CH40 Final Chapter

Emma tore a piece of bread from the slice in her hand and threw it into the water. The flock of ducks quacked loudly as they fought one another to be the first to eat. She smiled at them. Animals, no matter their species, were fascinating creatures. It was as if they knew you were having a bad day and went out of their way do something to lift your spirits.

"Should I be worried that you chose to meet before sunrise in a quiet park with limited witnesses," Gold's asked?

Emma didn't turn, "I didn't want to be cooped up in some stuffy building or crowded restaurant to have this conversation."

"Very well. I enjoy the outdoors very much," she didn't have to see his face to know he was smiling.

"I'm going to talk, and you're going to listen," she with authority.

She saw his head nod his understanding from the corner of her eye and she continued, "I can't promise that I'll ever be able to fully forgive you. Sometimes I find it hard to forgive myself for things I've done in the past." She sighed, tossing more of the bread to the birds. "For the first time in my life I have something worth fighting for and nothing is going to take that from me."

Emma turned to look at the man next to her, "Don't think that I'm not grateful for everything you've done, because I am. I just don't want the life David Nolan lived to seep back into my life and damn sure not back into Regina and Henry's. They've endured just as much as me if not more when it came to that life. I want Henry to be a kid for as long as he can. I want Regina to know what it's like to be seen as an equal and treated like the queen she is. I refuse to allow anyone else to hurt them or me in some supercharged mission for power or as a failed attempt to rid themselves of well-deserved guilt."

Gold didn't say anything for a long time. He reached down at Emma feet where the loaf of bread sat and picked it up. He slipped his arm inside and pulled a slice of bread out, returning the bag to the ground. After he tore a small piece off and chucked it out into the pond he cleared his throat, "I won't deny feeling guilty. I have felt guilty since the day your mother walked down the aisle with David Nolan. I feel guilty for not being there as the father you deserved. Even if you wanted to hear me say I am sorry, I know it would do no good. But I want you to know that I am not standing here for my own guilt. I am not standing here looking to gain anything other than a family. I was a coward for far too many years. I want to prove to you as well as myself that I can be the man your mom thought I was. I can be the father you deserve, Emma. Please." His voice cracked and Emma closed her eyes to fight the sting at the back of her eyes.

"Emma, please," he said again turning her to face him. He fell slowly to his knees, "I'm not asking for your forgiveness. I know I don't deserve it anyway. I'm asking for a chance to be part of your life."

The blonde haired woman felt a tear roll down her cheek. She wanted nothing more than to hate this man. She wanted to hate him for abandoning her mom. She wanted to hate him leaving her to survive the Nolan household. She wanted to hate him for the years she lost with her mother. But she couldn't. It wasn't his fault, not completely. There were too many players in the game to blame just one person.

Emma gently tugged at the shoulder of his jacket summoning him to stand. He did as instructed. She wasn't sure if she should hug him or act as though the two of them hadn't shed tears together.

She turned back to the pond, "This isn't something that will happen overnight. Not to mention there will be rules." She could feel the man's desperate stare, "Regina and Henry are with me. We are a packaged deal. You accept me, you accept them."

"Of course," Gold quickly replied.

"If you make plans with us, you keep them. You don't break promises no matter what. And if a situation arises where you think it is more important, just make sure it isn't your job. When you are with us, you leave work at the door. I want Henry to feel that you are genuinely interested in having a relationship with us. I want to feel that you genuinely want a relationship with me," Emma glanced over at him to ensure he was listening.

His expression was one of concentration and sincerity, "I want that too. I will not let you down. Any of you, you have my word."

"I don't want your words. Actions speak louder than words ever could," she said, remembering what a beautiful brunette told her not too long ago.

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Henry chewed his lips as he kept stealing glances out the window down the driveway. He looked down at his phone and reread the message Mr. Gold had sent him. As it turned out, he was able to find what Henry had asked him for that day in his study.

"Henry, what's going on? August and Zelena are here and said you invited them," Emma tilted her head towards the boy.

He turned to look at her and smiled sheepishly, "Just trust me, okay."

Emma raised a skeptical eyebrow but didn't say anything else. His mom watched them from her spot in the kitchen where she was talking to Zelena.

"Well, can I get anyone some pie while we wait for whatever it is we are waiting for," Regina asked loud enough to be heard where Henry and Emma stood.

Henry turned back to the window and saw the black sedan coming up the drive, "He's here."

"Who's here," Emma asked straining her neck to see. "Who is that?" Henry saw her face fall, "Henry, is that Mr. Gold?"

Henry grinned and nodded his head, "Yep."

He didn't wait for her to respond. Instead, he waited for the car to come to a stop and he jogged over to open the front door. Mr. Gold made his way up the walk holding a box.

Henry let the man pass and showed him into the house, "What took you so long? I didn't think you were coming."

"It took me two days to actually get this in my hands. It wasn't easy. I came straight from the airport," the man explained.

Henry led Gold into the kitchen where everyone stared wide-eyed. Emma didn't look amused, but he knew she was giving him the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright kid, you have us here. Now you can tell us what this is about," Emma said slipping her hands into her pockets. She glanced over at her girlfriend, "Do you know what's going on?"

His mom shook her head, "Not a clue. Henry?"

"Okay, Emma," he took the blonde's hand and led her to one of the stool in front of the bar. "You sit here and August, you sit there." He sat August next to his sister.

The siblings exchanged looks and then turned back to the boy. He pointed at Mr. Gold for him to take over.

Gold's eyes widened but then he looked at Emma and August letting a breath out, "Alright. Henry asked me to try and locate something that everyone thought was lost. It took some calls and favors, but we got extremely lucky." He swallowed. "I know this doesn't make up for anything, but I hope it's a start."

Henry could see the confusion on Emma's face as Gold handed her the brown paper wrapped box, "You do remember me saying I didn't want your money, right?"

Henry interrupted, "Come on Em, just go with it. Please?"

She locked eyes with the boy for a moment and nodded. She gave one last look to her brother before turning all her attention back to the box. Henry continued to chew his lip as he waited as patiently as he could for the blonde who now seemed to be moving in slow motion to open the package.

"This is for August, just as much as for you, Em," Henry said.

His mother and Zelena stood to the side watching with the utmost curiosity. Henry made eye contact with Regina and he smiled. She raised an eyebrow but returned the smile.

Emma slowly ripped the paper off revealing a hard wooden box. It was a little bigger than an index card box. As Emma tore the paper completely away, there was a small engraved plaque attached to the front.

The blonde gentle tilted the box towards the overhead light to read the inscription. Her eyes shot up to Henry and then to Mr. Gold only to return to the small bronze plaque. Suddenly Henry could see her hands start to shake.

"What is it," he heard his mother ask as she moved closer to the blonde?

She gasped when she read the inscription, "Oh my God."

Zelena was next to read it and she too gasped. August and Emma stared at the box as if they were waiting for something to happen.

"Is this for real," Emma's voice was low?

Gold swallowed, but managed a smile, "It is. It was hard to track down and even harder to get my hands on, but after some negotiation with your mother's family, they were willing to part with them as long as you and your brother were the ones receiving them."

Henry moved in to see for himself. He knew what it was, but he had yet to see it in person. The inscription read, 'Mary Margret Nolan'. There was no date of birth or date of death, just her name.

With a shaky hand, Emma lifted the lid. Inside was a small plastic bag. The bag was filled with grey ashes. The same shaking hand slowly touched the bag with her fingertips.

"It was Henry who asked me to search for her," Gold's voice trembled.

When Emma looked up at Henry, tears streamed her face. He knew she wanted to say something, but she was having trouble finding the words.

He smiled and shrugged his shoulders, "I thought maybe we could bury her here on the property somewhere. That way she could have a proper funeral and you could go talk to her whenever you wanted."

More tears fell down the blondes face and a sob escaped her throat. She grabbed the boy in a tight hug and kissed his head, "You are an amazing kid, you know that?" She laughed lightly as she sniffled.

He grinned, "I know."

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Regina curled her feet up under her as she sat on the sofa. Her eyes were trained on the collage that Henry had made for Emma's birthday. He had made sure it was hung over the fireplace. He did make sure Regina's favorite photo of her mom was sitting front and center on the mantel as well. The wooden urn box now sat next to it.

She wiped a stray tear as it rolled down her cheek. How had she gotten so lucky as to have such an incredibly sweet and thoughtful son? She was so proud and amazed by him it was overwhelming.

"You okay," Emma's voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She smiled and wiped her cheek, "I'm great, actually."

Emma looked confused. She walked across the room drying her freshly showered hair with a towel. She didn't say anything. She just sat down next to the older woman laying the towel across the arm of the couch.

On any other day, Regina may have complained about the wet towel on the sofa, but she figured she would let it go for now. Tonight had been pretty emotional for everyone. She was glad that it was happy emotions.

Emma laced her fingers through Regina and sighed, "Thank you for today and every day so far."

Regina glanced over at her girlfriend, "What do you mean? I haven't done anything that should require thanks."

"I just meant for giving me a chance. You and Henry both," the blonde smiled with her eyes trained on the collage.

Regina chuckled, "In that case, you should thank a lot more people. It was a team effort for me to get on board. I don't regret it though."

Emma moved closer releasing their hands so she could put her arm around the older woman's shoulder, "I heard David Nolan's accounts were frozen. He had to sell his beloved Penthouse to pay his attorneys."

"Really? I had a fear that he would somehow get away with a slap on the wrist," Regina added laying her head on the blonde's shoulder.

Emma kissed the top of the brunette's head, "Not this time. Apparently, his corruption runs really deep. The FBI has been called in."

"Wow! That's good news. Zelena told me tonight that Robin is looking at a ten-year sentence. The DA wanted more, but since he has been cooperating with the investigators, they cut him a deal," Regina sighed.

"Of course they did. I guess it's the best we could hope for under the circumstances. After this is over, no one will want to do business with either of them. They'll get a taste of how they treated people. The only difference is, they will deserve it," Emma said kissing the top of Regina's head again.

Regina smiled as they stared at the collage. Life was definitely not going how she had planned it would. But if she would have thought she could have seen this outcome of her life years ago, she would have chosen this path. She was exactly where she was meant to be and where she planned to be for as long as life would let her. She wouldn't say that her life was perfect, but it was damned close.

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Emma had been taken aback by Henry's new found confidence. Tonight was the last concert of the year and Henry insisted that he take the lead. School ended for the summer earlier in the afternoon.

The auditorium was packed. It wouldn't be surprising to many, but Emma thought that as soon as school let out, all the kids would find somewhere other than the school to be. She was fairly certain that three-quarters of the student body was here and more than half of them brought their families.

Gold, August, and Zelena made their way to the seats Emma had been holding for them, "It's about time. I almost had to fight two old ladies and a six-year-old for these chairs."

"Sorry, traffic is backed up all the way around 610. It literally took me an hour and a half to get here," August said.

"Same here. I tried to call you to let you know I was running behind, but you didn't answer, so I left the message with Henry," Gold made the scout's honor sign with his fingers over his chest.

Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket and realized she had several missed calls and missed messages, "Well, the important thing is you're all here."

Everyone took their seats. Dr. Mills and Kathryn had shown up right after school had let out. She found it strange that every time she left and then reentered the practice room earlier, Henry was whispering to them about something. He stopped when he saw her.

Emma sat back in her chair and scrolled through her messages. There were several messages from Gold and two from her brother. One was from Henry, letting her know about Gold. She shook her head and smiled. Of course, he would text her instead of telling her with his voice like a normal person.

Just as she went to text Regina to see if she too were in traffic, the gorgeous brunette leaned down beside her, "Traffic is horrible. I would have texted but I rode next to a cop the whole way and decided a ticket wasn't worth a few minutes of running late." She gave Emma a quick peck on the lips and then sat down.

"How is he doing this time," Regina asked?

Emma shrugged her shoulders, but before Regina could worry, she said, "He told me that he had this handled and that I was to wait down here in the audience."

The brunette raised an eyebrow, "Did he seem nervous?"

"Nope. As strange as it is, he was fine. It's me who has been anxious," Emma said staring at the dark red curtain covering the stage.

The remainder of the lights in the space went out and the curtains began to part. Music flowed from the instruments her class held. All of the work she and the kids had put into their practices was really paying off. These kids were amazing.

Regina held tightly to Emma's hand as the kids continued to play. The children were flawless. They hit every note. Every person in the audience was transfixed to the stage.

Emma watched as Felix and Peter played nearly effortlessly with their class. She thought back to the two punk kids who had been bullying Henry and then to the boys they were now. These two guys had made a complete 180. With the help of Henry and Violet, they were doing exceptionally well in all their classes. Henry had become their best friend and them, his.

The blonde remembered Henry's solo he was supposed to start with tonight but realized he hadn't played it. He was playing with the rest of the class just fine. Surely he hadn't chickened out on his solo.

After their third piece ended, the class kept their instruments in place. Emma knew there wasn't another piece to play. Music started flowing from the piano Henry sat in front of. Instantly she knew the song, You're Beautiful.

Emma glanced at her girlfriend and then back on stage. This is not one of the songs they had been practicing for the last few weeks. A few measures in, the rest of the class joined in. She widened her eyes at how much their joined efforts added to the song. Every note was perfect.

When the song ended, the entire auditorium was on their feet clapping. Emma couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips or the pride that filled her chest. She was still trying to figure out how the class, including Henry, had time to practice without her knowing.

Before she could come to any conclusions, Henry stood from the piano and turned to face the crowd with a microphone in his hand, "It's been a really long year for many of us." He looked back making eye contact with his two best friends and then back out into the audience, "Although, we have only had Miss. Swan as our music teacher for a short time, we wanted to show her our appreciation for everything she has done for us as a teacher."

The crowd clapped and several cheers could be heard before Henry gestured to them that he wasn't finished, "We've all learned different lessons from her so far. Rather it was the proper way to hold our instruments or how to play the perfect c sharp. However, there are some of us who have learned so much more. We are the lucky ones who get to continue to learn from her even when school ends. One thing she has taught me, and I will never forget, is that no matter where we come from or what our environment is, we have the power to be whoever we choose to be. She has taught me that family is about more than blood relations and that anyone can love and be loved in return."

Emma fought the sting at the back of her eyes. She had no idea Henry was going to do this and by the surprise on Regina's face, she didn't know either.

"Emma," Henry turned to look straight at the blonde. "I want to continue to learn from you for as long as I can. You have made my mom and me the happiest people on Earth. Will you marry us?"

The blonde whipped her head to see her girlfriend's face. Regina was staring dumbfounded at the boy on the stage. The entire audience was silent, including the infant in aisle C.

Emma wasn't sure if she was dreaming or if this was real. The shock Regina was displaying didn't help. The blonde was afraid Henry had conjured this up all on his own that her girlfriend's feeling didn't mirror her sons.

"I take it you didn't know about this," Emma swallowed.

"No. Well, sort of, but I didn't know we were doing it here and now," Regina threw an uneasy glance toward the kid on stage.

Henry smiled, "Come on mom. Here is just as good as anywhere else."

Regina seemed to think this over and she slowly turned to Emma, "Alright. Emma, will you marry me?"

Emma could have sworn she stopped breathing. Never in a million years would she have thought she would get married. She never thought she would find someone she would want to marry. Not for the first time since meeting these two, she felt that this was where she was meant to be. All of those heartbreaks and challenges along the way were only preparing her for moments like these.

"Yes. Yes, I'll marry you," Emma's voice cracked.

A victorious roar ran through the audience and the kids on stage cheered loudly for the family. Emma wrapped her arms around the love of her life and hugged her tightly. She passed a smile to the little boy on stage. She could tell that not only was she and her fiancé two of the happiest people but so was the grinning nine-year-old. The blonde knew that not all roads would be rainbows and sunshine, but as long as these amazing people were in her life, she could venture any road and know that there would be rays of sunlight at the end.