Epilogue

Hey guys! So someone told me that I should write a short epilogue where after Regina dies she finds Robin. I decided I actually really liked the idea and this will give it a much happier ending than the original one shot. So here we are! This epilogue is rather short. I was having a hard time coming up with material. This is also being posted a day later than I had originally hoped. Honestly, I would have still put it off a bit but one person in particular was already very upset that it was taking so long and kept nagging me so I did my best in the shortest timespan possible ;) She knows who she is. I promise this is not going to make you cry, unless you are like me and cry at the good stuff too. This is going to be much more uplifting and happy. I hope y'all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I own nothing

She feels her eyes closing. They are too heavy for her to open again. She feels a squeeze of her hand and knows that it is Roland. Regina wants to see Henry, but knows she most likely won't. The pull is getting stronger now. She can't fight it anymore, and she almost doesn't want to.

She's not afraid like she thought she'd be. She feels comfortable and safe, like she being hugged. The bed she was laying on feels slightly softer and warmer. The pain in her back is slowly but surely dissolving before finally disappearing all together. Regina wants to cry out in relief, but she can't find her voice. She wonders if the doctors had injected her with more morphine.

She lays quietly in the dark, not knowing what she should be expecting. Everything around is silent. There is no beeping on machines around her, no shuffling of feet on the floor, no muffled talking between doctor and nurse. Just silence. It's beginning to become deafening, and she yearns for something, anything, to fall and hit the floor next to her just so she can hear it.

Without warning, a bright light shines behind her closed eyes. They squeeze a little tighter as she tries to adjust. Regina still can't open her eyes or hear anything. She can sense someone staring at her, standing so close she can feel their breath on her skin. It sends small shivers throughout the length of her body. There is a light pressure around her arm. A hand maybe? A soothing sort of rubbing has her struggling harder to open her eyes and see who it is.

Her first thought is of Henry. Henry must have arrived at the hospital. He must be in the room with Roland and herself. She imagines Zelena will be there as well within the next few minutes. Her mind goes to the last time they were together. They had all been sitting at the table for supper, Henry's family, Zelena and Robin, Roland and her. Henry had told them about a new job he was offered at a college nearby teaching mythology and folklore. Everyone had laughed at just how appropriate that was for him. Adeline was starting preschool in the fall. Robin had just turned sixteen and gotten her license, something Zelena was a little nervous about. Regina had teased that she would have to find another way of exercising that would keep her off the sidewalks. Roland had decided to start looking for colleges. He didn't know what he was going to major in but Regina had encouraged him to get proper schooling now that he is back in the Storybrooke.

A finger sweeps across her brow in a movement she guesses is meant to remove a stray hair from her forehead. She struggles to move, any little thing to wake up her body. She thinks she gets a finger to at least twitch if nothing else. The hand that had been on her cheek is now holding her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It's a gesture she tries to imitate. Her muscles contract, and she sighs inwardly. A quiet voice is in here ear, calling her name.

Regina's brow frowns. It's not the type of voice she was expecting. It's much too low for Roland's or Henry's. It's almost raspy, but warm and familiar. It takes her back to a time when she had been happy, sleeping in too late, and waking with arms snaked around her waist and a quiet 'Good morning, Love' in her ear. She tries again to open her eyes, and this time they obey.

She blinks a few times as her eyes adjust to the light around her. Everything is a blur. Just a jumble of colors and abstract shapes. A movement in her peripheral vision has her turning her head quickly. It only takes her eyes a second to focus. When they do, hers are staring into icy blue ones. The same ones she had looked into in the mornings when she woke up and at night before she drifted to sleep. The same ones she dreamed about after they were cruelly taken from her. The same ones she saw every time she looked at her niece, Robin. They are Robin's eyes. Her eyes flicker down to the smile that is married with a pair of dimples she has never stopped loving.

Her eyes flicker back to his as they fill with tears. Her vision is blurry once again as she raises a hand to caress the stubble that lines his jaw. "Robin?" Her voice is thick with unreleased tears. Regina finds herself pulling close to him and crying into his shoulder. "Is it really you?"

His fingers comb through her hair as he presses soft kisses the crown of her head. "Yes, Love, it is. I'm here." Robin pulls her closer to him as tears begin to fall from his eyes. They sit in silence for a few moments, relishing in being together again after being apart for so long.

Regina pulls back to look into his eyes, the realization hitting her that if she is really here with Robin… "The boys, Robin, Henry and Roland. What will happen to them? We have both left them." Tears fill her eyes for a different reason this time, and Robin I's quick to wipe them away.

"They will be okay, Regina. It's part of life. They will mourn like they did after my passing, but they will be okay." He presses his forehead to hers, keeping their eyes connected. "Hopefully it will be quite a few years, but we will be reunited with them again. I promise you. And until then, we can enjoy being together again." He presses his lips to hers. It's a tender kiss. Not forced. Not hurried. Robin pulls away and smiles at her. "Now, I think I should inform you that there are some others who want to see you as well."

Regina frowns her brow, confused by his words. It's not until she hears her name being called in a soft and familiar voice somewhere behind Robin that she realizes they are not alone. Her eyes first make contact with her father's before meeting her mother's and Daniel's next. Each of them look like they aren't a day over twenty. Regina looks to Robin and smiles. He stands and extends a hand to help her up. A smile that nearly hurts is plastered to her face as she approaches their company. Her father opens his arms for her, and she goes gladly. As she feels his arms wrap around her, there is another set of arms around them. She knows immediately that they are her mother's.

She takes a step away from them both, smiling with teary eyes. Regina looks over to Daniel. He is giving her the same smile that used to make everything better. The smile that could always make her feel important and loved. She takes the few short steps to him and embraces him in a long awaited hug. When his arms wrap around her, she hugs just a little tighter. "I'm so proud of you, Regina. You have become the person I always knew you could be, and you found love again."

Without letting go, she speaks into his shoulder. "You're not mad at me? I did all of those horrible things in your name. I hunted down a girl to get revenge for you."

Daniel pulls away just enough to look into her eyes. "Those you did wrong, you changed. You became friends with that girl. You became a family." He brings a hand up to her cheek and rubs his thumb softly back and forth. "I think you should go back to Robin. He has been waiting for quite some time for you." Regina smiles and nods before placing a kiss to his cheek. She turns and walks back to Robin who has a hand outstretched to her.

As soon as her hand is in his, he is pulling her to his chest. Robin's hands pull her as close as he can manage and she does the same. She has been away from him for far to long. He presses another kiss to the top of her head and she smiles. "I love you, Regina Mills."

Regina turns her head up so she can look into his eyes. "I love you, Robin Locksley." His head lowers and his lips press to hers.