Okay guys... so this is the last chapter :( I may add an epilogue in the future but for now it felt right to end it here.

I really hope that you have enjoyed my very first story! It was a year and five days ago that I finally found the courage to post on here and I must say that you guys have been so incredibly supportive and just don't right amazing. I truly want to thank everyone that has left a comment because every last one of them has been motivating and very much appreciated.

I never expected that would enjoy writing as much as I have so I will be continuing to write for this amazing fandom. I hope I have done enough with this story that you might give my other stories a try :)

I want to thank AbigailSykes for very kindly agreeing to be my Beta and helping me with ideas (I probably should have got one of those before the last chapter :P). Any mistakes in this chapter are mine because I decided to tweak it a little after she had edited it for me :s Sorry!

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Regina was in the kitchen happily humming as she prepares a lunch box for each of her two loves. It was the first day of school for Henry tomorrow and it was also Emma's first day of her new job as Fred's assistant, as she begins her teaching qualification.

Henry's 'Cars' lunchbox was miniscule compared to the Emma's, which was basically an insulated tote bag. Given how much Emma eats and because it was her first day, Regina just wanted to make sure she had everything she needed, including a little love note with a naughty promise at the end of it, that she slipped in between Emma's favourite BLT sandwich and a couple of protein bars.

She stopped humming and smiled as she looked up to the ceiling, listening to the laughing that was coming from upstairs as Emma helped Henry with his bath. Since Emma had moved in with them, their home had been filled with laughter and joy. Emma had been the piece of her heart that she didn't know had been missing.

Once she had finished preparing their lunches and had tidied up the kitchen, she makes her way upstairs to hurry things along because Henry should have already been in bed by now. She loved Emma and Henry's bond far too much to be mad that it was already past his bedtime and he was still playing in the bath. She knew her son had Emma wrapped around his little finger, even more so than she did. The blonde was a sucker for the Mills' family.

"So this is what happens when I leave you two without any adult supervision?" Regina asks from where she stands, leaning against the bathroom doorframe with her arms crossed and a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Look mommy, I got a Santa beard," Henry proudly states as he looks over at her, a bubble beard hanging from his chin.

She tries and fails to suppress her laughter when Emma turns to look at her, a Santa beard of her own decorating her chin.

Emma wipes her face and dumps the remains of her bubbles on Henry's head, trying to look innocent and not like a big, guilty kid.

A smirk spreads across Regina's face and she raises an eyebrow as Emma gets up from where she was squatting at the side of the bath. " Hey, beautiful. We were just finishing up here."

Regina could see through her white lie but all the laughter she had been listening to had made her not care. Her home was a happy one and Emma was a big part of that, so she couldn't make herself feel anything but love for her girlfriend. "Is that so, Miss Swan?" Regina could see the pupils in the centre of her lover's green eyes widen at the use of her surname.

"If I get Henry to bed, can we go to bed too?" She eagerly pleads.

"Shall we get you dried and ready for bed, my little prince? You can pick your favourite story for Emma to read to you." She purposely ignores her lover's question, just to let the blonde's mind run wild with desire and want. Emma had become Henry's reader of choice because the voices she read in were even crazier and funnier than the ones his mom had always done.

"Okay," he half-heartedly answers. He knew he had already pushed his luck with Emma, there was no way he would get away with doing that with his mom.

Emma passes Regina a big fluffy towel, which she uses to wrap around Henry once the bath has been drained. She lifts him out and dries him off before Emma helps him get into his pyjamas. After that, he runs off to his room to pick out his favourite story, which was found in the book that was a birthday present from Belle and Ruby.

"I'm going to miss not being able to hang out with him tomorrow," Emma says thoughtfully, as she cleans up the bit of mess they had made in the bathroom.

"I'm sure you will survive a few hours without seeing him."

They had spent nearly all their time together over the last few weeks when Regina worked through the Summer holidays. Cora had had him for the odd sleepover so that Emma and Regina could have some time together, but bar that, Emma had spent every waking moment with him. They had spent their days either playing in the backyard on the trampoline, walking around town (well, Henry would be riding his yellow jeep), or on the odd occasion when the weather wasn't very summery they would stay inside and play games before preparing dinner for Regina's return from work.

"What if I can't do this, Regina?" Emma anxiously asks as she avoids all eye contact with the brunette and wipes down the rim of the bathtub.

Regina's stomach plummets. She had only lived there for a few weeks, what if she had changed her mind about living with them already? "What do you mean?"

"I have never been very good at the school side of things. What if I fail at getting the qualifications? I have never had very good concentration and I'm not very good at sitting still. If I fail, what am I going to do? I can't live off you," she says with a defeated sigh.

Regina takes the used towel out of Emma's hands and drops it into the laundry basket before taking Emma's hands in her own. "Let's go put Henry to bed and then you are coming with me. There's something I want to show you." She had wanted to keep it as a surprise until Emma had finished her very first day at work but now seemed like the perfect time to show her.

Once Henry had fallen asleep and they both kissed him goodnight, Regina beckons her with a finger and Emma follows her downstairs, their hands connecting, as Regina walks with purpose to her home office. "What do you want to show me, Regina?"

"This," Regina smiles as she opens the door to her office, and allows Emma to step in before her.

Emma looks around. Everything was different. It took her a few moments to take it all in and recognise everything that was different with the room.

"Is that... is that for me?" Emma asks with uncertainty.

"Yes, it is," Regina excitedly responds.

"When did you do all of this?" She couldn't hide the astonishment in her voice.

"I had it all delivered this morning when you and Henry went to the park and then to the diner to get the bear claw you think I don't know about."

It had become their secret tradition since Emma had moved in that they would let Regina have a lie-in on Sunday mornings whilst they went to the park and then they would sneak into the diner to share a bear claw before going back home to have a healthy lunch that Regina would have ready for them.

Emma had the decency to blush at being caught out but it only lasted a few seconds as the reality of what Regina had done for her really sank in.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it. I can't believe you did this for me." She really couldn't. All throughout her childhood and the many foster homes she stayed in, no one had even bought her so much as a pencil but Regina had bought her a desk and a brand new laptop as well as a myriad of stationary, and she had made room in her office so they could share the space.

"I know you have trouble concentrating so I thought if we did our work together in here after Henry has gone to bed it would be easier for you." She wraps her arms around her stunned girlfriend from behind and plants a kiss against her cotton covered shoulder.

"I don't think that being in an enclosed space with you is going to do much for my concentration," Emma replies with a grin as she turns around before kissing her lover. "No one has ever..." she can't finish her sentence as her bottom lip quivers and she has to suck in a breath to try to stop herself from crying.

"I did this because I have every faith in you, Emma. You can do this. I know no one has ever shown faith in you before but that doesn't mean you aren't capable. It just means they missed out on what I can very clearly see in you. You are smart and wonderful and as a person you are more than qualified to do this job. I wouldn't let you work in my town if I didn't think so. Every day when you come home and you are one step closer to getting the qualifications you need, I will be sitting right beside you as you work on it and I'll be right here if you need any help from me."

"Thank you for believing in me," Emma whispers against her lips as she cups her face and kisses her lightly.

"Always," she replies sincerely as she rests presses her forehead to Emma's. "Now, why don't we christen your new desk?" She gently bites on Emma's bottom lip and tugs it lightly.

"I see what you are doing Madame Mayor. You want me to associate my desk with happy memories," Emma jokes.

"Surely it's worth a try?" Regina cheekily questions as she pushes Emma back until she is pressed up against the desk.

"I won't argue with you about it," Emma says as she picks Regina up and turns around before placing her on top of the desk. She pushes her legs open so she can stand between them, forcing her pencil skirt to ride up around her thighs. "Why don't we work on making the happy memories on here?" The blonde suggests as her hands glide further up tanned thighs until her fingers wrap around the top of Regina's panties so she can pull them down her tanned and toned legs. She drops the scrap of lace onto the floor and slides her hands back up her soft skin until her fingertips are toying with the curls that surround her most intimate of areas.

"More." Regina almost begs as she pushes her hips forward as if searching for the digits that always bring her immeasurable highs.

She dips the fingers on her right hand past damp curls and between sticky wet lips as she drags her tongue along the column of Regina's neck and kisses along her jawbone. They were certainly about to make some happy memories on her new desk.

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"How did you sleep?" Regina mumbles against Emma's bare chest when she stirs awake to the feeling of fingers stroking through her hair.

"Not great. I actually had that dream when you're in school and you look down and realise you are naked and everyone is laughing at you."

She had flitted in and out of sleep for most of the night. She was happy at the prospect of her new job but it always took her a while to settle into a new place and when she couldn't she would always just move on but she knew she couldn't do that this time. She almost felt trapped. There was no escaping the job, whether she liked it or not. Each time she had woken up during the night she would concentrate on the feeling of Regina in her arms and her warm skin laying against her. It would relax her enough so that she would eventually drift back to sleep, only for her subconscious to concoct something worrisome in her dreams and startle her awake once more.

"Sweetheart," she places a tender kiss to muscular chest she's laying on before shifting so she can look into Emma's eyes, "you are going to be amazing. It's normal to be a little anxious considering all the big changes you have made, but I hope Henry and I are worth it?" She knew the answer Emma would give before she had even asked the question but she was just trying to pull Emma from her worry and redirect her mind to the reason she was doing this in the first place.

It has the desired effect. "Of course you guys are worth it. I don't regret moving here, not for a second. I'll be fine once I find my feet," she reassures Regina, which also helps to subconsciously reassure herself. Just saying it out loud helped her to believe it.

"I know you will be. Once we put Henry to bed tonight we can go to our desks and you can start your coursework. I'll help you every step of the way."

"After what we did on my desk last night there is no way I will be able to sit there and work." Emma's prideful smirk is easily noticeable to Regina.

"Oh yes you will, Miss Swan," she tells her in no uncertain terms.

"Don't start with the Miss Swan stuff otherwise I'll be late for my first day at work." Emma pushes Regina onto her back and moves on top of her, kissing along her collar bone.

"As much as I wish we could continue..." the rest of her words get momentarily caught in her throat when teeth nip at the base of her throat, "my alarm will be going off soon."

Emma looks up at the alarm clock. "We have three minutes. That's plenty of time," she says before resuming her delicious assault on her lovers neck.

Before Regina can reply the sound of little feet hitting the floor as Henry scrambles out of his bed was their sign to stop what they were doing. Henry still had over half an hour to sleep before they were to wake him up but he was no doubt excited about his first day back in school. Emma rolls off Regina and moans in disappointment, there was nothing quite like making love to her girlfriend to clear her mind and put a lasting smile on her face, which she could really do with this morning.

"Mommy, Emma, I got school today!" Henry shouts in happiness that Regina knew wouldn't last past his first few days back in school. By next week it would be a struggle to get him out of bed in the morning if last year was anything to go by.

"Yes, you do my little prince. Are you excited?" Regina asks as she sits up, making sure to hold the cover against her chest, as she turns off her alarm before it has a chance to start ringing.

"Yep! I'm going to see Nick and Ava and Paige and Peter and Felix and..."

"And Emma," the blonde interrupts as she sits up, securing the blanket around herself.

"You're not in my class," he answers with a giggle at her silly suggestion as she helps pull him onto the bed.

"No, but I'm going to be working in the big school so I will come and see at break time." The elementary and high schools in Storybrooke were on the same piece of land but they were separate buildings. Emma would be working in the high school but it would only take her a couple of minutes to go over to Henry's school to see him.

"Really?" His little face lights up at the prospect of his best friend taking time out of her day to see him.

"Yep, I can't go a whole day with a Henry hug." She didn't want to crowd him in school or take him away from his friends but she knew she couldn't go all day without popping over to see him when he would be so close by. She wraps one arm around him and pulls him in for a hug to prove her point, her other hand keeping the cover in place.

Regina smiles at the two of them. Their bond had only gotten stronger and stronger since Emma had moved in with them. "Why don't you go and get ready and then you can help me make breakfast. We are going to have pancakes," Regina suggests so that she and Emma could get dressed in privacy.

"Okay, mommy." He leans over from Emma's lap to give her a kiss before giving Emma one too and scampering off the bed to go and get ready in his room.

"Trust him to wake up early today," Emma jokingly grumbles as she squeezes her thighs together when Regina gets out of bed butt naked. "I'm going to go shower."

"You showered last night." Regina replies as she sifts through her work suits in her closet.

"Yeah, but that one was warm. This time I need a cold one." She awkwardly walks to the en suite to the sound of Regina's laughter.

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"Henry, go and get your shoes and coat on, please. It's time for us to go," Regina instructs her son as she takes his empty plate from him and places it in the dishwasher.

"Okay, mommy," he easily agrees as he slips from his chair at the table. "Come on, Emma, we have to get ready for school now," he holds out his hand for Emma so he can lead her through to the foyer to get ready.

Emma downs the last of the coffee in her mug and gives Regina an amused look at Henry's unwaning excitement about going to school. "Okay, buddy." She takes his hands and lets him drag her through to the foyer.

Once they were all ready, coats on and bags in hand, they head out of the door and down the street for the short walk to the school. Henry made sure to stand between them, holding onto each of their hands so they can swing him as they always do whenever the three of them walk anywhere together.

The closer they get to the school, the sweatier Emma's palms get, not that Henry noticed. He was too busy telling them both about all the colouring he planned to do in school that day.

Regina didn't have the heart to tell him that school would be getting a bit more serious this year and he would have to do harder things than colouring. That would be his teachers problem later. She just wanted to enjoy the short walk as a family, something she believed Henry should have had from the very start of his life; a family.

Before they knew it they were at the gates of the school and it was time to say goodbye to each other until later that afternoon.

"Okay, my loves, this is your stop," Regina announces with a smile. She kneels down in front of Henry and strokes his cheek. "Listen to your teacher and have a good day, okay?"

"Okay, mommy," he brightly responds but his attention is on the playground as he searches for a familiar face of one of his friends. "I see Nick. Can I go play with him, please?" Usually no one was as important to him than his mom and Emma but it had been weeks since school had broken up and he hadn't seen much of his friends in that time.

She gives him a hug and kisses his cheek and just as he's about to run away Emma scoops him up. "Were you going to run away without saying goodbye to me, mister?" She questions as she tickles him.

"Yes," he honestly admits through his laughter.

"Give me a kiss and I'll forgive you."

He grabs her face with his little hands and puckers up to kiss her. "Don't forget to come and see me."

"I won't," she promises before putting him down. As soon as his feet touch the sidewalk he runs off through the gates, calling and waving at Nick to get his attention.

"Is it wrong that I feel jealous of Nick?" Emma facetiously asks.

"Awww are you jealous that Henry has other friends?"

"A little... yeah," she openly admits.

Regina takes her hand but makes no mention of how clammy it feels, and they walk further down the block until they reach the entrance to the high school, which is Emma's stop.

Regina turns to her and takes both of her hands in her own. "I'm really proud of you for doing this. I know you have worries about it but it will all be okay. Even if you decide you don't like then I'm sure we could find you another job."

"As long as I get to go home to you and Henry every night I know everything will be alright." She doesn't think twice about giving her girlfriend a kiss. Storybrooke was only a small town and over the last few weeks everyone had got to know about them being a couple so there was nothing to hide. The town may have been small but it's denizens weren't small minded.

"We will be there every morning and every night. I love you. Try to enjoy today and just talk to Fred if you have any concerns."

"I will. One more kiss for luck?"

Regina smiles the presses her lips to Emma's, letting them linger a little before puling back and forcing herself to let go of Emma's hands so she can continue her walk to work. She walks without looking back, knowing that if she did she would chase the blonde inside so she could look after her on her first day.

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Regina had desperately tried to leave work early but it was one of those days where everything that can go wrong, did go wrong. It was just so typical that it happened on the day that she really wanted to get home early to find out how Emma and Henry's first day had been. She was more concerned with Emma because she was sure Henry would have had a great day. Emma had sent her a text around lunchtime to say that it was all going well but all Regina had managed to send back was "that's good. I can't wait to hear all about it tonight," before she had to begin yet another meeting.

As soon as she enters the house she kicks off her shoes, drops her bag, and takes off her coat before following the sound of talking and laughing in the lounge. "Sorry I'm late."

"Hi, mommy. We just finished my homework."

They are both sitting on their bums in front of the coffee table that has a few pieces of paper spread out over it. This was the very first piece of homework he had ever had and she had missed it, but she was glad that Emma had been there to help him with it. As she approaches them she can see it is very simple math questions that he had been given as homework.

She leans down to kiss the top of his head. "That's my good boy. Did you have a good day?"

"Yeah but we didn't do much colouring," he sighs.

"Do you want to do some colouring now, until dinner is ready?" He nods eagerly at the suggestions. "Put your homework back in your schoolbag and go and get your colouring book."

He does as told, picking up the pieces of paper off the coffee table and scurrying away with them to keep them safely in his bag.

"And how was your day?" She finally speaks to Emma, holding her hand out for the blonde to take as she helps her up off the floor.

"It was really good." She smiles widely and genuinely as she takes the proffered hand and stands up. "I missed you though." She loosely wraps her arms around Regina's waist and pulls her against herself. "The note you put in with my lunch was particularly welcome. it was so sweet. The little 'p.s.' at the end was very distracting though, and it made the rest of the day feel like it was dragging."

"I'm glad you liked I," she smirks, " I hope your not too tired to let me keep my promise." She bites her lip and the prospect of carrying out what she had written in the note.

"Definitely not. I would wake up from a coma for that," she winks.

Henry comes back in, colouring book and pencils in hand, he plonks himself back down in front of the coffee table. He flips through the colouring book and ponders before putting it aside. "Mommy, can I draw a picture instead?"

"Of course you can." She turns to Emma, "would you mind grabbing some blank paper from the printer and I'll go start on dinner?"

"Sure thing." She goes to their home office to grab a few sheets of paper, smiling when she sees her desk and the effort Regina has gone to to try and help her. "Here you go, for your masterpiece," she says with a bow as she hands the paper to Henry.

He giggles at her silliness as he takes them from her. "Thank you."

"What can I help with?" Emma asks as she gives Regina a peck on the cheek when she enters the kitchen.

"Would you do the salad?" She requests as she puts spaghetti into a pot of boiling water. "And you can tell me all about your day."

"It was really good. The morning was mainly paperwork and then Fred went over all the coursework I will need to do. I managed to quickly catch Henry for a hug before I had an amazing lunch made by my amazing girlfriend..."

"It was just a sandwich," Regina humbly interrupts.

"It was an amazing sandwich," she reiterates, "but the note my amazing girlfriend snuck into my bag was definitely the highlight of my day."

"Just wait until I keep my word and I do it for your later," Regina replies with a wink.

"Stop distracting me, Madam Mayor. I might accidentally cut myself."

Henry rushes into the kitchen, waving his drawing in the air as the two women are setting the table. "Look what I made," he boasts as he thrusts it into Emma's hands.

"This is awesome, buddy," she congratulates him after studying it for a few seconds. She could clearly see his depiction of the three of them together, Henry in the middle of them, just like he had been on the walk to school, but he left a big gap between them all.

"Why is there so much space between us all?" Regina queries as she eyes his drawing from behind him. The picture was full of colour but on either side of himself he had left big uncoloured gaps.

"I left that so when we get more family... when I get brothers and sisters, I can draw them in," he innocently replies.

Regina nervously shifts her eyes to Emma.

"That's a smart idea, buddy," she gives a wide smile before meeting Regina's eyes. "You forgot to sign in though," she points out.

"Oh yeah! I'll go do that now," he says as he takes the drawing back and rushes back through to the lounge to add his name to it.

"He's go quite the active imagination," Regina tentatively says through a half smile.

"Yes, he does. What if," she steps closer to Regina and holds her chin, "it isn't just his imagination? What if we made it real?"

"You want to have kids with me?" She needed it confirmed before she would let herself smile like an idiot.

"Yeah... yeah, I do." She answers honestly. "It's not something we have to do right away but I would definitely like more children with you. I know Henry isn't technically mine but I do feel like he is. He's my family... my little boy," she finishes quietly.

The giant, idiotic smile finally breaks loose on Regina's face. "I would like that too, and obviously so would Henry." She bites her lip and takes Emma's hands in her own. "There is a way you could make him officially yours as well," she says sounding more nervous than Emma had ever heard her sounding.

"I would love that." Her eyes glisten with unspilled tears as she catches onto what Regina had inferred.

"I did my name," Henry loudly announces as he walks back in holding up the signed drawing.

Emma rubs her eyes and takes a deep breath. "Let's put this one on the fridge, buddy." She picks him up and when he presses the drawing against the fridge she secures it with a couple of magnets. "Perfect," she murmurs as she kisses his head and pulls Regina against her.

Regina couldn't agree more. She could finally say that she wasn't just contented with her life, she was really, truly happy.

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Once again, thank you all for joining me on this journey. This is an amazing fandom because of you all xxx