Hey guys! Thank you for your reviews and love for this adapted story! As promised, here is the conclusion. For those of you who have seen the film, I changed my ending a bit. I felt like the movie didn't show enough of a character change. Hopefully, you like what I've done.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays to my fellow SwanQueen panda bears! Love you all! And be on the lookout for more of 'This Remarkable Ride' and "Another Sleeping Curse II"...more will be up soon :)

Also...feel free to follow me on tumblr...I don't have much there, but I'll be revamping the blog after the holidays. URL is theregalswan

The streets were cold and slippery, but Regina ran as fast as she could. It wasn't a matter of searching, but a matter of timing. She knew which streets Emma would walk down. She knew which stoop Pongo would sit on. And she knew which car's headlights would blind Emma that night. She'd seen it all before. Regina was determined that the last bit wouldn't happen again.

"Pongo!" Emma called out into the night air. Regina had yet to reach her and she'd remained blissfully unaware of her fate, still searching for the Dalmatian.

"Pongo? What are you doing there, crazy boy?" she said, approaching the dog. Just as she was about to pick him up, he leapt off the porch, barreling into the street.

"Pongo, come here!" she cried as she entered the street. "What are you doing out here? You're going to get hurt."

Just as the words came out of her mouth, the clacking of Regina's heels echoed in the alleyway, as she turned the corner. With Emma and the dog in sight, she knew she could stop it all.

"Emma!" she cried, causing her wife to look up with Pongo in her arms. Regina saw the headlights come on from behind her. Within an instant, she was darting out in the road, arms stretched out. Before her wife had time to respond, Emma found herself face planted into a pile of garbage bags on the sidewalk.

As Emma looked up, she only saw Pongo by her side. The sound of screeching tires sent a lump to her throat. She heard the loud thud—a sound that shook all panic within her to the surface. Turning around, Emma saw Regina lying motionless in the street.

Emma sat crumpled in a ball in the hospital waiting room. It wasn't until the doctor came out to get her that she moved out of the position.

"Mrs. Mills-Swan?" the man in scrubs asked.

Emma stood, rubbing her red eyes with the sleeve of her sweater.

"I'm Doctor Whale," he said as he extended a hand.

"How is she?"

Dr. Whale removed all expression from his face. "Let's talk in here," he said, leading Emma to a small room away from the noise of the emergency room.

"Mrs. Mills-Swan, your wife's injuries were very severe," he said as Emma put her hand to her mouth, preventing an outburst. "We've used all of the medical expertise available to us. I'm afraid there's nothing more we can do."

"No," Emma cried into her sleeve.

"She's not conscious," he added, "but if you'd like to see her—there's not much time."

"This isn't the way it's supposed to be," Emma cried, unaware of the truth she spoke.

Doctor Whale led her to the room where Regina lay, completely unconscious. Emma choked at the sight. Her wife's face was bruised and her body had become still, its color now close to the white of the pale sheet that clothed her. Emma held her hand and sat beside her.

"What were you thinking, huh?" Emma asked as she wept. "What were you thinking?—pushing me out of the way like that."

The heart monitor beeped steadily as she cried by her wife's side. Emma stroked her head, pushing a strand of dark hair off of her face. "It should have been me."

Just then, Emma jumped back, startled by the sudden sound of a flat line. "No!" she cried. "No, Regina! Please don't leave me!"

Doctor Whale rushed back in, put on his stethoscope, and gave a listen. His face went blank as he looked down at his watch to give a time of death. Emma covered her red, teary eyes in the sleeves of her sweater once again.

"I'm so sorry," the doctor said, before leaving her alone to say goodbye.

"No," Emma continued to cry, as she pulled Regina's limp hand to her face. She closed her eyes, kissing each finger, focusing only on the sensation of her wife's skin brushing against her lips. With her eyes closed, she was surprised again to hear the sound.

A beat.

The heart monitor picked up again, at a slow tempo. Emma's eyes flashed open to look at the screen. She saw the sharp peaks rise once more. Her own shallow breaths grew as well, completely shocked by the sight before her eyes. Regina was coming back to her.

"Honey," she called, stroking Regina's face, "Honey—Regina."

The brunette's eyelids fluttered for a moment before the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile.

"You're so beautiful," she said instantly to Emma, making the blonde laugh through her last tears.

Emma kissed her forehead several times. "I thought I lost you," she whispered.

Regina smirked. "I know the feeling."

As she embraced Emma's warm kisses, something in the corner of the room caught her attention. She glanced over to see none other than the imp—Mr. Gold—standing there with a genuine smile on his face. Regina smiled, the two of them having made eye contact.

"Merry Christmas, dearies."

ONE YEAR LATER

The merry jingling of Christmas bells and the bustle of the streets down below could be heard from the office. The brunette sat at her desk, carefully reading over the last pages before sending it out to the printing company. Upon hearing a knock at her door, she swiveled her chair and removed her glasses.

"Come in," Regina said.

Belle cleared her throat as she walked in with a large manila envelope and placed it on her desk. "These just came in from back from your co-illustrator," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Belle," Regina said as she unfastened the folder. "I'm just re-reading the final copy before we send it out."

Belle watched her as she practically glowed. "Oh, hush!" she said. "Regina, that's the third time you've read it this morning!"

Regina blushed in embarrassment. "I'm aware, dear," she said, "but you know I've got a very tough critic—two of them, actually."

Belle laughed. "I know, I hear the short one can be rough," she said, and then winked. "But I also hear that he's very receptive to the work if you read it using character voices."

"Most definitely."

Regina pulled out the illustrations from the packet. She beamed with joy when she found herself looking at the very familiar cover drawing. She ran her fingers over the outline of the small boy with the mischievous smile who sat beside the man with a cane. Her index finger moved up to the bubble letters of the title—"Henry and The Christmas Imp".

Belle stood up and leaned over the artwork. "I can't believe they let you keep that title," she said with a laugh. "More importantly, I can't believe Emma went for that title."

Regina leisurely swung her glasses from an arm of their frame. "Just because I've gone into writing children's books doesn't mean I've given up my attitude," she said. She smirked, thinking of her co-illustrator. "And my wife happens to—appreciate—that part of me as well."

Regina ran her fingers over the seal in the corner of the cover page. A golden swan sat gracefully in front of an old mill and the words 'Mills-Swan Publishing' were etched just below. Seeing the emblem of the company she and her wife had created just over six months prior still had the power to bring Regina to tears of joy.

She slowly scanned over the other pages, though she'd seen them before. Many times. She'd seen the sketches that Emma began, on their bed in the middle of the night when she just couldn't get to sleep. She'd watched Emma stick her tongue half-way out, as she concentrated on outlining them. She'd helped her add the watercolor, which, always lead to other fun moments. Regina had seen these images from start to finish.

"Speaking of my co-illustrator," Regina said as Belle chuckled at another image, "she and I have a very important meeting to get to."

As she gathered up her coat, and slid the drawings back in her case, Belle stood alert. "But don't you need to head home?! It's Christmas Eve, Regina!"

"I know it is," Regina said with a smile, "but I can't miss this meeting. After all, it's with the person who inspired the book."

Belle winked at her and gave her a hug before she headed out. "Enjoy!" she called after her as she walked out the door.

That afternoon, the brownstone apartment received its final touches for the holiday. The tree had been up, lights hung and ornaments placed. The gifts had been wrapped and were waiting to be nestled under the tree. Emma hummed to herself happily as she hung the stockings over the fireplace—one for Regina, one for herself, and a tiny one for Henry.

Just then, at the sound of the doorknob, her little boy cried from his play pen. Emma swooped down to scoop up Henry into her arms. "Sshhh, Henry," she cooed, "it's just Mama—she's home from work to see you!"

"Hi Loves!" Regina called from the hallway. "I'm home and ready to decorate and do the picture!"

Baby Henry gurgled as Emma soothed him. She wiped the bubbly spit from his mouth before it could drip down on his red outfit. "Let's show Mama what you look like, shall we?" she whispered.

Emma turned around just as Regina walked into the living room. The brunette gasped with laughter as she caught the sight. Her eyes drifted to the nook of her wife's arm, where her little boy, dressed as a little Santa, nuzzled his head against her arm. But when he saw his Mama, he smiled and giggled, reaching his arms out to Regina.

"Hey handsome," she said as she took him from Emma. "I see you're ready for the picture."

"It took me about fifteen minutes to get him in the suit," Emma said in response. "He just kept wriggling around."

"Aww, did you do that?" Regina cooed to her son. Emma just rolled her eyes. "Did you give Mommy a hard time, huh? You just missed me, didn't you, baby boy?"

Emma laughed as she set up the camera in front of the tree. Regina followed behind, carrying a happy, gurgling little boy. They sat down beside one another just as Emma set the timer. The blonde snuggled up close to her wife and baby.

"Merry Christmas, Regina," she whispered.

Regina's heart fluttered with warmth. A year ago, she'd sacrificed everything to save the love of her life. As she looked down at Henry and then over to Emma, she couldn't help but feel that she'd never been happier in her life. Mr. Gold may have been right—she needed to give Emma the gift of all gifts to prove her love. But this gift was one that they both shared, and changed them in a way Regina had never imagined.

Regina kissed Emma on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Emma."