A/N: this is it. It's been an emotional journey and I'm so glad so many of you came along for the ride. I've loved writing this fic and I really hope you've enjoyed reading it too. Keep an eye out for my next Missed Swan Queen Moments Season 5. And I've also already got a fantastic idea from a reader for my next AU fic which should be up … before Season 6. As will all the 100th etc prompts (sorry!)

Also, there's a time jump between chapter 39 and this one because I don't want to do an epilogue for this story and I think this tidies it up nicely. Oh and it's NSFW.

Snow crunched underfoot as she trudged up the sidewalk, head bowed against the oncoming wind which carried fluttering snowflakes to settle on the ground. She slipped, her hand shooting out to steady herself on the brick wall of the building she was passing, heartbeat racing. Taking a deep breath, she resumed her steps. It was a relief to reach the covered entranceway and stamp the white clumps from her boots before entering the elevator.

"I told you to let Graham drive you," Regina remarked as she watched Emma warming her hands by hovering them above the stove top.

"The roads are lethal," Emma said, her teeth still chattering. "I'd rather just walk."

Regina shook her head in disbelief and continued plating up their dinner. It was a Friday night in early January, and unbeknownst to the still freezing blonde, a special occasion. Regina's previous arrangement at her mother's law firm of her leaving early for the weekend had continued at West and Merlin and she had been cooking and preparing their meal for most of the evening.

"What's this?" Emma asked when she sat down to her favourite dinner and a bottle of what looked like very expensive wine, even by Regina's standards.

She realised as she spoke that the cold must have frozen her sense of smell for her not to have noticed her girlfriend had cooked her famous lasagne. Usually she was able to detect the unique blend of spices from the corridor outside the penthouse but she hadn't even registered them. Her mouth began to water.

"I just wanted to do something special for you today," Regina said, pouring Emma a glass of red wine as she spoke.

"Why?" Emma asked, fidgeting beneath the table to stop her hands reaching for the cutlery and spearing a piece of lasagne before Regina had even sat down.

"Do you know what day it is?" Regina asked, sliding into her seat and raising her glass to Emma in cheers.

"Friday," Emma said as the rims of their glasses clinked together. "Thank goodness. I don't think I have the energy to work another day in a row."

The Youth Centre had expanded so much that Emma was now working from midday until eight every night. She still loved her work and the additional wages were great but by the end of the week she was always exhausted.

"It is Friday," Regina nodded. "Anything else about the day?"

"Ummm," Emma said, swirling her wine around her glass. "Nope?"

Regina smiled softly. She hadn't expected Emma to remember. After all, at the time the woman didn't even have the means to know what day it was, let alone remember the date a year later.

"It's the anniversary of the day we met," Regina said.

Emma's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that. A year. A whole year had passed since that cold January afternoon when she had first set eyes on the beautiful brunette. And her son. Their son. Her life had changed beyond recognition over the twelve months since Henry had handed her those dollar bills and she struggled now even to imagine herself in that scenario. It seemed an entire lifetime ago that she had lived on the streets, calling a tunnel home and begging to buy food.

"Wow," Emma breathed out. "A year."

Regina nodded. "And I know it's not our official anniversary or anything," the panic on Emma's face told the brunette that her girlfriend had no idea when that was either, "but I thought it was worth acknowledging."

"Um, yeah. I suppose," Emma said, looking down at her plate.

Regina's heart was suddenly in her mouth. "Shit, Ems, I'm sorry," she said quickly. "Should I not have mentioned it? I had thought it might be a little insensitive to bring it up. Damn, I'm really sorry, honey. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You didn't," Emma assured her quickly, reaching out and grasping Regina's hand. "You didn't. I promise. It's just … a surprise, I suppose. I hadn't thought about that time of my life for a while and suddenly I was back there."

"Where?" Regina asked, gesturing for Emma to begin eating, which she did with relish despite what they were talking about.

"I'm not sure," Emma admitted after she swallowed her first mouthful. "I don't think I can even imagine now how my life was back then. I mean, look at all the fuss I just made about walking two blocks from the subway in the snow with a coat which cost close to a thousand bucks, leather gloves and a woollen hat. How on earth did I survive out there?"

Regina shook her head in wonder. "I've always wanted to know, to be honest," she said. "I just never wanted to ask."

Emma shrugged. "Blankets. Layers. And the tunnel was protected from the worst of the wind. Plus with August there we at least could share body heat."

Regina bristled slightly and began to hack a little more rigorously at her lasagne. Emma noticed and reached across again to still the movement.

"Not like that," she assured Regina quietly. "August and I were never more than friends. And if we had been, don't you think I would have told you before I introduced you?"

August and Regina had met shortly after Henry's birthday. Sober, employed, and no longer homeless, August was doing almost as well as Emma and the blonde had decided that two of the most important people in her life should spend some time together. It wasn't often; a coffee here, a playdate in the park with Henry there. Emma met him far more regularly, however, and she was enjoying having him back in her life. She hadn't realised how much she had missed his friendship.

"Sorry," Regina said, shaking her head and trying to get rid of the images her mind had conjured. "I know nothing happened but your time on the street … well …"

She trailed off and looked guiltily up at the blonde. They tried not to speak too much about what Emma had been through. The younger woman was coping amazingly well with the trauma and had spoken to her parole officer about it, she and Tina Bell having grown close. And Regina had booked in for a few therapy sessions before Christmas, some lingering thoughts niggling away neither she nor Emma had been able to calm. The therapist had worked wonders but there were still times when her mind wandered to what had happened to Emma.

"It will always be a part of my past," Emma said simply. "I will always have been homeless. I sold my body to survive. And I was raped. I can't change any of that but what I can do is move on from those events. I don't let them define me, Regina. And I don't think you do either, do you?"

"No, not at all," Regina rushed. "I don't, honey. Not at all."

"Good," Emma smiled. "Because I'm so much more than that."

Regina laughed at the twinkle in her girlfriend's eyes. She had always marvelled at Emma's ability to change a conversation so completely and was immensely grateful. She hadn't wanted to mark the occasion solemnly. Quite the opposite, in fact. It was a celebration, an acknowledgement of how the kind, considerate act of a young boy had changed their lives in the best possible way.

"Oh, I meant to tell you," Regina said, "Mary Margaret told me something rather interesting about my mother today."

Emma raised an eyebrow. Cora was rarely mentioned in their house and, to be honest, she was glad about that. She hated the woman for what she did to Regina but was also oddly grateful. The brunette had been far happier since she had been working for West and Merlin and her hours had reduced too. Although Emma initially thought it was a shame how Regina's relationship with her mother had been irreparably damaged, she had come to the conclusion that it hadn't ever been a healthy, loving one, not like theirs with Henry. In fact, she thought Regina's life had gotten decidedly better since she left her mother's legal firm.

"What's she up to now?"

"She's getting remarried," Regina said. "Mary Margaret is still in touch with a few of the other assistants there and apparently she and Gold announced today that they're tying the knot."

"Jesus," Emma breathed out. "That's a formidable power couple."

Regina nodded. "Yep. But weird, frankly. I mean … yeah, it's just weird." She wrinkled her nose at the thought of the impish little lawyer and her mother together.

"Agreed," Emma laughed. "So, do you reckon you'll be invited to the wedding?"

"Doubtful," Regina said. "We're not inviting her to ours, are we?"

Emma shook her head and glanced down at the engagement ring on her finger. The diamond which Regina had presented her with on Christmas Eve glinted back at her. She smiled at the sight, the familiar feeling of contentment and love filling her up, as it did every time she remembered that Regina Mills had asked her to marry her. Their June wedding couldn't come soon enough. Regina's voice interrupted Emma's momentary daydream of the brunette in a satin dress.

"And even if I was invited I wouldn't go. I'd feel like I was betraying Father somehow. He hated Gold so this is just insulting him memory, frankly."

Emma reached across the table and gripped Regina's hand softly in her own. "I wish I could have met your father," she said. "I'd have liked to thank him for raising such a wonderful daughter."

"He'd have liked you," Regina said, wiping a tear from her eye. "I wish you could have met too. I wish he had met Henry, come to that. I like to think he's looking down on us. I know it's silly really since I'm not remotely religious but it's comforting somehow, the thought that he and Dani are both watching over us."

"I'm sure they are," Emma said, raising Regina's hand to her lips and kissing the back of her hand gently. Regina's own ring caught the light as she did so, the flashes dancing off the walls.

The rest of the meal centred on happier topics, both women reminiscing about their time together and their favourite memories of the past year. Regina decided the time she had returned home to find Henry and Emma covered from head to toe in cake mix, and icing somehow, inexplicably, on the ceiling was one of her best. Emma meanwhile recounted the pure happiness and pride she had felt when Henry cycled those first few metres in the park unaided just before Christmas.

"Yes but then he fell off and cried for over an hour," Regina reminded her.

"Good point," Emma said, her lips becoming a thin line as she remembered her son's pain.

"And he's fine now," Regina added quickly, seeing the sadness on Emma's face. "We can't protect him from everything, dear. He's going to get hurt every now and then along the way as he grows up. It's our job to be there for him when things go wrong."

"There was no-one there for me," Emma mused. "I don't know if I'm doing it right, to be honest."

Regina smiled sympathetically. "Nobody knows," she said. "No parent knows if they're doing the right thing. We're all just muddling along as best we can, lurching from one day to the next and trying to give our kids everything they need. And I think you're a fantastic mom to Henry. You're always watching out for his safety. You spend as much time with him as you can. You listen to him even when he drones on and on about monkeys for hours on end. Your love for him is unlimited, Emma, and that's really everything a kid can ask for."

Love. Unparalleled, never-ending, complicated, beautiful love. That's what the small family shared and that was what both women felt when they made their way into the bedroom later that night. Almost a year into their relationship and their sex life was still active and exciting.

Regina let out a giggle as she landed on the bed, Emma straddling her waist as lips sucked at her neck. She reached up above her, hands grasping at the iron headboard and pulled herself towards the pillows. Emma looked reproachful as the skin she had been feasting on slid away from her but she quickly got distracted as Regina's torso was replaced by her hips. The dark skinny jeans were unbuttoned and the tight material wrestled down long, toned legs. Standing at the end of the bed, Emma removed her own jeans before climbing back up to hover over Regina again.

"I love you," she said, bending down to kiss Regina's slightly swollen lips.

"I know," Regina smiled.

"I know you know but I wanted to tell you anyway," Emma shrugged.

Regina rolled her eyes at her pedantic girlfriend and pulled Emma down so their bodies were pressed hotly together. They kissed slowly, taking their time to explore the mouths they both knew so well. Emma pulled Regina's lower lip between her own, nibbling it lightly and relishing the moan she heard at the action. The hands stroking up and down her back sent delightful tingles to her core, with no thought to the scars which marred her back. They didn't bother Regina and therefore Emma didn't think about them much either.

Soon Regina rolled Emma over, trailing blazing kisses down the blonde's neck and suckling on her collarbone. Emma allowed the brunette to take over for a while, knowing she'd get her chance later. The tip of Regina's tongue traced the delicate line of her bone, tasting her skin and making Emma squeeze her thighs together in anticipation. Regina took her time, however, and slowly pushed the fabric of Emma's tank top up and dropping kisses to her abdomen as more and more of it was exposed.

"I love this," Regina murmured, her breath hot on Emma's skin.

"What?" Emma asked, propping herself up on her elbows.

Regina pulled her mouth away and pointed to the side of Emma's stomach. The blonde craned her neck and saw that the brunette had found one of her faint stretch marks. There were very few visible on her alabaster skin, evidence that she had carried a child, but Regina liked to search for them anyway. She loved knowing Henry really had grown inside Emma. She kissed it again and smiled up at the young woman.

"This is one of my favourite parts of you," she said quietly.

"Oh yeah?" Emma said, her tone teasing. "What are your other favourite parts, Ms Mills?"

Regina pushed Emma's tank top further up and the blonde pulled it impatiently over her head as deft fingers were already unclasping her bra.

"Right here," Regina said, her tongue trailing the underside of Emma's breast before nipping it lightly.

Emma shuddered in delight as a hand cupped her other breast, palming it firmly before sliding down towards the one remaining piece of clothing she was still wearing. The underwear was discarded in seconds. Regina climbed off Emma and nudged the blonde's hip, encouraging her to roll onto her stomach. She did so, wiggling her ass as she got situated. Regina laughed and slapped it lightly.

"And here," she said, a fingertip trailing each of the dimples at the bottom of the blonde's spine. She had always found them adorable and was secretly glad the scars ended far above them.

Emma arched her back slightly, making the dips more pronounced and smirking to herself as Regina straddled her legs and dropped two kisses to her back. She could feel Regina's sex hovering just above her calves, heat and dampness radiating from it. She wanted desperately to turn over and thrust her fingers deep into her girlfriend but she didn't. Instead, she lay there and allowed Regina's mouth to kiss and lick her back as hands squeezing her ass. She didn't have to wait long however as Regina was growing increasingly aroused.

With a final nip to Emma's left ass cheek, she raised herself up so Emma could wriggle around beneath her. As soon as the blonde was smiling up at her, Regina lent down for a passionate kiss. She moaned as she tasted Emma's tongue, the young woman kissing her back just as intensely. Regina's cry was muffled by Emma's mouth when two fingers pushed suddenly into her core. She moaned in delight and her body bucked into the abrupt but welcome intrusion and she pushed herself back, riding Emma's thrusting fingers quickly and desperately. Emma's thumb pressed against her clit, circling the tight bundle of nerves in a way that made Regina shudder in ecstasy. She came quickly, her orgasm hitting her hard as she gasped into Emma's mouth.

"You ok?" Emma asked as her girlfriend laid her sweaty forehead against Emma's shoulder, breathing heavily.

"Gimme a minute," she panted, her legs shaking slightly with the effort of kneeling over Emma.

The blonde chuckled and rolled the two of them over, nestling her head against a pillow beside Regina's and watching her spent girlfriend recover from her pleasure. She loved seeing Regina like that; in a way no one else got to experience. Regina was many things to many people. To Henry she was a loving, doting mother. To Ruby and Kathryn she was a fiercely loyal and dependable friend. To her colleagues she was an intelligent, capable lawyer. But to Emma, Regina was something so unique and special that she didn't think there were enough words to describe it. What they shared together, Emma doubted many people were ever lucky enough to experience. Pure, true love. And although that love expressed itself in a myriad of ways, one of Emma's favourites was the raw, lustful, passionate and deeply sexy aftermath of their lovemaking. Regina was vulnerable, trusting, and utterly, utterly beautiful as she lay in post-orgasmic bliss.

"What are you thinking?" Regina asked, her eyes darting over Emma's contemplative face.

"How much I love you," Emma replied. "And how I can't wait to be married to you."

Regina smiled widely. "Me too."

"Did you ever think this would happen?" Emma asked. "That day when we first met a year ago, did you think this is how we would end up?"

"No," Regina chuckled. "Shockingly I didn't see you sitting on the street and think 'oh, I'm going to be engaged to her this time next year'. But that was before I got to know you. It didn't take me long to realise you were special, Emma. And I knew that you were someone I wanted in my life for a very, very long time."

"Even when you found out about … Killian?" Emma asked, nervously.

Regina's hand reached up to cup Emma's cheek.

"Even then," she said softly. "The past is in the past, Emma. What happened before we met never bothered me, you know that. And now we're engaged we need to move on from what's gone before and focus on our future together."

"And what do you see there?" Emma asked.

Regina rolled on top of Emma, their naked bodies pressed hotly together.

"I see us," she said simply. "You, me, and Henry. A family. We might not be the most conventional and the way we came together is certainly unusual but none of that matters. We love each other and we will always be there for one another. And that's what family is."

Emma's eyes sparkled in the dim bedroom light and she blinked away her tears.

"I've never had a family before," Emma whispered.

"Well you have one now," Regina said, kissing the blonde tenderly. "And you'll never be alone again."