Chapter Thirty

"I should have listened to you," Emma said, pacing in front of the couch where Regina sat, holding Henry close to her. "You told me this was going to happen and I said everything would be fine. This isn't fine. Nothing's fine, Regina. Half the town wants you dead."

"Emma!" Regina gasped, drawing Emma's attention to her as she motioned her head in Henry's direction. "Everything is fine, Emma. People are just confused and upset."

Emma wanted to protest, but Regina was right. She couldn't talk like this in front of Henry.

"Right. Right. Regina, you're right. David said they just need a leader, and that's what he's gonna do, lead them. It'll be fine. Everything will be fine," Emma shrugged, though she was anything but relaxed at the moment.

Her mind raced with what to do next. She supposed she and Regina could take Henry and leave Storybrooke, since they were the only ones who could. But then again, what if that was no longer the case now that the curse broke? What if someone could follow them? Surely they weren't just going to let Regina waltz out of here-

"Emma!" Regina said, snapping her out of her thoughts and stopping her mid-pace. "Please come here and sit down."

Sighing, Emma made her way over and took the empty spot on the other side of Regina. "How are you so calm?" Emma asked, as Regina took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"Like I said, I don't care what any of those people think of me. I only care about Henry, and you."

"Wait," Henry said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously on his mother's hand. "Mom… why are you holding Emma's hand? What-"

Henry was cut off by a sudden knock at the door, and if it weren't for the fear that this was yet another angry mob, Emma would have been grateful for the interruption. "I'll get it," she said, jumping to her feet before Regina had a chance to stop her.

To her relief, there was no mob at the door, just David and Mary Margaret, looking concerned.

"Emma," Mary Margaret breathed, her eyes looking like she might burst into tears at any moment.

A part of Emma wanted to reach out and hug them both. They were the parents she'd wondered about her whole life, the parents she'd been searching for and whom she longed for. But another part of her was wary, even if she knew it wasn't their fault they had to give her up. It had taken her years to painstakingly enact her walls, and she wasn't sure she was quite ready to let them down.

And finally, the biggest part of her just wanted to put her own emotional struggle on the back burner, and worry about Regina's safety alone. Afterall, she'd just finally gotten what she'd wanted for so long, she wasn't about to give this up without a fight.

So she crossed her arms. "If you're here for Regina-"

"We're not," David insisted, holding his hands up in surrender. "At least, not to harm her. But we do need to figure this out."

Emma shook her head instinctively. "There's nothing to figure out. I don't care what world you all come from or what she did, you're not punishing her for it. She doesn't deserve it."

Mary Margaret visibly bristled, but David spoke again. "Emma, I… Mary Margaret, uh, your mother has… let me in on your… relationship with Regina," he said, and Emma wasn't sure if he was trying to tread lightly or he was just in shock. "And though it's not something I can understand-"

"I can," Mary Margaret cut in, suddenly, though she still sounded wary.

"You can?" Emma asked, scrunching up her nose in utter confusion.

"Well, maybe not your relationship, but…" Mary Margaret sighed. "Before all of this happened, before she cursed us and tried to have us killed, I loved her. I… I absolutely adored her, Emma, so yes… I can understand. Even if I don't necessarily think it's for the best."

"Ahem," Regina cleared her throat behind her and Emma spun around in surprise, having not heard her approaching. "Would you like to come in?"

Emma could hear the coldness and distrust in Regina's voice, but she didn't miss how Mary Margaret's eyes lit up at the invitation, even if she hesitated actually stepping inside.

"It's fine, Snow," Regina continued, rolling her eyes. "I don't have magic here. You're safe. And I wouldn't hurt you in front of my son even if I wanted to."

"Oh," Mary Margaret said, suddenly looking at Emma with a bright smile. "Henry! He's your son, which makes him-"

Emma opened her mouth to correct her, but Henry dashed in front of her, nearly knocking Mary Margaret over with a hug. Emma glanced over at Regina and met her eyes over Henry's head, but whatever was going on in her head, Emma couldn't read it on her face.

But Emma knew, this was the moment that Regina had been fearing; the moment when Henry could decide that he wanted a new life, with his hero mother and his hero grandparents. And though Emma knew she'd never let that happen, it didn't matter, but Regina needed Henry to choose her, still, even when there was another option for him.

Behind her, Emma could hear Mary Margaret telling Henry he was right all along, and David lamenting that they hadn't listened to him sooner, but it was when the Enchanted Forest was mentioned that Henry's smile faded, and he backed away.

"We can't go there," Henry said, taking a step closer to Emma and Regina.

"But Henry," Mary Margaret said, looking confused. "It's our home. Isn't this what you wanted? The curse to be broken so we could all go home?"

Henry shook his head. "No… no… I wanted everyone to remember, but…" he turned and looked at Regina. "This is my home."

"This is my home, too," Emma stated, before either of her parents could say another word. "Henry and I… neither of us grew up there. We don't know that world."

"Right," Henry agreed, nodding vigorously. "And… and it's not safe."

"Of course it is," Mary Margaret said with a laugh. "Henry, we'll live in a palace."

"But what about my mom? In that world… she's the Evil Queen and that's the only way anyone's ever going to see her. But here… she's my mom."

Emma watched the small smile forming on Regina's lips.

"There's no way back, anyway," Regina said, stepping forward and putting a hand on Henry's shoulders. "At least not that I know of. You're welcome to try if you want, but my son's not going and neither am I."

"And neither am I," Emma chimed in, and Regina turned to smile at her.

"And neither is Emma," Regina confirmed.

"I do kind of like indoor plumbing," David acknowledged. "And heat. Heat is nice. And TV. Cellphones, too."

Mary Margaret sighed. "Point taken, David. But we still have to figure out what to do about the rest of Storybrooke. Our people want answers, and justice."

"They want peace of mind," Regina corrected. "And you can give them that. Tell them that it's better to stay here and they'll listen to you. You're their beloved princess Snow White, after all."

"And what about when they ask about you?" Mary Margaret asked.

"We'll tell them Emma has placed her under house arrest," David suggested. "She doesn't have magic and the Sheriff is keeping a close eye. We'll get everyone focused on being reunited and getting settled, and we'll go from there."

"You'd do that for me?" Regina asked, surprised.

David shrugged. "Well, for you, exactly. But I'd like for Snow and I to get to know our daughter, and I have a feeling that won't happen if we don't ensure your safety."

Regina nodded. "Fair enough."

Mary Margaret sighed, and Emma could tell it wasn't exactly the solution she'd been hoping for, so she decided to attempt to wrap the conversation up quickly. "So, it's settled then? You and David will take care of your people and I'll stay here with Regina?"

"You don't really need to stay here, do you, Emma?" Mary Margaret asked. "I mean, if the town thinks Regina's under house arrest, she doesn't need the Sheriff watching over her. You can come with us, and Henry, too. We'll call a meeting at town hall and-"

Emma shook her head. "No. I would prefer to stay here, for now. Not to watch Regina, but to make sure she's safe. You don't need my help with a town meeting."

"Can I still go?" Henry asked, turning to Regina for permission. "I'll come back after, I promise. But I want to meet everyone… you know, meet who they really are."

"Henry-" Emma started, but Regina cut her off before she could attempt to convince him to stay.

"Yes, Henry," Regina said, with a tight smile. "Behave for your… grandparents. And don't be out too late."

Regina had directed the last part at David and Mary Margaret, and they both nodded as Henry ran to grab his shoes.

"Why'd you let him go?" Emma asked, once Henry was out the door and on his way to David's truck with David and Mary Margaret.

Regina sighed. "I didn't want to, but if I stop him from spending time with his grandparents and living this hero life he's been dreaming of, I'm just going to push him away. I know you brought him to me earlier today, but I can't force him to be here."

"Regina," Emma said, shaking her head and smiling. "I brought him to you because he wanted me to. He was on his way to find you the second he realized the curse was broken. You're not going to lose him."

"Looks like you were right after all."

"About what?" Emma asked, as she followed Regina back toward the living room.

"You said everything would be fine, and so far… well, it's a close to fine as I could hope for. Because of you."

Emma took Regina's hand as they sat back down on the couch. Maybe it was for the best that the kid would be away for the evening, she thought to herself, as she reached up to caress Regina's cheek. It was all the invitation that Regina needed to turn to her, and lean in for a kiss.

"Oh, my god," Regina whispered, breaking off their kiss after a few moments.

"I know, right," Emma said, smiling.

"No… I just realized something."

"What?" Emma asked, taking in the surprised look on Regina's face.

Regina shook her head. "I'm not sure I should say. I don't know how you'll take it."

"Regina… a curse I didn't even believe in just broke, and now I live in a town full of fairy tale characters, where I apparently have magic… which, uh, we're gonna have to talk about soon, by the way… what could possibly be harder to take than all of that?"

"The most powerful kind of magic there is," she said, with a small smile. "True love's kiss."

Emma blinked for a moment, trying to register what she'd just heard. "Like… like the kiss that woke up Snow White?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "Let's not talk about her for a moment, alright?"

"Right, sorry. Then… what? What are you trying to say?"

"Emma! Come on," Regina said, with a laugh. "True love's kiss. That's what broke the curse. It had to be."

Emma's eyes widened as she thought back to the night before. "Oh… oh! Me and you. We… true love?"

"It makes sense, doesn't it? I mean… how long have we been searching for each other without even knowing it? How hard did I try to push you away, but I couldn't succeed, could I? I thought fate was throwing you into my life again and again just so you'd break the curse, but we didn't need to meet so many times, did we? All you needed to get you to Storybrooke was Henry… the rest… it was something more."

"You think fate put us on a collision course, not because I was the savior, but because…"

"Because you're my savior, just like you said."

Emma smiled, suddenly feeling like a weight she'd been carrying her entire life had just been lifted off of her. It really all was going to be okay. Sure, there would be things to work out, and probably still some anger from the townsfolk that would need to be addressed, questions from Henry, awkwardness with her parents, but… finally, it was all coming together. And if this was what fate wanted for them, then it wouldn't matter how broken she or Regina were, because they'd make it work.

"Can I kiss you?" Emma asked, her smile widening.

"Always," Regina replied, leaning in to kiss her first.

The End