Author's Note: Thank you everyone for sticking with this story! Reading this story, reviewing, favoriting, and following! You guys never cease to amaze me. I know that we've had a lot of sadness in the Outlaw Queen fandom, but thank god for fanfiction. Fanfiction, yet again saves the day! This is the last chapter than then there's an epilogue! Please review!

Thank you to: ouatlover123, pt159, Carolze, Henley B, willow 141, Naomi The Unicorn, Anny Rodrigues, Outlawqueenalways, Guest, Grace5231973, & clc61513!

Enjoy!

Chapter 11 The Best Policy is Honesty

The sky was deepening to a royal purple and the party guests were beginning to leave. Regina had been unable to find Robin since he'd given her the papers and she'd felt numb throughout the rest of the party.

It was like she was walking through a dream as she wined and dined with people from her past, and since Daniel was there as well she made the appropriate responses to his questions and comments. But she wasn't really there. Her mind was a million miles away, upstairs with the papers, and the imaginary conversation she wanted to have with Robin.

She hoped Robin hadn't left after their talk, but knew that was the only possible explanation for his absence. She wanted to go find him, but Daniel seemed to cling on to her and follow her wherever she went, commenting about this and that until she felt like she was going to lash out at him.

She was finding this new development quite annoying.

If she wasn't so focused on how annoyed she was by Daniel's behavior she would've noticed how much he was fidgeting.

He kept reaching into his pocket, as if to check to see if something was there. If that wasn't weird enough he was being more jovial than usual, and bringing up topics that they had already discussed.

For instance, when he'd arrived he had asked how her trip had been so far…and as the night continued he asked her the same thing a few more times. Regina was too focused on finding Robin so she could talk to him about what – she hadn't decided, but if she'd been more perceptive she would've seen what was coming next.

After the last guest had left and the caterers had packed up their truck to leave Daniel had urged Regina into the house to sit down and relax. He brought her her into the living room where Cora and Leopold were sipping tea and he sat her down beside them. She watched in confusion as he stayed standing, his motions becoming twitchier.

"Daniel, are you alright?" Regina asked finally.

Daniel cleared his throat and opened his mouth and then closed it. He did this a few more times before Cora finally spoke up.

"Daniel, perhaps you should just say it." Cora said in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Daniel nodded and Regina's confusions escalated.

"What's going—?" Regina began.

"Regina!" Daniel began interrupting her.

"Yes?"

"Regina…I…I'd like to ask for your hand in marriage. Will you marry me?" He spat out as quickly as he could.

Cora began to clap in excitement and Leopold joined in as they all turned to Regina with hopeful looks upon their faces.

"Oh Regina! This is so lovely!" Cora exclaimed, "two of our girls getting married at the same time! Oh, I just can't believe it, sweetheart!"

Regina sat stunned unable to speak. She had known this was coming, but to actually hear him say it was a whole other story. To hear him throw it into the world was just not something she was expecting. Especially, when it had sounded so indecisive.

She blinked not knowing what to say and that terrified her the most. Did she say yes and continue on the road she'd been on before she came back to Storybrooke? Or did she say no because…why would she say no? Before she came back to Storybrooke she would've said yes in a heartbeat, but what had changed? Why was she hesitating? What was wrong with her? She wanted Daniel…didn't she?

"Regina? Did you hear me? Will you marry me?" He asked again sounding even more unsure this time around.

She gulped and looked over to her mother and step-father whose smiles were slowly slipping from their faces. She watched as her mother's face hardened and Regina could practically hear her mother yelling at her to accept the proposal from across the living room.

"Regina?" Daniel asked again.

She cleared her throat and looked over at her mother who was giving her a shrewd look.

"I uh…I need a moment." Regina muttered.

She saw Daniel open his mouth to ask where she was going, but she left before he could get the words out. She ran up to her room and sat on her neatly made bed. Looking across the room she made eye contact with herself in the vanity mirror and saw the petrified expression on her face. Her face was pale, her eyes wide, even her hair seemed wild, despite the perfect hairstyle she kept it in. She looked a mess and felt a mess and she wasn't sure what to do.

Did she say yes? Did she say no?

What was she supposed to do?

"Regina?"

She looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway a look of irritation on her face.

"Mother." Regina greeted a hard edge in her voice.

Cora sighed and stepped into the room. Regina already knew the lecture she was going to receive from her mother and wasn't really in the mood, especially when she still had Daniel waiting downstairs for an answer.

"Can we talk, sweetheart?" Cora asked a strange note of tentativeness in her voice.

Regina shook her head not wanting to get the inevitable lecture she was going to give.

"If it's about this proposal then I—

"Please listen before you make any judgments."

Regina opened her mouth to argue, but saw the look on her mother's face and decided to give her the benefit of the doubt, probably against her better judgment. She made a sweeping motion with her hand for her mother to continue on and then waited impatiently for her mother to lecture her on how she should accept Daniel's proposal because he is the better choice.

Cora came over to sit on the bed beside Regina and fell silent as she attempted to decide where to start.

"When I was young I met a man who I fell in love with," Cora began clearing her throat uncomfortably. "I didn't realize I was in love with him for many years, but eventually as time progressed I realized that I had made a mistake. You see, the man I was in love with…you know him as Mr. Gold, and he is your father."

Regina raised an eyebrow wondering why her mother was telling her this after all of these years. She wasn't sure if she was surprised that her mother didn't look surprised that she knew who her father was. Of course, her mother knew she knew, but even though that was the case her mother would never have that very important conversation with her. The conversation most mothers would have with their children when the question of their parentage was never addressed. Regina stared at her mother willing her to exclaim her surprise, but Cora gave her a wooden smile and stayed silent.

"Mother—"

"Please let me finish, Regina. I know this doesn't come as a surprise to you, but I need you to hear my side of the story. You see, Mr. Gold and I had a… relationship for quite awhile, perhaps longer than I'd like to admit. Eventually he…he decided that I needed to make a choice. Him or Leopold. I chose Leopold for obvious reasons and…well he decided he didn't want to be a part of your life. You see, Regina, I had a choice to make and for years after I regretted it immensely. I had the opportunity to be happy or have power and I chose power. I often wonder how it would've turned out if I had chosen love, and that's not a feeling I wish upon anyone. It was my own fault and yet…I spent a large time blaming others for my decision and I don't want that for you, sweetheart. So, I'm going to ask you this once…do you still love Robin?"

Regina stared at her mother not sure how to react to her story. This was the most honest her mother had ever been with her and she wasn't sure how to respond. So she decided to answer the seemly simple question she'd asked.

"Yes, I do." Regina whispered.

"Then you have your answer, sweetheart." Cora responded with a sad smile.

Regina nodded and took a deep breath feeling the proverbial weight from her chest lift as she finally spoke out loud what she really wanted.

Regina nodded once more and then got up from the bed. She headed back downstairs feeling stronger than she had in awhile. Walking straight up to Daniel she put a hand on his arm.

"Can we talk?" she asked glancing over at Leopold who was watching them with curiosity. She wanted to roll her eyes at his obliviousness, he was never in the loop about anything.

"Sure." Daniel said hesitantly.

They walked back together into the backyard where the fairy lights still twinkled from the engagement party. She put her hand back in his and gave him a sad smile.

"I can't marry you, Daniel." Regina said sadly.

"Regina, if you think we're moving too fast we can always slow down. I can put the ring away and we can—"

"It's not that, it's…I'm in love with someone else." Regina stuttered.

Daniel frowned, "what? Who? You've been gone a little over two weeks! What happened?"

"It's…I lied when I said I was coming down here to help someone with a divorce. I am the one who was getting divorced." Regina revealed.

Then she began to tell him the whole sordid story of her and Robin. When she was finished they stood in silence and eventually Daniel left. She told him she'd be home soon to begin packing her things and that was the last she spoke to him.

Once Daniel was gone Regina sat on the back steps of the patio not sure what to do now. She wanted to go to Robin and reveal her true feelings, but she was scared of his rejection. Eventually, she stood up and stretched biding her time before she began to walk over to Robin's. She attempted to form some type of speech to tell him on the way over, but nothing seemed to come to mind.

Sooner rather than later she found herself in front of his door and felt the familiar butterflies in her stomach that seemed to intensify the longer she stood outside.

Finally, she rang the doorbell.

And waited.

And waited.

And rang the doorbell again.

"Who the bloody – Regina! What are you doing here?" Robin asked frowning when he saw her at the door.

She bit her lip and looked around him into his house – their house.

"I need to talk to you." She stated.

"Now? It can't wait until morning?" he asked in surprise.

She shook her head, "no, I just…can I come in?"

He nodded slowly and let her into the house. They walked into the living room and they sat down together on the couch. Silence enveloped them and Robin waited patiently for her to begin to speak.

"I…I needed to talk to you." She said again.

"I got that part." He responded dryly.

"I just…Daniel was here."

"I know."

"He proposed."

"Oh."

The silence wrapped around them as they both let that tidbit of information sink in.

"What did you say?" he asked finally.

She looked up and met his crystal blue eyes.

"I said no…that I'm in love with someone else." She admitted quietly.

He blinked and she watched as the gears seemed to circle around his head with her confession. She watched as a myriad of emotions appeared in his eyes; uncertainty, excitement, fear, and love.

"I love you, Robin, I always have…I've just been too…scared to truly see it. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm sorry for leaving. But if you'll have me I promise that this time will be different." Regina promised.

Robin looked away not knowing what to say.

She watched as he let her words sink in and she hoped against hope that he'd agree to give her a second chance.

"What are you thinking?" Regina asked after several long torturous moments of silence.

"I think… I love you too, Regina, but how is this going to work? You live in New York—"

"I'll move back here."

"What if you decide you want to leave again?"

"I don't. I know where my priorities are. I can do law in Storybrooke." She responded eagerly.

"What if you—"

"Robin, do you love me?"

"Yes."

"Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes."

"Then let's be together!" Regina exclaimed emphatically.

"It's not that simple."

"Yes—"

"No."

Regina sighed in annoyance regarding him with narrowed eyes. And then without any preamble to moved forward and placed her lips on top of his. She kissed him hard and passionately, needing him to know how exactly she was feeling and how desperately she needed this to work. She poured all of her emotions into the kiss and when she pulled back to gage his reaction he was reaching back for her and responding just as eagerly.

When they broke apart for air they gave each other a loving smile knowing that despite their arguments and their trepidation to give their relationship another try, in the end all they needed was each other.

(A/n: What did you think? There's the epilogue and then it's done...:( I have any idea for the epilogue but if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them!)