Regina looked around, frantically. She was not in the castle! She'd passed the magical barrier that had kept her hostage since returning from Storybrook. Her eyes were wide and her beautiful, red-painted lips were parted slightly in terrified wonder.

"Now!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled. Emma watched him from the corner of her eye, but she couldn't take her attention fully from Regina. She was beautiful in the late twilight, the moon just coming into view. Emma didn't care about the people watching, she wanted to take Regina in her arms once more, and never let her go. Rumpelstiltskin screamed again and again, but his words did not distinguish themselves within Emma's ears. Regina snapped her head towards the screaming man, and shook her head fiercely.

"No," she said, calmly, her eyes still wide and frightened. Rumpelstiltskin continued yelled. A ball of rage unfurled inside Emma's gut. Couldn't he hear her saying no? Didn't he understand what she'd been through? Emma didn't even know what he was encouraging her to do, but all that mattered was Regina and what she wanted, what would make her happy.

Regina raised her fingertips to her mouth, as if trying to remember being kissed at all. She turned her eyes to Emma and, if it was even possible, looked more horrified.

"No, no, no!" Regina screamed, backing away from Emma frantically. She stumbled briefly over the back of her dress but regained balance and continued backing away chanting, "No, no, no."

"You must, Your Highness!" Rumpelstiltskin yelled. "It's your life!"

"But, it's hers too." Regina said back, not taking her eyes from Emma's.

"You will die!" Belle screamed. "Please, Regina. Just drink it!"

"No," Regina said, more softly. "You can't be. No, not Emma Swan. No, not you." She then screamed at Emma and began to cry, "Not you! Not you, Ms. Swan! Please, no!"

Emma took a step forward, but stopped when she caught the looks of confusion on the crowd all around her. She couldn't understand what was happening. All she knew was that if Belle was right, if Regina's life hung here, then Emma would do whatever she had to.

In the corner of her eye, a small glass bottle glinted. Regina had pulled it from her dress and pulled a small cork from it. With one last look at Emma, she drank it. She let the bottle fall to the ground where it chipped and rolled slightly. Rumpelstiltskin then pulled a similar glass from his coat pocket.

"Princess, you must drink this. Hurry!"

"No!" Charming and Snow said in unison, running through the crowd.

Snow continued, "You never told us this was in the plan! This is going too far!"

"And what would you have happen? Would you let Regina die just for some pathetic, romantic sentiment. Bah!" He raised his hand towards Emma, his palm out straight. Emma suddenly felt very numb. Her knees weakened and bent, sending her to the ground. She couldn't move. What was happening?! She couldn't move!

Rumpel then came to her side and crouched on one knee and forced the potion into her mouth. She felt like she was drowning, but she couldn't fight it. She was going to die, here, like this, on the bridge into Regina's castle. But, the potion finally passed through her throat, allowing her to breathe.

"It's time," he told Regina, standing and walking back to Belle's side.

Regina spread her dress out slowly near Emma, as not to sit on it, and took a seat on the ground to Emma's right. Emma pushed her eyes, with much difficulty, towards Regina. Tears still poured freely. Regina brought Emma's hand to her lips and she kissed the knuckles. Regina laid Emma's hand on her lap and traced lazy circles along her fingers as she closed her eyes and began to chant. Emma didn't know what language it was. It wasn't Latin. Maybe very old English, or Old German. As if she'd just taken a very large gulp of Scotch, Emma's chest burned, warmth spreading from her chest to her head, to her fingers, to her toes.

"I meant to tell you," Regina said very quietly. "You look especially beautiful tonight." She sniffled, "I'm flattered to see you wearing the dress I made."

Emma wanted to hug her, kiss her, say something... or at least nod! But she was still immobilized. Regina stroked Emma's hair. "It's a shame your hair is being messed up. It looked great." Regina lowered her lips to kiss Emma's forehead before turning back to Rumpelstiltskin. "Is it done, yet?"

The man stepped back into view and nodded, "Yes. You're bonded now." He waved his hand over Emma's body, as if dismissing her. The blood seemed to flow more quickly to her extremities. She sat up quickly, tearing the seam of the dress.

"What do you mean we're bonded?"

"We're..." Regina smoothed her hand over her hair, absent-minded. "We're married, essentially."

"But-!"

-but, Ms. Swan. It runs much deeper than that. We're magically bound, body and soul." Regina rested her hands on Emma's knees. Even through the fabric of Emma's dress, she could feel the warmth of Regina's palms. She looked into Emma's eyes and spoke slowly, as if speaking to a frightened child before a surgery, explaining what was about to happen to them, under the knife. "There is no such thing as divorce or annulment in these cases. We cannot fight it. Our... our love can only grow. We will never love another. It will physically pain us to be apart. Do you understand?"

"Why aren't you in the castle anymore?"

Regina hesitated. Her pupils dilated. "True love's kiss can break any spell, Ms. Swan."

Emma nodded.

"You've nothing to say, Ms. Swan?"

"No. I just... I... You love me?"

"Obviously," Regina said with a small amount of derision detected in her tone. That's all Emma needed to hear. She grabbed Regina's shoulder and pulled her forward quickly and kissed her once more. Regina's lips parted automatically, allowing Emma's tongue entrance. They kissed for a long moment and only when Emma heard the cheers of the crowd, did they pull apart.

Rumpel and Belle ushered everyone back to their horses and carriages, leaving the castle empty save for the two of them, Henry and Rumpel himself. Even Emma's parents were gone from view.

Regina took Henry upstairs and Rumpel pulled Emma into Regina's study. A room that had recently become very warm and familiar to Emma.

He explained to Emma that Cora had found one small bit of love in her wicked heart and had found herself unable to kill Regina, but still wished to rid her from her life. And so, Cora bound Regina to the castle. All spells, however, are broken by true love's kiss. Cora knew this, but, Regina being the wicked witch she had become, and Daniel being dead, Cora never believed Regina would find true love.

That was only the first part.

Emma took a deep breath to steady herself for the rest.

A prophecy had then been told,

"The Queen of hate and spite

will search for love with all her might.

She will search high and low,

but there is something she does not know.

Much to the Queen's chagrin,

she will find love again,

but in the form of a bird.

What's been spoken, has been heard

and the bird's heart remains in tatters.

Only when Regina heals the heart, does the spell shatter.

However, if Regina does not learn to heal soon,

she will die on the tenth full moon."

Emma's head spun.

Rumpel told her that despite the silliness of the prophecy, it was not to be taken lightly. It had been told Emma and Regina were meant to be and that was the only way Regina could escape the castle's spelled barriers and it had to happen before the tenth full moon after returning or Regina would die. Every spell had a time limit and nearly no spell could survive true love's kiss. Emma knew it was real, but it was difficult to believe. Either way, she was happy. Regina was alive and now Regina was hers. They were together, to raise Henry, as a family.

And Regina loved her, too. It was undeniable, unarguable. Regina was hers, and she was Regina's. She had a family. A real family.