she would wear for the premiere. It was simple but still eye-catching–exactly what was needed for the red carpet.

“Emma, it’s perfect,” Mary Margaret said simply as she looked at her friend in the mirror.

“He isn’t gonna know what hit him,” Ruby added with a wolfish smile on her face as her eyes met Emma’s in the mirror.

“Something that could really make the media go crazy would be some jewelry, if you’re interested in looking at some options,” Celeste offered from Emma’s left side.

And for once, Emma did not hesitate. “That would be perfect. Thank you.”

Celeste walked away to retrieve the jewelry options and Emma met the stares of her friends in the mirror, mouths dropped open in shock.

“What?”

“You didn’t fight it,” Mary Margaret said simply. “Sorry, but you always fight it.”

Emma shrugged. “At this point, what’s fighting going to change? Killian has said over and over that money isn’t a concern when it comes to these things and I know he isn’t gonna hold it against me if I can’t pay it back.”

Emma heard sniffling and her eyes darted over to beside Mary Margaret, where Ruby had begun crying and wiping her tears from her face. 

“Ugh sorry, pregnancy hormones are driving me crazy,” Ruby rasped as she grabbed a tissue from the coffee table in front of her. “It’s just–you’ve changed so much, Emma.”

“Is that bad?” Emma asked as she turned around on the podium to look at her friends.

“No, no, not that type of change,” Ruby continued, wiping her eyes with her tissue. “I mean, like he’s helped you see the amazing woman you are and understand that you’ve never been a burden to any of us and that it’s okay to ask for help.”

While Emma had never thought about it like that, she couldn’t help but think it was true. Killian had opened her eyes over the past few months they had been together. When she had met him, she was closed off and afraid after Neal’s sudden departure, unwilling to allow anyone close enough to hurt her again. While she ultimately decided that she wanted to take the chance on Killian, he went along with her slow pace so as to not scare her off and made sure she was comfortable every step of the way. It had taken her a while to get to this point, where she could feel comfortable with announcing to the entire fucking world that Killian Jones, heartthrob extraordinaire, was her soulmate, but Emma was excited to be there. She was excited to see what the rest of their future held together side-by-side.

Emma began to smile, her teeth nibbling down onto her bottom lip as Celeste returned with the jewelry options. “I guess so.”

“Here are our options,” Celeste stated as she held out a grey velvet board with an assortment of jewelry.

There was a variety of diamond necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, along with other gems like rubies, sapphires, and emeralds. Each individual piece of jewelry was beautiful, but the matching set of sapphire earrings and bracelet caught Emma’s eyes. They match Killian’s eyes and she smiled to herself, knowing that that would be the perfect way to announce their soulmate status to the world.

“Let me come see,” Ruby muttered as she stood from the couch with Mary Margaret’s assistance and they both walked over to Emma to look at the selection.

“What are you thinking, Emma?” Mary Margaret asked, eyeing the collection. “They’re all very beautiful.”

“The sapphire earrings and bracelet,” Emma said resolutely to Celeste, pointing to the two pieces on the board in case Celeste couldn’t see colors. She wasn’t going to assume anybody’s status, since many people went through their entire lives without finding their soulmate.

“I’ll get that ready for you in just a moment then,” Celeste stated and began to return to the front of the store when Emma called out to her again.

“Do you by chance have cufflinks?”

Celeste turned to face Emma and nodded. “I can retrieve those options if you would like to take a look at those as well.”

“Yes please,” Emma confirmed with a smile and Celeste nodded again as she walked away to grab the cufflink options for Emma.

“What’re you thinking?” Mary Margaret asked Emma. 

Emma looked down at her friend on her left side. “I can get him emerald cufflinks to match my eyes like the sapphires match his. It’ll be a perfect segue, since the media is bound to ask us what we’re wearing on the red carpet.”

“You’re a fucking genius, Emma,” Ruby said with that wolfish grin across her face again. “You were meant for this life.”

Of course; Killian Jones was her soulmate after all.

<>

Music played loudly in Killian’s bathroom as Emma sat patiently in his dining chair while his hired team (at Regina’s insistence) completed Emma’s hair and makeup. They had been going at it for the past two hours and were nearing completion, with Emma having a natural makeup look which included two layers of fake eyelashes, airbrush foundation, enough highlighter on her face to look like she came from Heaven, and intense contouring.

(Natural, my ass, Emma thought to herself.)

While her face felt about three pounds heavier, Emma’s hair was being curled and effortlessly arranged over her left shoulder. Emma had wanted a simple hairstyle to go along with her makeup, since her jewelry and dress would be doing the talking for her at the premiere. She also didn’t want to look like she was competing with Killian for media attention; that would be a shitty way to start off the whole announcing-we’re-soulmates thing. Emma knew there would be backlash from crazed fans because that was how show business was, but she wanted to make it at least a little easier for the two of them.

“Nearly done, Ms. Swan. Just spraying the hairspray and checking your face again,” The stylist–Jefferson–stated just in front of Emma.

“Will I be taking anything along for touch ups, to be safe?” Emma asked as she glanced up at the stylist, who was carefully arranging strands of her hair around her face.

“I’ll give you the lipstick and gloss, as well as the mascara,” Jefferson responded and grabbed his obscenely large can of hairspray from the bathroom counter to his side, spraying the can all around Emma’s head to cement every hair in place. “I never reuse makeup on more than one client. That’s gross and I make more than enough money to buy new makeup. Your foundation and all that will be all good until you use a makeup remover later tonight or shower to wash it off, or jump in a pool. Whatever happens.”

Emma furrowed her eyebrows at Jefferson as he set aside the three items he mentioned to Emma. “‘Jump into a pool?’”

“Shit happens at after parties, Ms. Swan. You’ll do well to remember that.”

Jefferson began packing away his things in his makeup cart as Emma stood from the dining chair and looked in the bathroom mirror. She nearly didn’t recognize the stranger that stood there in front of her; there was a stunning woman who looked like she had long lived in the limelight, who was merely going out for her next event to be seen by her adoring public and to be seen with her loving partner on her arm.

“Oh wow,” Emma murmured, barely running her hand over her hair. “Thank you, Jefferson. I look incredible.”

“It’s what I tell every client, Ms. Swan–I merely add to enhance the natural beauty that is already there,” Jefferson responded, nodding his head toward Emma. “But thank you. I believe I’ll be seeing you again in the future.”

“I’m sure of it,” Emma replied and followed Jefferson out of the bathroom, holding the bathroom door and then Killian’s bedroom door open for him as he pushed his makeup and hair carts over to the front door.

“I’ll go over to Mr. Jones to give him my final goodbyes, so you should scurry back into your room to get ready,” Jefferson said as he began to walk down the opposite side of the apartment toward the second bedroom, shooing Emma with his hand. “It’s like a wedding; he can’t see you yet.”

Emma laughed under her breath and rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. It was nearing the time where his ride would be here to pick them up and take them to the premiere and she still needed to get dressed and give Killian his little gift. She hadn’t told him about her little idea, but Emma was pretty sure he would go along with it. She wanted to surprise him with it to reiterate her readiness to announce their soulmate status to the world in just a few short hours. Actually, it was probably even less than that at this point.

Just as Emma retrieved her dress from the closet and tugged it over her hips, there was a soft knock on the bedroom door. Emma called out, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” Killian’s voice said, muffled by the bedroom door between them. “Just wanted to see where you were with getting ready since Jefferson just left and Gus should be here in a half hour or so.”

Emma slid the single strap onto her right shoulder and reached around her back to her zipper, which she couldn’t reach of course. “Actually, you can come in. I can’t reach the zipper.”

Emma heard the creaking of the door and felt the gentle pressing of Killian’s fingers against her skin. Goosebumps raised as he zipped up her dress and pressed a kiss against the back of her neck for good measure. Emma gulped as a hot bolt of desire shot through her and rested deep within her; they had absolutely no time to act on anything, but it didn’t stop her from wanting.

“Turn around, love. Let me see you,” Killian murmured and Emma took a deep breath as she turned around for Killian, her hands clamping together in front of her.

Emma watched Killian’s eyes travel over her body, taking in the short dress with its feathered skirt and form-fitting top, as well as the sight of her long legs that weren’t even wearing the heels yet. Emma saw the tips of Killian’s ears redden and his eyes darken with lust as his gaze met hers yet again, where his hands reached out to hers to hold between them. Her manicured nails weaved around Killian’s signature rings, which he never went without, and Killian tugged Emma toward him to press a kiss against her lips. It was meant to be a gentle kiss, but Emma could feel her face heat up with the want of more.

She couldn’t believe she was so close to announcing to millions of people that Killian Jones was her soulmate, and he was hers.

“You look perfect, Emma,” Killian said as he pressed his forehead against Emma’s after their gentle kiss. “Everyone is going to love you.”

Emma stood back and took a good look at Killian. He wore a black button-down shirt with a leather biker jacket, black jeans, and black motorcycle boots. His hair was styled to look windswept, but not like he had just rolled out of bed. And Jefferson may have applied a coat or two of mascara on Killian before he left. Killian clearly had a niche and stuck with it because it did him well. He had the money and the fanbase that said as much.

“You don’t look half bad yourself. I’ve just got just a few more things before I’m ready,” Emma responded as she pulled away and slid her heels on from where they were laying by Killian’s dresser.

Emma took a deep breath and reached for the jewelry box she had resting on top of Killian’s dresser. Her stomach turned, even though she knew Killian would love the small gift. She opened the box and deftly put in the sapphire drop earrings, but Emma knew she would need help with putting the bracelet on anyways. She picked up the emerald cufflinks–which were absolutely stunning–and turned around to face Killian again.

“What’s this?” Killian asked as Emma took a step back toward him.

“When we were at Fae last night, Celeste had us look at some jewelry options,” Emma began, taking the cufflinks in her fingers to hold them in front of Killian. “I thought that the media would obviously be asking about who or what we’re wearing while we’re at the event and that this would be a good segue for us. So I got sapphire for your eyes and I got you emerald for–”

“Your eyes. Emma,” Killian said breathlessly as he stepped forward and took Emma’s face in his hands, pressing an intense kiss to her lips.

Emma held the cufflinks tightly in her hands as she gripped Killian’s upper arms and Killian’s tongue pressed against hers in a practiced move. While the kiss didn’t last long, Killian and Emma stood there for a moment after their lips pulled apart, breathing each other in. Emma didn’t know when exactly it happened but she was head-over-heels in love with this man and would do everything in her power to keep him happy.

“I’m guessing you like it?”

“It’s perfect,” Killian responded as he removed his hands from Emma’s face and took the cufflinks from her. “It’s a brilliant idea.”

Killian put the cufflinks on himself in a practiced move and Emma held out the sapphire bracelet for Killian to assist her in putting it on her wrist. As they prepared to leave for the ride that was due to come at any moment, Emma gathered the items Jefferson had left for her and the one black clutch Emma happened to own, since she didn’t plan ahead and get one from Celeste at Fae. While Emma scurried around and ensured she had everything that she needed–phone, ID, cash, credit card, tissues, tampons, and whatever random crap she could get her hands on–Killian called out to her.

“Gus is here,” Killian stated as he strolled out of his bedroom, adjusting his cuffs under his jacket as he walked over to Emma. “Are you ready?”

And Emma froze.

Here it was.

They were going to do it. They were going to announce they were soulmates and it was going to be spread to millions of people.

And everything was going to change.

Killian must’ve seen the terror on Emma’s face because he walked over and took Emma’s hands in his own again. His eyes met her own as her hands slightly shook in his. Emma knew this was what she wanted to do for their relationship to continue for the future (or whatever future they may have). But old fears die hard and Emma knew that better than most.

“If you don’t want to–”

“No, no, no,” Emma repeated, shaking her head. “I want to go. It’s just–it just hit me that we’re really doing this.”

“Emma, I don’t want you to feel like you have to do this to make me happy or make us work,” Killian responded, his thumbs stroking the back of Emma’s hands.

“That’s the thing, Killian: I don’t feel that way. I never have felt like I need to do certain things,” Emma said and let out a long breath. “It’s just old anxieties and it’s…a lot. And a little terrifying.”

Killian chuckled under his breath. “My first time on the red carpet, I threw up behind the background of the carpet because I was so nervous. So trust me, I understand.”

Emma felt her heart’s heaviness lessening as she smiled. “I was gonna ask ‘what if I puke’ so thanks.”

“Just remember,” Killian continued with an extra squeeze of Emma’s hands, “I’ll be by your side the entire time. I won’t leave you to face them on your own, love.”

Emma nodded and smiled wider, receiving a matching smile from Killian. “Let’s do this.”

<>

The limo pulled up to the side of the curb and the car was surrounded by flashing lights from the media. Emma’s eyes met Killian’s in the backseat of the car, where she took deep breaths to calm herself. It hadn’t been a long drive from Killian’s apartment to the premiere, but it was long enough to stoke Emma’s anxiety into a raging fire. She knew everything would be fine with Killian by her side, but millions of people would soon know everything about her life.

Killian pressed a kiss to the back of Emma’s hand as his eyes looked deeply into Emma’s. “Everything will be okay, love. I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

“I know, I know,” Emma nodded, tightening her free hand around her clutch. “It’s still–”

“Utterly terrifying,” Killian continued and Emma laughed under her breath while nodding her head. “It takes some time to get used to it.”

“Mr. Jones, the line is starting to back up,” Gus called from the front of the limo. “I’ve gotta get going.”

Killian nodded at his driver. “Just a moment.” Killian looked back at Emma and smiled easily. “Ready, soulmate?”

Emma let out a deep exhale and squeezed Killian’s hand. “Ready.”

With that, Killian opened the car door, which swung into the waiting arms of security personnel at the red-carpet premiere of Never Landing. Killian stepped out and offered a hand to Emma, who swung her legs out of the car deftly, so as to not immediately have a wardrobe malfunction during her first public appearance. Killian’s face took on an easy smile as he nodded at the waiting media while Emma’s hand wrapped tightly around Killian’s. He squeezed her hand twice and looked over at her as they stepped onto the red carpet of the premiere.

Killian quickly ducked down to Emma’s ear and whispered, “You’re the most beautiful woman here.”

Emma felt her face turn red as they began walking down the carpet toward the waiting cameras and shouting reporters. She turned to Killian’s ear and responded, “I think you’re a little biased.”

Killian was just about to respond but was interrupted by Graham Humbert shouting his name from just further down the carpet. Killian smiled and the two of them walked down the walkway toward Graham and his handsome, oddly familiar-looking date. Killian hugged his friend with one arm, as his other hand refused to let go of Emma’s. Killian meant it literally when he said that he wouldn’t leave her side that evening, Emma guessed. The cameras flashed as they took pictures of the encounter between the two couples and Emma made sure to keep a wide smile spread on her face.

“I feel like I’ve barely been seeing you around anymore,” Graham told Killian with waggling eyebrows. “Someone keeping you busy?”

“Oh shut up, you git,” Killian responded as Graham laughed and swung his arm around his date’s waist.

“It is very nice to see you again though, Emma,” Graham said as he nodded over at Emma. “We must pay another visit to Frozen Heart again.”

“We would love to have you guys there again,” Emma replied as Killian’s thumb rubbed the outside of her hand.

“Oh, I’m a jackass and forgot to introduce my date,” Graham spoke and Killian snorted, waving his hand at the handsome man next to him. “Killian and Emma, this is Darren Wolf, up-and-coming Calvin Klein model–”

“I knew you looked familiar,” Emma stated, placing the man’s face (and body) on the current large Calvin Klein billboard in Times Square that she saw several times a week.

Darren smiled, his bright white teeth a stark contrast against his olive-toned skin. “Not so much ‘up-and-coming’ anymore but I’m still working on getting more gigs and maybe expanding my horizons.”

“Maybe acting,” Graham shrugged as he hip-checked Darren teasingly. “Who knows?”

“We’ll see you inside, yeah? Should probably give the vultures something,” Killian murmured to his friend and Graham nodded as he sighed.

As Graham and Darren walked further down the carpet, Killian let go of Emma’s hand only to wrap his arm around her waist. Emma looked up into his eyes and he gave her an easy smile, her stomach flipping at the mere sight. She loved this man. Something so simple had completely flipped her world upside down. Emma knew that even if things wouldn’t work out romantically between the two of them in the future, they would keep their relationship at least a friendship. She found herself not being able to see a world where she didn’t know Killian Jones, or didn’t associate with him. She wanted to be with him, no matter what stood between them.

Emma reached up on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to Killian’s lips as the lights flashed around them, the shouts clamoring ever louder for their attention. Killian’s lips slightly parted as his tongue peeked out and Emma pulled his bottom lip to gently bite it between her teeth. His hand tightened around her waist for just a moment until she pulled back with a smile to look up at Killian. His smile matched her own, with his eyes full of the love of care Emma had grown used to seeing from him.

“I love you,” Emma whispered as she wrapped her free arm around Killian’s waist and brought herself closer to his body.

“I love you too,” Killian whispered back as he pressed a kiss to her hair. “Follow my lead, alright?”

Emma nodded as they both looked out to the sea of photographers ahead of them. Emma schooled her face to a polite neutral look, like she had seen from so many celebrity photos from other red carpet premieres and award shows. She kept herself close to Killian’s side as they slowly made their way down the carpet, closer and closer to the building where the premiere showing will be held. Emma’s stomach began to twist as the carpet came closer to its end, knowing that at any point, they would stop to speak with a reporter and they would announce their status to the entire world.

Emma let out a slow exhale as Killian wrapped his hand around hers again to walk a few more paces down the carpet to pose for more pictures. Once posed, Killian’s fingers tilted Emma’s jaw to look up at him, Emma’s green eyes staring into Killian’s blue.

(God, she loved this man.)

Killian bent to whisper into Emma’s ear, “Regina set up an interview with a reporter for The Daily Mirror. The second to last man at the end of the carpet.”

Emma looked down the carpet and noticed the man Killian was talking about. He stood by a camera man while interviewing Izzy, holding a microphone with a large apple as the head of the microphone. Emma recognized the man as Sidney Glass, knowing him as a reporter with some questionable ethics and even more questionable methods.

“He is a bit of a prat, so Regina did say we can skip it if we want to,” Killian continued. “But he owes her a ‘hell of a favor,’ according to her. It would be run on all the major entertainment news networks and websites and, hell, maybe even actual news will pick it up.”

“It won’t go to The Daily Mirror only?”

Killian shook his head. “Regina despises them. Her mother owns a part in the newspaper but if she had any say, Regina would burn the whole thing down. That’s the only reason she got him to agree to these terms–it won’t be for their earnings only.”

Emma nodded as she pulled away to look into Killian’s eyes. She took another deep breath and swallowed back the dryness in her throat. “Okay, let’s do this.”

Killian’s hand tightened around Emma’s again, with his thumb stroking Emma’s hand. “You’re positive?”

“More positive than anything I’ve ever been in my life.”

Killian cupped Emma’s cheek with his free hand and stroked the apple of her cheek with his thumb. “I don’t know what I did in this world to deserve you, Emma Swan. But I hope I always measure up.”

“I guarantee you always will.”

Killian raised an eyebrow at the innuendo and Emma laughed. “We will revisit that later tonight to make sure.”

“I look forward to it.”

Killian laughed under his breath with a wide smile as the two of them posed for a few more pictures, walking slowly down the remainder of the carpet. The photographers and reporters clamored for them and with one final pose of Killian pressing a kiss to Emma’s forehead, they wandered over to Sidney Glass. A gleeful look was stamped on his face and Emma felt her stomach churn again.

They would be casually announcing their soulmate status to millions of people in just a few moments.

Everything would change.

Emma slowly exhaled and Killian’s hand squeezed hers. With her own responding squeeze, they stopped in front of the reporter, whose apple-headed microphone was turned to his own mouth. He twisted to stare at the camera just a foot from his face and Emma schooled her face into a polite neutrality, just as she had for the rest of the cameras down the red carpet.

“Sidney Glass here with lead actor and heartthrob extraordinaire, Killian Jones, and his beautiful guest,” Sidney spoke to the camera and then turned back to face them. “Killian, are you able to introduce me to your gorgeous plus one? I’m sure everyone would love to know who’s hanging off of your arm.”

A charming smile spread on Killian’s face as he looked over at Emma and his thumb rubbed against the back of her hand in a calming circle. “This stunning and intelligent woman is Emma Swan, who has graced me with the honor of escorting her tonight to the premiere.”

“I can already imagine Twitter is going crazy right now,” Sidney Glass responded with that ever-present smile. “Emma, how are you feeling right now? Is this your first premiere?”

Fuck, she didn’t think she’d be talking!

Emma swallowed back the knot in her throat as the microphone turned to her. “This is my first and I’ve gotta say, I’ve been having a lot of fun and I look forward to seeing what the rest of the night holds for us.”

Nailed it.

“Well, you never forget your first,” Sidney remarked and Emma forced herself not to recoil in disgust. “So Killian, this is the season three premiere and Never Landing has already been renewed for seasons four and five. Any thoughts on where Hook’s storyline may go?”

Killian shook his head and a faux-frown spread on his face. “Can’t say anything about the story except that I’m very eager to see where things go.”

“Can you give the viewers a hint or two for what’s coming in season three?”

“All I can say is that there’s a lot of drama and plot twists and maybe some relationship development for some of our characters.”

Sidney’s eyebrows shot up in faux-shock, since Emma knew he was already well aware of the theories crossing the internet. “That sounds awfully exciting and I’m excited to see how the season turns out. Emma, are you a fan of the show?”

Emma nodded her head wildly. “A huge fan, even before meeting this guy.”

She softly hip-checked Killian beside her and Sidney barked out an obnoxious laugh as Killian tugged her closer to wrap his arm around her waist again. “My friends and I watched the season one premiere all together and have a lot of feelings about everything about this show.”

“Wow Killian, you found a real super fan to be your date.”

“I needed to feed my ego, obviously,” Killian replied dryly with a sly wink and they all laughed together at his teasing.

“Well, this wouldn’t be a red carpet interview if I didn’t ask who you were wearing,” Sidney Glass continued and gestured at Killian. “Who made your get-up tonight?”

Killian waved his hand at his and Emma’s outfits. “Everything you see here was selected by my wonderful stylist, Celeste DeFay, and she has shared pictures of it all on her Instagram. So if you go there and find @celestedefay, you will have all of that info!”

Sidney Glass pressed his fingers against the aid in his ear, as if someone was speaking to him. “I’ve been told I should ask you about your jewelry. Is there any significance there?”

Killian’s eyes met Emma’s and his hand squeezed hers again. This was him giving Emma the out. They could shrug off the question and tell him the jewelry was nothing important. They could just move on with their evening and everything would be the same. But that wasn’t what Emma wanted, and even though he wouldn’t say it, she knew Killian didn’t want that either. Even though everything would change, they didn’t want to hide in secret anymore.

They wanted their love announced to the world.

Emma kept her eyes on Killian’s and smiled. “My earrings and necklace are sapphire jewels, because that’s the color of Killian’s eyes.”

“And my cufflinks are emerald, because Emma’s eyes are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

In her periphery, Emma could see Sidney’s jaw drop. But she didn’t care. All she could see was Killian’s smiling face and it felt as though nothing existed outside of the two of them. He was her soulmate and she was his. Nothing else mattered.

“Are you two announcing something?!”

Killian’s smile spread even wider as he spoke, “I think everyone knows what we’re announcing, Sidney.”

Sidney twisted his body to face the camera, now looking truly surprised. “You heard it here first. Killian Jones and Emma Swan are soulmates!”