A/N: THE EPILOGUE IS HERE! I've had most of this written since I posted the last chapter but I totally forgot about posting it (or that I even wrote it) until some lovely reviewers reminded me *hugs to you* Thank you so much for going on this journey with me. And who knows, maybe there will be a sequel someday. I haven't ruled it out ;) Hope you enjoy! 3

sempiternal:
(adj.) eternal and unchanging; everlasting

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

6 months later

"Momma! MOMMA! Lookit me!" Tommy shouts.

Emma raises her hand to shield her eyes from the sun, "Wow Bud, you're doing great!" She looks from her son to her daughters, crawling across the grass.

"Emma! Be careful with the horses!"

Emma scoffs, "Do you really think anything bad would ever happen, babe? Three sorceresses, an entire guard, and their grandmothers," she nods toward her mother and then to Louella. "They've never been safer."

Regina shakes her head and hops off Atlas. She lifts Evelyn into her arms and tickles under her chin, causing her daughter to giggle and squirm.

"Mommy! Can I go by myself yet?" Tommy whines.

"Not quite, Querido," Regina says to her son.

"How about we go for a walk, T?" Henry says, stepping in to hopefully stop a tantrum.

"Then can we go practice?" Tommy asks from atop the horse.

Henry looks to his mothers, "Yes, dear. You may go practice." Tommy squeals, "But," Regina adds, "you have to help brush Atlas and make sure he has fresh water and hay."

"Okay, Mommy!" Tommy shouts as he slides off of Atlas' back and into Henry's arms. He takes Atlas' reins and they slowly make their way to the stables. Regina nods at Kam, who returns her nod before turning to say a few words to Drexel, another knight who returned to his station after the curse broke. Drexel bows to Regina and follows the boys to the stables to prepare for the sword-fighting lesson.

"Come on Grandpa!" Tommy calls before they head into the stables.

"Me too!" Leo calls as he runs with his father to the stable.

"Your Majesty," Kam says as he steps forward, bowing to Regina. "An...issue...has arisen in the War Room."

Regina looks from Kam to Snow, who is sitting on the grass with Eva, Ruth, and Lottie. She looks back to Kam and raises an eyebrow.

Kam shrugs, "This is something you should deal with, or rather, the Evil Queen would be best adept to handle this." He pauses and then sighs, "But I can let Snow know as well."

"You're growing quite bold here, Kam," she comments at the first name informality.

"My apologies, Your Majesty," he says, trying to hide his smirk as he bows.

Regina rolls her eyes and shakes her head, "Come along then. Let's see what all this fuss is about." She starts walking toward the castle but pauses when Kam clears his throat.

"Perhaps the princess should stay out here, Your Majesty."

Regina narrows her eyes, trying to figure out what is waiting for her in the War Room. She turns away from the castle and hands Evy to her wife. She receives a confused look but merely shakes her head in response. "Nothing to worry about dear," Regina soothes as she turns back toward Kam and the castle. "Let's go then."

Kam nods and follows Regina into the castle.

Regina leads them toward the War Room until they see Zelena, Robin, and the kids coming toward them. Regina smiles as Roland and Kelly start talking over each other, "We're going riding!" "We're going outside!" as they run pass her and out the door. Robin smiles at her as he, too, walks passed her.

Zelena comes to a stop in front of her and studies her sister's face, "What's going on?"

Regina sighs and looks beyond her sister and toward the hall that will lead her to the War Room. She sees Zelena share a look with Kam before turning her attention back toward her sister. "There seems to be something going on in the War Room that I must attend to. Without my children," she adds as she eyes Kam suspiciously.

Zelena smirks and claps her hands together. "This sounds exactly like what I need today."

"Are you sure? Maybe you shouldn't," Regina adds as she eyes Zelena's slightly protruding stomach.

Zelena scoffs, "No pregnancy will hold me back, Gi. I am perfectly capable of handling myself."

Regina looks to Kam who simply shrugs, "Alright then, come along. I suppose we shouldn't keep whomever it is waiting much longer."

Together, the three make their way toward the War Room. Regina pauses and flicks her wrist, her casual riding attire suddenly changed into an Evil Queen era outfit, one she kept in her wardrobe for possibilities like this. She takes a deep breath and looks to Zelena, who also changed her outfit to a black maternity dress, and then to Kam, in his uniform-as always. They share nods before she opens the doors with her magic.

There, on the other side of the table staring out the window, stood Rumple. He turns to see them and giggles. He draws his fingers to a steeple in front of him and says "My, my, my, you sure clean up nice for some other-worlders."

Regina pretends to be aloof, unaware that Rumple was brought back during the curse, "Save it Rumple. What do you want?"

"What makes you think I want anything?" He asks with a shrug, "Perhaps I just wanted to see how two of my students were doing."

Regina scoffs, "Either way, say what you've come to say, or get out."

He tuts his tongue, "Oh my, it seems someone is a bit testy today. Well, I'm terribly sorry to bother you, Your Majesty," he says with an obnoxious bow.

Regina rolls her eyes, "You know I am not in charge here, why are you not talking to Snow?"

"Well, I had heard you were back in this realm and I wanted to see for myself if it was true," he explains as he turns his attention back out the window.

"And I suppose you have been too busy terrorizing the locals to come and visit us in the past 6 months?"

"Our schedules never synced," Rumple says with a shrug. He turns around to face them again and says, "I can't let the ogres have all the fun, deary."

Regina sighs and pinches her nose, "Why are you here Rumple?"

"I already told you, I came to see how soft you've both become," he scorns as he narrows his eyes at Zelena's stomach.

Regina shakes her head, "I don't have time for your mind games. Go back to terrorizing villagers." She stands and moves toward the door. She sees Kam reach toward the sword at his side and whips around to see Rumple taking a step toward her. "Goodbye Rumple," she enunciates.

"What?" Rumple asks as he looks at her in confusion, "Do I not get to see my grandson? What about your new children? I hear some of them have wonderful potential."

Regina rounds back to Rumple and gets directly in his face, "If you go anywhere near those children, I'll be sure to destroy you, understand?"

"Testy, testy," Rumple muses.

"You went after our children, Rumple," Zelena growls as she steps toward her, magic sparking in the air around her. "And you have the nerve to come here and 'check in'. Go to Hell," she ends with a shake of her head.

"Well, yes, I suppose that would be a nice vacation. Maybe someday, Zelena. Long after you've withered away, perhaps I'll have the time. But for now I'll settle on this."

"How dare you, who do you think you are to mess with our kids' minds? Hmmm? Tell me that Rumple. Why change your dream dust to hurt the children?" She thinks back to when they were trying to find the Gateway and how she and Zelena only knew one person that created dream dust like this. They were both taught how to yield it and manipulate it, never like this of course, but they both experienced the effects the dust had on others, as well as themselves.

"I was merely repaying a favor, dearie. It was nothing personal," he says as he checks his cuticles. He looks up to see fire within the eyes of his former students. For an instant he's unsure what's going to happen before he sighs, dropping the imp-act. "I truly did not know what Jafar was going to do with the dust. I owed him a favor and you know I can't break a contract. When he asked from dream dust, I barely gave it a second thought. It's not usually used for nightmares."

"Yes, well, Jafar must have altered the dust to turn dreams into nightmares," Regina states obviously.

Rumple nods and looks back out the window. He sighs, "You know I do not break my contracts. However, when I did find out he was entering the dreams of children and turning them into nightmares, I did what I could."

"Wait," Regina says, staring intently at her former teacher, "how did you find out about Jafar's usage of the dust?" Rumple turns and stares back at her and she gasps, "No," she lets out in shock.

Rumple nods, "Yes,"

Zelena shakes her head, "Gods have mercy on a child that belongs to the Dark One."

Rumple narrows his eyes and replies, "Gods have mercy on those who go against the Dark One and his family."

"So why did you not take care of Jafar the minute he entered your child's dreams?"

"When I sought him out, he apologized and said it would never happen again. I destroyed the dust I had given him. He must've hidden some or recreated the spell. But after that, I did not hear anything, he left my Ethan alone. I was wrong to assume he left everyone else alone as well. I'm sorry."

Zelena gasps, "Did you jus-" She looks to her sister in confusion before turning back to Rumple, "did you just apologize? You? The Dark One?"

Rumple huffs and flips his hand casually, "I've turned a new leaf, started over. Belle gave me a second chance, I won't screw it up, not with Ethan on the line."

Regina nods, understanding just how important a second chance is. She thinks of her own children, outside with her wife and extended family. "Henry's outside training. You may visit with him. But only supervised. And no attempt at testing the magic of the others," she warns as she turns away from him and toward the door, letting her heart lead the way to her family.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

2 years later

"Looking sharp, kid," Emma says approvingly.

Regina looks up from the papers in front of her and smiles at her son in his uniform. She stands and moves toward him. She straightens his collar and smooths his silver sash. He shifts from foot to foot nervously, swinging his helmet to his side. "You look wonderful, dear," Regina says finally.

"Thanks Moms," Henry says with a wide smile. Now that both his mothers approve he can relax.

"And you're sure you're ready?" Regina asks, again.

Henry does his best not to sigh, knights do not sigh in front of a queen, even if it is his mom. "Yes, I went through all the training and all the tests and passed. I've fought with your knights for years now, Mom." Technically, they're no longer his mom's knights; but they still address her as their leader, even if they work under the White Kingdom. That's why they still wear the silver sash, as a sign of allegiance. Henry pauses and realizes the only thing that will make his Mom feel better about this and says, "Kam says I'm ready for my first shift." He moves on his feet, waiting to be dismissed.

"Well, we won't keep you, dear. Be safe," Regina says with a teary smile. "And don't let those other knights push you around," she warns.

"Yeah, right," Henry scoffs, "as if they'd ever mess around with the queen's kid."

Emma chuckles and steps up next to Regina, wrapping an arm around her waist, "Go on, kid. See you at dinner. Don't be late," she reminds.

Henry nods and with a final smile, steps into the hallway and toward his first shift as a knight.

Emma watches as Regina sits at the desk once again and rubs at her temples. "Babe, why don't you take a break? You don't need to solve everything all at once."

Regina leans back and looks to her wife, "If I don't do this now, your parents' coffers will deplete completely and then they'll have nothing. They've never known how to tax peasants, but now there are no peasants. So, I do this while everyone is busy, otherwise I'll never do it."

"Never doing it sounds fun, let's do that!" Emma says. She laughs at her wife's unimpressed look. "Babe," Emma sighs, walking toward her, "Come on, have some fun. Let my mom do the math." She pauses at Regina's look of disgust, "Okay, maybe don't do that, but she has other people to do this. Come on, we're supposed to be on vacation, relax, let's go outside by the kids." She pauses and smiles, holding her hand out for Regina to take, "Please?"

Regina sighs, "You're terrible," and takes Emma's hand.

She stands and Emma laughs, "Yes, but I prefer to be the bad influence, it's much more fun."

Regina scoffs, "You forget who I used to be. If anything, I am the bad influence."

"Key word: used to be, babe. Now you're all goody-goody and make sure the PTA meetings go as planned, Henry gets to work on time, Tommy makes it to soccer practices and the littles have the right snacks when we go to their playgroup. Face it, you're one of the good guys now."

Regina rolls her eyes and shakes her head, "Tell that to the ICE agent I had crying in my office yesterday afternoon."

Emma laughs, "Fine, I'll give you that. Let's go see our family."

They head toward the stable to find everyone running and screaming. Immediately, Regina's magic crackles against her skin, waiting to throw balls of fire and whoever's attacking now.

"Easy, babe," Emma soothes as she rubs her hand across Regina's knuckles, "they're just playing tag."

Regina relaxes, her magic seeping back into her soul. "Guess I'm a little bit jumpy still."

Emma chuckles, "We all are, but there are no ogres today, and no magical mishaps."

"Yet," Regina adds on.

Emma nods, "Yet. But the day is still young, perhaps I can stir up a little trouble if you're feeling bored." She raises her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh god I walked over here to tell you to come eat but now I've lost my appetite," Zelena says with a gag as she turns and walks back toward the picnic tables set up in the field.

"Hi Z," Emma says with an eye roll. Together, they approach the tables and are immediately swept up in conversation.

Regina is quickly pulled toward a row of trees by Kathryn. They sit in the sun and watch the children run in terror away from whoever is "it".

"Soooo," Kathryn starts. When Regina merely looks over at her, pretending she doesn't know what she will ask, Kathryn sighs, "How are you all adjusting?"

"It's new," Regina starts, "but it's nothing we haven't done before."

Kathryn groans, "Regina," she warns.

"Alright, alright," Regina says with a smile, "It's been wonderful. Everyone is adjusting well. We were glad to get out of the house though, it's been a while since Emma has seen the sun other than through a window."

"Yes, I did think she looked paler than usual," Kathryn muses.

" Well, a possible measles epidemic will do that," Regina says.

"Measles? I thought there were vaccines. Aren't they required for school?"

Regina nods, "But parents can refuse. And then they take their child to the doctor when they're sick, so when we took Bennett to his six week check-up, we were in the the waiting room at a time where the doctor was concerned we could have potentially contracted the disease. So, we all had to quarantine ourselves in the house for 14 days to make sure we didn't have it." Kathryn's eyes widen comically as her eyebrows shoot up into her hairline. Regina chuckles, "Yes, what you're thinking is exactly how awful it was to be cooped up in a house with 4 young children, a teenager, an exhausted postpartum Emma, and a calm, yet slightly frazzled, Louisa."

Kathryn shakes her head, "I'm sure it was quite the treat."

Regina smiles, "I love my children and spending time with them is my favorite thing, but keeping rambunctious children in a house for two weeks will stretch anyone's patience to the max."

"But you're all okay, right?" Kathryn asks.

"Yes, that's why we came here. We waited the allotted time, everyone is still healthy; no one showed any symptoms, and we all definitely needed to get out of that house."

"I'm not sure how you handled that," Kathryn chuckles.

"Entertaining Thomas was a breeze, he loves everything; Henry played his games or wrote on his computer; the twins were another story, they were constantly into everything, and I mean everything; at one point they crawled on top of the fridge and found my stash of chocolate. I have no idea how they got up there, but I found them giggling, covered in chocolate fudge." She pauses as Kathryn laughs, daintily covering her mouth and shaking her head. "Emma just wanted to sleep, and so did Bennett. Thankfully Louisa was there too, that made things a bit easier."

"Thankfully nothing bad happened," Kathryn muses as she turns her attention to the children playing around them.

"I do not know what I would have done," Regina says quietly.

"Hell hath no fury like a revered queen protecting her young."

"Is that you way of saying I would have gone Evil Queen on them?"

"Yes," Kathryn says simply.

Regina can't help the laugh that bubbles up from her chest. She shakes her head at her friend and turns toward the children playing in the field, "I've missed you Kathryn."

Kathryn turns and stares at her friend, who refuses to look away from the chaos going on in front of them. She smiles and reaches over and squeezes her friend's hand, "Me too."

Together, they sit there quietly, watching the children run around screaming as they play tag. "How has work been?" Kathryn asks finally.

Regina turns to her friend and tilts her head in confusion before responding, "Well I haven't been there recently, but everything's going very well. The other world is an absolute disaster, which has, unfortunately, led to my firm having a lot of new clients. We're constantly working to get someone out of jail or prevent them from ever going into jail."

Kathryn nods, "You must be great at that. With all the knowledge in that big brain of yours, and your compassionate heart. You've got to be superb."

Regina smiles at her friend, "I enjoy my work, but it's been a while since I've been in the office. I've been home with Emma and the kids since Bennett was born. I had 6 weeks of maternity leave set up. And then two weeks quarantine, I'll be heading back on Monday."

"You've been off this whole time?" Kathryn asks.

Regina nods, "To an extent. I've been doing some work from home, some phone calls but it's mostly been responding to emails. I've been trying to spend as much time as I can with the kids. Although I definitely went through more emails this past week because I needed a little break from the kids each day to prevent myself from going crazy."

Kathryn smiles and shakes her head, "I don't know how you do it. You have so much going on."

Regina shrugs, "I've always been a multitasker. It definitely comes in handy with five children."

Their peaceful moment is broken up by the screams of their children chasing each other across the field. Regina notices Ruby walking over with her son in her arms. Regina smiles as Ruby stops in front of them and says "I think little Benji wants his Mommy," she says of the fussing baby.

Regina reaches out and safely wraps her son in her arms, Ruby smiles as the baby curls into his mother's neck. Regina makes sure he is comfortable and no longer fussing before she turns to Ruby. "Did you call my son Benji, Miss Lucas?"

Ruby lets out a laugh, "Whoa, I haven't been called Miss Lucas in a very long time, Regina. But yes, Bennett James is too much for such a tiny human, so I put them together for Benji." Regina raises an eyebrow, but Ruby only smiles wider, "Come on, it's much cuter than Benny Boo."

Regina can't help the eye roll as she thinks of the nicknames her wife began using on their youngest child. "Where is Emma?" she asked as she looked around them, searching for her blonde-haired wife.

Ruby shrugs, "She said she was tired, so she went to lie down."

Regina offers a small nod as she looks to her children chasing one another. She turns to Kathryn and Ruby, "Did the children eat?"

They both nod, "Yes, we had lunch while you were in the library," Kathryn clarifies.

Regina nods once again. She watches as the children come screaming toward them. She places one hand on Bennett's shoulders to help stabilize as the twins run right at their chair. "Careful," Regina says as she runs a hand through Evelyn's wild hair. She looks between the twins, who are breathing heavily, "Five more minutes darlings, then we're going in by Momma to take a little rest." The twins start to whine but one look for Regina has them sighing and saying "Okay Mommy."

Regina smiles, "Go play for five more minutes," which causing all the children to take off running once more.

Kathryn snags her attention, "How is Emma?" she asks.

"She's doing well," Regina says, "She's missing work but she loves being with Bennett and the children more. She's off for another few weeks before heading back part time."

"Then what?" Ruby asks from her spot in front of Regina and Kathryn.

"Then we'll both be working three or four days a week for a while and Louisa will have him on any day that we're both gone. It will just be the two of them most days since the twins have started in one of those "starter schools" where they go a few days a week, one day we take them out with one of our community groups so they can be around children their age and Louisa has all the children one day a week, and she absolutely adores when she has all five children at home with her."

Kathryn and Ruby share in Regina's laughter. "She does thrive in that environment," Kathryn muses as she looks over to see Louisa holding Zelena's Lila, sleeping against her. "It looks like Miss Lila tuckered herself out trying to keep up with the big kids."

"She's always trying to keep up with her siblings and her cousins," Regina smiles and shakes her head, "I'm surprised she made it through lunch, usually when she's with us, she falls asleep while she's eating."

The three women fall into a companionable silence, until Ruby looks to Regina and asks, "How is Louisa liking the other world?"

Regina opens her eyes, which were closed as she turned her face into the sun, and looks at Ruby, "She loves it there. She adores our children and is incredibly helpful. She's their LouLou and they love her as much as she loves them."

"And there aren't any questions about her?" Kathryn asks.

Regina shakes her head, "Not anymore. When she first came back with us, our friends and co-workers were a little confused. While we didn't have our memories, Zelena and I knew how toxic our relationship with our mother was, so the people around us knew Louisa was not our mother. Henry went back and forth trying to come up with the best cover story and he decided that our best bet was to say she was our father's second wife and that after he died, she went through a tough time and felt she no longer had any connection to us. Then we said we ran into her while we were on our "vacation" here and that we all realized that we were still important in each other's lives. And there weren't many questions after that. We received a few "how long have you known her," "why is she suddenly living with you," or "why have you never mentioned her" but for the most part, the people around us accepted her quickly and love her almost as much as we do." Regina can't help the growth in her smile as she says, "She's a big hit with our playgroup. They all say she brings the best snacks."

The women chuckle and again fall into companionable silence. Eventually, Regina sighs and stands from her seat. But before she can call her daughters to head inside to rest, there's a puff of smoke and Rumple appears. The kids hardly even pause their game except a shout of "Hi Ethan!" and "Wanna come and play?"

Belle steps away from her husband and moves toward the women. "Oh Regina! How are you? How's Emma? Oh, is this the new little one? He's precious!"

"Hello Belle," Regina greets, "Emma is doing well, she's resting right now; and this right here," she moves her body so Belle can see her son's face, "is Bennett James."

"He's beautiful," Belle coos as she steps toward Regina and the baby. Bennett opens his eyes and smiles before closing them again and snuggling further into his mother.

"We brought snacks," Rumple says, gesturing to the basket in his hands.

"Wonderful!" Ruby exclaims, as she stands. "Come on then, let's put them on the table over there."

Regina smiles, who would have thought that they'd be enjoying the company of the Dark One. Or that he liked to make snacks for all the children when they all come together. A disgruntled noise escapes her son's small body before he shouts his frustration, "Hungry already?" she asks with a smile as he tiny face scrunches up. She turns her attention to her daughters. She calls their names and when she has their attention she calls, "Ven aca."

They seem to be debating rushing the snack table but realize that won't work this time. She watches as they hang their heads, but move toward her. They stop in front of her and she smiles, "Come along, dears. Let's go find your momma." The twins clasp hands and lead their mother into the castle. They make it to their mothers' room and watch their brunette mother as they wait in the doorway. "Let's check on Momma," she whispers. She lifts a finger to her lips, "but we have to be very quiet in case she's sleeping." Her daughters nod and move into the room to see their blonde mother sprawled out in the middle of the bed. They share a look and chuckle, covering their mouths with their hands, causing Regina to laugh as well.

Carefully, they climb onto the bed and next to their mom, who opens her eyes and smiles "Well, look at my beautiful daughters." She bops each of their noses, causing giggles to erupt, "Are you here for snuggles? Did you miss me SOOOOOO much?" Regina rolls her eyes fondly and smiles when she sees she has Emma's attention.

"The twins are ready to nap and Bennett is hungry." She waits as her wife resituates herself against the headboard before passing their son into her arms to nurse. Regina turns her attention to her daughters as they reach for their loveys they left in here this morning. Each was gifted a tiny security blanket from Granny on their first birthday. Matching security blankets with the head of dragon, one pink and one purple. They each clasp their loveys tight to their chest and snuggle further into the bed beside Emma. Regina sits, watching her daughters and sharing a smile with her wife.

"Mommy sing," Evelyn sighs out as she wiggles around to get more comfortable. "Mmm hmm," Charlotte sighs, already relaxed with her eyes shut.

Regina can't help the loving smile that cascades across her face, "Of course, my loves.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake you shall have

All the pretty little horses.

Black and bays, dapples, grays,

All the pretty little horses.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,

Go to sleep my little baby.

When you wake you shall have

All the pretty little horses."

She smiles at her sleeping daughters and turns her attention to her wife.

"You look exhausted, dear."

Emma nods, eyes practically shut, "Mmm hmm," she sighs out.

Regina can't help the bubbling laughter that escapes her as she stands and moves next to her wife. She picks up their son and shifts him up onto her shoulder. He's practically asleep and quickly finds a comfortable spot over her collar bone, burying his face in her neck. She smiles as she notes that Emma, Charlotte, and now Bennett could sleep through just about anything. "So much alike," she murmurs as her heart threatens to burst.

"Hmm?" Emma asks, barely opening her eyes.

Regina smiles and cups her wife's cheek, "Sleep, my love. I'll take Bennett with me to our magic lesson."

"Mmmm," Emma hums, "love you."

"And I you," Regina replies, "now rest," she says as she moves out of the room.

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

"Ugh I can't do it!" Daniel shouts as he pushes away from the table they're sitting at.

"Of course you can," Regina promises, "you just have to concentrate."

"I am concentrating. It's just not working. It won't ever work," Daniel says in angry defeat.

"Daniel," Regina says softly, waiting until he looks at her before continuing, "You can do this." He groans and she lightens the mood. "Why don't you bring yourself a bowl of ice cream from the kitchen?" His face lights up and he goes to stand. She places a hand on the table, stalling his movements, "With your magic."

Another groan.

"I wanna, Gina!" Kelly shouts from beside Daniel.

Regina holds a hand up, "Just wait a moment, Kelly. It's Daniel's turn."

"I can't," he pouts, folding his arms over his chest.

"You can," Regina says gently. "Think about the bowl." A pause. "Now think about the ice cream. Now think about the toppings you want. Do you want strawberries? Chocolate syrup?"

"SPRINKLES!" He shouts, bouncing up in his chair.

"Sprinkles!" Regina says with a laugh, "Now, think about it being in front of you right now."

It takes a moment, but a bowl of ice cream appears in front of him. "I did it," he whispers in awe.

"Of course you did. I knew you could," she says with a smile.

The look of delight that crosses Daniel's face is enough to fill Regina with pride for eternity. She wouldn't trade that smile for the world.

"Don't forget a spoon, dear," she reminds gently.

A look of concentration covers his face as he scrunches his eyebrows. A spoon appears and he happily begins eating his ice cream.

Regina chuckles but turns her attention to her niece. "Alright, my dear. Before you get your ice cream," she pauses as Kelly groans. She releases a chuckle and says, "Do you remember our levitation spell?" Kelly nods excited, "Alright, get something to levitate and then you can bring yourself a bowl of ice cream." Kelly turns to Daniel but before she can continue, "Not, people, Kelly," Regina chides.

A huff escapes her as she instead focuses on Daniel's bowl of ice cream. It shakes for a moment before slowly wobbling into the air. "HEY!" Daniel shouts as he tries to reach for his ice cream. It jumps higher into the air, almost spilling, before shaking in place.

"Alright Kelly, you've proved your point," Regina says with a shake of her head, "Carefully put Daniel's bowl back down and you can get your own."

Kelly smiles as if she's won the lottery and tries to bring Daniel's ice cream back to him before magicking her own bowl. Regina laughs at the two children in front of her as they both stare at the bowl in concentration. She watches as it teeters before flipping upside down and falling right for her head. She barely has enough time to release a squeak and throw up a force field before a soft lilac-colored smoke surrounds the bowl and its content and disappears. The children gasp as Regina looks around for the culprit. I've never seen magic like that before Regina thinks as she finds the room empty save for them. It's then that she realizes there's still a bit of residual magic heading back toward its owner. "Oh, you are joking," she whispers as she sees the magic traveling back to her infant son, sleeping soundly in his swing beside the table.

The children are equally as shocked. It's Daniel that recovers first, "Was that baby Benji?"

I see that nickname is quickly taking off Regina thinks with a huff. She nods, "I believe it was."

"That's so COOL!" Kelly shouts excitedly.

Regina can't help the smile that takes over her face, "Yes, I suppose it is. Now, why don't you both work on your teleport skills and bring yourself new bowls of ice cream. We'll practice levitation another day." She releases a breath as she sees both a pink and a yellow puff of smoke in front of each child. Her smile softens when the children are content with their ice cream. She reaches out with her magic to find her sister who comes to the room when she realizes what Regina's magic is asking.

Zelena enters the room and sees two happy children enjoying ice cream and her slightly frazzled sister, "Mei Mei?" she calls. Regina turns her head and offers a tight smile to her sister as she excuses herself from the children across the table. "What's wrong?" Zelena says, not knowing why her sister's magic felt so frantic.

"Bennett has magic," she states simply.

"I'm sorry?" She's not following.

"Bennett just stopped a levitating bowl of ice cream from falling over my head. And he never woke from his nap."

Zelena looks at her youngest nephew in awe, "Is his magic tied to yours?"

"I can't feel it."

"But maybe he can?" Zelena asks. She reaches out with her magic to zap her sister's arm, but before she can, a soft purple wall pops up between them. "Oh brilliant," she offers with a smile.

Regina huffs, "Enough, let him sleep," she quietly berates. "This is unexpected."

Zelena scoffs. "He's the child of True Love. Equal parts you and Emma. How could he not have powerful magic?"

"I never thought we could. We just assumed…"

"What that there was a magical sperm donor that came out of nowhere? Come on now, Regina. You know better than that."

"But I can't-"

"True Love breaks curses, yes?"

Regina pauses and slowly nods.

"And the moth is gone. Thankfully taking her magic with her. This beautiful baby is yours too, Gi," Zelena offers with a smile. She watches tears fill her sister's eyes and can't help the help chuckle that escapes as she wraps her younger sister in her arms.

"It could also be that he soaked up some magic from Emma while in the womb when we were here in this land. Like Lila," Regina offers.

Zelena huffs, "Can't you just believe for once in your life?"

Regina chuckles and shakes her head, "Who knows?"

SQSQSQSQSQSQ

Regina looks around as everyone happily gathers for another picnic before they head back to their realm. A realm filled with other friends, jobs, school, and other obligations. But here, with their family, she's never felt happier. She watches as her children laugh and play, chasing each other across the grass, screaming their delight. Her wife leans her head against her shoulder, "Whatcha thinking?" she asks quietly.

She smiles at Emma and kisses her forehead, "I've never been happier."

"Yeah," Emma sighs out in agreement, "We definitely hit the jackpot with this place."

"And these people," Regina adds off-handedly, turning her attention back to those around them.

"You're not going soft again, are you?" Zelena asks, picking her nephew up and clutching him close, "Don't make me cast a curse to wake you up."

Regina rolls her eyes affectionately, "You talk big, Z," Emma adds with a laugh. "Don't worry," she whispers as if she's holding the biggest conspiracy, "We won't tell how soft you've gone. Your secret's safe with us."

Zelena huffs and takes her nephew with as she moves away from them.

They look around again, surrounded by family and friends (who have become family) and realize just how lucky they are.

There's a stomp that shakes the earth they stand on. "Ogres," Kathryn provides as they all stand, watching the children move their game back inside, hardly phased by the ground moving under their feet.

"Never a dull moment with you lot," Regina mutters as she stands with her wife and sister, magic crackling beneath her skin.

"Why can't we just have a normal family vacation?" Emma groans as she too brings forth her magic.

"Normal was never in the cards for us." They laugh and turn to face whatever comes next. Together. Like always.