*****THIS IS A DOUBLE UPDATE! PLEASE READ THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER BEFORE YOU GO ON!*****

A/N: Finally! The long awaited conclusion. I hope you enjoy it.

If you are interested at all, I made a play list for this on my youtube account that includes the song the story title is from, as well as the individual chapter titles. As a special treat, it also has the songs that stood for chapters that either were omitted or merged into the ones you see here. I recommend you give it a listen. Sometimes the tone of the song, a lyric, or something about how it made me feel is what inspired it to be a part of this story.

Remove the spaces and change the words in ALL CAPS to what they say and this link should work: www DOT youtube DOT com SLASH playlist?list= PL5jiICxl56bFfvrxWtMG7Rtym8l-WrjGT

Emma stood dumbfounded, staring at the spot where Regina had been sitting as the final wisps of her magic faded away as if they'd never been there. Hands firmly on her hips, Emma looked up at the ceiling and growled.

"God dammit, Regina. Where'd you go?"

Jogging across the hall, Emma grabbed her socks, boots and leather jacket and headed down the stairs.

"Henry? Kid? Where are you?"

The boy peeked his head out of the living room where he'd been watching television and waiting patiently for everything to be ok. "Uh, I'm right here. Is… is, uh… you know… is everything ok?"

Emma eyed him for a moment before just asking. "Do you have your memories or what?"

The boy smiled and sprang toward her, locking his arms around her in a hug. "Yes! Do you? Of course you do! This is great! I knew it would work. I told Mom it would." Letting her go, he looked back up the stairs. "Where's Mom?"

"Hell if I know, Kid. She gave me a speech, kissed me and poofed away." Emma sat on the bottom step and set about putting on her boots.

"Poofed? Oh no. What did you do, Ma?" Henry frowned at his mother.

"What did I do? I didn't do anything. One minute I was drinking coffee, the next minute she was kissing me and my memories came back. Why do you assume I did something?" Emma grunted trying to force her foot into a too tightly laced boot.

"Well, I assume that because she poofed. You must have done something to upset her. She was terrified as it was to try for True Love's kiss because she was sure you'd go all weird—" The boy arched a brow, looking for all the world like Regina. "You acted weird, didn't you?"

"No." Emma stood and slipped on her jacket. "I mean… maybe. I… I dunno. I just acted like a person who just got their memories back after a year because someone who they thought hated them confessed to being in love with them. I'd say if I remained conscious I handled it pretty well."

The two of them just stood staring at each other a long moment, considering the situation. Henry broke the silence.

"She told you she loved you?"

"Yeah. She did. And before I could process it all, she just… poofed. And now I don't know where in the hell she is. I need to talk to her before she shuts me out completely. I just don't know where—" Emma stopped abruptly in midsentence. "I think I know where she is. Call your grandparents and let them know I have my memories and then you stay here until I come back, ok?"

"Ok but… Ma! Where are you going?" Henry called after Emma's retreating form as she jogged down the walk toward the street.

"I'm going to get your mother and tell her I love her too."

~ (SQ) ~

Emma stumbled down the stone steps into Regina's underground vault. She had exactly zero doubt that she would find the other woman here.

"Regina?" Her voice echoed in the empty rooms. "Regina? Are you down here?"

She waited two beats but heard nothing in response. She looked in the main chamber, full of Regina's magical elements. She wasn't there. She wandered past rows of hearts and into a chamber where Henry Sr., and Cora were laid to rest. Still no Regina.

Emma frowned. Had she misjudged the brunette so fully? She was certain this is the place she would have gone seeking solace from a supposed rejection. But it was evident she wasn't here after all. Maybe she was in her office? Or in the woods? She could be anywhere really.

Defeated, Emma headed to the steps that led back to the surface. She stopped on the bottom step when a feeling crashed into her. She couldn't see her… but Regina was there. She was sure of it.

"Regina? I know you are down here somewhere. I don't know why you are hiding from me but I'm not going to push. When you are ready to talk about… well… the kiss and everything that means I'll be at your house, sitting on the top step in the foyer, waiting for you to come home."

She paused another moment but still she heard nothing. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she wasn't feeling Regina's presence there at all. Sighing heavily, Emma started up the steps again. A voice behind her stopped her.

"Emma, wait. I'm… I'm here."

Clambering back down the steps, Emma looked around for the woman. At the end of the hall a door which had only just been a mirror a second ago was now slightly ajar, light spilling from it.

"Well, don't just stand there. Come in before I change my mind." Regina's disembodied voice called from beyond the door and Emma quickly made her way to it and entered the room.

She was shocked to see a large room, decorated in Regina's black and white style. One wall was covered in all manner of mirrors. Toward the back on one side was a large painting of a horse, and a saddle sat displayed before it. In another spot, several dresses that Emma could only assume belonged to the Evil Queen were displayed on mannequins.

Dominating the room was a snow white replica of Regina's beloved apple tree. Emma grinned a lopsided grin at the thought of anything in Regina's life being referred to as 'snow white' given the less than healthy relationship the two women had had for over three decades.

"I'm glad something about my most prized possessions is so amusing to you, Miss Swan." Regina's full on mayoral voice filled the air.

"Yeah, it was just something about the tree. I didn't realize how important that is to you. And now I feel like shit all over again for taking a chainsaw to it even if you deserved it at the time. I'm sorry about that, Regina." Emma turned to see Regina, still in her gray robe, sitting on a small couch near the entrance and behind the door that was slowly closing.

"Well, thank you for the apology although, it doesn't really matter anymore… does it?" Regina was stiff, her tone clipped.

Emma knew she had gotten here just in time. Given another hour and Regina would have completely rebuilt her walls and shut Emma out. "Yeah. It does matter. That was a shitty thing to do and I'm… I'm sorry."

Regina shrugged. "Forget about it. I suppose I did deserve it. I certainly did everything I could to be… shitty to you, if I can borrow your crass descriptor."

Emma just nodded and scuffed her toe on the stone floor beneath her. She had to handle this with finesse or risk ruining everything before there was even anything to ruin.

"Those your dresses from the Enchanted Forest?" The blonde dipped her head in the direction of the ornate gowns. Regina merely nodded her acknowledgement. "You must've been something else in those. Especially that one." Emma indicated a red and black gown with black plumage around the collar. The plunging neckline and ostentatious jewelry drew her attention in particular.

"Well, they were designed with two things in mind. One, I wanted to be terrifying to those who could be controlled by fear. And two, I wanted to display my sexual prowess to those who could be controlled by lust. I had quite a hold on my subjects for the most part." Regina smirked, remembering some of the tight leather pants, low cut tops and form fitting dresses she had worn in her reign as queen.

Emma nodded again, unsure how to go on.

"Miss Swan, why are you here? Certainly your mother will have organized a parade and potluck supper to celebrate your return by now." Regina feigned disinterest and studied her finger nails as if they were far more important than anything Emma could say.

Emma barked out a laugh. "You know, for someone you claim not to like, you sure do know her pretty well."

Regina arched a brow at that. "Haven't you heard, dear? Keep your friends close… and your enemies closer."

"So you two are still feuding after a year in the Enchanted Forest? How'd you guys get back here anyway?" Emma was suddenly very curious about the year she had missed. "And is my mom pregnant? How did that happen?"

Regina looked up with a wicked smile. "Now surely I don't need to explain that to you, Emma."

Feeling the tension momentarily ease, both women laughed at the idea. "No. I think I've got that one down. But… seriously. Are you two still at odds or… what?"

Regina's laughter quieted and her face became somber. "No. We aren't fighting anymore. We… well, we had something in common when we arrived back in our old land and I guess we decided to bury the hatchet for good. She became quite important to me in the last year. Though if you tell her that I said that I will end you, Swan."

Emma held up two placating hands. "Hey now! No need to start baking turnovers yet. I'm not going to say a word."

The women smiled at the joke. It seemed so long ago now that it no longer carried a sting like it once had.

"So… what are you doing here, Emma?" The vulnerability in Regina's eyes, the quake in her soft voice made Emma's heart melt in her chest. Without another thought, she crossed the space between them and sat on the edge of the little sofa beside the brunette.

"Well… to be honest, about an hour ago I had a shower in the bathroom of the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. I had just about decided that, whether or not I was leaving in a week to head back to New York, I was not going to just forget about her. I was willing to try long distance if she was, but I wasn't about to let her go." Emma's eyes never looked away from Regina's.

"I see. But I guess that all changed—"

"Yeah. It did. See, I was just sipping my coffee, wondering how to tell her what I was feeling when out of nowhere she started telling me all this crazy shit. I was beginning to worry for my safety. She sounded nuts. But then… then the most amazing thing happened." The blonde paused, hoping Regina would take the bait.

Brows furrowed with impatience, Regina finally spoke up. "Well, what happened?"

"I'm glad you asked. The woman… she told me she loved me and then she kissed me. Other than giving birth to Henry, it was the single greatest moment of my life. She loved me! Can you imagine? Me! This beautiful, wonderful woman loved me." Emma waited a beat and went on. "And then my mind filled with memories that I had lost and it was a shock. In fact, it was a little scary to realize I had lost a year of my life. And to be honest, realizing that, with my full knowledge of who I was and who she was, that this woman loved me… well it scared the hell out of me."

Regina huffed and made to stand. "Did you just come down here to rub it in my face that you don't want this, Emma? I know you were scared. It was plain on your face. I'm sorry that of all the people in the universe I am the one you got stuck with. It can't be a good feeling to have the Evil Queen for a true love but—"

"Wait!" Emma stood and grabbed Regina by the hand. "Stop. Just… stop. I didn't come to rub anything in your face. And I'm not sorry one bit to be stuck with you. I don't feel stuck at all. Actually for the last thirty years or so I have been stuck in a giant holding pattern, waiting for my life to start. But today… when you kissed me… that was the first time I felt unstuck in my life."

Confusion painted Regina's dark features. "What? What are you saying?"

"I'm saying… I'm saying yeah, alright. I was scared when I realized what was going on. But not because of you being the Evil Queen once upon a time. I don't now nor have I ever seen you as her and you know it. You've always just been Regina to me. I wasn't scared of that. I was scared because for the first time I knew… really knew that things were about to change. You love me and I love you. And for somebody who has never had anyone much to love her… that's pretty scary."

A tiny gasp escaped Regina's throat. "You… you love me?"

"Yeah. I do. I really do. Maybe since the first time I saw you, before things got all mixed up and weird between us. I was about to tell you that when you freaked out and poofed away from—"

"Transported." Regina said dryly.

"What?" Emma said confused.

"Transported. I do not poof. I magically transport." Regina arched a brow.

"Seriously? You are interrupting my declaration of love to talk technicalities of magical terms?" Emma threw her hands up in the air.

Regina grinned and stepped closer to Emma. "Oh. Is that what you were doing, dear? Declaring your love?" There was a pout on her lips and teasing in her tone. "Well, by all means. Do go on."

Emma smiled brightly, pulling Regina flush against her. "Well, now you made me forget what I was about to say. Besides, I'm not in the mood now."

Regina's gaze darkened and her hands smoothed up from Emma's waist and into her golden curls. She purred into Emma's ear. "Not in the mood. That's a shame because I was just about to get in the mood myself… Emma."

The blonde shuddered and threw her head back with a sigh. "That is so unfair. You can't use that voice on me when I'm trying to be difficult."

Regina giggled in a decidedly undignified and certainly un-queen-like manner. "I'm sorry. Please. Go on with your declaration, darling."

Emma smiled, looking deep into chocolate irises. "I love you, Regina. And scary or not, there's nothing and no one in this world or any other that is going to change that."

Regina raised up on the balls of her still bare feet and brushed her lips lightly against Emma's. "Good. Because I love you too, Emma Swan and I'll be damned if anyone is going to get in the way of that ever again. Now, kiss me already."

Emma didn't need to be told twice. The instant their lips met, everything else seemed to fade away. Soft, tender kisses soon gave way to deep, passionate ones and a cloud of purple closed around the women, taking them back to Regina's bedroom… back home.

They couldn't have predicted it when they met that first night but there was no doubt now… they were made for each other and it was as certain as the stars in the night sky. And nothing would ever tear them apart.

This was the happy ending they'd both searched for… each other.