Chapter 1: Elopement

Killian Jones stepped out of the library and softly shut the door behind him. Placing the book he'd just procured beneath one arm, he strode confidently through the main street of Storybrooke, whistling an old sailor's song under his breath.

Across the street, Granny stepped briskly from the diner, and Killian had to employ some fancy footwork to avoid bowling the old woman over.

"My apologies," he muttered with a debonair bow and his old lady killer smile. The grandmotherly woman smiled and patted his cheek.

"No harm done," she said with a twinkle in her eye. Killian could swear he saw a rosy blush spread over her features. He had that effect on women; there was no use denying it.

In years past, when he was the dashing, but dangerous Captain Hook, he'd had no qualms about accepting the offers of the comely lasses who had practically thrown themselves at him. But no more. For the past two glorious months…really for the past two years…he'd been pledged to the most beautiful, the most astonishing, the most passionate, the most spirited, the most perfect woman in the world. Emma Swan.

A grin draped his lips just thinking of his Swan. In little more than two months he would wed her. She would be his and he would be hers for the rest of their lives. Sometimes he still pinched himself, convinced it wasn't real. It couldn't be real. What had he ever done in his villainous pirate days to merit such heaven?

"Hey Killian!" came an adolescent voice to his right. Killian turned to find himself face to face with Emma's twelve-year-old son.

"Aye, lad?" Killian asked companionably as Henry fell into step beside him.

"What time are you gonna pick me up tomorrow?" the boy asked excitedly.

"You'd best speak to your grandfather about that mate," Killian said ruffling Henry's hair. "You know perfectly well your mother has yet to let me within ten yards of the steering wheel of a land vessel."

"Well, can you blame her?" Henry quipped. "The last time she tried to teach you to drive you nearly took out a whole street full of mailboxes."

Killian playfully bumped the boy's shoulder. "Be gone, you young scalawag. Go talk to your grandfather."

Henry grinned.

"And lad?" Killian said as the boy turned away.

"Yeah?"

"When you get to the station, ask your mother to come to the Jolly when she gets off work."

"What for?" Henry asked, head tilted to the side.

Killian grinned. "It's been some four hours since I've seen her. That's far too long."

Henry grimaced. "You two are going to get all mushy again, aren't you?"

"Aye, if I have anything to say about it."

"Eww!"

Killian ruffled the boy's hair once more. "Just wait, my lad. One day your head will be turned by a lovely lass and then you'll find 'mushiness' far more palatable."

Henry grinned, rolled his eyes, and then headed for the station.

Killian chanced a quick glance at the book he held in his right hand. "The Fundamentals of Baseball." Henry had begged Killian to come with him and Charming to something called baseball's opening day. From what Killian could gather, baseball involved a man hitting a small white ball with a long stick and then running around something called a diamond. He sincerely hoped this book could give him a few more insights. It would be rather bad form to be utterly ignorant in front of his soon-to-be stepson.

Moments later, Killian reached the docks and his second favorite lady, the Jolly Roger came into view. Ah. She was a beauty, and he enjoyed living on her, but he couldn't wait until he and Emma could set up house in a real home.

Killian climbed below decks, determined to put Emma from his mind for a few hours. There was a task before him. He must learn all about this "baseball" or die in the attempt!

But putting Emma from his mind proved to be quite the impossible task. The moment he opened the door to his cabin, he found the lady herself agitatedly pacing its confines. Killian softly closed the door and then turned back toward her.

"Emma, love," he said gently, "is aught the matter?"

She looked up at him, a frown marring her beautiful features.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh, "I guess there is."

"Well," he said when it seemed she wasn't going to continue. "Will you tell me what's troubling you or must I guess?"

She stopped and gave him a long look. "Killian," she said, "this simply isn't going to work. I can't do this whole wedding thing."

Killian felt as though the lass had dumped a bucket of icy water over his head. Surely she hadn't said what he thought she said.

"Emma," he said stepping up to her and putting his hands…real and artificial…on her upper arms, "what are you saying love? Are you having second thoughts about marrying me?"

She gave him the look. The one that called him three kinds of idiot. "Don't be stupid, Killian," she said irritably. "You're my true love; of course I'm not having second thoughts about marrying you."

He breathed an inner sigh of relief. "Then what precisely are you saying."

She let out a noisy breath. "I'm saying I can't do this," she gestured vaguely toward the window. "The whole big wedding thing. The whole town wants in on it. Everybody's trying to help us. Everyone has advice. Everyone thinks their way is the only way. If they don't back off and stop 'helping' me so much, I swear I'm going to go all evil queen on everyone!"

Killian laughed and wrapped her in a tight embrace. She remained stiff for a fraction of a second, and then returned the hug with fervor.

"Let's skip the wedding, Killian," she murmured into his neck. "Let's elope. We can sail your ship out of the bay this minute. Go to New York. I've got enough buddies in the justice department that I can find a justice of the peace to marry us. Then we can get a room at a nice hotel and not leave for a week."

Killian smiled against her hair. "As much as I relish the thought of spending a solid week in bed with you, lass, I'm afraid it's quite impossible."

She pulled away slightly. "Why?"

"Emma," he said, cupping her face in his good hand. "For the first time since Liam died I truly feel like I have a family here. And you! Your parents love you. You're the savior. The whole town loves you. Lass, your parents missed out on so much of your life. It would hurt them terribly to be excluded from the most important day of your life."

She looked into his eyes for several moments, and then sighed. "Yeah," she said, "I know. I'll just have to find a way to stick around and face the music."

Killian laughed again. "Just keep in mind, love. The wedding is but one day. When it's at an end we will have our whole lifetimes together—without the interfering town."

Emma brought her hand up so it covered his. "You're good for me, you know that?"

"Aye," he said before claiming her lips.

Notes: Hi everyone! This is the first in a set of one shots set during Emma and Killian's engagement. It came about because 1. I haven't written anything since I finished A Wish Your Heart Makes, and I'm starting to have fanfiction withdrawal! 2. I'm not yet ready to start the real sequel. I have only the most bare-bones ideas so far. I know Emma and Killian's honeymoon is going to be interrupted by the appearance of the next big bad (whoever he or she might be), and I have to find a way to get Regina, Robin and Roland back in the same land so they can start their happily ever after. And 3. After the searing pain that was 3x17, I was badly in need of a little lighthearted Captain Swan fluff.

-I have a few ideas for a continuation of this story, but if you're interested in this having more than just a couple of updates, I'll need your help! Send me prompts. I'm looking for prompts about 1. CS wedding planning, 2. Killian vs. the modern world, 3. Henry and his majorly messed up family tree, 4. Henry dealing with being an almost-teenager in a town full of fairy tales, 5. Daddy Killian learning to be a good step-father (love the Captain Cobra scenes they've been sprinkling throughout the show), or 5. Charming family adorableness. Prompt away!