Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of it's characters.

More than That

-by MegannRosemary

They were home.

Emma breathed deeply, what could only be salty Maine air.

She rubbed at her face, her tongue, brushing away gritty Maine sand.

Carefully, she opened her eyes and took in the Storybrooke, Maine waterfront.

They'd made it.

"Henry!" She called his name first, sitting up so fast her head spun wildly. She frantically looked around, panicked, but there he was, covered in sand and groggily sitting up.

He grinned goofily, "That was awesome, do it again!"

"I think once was enough kid," Emma smiled wanly.

Once in the enchanted forest, Emma and Regina had been unstoppable. Their combined powers and their combined desire to save their son had fuelled their magic. They'd stopped at nothing until they had their son safely in their arms. Emma smiled dreamily at the moment, it had been so perfect; the three of them standing in a circle of love.

The two women had joined hands, joined powers, to create a portal to bring them back. Emma squirmed at the memory, the feeling had been almost painfully orgasmic as they began the spell, the magic combining in ecstasy. That memory disappeared all too quickly and a sharp pain pierced her heart.

"Regina!" She screamed, her voice raspy and harsh. She stumbled to her feet, "Oh god Regina, did we get everyone through?" Her parents annoyed her to no end, but to lose them...

"Mom?" Henry looked at her questioningly.

"Something went wrong with the spell, it was too much for us..."

David reached for her shoulder even as she went suddenly still at the sight of a still prone figure on the beach. "Emma it's ok, we all made it back."

She flung off his hand and threw herself to the sand to where the dark-haired woman lay, lips red against her pale skin.

"No. No it's not ok." She shook uncontrollably as she leaned forward trying to find a pulse, tried to feel a soft breath against her cheek.

She felt nothing.

Her own heart seemed to stop beating.

No.

She repeated it over and over, if only it would work that way, a spell willed into fruition.

I'm sorry Henry. But he couldn't hear her. She looked up, "Henry, I'm sorry."

The boy was still smiling and sat down beside her. "She's ok Emma, she likes to sleep. Sometimes when I was really little, I could climb in her bed and read her stories and she wouldn't wake up forever."

"I'm sorry kid, it's not that."

The innocent smile faltered, "It has to be, look it's my mom." He reached out tentatively to brush sand from her coat sleeve.

David and Snow sat down beside him, pulled him back into their arms.

Emma slumped in the sand, her hand resting on Regina's hip, "Something went wrong in the spell, it was too much for us."

"No!" Henry screamed. "No, it's not true!" He screamed himself hoarse, throwing himself at his mother as he sobbed, "Mom, wake up. Please. Please wake up."

I hear you kid, Emma thought, her heart breaking for the boy. She held them both, mother and child, completely helpless to help the one person she loved most in this world and the next.

They sat there in the sand for a long while, limbs growing numb and shivering. Henry's tears drove him to exhaustion and his eyes closed against the pain. Emma nodded at her parents to take the slumbering boy home. She watched the three figures disappear into the fog and turned her attention to Hook and Mr. Gold. They were standing inconspicuously to the side.

Emma focused on Mr. Gold and as she met his eyes, she heard his voice crashing and echoing through her mind. Magic always comes at a price.

He moved imperceptibly closer and began to speak.

"Don't say it." The blonde blurted. "Just tell me if you can help her. "

He shook his head apologetically, fingers tapping on his cane, "She's gone dearie, there's nothing I can do." He signalled to Hook who came to scoop the still woman into his arms.

Emma had a moment to wonder what the two men had worked out in Neverland, but then scrambled after them on legs that had lost all feeling long ago.

Her blonde hair, that length usually kept falling straight, had curls exploding from humidity and wildly framing her face. Her eyes were similarly crazed as she screeched, "Where are you taking her?"

"I'll take her to my shop, prepare her for her final resting place." Gold smiled sadly, "I owe it to her mother, and to her."

"Thank you," she breathed, following behind the two men, the future stretching out in front of her white and empty as the fog around them.

The Queen lay in a bed of deep creamy satin, dressed in her classic black; she was regal and powerful even in death.

She was surrounded by what could only be described as her new- found family, while the townspeople lined up outside the mausoleum to pay their respects.

One by one, the dwarves, the blue fairy, August, Archie, Anton, and all the rest, leaned over dark mahogany to place a kiss on the Queen's cheek and say their goodbyes. Each and every person had something kind to say, some way that the woman had touched their hearts.

Emma's heart, darkly stained with grief and loss, glowed with happiness, with pride, and what could only be described as hope.

Gold brushed a kiss over her forehead, "Your mother would be proud, as am I. I do hope to meet you in another life Regina, you're a formidable opponent."

Snow and David apologized for a lifetime of misunderstanding, bringing peace to this land and the next.

Henry ran up next, pressing a shiny red apply into her hands, "You'll need this Mummy, wherever you are. I love you." He flung his arms around her, large warm tears staining her pristine clothing.

Emma stepped forward, held the boy close, "She loved you too kid." He nodded, sniffling, but pulled away to go bury his face in Pongo's side.

Somehow, this made Emma last to say her goodbyes. Safely hidden by the dark wood, she brushed her finger over the pale skin of her cheek, marvelling at how soft it was.

But cold.

Emma leaned over the casket, heart heavy with grief. She whispered, "I'll do my best to raise our son as best as I can. I know it won't be as good as you, but he has a good foundation so I can't screw him up too much. I hope you know how much he loves you and that he was always the one who believed in you. He's a special kid. Thanks." She leaned forward to kiss her cheek, but stopped and moved to whisper in her ear. "I enjoyed working with you and getting to know you in the enchanted forest, you're really pretty awesome. I know we've had our differences, but meeting you has made me a better person in many ways. I hope we'll meet again someday." She leaned forward this time to meet soft red lips, lingering slightly and pulling away slowly.

She felt a white hot rush of electricity flow through her and Regina's eyes opened.

Emma, she mouthed eyes wide with surprise, then sat up, "Henry!"

He was bounding over, grinning from ear to ear, "Mum, mum, mum, Emma woke you up with true loves kiss!"

Emma put a hand on his shoulder as he hugged his mother while the other reached for Regina's fingertips to reassure her. "I don't think so kid. It's more than that, the whole town came out today to say goodbye, to say thank you. The people of this town, they love you Regina."

"We might still be a little scared of you," Sleepy blurted out. "But we did come to realize how much you mean to us," Ruby nodded emphatically.

"Thank you, I..." She blinked at the tears that formed, "Thank you, I will forever be in your debt. I care for this town as I have come to care for all of you." She cleared her throat of emotion, her voice taking on a business like tone, "Now Sheriff, help me out of this dreadful thing. We have so much to talk about and so much to do. "

"As you wish, Madam Mayor."

A/N: Thanks for reading my first SQ attempt, I'd love any comments and criticism!