A Wedding Day Twenty Years in the Making - Swanfire
“Mom?” there was a soft knock on the door and Henry popped his head in.
“Hey, kid,” Emma greeted with a smile.
“Wow, Mom. You look beautiful,” Henry said as he walked into the room, closing the door behind him.
Emma turned around slowly, admiring her beautiful white gown in the full length mirror from all angles. The dress was slightly poofy at the bottom, which is poofier than Emma ever thought she would have. The sleeves rested just slightly off the shoulders and were beaded with intricate white beads along the top. The instant Emma had tried it on two months ago she knew that it was the one.
“It is a nice dress, isn’t it?” Emma asked. She wasn’t one for dressing up all girly, but considering it was her wedding day, she had to admit that it felt nice to be all dolled up.
“It’s more than the dress, Mom. It’s you,” Henry said.
Emma smiled and pulled her son into her arms for a hug.
“Thanks, Henry,” she said. “How’s your dad doing?”
“Are you kidding? He’s been waiting for this day for, like, twenty years,” Henry said.
Emma chuckled and gave a small shrug. She knew it was true. She knew from the moment that she met Neal that he was the man that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. Marriage wasn’t on her mind as a teenager, but she knew she didn’t want Neal to go anywhere. Emma knew that Neal felt the same way since the day they met. Neal had told her repeatedly over the years and Emma had never doubted him.
“It hasn’t been twenty years. Don’t make me feel old,” Emma said.
“Oh, who feels old today?” Snow said as she walked into the room with Regina.
Regina had a deep purple knee length gown on with half of her hair pulled up and the other half laying around her shoulders. Snow White was wearing a three-quarter length sleeve peach dress that went down to her knees. The top of the chest, arms, and very bottom had a sheath layer of lace covering it. Both had their makeup already applied and accessorized with jewelry.
Regina’s office in Town Hall was being used as Emma’s dressing room for the day since the wedding was taking place just downstairs in the courtroom with the reception being in the assembly room across the hall. The room was covered in different hairstyling accessories, makeup kits, various types of flowers, and gifts that had been piled on Emma all day long.
“Grandma, you’re not old,” Henry said.
“Well, you call me Grandma, for one,” Snow said with a small laugh. “And second of all, my daughter is getting married! I can’t believe it.”
“Neither can I. I thought the drifter would never propose,” Regina said. “It only took twenty years, losing each other, rediscovering you and his long lost child for him to propose.”
“It hasn’t been twenty years,” Emma reiterated.
“You look so beautiful,” Snow said. She took her daughter’s face in her hands and looked into her eyes. “You are the most beautiful bride in the world.”
“You look like a princess,” Henry said with a grin.
“She’s always looked like a princess,” David said as he walked into the room.
Emma turned to smile at her dad but had to look away when she saw that his eyes were already getting misty.
“Don’t get all sappy on me. I don’t know if this makeup is waterproof,” Emma said as she looked into the mirror to make sure her makeup was still in place.
“Oh, it is. I made sure everyone around here is wearing waterproof makeup because you never know who is going to be the next one to let the tears loose,” Regina said, looking at David.
“Hey, I can’t help it. My baby girl is getting married. I think a dad is entitled to get a little teary about it,” David said. He gave Emma a kiss on the cheek and she wrapped her arms around him for a hug.
“Isn’t she just gorgeous, David?” Snow asked, wrapping her arms around her husband’s arm and leaning into him.
“She’s as beautiful as you on our wedding day,” David said.
“Oh! That reminds me,” Snow let go of her husband and walked over to her bag sitting on Regina’s desk. She dug through it for a few moments and walked back over to her daughter, her hands cupped together. “I wore these flowers in my hair for my wedding. I thought that maybe they could be the something old for your wedding.”
“Mom,” Emma said. “I would love that. Thank you.”
“It is my honor,” Snow said. She kissed her daughter’s cheek and began placing the flowers in her daughter’s braid crown that Ruby had styled for her earlier in the day.
“And I have something new for you,” David said.
“And it’s got blue in it,” Henry said, stepping up beside his grandfather. “Grandpa and I made it together.”
David picked up a shoe box that was sitting on one of the couches in the room and took off the lid. Henry gently dug through the tissue paper that was inside and pulled out a sparkling silver tiara with three blue jewels placed right in the center.
“A princess needs her crown,” David said.
Emma could feel her eyes starting to get misty again. She exhaled loudly and took a deep breath.
“And the wedding hasn’t even started yet,” she said with a chuckle. “I love it. Thank you both so much.”
Henry walked over with the tiara to his mother. Emma bent down so that Henry could reach the top of her head. Henry carefully placed the crown on the bride’s head, being careful to avoid messing up the braid or the flowers that were in her hair.
Emma stood back up to look at herself in the mirror again.
“Wow,” she said, almost silently.
“What is it?” Regina asked.
“Even though I’ve known I am one for the past few years now, this is the first time I actually feel like a princess,” Emma said.
Her family smiled at her as she kept admiring herself in the mirror.
“Knock, knock,” a voice called from the door.
“Come in,” Emma said, turning to face the door. Red popped inside the door, wearing a dark red cocktail dress with a black belt around her waist, fastened with a bow.
“Hi, there. Oh, you look so gorgeous!” Red said. “I’m just coming to collect Henry. We’re about ready to start and the groom needs his best man.”
“Okay, kid,” Emma said, pulling her son in for one last hug. “I’ll see you out there, okay? Make sure your dad doesn’t run out on me.”
“You really think he’d do that?” Henry asked with a chuckle.
“Never,” Emma said with a smile and a shake of her head. She straightened Henry’s tie and kissed him on the top of his head.
“You look beautiful, Mom,” Henry said and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you in a few.”
Henry joined Red and the two of them walked out the door, closing it behind them.
Emma took a deep breath and smoothed down the sides of her A-line dress. The beading at the top of her dress was beginning to bother the skin near her shoulders from the rubbing against them, but Emma couldn’t care less. She was about to go out there and marry her best friend in front of all of their friends and family. The only regret Emma had about the whole thing was that Neal’s mother couldn’t be there. She knew how much his mother meant to him.
“Are you ready?” Snow asked, pulling Emma out of her own head.
“Yes,” Emma said. She turned around to face her parents and Regina. “I’m ready.”
Snow got teary eyed and gave her daughter one last kiss on the cheek.
“I love you so much, Emma,” Snow said.
“I know. I love you too, Mom,” Emma replied.
Snow smiled and held up one finger. “I will go get the ring bearer.”
“Regina, could you let them know I’m ready?” Emma asked. She held up her dress a little bit so that she could walk over towards her father.
“I certainly can,” Regina said. “You do look lovely, Emma.”
“Thank you, Regina,” Emma said.
With one last smile, Regina walked out of the room just as Snow walked back in with baby Neal in her arms.
“Well, hello handsome,” Emma greeted him. He looked even more adorable than normal in his tiny tuxedo and a bowtie that was almost as wide as his head. “I’m so happy that you’re part of the wedding.”
Seeing as he was only two, and still not an expert at walking, he would be holding Regina’s hand as he walked down the aisle with his pillow that the wedding rings were tied to.
Regina opened the door and smiled at the bride. “Ready when you are.”
“That’s my cue, I guess,” Snow said. She took one last deep breath and look at her daughter before handing Neal to David and walking out the door.
David kissed the top of Neal’s head and set him down on the ground.
“Here’s your pillow, okay? You’re going to hold Aunt Regina’s hand as you carry this down the aisle towards Neal and Henry, okay?” David told him.
Baby Neal nodded and made grabby hands for the pillow. David chuckled and handed the small white pillow to his son. Regina took the toddler’s hand and led him to the door.
“Say bye to your sissy. You’ll see her out there,” Regina said.
Neal gave Emma a big smile and Emma gave him a wave as he walked outside with Regina.
“Ready?” David asked his daughter once they were the only ones in the room.
“I am,” Emma said with a head nod. “Are you?” She chuckled.
“You really want me to answer?” David asked with a laugh.
“No,” Emma replied with a laugh of her own.
“Shall we?” David asked, bending his arm at his side so Emma could loop hers through his.
“We shall,” Emma answered. The two walked towards the door, but David stopped just shy of it.
“I love you so much, Emma,” David said.
“Dad,” Emma almost whined, which made David smile.
“You sound like that teenager I never got to ground,” David said.
Emma laughed and wiped a stray tear from her cheek.
“I love you too, Dad. Thank you for being here to give me away,” Emma said.
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” David said.
He opened the door and the pair walked out into the hallway and down the stairs towards the court room.
Red was standing right outside the doors with Snow, Regina, and baby Neal. Both Snow and Regina were holding bouquets of yellow, red, and orange flowers.
“We’re all ready,” Red said.
“Then let’s go get me married,” Emma said.
Red smiled and opened the doors to the courtroom, allowing Regina and Neal to enter first. Emma could hear the sounds of the organ playing a soft melody from inside the courtroom and she felt her stomach flip with anticipation.
“Mom,” Emma whispered.
Snow turned to Emma and took her daughter’s free hand in her own.
“What is it, sweetie?”
“Thank you for being my maid of honor,” Emma said.
Snow couldn’t help the stray tear that escaped her eye as she nodded her head.
“Thank you for asking me to be,” Snow said.
“Well, you’re just as much my best friend as you are my mom,” Emma said.
More tears fell from Snow’s eyes as she leaned in and hugged her daughter as best she could with her arm being linked with David’s.
“Snow, you’re up,” Red whispered.
Snow wiped her eyes and blew Emma one last kiss before walking through the doors into the courtroom.
“Ready, Mrs. Cassidy?” Red asked.
“Hey, we haven’t decided on last names yet,” Emma said.
“Sorry,” Red said with a chuckle. “Ready, ‘technically still Miss Swan?’”
“Ready,” Emma affirmed with a smile.
Red opened the doors all the way and the organ in the courtroom began playing Here Comes the Bride.
Emma could instantly feel all eyes on her as she and David came into view of all the attendants in the room. But as soon as Emma looked up the aisle, she saw Neal and only Neal. There were blurs around him which Emma assumed were Henry, her mother, Regina, and baby Neal. But the only one in focus was her fiancé. He looked better than she could have ever imagined in his black suit; he refused to wear a tux and Emma couldn’t argue with him on that. His hair was slicked back but there were a few loose wisps around his forehead that had curled in Emma’s favorite way. His eyes shone brighter than Emma had ever seen them before. They were staring right back at her and Emma hoped that she was looking at him with half the adoration that he was looking at her with. Neal looked perfect. There was no other way around it.
When they reached the end of the aisle, David gave his daughter a kiss on the cheek and placed her hand in Neal’s. He gave Neal a pat on the back before walking to stand behind Henry at Neal’s side.
Archie cleared his throat from the front of the room. Emma had completely forgotten that he would be the one officiating the ceremony until that moment.
“Dearly beloved,” Archie began. “We are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony before their friends and family.”
“You look beautiful,” Neal mouthed at Emma as Archie continued speaking.
“Thank you,” Emma mouthed back. “You look handsome.”
“I know,” Neal mouthed back and Emma couldn’t help but let out a little giggle.
“Now the two would like to make their vows to one another,” Archie announced. “Neal, would you like to go first?”
“Sure,” Neal said as he dug through his jacket pocket with his free hand to look for his notes. Emma could see his face become confused when he couldn’t find them, but Henry tapped him on the shoulder and handed him the note cards. “Oh, thanks. Forgot I handed them to you. But I don’t need them after all. I know what I have to say. Okay, here it goes. Emma. I met you in literally the last place I ever expected to meet the love of my life. But that’s life, isn’t it? The most wonderful things happen when you aren’t expecting them. That day I woke up in New York and went out to grab a hotdog for lunch I never expected to be, literally, run into by you. And then to top it off, I find out that I had a son. With you. We had a child and I got to know him and know that he’s the coolest kid in the whole world. He gets most of that from you, but I’d like to think he gets a little of it from me as well. But before you ran into me, I never thought I’d be lucky enough to see you again. But luck was on my side in ways that I had no way of knowing. Because not only did I get to see you again, now here I am, saying my vows to you. I get to marry you and spend the rest of my life with you and watch our son grow up. There’s no one else in this world who is as lucky as I am. You’re my whole world and you have been since the day I met you. We’ve had some wild adventures, Emma. And I hope you’re ready. Because this wedding is the start of another amazing one. And I promise to always be by your side, no matter what the adventure brings. I love you, Emma. I always have and I always will.”
Emma took a deep breath and willed the tears welling up in her eyes not to spill out over her cheeks. She knew once they started falling, they wouldn’t stop and she needed to get through her own vows without breaking down.
“Now Emma, if you would like to read your vows to Neal,” Archie said.
“Wow, I don’t know if I can top that,” Emma started with a chuckle. She cleared her throat and wished she had a note card in case she forgot something that she wanted to say to him. But she was confident that she could convey all the emotions she needed to for Neal. “Neal. When I first met you I thought you were kind of a jerk. And I still think that, but you’re a jerk that I love more than anyone. Well, except Henry, but you know. But your kindness overshadows your jerkiness. Your heart is so big and so loving that I don’t know how it fits in your chest. You taught me so much when we first met, and not just about petty crime. You taught me what it is to love someone. What it is to be loved by someone. For the first time I had someone I felt I could open up to and talk to about anything. It’s no secret that I wasn’t an open book, and I’m still not. But with you, you can read me so well I don’t even have to open my mouth half the time. With you, for the first time, I knew what it was to have a family. That was all I ever wanted. And when I lost you, it was worse than never having one to begin with. But then when I came to Storybrooke I had a family. I had a mom, a dad, a son. But there was still something missing. A piece of my heart was still not there. But when I found you again, I knew what that piece was. And when you told me that you loved me for the first time after all those years, that piece finally fell back into place. And now my heart is totally, finally complete. And that’s because of you. You’re the reason my heart is whole and I trust it with you completely. That’s something I could never do with anyone but you. Neal, you’re my happily ever after that I never thought I’d get to have. But you’ve given it to me and I can’t tell you how much it means. I love you, Neal. I love you so much.”
Sniffles and silence were the only things that could be heard in the courtroom once Emma had finished her vows. Even Archie had to compose himself before he could continue.
“Neal, uh little Neal, if I may have the rings,” Archie said.
Regina gently prodded baby Neal towards Archie and David gave him a smile of encouragement from next to Henry. Neal toddled to Archie and handed him the small pillow.
“Thank you,” Archie said and smiled down at the toddler as he untied the rings from the pillow. He handed Emma and Neal the respective rings they needed to place on each other’s fingers.
“Neal, if you would repeat after me. I take you, Emma, to be my lawfully wedded wife,” Archie began and Neal repeated. “in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, ‘til death do us part.”
Neal slid the ring on Emma’s finger and Emma felt as if her hand was finally whole. It hadn’t felt like there was something missing, but now if the ring were to be gone, her hand would feel incomplete.
“Now Emma, if you would repeat after me,” Archie began again. “I take you, Neal, to be my lawfully wedded husband in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, ‘til death do us part.”
Emma repeated and slid Neal’s ring on his finger.
“Neal, do you take Emma to be your wife?”
“I do.”
“Emma, do you take Neal to be your husband?”
“I do.”
“I now pronounce you husband and wife. Neal, you may kiss the bride.”
Neal cupped Emma’s face in his hands and kissed her. Emma grinned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around Neal’s middle and squeezed him as they kissed.
Everyone in the courtroom applauded, and Emma, for the first time, realized that the room was filled with so many people.
“I am proud to present,” Archie said. “for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Neal Cassidy.”
Everyone started applauding again and Neal and Emma pulled apart and faced the crowd. The familiar faces smiled back at them and Emma couldn’t help but feel a bit strange having so many people staring at her. But Neal took her hand in his own and she suddenly felt much calmer and relaxed.
Neal and Emma began to walk back down the aisle and Emma took notice of the different Storybrooke residents that were in attendance. She caught the faces of Granny, Grumpy, Jefferson, Killian, Aurora, and Elsa as she and Neal exited. Once they were back out in the hallway, Emma let out a loud breathy laugh.
“Wow, we just did that,” she said.
“We did,” Neal said with a smile. “And it was the best moment of my life.”
“Alright, I’m your wife, you don’t have to sweet talk me anymore,” Emma said with a smirk.
Neal laughed and wrapped his arms around his new wife.
“I’m going to sweet talk you for the rest of your life,” Neal said.
He began to kiss all over her face and Emma couldn’t help but laugh.
“I love you, Emma Swan.”
“I love you, Neal Swan.”
“No,” Neal said with a laugh.
“I think it’s catchy,” Emma said.
“We’ll see,” Neal said with another laugh before kissing his wife.