A/N: Okay, so first half of this epilogue involves some angst, because that's what my muse decided was appropriate and realistic, but I think the second half more than makes up for it. It's fluffy enough to make your teeth rot! Hope you enjoy! And thanks for reading!

There was never a formal engagement—not in the manner either Emma or her parents would have anticipated. Emma and Killian just sort of fell into it, the mutual understanding that they would marry before the season was out. Plans for the immediate future simply flowed along a natural current of conversation, metamorphosing into plans of a marriage and a family, and before Emma knew it they were picking out wedding bands at the jeweler's shop and inviting friends to join them in several weeks for a combined wedding reception and Thanksgiving feast.

Liam was quietly supportive but understandably distant during the weeks of wedding preparation. The transition in the relationship between the three of them had been the hardest on him. They'd tried to work it out at first, to manage living together as comfortably as they had been during the year prior to his bodily restoration, but the spell had simply been broken, in every sense of the word. Liam no longer shared a body with his brother, dependent on him for survival, nor did he share the intimate relationship with Emma that both of them had grown used to, after having him in close quarters with Killian for more than a year. Liam Jones no longer seemed to know just how he fit into their separate lives now. So it was almost a relief when, one week (and several awkward and charged incidents) after being returned to his body that Liam announced he was moving into a room at Granny's until he could figure out the path his new life would take.

"I feel bad for him," Emma sighed, climbing into the Bug after they left Liam settling into his new room at Granny's.

"As do I," Killian admitted quietly, "but it's as you said: he needs some time."

"Yeah. I know. It's just...he has a lot to adjust to," she worried.

For it wasn't simply that he was alive again after being dead; or even that he had his own body back after sharing one with his brother for over a year. It was also the completely new time period and realm with all of its differences in technology, culture, and perceptions that were foreign to Liam; it was the knowledge that he was technically no longer the older brother in his sibling relationship; the uncomfortable awareness that he cared for his own brother's intended wife; a perhaps bruised ego and heaping mound of guilt over the fact that Emma had chosen Killian over him, Liam Jones, from all Killian's accounts, was not used to being overshadowed or coming in second place.

"Aye," he admitted soberly. "That he does. But thanks to you, we've plenty of time to get our bearings, love" Killian reassured her, reaching over to lace his fingers through her own. "We'll all sort it out."

-/-

But they didn't, not really. And while it was certainly more comfortable making love to Killian without the guilt of knowing that Liam lay alone in the next room, his absence created a different sort of guilt altogether. As Ana had predicted, there were consequences to Emma's decision to bring back Liam that none of them had been able to predict. And one of them was that Liam Jones was in love with Emma Swan.

He never acted on it in even the smallest manner, of course, any more than Emma ever dreamed of doing. No, both of them were so damnably polite and careful with their regard for each other that it damaged their friendship a little before they half realized it. Killian figured out what was happening, of course, being able to read both of them better than anyone else in the world. And in typical pirate fashion, he arranged for a parley between them.

"So this is where you work now?" Emma said, making conversation as she glanced around the Rabbit Hole. The bar wasn't open to the public yet; it was still too early in the day for that, but the quiet atmosphere was the perfect setting for their little tête-à-tête. "Funny, I always pictured you working at the marina."

Liam shrugged a shoulder, putting away some of the clean highball glasses that had been brought to him. "I didn't exactly picture a lot of things the way they turned out."

She winced before she realized that Liam's tone had been matter-of-fact rather than accusatory or melancholy. "Yeah. I know. Liam-"

"It's forgotten," he told her with a crooked smile. "Look, I know my brother's trying very hard not to be jealous, and wants us to repair whatever awkwardness and problems that we have between us in the interest of familial harmony, but...with all due love and respect for Killian, that's just not going to work for us, is it?" He fixed her with a sober expression as he wiped down the bar.

"No," she agreed, swallowing around the lump in her throat, "it's not."

"Things have to break sometimes before we can mend them," he went on, scrubbing at a non-existent stain on the polished wood. "So it gets harder before it gets easier."

"I know." She hesitated for a moment and slid off the stool. "Liam, I really do like you," she whispered, tears pricking at her eyes.

He looked up, then, his own eyes suspiciously bright. "And I like you," he said softly, a vulnerability in his face that made Emma's heart ache for what couldn't be. "But he's my brother. Your True Love. And I need some space."

"I get it," she murmured. And she did. She really did. It made sense. And it was probably the wisest course of action until the feelings that had sprung up between them died a little over time. But still, it hurt.

So she gave him space. And more time. But the careful distance and the too-polite interactions remained, eroding very little in the time leading up to the wedding. And Emma began to despair just a little that she had ruined the relationship with her soon to be brother-in-law; it was a bitter irony after Liam's initial wishes to the contrary, and one that Emma couldn't swallow after she had managed to let him in.

But she never regretted bringing him back. Not for one instance. Not even when she received a note from Hades one week prior to the wedding that said simply, Clever girl. I'll be waiting.

-/-

"Emmaaaaaa!" a familiar voice squealed from behind her.

Emma turned, being nearly tackled to the ground by Elsa's younger sister, Anna, who was talking a mile a minute. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you!" she gushed. "And congratulations! I'm so happy you're getting married! Oh, I wish we'd been able to have you at my wedding-"

"Anna, let her breathe!" Elsa chuckled, waiting in a more reserved fashion to greet Emma. "It's wonderful to see you," she murmured, when it became her turn to greet the bride-to-be. "We're so happy to have the chance to attend the wedding. However did you think of it?"

"It was Ana's idea," she admitted. "She's close friends with Rabbit, so she talked him into transporting our friends from Arendelle as well as Wonderland."

"Yes," Elsa said, linking arms with her as they walked toward Granny's (Anna and Kristoff followed at a distance, with Sven), "from everything you mentioned in your letter, I'm interested to meet her."

"She's good people," Emma agreed.

But it wasn't Elsa's introduction to Ana that was the highlight of the evening when the members of the wedding party met at her parents apartment for the rehearsal dinner. Rather, it was Liam's introduction to Elsa that fascinated Emma and amused Killian.

Liam, perhaps predictably, had tucked himself behind the wet bar and served as impromptu bartender, amusing the small crowd of guests with colorful stories of his seafaring adventures with his brother. Ana's husband, Will, particularly enjoyed the stories, exchanging a few colorful tales of Wonderland in return, and the two men soon arranged to meet for drinks and darts before Will returned with his wife to Wonderland. And it was amidst this male camaraderie that Tink sidled up to the bar and flashed a dazzling smile at Liam. "A scotch and soda for me and a Kinky Jack Frost for my friend, here." She nodded at Elsa, who stood at her elbow with a puzzled expression on her face.

"A what?" Liam said distractedly, automatically reaching for the scotch to prepare Tink's drink. "I'm sorry," he said, opening the bottle, "I'm not familiar with that drink. Perhaps if you told me what's in it...?"

"I'm afraid I'm not familiar with it, either," Elsa explained with a wry smile.

Liam glanced up automatically as he poured the scotch, seeking out the source of the voice speaking to him. And promptly missed the glass, pouring the expensive scotch over half the bar before he realized it. "Damn," he swore, after he recovered. He reached for a rag to mop it up and knocked over the bucket of ice in the process.

The ice scattered. Emma watched as Elsa made a small motion, halting in mid-air before it could drop to the floor. Liam blinked, staring in wonder at the tiny, glittering cubes suspended around him. "How...?" he managed in confusion.

To Emma's astonishment, her normally calm and unruffled friend blushed to the roots of her hair. "It's—it's just a thing I do," she explained almost apologetically.

Tink watched all of this, saying nothing, a secretive smile curling across her face.

"A very useful thing thing in this instance," Liam said, flashing Elsa one of his charming smiles once he recovered. "Thank you."

Turning even redder at the compliment, Elsa mumbled something incoherent and feigned the need to be elsewhere.

"But—what about your drink?" Liam called after her helplessly, his eyes tracking her across the room as she slipped away.

"Smooth, mate," Will chortled.

"Did you see all of that?" Emma whispered, elbowing Killian. "What do you make of it?"

"I think," he answered, pulling her close for a dance and nuzzling his face against her neck as Mary-Margaret started some new music, "everything is working out as it should, much sooner than we ever thought."

-/-

For the first time in more than twenty-eight years, the convent's church was filled to the brim. Guests were packed in like sardines; it seemed the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter was a social event that was not to be missed, even for the shadier residents of Storybrooke. Mary-Margaret, with the aid of the fairies, had decorated the church lavishly with tasteful sprays of flowers and a strange mist of floating lights that twinkled suspiciously like fireflies. Soft music, provided by a choir of the fairies, filled the church, creating a serene atmosphere while the guests waited for the ceremony to begin.

Emma watched patiently from the vestibule as the bridal attendants walked up the aisle with their escorts. Her mother and Liam went first, serving as matron-of-honor and best man. The decision of whether to ask his brother or David had been an agonizing one for Killian, given the awkward situation between bride, groom, and brother, but in the end, blood and loyalty ultimately won out for both brothers—the one setting aside his jealousy and possessiveness, the other setting aside his feelings for the bride. The Jones brothers, Killian had explained one night as he and Emma had lain naked beneath the sheets, their bodies pressed close, had spent centuries being parted by death; neither of them was willing to let the seeds of conflict take root to separate them all over again.

Elsa and David joined Mary-Margaret and Liam on the altar steps. Emma glanced from Elsa to Liam, looking for some kind of reaction from either of them, maybe a spark, but found Elsa studiously avoiding Liam's gaze—which was, she noticed to her dismay as Ana and Robin took their places up on the altar steps, centered on Emma herself, his expression wistful.

The music changed, signaling Emma's entrance, and the guests all turned to look at her. Emma smiled, a bit unnerved by all the attention, and swept up the long aisle, the trailing bouquet of ivy and violets clutched in her hands as if it were a life preserver. Her eyes sought Killian's, instinctually seeking the assurance she needed, and found them shining with wonder at the sight of her. Emma's smiled widened, becoming genuine as she beamed at him, anticipation filling her as she neared the end of the aisle and reached for him.

He took her arm, murmuring compliments about how breathtaking she looked, and Emma found herself unable to reply in return as she took in Killian's own handsome countenance. It was all she could do not to pull him into a kiss then and there and drag him off to someplace more private, an impulse that Killian seemed to share, from the glint in his eyes, but Tink's opening words distracted them both before they could act on it.

Having a fairy officiate their ceremony had seemed like a strange idea when Killian had first suggested it, because wasn't Tink technically a nun, and what kind of convent didn't have a priest to say Mass for them, she'd argued. (The kind that Regina created, he'd replied sardonically, because what had she really known about the inner workings of any of that at the time the curse had been created?) But when Killian had pointed out that Tink had recognized them as True Loves back in Neverland, and had even brought together Robin and Regina after all these years, it seemed appropriate that the fairy should officiate the ceremony in which they committed themselves to each other forever.

"Do you, Killian, take Emma to be your wife, promising to always find her, through dark curses and memory loss, and forsaking all others for now and all time?"

"I do," he promised, his hands gently squeezing hers as he gazed into her eyes, "and I always will."

"And do you, Emma, take Killian to be your husband, promising to always find him, through dark curses and memory loss, and forsaking all others for now and all time?"

Emma smiled, sinking into the depths of Killian's brilliant blue eyes as she said with a conviction that emanated from every atom of her being, "I do."

"Then I now pronounce you princess bride and pirate captain," Tink said with a mischievous smile. "I don't suppose I need to tell you-"

Emma grabbed Killian by the lapels and crushed her lips to his. His hook encircled her waist in response, and his other hand eagerly threaded through her hair, drawing her deeper into the kiss. A warm, heady sensation that felt rather like she'd imbibed rather too much rum swept through Emma from her head to her toes; she felt her magic flare out of her in response, and knew it instinctively as the seal of True Love.

"-that you can kiss now?" Tink finished with laughter in her voice as the guests erupted in raucous cheers and applause.

They pulled apart several moments later, amid catcalls from Leroy and embarrassed muttering from David, with sheepish grins. Neither of them took much notice of these reactions; Emma and Killian only had eyes for each other, and the rest of the world faded away for the first precious moments of their marriage as they leaned in for another kiss.

-/-

The reception was a smash. Deciding to hold a dual wedding and Thanksgiving celebration turned out to be a brilliant idea. The potluck nature of the event seemed to bolster spirits, and even the most prickly residents of Storybrooke let down their guard for a temporary truce. There was something about the combination of homemade food and holiday spirit (and perhaps the abundance of alcohol) that brought together even the unlikeliest of friends: Sneezy danced with Blue. Victor, Ruby, and Mulan formed a cozy threesome beside the bonfires for much of the evening. Maurice and Maleficent exchanged wary pleasantries across the table. Emma had even seen (an admittedly very drunk) Leroy flirting with a bewildered Zelena over the smoked brisket at one of the buffet tables, and swore to Killian she would have nightmares forever after.

But in spite of the revelry and good cheer, two members of the wedding party remained stubbornly quiet and aloof. Emma had expected as much from Elsa, who had always been rather shy and socially awkward, despite Anna's best efforts otherwise, but Killian clearly expected much different behavior from his brother, if the perturbed glances he kept casting toward Liam were any indication. "Why doesn't he just bloody well make a move?" he growled. "Any fool can see they're attracted to each other, the way they keep making sheep's eyes at each other when they think the other one isn't looking."

"Yearning looks and doey eyes indeed," she muttered to herself.

"What's that?"

"Nothing. Just...remembering something." She set her drink down and stood up, reaching for Killian. "They'll get to it in their own time. Look at how long it took us to get where we are. Come on, let's dance."

And come together they finally did, though it wasn't for dancing, but only quiet laughter and conversation. Yet even so, there was no mistaking the way Elsa's eyes shone with with wonder and longing as they spoke. Nor could it be missed that the tension of several weeks had melted from Liam's posture, replaced by an almost lazy relaxation in Elsa's presence.

"What do you think now?" Emma prodded Killian smugly, nodding at her best friend and brother-in-law as they bade each other a shy goodbye at the end of the night.

"I still think he's a sodding idiot for not asking her to dance," Killian grumbled, but his eyes were alight with a joy for his brother that belied his the tone of his words, "but at least he seems happier now. He may find hope for his own future yet."

-/-

They rented a small cottage in Connecticut for their honeymoon. It was the one part of her wedding that Emma had been adamant about. She'd be damned if their honeymoon, of all things, was interrupted by a psychotic dark fairy or a mad wizard that threw everything into some chaotic situation that couldn't wait a few days to be dealt with. No, Emma Swan-Jones was determined to go on a nice, normal honeymoon in a nice, normal town, thank you very much.

Their goodbyes were fierce, if a bit protracted beyond what was normal. That Emma and Killian might return to find the town suddenly abandoned, or filled with friends and family could no longer remember them, was a possibility that was sadly all too real. And as such, they were determined to make the most of their goodbyes.

"Be good," Emma commanded Henry as she hugged him. "Don't antagonize your mom, listen to your new step-dad, and look out for Roland at school. Mary-Margaret says he's been having trouble adjusting to school and making friends."

"Got it," Henry nodded. He tilted his head to the side. "But isn't Killian my new step-dad?""

"No, just the newest," she corrected with a smile, "unless you're willing to try calling Robin 'old' to his face."

"That probably wouldn't be a good idea," Henry agreed with a grin, stepping back to allow Mary-Margaret and David to offer their own goodbyes and well-wishes for their honeymoon.

"Make sure you call or text when you get there," her mother reminded her, bouncing Emma's fussing baby brother in her arms with a worried look on her face.

"We'll be fine," Emma assured her, smiling wryly. "It's only for a week. Besides, there's a better chance of something happening to you guys here in Storybrooke than to us."

"You're right," Mary-Margaret fretted, her eyes widening as this new thought struck her, "maybe we should text you-"

"I think," David said reasonably, "we should just let them go and-" he paused, a pained look crossing his face before he uttered his next words, "-enjoy their honeymoon."

"I don't think that will be a problem, mate," Killian said with a saucy wink that made David roll his eyes and mutter several choice words about son-in-law pirates before he shuffled off with his wife and son.

"Killian," Liam said, stepping up to offer his own goodbyes. The two brothers gave each other a hearty embrace, clapping each other on the back. "Have a good honeymoon."

Liam peered at Emma questioningly, and she nodded at him. "Come here," she insisted, sweeping him into a brief hug. "We're family now. You can't avoid me anymore," she warned good-naturedly.

"I won't," he promised. "Take good care of him while I'm gone, will you?"

"Gone?" Emma said in surprise, at the same time that Killian demanded, "Where are you going?"

He shrugged. "Will invited me to visit him and Ana in Wonderland for a while, and the White Rabbit agreed to take me over to Arendelle afterward-"

"Arendelle?" they both echoed with interest.

Liam scrubbed at the scruff on his jaw in embarrassment. "Elsa and I are just friends," he insisted with a firmness that reminded Emma an awful lot of her own insistence that the kiss with Killian in Neverland had been a "one time thing."

"Enjoy your visits, then," Emma told him before Killian could harass him further. "Give my best to everyone."

"Always." He stepped back then, conceding with that simple gesture all of his remaining feelings for Emma, and waved a goodbye.

And when Emma glanced back at him in the rear view mirror before she drove out of Storybrooke, his expression held none of the stoic control of a man who feared he might break if he let down his guard for a single moment. Rather, for the first time in since he'd been brought back from the Underworld, Liam Jones looked as if he were a man that had quite literally been given a new lease on life.

-/-

"So what do you think the big news is?" Emma wondered, peering into the floor length mirror in their bedroom while she pulled her hair away from her face and secured it in a ponytail. "So much for glowing," she snorted as she caught sight of her unusually pale complexion. "I look horrible."

"You look like mum in the throes of morning sickness," Killian corrected, slipping his arms around her from behind. "And you are always beautiful to me." He placed his hands on her abdomen. Emma wasn't showing yet, but that didn't stop him from touching the place where their baby lay nestled inside of her, with a wonder and possessiveness that Emma found endearing and completely, utterly Killian.

"As for the news he hinted at yesterday," Killian mused, "I suspect Liam's finally decided to move to Arendelle. It's taken him long enough. It's been almost two ruddy years of visiting back and forth."

"I didn't know you were so eager to see your brother go," she teased.

"I'm not," he disagreed, "but I spent centuries mourning Liam and the life he could have had; the family he could have raised. I just want to see my brother happy and settled down. Even if it's in a different realm."

"Well, we'll never know unless we get over to his apartment for lunch," Emma pointed out. "I just hope I can manage not to get sick all over his floor if the food doesn't agree with the baby."

"Liam and I spent years scrubbing vomit off ships' decks, courtesy of sailors who'd imbibed too much rum," he assured Emma, releasing her to go fetch her red leather jacket from the closet. He helped her into it, pulling her long ponytail free from the collar. "I'm sure he won't be phased if his niece or nephew causes you to disgrace yourself all over his apartment floor."

The walk to Liam's apartment was short and pleasant, the weather being neither too hot or too cold (which was a miracle in itself, given the fluctuating hormones that Emma was dealing with these days), and Emma was almost disappointed when they arrived. The fresh, salty air that rolled in from the sea seemed to help calm her nausea. She waited patiently while Killian knocked on the door, wondering if Anna and Kristoff's newest baby had arrived yet. Elsa hadn't mentioned anything in the last letter she'd sent back, nor had Liam mentioned anything, but surely it must be any day now, if it hadn't happened already.

The door opened, and Liam greeted them with an easy smile. "Come in, come in!" he told them, stepping back to usher them through the threshold. "Elsa's been waiting on pins and needles for you to get here."

"Wait, Elsa's in town?" Emma said, shucking off her coat with Killian's help. "Where is she? When did she arrive? Why didn't you tell us?"

"Yes. In the living room. Two days ago. We wanted a little time to ourselves," Liam answered with a twinkle in his eyes. "I'm sure you understand," he smirked.

Emma rolled her eyes, but truth be told, she was very pleased to know that Elsa and Liam were sneaking in unscheduled little visits with each other. It had to be difficult to maintain a relationship that kept them not just in different towns, but entirely different realms. The fact that they were making an effort to fit in additional visits boded well for them. Perhaps Killian's instincts were right, and this announcement was about putting an end to all the traveling back and forth with the White Rabbit and communicating through magic mirrors.

Killian, to no surprise of Emma's, seemed to read her mind. "Are we to take it, then, that this news of yours is about making things more official between you two?" he asked as the three of them moved down the hallway toward the living room.

"Uh, well," Liam stammered, "Elsa, darling?"

Elsa stood up from Liam's easy chair just as they entered the living room, her cheeks flushed and her eyes aglow with happiness. A blanket fell from her lap, revealing a belly that was noticeably rounder than Emma remembered it being during Elsa's last visit to Storybrooke. "Surprise?" she said, with an uncertain grin.

Emma stared for several moments, processing their little deception, before she bounded forward and wrapped Elsa in a hug that was just shy of bone-crushing. Behind her, she heard Killian slap Liam on the back and offer his own hearty congratulations. "I'm so happy for you!" she whispered.

"You're not mad?" Elsa asked.

"Mad?" She pulled away with a puzzled frown. "Why would I be mad?"

"Well—it's just that, with you just finding out that you were expecting too, I didn't want you to feel as if I were trying to overshadow you."

"Are you kidding? This is great! Now I have someone to commiserate with about all of this. How long have you known?"

"Elsa found out a couple of weeks ago," Liam told her, accepting a proffered flask of rum from Killian. He took a celebratory swig before handing it back to his brother, who also indulged. "Right about when you did. We kept quiet about it for a while, because we needed to figure a few things out."

"About that," Killian began, peering at Elsa with narrowed eyes, "Am I to take it this means you're going to abscond with my brother to Arendelle?"

"Well..." she said, turning red again, "um...yes?"

"Killian, don't tease her," Emma chided. "I think it's wonderful news. But there's something I don't understand," she frowned. "How far along are you?"

"Ten weeks. The royal physician thought I was much further along, considering how I'm already showing, but Liam took me to see Dr. Whale yesterday, and he used that machine to see how big our babies were-"

"Hold up," Emma interrupted. "Babies? As in plural? More than one?"

"Twins!" Killian chortled, slapping Liam on the back again. "There's the Jones virility for you."

Emma shared a look with Elsa and rolled her eyes. "Ego, more like," she muttered to her friend, as she refrained from pointing out that men had nothing whatsoever to do with the occurrence of multiples.

"Not twins," Liam corrected, rubbing the back of his neck. "Triplets."

Killian peered at his brother and handed him his flask of rum again. "Here, I think you've more need of this than me, mate."

-/-

Elsa and Liam married two months later, and the wedding was one of the most elaborate celebrations Arendelle had ever seen. The people of Arendelle were overjoyed. Their queen, who had once shut herself away from people, had embraced family again and found love. That Liam Jones was a sea captain wasn't even given a second thought, much less a single objection. The castle would be filled to the brim with children and laughter again, between Anna's progeny and Elsa's, and the people of Arendelle couldn't have asked for a better reason to celebrate.

"Tink looks rather pleased with herself, don't you think?" Killian observed as he danced with Emma during the reception. "Another successful match. She'll be insufferable with her gloating for the next several weeks."

"Oh, let her. She deserves it," Emma decided. "She lost her wings over it, once. I'd gloat, too, if I could rub my successes in Blue's face once in a while."

"Good point."

A throat cleared, interrupting their conversation. "May I have this dance?" Liam's asked, peering at Emma.

"That reminds me, I believe I owe the bride a dance," Killian decided, tactfully withdrawing to seek out his new sister-in-law.

Liam took Emma's hands in his and drew her into a dance. "I never thanked you," he began, "for all that you did for me." Emma opened her mouth to insist that thanks wasn't necessary, but Liam continued, "I know it was mostly for Killian. I'm not daft. But if you hadn't brought me back, I'd have never met Elsa." He peered at her, then, his blue-grey eyes full of sincerity. "And I can't ever thank you enough for your role in that."

"Should you be thanking Tink for that? She had more to do with it than I did."

"No," he disagreed, "Tink only engineered my introduction to Elsa. You showed me that love involves sacrifice for the other person's happiness. And I would do anything, give up anything to make Elsa happy. I don't think I would have been capable of that before you. Thank you."

"You big, lovable idiot," she sniffed, hormones overtaking her usual control of her emotions as she drew him into an enormous hug, "What are sisters for?"