This is it, the true end. Thank you all who followed and favorited, and double thanks to those who reviewed, triple to those who reviewed consistently. Y'all are the real MVPs here let's be real. Dunno what my next project in SQ will be, but I'll be floating around. After I finish applying to grad school anyway. And with that, for a final time, enjoy.

Four Months Later:

Emma stretched and got up from her bed slowly. She yawned widely and flinched at the cold stones below her feet. A wave of her hand and the stone was warm and she smiled. Her magic had actually cooperated. Her hand dropped to her stomach, much bigger in these last few weeks than it had ever been. She rubbed at the stretched skin there as she walked over to the window and pulled back the thick curtains.

Beyond the window the first snow of the season coated the ground. Emma smiled. It looked so beautiful and rather peaceful outside in the first light of day, made all the brighter by the white covering the ground. Emma was glad it had held off until today. She turned back to see Regina sleeping soundly in their bed. She would have hated for Regina to be traveling in bad weather, not like the woman wasn't used to it, but she worried, and not just for herself anymore.

"I wonder if you'll like snow, little one," she said to her belly in a soft voice. "If you're anything like I was when I was younger I'll have a hard time getting you back inside before you catch cold." Emma laughed, smile warm and content on her face.

The baby inside her kicked out. Emma grunted and was reminded why she was up this early in the first place. She wandered to the bathroom and went about her business before slipping back into bed. It was still early, Regina was home after almost a month away, she was going to spend as much time as possible cuddled up to her wife before they had to go about their business.

Regina scooted over to her again unconsciously, murmuring in her sleep at finding Emma cooler than expected. Still her arms drew Emma in, spooning her from behind. Her hand came to rest firmly on Emma's belly, rubbing small circles there.

Emma laid her hand over Regina's. It had been a shock to find out she was pregnant just a few weeks after Cora had been defeated. Neither she nor Regina had known it was possible, but consulting the magic books they had gathered before the fight, they had found out not only was it possible, but with true love couples, especially those with magic, it was common place when the act of sex was completely mentally, physically, and emotionally joining. She wasn't quite sure yet how they were going to keep from having a great many more children if that were the case, but she was sure that between her and Regina they would figure something out.

She perked up at a sound from the outer rooms. She listened closely and recognized those footsteps. With a thought both her and Regina were dressed once more and Emma had her eyes open, waiting for the doors of their bedroom to be pushed open. Sure enough a minute later a mop of brown hair made its way through the door and a few seconds after that Henry was climbing onto the bed with a sheepish expression on his face when he noticed Emma was awake.

"Hi there, kid." She smiled at him.

"Hi, Emma."

She scooted forward and patted the space behind her, between her and Regina, that she had just made. She turned onto her back and looked at Henry as he scrambled to fill the space before Regina could latch on to Emma once more.

Regina grumbled in her sleep once more, but soon enough Henry was wrapped in Regina's arms just as Emma had been a minute before. Henry relaxed visibly back into Regina. Emma reached out and combed her fingers through his hair gently.

"Everything ok?"

He looked away from Emma for a second before shaking his head.

"The nightmare again?"

He nodded.

Emma sighed. He was so young to have such horrible nightmares. Nightmares, not about imaginary monsters under beds, but of real events. Henry had seen them when they had emerged from the battle with Cora, exhausted, covered in blood and bruised. They had made it to the council chambers before they had collapsed and then had not woken up for the better part of week. Magical strain, the doctor had diagnosed after consulting a great many books. For a little boy who viewed Regina as a mother, it was the most frightening sight in the world.

"It's ok, kid, we're right here and not going anywhere anytime soon, ok?"

Emma wondered if their adoption of the little boy becoming official would help soothe his nightmares, but that was still a few weeks off as slow as the nobility worked. They still had yet to ask the boy just in case everything fell through. The nobles would protest that with Emma pregnant there would be no need to adopt, but Emma was prepared for that event. Family did not have to be blood, Regina was proof of that.

"You promise?" Henry asked quietly.

Emma's heart clenched in her chest. She was amazed how much she had come to love this little boy in the last four months. Perhaps it had started even before that, but it was so much stronger now.

She nodded. "If Regina and I have anything to do with it, then yes. We'll do everything in our power to be here for you." And considering they had beaten one of the most powerful witches in the world, even if only by the skin of their teeth, that was quite a bit of power.

"Ok." He snuggled more into Regina and finally shut his eyes.

Emma leaned over and dropped a kiss on his head and then one on Regina's cheek before laying back again in the dim light of dawn. She yawned once and closed her eyes. Sleep reclaimed her a few minutes later.

When she woke again it was much brighter. Henry was curled into her side, but Regina was already up for the day, leaving the other side of the bed empty. Emma frowned. Where in the world was her wife. She pouted. Regina couldn't leave her in bed like this after being away for so long.

She reached out with her magic, seeking Regina. Emma smirked when she found Regina in the bathroom. Well, she supposed, that was acceptable. She settled back again to wait for Regina to emerge.

Ten minutes later Regina came out dressed in a loose white tunic and worn leather breeches, hair still wet from the bath and skin flushed. Emma licked her lips at the sight. She had thought she had gotten enough of Regina last night, but it seemed she most certainly hadn't. She wasn't sure that she ever would, and that was completely fine by her.

"I see someone's awake. Or I suppose, more accurately, I felt that you were awake well before I saw it."

Emma smirked. "Sorry," she said lowly, not wanting to wake Henry just yet. "You weren't allowed to go anywhere after being away for so long."

Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I protest that statement, but still I did not go far. Getting the rest of the trail dust off of me was an important task this morning."

"Fair enough, I suppose."

Regina walked over and sat down beside Emma. She leaned down at kissed Emma gently, with a content sigh. After a second she pulled back and kissed the crown of Henry's head.

"Shall I send for breakfast?"

Emma's stomach growled loudly. She loved food before she was pregnant, but now it seemed like she couldn't get enough at points.

"I think that is a resounding yes," Emma said laughing.

"Be right back."

Emma slipped out of bed as Regina left the room. She walked over to her wardrobe and considered the three dresses she could use now that her belly was so large. At least she wasn't forced into a corset anymore. Besides the fact that she was having a child with her one true love, the no corset thing was probably her favorite part of being pregnant.

Her eyes slipped to the over large breeches and one of her looser tops she could still wear. A smile painted her face. Her wife was back after a long journey. Gods damn it all, today she was going to be comfortable.

She changed as quickly as her larger physique would let her and turned once she was done to find Regina watching her with hungry eyes. It seemed that she wasn't the only one who hadn't quite gotten enough last night.

Emma walked over and kissed Regina lightly. "See something you like?" Most days she felt as large as a house anymore, but Regina's lingering gaze still made her feel wanted even on the worst days.

"I most certainly do." Regina leaned in and stole another kiss. "I'll wake up the little prince if you deal with the servants."

Emma nodded. "Fair deal." She stepped out into the next room while Regina continued into their room.

Five minutes later a girl was knocking on the door to their rooms. Emma let her in and gestured at the little table they'd set up in the last few months for the times Henry was in their rooms during meals. It felt a little bit like her own family meals when she was younger, when all three of them sat at that table. She smiled wistfully as the girl set out the food before curtsying and continuing from the room.

Emma looked towards the bedroom but knew that Henry wasn't going to be up for another few minutes. The kid slept harder than she did, which was impressive. Regina seemed to know just how to wake the boy up so he wasn't cranky. Emma just flailed around and hoped for the best. She'd learned early on that food seemed to calm the grumpiness of the kid on the mornings she woke him up and always brought some bit of food to him. She smiled fondly. The boy was going to eat them out of the palace when he was older, she could feel it.

Another knock sounded from their door. Emma titled her head at the sound and heaved herself up out of the chair. Soon she was going to need Regina just to help her get up, but she wasn't quite there yet. She shuffled to the door and opened it to find her father there smiling.

"Hey there, little bird." He leaned down and kissed the crown of Emma's hair.

She stepped back and let her father into the room. "Hello." She smiled up at him.

He held up a cloth sack. "I brought apples."

"From Regina's tree?" Her eyes went wide.

He nodded. "Of course, where else."

Emma resisted the urge to grab the bag from his hands. The cravings for apples had been persistent for months now. The ones from Regina's tree were the best of all.

"Apple bread will be up here in a little while. I ask cook to make some special." He grinned.

Emma groaned. "You are the best Father, ever."

"I try."

Regina walked from their bedroom, Henry trailing behind her quietly with the most adorable bed head. "Good morning, David. Will you be joining us?"

"If you don't mind."

"Of course not."

From the looks of it Regina had already planned for it since there were four plates on the table instead of three. Her wife knew her father so well. They truly were a little family. Emma couldn't quite believe it, even now. The struggle for peace had been so long that these last four months hadn't seemed real.

They all sat at the table and dug into the meal. Regina started to talk about her trip, amended greatly, no doubt, for the fact that Henry was with them. The boy would have to learn the realities of ruling soon enough, but for now the things he learned in his lessons were enough. He didn't need to know about the very real dangers his mothers faced every day.

Emma listened to Regina's voice, calm and soothing. She wasn't really absorbing anything Regina was saying, content to just listen to the sound of her wife's voice. She would have the full report from Regina later at the day's council meeting and then whatever stories Regina wished to share with her later now that the more urgent aspects of homecoming had passed.

She bit into an apple at the end of her meal, humming as a bit of juice flowed down her chin. She wiped it away just as Regina paused in her story to send her a loving and amused glance. Emma just shrugged at her wife with a smile before going back to eating her apple.

They all sat for a few minutes after everyone was done before the conversation lulled into silence. Regina looked over at Henry.

"I believe that someone has lessons that need to be attended."

Henry groaned but got up without protest and started to walk towards the doors of the room. David got up and followed him.

"Don't worry, kiddo, after your lessons maybe we can have target practice."

Henry lit up at that. David looked back over his shoulder to make sure Regina approved. Regina just rolled her eyes and nodded. David wasn't as good of a shot as either Emma or Regina, but he was a very patient teacher who had more time on his hands than either Emma or Regina. Henry in turn, thought his adoptive grandfather was perhaps the coolest man alive. It warmed Emma's heart to see them together and bonding as they were.

The two men in their lives walked out of the doors together, making plans for later. The door shut behind them and Emma turned to Regina. She smiled at her wife and reached out across the table to cup Regina's face gently. Regina leaned into the touch and Emma smiled wider.

"Ready for today's council meeting?" She brushed her thumb lightly over Regina's cheekbone.

Regina grumbled but nodded slowly, careful not to dislodge Emma's hand. "I could do without the thousand questions they will have for me, but it's what must be done."

"At least with winter set in you won't have to make another trip for a while." She put her hand on her stomach. "Not that anyone would begrudge you staying now anyway." If Emma had counted right their child was due right in the heart of the winter, perhaps if they were lucky it would be leaning towards spring, but Emma thought not. The White Kingdom was not known for mild winters. Emma smiled, perhaps the kid would have a birthday close to Regina's, that would be just too cute to handle.

"What has you smiling?" Regina looked at her curiously, a soft expression on her face.

"Thinking about when our baby will be born. If we've counted right she'll be born sometime near your birthday. I think it would be cute if both of you had a birthday in the same month."

Regina smiled softly at that. "As long as she's not born on my birthday. I want her to have her own special day."

Emma laughed. "It would be a hell of a birthday gift to you, though."

Regina snorted. "I would rather not spend my birthday worried out of my mind for the both of you."

Emma stood and walked over to Regina, leaning down carefully to kiss the other woman. No matter what Regina's next birthday would be a big celebration. Her last one had been lost in the red haze of the spell Cora had cast on them and Emma would not neglect it again.

"Well, hopefully she'll cooperate then." Emma stopped for a second. She had started using female pronouns to refer to the baby. When had that started? She hadn't even noticed it, but now that she thought about it, it fit for some unexplainable reason. A little girl with Regina's hair and eyes and her smile. The image was perfect.

Regina leaned down and kissed the fabric over Emma's stomach gently. "Yes, well, with two very stubborn mothers I'm not so sure she'll obey our wishes, but we can always hope." Her wife stood and looped an arm around Emma's waist. "But for now, let's get this meeting over with. I want to see your father trying to teach Henry how to shoot when he really can't hit the broad side of a barn himself."

Emma nudged Regina with her hip. "Hey! He can hit the broad side of a barn…just maybe not much else."

They laughed together as they exited the room and made their way down to the council chambers. Emma sighed as she stepped into the heavily warded room. After their fight with Cora the room felt safer to Emma. Perhaps it was because now she felt a little bit of her and Regina's magic woven through the wards. They could do nothing with the magic still, it was too ancient even with their magic mixed, but it felt nice to be part of the magic. As much magic as they had expended during the fight against Cora and her army, Emma wasn't surprised. Regina thought the wards had used the excess magic to strengthen themselves after a drought of magical energy around them. No matter why, the room had become a place of true power for Emma in a way that it hadn't been before.

Her council was sitting at the table, ready and waiting for her. Emma walked as regally as she could while pregnant and sat in her seat at the head of the table. Regina took her seat beside Emma and took Emma's free hand once more. Emma looked out at the council and nodded once.

Lord Rochester spoke up first and the meeting continued as normal until everyone had a turn to air what projects they were working on and whatever problems they may be having. Emma addressed each with her normal cool before moving on. She was glad that work had slowed down for the winter once more. She placed her other hand on her stomach for a second before taking notes again. At least their daughter would come in the middle of winter so Emma would have a few weeks to spend wholly with her before returning to work at least part time.

When the council members were done they all turned to Regina, waiting for the woman to speak up about her trip. Emma turned to her wife as well.

Regina took the hint easily. "The Dark Kingdom seems to be recovering admirably. The remnants of my Mothers' army have either pledged their allegiance to me as the rightful heir to the kingdom or they have been discharged and banished from the kingdom. The reputation of the kingdom keep anyone from attacking and should for a great while as their intelligence reports reflect. The peasants seem happy with the change for now, though that's probably because of the lighter taxes, though I will take anything I will get. Lord Roderic is settling in nicely to his role as our regent there. There were tensions at first over his rule, but he proved himself without a word from me about how to handle the situation. All in all, the joining of the two kingdoms is shaping up nicely. I think the only way the situation could be improved was if our kingdoms actually adjoined, but that is a problem that does not have a solution and so I believe it will work out admirably as it is. Money was brought back from the rather over filling coffers of the Dark Kingdom and I do not think the White Kingdom will have to worry about finances for a great while provided that the money is managed wisely."

Emma smiled at that little detail. They had labored for a few weeks after they had woken up to try and figure out just what to do with the Dark Kingdom. As they had conquered Cora, it was technically theirs, especially since Regina was the heir to the throne. One of the major selling points of taking the Dark Kingdom and uniting it with the White Kingdom had been the fact that the Dark Kingdom had very healthy finances and could be used to help the White Kingdom. It had been a selling point for Emma, really.

Regina had been harder to convince. She did not want to rule her homeland. And so they had come up with a compromise. A regent would rule in their stead until such time as one of their children could take the throne their instead. Lord Roderic had been the obvious choice, loyal to a fault and one of the more respected members of the council. If Lord William had been younger, Emma would have appointed him, but the old man was too frail for the job and Emma valued him too much for him to leave her side. The fact that everything seemed to be working out nicely was wonderful.

She squeezed Regina's hand and looked out on the council, waiting for their questions, but there really were none for the moment. She knew Regina had more intricate notes from her time setting up Lord Roderic as their reagent and those would be shared eventually. First Emma would get the whole story privately, of course, but for now it seemed that the council had dollar signs in their eyes and that was that. She was sure they would snap out of it eventually, but for now the silence was blessed.

Emma stood. "Well then gentlemen. If that is all then I believe we may break for the day. As always your efforts have been appreciated."

Regina stood beside her and they both swept from the room. Emma guided them back to their rooms where she grabbed her heaviest cloak and then threw another at Regina. She wrapped it around her neck and smiled at the feel of soft fur against her skin.

"If I know my father and Henry, they'll already be out shooting."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Two and a half hours is not long enough for Henry to have gotten through all of his lessons for the day."

Emma laughed. She walked up and kissed her wife. "No, but I don't think one day of cut lessons will hurt him, do you? He is a bright boy after all."

"Fine, but your father better not make a habit of it."

It was Emma's turn to roll her eyes. "You know as well as I do that he doesn't make a habit of it. It's a special day because you're back."

Regina softened at that, but only slightly.

"Come on, my knight, let's go watch the carnage from a safe distance and clap when Henry gets the arrow anywhere near the target." She tugged on Regina's arm until they were both walking out of the room, through the halls and into a world of white.

She led them to the archery area in the yard and sure enough her father and Henry were standing there in the snow, bundled up in cloaks and furs. David was bent down to show Henry how to anchor his drawing hand to his mouth to have more consistent shots. Henry was listening intently with a cute scowl on his face that looked too much like Regina to be believed. Emma smiled at the picture of her father and her soon official son.

She stopped Regina a little ways off, letting her father and Henry have their own little moment. She looked up at the motion on the palace walls. Soldiers were hanging one of the Dark Kingdom's banners that Regina had brought back with her right beside the White Kingdom banner that had always hung over the entrance to the yards. Emma bit her lip. They looked rather right together, side by side, the dark and the light.

She looked over at Regina. She supposed it was only fitting that the dark and the light were joined. She wrapped her arm around Regina, digging under her cloak and pressing her body to Regina's warmth. Regina hummed at the close contact as Henry pulled back his bow, anchoring it just as David had shown him a second before. He let the arrow fly and it flew straight and true, hitting the target at the very bottom. It was progress from the last time her father had had the boy out here.

Her hand settled on her stomach and she smiled as both her and Regina moved forward as one person. Their hair falling around their shoulders delicately, getting dusted with snow in the wintry day, and mixing together, light blonde with dark brown.

Henry looked up with a huge smile on his face as he caught the movement out of the side of his eyes. He pointed and shouted jumping a little bit in place. Emma smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. Regina's compliments were much more vocal as they came closer.

"Good job, darling, you're improving so rapidly."

David puffed out his chest. "It's because he has such a wonderful teacher."

Emma laughed and shoved her father gently. "Of course it is." She glanced back at the banner of the Dark Kingdom, flowing freely now in the winter wind. Perhaps it wasn't what she had envisioned for her kingdom when she was a Princess, and this life wasn't what she had seen for herself either, but wrapped around Regina and standing in front of her father and son with her hand resting just above her daughter, she thought maybe there was something to the myth of fate.

She looked at Regina. Or perhaps there were just amazing people and life ended up how it would. She couldn't say which idea she favored more, but either way, for now, everything was ok.