A/N: Hello my dears! I know it has been far too long and for that I am sorry. So many things happening in life...
Yes, I still plan on finishing the stories in progress but this is what my muse wanted to say. I hope you like it. Please note, I haven't seen the end of season 6 and only watched a few episodes of season 7. Any errors... well, it's fanfiction. Sue me, lol. This story is the ending a wish we could have as the series draws to a close. Unlikely but hope springs eternal.
This story is dedicated to my love, Teresa. You made me remember what it was like to love and be loved in return. There is no greater gift. I really like you. A lot.
Emma Swan Jones stood at the town line. In the distance she could see a caravan of cars approaching. Finally—after seventeen years—Henry was coming home to Storybrooke. She pretended that Regina returning with him wasn't just as exciting.
She sighed heavily and shoved her hands into the back pockets of her tight blue jeans. She had put on a little weight since she'd seen them last. But she'd had a baby and grown a bit older, though her face barely showed it. That was certainly because of the magic inside her. Perpetual youth.
She had always assumed Regina had been vain and used a spell to stay looking young but the intervening years since they had last sat together in Granny's having their standing Friday lunch had proved her wrong. Regina stayed young for the same reason Gold did. Magic was like a youth tonic.
Not that she was complaining. Especially not now.
She moved her hands from her jean pockets to her jacket pockets. That felt awkward so she dropped her arms beside her and shook them out, bouncing on the balls of her feet. She had tried wearing feminine things for years—dresses, florals and the like. Sometimes she still did. It was a residual from gaining Regina's memories back when she and Henry had lived in New York. But more and more she had gone back to her so-called armor. Jeans, leather and boots. Now, watching the line of cars, a slithering snake on the horizon growing larger as it drew closer in the afternoon sun, she stood fingering the hem of her shirt under her faithful red leather jacket.
Tucking blonde hair behind her ear, Emma craned to see if she could make out anyone in the cars creeping along. She had spent an inordinate amount of time working to get her golden tresses just right for the homecoming. She'd tried it down, in a pony tail, half up/half down. Finally she had let it fall loose around her shoulders. Henry wouldn't care how she styled her hair.
After the baby was born, she had worn it shorter so it was easier to handle. Killian hadn't exactly been a natural with the little one and she hadn't had a lot of time for things like curling her hair or wearing make-up or sleeping. But her hair had grown out a bit since then.
I wonder how she wears her hair now?
After Henry had sped off on his motorcycle, headed for places unknown on his own adventure, she and Regina had both processed the crisis in different ways. Regina had taken up jogging. She said the running released enough endorphins to make her feel good and it helped clear her head. Emma, on the other hand, had handled the newly empty nest by stuffing it full of bear claws and grilled cheese sandwiches.
That was how she found herself with the mayor every afternoon running through town, out past the lake and back again. Regina teased her that running was sort of Emma's thing. It had stung and the brunette had immediately apologized. She'd meant no harm.
But, regardless of that unintentional slip up, she had loved running with her friend. They talked some times. Other times they just ran along in silence. It was nice just being together. Emma felt like running now. Running hard and far away from here. But she stayed put. That was her thing now. Staying.
Safely behind the shimmering border of magic, Emma knew the vagabonds headed her way couldn't see her. When she'd gotten Henry's message that they were back in this realm, living in Seattle and would be coming home with some new friends from the old world, Emma was a hurricane of emotion. She had so many questions and so many feelings about it all. A part of her had thought she may never see them again. And yet, here they were.
A dusty, gray Toyota Prius with a blue "Swyft" sticker on the front bumper rattled to a stop just beyond the iridescent bubble keeping her—and the town—secreted away from the world. The driver's side door opened and Henry stepped out, stretching his back and shaking out his long legs.
Of course she knew he looked like this now—tall and rugged, muscular where once he had been a thin and awkward teenager. He had looked this way when she'd last seen him over ten years ago. But still, in her mind he was still that little boy knocking on her door with a determined smile and a story book in his arms. Seeing him like this was quite a shock.
He smiled across the hood of the small car as a woman with dark hair slipped out of the passenger side door. She was vaguely familiar. Ah, yes. She'd met her briefly once. Cinderella. In a moment, a small bundle of excited energy burst from the back seat on the passenger side as well. She hugged—Ella?-and dashed ran right toward the town line.
Emma watched her closely and cried out for her to stop. The little girl would be hurt if she tried to cross the magic barrier without her temporarily lifting it. But of course, they couldn't hear her because of the invisible wall. She and Regina had created this particular barrier to be strong and impossible to cross from the outside without assistance in order to better secure their little town and its citizens. That was why Emma was here to meet them.
Though the girl couldn't hear Emma's warning, still she stopped short and turned suddenly back to the car. Someone else had stopped her. Emma followed the girl's gaze and felt her heart leap into her throat.
Regina.
The brunette had stepped from the driver's side door of the Prius, apparently having ridden in the back seat from Seattle. Emma had a hard time imagining the powerful Mayor Mills being subjugated in such a way, even to their son. She was a take charge kind of woman. Definitely a driver, not a passenger in her own life.
Whatever Emma had expected Regina to be when she arrived home again, it hadn't been this. She was mildly aware of her throat constricting and her palms becoming sweaty as she took the woman in. The young girl was still standing a foot or so away from the line, and Regina slipped past Henry toward her. Each step she took was a step Emma knew by heart, yet this wasn't a Regina she knew.
Her hair was curly and free. She was wearing tight jeans, a black CBGB t-shirt and a leather jacket with short boots. Her demeanor was as confident as ever, but there was an edginess to her, a roughness that the refined Queen, the polished Mayor and even the relaxed real Regina lacked. Whatever had happened in the last ten years had changed Regina.
Not that she was complaining. Not at all.
~ (SQ) ~
Regina Mills closed her eyes behind her dark sunglasses and tried to relax. This had been the longest trip of her life. Henry had insisted driving cross country with everyone from Seattle in a merry little wagon train headed east would be both fun and educational for Lucy.
She wasn't about to deny Lucy anything.
So for days they had been cramped in Henry's Prius. She took advantage of every stop and stretched her legs. Henry accused her of stalling at the last pit stop though. She had hung around the snack machines, concentrating way too hard on her choices as if anyone would believe she wasn't going to automatically buy Reese's Cups and a bottle of water.
She wasn't stalling. They had been within two hours of Storybrooke. What was the big rush? Once they got there, they'd be there. And they'd stay there. For good. Until some other magical emergency came along.
She wasn't stalling.
Well… maybe a little.
On one hand, she was excited at the thought of going home. The fact that Storybrooke felt like home was a bit disturbing on some level but the truth was, she thought of it as home. She'd had some of her happiest years there. She had raised Henry there. She'd met Emma there.
Emma.
Regina cleared her throat unnecessarily and resettled in the small back seat. Lucy had her earbuds in and for what seemed like the first time in days she was quietly occupying herself. She'd been chattering away, asking questions at every turn. Regina was happy to share these moments with her but the closer they came to home, the tighter her nerves were wound. Right now she felt like a spring about to pop.
She smiled secretly to herself. No, she felt like a child turning the crank on a jack-in-the-box, anticipating the moment the top popped open. Even though they knew it was coming, they still tensed and prepared as if some unknown thing was about to happen.
That's just how she felt. She knew what to expect and somehow she was afraid of the unknown known. How would it be to come back home? Would her home be there? Was someone else living there? What about her clothes and possessions? What about her job? Would she be Mayor again? Or would she open another bar? Would the goodwill and relationships she had built still stand?
Regina sighed and looked out the window at the world whipping by. Jacinda was dozing in the front passenger seat. Henry was driving in silent contemplation. Her brown eyes focused out the front window at the endless road before them. She could feel magic in the air. It wouldn't be long now.
"We are getting close." She said quietly to her son.
"Should I stop?" Henry slowed the car.
"No. Keep going. I will tell you when." They were relying on her to make sure they didn't plow into the magic barrier she and Emma had erected years ago.
Closing her eyes again, Regina tried to fight off the thoughts demanding her attention. Why was it she had so quickly been willing to walk away from her life in Storybrooke? When Henry had sent a message summoning her, she had of course dropped everything and run to him. But then, with very little prompting, she had decided to stay. She hadn't gone home for any of her things. She hadn't considered her job. She hadn't even thought to have anyone pick up her dry-cleaning, forward her mail or look after her cat, Stella.
In fairness, she wasn't technically her cat. She was a scrawny stray Regina had fed out of pity. Could she help it if the cat liked it at her house? She had chosen the brunette to be her human.
The name had been Emma's idea. At first Regina had wanted to call her something fluffy. Or silly. But Emma had insisted this feline was a Stella.
"It means star." Emma whined. "See the little star shaped patch of white on her face?"
"I am aware of what it means, Emma. I too have seen 'A Streetcar Named Desire.'" Regina poked her friend in the side and placed a dish of tuna on the patio for the creature. She was all black but for the white patch on her face that Regina had to admit looked a bit like a star. She stooped to rub the cat's head. "Is your name Stella? Hmmm? Do you like that?"
The cat had purred in response and had forever been Stella after that. Regina regretted the choice almost immediately though because every time Emma saw the little ball of fur she would bellow in her best Stanley Kowalski "STELLLAAAA!" But even that had come to be endearing.
Regina frowned wondering about the fate of her little feline friend. She was an outside cat and wouldn't come in even when she was invited so surely Stella had been okay without her. Or maybe Emma had taken her in.
She sighed deeply. She was avoiding the truth by worrying about the cat.
She knew, deep down, the reason she had been so cavalier about her life and belongings. She had tried telling herself for a long time that it wasn't true but there came a point where lying to herself just seemed silly. So, sitting in her bar with her newly restored memories, sipping a glass of red wine and feeling helpless to change her situation since no one else seemed to remember anything yet, she had allowed herself to admit it.
She had walked away because of Emma.
It had been rough the years after Henry left. But she had taking up running as a distraction. Just her out on the road, her feet pounding the pavement. The silence had helped her sort through her feelings. Within six months Emma had asked if she could tag along. The blonde had been eating her way through her depression and had decided there had to be a healthier way to process it all. Running seemed a good fit for them both.
Regina had first noticed her eyes lingering too long on Emma in her extremely short running shorts late one summer evening. The sun was setting and it had been unusually hot out. Both of them were winded and sweaty. No genteel feminine glistening… they were both wet with sweat. They had stopped at a clearing in the woods to catch their collective breath and look at the violet and orange sky. Emma had stretched to loosen a cramping muscle and Regina's eyes had tracked up her long legs without her permission.
They hadn't run together the next day. Regina had felt ashamed and confused by her actions. It wasn't that she was unaware of her attraction to the occasional woman. That had been a part of her since she was a teenager and first noticing beauty in the world. It wasn't even that she had never noticed that Emma was an attractive woman. Anyone with a pulse could see it.
Regina was confused by her sudden visceral reaction to the other woman. She was ashamed of herself for letting her eyes linger as if Emma were some object to ogle and not her close, intimate friend. She was afraid too. Afraid of losing her because she was lonely and emotional about Henry and coming down off the stresses of the last decade. At least that's what she told herself until she believed it was true.
But sitting in the bar that night, she knew it was more than lingering glances. She knew that friendships could be—and were—close without including sexual dreams, racing pulses and intense emotions. However, she also knew the things she felt for Emma were not the result of close friendship.
Regina moved again in her seat, uncomfortable with the memory. Perhaps more uncomfortable still with the larger truth she was trying to keep at bay. It wasn't just her attraction to Emma that had caused her to remain in the forest with their son.
She had lived seven years knowing she wanted more from Emma than friendship. She had been able to ignore, push aside and deny those feelings. She had pined and drank way too much. She had taken cold showers regularly. She had contented herself with the daily runs, weekly lunches, holidays together, phone calls, texts and the like. She had endured it and made her peace with the reality that Emma was never going to be anything more than her friend and co-parent.
So now, in Henry's Prius, just minutes from seeing Emma again, Regina let her truth free to settle over her. She had left Storybrooke because of Emma.
And the baby.
Regina Mills, former Evil Queen who struck fear in the hearts of millions… powerful sorceress… capable and successful Mayor… mother… She had run from a baby. A tiny, pink, screaming baby.
No. It wasn't the baby that made her abandon her life without a second thought. It was the image of Emma and that filthy pirate raising it. That was too much for her to endure. She could watch Emma being loved by another. That was hard but doable. She would take the moments and the memories and know that if anything ever happened to the pirate—if the time ever came when Emma realized she was too good for him—Regina would be there.
But a baby? It was beyond even her ability to endure pain to watch Emma raise a child with anyone but her. Regina knew—knew—that she would be jealous, resentful and broken to have a ringside seat to the Jones family domesticity. All the worst parts of herself would rise and she wasn't ready or willing to live with that. It wasn't fair. Not to her. Not to Emma. Not to that innocent child. So she had run.
"Henry, stop. It's right ahead." Regina was glad to leave her thoughts even if that meant she had to see the reality in a few moments.
Henry stopped the car and got out, stretching his back and long legs. The passenger side door opened and Jacinda got out too, smiling across the car at her husband. "So this is it, huh," she said.
"Yep. Wont' be long now. You're gonna love it. I can't wait to show you everything." Henry was talking to her and not watching Lucy. The girl had jumped from the car in her excitement and dashed to the town line.
"Lucy! Stop!" Regina cried as she jerked off her sunglasses and pulled free of the confining back seat.
The girl stopped and looked back in shock. "What's wrong, Nana?"
Regina would never get tired of hearing that… or used to hearing it. "It's dangerous. You mustn't get too close until the spell is lifted." The brunette walked toward her granddaughter and the town line. Lucy stepped back toward her parents and watched with curious eyes as Regina stepped closer still to some invisible danger.
Regina knew Emma was there. She didn't need to see her to know. She could feel her magic, taste it in the back of her throat. She shuddered at the sensation. It was as familiar as her own magic and yet still unique and surprising. She could tell already Emma had improved and matured in her magic practice. A tiny swell of pride at that thought began to rise.
She stepped to the place she felt Emma the most intensely and smiled at nothing.
Hello, Emma…
~ (SQ) ~
Emma felt the smile slice through her. She didn't understand fully why seeing Regina felt like seeing the sun for the first time after a long, dark winter, but it did. Warm and inviting, light on her skin. She couldn't help but smiled in return.
Regina was inches away from her now. The brunette nodded, knowing Emma would see and understand. Then she raised her hands and Emma mirrored her, letting her green eyes drift closed. She concentrated and let her magic flow from her hands. In a moment, the veil was lifted and she opened her eyes, finding herself staring into brown orbs that danced with the dying light of the setting sun.
"Hi." Emma's voice was soft and full of emotion.
Regina smiled again. "Hi."
