Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Once Upon a Time.
Epilogue
The two Swans were eating breakfast in tense silence the next day when the front door opened and what could only be a personal assistant of Senator Mills marched into the house, her heels clacking on the marble of the foyer. A cleaning crew traipsed in behind her in crisp white uniforms, arms laden with buckets of supplies.
"Emma Swan," She marched up to the counter, "You are required to vacate the premises."
"What the fuck? This is our home."
"Not anymore," The woman calmly handed over a sheaf of papers.
"Ma, what's going on?"
"I don't know kid, I don't know." Emma glanced through the papers before crumpling them and throwing them to the ground. "This is bull-shit."
"You will leave immediately. Your belongings will be packed this afternoon by our team of professionals, and sent to your new residence," She explained coolly.
"This is insane," Emma stood quickly, her stool skidding behind her and toppling to the ground. "You can't throw us out. We have nowhere to go."
"That's not my problem. Now, I suggest you go grab a few things and leave, or we will have to take action."
The cleaning crew entered the kitchen like little white moths, flitting about, leaving destruction in their wake.
They moved quickly though the room, opening drawers and emptying the contents of the fridge into industrial garbage bags.
The jars of apple butter they'd made a few days ago, just sitting in the counter waiting to be dressed in gingham and ribbon. Gone.
The secret tub of ice cream Emma snacked on while she and Regina cleaned the kitchen. Also gone.
The bottle of wine they'd "shared" just two nights ago. Dumped into the sink.
The leftover lasagna, Regina's secret recipe, dropped unceremoniously into the bags.
Their entire existence thrown away in a matter of minutes.
The tears started again. Even when she didn't think she could have any more left.
"Ma, let's just go."
"This isn't right Henry," She protested, her voice hoarse with emotion.
"I know ma, but what can we do."
Their cereal bowls were swept from the counter in front of them and into the sink.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go."
She stuffed jeans and t-shirts into a duffel and swiped the paraphernalia from the counter in the bathroom into the bag. She zipped it, its rasp an eerie sense of finality.
"You ready kid?"
He nodded, glancing around his room one last time, before swinging his backpack onto his back and gathering a stack of comics into his arms.
"Here is my number," The assistant said, guiding them to the front door, "Give me a call this afternoon and let me know where we can bring your things."
"Right. Sure."
The woman turned, effectively dismissing them.
There was nothing more to do but to leave, to drive past the swarm of cars that surrounded the mansion and through the streets of Storybrooke.
They drove aimlessly for a couple hours, up and down the city streets, until Henry said he had to pee and Emma's stomach growled uncomfortably.
They stopped at the diner, where Emma broke down crying on Ruby, and Henry sat hunched over his comic books not even reading, his own tears dripping onto the pages.
They moved into the Inn, where their boxes of belongings were soon delivered, crowding their small room.
There was one apartment for rent in Storybrooke. One. And so they moved into it a few days later.
Things slowly returned to normal.
At least a version of normal.
An every day.
Yes.
But the huge hole that Regina left could not be filled.
It was months later when Emma finally got all the boxes unpacked, she just hadn't had the heart.
Unpacking meant committing to the reality of their new life.
But at last it was done, and their apartment was beginning to look like home.
She hated admitting that, even to herself. It felt like she was cheating.
On the girlfriend she'd never actually had.
In that last box she found the keys, the ones to Regina's apple cellar.
She should give them back.
She should.
Cut that final tie, and stop hoping and try to move forward.
Before she had the chance to think, she pulled on her leather jacket and ran through the streets until she stood in front of the white mansion that had once been her home, filled with laughter and love.
She should just put the keys in the mailbox. Just end it then.
She wouldn't have to see Regina, her brown eyes empty of recognition, instead filled with distrust and confusion like the day at the hospital.
But her traitorous legs had her walking around the side of the house, into the backyard.
And there she was, her hair cut a few inches shorter than it had been for all those months, but the lines, the curves of her body… She was still her Regina. She stood with her hands on hips, gazing up at her beloved apple tree, the sweet pink blossoms just beginning to bloom.
"I knew I'd find you here."
Regina startled. "Oh goodness, what…? Oh, you're that woman from the hospital."
"Yes." She paused, hoping, searching for recognition in those brown eyes that swallowed her whole.
Nothing.
"What are you doing here?" Her eyes narrowed, the vein on her forehead throbbed.
"I came to return the key to the cellar. I just found it."
"How convenient," She snapped.
Emma held out her hand, "Look I'll leave now, I just came to bring them to you."
Regina stepped closer, palm up to receive the keys.
Their hands hovered mere millimetres apart, coming closer and closer like they had all those nights when they dreamed of finally closing the distance between worlds, when they could only imagine how it would feel.
Only this time they touched.
Regina pulled her hand back like she'd been shocked, her eyes clouded with confusion as her fingers closed over the keys.
It was done.
"Goodbye Regina," She turned quickly. Emma felt her walls come crumbling down all over again, the pain of their memories, their life destroyed, tearing through her.
"Emma wait."
She kept walking, scrubbing the tears from her eyes.
"Em-ma." Regina called again.
The weight of those two syllables had her turning.
Regina closed the distance between them, cradling Emma's face in her hands, her fingers tangling in her curls, tugging her closer until their lips met soft and sweet.
"Emma, I remember," She whispered against her lips. "We touched and I- "
"You do?"
She answered with a kiss, a kiss that deepened, a kiss that made up for all those months of longing and all those months of being strangers.
A/N. Thanks so much for reading! You guys are amazing! Watch the movie if you haven't its super cute!