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Emma woke to sunlight streaming through the blinds of her and Killian’s bedroom. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she slid her hand across the sheet toward Killian’s side of the bed only to find it empty. Emma frowned in confusion, she turned and reached over to pick up her cell from the bedside table. As her eyes adjusted to the screen, she was taken aback to see that it was almost nine thirty. “Killian, why did you let me sleep so late?” she said to the empty room.
Rising from the bed, Emma grabbed her robe from the corner chair and went in search of her missing husband. As she made her way down the stairs she could hear hushed whispers coming from the kitchen. When she stepped off the stairs the sight before her made her stop short. Killian was at the stove, flipping pancakes from the pan and onto a plate that was on the counter, while Henry was setting the table that was laden with food. “What’s going on here?” Emma asked confusingly.
They both jumped, having clearly wanted this to be a surprise and not expecting her to be up yet. Silence hung in the air for a few seconds as they all stared at each other until...
“Surprise! Happy Birthday, Mom!” Henry exclaimed joyfully.
Emma's eyes widened in shock as Killian and Henry sent beaming smirks in her direction. "What? It's not my..," she paused, suddenly recalling the date that she had glanced over to check the time on her phone earlier. Yes, it was indeed her birthday. “Oh. I forgot,” she said sheepishly.
“It's alright, Swan,” Killian said as he made his way over to her. “That’s what you’ve got us for.” When he reached his wife’s side he looked down lovingly at her. “Happy Birthday, my love.”
Emma smiled sweetly at her husband. Leaning up she gave him what was intended to be a quick kiss but ended up being a quite thorough one. A throat being cleared had them pulling away from each other and looking over to Henry who was doing everything in his power to avoid looking at his mother and step-father making out.
“Sorry kid,” Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Aye, apologies lad.” Although, Killlian looked anything but sorry.
Henry just rolled his eyes at them good naturedly. “Yeah, yeah. Come on. Let’s eat before the food get’s cold.”
They sat down and had a fantastic breakfast of Emma’s favorite foods. Pancakes, bacon, toast with butter and jam, and of course coffee. “Wow! That was fantastic. You guys really outdid yourselves,” Emma praised when they were done, standing up to take her plate to the sink. But Killian stopped her before she made it there.
“Ah-ah, love. You are not to do anything today except relax,” Killian said, taking her plate and turning her towards the direction of the stairs. “Now you let us take care of cleaning up while you go get ready.”
“Get ready?” Emma eyed him suspiciously. “Where are we going?”
“That, my beautiful Swan, is a surprise,” Killian said with a cheeky grin, once again urging her toward the stairs.
XXX
While Emma stood in front of the shower, waiting for the water to heat up, she realized that this was going to be the first birthday she’d celebrated since Henry had found her in Boston. Granted, every birthday since then they had been busy with the current big bad, and there hadn't been time to celebrate things like birthdays, or even holidays for that matter. Stepping into the shower, Emma wondered what Killian had planned for the day. Normally she hated surprises, her whole life before coming to Storybrooke (even after) had been nothing but one surprise (some good, but most not) after another, so she had come to fear the unexpected. But ever since the defeat of The Black Fairy and adult Gideon, a calm had settled over the town and for once in her life Emma wasn’t afraid of the unknown.
After finishing her shower, Emma dressed in a pair of black skinny jeans, a long sleeved red blouse, and knee high black boots. She went downstairs and found Killian in the living room talking quietly on the phone. When he saw her, he quickly said goodbye to whoever was on the other end and hung up.
“Who were you talking to?”
“It was just your father, love. He agreed to take over at the station for us today,” Killian said nonchalantly, walking over to Emma and pressing a kiss to her temple. “You look beautiful, Swan. Are you ready for your surprise?”
“Yeah. Whatever that may be. Are you sure I can’t get just a teeny, tiny hint?” Emma asked, placing her hands on his chest and peering up at him from underneath her lashes.
Killian threw his head back and let out a hearty chuckle. “I see what you're trying to do, you temptress, but I won’t be swayed so easily.”
Emma narrowed her eyes at him playfully. “Fine. Keep your secrets.” She frowned suddenly and looked around. "Where's Henry?"
Killian brought her hands up to his lips and placed a kiss upon them. “He is going to spend the day with Regina, allowing us to have some uninterrupted time together," he said with a raised eyebrow. "Now come on. I promise you, Swan, this surprise will be worth the wait.” he said, guiding her toward the door with his hand on the small of her back while grabbing her jacket from the coat rack with his hook.
When they got into the bug the only thing Killian told Emma was to head to the docks, so she knew that at least part of her surprise involved The Jolly . After pulling up to the docks and turning the car off, Emma turned to her husband. “We’re going sailing?” she asked hesitantly. She couldn’t help but be slightly confused, Emma loved sailing, it's just that she was expecting a bit more.
As if reading her mind, Killian scoffed playfully. “Oh, ye of little faith. We have to take The Jolly to get to your surprise. Have I ever let you down, my love?”
“Never.” Emma smiled, leaning over to give him a quick kiss.
Making their way onto the deck, Killian went about getting The Jolly ready to set sail. While Emma didn't know much about the inner workings of the ship, she was able to lend a hand. Soon Killian was behind the helm steering them out of the harbor and into the open water.
They sailed for some time, just enjoying the crisp autumn weather, the smell of the sea, and the gentle motion of the ship moving on the waves until Killian called out, "We're here. Emma, will you drop the anchor for me, love?" She immediately went over and pulled the lever that released the anchor into the water.
Emma looked out over the horizon, trying to see where it was that they were, but all she saw was water. "Killian? Where are we?" she asked, turning toward her husband, only to find him loading the row boat with blankets, pillows, and two wicker baskets. "What's all that?"
Killian practically skipped over to Emma, taking her by the hand and guiding her toward, and then into, the small boat. "How does a picnic on a secluded strip of island sound?" he asked as he joined her in the boat.
"Amazing!" Emma said excitedly as he started to lower the boat into the water. As it turned out they weren't as far from the shore as she thought, and the only way Emma could come up with to describe the view in front of her was… magical.
When they made it to shore Emma took in the scenery. The beach had various rock outcroppings littering the surf and shore, the sand was soft and smooth, while a lush green forest lay in the center of the island. "Oh, Killian. It's beautiful," she said in awe.
Killian came to her side after pulling the boat up onto the beach. "Aye, it is. Come on, let's get everything set up." They gathered everything together and found the perfect spot near the surf for their picnic.
And what a picnic it was. Killian spread out a huge blanket with numerous pillows and set out a variety of meats and cheeses, rolls, fruit, wine, and a few delicious desserts. After having their fill they laid back on the blanket.
"This is wonderful Killian. How did you find this place?" Emma asked, lifting up from where she’d been resting against his chest to look up at him.
"A few weeks ago while Henry and I were out on The Jolly we came across this place and I knew as soon as I saw it that I had to bring you here," he explained while running his fingers through her hair.
Emma leaned up on her elbow to look at him. "It's perfect," she said, leaning down to kiss him passionately.
They stayed like that for some time, exchanging tender kisses and just basking in each other until Killian sat up suddenly and leaped to his feet. "Alright, Swan. Up and at em," he said, reaching down to pull Emma to her feet.
“Where are we going?” Emma asked, giggling as Killian started tugging her down the beach.
“Why exploring of course,” he responded with exuberance.
They walked along the beach, exploring the many tide pools that were among the rocks. Then they found a small path through the trees that led them to a tranquil waterfall that cascaded down a rock formation and into a small stream below. They continued to explore the small island until the late afternoon before heading back to the beach to gather their things
XX
When they made it back to The Jolly and on their way home, Emma asked Killian something that had been on her mind all day. “I’ve been wondering something. How did you manage to keep all this from me for weeks?”
“How do you mean, love?” Killian asked from his place at the helm.
“Well, I mean you had help, right?” At his nod of confirmation, she continued. “Henry obviously knew but who else?” She suddenly remembered the phone call from before they had left the house, “My dad knew didn’t he?” she asked with a pointed look.
“Aye, love, he did,” Killian said with a quirk of an eyebrow. “I asked him to do something for me in preparation for today.”
“And what was that?” she asked
“Well, love. When I first decided to surprise you with this trip, I asked him if he could rein in Snow for the day,” At her confused look, he continued. “I knew that this was probably the first birthday you’ve celebrated since coming to Storybrooke, and you know how your mother can go overboard sometimes. I didn’t want you to be too overwhelmed,” he explained.
Emma gave him a beaming smile. Sometimes she still had a hard time believing that this wonderful, thoughtful man was her husband. She went to stand beside him and looped her arms around his neck. “You are amazing,” she praised, leaning forward to give him a dazzling kiss.
XXX
The sun had just started to dip below the horizon by the time they made it back to Storybrooke. After securing The Jolly, they headed off the ship and down the dock hand in hand towards the bug. They drove home in comfortable silence, as there was no need for words after the amazing day they had together. When they made it home and were heading up the walkway Killian suddenly stopped. “Blast!” he exclaimed.
“What is it?” Emma asked as she watched him pat the pockets of his jacket.
“I left my phone in the car. You go on inside, Swan, I’ll be there in a minute,” Killian said as he made his way back to the car.
Emma unlocked the front door and walked into the house looking forward to spending the rest of the night relaxing with her husband.
“SURPRISE!” rang out as she turned on the lights.
Emma jumped in shock and she whipped around to find her parents and Henry in the living room. “What’s going on?” she asked in confusion.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” Snow exclaimed as she rushed forward to hug her daughter.
As Emma looked around the room she saw that on the mantle above the fireplace there was a banner that read ‘Happy Birthday Emma’ and also two blue and silver balloon bouquets on either side of the fireplace. “What’s all this?”
“Did you really think that we weren’t going to celebrate our daughter on her birthday?” David asked in mocked offence, while gathering her in his arms.
It was then that Emma saw that Killian had come back inside and had been watching quietly from the foyer. “You sneak. You knew about this, didn’t you?” she asked with a laugh as she walked over to him.
“Guilty,” he responded while draping his arm around her shoulder. “Come now, Swan. It’s the perfect way to end an already fabulous day. A birthday dinner with family.”
As they sat around the table, sharing a fantastic meal and recounting their day to everyone, Emma recalled that birthday many years ago in which she made a wish on a single star shaped candle that she didn’t want to be alone. Who knew that one wish would lead her here, surrounded by the love of her son, her parents, and her true love. When Emma blew the candles out on this birthday cake, she didn’t have to wish for anything. She already had everything she could ever want.
The End.