A/N: Oh my goodness. We finally made it to the end! I started this story in November of 2013, and even though I did take an unintentional break from it, I have to say that it has been an amazing journey to have ridden with you all. I know that there are so many people that are still reading from the very beginning, and I don't have the words to thank you enough! End even the wonderful readers that have joined us along the way, you guys are what has spurred me on to finally complete this story, so thank you all so so much. Your reviews have been like a drug to me - I have been checking my emails religiously and grinning like a fool whenever I see that someone has been kind enough to leave a review - and your speculations and anticipation has been wonderful. Alas, the time has come to round it up and leave you with the final piece of this story. I very much hope you enjoy this Epilogue, and don't forget to keep a look out for my new stories that I have in the pipeline!

I love you all! Thank you. xoxo

Epilogue

Emma stood in front of the floor length mirror, staring at her partially naked frame. The carefully chosen lace underwear she had picked out specifically for tonight still wasn't enough to distract from the still pink scars over her abdomen and back. No amount of body paint or raunchy lingerie would have been able to cover it. Absentmindedly, she traced the thick scar over her stomach with her index finger and felt her heart constrict as the tips of her fingers ghosted over the tender flesh.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Snow asked as she carried the heavy, white gown across the room to her daughter. "If you're nervous, then you have every right to be - on my proper wedding day to your father, I was so nervous that I couldn't stop vomiting, and we were technically already married at this point."

Snow smiled at Emma through the mirror with a sense of reminiscence until she spotted her daughter's hand tracing her deep laceration scars. The last year had been hard. Gods, it had been more than hard, and everyone in town had been given front row seats to it. Once Blue's magic and wings had been removed, and Hayden had been handed over to Queen Elsa, most of the town was in uproar. With very few people knowing what had happened to their Sheriff, many of the Blue Fairy's followers and supporters took up their annoyance with the only person they believed had caused the issue: Mayor Mills. Citizens from all over town fled to the Town Hall to express their grievances with the Mayor once she had returned to work.

For weeks the Mayor had to plead ignorance to the former fairy's situation until she finally cracked and called a town meeting. Much to Emma's reluctance, they discussed what had happened to the fairy without giving the fullest of explanations to the crowds. Once the people of Storybrooke saw the utter devastation and embarrassment on their Sheriff's face, the regular requests for audiences with the Mayor began to decline until she only had a few weekly regulars of citizens that would spend their days coming up with fake qualms to complain about.

It was hard on Emma too as they slowly but surely found their own normalities. Her nightmares returned after their trip to Arendelle, and her personal insecurities of eventually being abandoned rose to the surface, ultimately cracking the walls she had successfully built around herself. Her constant fears of losing everything were always present and seemed to go hand in hand with a few of the things that Hayden had tortured into her mind. There was nothing that she feared more than losing her family from her own mistakes, so Emma took her mother's pressing advice and took to seeing Archie twice a week to talk through everything. Regina knew, and she was more than supportive – even more so when Archie convinced the blonde to organise a regular date night with her true love. Their dates were perfect in every possible way for both women. They were comfortable and relaxed, with seemed to help even more with the confusing pace of their relationship. But it took a while for Emma to finally feel comfortable enough to let her guard down.

The Swan-Mills engagement had happened a month after Emma agreed that she no longer required her weekly sessions with Archie, and exactly seven months since their first kiss. Emma had got down on one knee in front of the Clock Tower with a ring that made Regina squeal like an overexcited child. But that was five months ago, and now, here they were, preparing for the day that they had all been waiting for. Kathryn and Ashley had offered to be Regina's bridal party, while Ruby, Snow and Belle had insisted that they were Emma's bridal party and wedding planners. The whole thing had been incredibly overwhelming for both brides, so Snow wasn't surprised when she noticed that Emma had become alarmingly distant when her daughter agreed to sleep at the apartment the night before their big day.

"I'm not nervous," Emma finally said to her mother. She tried to offer her a comforting smile through the mirror, but Snow refused to buy it. "I'm just… thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"Everything, you know?" With a huff, Emma turned to face her mother and accepted the dress that Snow held above her head. She wriggled her hips through the heavy material until it fell perfectly onto her frame, leaving nothing more than the corset to be tied at the back. She turned again to look at her improved reflection in the mirror. With a sweetheart neckline, crystallised bodice and voluptuous skirt, Emma Swan finally saw the princess her mother always wanted her to be. "We've been through so much already, and we've only been together for a year. I'm just worried that one day, she's going to get fed up of all of my baggage and make me leave. And I know she's already said that won't happen, but I can't help but worry that it might – she's everything to me, mom, and I can't lose her. She's my happy ending, and… god, I don't even know how to explain how much I love her."

Snow raised her eyebrows at her daughter in surprise. She had heard Emma talk like this before, yet it still seemed to surprise her every time she openly spoke about her insecurities. But she did understand, however, how her daughter couldn't find the words to explain how much she loved Regina; her own love for Charming still felt the same way it did when she shared her first kiss with the love of her life.

"You're not going to lose her, Emma. You literally hold Regina's heart in your hands; she has given you her everything because she trusts you and loves you. There's nothing in this world that could make her want you to leave. She's even getting married again because she loves you – do you know how hard today is going to be for her? After her wedding to my father, she vowed never to marry again because it hurt her so much the first time, and now you've managed to make her believe that she can be happy in a marriage. You just have to stand up tall and do everything you can to make her happy and keep her, because we all know that Regina Mills is a strong woman to hold down and a very difficult woman to please."

"She could do so much better than me…"

"You think that the Evil Queen could do better than the Saviour?" Snow laughed in disbelief as she pulled the ribbon of Emma's corset through its rightful sections. "You are her Saviour – you were literally made to save her, Emma. You were made to save one another, and there is no love in this world that is greater than the love that the two of you share. Your love is stronger than the love your father and I have; no matter what happens in your marriage, you will always come back from it stronger than ever." She pulled tightly on the last section of Emma dress, making her daughter wheeze within its restrictions and tied it efficiently within the excess material. She looked over Emma's shoulder at her daughter's stunning reflection in the mirror. "Look at yourself, Emma. You look gorgeous. There is no one in this world that wouldn't be jealous of Regina after today - she is the lucky one to get to call you her wife."

Emma looked at herself in the mirror. It was the first time that day that she could say she really looked at herself in her wedding make-up, with her perfect hair-do and flawless dress. And her mother was right; she did look gorgeous, in every way, but she knew that there was no use hiding behind the silk and taffeta material that encased her body in a flow of white. For the first time, she physically looked innocent and untouched; and that was what she wished she was offering up to Regina for the rest of their lives.

"Now, sit in the chair, and we'll make you look like the Princess you were always meant to be."

*#*#*#*

Regina sat at her dressing table, already clad in her floor length white wedding gown, staring at the sonogram and multiple other photos that Emma had wedged between the mirror and the frame. A delicate smile graced her lips as she glanced over the photos that they had accumulated over the previous year. There were ridiculous 'selfies', family photos, portraits of their three children, and multiple candid photos of each other that they had casually taken from time to time. Regina's favourite photo that had been wedged between the frame at the top of the mirror was a small Polaroid image that Emma had taken of them on their first Christmas together. Regina had been forced into wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, and Emma had bought one to match. They had looked ridiculous, but the huge smiles on their faces and lipstick smudges around their lips screamed that they didn't care. But that's what Emma had done to her; she had stopped caring so much about what everyone else in town seemed to think of her.

Over the last year, Emma had turned her into the social butterfly that she now was. Before Neverland, she would have cringed at the thought of how domestic she had become with the blonde, but now, as she waited for her wedding to the love of her life, she reveled in the thought of it.

"Okay, the kids are ready," Kathryn announced, pulling Regina away from her thoughts as she entered the bedroom. "Granny had to fight Amira into her dress, but she's finally in it and looking adorable; Henry's got the rings, and Charlotte has your bouquets. I saw Ruby on my way up, and she said that Snow and Emma were having a little heart to heart, so they're running a little behind schedule."

Regina nodded to her friend and pushed herself from the stool at her dresser. "Thank you, Kathryn – for everything. I don't think I would have gotten this far without you."

"Don't mention it." Kathryn grinned and accepted the embrace that Regina offered her. "I just wanted you to be happy, Regina. I couldn't see you lose Emma – you both needed this… Oh, and Mr. Gold is here to see you. He's just outside."

The brunette nodded as Kathryn held the door open to the former Dark One to enter with a small wooden box in his hands. Regina's bridesmaid ducked her way out of the bedroom again and closed the door behind herself, giving the former Evil Queen some alone time with her former mentor.

"I wasn't expecting to see you under after the ceremony," Regina commented as soon as her bedroom door clicked shut.

"Well, dearie, I wanted you to have this before you took your first steps towards your happy ending." He handed her the wooden box and leaned on his cane. "We all know that you have changed, but I thought that you may want to keep hold of this for piece of mind."

Regina furrowed her brow at the old man in suspicion as she opened the box. Her eyes widened in panic as say lay her hers on the black, pulsating heart inside the red velvet lined box. Her voice quivered as she spoke. "Whose heart is this, Rumple?"

"Take a guess,"

"Something is telling me that it's Emma's, but I don't think it is. Is it?" She took the heart from the box and held it in her hand for a moment before dropping it back in the box as if the organ had burnt her skin. "Blue…"

"Mother Superior and I agreed that you would prefer a souvenir from your little adventure." Rumple winked at his apprentice as she slowly closed the box shut. "Keep it – just in case you do actually need her magic. You can keep her under control, and without her heart, she will never truly be free."

Regina clutched the box to her abdomen. She didn't want the heart in her possession – the idea of having such a reminder of her past was haunting, but as it beat within the restriction of the box, she reminded herself why it needed to be there. She reminded herself why she could never return it. With one wave of her hand, the box disappeared from her hand to her empty hideout beneath her family burial vault, where it would remain until they needed it - should they ever need it.

"Thank you, Rumple." She offered him a genuine smile before he nodded his head to take his leave.

Then, she was alone again. That was until Emma's voice echoed around her head.

'Please don't be mad at me for doing this,' Regina couldn't resist the temptation to roll her eyes or even grin at the sound of her love's voice. 'I just needed to hear your voice before we do this.'

'You're not getting second thoughts, are you, Miss Swan?'

'No chance.' There was a momentary pause while Regina spotted that Kathryn had rejoined her and stood staring at her questioningly. She tapped her temple with a wink, prompting Kathryn to laugh and shake her head. She sauntered over to the edge of the brunette's large bed and took a seat to watch Regina's animated facial expressions as she listened to Emma in her head. 'I just wanted to tell you that I love you… And that I hope I'm enough for you.'

'Emma Swan, you will always be enough for me. You're my happy ending. So, I'm sorry to tell you, but you're stuck with me.'

'Even though I'm damaged goods?'

'You are not damaged goods, Emma. To me, you're perfect, and I wouldn't have it any other way.'

There was another pregnant pause for a moment. 'I'll see you soon, okay?'

'Okay. I love you, Emma.'

'I love you too, 'Gina.'

Regina rolled her eyes at the sound of Emma's voice in her head. It was obvious that Emma would be smirking to herself on the other side of the mansion as her mother helped her with her final adjustments. Hearing Emma's voice was comforting; she needed the security and reassurance to even have the confidence to walk herself down the aisle again, even though she knew how different it would be this time. The last time she found herself walking down the aisle, there had been no one on her arm to give her away, but this time, she would have her son on her arm willingly handing her over to his birth mother. This time, she would be surrounded by people she called her friends and family instead of a ballroom full of strangers that simply wanted to catch a glimpse at the King's teenage bride. This time, she would willingly be saying 'I do' to the love of her life – to her Saviour.

The bedroom door opened again, revealing Henry, Charlotte and Ashley with beaming grins on their faces. Charlotte's dressed matched Ashley and Kathryn's, while Henry's dark grey suit was accented with a light grey cravat that paired him with the bridesmaids.

"Are you ready, mom?" Henry asked with his ring pillow stuffed under his arm. He stood multiple inches taller than he had done a year ago, and now, he seemed to tower over his older sister by at least two inches. The sight before her was enough for Regina to begin to tear up again.

She swiftly nodded, hoping to rid herself of the tears that were quickly forming in her eyes. "As I'll ever be, darling." She smiled at her children and pulled them both into her arms. Where she had previously been able to wrap her arms around their shoulders, she found herself barely being able to even wrap her arms around Charlotte's shoulders, let alone Henry's. With an arm wrapped around Henry's waist and an arm high around Charlotte's shoulders she pulled them as close as physically possible, grounding herself to her children.

"Ma is already waiting in position in the tent – we're just waiting on you now." He told her with his deep voice.

"And Amira? Is she ready?"

"Granny's got her – she's going to take her seat as soon as we get there." Charlotte told her as the three eventually came out of their embrace. She handed her mother a bouquet of white roses. "Everything is ready. Ruby and Belle will walk first, followed by Ma and Charming, then I'll walk Amira down, Kathryn and Ashley will be behind us, then it's you and Henry."

Regina took a deep breath and accepted Henry's arm when he offered it to her, and followed her bridesmaids out of the bedroom for the last time as a single woman.

*#*#*#*

Emma held her breath and gripped tightly onto her father's arm as she heard the music begin to echo through the huge white tent that Rumple had erected in the garden of the mansion for the wedding. The entire thing had been enchanted to play music at appropriate times, redecorate for the reception and after party, and even triple in size on the inside. It was big enough to accommodate the entire town inside, but Emma and Regina had managed to cut the guest list down to a hundred of their closest friends and family; it would have been a quarter of that, but with Snow's input and complete control over the entire day, the two women threw in the towel and agreed to allow her to plan the entire thing while they skived off doing other things.

With a squeeze of her arm, Charming motioned for Emma to start their walk down the aisle towards Archie, who had agreed to officiate their wedding. She gripped tightly onto the stems of her bouquet and forced out a nervous smile as her stomach flipped with excitement and utter terror. The short walk from the entrance of the tent to the perch at the other end felt like an eternity for the blonde as she glided down on her father's arm. After her brief conversation with Regina, most of her nerves had dissipated, aside from the ones she held over messing up her vows or even falling down the aisle still resided in the pit of her stomach. When they finally reached Archie and her two bridesmaids at the front of the tent, Charming pressed a kiss to his daughter's cheek, and happily took his seat beside his wife, leaving Emma at the altar to wait for the rest of their wedding party.

She was quickly joined by Charlotte and Amira, who took their positions beside Belle and Ruby after Amira had thrown her petals everywhere and tossed a handful at her blonde mother, just for good luck. The onlookers all giggled and awed at Amira's little performance as she grinned back at them from her position on Charlotte's hip. Next came Ashley and Kathryn, who both elegantly sauntered down the aisle and took their positions opposite Emma's bridesmaids. And that's when Emma's nerves truly kicked in. She knew that Henry and Regina were next, and suddenly it was all becoming incredibly real.

As the bridal march echoed again, Emma watched as their audience all turned in their seats to catch a first glimpse at Regina as she elegantly glided from behind the entrance of the tent and into Emma's line of sight. She looked radiantly stunning, and everyone knew it. A few gasps travelled throughout the tent as they marvelled at Regina's sweetheart dress and glistening bodice that caught every bit of light that shone into it. At first, like everyone else, Emma had noticed every detail of her future wife's stunning dress, until she spotted her blushing bride. A deep shade of crimson radiated from Regina's chest, while a delicate pink appeared beneath her make-up. In Emma's eyes, the raw emotion that pulsated from Regina's face was the most stunning thing to see. Her heart skipped a beat when Henry kissed his adoptive mother on the cheek before joining Kathryn and Ashley, who had taken their bouquets immediately.

"Hi," Regina whispered when she came face to face with the blonde, who was now grinning like a mad fool.

"Hi," Emma laughed at her as their wedding party's chatter began to die down. "You look amazing."

"As do you, my love." Regina matched Emma's grin as she took Emma's hands in her own.

Archie cleared his throat to gain the attention of the entire wedding party. Silence fell as his voice projected through the enchanted tent and the lighting dimmed to create a comfortable aura.

"We are gathered here today to witness the union of two very special women; Regina Mills and Emma Swan. Exactly a year ago to this day, our little town of Storybrooke was changed forever when Emma and Regina shared their first kiss." Archie paused momentarily for a few whispers throughout the party. "We were fortunate enough to have witnessed these two women fall in love in the toughest times; they found their light within the darkness, and managed to return Storybrooke to its peaceful past."

Many people in the wedding party nodded and agreed that without Emma and Regina's kiss of true love, they never would have seen the endless possibilities in finally uniting the town as one.

"Marriage is a special place, the sheltered environment in which we can endlessly explore ourselves in the presence of another and in which we can offer the possibility of true reflection of another. As the writer Richard Bach has so beautifully stated, 'A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks. When we feel safe enough to open the locks, our truest selves step out and we can be completely and honestly who we are; we can be loved for who we are and not for who we're pretending to be. Each unveils the best part of the other. No matter what else goes wrong around us, with that one person we're safe in our own paradise. Our soulmate is someone who shares our deepest longings, our sense of direction… Our soulmate is the one who makes life come to life.'

"Emma and Regina, I remind you that marriage is a precious gift, a lifelong dedication to love and a daily challenge to love one another more fully and more freely. In this, you are given someone to love; someone to trust; someone to confide in when you need it most."

Emma and Regina's eyes locked together as they smiled at how appropriate Archie had made their wedding ceremony. It was then, that both women knew what was coming next. The nerves that had been building between them merely grew as Archie continued his service.

"Do you, Emma Swan, take Regina Mills, to be your beloved wife, knowing in your heart that you will be a faithful friend, and a loving companion? On this special day, in the presence of family and friends as witnesses, do you give your sacred vow that you will always be with Regina and support her, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow? Do you promise to love her completely, to console and comfort her during difficult times, to laugh with her and to grieve with her, to share with her life's simplest but most enduring pleasures, to be truthful and honest with her, and to cherish her, for as long as you both shall live?"

Emma swallowed thickly, feeling her chest constrict and her heart pound rapidly in her chest. She squeezed Regina's hands in her own and attempted to nod the tears out of her eyes. "I do," she all but croaked with a toothy smile.

"And do you Regina Mills, take Emma Swan, to be your beloved wife, knowing in your heart that you will be a faithful friend, and a loving companion? On this special day, in the presence of family and friends as witnesses, do you give your sacred vow that you will always be with Emma and support her, in times of sickness and in times of health, in times of joy and in times of sorrow? Do you promise to love her completely, to console and comfort her during difficult times, to laugh with her and to grieve with her, to share with her life's simplest but most enduring pleasures, to be truthful and honest with her, and to cherish her, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," Regina replied confidently without missing a beat, even though she could feel her heart race faster than she ever believed possible. She refused to take her locked eyes away from the blonde's glowing green ones, knowing that they were the only anchor she had to stop herself from bursting into uncontrollable tears, even if they were tears of happiness.

"Emma and Regina have chosen to read their own vows to one another as they offer each other their rings." He paused for a moment and glanced over at Henry, who had already positioned his mothers' rings on the cushion. "Emma and Regina's rings are an external and visible sign of the internal and spiritual bond of love which unites their two hearts. May they serve as a seal of the vows Emma and Regina have made to one another. Bless these rings, symbols of eternity, beauty and strength. Bless the couple who give them and wear them—may they ever live in harmony, unity, love, and happiness from this day forward.

"Emma, if you would please read your vows to Regina."

The blonde nodded and cleared her throat. She had been practicing her vows for weeks, so in her heart she knew them, but whether she could perform them was another thing. "I choose you, Regina, to stand by your side and sleep in your arms." Emma stuttered slightly before taking a deep breath. She looked up at Regina, to see the brunette grinning, as if she were trying to encourage Emma to continue; so she did. "To be joy to your heart and food for your soul. To learn with you and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other. May we have many more adventures and grow old together."

Regina's smile only grew as Emma took her ring from the pillow and slowly slid it onto her waiting finger. Her mind couldn't help but think of the ring's weightless feel in comparison to her first marriage. Just the small symbol of connection had gone from being a bad thing of the past for Regina, to being a beautiful thing that she knew would only make her stronger in years to come.

"And Regina, if you would read your own vows to Emma." Archie asked as soon as Regina's ring sat perfectly on her finger.

"Emma, I love you unconditionally and without hesitation. I vow to love you, encourage you, trust you, and respect you. As a family, we will create a home filled with learning, laughter, and compassion." She glanced over Emma's shoulder to see Charlotte and Amira watching her intently with smiles that matched her own and Emma's. She even felt Henry's comforting hand on the small of her back, reminding her how far they had all come to be in such a loving and wonderful position. "I promise to work with you to foster and cherish a relationship of equality knowing that together we will build a life far better than either of us could imagine alone. Today, I choose you to be my wife. I love you for everything you are, and I offer myself in return. I will care for you, stand beside you, and share with you all of life's adversities and all of its joys from this day forward, and all the days of my life."

This time, Regina took Emma's ring from the pillow and offered it to the blonde's finger. It slid towards her knuckles in a perfect fit. Glancing up, Regina smiled lovingly at the woman she called her own, and resisted herself from actually pulling the blonde towards her and engulfing her in a premature kiss.

"Emma and Regina," Archie began again, this time indulging in his own smile that was on par with everyone else's in the wedding party. "By the power invested in me, I now pronounce you Mrs and Mrs Swan-Mills. You now may kiss your bride."

Emma wasted no time in pulling Regina's body flush against her own and wrapping her hand around the brunette's exposed neck to pull her into a passionate and meaningful kiss. As their lips collided together with a crash, the ground beneath their feet shook and a bright flash of light emitted directly from the centre of the kiss. The two women were far too pre-occupied and amused to actually do anything about what happened for a moment. When they slowly parted from one another's lips, Emma chuckled and pressed her forehead against her wife's.

"Did we just break another curse with true love's kiss?" She asked as their wedding party divided between irritated sighs or exasperated laughs.

"Trust me, I think we just broke more than just one curse, darling."

fin.