emma woodhouse. #miracleworker (emmaapproved) wrote in blackpoint, @ 2014-08-17 12:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | alex knightley, emma woodhouse |
WHO Alex Knightley and Emma Woodhouse (for the last time~)
WHAT Alex and Emma go camping to get away, and decide to elope on the fly.
WHEN Back-dated to Thursday!
WHERE Some undisclosed mountain-top.
STATUS Complete!
It took a hell of a lot to get Emma Woodhouse truly overwhelmed. She had a tendency to look at the optimistic side of things at all times, shrugging off challenges confidently because she knew her own abilities. And by rights, she could afford to do so: over the years, she’d seen so many events and clients through to success that her reputation spoke for itself. She’d made so many matches and improved so many lives. She’d headed PR campaigns and hosted a variety of incredibly successful events. One of her favorite aspects of her job was the wedding planning, and she’d planned so many in her many years at work that she was truly an expert. With the show on E! that they’d had prior to being dropped into the ocean again, the appointments and plans had grown a hundredfold. Emma was good at it, and she enjoyed it.
It was really no wonder, then, that Emma was so incredibly agitated at the fact that planning her own wedding was proving to be such an overwhelming challenge. Perhaps it was because most of their friends were from the future and had already attended their wedding once -- that was the reasoning she’d used a few times, that she was trying to come up with something different. Largely, though, it was because she knew too much about wedding planning and that made her incredibly indecisive. She’d seen too many color schemes and ideas, and she didn’t want to overlap with the weddings she’d already planned.
She wanted Alex’s opinion too, and to make this more about him. She knew that their first wedding had probably been a lot of her, and she didn’t want that to be the case this time around. After all, most people didn’t get the chance to get married for the first time twice. She needed a break, though, and she wanted to do that Alex’s way too. Over the years, she’d gotten more and more comfortable with the nature trips he liked to take, but she wanted a real one. No technology, no contact, just the two of them out in the middle of nowhere. Something about that sounded so perfect, even as unlike her as it was.
They’d left the littles in charge and packed up, catching a flight out to the mountains. They’d hiked for hours, not completely alone in their trek but finding a little group of other people who were all very kind, and ultimately found a beautiful spot right near the summit of one of the mountains to set up camp, the other people moving off to find other spots nearby for their own space. Emma was actually fairly glad not to be completely alone, not really ready to go full isolation even if there were no bars on any of her devices.
They’d made plans with the other people -- an older man (a judge) and his daughter, who had her husband and a child -- to eat around the campfire later, before the sun set, and that left her and Alex with some time to explore after they’d set up their base. There was a little overhang of mountain just beyond their campsite that had the most beautiful view, and she’d settled herself there while Alex was off fixing something with the tent, taking to reapplying bug spray but feeling generally at peace in a way she hadn’t felt in a few months now.
Alex, though grouchy and set in his ways, was generally pretty easy going. Maybe that wasn’t exactly helpful in regards to contributing to his impending marriage to Emma, but all that had really mattered to him (and he was absolutely sure that went for their first first time getting married) was that Emma had a day that she loved. That she could look back on and be completely content with. And unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case about this second first wedding.
They’d been told after they’d been engaged by various friends that their first wedding was beautiful. That it had been a perfect day and they couldn’t wait to see what this wedding would be like. While their intentions were of the noblest variety, Alex couldn’t help but to think that maybe knowing so much about how great the first was was detrimental to planning the second. Emma was unbelievably stressed and indecisive about nearly everything. Yeah, well, actually everything except who the bride and groom should be, and that in turn made Alex on edge.
So when she suggested that they take a break and head out for a long weekend, he was ready to go. It used to be something he did completely on his lonesome, finding like-minded people and going to camp with them for a few days, but as the years had passed and Emma had truly come to understand what these trips meant to him, she started to want to go with him. He could still recall the very first time she had asked his opinion on it, the slight hesitation that was very unlike her and how she had played patterns on her legs with her fingers. But now it was almost her idea to go when she wanted to and Alex loved that about her. She always wanted to try something new and make him feel special, which she did every day regardless.
Emma might not have had all the words to describe how much Alex meant to her, but she sure knew how to show it.
They had settled a little bit away from the family that they had met and he had just finished fixing the tent with a final snap before he was satisfied. The last thing that he wanted was their tent to collapse on them while they were sleeping or doing other things. It had happened before and he could still feel the burning blush on his cheeks if he thought about it too much. He grabbed some bottles of water and headed in the direction that Emma said she was going in, finding her within minutes. The view that they had was breathtaking and was made even moreso by his fiance sitting on the overhang, clearly happier than she had been in ages. She looked serene and he almost hated to disturb her, but he did anyway, dropping a kiss on the head as he sat next to her and handed her the water. “We really found the perfect spot.”
The first time Emma had suggested that she tag along on one of Alex’s trips, she’d done so very warily, honestly not really wanting to go but doing it purely because she loved him and wanted to support him the way that he supported her. She knew perfectly well that she’d dragged him to a lot of things in the past that weren’t really his style, and she’d felt it was time that she returned the favor. It’d been very muggy and full of bugs, but she’d actually not hated it. So she’d agreed to go again and again, and each time had its own challenges but came with its own memories. By this point in their relationship, it still wasn’t necessarily her favorite thing to do, but camping was enjoyable because it made Alex happy. And that was enough.
This time, though, she’d actually really wanted to go. She’d needed a chance to detox and get away from the stress. More importantly, she’d made the association with the fact that Alex was the only person who kept her held together and made her calm, and this was where Alex thrived, so she ought to go to this sort of place. Now that she was here, she was glad for it.
She smiled at the kiss, looking over at him when he joined her and taking the water he offered. “We certainly did,” she agreed. “Very Emma Approved.” She took a sip from the bottle, then smiled again. “This is the calmest I’ve felt in months.”
He shot a grin at her, drawing his legs up to his chest as he took in the view, letting out a low whistle of appreciation as he did. It was always so nice for him to be out of the city. As much as he loved the views and people that being in San Francisco provided, it was always even better for him to be out in the mountains. He could be himself and breathe a little easier, things that he was sometimes too wary to do back in the city.
He tilted his own water bottle in her direction and took a sip simultaneously, noting the relaxed pose of Emma. She was hydrated, makeup free and the stress lines that had begun to appear around her mouth were nowhere to be found. It was perfect. He had missed his relaxed Emma, especially lately, and had felt bad enough for being partially responsible for her stress. He had tried to help out as she needed, but it seemed that this time, she couldn't choose what she needed. It was a cycle that he'd rather not exist, but this was the reality.
"It's beautiful up here. I think it's impossible to not feel at peace." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, pressing his lips to her hairline. "I'm glad we did this, Em."
Emma’s childhood had largely been kept close to home because of her father’s hypochondria. She and her sister had been raised to believe that there was a great deal of danger out in the world, and while she’d grown out of that, there was still a part of her that vastly preferred to be in familiar environments. Emma wasn’t particularly spontaneous, and she had never been the sort to crave nature vacations, but Alex was having a definite impact on her way of thinking. Really, she thought that sort of compromise was exactly what made them work so well together. Once they’d stopped being on opposites sides of the spectrum without meeting in the middle, everything had fallen into place.
She curled at his side, her legs falling towards him and settling against his. “I think you’re right,” she responded, smiling still. “Me too. It was the right decision. It’s perfect up here.” She was quiet for a moment, watching the scenery before them as the sky was starting to turn beautiful colors with the setting sun.
Then, suddenly, it struck her. “Alex, we should get married here.”
But he had grown up with Emma. He knew about her homebody tendencies and her dedication to her father and they were things he had always considered admirable about her. The Knightleys were a close family, certainly, but his parents weren't like Mr. Woodhouse. They had encouraged their sons to explore and have fun and find what it was that they wanted in the world. With a lack of distinct pressure from his parents, Alex was free to find out who he was and how that fit into his goals.
And it was partly because of that that he was able to sit with Emma now without needing to speak very much at all. He and Emma had a way of filling the silences with nothing but brief touches and smiles, and he rested his head on top of hers while looking out at the sunset.
He laughed good naturedly, squeezing her briefly. "We should," he agreed. "It's beautiful and we wouldn't need to pick out a million color schemes. We can call the reserve when we get back to reserve a space if you want."
Emma loved her father. She’d never resented him a single bit for how overprotective he was, because she could understand him. She knew that all he’d ever wanted was the best life possible for his daughters, and without their mother around, they’d only had each other. When her sister had married, it’d just been the two of them. She’d stayed at home even as she became successful because she couldn’t see herself leaving him alone. It was heartbreaking to her that it’d been so very long since she’d seen him, but she was consoled by the fact that she was still there for him.
Emma laughed with him at his response, but it was obvious he wasn’t thinking quite the same way that she was thinking. “No no no,” she said, shaking her head. “I mean now. We should get married here now. Tonight.”
Of all the things that he thought Emma might spout, that was most definitely not it. Because he knew her. She thrived on planning and details and having the absolute perfect day. And in any world, he didn't think that Emma's perfect day would have been without her friends and family at her side.
But here...now, really, it made sense. Since there was all this stress upon both of them of living up to expectations and exceeding them, nothing was a good fit. Nothing ever really would be.
"Oh my god. You're serious?" He found himself saying, his voice tilting in near-disbelief. "There is nothing I want to be than married to you, Em. So I'm- yeah, absolutely. We should get Judge Peterson. If you're sure you won't regret it. I mean, I won't, but this isn't just about me. This is about us. And I want it to be something we both will always love."
Emma had tried and tried for so many months now to come up with a wedding that was perfect and she just hadn’t found anything that clicked. She’d tried on so many dresses that she was honestly sick of them, and she couldn’t take another bite of wedding cake. The scent of flowers made her feel anxious, and she was so annoyed by the entire concept of centerpieces that she wanted to throw them all into the ocean en masse.
This, though? This made sense. This made sense.
“Completely serious,” she said, turning her body a little so that she could face him more, because he was far more beautiful than the sunset. “The first wedding had all of me in it, I’m sure. I bet you gave me everything I wanted. It only makes sense that this one would be perfectly you,” she said, still smiling. “That is what I want more than anything else as far as the wedding goes. Let’s get him to marry us tonight. Right here. It’ll be perfect.”
Alex grinned shyly, taking Emma’s left hand in his and kissing the top of it as she spoke. She was right. They were both so entirely over doing anything wedding related when really the only thing that mattered to both of them, even from the beginning, was that they would finally be married. It was a step that they had been ready for since before even being dumped in the ocean again.
After all, they lived together, worked together, and did pretty much everything as a unit. They knew the other’s habits and likes and dislikes and always worked towards making each other happy. And this...well, this would make Alex happier than he had ever been. It didn’t matter when or where they were married in the end, though he could certainly always appreciate the beauty of being wed in a remote place where they both felt at peace, it just mattered that he and Emma would finally be married. “It’ll be fantastic,” he agreed, standing and pulling her up along with him. “Let’s go talk to him and get ready. We’ll meet back here in an hour.” That would give everyone enough time to prepare.
He moved his hands to rest on Emma’s cheeks and kissed her purposefully, hugging her to him after. “We’re finally getting married!”
They’d been together for so long even before they were actually together. Even as Alex had a few sporadic relationships, and even though they certainly didn’t see eye-to-eye on a wide variety of things for quite some time, they’d been together. They knew each other inside and out, completely, and this was a long time coming. The fact that it’d already happened once for their friends here only furthered that feeling that they just needed to do it.
Emma, who was naturally so independent and stubborn, was so ready to be his wife. Though it had been a long relationship leading into this and she’d therefore had time to get to that point, watching those old video clips just showed her just how much of a difference she’d seen in her own life now that she had Alex. She let herself be pulled up, grinning still, excitement in her expression. “Perfect,” she agreed, nodding.
She smiled, returning the kiss and pulling herself close as they hugged, a laugh escaping her. “Finally. It certainly took us long enough.”