"So what now?" Avery asked, looking up at the sky. The fireworks lit up the distance in reds, blues, and yellows. Her dark hair blew in the cool autumn wind, a stark contrast to her white dress.

Beautiful, he thought.

"Now, we get to see what comes next."

They both laughed, well aware of the last time those words were spoken, and the chain of events caused by them. That didn't matter now.

Looking over the balcony, he could see Regina laughing with Belle, Rumple, and Gideon. Emma and Killian sat together by the garden, watching over Neal, Alex, and Hayley. Snow and Charming were dancing to music he heard faintly in the courtyard.

His family still astonished him sometimes. Up here, with fireworks lighting up the night sky, his new wife at his side, his family below him, nothing could touch him.

And for the next nine years, that remained true.