Chapter 10

Regina was cold again when she woke up.

She could hear commotion all throughout the house. Mary Margaret's shrill voice was echoing along the hall, and Regina was fairly certain that she could already hear dozens of people milling about downstairs. Cracking open one eye, she waited for the carnage to descend upon her silent bedroom, and realised in that moment that the other side of her bed was empty. She sat up with a sigh. There was a deliciously unfamiliar ache between her legs.

She was still naked, and she hurried to locate her pyjamas and tug them back on. As she did, she noticed a series of faint bruises on her rib cage. She wistfully skimmed her fingertips over them, recalling in all too much detail what it had felt like when Emma had trailed her lips down the front of her body, occasionally pausing to suck and bite and coax her blood to the surface. Everything about the previous night had been frantic and desperate, and Regina was surprised by the fact that she wasn't embarrassed by it. Not at all. She was just sore, and she was wondering where Emma had gone.

Then the door to her bedroom was thrown open without warning, and Mary Margaret was storming in.

"Good morning!" she chirped, heading over to the curtains and ripping them apart. "Happy wedding day!"

Regina's voice was rusty when she replied, "Thank you."

"Honestly, I'm surprised that I didn't find Emma back in here this morning," Mary Margaret said cheerfully. "She managed to stay away all night?"

"Seems like it," Regina said, smiling tightly. She was suddenly grateful that Emma had apparently had the foresight to wake up early and sneak back into her room before her mother could catch them. She smothered a smile at how well she knew her.

Then she glanced to one side and spotted a folded piece of paper on the nightstand. Mary Margaret hadn't noticed it, and instantly Regina's fingers were itching to open it up.

"Well, then!" Mary Margaret said, clapping her hands together. "Time to get up. There's so much to do before the ceremony. Ruby's coming to do your hair and make-up in an hour."

"Ruby?" Regina asked, picturing the girl from the bachelorette party with her red-streaked hair and thickly lined eyes.

"She's very good, don't worry. And she's promised to tone down her usual style for you."

Regina nodded, waiting for her to finally leave the room before she dove across the bed and grabbed the piece of paper.

Happy wedding day, sweetums. Don't you dare stand me up.

Regina grinned for a second before her now all-too-familiar guilt surged back up inside her. She wondered how long she'd have to keep a smile plastered on her face for before it started to ache.

The morning passed in a blur. Regina was pushed and pulled in all directions, then found herself being forced into a chair so her hair could be styled into a delicate chignon. As Ruby poked at her eyelids with a series of brushes, Regina smiled and laughed and drank the champagne she was handed, but her stomach was rolling. When she was bundled into her dress, she felt so claustrophobic that she wondered if she would make it through the ceremony at all.

The delighted faces surrounding her made her feel worse and worse, but through it, all she could think of was how badly she wanted to see Emma. Mary Margaret had kept them apart with military vigilance all morning and, as Regina's anxiety and guilt twisted together inside her, she wished she could sneak out and find her fiancée and soak up some of that quiet reassurance that she somehow managed to offer her.

It'll be okay, is what Emma would say. They won't find out. Everything will be alright.

Regina repeated the words to herself as she was led over to the infamous barn on the far side of the island, hoping that if she imagined Emma's calm voice saying them, they might calm her down. It didn't work: the entire journey over, her heart rate kept building. Her beautiful dress – the one she didn't deserve – was suffocating her.

And then she was suddenly left alone for the first time that day. As she waited outside the double doors that would lead her into her own wedding, her thoughts began clattering around inside her head like pebbles being dropped down a well.

She glanced at the exit, wondering what would happen if she just left. Emma would be mad, sure, but she'd understand. She'd get over it. Wouldn't she?

Regina could picture her disappointed face all too easily. She knew what the answer was: no, she wouldn't.

The music started. It wasn't the tacky wedding march but something else – something softer, being played by violins – and it was already threatening to bring tears to her eyes. The doors were pulled open and just like that, Regina had nowhere left to run. The worst lie she'd ever told was stretched out in front of her in the form of carefully polished floorboards, and all she could do was take a deep breath and look up.

The aisle was so much longer than she'd been expecting. On either side of it, dozens of faces were turned and looking excitedly back at her, most of them whispering with awe when they saw her in her dress. She clutched her bouquet harder, feeling the hard stems digging into her palms, and wondered whether she was supposed to start walking already. It was such a long way, and she wasn't sure she had the strength to do it by herself.

She suddenly realised that this was the moment when her father should have appeared by her side and offered her his arm. He was supposed to be there to lead her down the aisle, and the fact that he wasn't made Regina's heart sink even further. Something sharp was probing at her throat and it was impossible to swallow it down.

But then someone was at her side. A man, tall and charming and beaming at her, who was holding out his arm for her to take.

Regina knew she was dangerously close to sobbing as she stepped forward. "David?"

His smile broadened at her expression.

"Hey, I wasn't going to let you do this by yourself," he said, waiting as she slid her shaking arm in his. "You look beautiful, kiddo."

Against all odds, she felt herself smiling back at him. They took their first steps down the aisle, and finally Regina noticed who was waiting for her at the other end.

Of course Emma was wearing a tux. She couldn't do anything normally.

She was standing with her hands clasped awkwardly in front of her, and she was bouncing up on the balls of her feet. Regina recognised that nervous energy from all the times back in New York when Emma had been too scared to ask her boss for a favour. It made her feel weirdly nostalgic.

As soon as their eyes met, Emma grinned. Her suit matched her father's even down to the black bow tie, and her hair had been pulled back into a glossy ponytail with a French braid woven into the side. Regina had to sigh and acknowledge the fact that Mary Margaret had been right: Ruby really was good.

Emma looked beautiful, and the slightly nervous optimism on her face was the only thing so far that day that managed to calm Regina's pounding heart.

When she reached the front of the room, David stepped forward to kiss her cheek before enveloping his daughter in a hug. He sat down in the front row next to Mary Margaret, who was already crying in spite of the overjoyed smile that was plastered across her face. The sight of it made Regina feel colder even than when she'd fallen off the boat.

Then she saw who was waiting for them at the back of the room: Mr Gold was leaning against the wall, not even bothering to take a seat because it was obvious that he wasn't expecting to be there long. He was already sneering. In the hand that wasn't clutching his cane was a voice recorder.

Regina turned back to Emma knowing full well that her perfectly made-up face had gone pale. Emma smiled nervously.

"It's okay," she said quietly. When she reached out a hand, Regina instantly grabbed it and squeezed.

With the warmth of Emma's fingers in hers, Regina took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. It'll be alright. It'll be alright.

Then she turned to her other side and saw who was standing between them. "Oh, God. Seriously?"

"What?" Leroy asked, gesturing down at his suit and official notes. "I'm a man of many talents, sister."

"Nice to see you with your clothes on, I suppose," she replied automatically. Emma let out a bark of laughter.

"Now that everyone's ready," Leroy said, his wide grin completely contradicting the sullenness of his voice. "I guess it's time to marry these kids."

Emma smiled, but Regina just felt something plummeting into the depths of her stomach. She turned and looked at Emma's parents again, who were clasping hands and wiping away tears. Two rows behind them, Killian was grinning up at them.

There were only two faces in the room not smiling. Mr Gold's – and Regina's.

She looked back at Emma, feeling herself breaking out in a sweat across the whole of her body, and had a split second to remember what it had felt like to be with her the night before. Emma had held her so tightly and had fucked her like it was a privilege, and yet there Regina was, clutching a bouquet of white roses as she prepared to tear her life apart. Every single part of this ordeal had been the result of her own selfishness – and worse, her cowardice – and when she saw Emma smile hopefully at her again, she suddenly realised that it was time to stop.

Leroy was talking, and she lifted a hand to silence him. His sentence jolted into nothing.

Some people began to mutter as they waited for things to move along again, but Regina was standing with her eyes closed and her blood rushing in her ears. Beside her, she felt Emma shift on her feet.

"Regina?"

That snapped her out of it. When she opened her eyes, she found her fiancée watching her worriedly.

Regina took a breath and smiled. "Sorry."

Then she turned around, taking in the room of people who had gathered there to see Emma be happy at last.

"Hello," she said, her voice cracking. Emma immediately groaned. "Sorry. I just… I needed to say something."

Emma grabbed her hand. "Regina. Don't."

"Thanks everyone for coming," Regina continued, gently peeling herself free of Emma's fingers. "I know you were here already for the party, but thank you for staying for today as well."

A few people smiled uncertainly back at her. On the opposite side of the room, Mr Gold had lifted his voice recorder higher.

Ignoring him, Regina swallowed and said, "So – some of you may know that I'm originally from Canada."

"Regina," Emma hissed, trying to grab her arm again and missing when Regina sharply pulled away.

"I left when I was 17, and I've lived in America ever since. Recently, my visa expired, and the government threatened to deport me."

She could see a lot of confused faces looking back at her, but she could deal with that. What she couldn't deal with was the disappointment that was going to come next.

"This wedding is a sham," she said. Her voice was quiet and cracked slightly on the final word, but she knew everyone had heard her.

The room instantly filled with mutters and gasps. In the front row, Mary Margaret had gone pale.

Regina took a deep breath and continued. "I blackmailed Emma into marrying me so that I wouldn't be forced to leave the country. I threatened to ruin her career, and she had no choice. She didn't want to do it, but she agreed. And I can't go through with it. None of you deserve this."

When she turned to look at Emma again, she found her watching her with an expression that was half anger and half disappointment. Regina tried to smile, but it came out flat. "You don't deserve this, Emma. I'm so sorry for dragging you into it."

She looked back at her parents, then wished she hadn't. The betrayal on their faces was enough to knock her backward.

"I'm… sorry," she said, knowing what a weak statement it was but having nothing better to offer them. "I'm sorry for misleading you. I didn't think that your family would be so…"

There was no way she could finish that sentence. She hadn't been expecting anything.

Instead, she just nodded sharply and started walking, hoping her face wasn't burning too brightly as she passed by the dozens of confused guests. At the back of the room, Gold was watching her. He shut off his voice recorder with an exaggerated click as she approached.

She didn't say a word as she passed him. She could hear whispering and muttering behind her, and she ignored it. She strode out the room with her head held high and listened for the sound of a cane clicking as only one person followed her.

"What were you thinking?"

Emma groaned, rubbing her hand over the back of her neck. Her mother had asked that question 10 times in the past five minutes, and by that point her tears were just starting up again. Her round face was mottled pink with rage and sadness, and she kept gripping hold of her husband's arm like she needed help to stay upright.

"Mom, I'm sorry," Emma replied, looking up at her dad for assistance. He was watching her silently with a different kind of disappointment on his face. "It all got out of hand and I didn't—"

"You committed fraud," Mary Margaret interrupted shrilly. "You could have gone to jail!"

"Don't you think I know that?" Emma snapped. "I didn't just dive headfirst into it without thinking about the consequences. But she was blackmailing me and I'd worked too hard over the past few years to let her tank my career now."

Mary Margaret pressed her spare hand against her chest and let out an aggrieved sigh. "I can't believe she did this. She seemed so lovely."

"She is lovely."

"Emma," David scoffed. "Come on. You can't seriously think that."

"I mean it," Emma replied, surprised by how forceful her tone was. "Look, you know what a bitch she was to me back in New York. I never hid that. But since we got here… I don't know. Things changed. I saw a different side to her, and she's not the same person as the one who tried to ruin my life a week ago."

"People don't change that much in seven days."

"Maybe she didn't need to change. Maybe she was never that terrible to begin with."

David sighed loudly. "What was she, then?"

"She was scared," Emma said. For the life of her, she couldn't work out why she was defending her so insistently: Regina had tried to ruin her, and she'd been a pain in her ass for years and she'd also just walked out on their wedding in front of Emma's entire family. That still hurt, regardless of whether the marriage was a sham or not. And yet, rather than being angry with her, Emma just felt sad. Regina had sacrificed her happiness for her, and she didn't even have anyone to hug her and tell her that she'd done the right thing afterwards – she'd just done it because she'd finally realised it was right.

Emma shook her head to get rid of Regina's voice when she'd told her about her childhood, and she said, "She went through some really bad stuff back in Canada. She was desperate not to go back there. And sure, she went about it in a really bad way, but she was just trying to protect herself. I don't blame her for that."

"Even though you nearly ended up in prison?"

"No," Emma replied firmly. "It was my choice. I decided to help her, and I don't regret it."

Finally, her parents were looking at her with something other than disappointment. In fact, they looked a little hopeful.

"Emma," Mary Margaret asked slowly. "When you were in New York… How did you feel about her?"

Emma snorted. "I hated her."

"You didn't like her at all?"

"No," Emma said, then paused. "I mean, I respected some things about her, and I guess I thought she was pretty, but that wasn't enough to overshadow the rest of it."

"And yet now you're defending her?"

Emma wasn't really sure what she was implying, so she just shrugged. "Yeah. Sure. Why?"

Her parents exchanged a look that she recognised.

"She was always selfish, though – right?" David asked.

"Of course."

"And she never put anyone else first."

"Right…"

"So now that she's gone," David continued. "What should we make of the fact that she just got herself deported so that you and your family wouldn't get hut?"

Emma opened her mouth, then paused. All at once, she remembered the way Regina had clung onto her and pleaded the night before.

"Oh, shit," she blurted out. She suddenly felt hot all over. "Oh no."

Mary Margaret patted her shoulder sympathetically. "You didn't realise?"

"Oh, shit," Emma repeated, going to run her hands through her hair and then remembering that it was tied back. "She loves me?"

"Emma," her mother sighed impatiently. "You did notice how she acted around you, right?"

"But it was an act," Emma insisted. "We were just pretending so that you wouldn't get suspicious."

David snorted. "And you did a mighty fine job of it, because I could have sworn I heard the two of you getting up to no good at one o'clock this morning."

Humiliation washed over Emma in a hot wave. "Dad."

"Excuse me?" Mary Margaret asked. "You were doing what?"

"It doesn't matter."

"But I separated you!"

"Is that really the point?"

"It was the night before you wedding!" Mary Margaret shrieked. "No wonder this whole ceremony fell apart!"

"Mary Margaret," David said, chuckling. "You're focusing on the wrong thing. Our little baby girl is actually, finally in love."

Emma covered her eyes with her hand and groaned. "This is the worst day of my entire fucking life."

"Language," Mary Margaret scolded before grabbing her wrist and forcing Emma to meet her gaze once more. "You really do love her?"

"I…" Emma started, her face going even redder. "I don't know. I hadn't thought about it."

"Well, it's probably time to start. Because she obviously loves you, and she'll be on a plane back to New York in about 30 minutes if you don't do something about it."

Emma blinked, looking around her like she was only just realising where she was.

"Shit. They're actually going to take her."

"Not if we stop them," David said, straightening his shoulders. "Plus that Gold guy has a cane – he can't have gotten very far."

Emma couldn't even laugh at that comment, because her heart was pounding and she could feel herself sweating all over at the idea that Regina really might be taken from her. She was on her way to the airport, probably still wearing that fucking wedding dress, and if Emma didn't get to her first then she might not ever get the chance to tell her how she felt.

If she could work out what it was, of course.

"Come on," Mary Margaret said, taking her daughter's hand. "Maybe we can catch them."

For a second, everything slowed down. Emma looked at her parents with a new kind of throbbing in her chest. She remembered the looks on their faces the day she'd come out to them, and then she saw how they were looking at her now. Tears sprung up in her eyes.

"We?"

Her mother squeezed her hand. "We. You don't think we're going to let our daughter-in-law get away, do you?"

Emma choked with a noise that was half a laugh and half a sob, and she stepped forward to hug them both. They squeezed back, their bodies warm and familiar and welcoming, and she felt herself melt into them. Four years of resentment and disappointment wisped away as their unconditional acceptance finally wrapped its way around her.

When she pulled away, Mary Margaret wiped the tears away from Emma's cheeks on instinct.

"Ready for an airport chase?" she asked, her face almost hysterical in its sincerity.

Emma grinned, straightening her shoulders under her tuxedo. "You bet. Now let's go."

Mr Gold gave Regina five minutes to go into the airport bathroom and change out of her dress. When they'd stopped off at the house, she'd only had time to throw her possessions into a suitcase and head for the door. Changing hadn't been on her mind then – not when her brain was filled with all sorts of unpleasant images that were threatening to make her weep.

She'd never cared before when someone had looked at her with disappointment – not once in her whole adult life. But seeing Emma and her parents looking at her like she'd just single-handedly torn their lives apart had hit her hard, and as she caught sight of herself in the bathroom mirror – her hair ruined from the boat trip to shore and her make-up smudged under both eyes – she realised that she hated herself. She wished she'd never started this whole charade in the first place.

Except, she admitted to herself as she wiped away her sooty eyeliner with a shaking finger, she didn't. If she hadn't coerced Emma into helping her, she wouldn't have experienced the best and weirdest weekend of her life. She wouldn't have ever felt that strange softness in her chest whenever Emma stood close to her, and she wouldn't have been pinned down into a mattress and fucked until tears of relief were spilling out of her eyes.

More importantly, she wouldn't have been held so closely afterward.

She remembered waking up in the middle of the night to find Emma's arms wrapped around her, and she had to sniff hard to stop herself from crying again.

Someone banged on the bathroom door. "Ms Mills. Your five minutes are up."

Regina rolled her eyes and looked down at the wedding dress in her hands. All she could do was fold it up and cram it into one of the bags she'd brought along with her – she sure as hell wasn't leaving it in Maine. Not when she was already leaving everything else there.

"Now what?" Emma asked as she stared up at the departures board. Flights to New York left every hour and she had no idea which one Regina was on, or if she was even there at all. There was every chance that Gold had taken her somewhere else, or driven her back to Manhattan so she couldn't make a getaway from the airport. Emma could feel herself getting sweaty again under her suit as she imagined going back home without ever knowing what the future could have held for them. She had to see Regina. She had to.

Her mother had already pulled out her cell phone and was happily chatting. "Hi, Ruby – we need your help."

"Gimme," Emma demanded, reaching for the phone and snatching it out of her mom's hand. "Rubes? Can you access the airport booking system from your phone?"

"I sure can, my little crime dog," Ruby replied. "How's the chase going?"

"Not well. We need to know if she's been checked onto a flight."

"I'm just looking now," Ruby said. There was a pause, followed by a tapping in the background, before she asked, "What the hell were you thinking, Em?"

"Let's not get into that."

Mary Margaret leaned in to the phone and all but sang, "She loves her."

"Mom," Emma snapped, pulling away from her. "Can you not?"

"Am I supposed to be surprised?" Ruby drawled, tapping some more. "The fact that the wedding was fake came as such as shock to everyone because we all see the way you undress each other with your eyes whenever you're in the same room as each other. Hey, are you going to get married for real now?"

"Is she on a flight or not?"

"Touchy. Fine, fine – she's on the 4:30 to JFK."

Emma looked down at her watch and flinched. "That's in 20 minutes."

"Then you'd better run, little gazelle," Ruby said cheerily. "Tell her I want to go for drinks again when you catch her."

Emma hung up without responding and turned back to her parents. "How much sway do you have over airport security?"

David wrinkled his nose. "Not much. We have a couple of stores in the departures lounge, though – maybe they can get us through?

"It'll have to be enough," Emma replied. She braced herself for a run. "Gate 16. Let's go."

Regina couldn't pretend that she wasn't a little hurt by the lack of messages on her phone. Not that she thought she deserved them – there was just a small, naïve part of her hoping that once she'd turned to leave, Emma would have called her back again.

That hadn't been the case though, and Regina had to resign herself to the fact that Emma had obviously been relieved to see her go. Her troubles were over now, after all, and she still had her entire disgruntled family to deal with. Once that was all taken care of, maybe Regina would get a courtesy text to check that she hadn't been thrown in jail already.

Maybe that was all she deserved.

Regina clicked her phone off and rubbed the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"It's lucky for her that you took all the blame," Mr Gold suddenly piped up from beside her. "It would be a shame for that pretty little blonde thing to wind up in jail."

Gritting her teeth together, Regina said, "Stop it. It's done, alright? I've turned myself in."

"Just like I knew you would," Gold replied. "I always get my man."

Regina clenched her fists to stop herself from reaching out and strangling him. After a beat, she looked up at the sign that was hanging above their gate. "We're boarding."

"Eager to get back home?" Gold asked. "It'll be nice to see your mother again, hmm?"

Regina quickly stood up and headed over to the line. Gold was still struggling to get to his feet, but she didn't even feel remotely guilty for tormenting a cripple. She hoped he rotted.

It didn't even matter that technically this wasn't his fault – she hated him anyway. She felt so full of fiery rage that it was a wonder the airport sprinklers hadn't gone off.

They waited in line for some time before it started moving. Regina checked her phone once more, but there was nothing there. Her eyes burned and her throat felt sharp.

She and Gold were nearly at the front of the line when she heard a commotion from the far end of the hall. She glanced over and spotted a crowd of people, most of them wearing security uniforms, and she thought for a moment that maybe the airport was about to go into lockdown. That would delay her journey nicely, at the very least. She might even be forced to stay in Maine another night while they dealt with whatever chaos was going on.

But then she realised the crowd was moving toward her, and she turned sharply away. It didn't look like Gold had noticed what was happening, but he still had that obnoxious smirk on his face that made Regina want to commit yet another crime.

"You called for back up?" she demanded. He looked back at her, his eyebrows rising.

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm not going anywhere," she scoffed. "I turned myself in, remember? Why would I run away?"

Her confusion grew when Gold asked, "What on Earth are you talking about, Ms Mills?"

He didn't seem to be lying, which was strange. But she still had a sneaking suspicion that the crowd that was hurrying in her direction wasn't a mere coincidence.

Then she heard a familiar voice, and her heart all but stopped.

"Don't you dare get on that plane."

It was frantic and wheezing slightly, and Regina spun around to find Emma standing there, right there, 10 feet away with her tux all dishevelled and her hair flying.

Regina staggered back a step, colliding with the person ahead of her in line. "Emma?"

She realised then that Emma wasn't alone: her parents were behind her, both of them also struggling to catch their breath, and behind that was the collection of security guards and airport staff she'd seen storming toward her.

She swallowed, suddenly feeling more unsure of herself than she had done all weekend. "What's going on?"

"We're…" Emma started, then paused to bend over her knees and wheeze a bit more. "One sec."

"Why are you panting?" Regina asked, twitching a little when she saw the sheen of sweat on her forehead. "And since when did you come with such an entourage?"

David breathlessly chimed in when his daughter didn't manage to respond. "Owning half the town comes with its perks, but that still doesn't mean they trust you to run through an airport without an armed escort."

Regina wasn't sure whether she should be more surprised by the fact that he was still willing to laugh with her or the fact that they were all there at all. She'd left. She'd given them their lives back and she'd thought that they'd never want to see her again – and yet, here they all were, having chased her halfway across Maine still wearing their wedding outfits.

A sudden thought made Regina's heart sink. "Oh. You want the dress back."

There was a pause before Mary Margaret scoffed loudly. "Don't be so stupid. Who breaches airport security for the sake of a used wedding dress?"

"Half used," David pointed out.

"Guys," Emma interrupted, having finally caught her breath. "Can you maybe stop?"

Her parents raised their hands simultaneously and backed away, leaving Emma to visibly steel herself before she turned around once more. She found Regina waiting for her with her cheeks slightly pink and her teeth buried in her lip.

She swallowed and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Honestly, Emma didn't know. She'd spent the entire journey trying to decide what the outcome of this would be, and she'd still come up short. All she knew was that she wasn't willing to let Regina go without saying something – saying anything – about how her heart pounded when she thought of her. About how the idea of her leaving was more painful than anything she'd ever gone through.

"You didn't even have the balls to say it," Emma eventually blurted out. It wasn't the most elegant opening line, but Regina didn't seem to mind.

"To say what?"

"You know what," Emma replied. She saw from the instant teariness in Regina's eyes that yes – she knew exactly what. "Are you going to admit it?"

Regina's jaw hardened and she quickly looked away. "There's nothing to admit."

"Bullshit," Emma replied, stepping closer. "Why did you do that? At the wedding?"

When Regina looked back at her, her eyes were hard, dark little things. They reminded Emma of when she used to build snowmen on the island and used black buttons so they could see.

"I was just…" Regina started, but then quickly gave up. She didn't know why she'd done it. If she'd just said "I do", she might have gotten away with the entire charade, but at the last second her heart had decided that that wasn't a good enough reason to go ahead with it.

When she didn't get an answer, Emma sighed. "You're so goddamn stubborn, you know that?"

Regina glared back at her. "Well. Then it's lucky for you that you don't have to marry me anymore, right?"

"Right. Except that wasn't your decision," Emma replied. "I'd agreed. I was there. I'd gone through all that shit for you and you couldn't even let that go as planned, could you? Was it because you finally had me on board that you decided it would be more interesting to just call it quits?"

She was pretty certain that that wasn't the case, but she had to be sure. When Regina gasped with indignation, relief swept through her.

"Of course not," Regina snapped. "Look, I can't help it that you and your crazy family got under my skin. I couldn't go through with it. It was going to hurt all of you and I didn't want to do that. Alright?"

It was so alright, because Emma knew Regina, and she knew she'd only do something so selfless for someone she really, truly cared about.

She smiled, which made Regina take another step back.

"And you don't think that means something?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina insisted. "Just because I did a nice thing doesn't mean you have to read so much into it."

She was acutely aware of the fact that at least 50 people were staring at them. Boarding had ceased entirely while everyone watched this strange interaction play out. Regina straightened her spine and tried to look like none of it bothered her.

"Why did you come here?" she asked.

To her extreme annoyance, Emma just shrugged. "Partly because I was seriously pissed at you and I wanted to get an apology from you for running out on our wedding day."

A couple of women gasped with shock, but Emma continued before they could launch themselves at Regina.

"But mainly it was because when I was up there, standing alone at the alter wondering where the fuck my fiancée had just gone, I realised something."

Tears were springing up in Regina's eyes again and she blinked hard to try and get rid of them. "What?"

"I realised," Emma said, stepping closer, "that you're a gigantic pain in my ass."

Regina frowned. "Right. Thanks."

"And I realised that in spite of that – I kind of like you anyway."

"You kind of like me?"

"I know. Who would've thought it, right? That I'd end up actually liking my own fiancée," Emma replied. She paused, taking in the glossiness of Regina's eyes and the vague terror on her face, and she decided to stop messing around. "Regina, I realised that I didn't want you to go. I was mad that you ran out, but I was also mad because I wanted to marry you."

The words settled on every inch of Regina's skin, and it was such a struggle to not try and shake them off.

"Because you wanted to help me?" she clarified anxiously. Please no, something in her heart said. Please don't let it be that.

Emma was already shaking her head. "No. Because I think maybe I fell in love with you this weekend, and actually, marrying you would be the greatest honour of my life."

That made Regina feel vaguely like she was crumbling. She glanced at Mr Gold, who was watching them both with mounting annoyance on his face, and swallowed down the pain in her throat.

"Emma…" she said quietly. Apologies didn't come easily to her, but she forced one out anyway. "I'm sorry. I was trying to do a good thing."

"Yeah, I know. Typical you to do it in the most irritating manner possible, though."

Regina smiled weakly.

"I think…" she started, wishing everyone would stop fucking watching her so she could get this out properly. "I think I wasn't expecting your family to be how it is."

"What do you mean?"

"You know," Regina said desperately. "They're… nice. And welcoming. It threw me off and I couldn't keep going with this when I knew it would hurt all of you – you're working so hard to get your relationship back on track and I couldn't ruin it. You all deserve to have a proper family without some immigrant con artist tearing it apart."

Emma and her parents laughed in symphony.

"Regina," Emma sighed. "Would we be here if we didn't want you to be part of it?"

When Regina looked over Emma's shoulder, she found Mary Margaret and David nodding back at her. It didn't appear forced – sure, they were obviously still a little upset with her, but they were still there.

She threw them a watery smile. "I'm sorry. For everything."

"We know. But you can make it up to us," Mary Margaret replied.

"I will," she said, nodding furiously. Then she looked back at Emma, who was still watching her with the same kind of soft bemusement that Regina really never understood, and released a breath. "I'm scared, Emma. I've never had anyone before."

It was maybe the saddest sentence Emma had ever heard, but she still smiled.

"I know. I'm scared too," she said. After a beat she added, "But then again, I've been terrified of you for two years already, so I guess I can handle anything."

Regina laughed in spite of herself. Although she knew she didn't deserve to, she felt relieved. "Right. I guess you can."

When Emma saw her expression shift, she stepped forward and finally closed the last of the gap between them. Regina's entire body went slack the second their lips touched.

Emma slid her hands beneath Regina's hair and tilted her head back, kissing her slowly and tugging her closer with every second. Around them, people were clapping – actually clapping, like it was a scene from some kind of cheesy rom-com and they were all the paid extras. She didn't mind it so much, though, because Regina's body slotted into hers so perfectly and when she grabbed the front of her tux and pulled, it all felt right.

She pulled away with a grin and she found Regina smiling dopily back at her. It was a perfect moment.

But, as with most perfect moments, it immediately got ruined.

"Well, isn't this nice," Mr Gold chimed in. His voice was cold. "But the fact remains that Ms Mills still has to go. She's expected back in Vancouver in three days."

Somehow, in spite of everything, Emma had forgotten about all that.

Regina shook her head. "We can make something work. It won't be too bad."

It would, though. It would be awful. Regina would be trapped in another country and probably wouldn't ever be allowed to come back again, and the thought of that happening made Emma's entire body hurt.

She'd be damned before she let it happen – even if she had to do something really stupid to stop it.

She glanced round at her parents, who were already watching her like they were waiting for her to do something dumb, and grinned sheepishly. Then, with as much grace as she could manage, she lowered herself down onto one knee.

Mr Gold groaned and took a step back, because he'd finally been checkmated and there wasn't a thing he could do it stop it.

"Regina," Emma said, loving the way that Regina's eyes had gone wide and teary again. Around them, everything had stopped. The woman on the Delta Airlines desk had her chin resting on her hand as she watched them. "Darling Regina."

Regina rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yes, Emma?"

"You might be the most infuriating woman I've ever met," Emma said softly. "And sometimes I really do want to strangle you in your sleep. But I think that's part of why I fell in love with you. Only someone as obnoxious as you could keep me on my toes forever."

She saw Regina quickly scrub at something on her cheek, but she didn't comment on it.

"I know," Regina said. "I think that's exactly why I fell in love with you too."

Emma beamed with enough voltage to blind her.

"In that case," she continued, taking a deep breath because even though this was a security measure, she meant every last word. "Marry me. Please. Because I'd like to date you."

Regina didn't even answer. She just fell to her knees in front of her and kissed her all over again, her hands gripping the collar of Emma's shirt and her lips curved upward into a relieved smile.

The clapping had started again. Behind Emma, David and Mary Margaret were both surreptitiously wiping tears away from their cheeks.

The only person who didn't look thrilled was Mr Gold. He was glaring down at them with his cane clutched in a death grip.

"I see," he said once they'd finally clambered back to their feet. "So. You're choosing the hard way?"

Regina grabbed Emma's hand and squeezed. "Something like that."

"Not a problem," he replied. He leaned close, trying to intimidate them, but neither woman flinched. "In that case, I look forward to seeing you both for your visa interview tomorrow morning as planned."

Emma laughed. "God, I literally cannot wait."

The total lack of fear in her voice made Gold visibly seethe, and he stormed off onto the plane that Regina clearly wasn't joining him on anymore.

Before Emma could say another word, Regina turned to her and grabbed her by the sides of her face. She pulled her in for another kiss, and then another, peppering her lips all over her mouth and cheeks until Emma was blushing and laughing. She never pulled away, though. When Regina was finally done, Emma just leaned their foreheads together and sighed happily.

"Thank you," Regina said.

"Don't even mention it, sweetums," Emma replied, earning her a slap to the arm. Her parents were approaching, and only then did they finally peel apart.

"So," David said, wrapping an arm around either of their shoulders. "Regina. Is this the part when I need to ask you about your intentions with my daughter?"

Regina grimaced. "Unfortunately I think you already know about all of that."

"I do," he said, not sounding particularly upset about it. He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Welcome to the family, I guess. For real, this time."

Then they were suddenly being shoved apart by Mary Margaret, who was enveloping Regina in a hug tight enough to make her ribs ache. Regina blinked at Emma, wondering what to do, until she eventually realised that she was supposed to hug her back.

"All of this was really stupid," Mary Margaret said, sounding stern for about a second before she sighed and added, "But we're still happy to have you."

Regina felt a throb deep in her heart and closed her eyes. "I'm happy to have you too."

They peeled apart, and Emma held out her hand. She was still smiling.

"Ready for the adventure of a lifetime?" she asked. Regina couldn't help letting out a fake sigh.

"With you?"

"I'm afraid so. Unless you've got a better offer?"

"Not that I can think of," Regina replied, tangling their fingers together. She squeezed hard, and Emma instantly squeezed back.

"So I guess I'll have to do then, won't I?"

"Right, Emma," Regina said softly as they began to walk away. "You'll just have to."

THE END

A/N: Oh, my lovely friends, I can't quite believe that this is the end! For those of you who have been asking why I'm leaving the world of swan queen fanfic, there's a post near the top of my tumblr (starsthatburn) that should explain everything. For those who've been telling me not to delete my existing works, I don't plan to – they're all going to stay online on both AO3 and FF. I'm also not moving to another fandom (I don't really have any other ships to be honest), but I do plan to start writing my own book sometime soon just to see where I can take that.

I haven't got much else to say that I haven't already said on tumblr or twitter (_starsthatburn), but I just need to thank you all again. Although there have been some pretty vile people following me through the fandom making sure I feel badly about myself and my writing, the vast majority of you have been so thoughtful and supportive and wonderful. Your encouragement has been more appreciated than you could ever know, and I'm going to miss reading your lovely comments so much.

Thanks for being the best readers I could have ever hoped for! Love you lots xx