Endgame

Summary: Canon-divergent after 3x15, the Wicked Witch has been destroyed, but her curse remains in place and Henry is still without his memories. Where do they go from here?
Author's Note: This is my first Swan Queen fic. Due to time constraints and having on-going fics for another fandom it may be my only one, but I had fun writing it and I'd *love* feedback.

"Of course you can!" Regina raged.

"You're the dark one! You can make curses in your sleep!"

"Yes, I can. But breaking them is not so simple, especially when they were created by someone as adept at her craft as you."

"So you're telling me there's *nothing* you can do?"

"Regina, Henry is still my grandson. With Baelfire gone he is all I have left of my son. Don't you think I'd help him if I could?"

"Then what am I supposed to do! He can't stay here like this! What am I supposed to do?"

"Come with us." Emma stated simply. She made it sound so easy, but she couldn't mean that. Wasn't having Henry to herself what she'd always wanted? When Emma spoke again, her voice was soft; she'd heard it that way before, but rarely directed at her. "Regina, you're his mother. He may not remember that, but I do. The days of me trying to keep you out of his life are over. No one knows better than I do how hard you fought to save him from Pan, how much you were willing to give up to make sure he had a good life with me. You deserve to be part of it."

"I… don't know what to say, Miss Swan."

"Say you'll come. We can't give him his memories back, but you can build new ones. Just because he doesn't remember you doesn't mean you can't be part of his life."

She stamped down the emotions flooding through her; optimism had never served her well in the past. "And where would I stay, what would I do with myself?"

"You'd stay with us," Emma replied with surprising firmness, but a moment later she seemed to back track. "Until you figure out something permanent I mean. And you'll find a job, learn to live like a normal person. Until then, you can be his mother, get to know him again. Let him get to know you."

She hesitated. She could be with her son, but he'd have no idea who she was. Could she live with that? Emma seemed to understand her silence. "Haven't you always wanted him to know you as Regina, not the Evil Queen? I know it'll be hard, but the two of you can start over." "But he won't be my son." She felt hollow at the thought.

"Regina, he will *always* be your son. He always has been. But right now, the way for you to be his mother is just to be in his life. Please," she added, and something in that final word made Regina wonder if maybe some part of her was asking for herself. Regina gave her a curious look, and once again Emma read her like a book.

"Look, the life I had here with Henry was full of people that loved us. It was the first time I'd ever had that. This last year… it was just me and Henry, and I didn't mind at the time, but now, remembering all this… Our life in New York seems so lonely compared to this. Mary Margaret and David are staying here to take care of the town, and unless Henry gets his memory back I don't know how or if we'll be able to visit again. Henry deserves to have his family. And so do you. We'll figure out the rest as we go."

Family. It had been such a long time since that had meant anything to her besides Henry. For all Snow's "We're a family" talk this last year, none of them had ever treated her that way. Except Emma. After Henry was taken, they had become a team; not to say they hadn't still fought, but they'd stopped doubting that they were on the same side. They'd started trusting one another—and maybe even liking each other, just a little, against their wills.

After everything that had happened between them, could they ever be family? With Henry hanging in the balance, could they ever be anything else?

"Alright, I'll come with you. But I am not driving to New York in your tragedy of a car."

Emma's mouth quirked just for a moment, as if repressing a smile. "Fine. I'll get you directions to the apartment and you can meet us there."

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It was odd how quickly she'd settled into their routines, made patterns of what a month ago would have seemed unimaginable. She was sharing a home with Emma Swan—and it felt okay. Henry was here, and she told herself that was all that mattered, but when she lay in bed at night, in those half-asleep moments when she could no longer lie to herself, she knew Emma was part of why she was glad to be here. She couldn't quite call herself happy, but when had she ever been that? This was the closest she'd come in years, since Henry was little enough to still see her as his mother instead of someone to fear. It hurt that he no longer thought of her that way, but each time he smiled at her she felt her heart soften just a little; even when he laughed with Emma, the twinges of jealousy had mostly faded, and she was glad to see him happy. The life they had here was what she had wanted for them—him, she reminded herself. It hurt to be just a friend, but Emma was always including her in things so she could get time with Henry. She was starting to feel like… she fit here. Emma hated cleaning up, so Regina made sure to tidy the apartment each day while Emma and Henry were gone which helped her feel useful, and she made dinner most nights. Emma kept insisting she didn't have to, but she was rediscovering her love of cooking, and she suspected Henry had had far too few home-cooked meals in the last year.

She might not know her place in this magicless world just yet, but here in this apartment she could almost believe she belonged.

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"Mom, is Regina your girlfriend?"

"What?!" Emma asked incredulously.

"Come on. Your boyfriend proposes to you, you turn him down with no explanation, then suddenly you're whisking me off to Storybrooke where you have all these old friends you've never told me out, and then she's coming to live with us? And I'm not stupid, I can tell you've got more history with her than what you've told me."

Well he's not wrong about that, Emma admitted silently. She was flustered and still trying to come up with a plausible explanation when Henry went on.

"It's okay, I know people of the same sex can fall in love. And I get that you might worry that it would be weird for me, since you've never had a girlfriend before. But it's okay. I like Regina, and I can tell she's trying really hard, with both of us. And I've seen the way she looks at you," he added, startling his mother.

"How does she look at me?"

"Like… you're something precious; like you're someone special that she wants to keep safe. You can tell me when you're ready. But for what it's worth, I'm glad she's in our family."

Henry stood and started to leave, but Emma stopped him with a gentle hand on the shoulder. "How'd you get so smart?"

He gave her a small smile. "I had a really great mom." And with that he was gone.

"Yeah," she whispered with a pang of guilt, "I guess you did."

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"I don't mean to seem ungrateful. I'm glad to be here with you and Henry—you have no idea how glad—but when I see the way he looks at you, or hear him call you Mom…" Regina set her empty glass on the table next to Emma's, needing the excuse to look away. The wine they'd shared had loosened her tongue, but it took more than that to erase her discomfort at showing vulnerability. "It makes me ache."

"I know," Emma said quietly, wishing for words to take away the pain.

"How can you?" Regina scoffed bitterly. "From the day you came into his life, you were the mother he wanted. Now he doesn't even remember me; I'm just a friend, if that."

"You are a friend Regina; I know it's not the same, but he does care about you. We both do."

"And Henry, what, told you this?" she asked disbelievingly.

"I think his exact words were, 'I'm glad she's in our family.' Of course, that was right after he asked me if we were a couple."

Regina's heart skipped a beat. "Well that's—preposterous."

From anyone else, Emma would have said the words were spluttered, but the Evil Queen was far too dignified for that. Still, she was pleased to find the woman beside her uncharacteristically flustered. Taking a deep breath before turning her head, she met Regina's gaze. "Is it though? Is it so crazy?" Emma saw the uncertainty in her eyes and barreled on.
"When we first met, I hated you, but I never doubted your fire, your passion. And it didn't take long for me to see that you would do anything and everything to protect our son. And I saw you change, even when no one believed you could. And somewhere along the way… I found myself starting to believe in you. I saw your courage and your fire and your anger, I saw how hard you worked to become a better person, a better mother. Despite everything you'd done, I came to respect you, to appreciate the woman you were becoming. But more than that, I was glad to have you by my side. When we were in Neverland, I couldn't have gotten Henry back without you. I couldn't have stayed strong without you. For all that we fought, we made a damn good team. And now these last few weeks…" Emma trailed off, not sure how to explain everything she'd been feeling. She'd started seeing the softer side of Regina a long time ago, but sharing a home with her, she got to see beneath the mask like she suspected no one had in a very long time, if ever. And she felt privileged, like it was some special secret that was hers alone. Emma knew Mary Margaret and David had come a long way towards forgiving her, or at least seeing that she was changing, but they would always see her as the Evil Queen. It was only she and Henry that saw the truth, that saw her as Regina and nothing more. How could you see her pout when her coffee got cold or hear her snarl with no more viciousness than a puppy when the hot water was out and think her evil? How could you see the looks of pure adoration she gave their son when he wasn't looking and not see that there was good inside her, see that she was fighting so hard to be the mother Henry deserves? How could you see those expressions of love and not wish, just a little, that they were turned on you?

"These last few weeks I've been glad to have you in my life. It feels like we're starting to become friends. But if I'm honest," she took a deep breath and plunged on, "my feelings for you are more than friendly." Regina looked at her intensely, and there was that fire in her eyes again, but the flames weren't as angry as they used to be. "Talking to Henry… I realized there is a way for you to be his mother again. It's probably the craziest idea I've ever had, which as you might have noticed is saying a lot. But if my time in Storybrooke taught me anything, it's that sometimes the crazy ideas work."

Emma could tell that the woman beside her was working hard to keep her mask in place, but she averted her gaze and kept her voice steady as she asked, "And just what is this 'crazy idea'?"

One deep breath and her hand slipped into the pocket of her jeans. Another and she wrapped her fingers around the small box. One more to gather her courage. A fourth and she was pulling it from her pocket. She held her breath as she set the box on the table and popped open the lid. Inside lay a simple ring, dark silver with a small red stone; it wasn't much, especially compared to the elegant jewelry Regina already owned, but it was the best Emma could manage with little time and less money. Breathe, Swan, she chastised herself as she turned back toward the magnificent, gorgeous, infuriating woman whose life had become inextricably entwined with her own. It had taken a long time, but she knew now she wouldn't have it any other way; she wanted this woman in her life, in her heart.

She gathered her courage one last time. "Marry me Regina."

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Regina Mills had had a complicated life by any standard. There was little of it she wouldn't forget if given the chance, but even less that she would change, because everything she'd been through and everything she'd done had led her here, to her son. And, somehow, to Emma Swan.

There was a time when she'd wanted the Savior out of her life more than anything, and now she'd fallen into a life with her. Henry was the center of both their worlds, but she knew it wasn't an accident that they read on the same couch while he was off playing games or watched TV together each night after he went to bed. And it wasn't out of necessity that Emma had taken to drying the dishes as Regina washed them, rather than leaving them in the rack to drain. It wasn't all about their son any more, and there'd been a time or two when their hands brushed against each other and a spark passed between them when she'd had reason to question just what it was she felt for this woman who had swooped in and wrecked her life, only to help her build a new and better one two years later.

There were times she missed Storybrooke and the Enchanted Forest, but she didn't miss the sideways glances and looks of fear. For all that she itched to cast a spell now and then, she was adjusting; learning to live without power over others and only controlling her own life wasn't easy, but if it meant a life with Henry it was worth it. Because it was a good life, and Henry wasn't the only reason. Was she really that surprised to find that Emma felt the same attraction she'd been trying to deny?

Perhaps not, but this… This was insanity. Emma couldn't possibly have thought it through. "We've never even kissed," Regina blurted out.

Emma tilted her head slightly, and for the first time Regina noticed how close they were sitting, thighs almost touching, faces only a foot apart, Emma's hand reaching out for her… "There is a way to fix that, you know," Emma murmured as her cool skin came to rest against her cheek. There was nothing cool about the look in her eyes, but Regina could sense her hesitation; much as Emma wanted this, she wasn't going to push. She wanted Regina to want this, and knowing that was all it took for her to realize she did.

Regina closed the gap between them, and soon everything was forgotten except the feel of soft flesh melting against her own.

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"Hang on a minute," Regina heard Henry say as he approached the living room, "let me ask my mom."

Emma must not have told him she went out, she thought as she turned the page of her book.

"Hey," Henry called as he entered, causing Regina to look up with a small smile, "is it okay if I go fishing with Rory this weekend?"

"Have I met his parents?" It seemed like such a normal thing, her son asking her permission, she was already answering before it hit home that he was asking her. He didn't ask where Emma was, or wait till she got home. He asked her. His mom.

"You met his dad at my birthday party. Mr. Delaware? He has red hair, you said he was nice," Henry reminded her.

"Oh, yes of course," she responded absently, distracted by her thoughts. "That's fine, just have Mr. Delaware call us with details." After a quick thanks he started to leave.

"Henry," Regina called out almost desperately; there was so much she wanted to say but couldn't, yet she couldn't bear to say nothing. "I… hope you have a good time this weekend."

"Thanks," he said with that small smile of his that never failed to warm her heart. On impulse he leaned down and hugged her. It was only a brief moment, but she savored the feeling of having him in her arms. Her son.

As he slipped off back to his room, already back on the phone, she set her book down on the table and looked around. None of them were big on knickknacks or colourful decorations, but there were a few pictures hung on the walls. There was one of Snow and Charming and the baby, and she found that she no longer begrudged them the joy on their faces; there was one of Emma and Henry, from their first year in New York, bundled up for winter and playing in the snow; and then there was her favourite, she and Emma on their wedding day, with Henry beside them, smiles on all their faces.

As she thought about what it meant to finally have a family, she heard the apartment door open and close. "Hey you," Emma greeted as she came up behind Regina and slipped her arms around her shoulders. "What are you thinking about?"

"I was thinking, you have an amazing son."

"No," Emma corrected her sternly, "we have an amazing son. I have an amazing wife."

"Yes…" She leaned her head back and pulled Emma's mouth to her own for a gentle kiss. "I guess we figured things out, in the end."