i.

The first time Emma Swan marries Killian Jones, it is spur of the moment. He'd proposed like that, too, yelled that he wanted to marry her in the middle of an argument regarding the latest villain to come to town. She'd yelled back that she wanted to be his wife, and it sort of all just happened.

They have been engaged for two and a half months when it happens.

She's sitting at Granny's diner with her mother, Ruby, Ashley, and a whole cast of other women who apparently all have opinions about her wedding to Killian. On the table in front of her, they've assembled wedding magazines and printouts from websites, and her mother is rambling on about when they need to get the dress fitted, because apparently it'll take time for someone to fit and pull together a dress, much less for her to find one.

Emma almost regrets having told her mother so soon after Killian slid the pretty ring over her finger.

"Oh, and we're going to need to pick a date so we can decide where to have it," her mom says, digging through her purse for her phone. She starts skimming through her calendar.

"Spring or summer?" Ruby asks.

"Oh, I'd say summer!" Tink pipes up from beside her.

"No, no, the spring," Granny argues, leaning up against the booth. "Spring weddings are nicer." Aurora nods in agreement.

"In Maine?" Ashley asks from beside Mary Margaret. "I don't know. What if it's gray and rainy? Maybe closer to between the two."

"Yeah, but if we're having it at the church, it doesn't really even matter anyway." Mary Margaret says, occupied with her phone, brows pinched together. "Emma, inside or outside?"

Emma just stares. She's sort of really overwhelmed by it all. The sudden pouncing of these women while she was trying to have some quiet time before heading off to work, followed by the incessant questioning and decisions made without her has her gut twisting.

She really should have waited to tell Mary Margaret. Maybe during a time when there wasn't a big bad threatening the town's each and every breath, like there is now. She doesn't know how these women have such wide smiles during a time like this.

She and Killian haven't even talked about what they want for their wedding, but she knows he could probably care less about the specifics; he just wants to marry her.

Her eyes are wide and her heart is racing while her stomach churns. "I- I don't-"

"It's okay," Mary Margaret says with a smile. "We'll just work around a date in May. That way it won't be rainy or gray."

"Oh, but that's so far away," Ashley frowns. "It's better to have a short engagement. It's already been, what, a month?"

Emma shakes her head, thinning her lips. "Two."

"Oh!" Ashley gasps. "Then we really should think about maybe doing it in October, before it starts snowing."

"That's next month," Ruby shakes her head. "No way this girl's ready for that. Let's do it in May, Mary Margaret."

"Okay. May it is. I think it would be nice to do it outside."

"Yes," the group agrees. Mary Margaret is already going on about the different places in town they could have it, about how the weather in May will be so wonderful, and how nicely they could decorate if they had it at the park, or if they had it somewhere in the forest.

Emma just sits there, staring. This is so much to take in all at once. She'd been sitting here quietly with her cup of cocoa, reading over some book Belle had lent her for the latest villain before she was going to go discuss findings with Killian and her father at the Station. And then this happened.

She looks down at the papers and then back up at her chatting mother, and then, she panics. She slides out of the booth, grabbing her book on the way, and ignores their calls of confusion as she marches out the front door, straight for the Station.

When she gets inside, she doesn't waste time.

"Swan!" He cheers, all twinkling blue eyes and wide toothy smile. Emma deposits her book down on the desk as he continues, "Apologies for leaving so early this morning. I wanted to check some of the video again." He's standing by the crappy 1990s TV and she looks up at him with wide eyes, her hands fisted up at her thighs. He frowns. "What is it, love? Have I done something wrong? Was my handwriting illegible?"

"Marry me. Today."

He shakes his head. "What?"

She straightens out, feeling more confident. "Marry me today, Killian. I can't handle all of this… wedding planning Mary Margaret just… thrust upon me like it's the most important thing I need to be doing right now. What I need to be doing is protecting this town and everyone in it." She strings a hand through her hair. "I don't want to plan. I just-" She sighs, her heart squeezing tight in her chest. "I just want to marry you. And I want to do it sooner rather than later, because I can't handle more than one big thing at once, and with the way my mother was talking, it looks like my next few months are booked solid, not even counting what's going on in town right now."

Killian wears a soft smile on his lips, a coy little thing. "I thought you'd never ask."

A smile finds her own lips, wide, before she laughs once. "Okay. Let's do this thing."

He chuckles. "I'm not sure how this sort of thing is done in your realm, but in mine, we needed an officiant."

Emma bites her lip. "Yeah, same here. But, you know," Emma slides closer, pressing a palm to his chest to feel his beating heart. "A captain of a ship can do it here too."

"Oh, can they?" he teases. Emma nods, humming.

"But we'd have to do it fast," she informs him. "Because we're still on duty today."

He stares at her for a moment. "Are you sure this is what you want? Not that I'm not interested in your proposal, but wouldn't you rather hold off on the planning until we finish with what's going on now?"

Emma shakes her head firmly. "Nope. You're what I want. We should have just gotten married the day we got engaged. It would've saved me a lot of stress. My mother has tried to talk to me about it every day since we told her, and I can't handle it anymore. I just want to be your wife."

He takes her hand, pulling her along with him suddenly, and she laughs. "Where are we going?"

He flashes her a wicked grin. "My ship, of course."

So instead of wearing a white dress, she wears jeans and a blue sweater. Her hair is down. She didn't put on make up this morning. The flowers she holds are hastily picked from the Earth, and she thinks some of them might be weeds. They don't have any rings to exchange. This is on their terms, with their own words, not just because her mother wants a wedding in May, and not just because it has to be done. It's because they want this, now.

He smiles at her like she is the sun. And she promises him her love for better or worse. And when they kiss, it is more like forever than anything she has ever felt in her entire life.

/

(He carries her bridal style through the tiny cabin door on his boat, intending on consummating their marriage right away, but David calls as soon as her feet hit the floor of the cabin, making them both sigh.)

(They don't tell anyone what they did, they just return to work with knowing smiles and swelling hearts. Knowing that they are only for each other, promises of eternity so fresh off of their lips.)

(They get cupcakes and hot cocoa at Granny's to celebrate later that night. She curls up against him in their favorite booth and shares with him the wedding cake tradition with a vanilla cupcake tore in two. He gets it all over his face. She doesn't stop laughing until he kisses her.)

(She calls him husband whenever she gets the chance. He calls her Mrs. Jones at least a hundred times a day, so it isn't any wonder her parents find out.)

/

ii.

The second time Emma Swan marries Killian Jones, it is thoroughly planned, and no less emotional.

She stands in her parents' loft, wearing her pure white gown, waiting while the girls all fuss about her hair. Her mother is in tears, already, and when her father comes to tell her that Killian is ready, he stares at her with awe and sheer love in his eyes.

"Oh, Emma," he sighs.

"Hi, Daddy." Her father smiles as he steps up to her. He takes her hands and studies her from head to toe.

"You're so beautiful." His voice lilts in wonder.

"Thank you,"

The girls are all smiling, watching the two of them with tears in their eyes.

"Okay, ladies, we should go now." Mary Margaret says. "Emma, you are going to be wonderful. There's no need to be nervous. It's just Killian."

"I know." Mary Margaret smiles warmly before wrapping her up in a hug.

"I'm so happy. Your True Love. It's all I could have ever wished for you." Her mother slides back, wiping at her eyes with one of her sappy smiles stretched wide across her face. "I'll go now and try not to mess up my make up before it even starts." Emma gives her a sympathetic smile, squeezing her hand once before she turns away.

The women all scuttle out of the room after bidding her good luck and goodbye, promising to meet at the venue like they planned. Emma wears a smile as she turns her attention back to her father.

"So how are they?"

He father smiles. "Henry is excited. Your brother is ecstatic. I'll keep an eye on him. Hopefully he doesn't try and sabotage your big day."

Emma laughs. "And Killian?"

David sighs. "As good as he'll get." Emma narrows her eyes, receiving a soft smile from him. "No man will ever be good enough for my little girl." Emma wraps her arm around his. "But, I guess Killian will be the next best thing. I know he loves you and that he won't intentionally hurt you. That's enough for me."

Emma rolls her eyes wryly. "I'm glad you finally approve of my True Love."

Her father kisses her temple. "Don't tell him I told you this, but I've approved of him since he saved my life in Neverland." Emma grins as they step outside. "He's done a lot for this family. He's kept you safe and grounded more times than I can count. He's a good man, Emma. I'm proud of you. Both of you."

Tears threaten her eyes at his words, and she can't help herself when she throws her arms around her father's neck, squeezing her eyes shut. "Thank you for saying that. It means so much to me."

"I meant every word."

The wedding is talking place on the beach. Her father is driving her there in the Bug, which is already adorned in the customary decorations that alert the world to her Just Married status.

It's been almost a year since she got engaged to Killian, and eight months since they shared their private vows on his ship. She's not nervous. She's just glad to get this over with.

The sea air is breezy and light. The sun warms the top of her head and it makes her smile comfortably. It is the perfect day for this perfectly planned event. Her mother should be proud of herself and all of the work she put forth.

Her father walks her down the aisle, lined with pretty much every person in town that she's ever met or had some semblance of knowing. Her focus is only on Killian, though.

He stares back at her, love just oozing from his eyes and seeping into the smile he pulls on. He's wearing a nice suit and his hair is still handsomely mussed. Her husband has removed his rings, the treasures of his past life as a pirate, but he's kept the chain around his neck at her insistence. It's tucked under the suit, and she knows he must be a little uncomfortable dressed to the nines for the sake of her parents and tradition, but she thinks he couldn't look more dapper.

Her father kisses her cheek and when she looks into his eyes, there are tears just at the surface. She knows how difficult it must be to give her away. They haven't known each other for very long, and already, he has to give her up again. She promises him a long father-daughter dance later.

Killian smiles warmly at her when she finally comes to stand in front of him. "Fancy meeting you here."

Emma laughs softly, brightening his eyes. He flicks his tongue over his lip as he tilts his head at her, looking her over like she is everything he'll ever need. "Let's do this thing."

She marries Killian in a white dress. Her hair is up and just about everything is perfect. She carries forget-me-not flowers the color of her husband's eyes in her hands, a soft smile on her lips throughout the entire day. They exchange rings and vows that they've already promised and upheld for a very long time.

He smiles at her like she's the sun. She promises him forever, again, and when he promises her the very same, she swears everything starts glowing. And when they kiss, it is even more like forever than anything she has ever felt in her entire life.

/

(He kisses her too much for her father's liking at the reception held at Granny's, but she can't keep her hands off of him, so it doesn't bother her one bit.)

(There is cake and everyone gives them pieces of advice, not that they need it. They know each other better than they know themselves.)

(He carries her bridal style into their house. He wiggles his eyebrows at her and thickly promises her a long night of loving and cherishing his wife.)

(He delivers.)

/

iii.

The third time Emma Swan marries Killian Jones, it is perfect.

They have been married for about five years and things in Storybrooke are quiet. It is a good quiet, because now that things have settled, relatively, she can live a happy life with her family. She can enjoy little things, like brunch on Sunday at Granny's or her mother's spaghetti dinners. Sometimes they go to the park or to the beach together. She finds that nowadays, she laughs a lot more than she ever had before. There is a lot more love than there ever has been before.

They're sitting on the floor in the living room with little teacups and Killian's wearing a floppy pink hat, and she's wearing a bright yellow bow on the top of her head. Their little girl is sitting between them, smiling sheepishly as she sips at her teacup.

She is an adorable little mixture of she and Killian. She was a little bit of a surprise baby, but she was still so very wanted. They'd found out about her a couple of weeks after their second wedding, sitting on the floor of the bathroom together while they waited for the results of the plastic sticks. She wanted to take more than one to be sure, but after reading the result of just one, Killian had kissed that idea right out of her head.

"Mommy," the little girl tilts her head at her. Emma smiles.

"Yes, Princess Ava?"

Ava grins. "Gramma said mommies and daddies get married before they have babies. Are you married?"

Emma furrows her brow, smiling at the little girl before exchanging glances with her husband.

"Yes. Daddy and Mommy got married before you were born." Ava hums, and then lifts her teacup to her lips. Emma sets hers down on the floor. "Why do you want to know about that, Little Duck?"

Ava shrugs. "Because that means I can have a baby to play with, right?"

Emma's jaw drops. "Uh…"

"Ava, do you want a brother or sister?" Killian asks, raising his eyebrows with a wild smirk at her when she shoots him a look.

"Oh, yes, Daddy. I want lots and lots of them." Ava stands up and scurries across the room.

"But you already have Henry, remember?" Emma tries. Killian gives her a look, tilting his head as if to tell her to humor their four year old.

"Henry is big! I want to play with babies!" Ava comes back over from her toy bin with one of her baby dolls. She places it in Emma's arms. "See, Mommy? You hold the baby like this!"

Emma can't keep her smile hidden. She takes a soft breath, looking up from the plastic doll cradled in her arm. "Yeah. That's right." Ava grins, then Emma hands her the baby doll again.

Ava strokes over the baby's head and then settles her down on the floor. She goes up to Killian and puts her little hands on his chest. "Daddy, ask Mommy to marry you now so Mommy can have another baby."

Emma laughs, biting at her lip to keep from upsetting Ava, who giggles at Killian's expression. She is such a daddy's girl. He sighs deeply. "If I ask Mummy to marry me, will you oversee the wedding, Little Love?"

Ava bobs her head. "Oh yes, Daddy. Of course!" Ava clasps her hands together and bounces away from him, back to between them. "Ask! Ask!"

Killian gives Emma a smirk. "My love," He reaches over and takes her hand. "Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Emma tilts her head at him, smiling warmly. This proposal is much different than the first, and they both know it. "I would love to."

He grins, then moves in to kiss her, but Ava steps in between them. "No! No kissing until you get married!" Ava sighs dramatically. Killian leans back to appease the four year old, who smiles smugly at him. "Okay. Now get married!"

Emma smiles sweetly at her husband. He clears his throat. "Well, I've only done this twice before, so pardon me if I mess it up." He glances upward and thinks, making her roll her eyes.

"Let's do this thing." Emma tells him. He grins.

She marries Killian this time wearing sweats and a bright yellow bow from her daughter's vast collection, and he wears a big frilly pink hat on his head. She doesn't have any flowers, and they exchange the rings that they already have on their fingers at Ava's insistence, because apparently it isn't a real wedding without it.

Their vows are the same as they were the first two times, but he still smiles at her like she is the sun. Their promises are short and sweet, spoken with no exasperation or heaviness, because she would gladly marry him any day of the week. And when they kiss, it is even more like forever than anything she has ever felt in her entire life.

Ava claps her little hands as their lips meet, jumping for joy. "Yay! Now you can have babies!"

/

(They bake cupcakes together afterward to celebrate. Killian sneaks kisses with her behind Ava's back. Once, she catches them and simply giggles.)

(Later, after Ava is tucked in and sound asleep, Killian carries her bridal style into their bedroom and sets her down on their bed with a low promise of giving her more children.)

(And after, he presses his nose into her neck as she presses her back into him. "I've married you three times now. Is that some sort of record?"

She snorts. "Probably. But it still feels like the first time."

"Aye." He whispers. "I'd do it every day of the week if I could."

Emma smiles. "Me too.")

(She's already pregnant, turns out. Eight months later, they have a little baby boy. They name him Liam.)

(Ava peppers him with kisses and tells him that Mommy and Daddy are married, she knows because she saw, and that's where he came from. And it's too bad that they can't do it again because then she'd have two babies to play with.)

(That is a whole other story.)