Disclaimer: I'm posting my final chapter and OUaT is still not mine.

Reunited at the town hall, there were six people that looked confident about the expected request that the one and only Regina Mills asked of them. All had take a step of acceptance already.

"So you're saying that you, Regina Mills, want to officially adopt Julia?" Snow decided to take a stand and talk on the behalf of all the group. She showed nothing more than trust in Regina's words. For a long time she'd been observing the way she connected with the girl and it was reasonable that one day she'd be making this request but she never imagined that the woman would be communicating all of them.

"I love Julia as if she's my own child. It took me so long to finally decide to take this step. But I'm ready now. I only had to have conversation with Henry and now that I know he's fine with it I decided not to wait anymore. I have been trying to redeem myself and for a while now I believe I did all I could to make all of you see it. I want a chance to have a family and move on from the past. Even if none of you ever forgive me I know she did and that's all I want-"

"You've done nothing but make sure to honor our trust. I believe you… It took me time but now I know you're not that monster." Leroy was the one to cut the woman and speak for the group this time.

Regina turned to face Emma. "You believed in me all this time. Even when I didn't believe myself. And... I'll understand if this is too much for you to take now. I can wait for you to be ready to take this step just like I waited my whole life for you to appear." She said only to the blonde to hear looking her in the eyes. The blonde just stood there with a tender look.

"I've already told you... We're stuck in this together." The blonde said taking her hand.

David walked until he was beside Snow calling Regina's attention to him, he shared the same look of trust as his wife. "She needs you. And I can see that you both..." He said looking at his daughter and the former mayor. "Are as much ready as you should to do this. You proved me wrong, Regina. I couldn't be more relieved about it." He finished making everyone in the room giggle.

Ruby looked accepting the conditions, since the very beginning she knew that she wasn't mistaken about Regina. And it wasn't only her cursed personality talking. In the last months she learned a lot about this woman. As Emma once said she is more than she appears to be.

"We're doing it together. So the request extends to me asking too." Emma said as Regina smiled and nodded.

The decision was clear for most of them. As this decision was about the life of one of the orphans Regina asked for Miss Peterson to be a part of the reunion. And the woman who was quiet until now decided to speak. "Well, have nothing to say but… If Julia agrees, and I think we have no doubt there, it's more than okay for me. We'll miss the little one..."

Ruby was the one to answer. "I think that this time I can say that the decision is obvious... And that David won't be putting it politely to Mary today-"

"I don't do that..." David said cutting her.

"Whatever..." she said teasing the man.

"Well..." Emma said turning to Regina. "Are you sure?"

"I am!"

Emma smiled proudly and hugged the woman. "I love you…"

It was morning and two tired bodies lay on the bad. It had been the first time Emma spent the night. She didn't plan to but things got a bit deeper and Regina asked so gently that she couldn't refuse. The phone rang waking one of them. Regina opened her eyes trying to get used to the clarity and turned to search for where the damn thing was. "Hello." She said with a sleepy voice. And the voice on the other side started screaming something about losing Emma that she didn't quiet comprehended. "Who lost whom?"

Silence. Noises. And a male voice now more calm spoke. It was David. "Regina? Emma's missing since yesterday... Have you seen her?"

The brunette now recognized his voice and before she responded she turned to see the long mess of golden hair and smiled. The man took her out from her distraction moment and she remembered that he was looking for the other woman in the room. "Yes, she's in my... House. She's safely sleeping."

After calming the man down she turned back to Emma smiling.

She woke up to the smell of food. When she opened her eyes and looked around she realized where she was. A silly smile appeared on her lips when last night came into her mind. After taking a shower and dressing up she got down to where the wonderful smell came from.

At the kitchen Regina was finishing cook something. With her hands on the brunette's waist she placed a kiss on her neck whispering good morning on her ears.

Regina smiled and turned to face the blonde kissing her. "Good morning. I thought you'd never wake up."

The sheriff giggled. "Maybe I just needed true love's kiss to wake me up..."

Now Regina was the one giggling. "I'll take note for the next time... And also your parents lost you last night and called desperate this morning."

"I wasn't planning to stay so long... What did tell them?"

"That you were safe... Sleeping... Here." She responded with a innocent expression.

When the former mayor entered the study at her home with some snacks she saw the little girl very concentrated on a draw with her color pencils spread on the table. "Hello, you. What is it you're drawing there?" She said sitting at a chair beside Julia's.

"It's my family's picture." She said and continued to paint.

"May I see it?" Regina said with pleading eyes. Julia nodded handing the paper to the older woman. When Regina saw it she felt the happiest she could've. Her eyes brightened and her smile was wide. At the paper she saw a draw version of herself, Emma, Henry and the little girl smiling together. She even managed to put their names. "Julia, this is beautiful..." She said kissing the girl's head. It had been a few days since she asked for the girl to live with her but all the times she and Emma tried to talk about it something happened and she lost the chance. Now this was the perfect moment to do it.

"Thank you... I was going to draw the boys but I like this is as family more." Her tone was soft. The girl didn't know but her words cared so much right now.

The woman took a deep breath as to reunite some courage before speaking. "Julia... I know you like the boys and that they took care of you for a long time..."

"And Miss Peterson."

Regina smiled as she was reminded of the woman. "...Yes, and Miss Peterson..." Regina was insecure and she hesitated before speaking. "Would you like to live here... With me? And Emma and Henry if they move in one day..."

The girls face was now bright and she smiled. "Like a real family?!" She said in wonder.

"Like a real family..."

"Yes. But you already are my family." She pointed to the left side of Regina's chest saying. "Here." The girl's happy face went off for an instant. Regina was getting nervous. "But I will can still see the boys?"

The woman sighed in relief. "Yes, sweetie. You can see the boys whenever you want." With that she hugged the girl and Julia hugged her back.

Emma, Mary Margaret and Henry were at the living room of their apartment. The women were sharing some embarrassing moments from their childhood and they were just starting mocking MM for her non graceful behavior during a teatime. The conversation was interrupted by the knock on their door. Emma was the one to get up to open. "Watch me as I do this gracefully..." She said and a pillow was through at her. "Hey."

When she opened the door Regina was on the other side walking from one side to the other. "Regina." The woman stopped her walking. "Are you okay?"

The woman only hugged Emma tight. "I did it."

"What?" Emma was clueless.

"Julia." She said softly.

Emma took a step back to look into the other woman's eyes. "You did it?" She said feeling proud of the brunette.

Regina nodded. "I did."

"Who did what?" Henry asked. Neither of his mother's saw him approach.

Regina walked till him. "You're soon going to be a big brother."

The boy smiled at the news.

"Who's the pregnant?!" MM asked worried and with wide eyes. She was aware of Julia's adoption but thought that this was a new topic.

"Oh Gosh... No one's pregnant here!" Emma assured making her mother sigh in relief.

It was the first day of the girl living with Regina. The brunette was happy for it. Emma and Henry were spending the day too. This week they came by everyday to help organizing things for Julia.

Henry was excited to be a big brother. Though he already felt like it when it came to this one girl.

He was playing with Julia while Regina observed.

When Emma saw the woman by the door she got her. "Hey."

"Hey." She responded with the same tone.

"What is it?" With time Emma was learning to read Regina's expressions.

"What?" She tried to pretend that nothing was happening but Emma knew better.

"You have that look of 'I want to but I don't know if I should'... So spill it out."

"I just... I don't want to rush things but..." Regina didn't know what to say next.

"But... What?" Emma said encouraging her to continue.

"When I spoke with her about living here with me I mentioned that eventually you and Henry might be moving in too. But... I don't want to rush anything asking this of you now. And I don't know what to do. So I'm stuck with this and I also don't want to scare you off or make you think that I'm only doing it so Henry moves back because I'm not. I really want you to be here."

Emma thought for a second. "I'm... Confuse." Regina sighed. "No, really. I am. Are you asking me or not?"

"What?"

"Are you asking me to move in or not? 'Cause after all that I might just self invite me to..."

They smiled at each other. "I'll be right back." Regina said disappearing in the study. When she came back she cared something.

"A key?!"

"I've had it for a while. I was planning to give you for emergencies but..." She got a step closer. "Now I'm giving you because I want us to start a family... A real family."

Emma smiled. "Oh, I don't know... I don't want to rush things..." She said sarcastically making the both of them laugh. She took Regina's hand. "That would make me the second happiest woman in the world."

"The second?" Regina asked with a questioning look.

"I'll be too much busy making the first one happy to take her place." When Regina was about to complained about how bad the line was Emma pulled her into a kiss.

"I love you."

"I love you too. More than anything... Maybe not more than my bug but I love you a lot."She said mocking the older woman.

"Good to know. Now when you movie in you'll already be on the couch." She said walking out leaving Emma with an open mouth. But soon the blonde was chasing her apologizing.

Emma, Regina, their kids, the blonde's parents and Ruby were on the park. The other boys were going to come later as miss Peterson had them grounded for playing some pranks on Hook. The sheriff was talking to Regina when she saw that Ruby was having a lonely moment. Which was weird because... Well it was Ruby and every time they came to this place she was the first to be playing with the children. So the blonde decided to go see what was wrong.

When Regina was left alone David walked to her. He was trying to talk to her for a while now about some business that concerned one of his works. "Hi." He said to the woman as stood by her side.

"Hello, Charming." Even with all the peaceful time in between them Regina always called him that with mockery. Some things were never going to change.

He gave her an embarrassed smile on the name she used. "I... Have been wanting to talk to you for a while. Uhm... What would you think if I made you a job offer?"

The subject immediately got her attention. "That depends on what job..."

"Well, I've been taking care of the stables for sometime but with all the things about the town and the animal shelter it got tough to deal with all of it. And as you showed to love the pace I thought if you'd like to be in charge of it from now on. Would you?" He said expectantly about her answer.

She was amazed by the request but the stables were one of the most important parts of her life and working at it would be perfect. "Oh, I would love to."

He gave a little smile. "Okay... We'll arrange it Monday at the office then."

The man was already turning to leave when she spoke. "Thank you, David." He nodded and continued walking.

"Hey you..."

"Hey me..." Ruby said looking at her friend. "Shouldn't you be enjoying the hotness of your wife?" She made a joke but her tone wasn't quiet convincing.

"You should get one for yourself to stop talking like that about mine... And so I can have my revenge, you know?"

"Well, not happening..."

"Is there someone?!" Emma asked curious.

"Not exactly." She said looking from Emma to the floor and back to the blonde. "She's faraway... And I never stood a chance anyways..."

Emma was going to say something when she visualized a known figure behind her friend. Ruby turned to see what she was looking at. When her eyes found the blue ones a smile grown on both faces. "Belle?!" She whispered.

When she saw Ruby's face in seeing the other woman smiling at her direction she automatically knew who the brunette was just talking about. And didn't miss the chance to mess with Ruby. "Oh Hot-Belle is back." She received a glare. "What? Not my fault she's hot!" She said sarcastically.

"Stop talking like that about her, okay?"

"You didn't call feelings state of emergency so I'm just going to enjoy mocking you about her hotness... And these eyes..." Ruby started to walk on Belle's direction and Emma raised her voice a bit. "She's gorgeous." When she turned Regina was looking at her with a dangerous glare. "Not as gorgeous as my wife!" She yelled.

The older woman only laughed. Emma went to sit on the grass by her side. "Idiot number 1 just came to offer me a job at the stables." She commented.

Emma gave the woman an confused look. "Idiot number 1? You've numbered them? Gee... I wonder where you'll stop..." She said now laughing.

When they were sat just enjoying the companies of each other Julia came running and laughing at their direction with Henry following her. Soon all of them were playing and laughing with each other.

Of course that not everyone accepted the changing course of things, some of them, as the milkman, didn't even walk in the same side of the pavement as her but with time most of the townsfolk were at least accepting that this woman was changing for the good. On her road to redemption Regina Mills never thought she'd found so many good things. She never thought she'd found the respect of the ones that once feared or hated her. She never thought she'd find a family on the ones who were not more than a threat for years. She never thought she'd find one whom needed to be cared and that would care for her. She had no clue she'd find Emma Swan. But for the first time she could say that she had joy and for a long time.

The town of Storybrook had never seen charity look so evil. Evil look so good. Good look so regal. Regal look so happy. And happiness was stunning on Regina Mills.