Chapter Nine

A/N: A huge thankyou to everyone who read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I really appreciate you guys for supporting this story as it's my first Emma/Regina fic. As some people pointed out, Chapter 8 ends and leads on to canon OUAT and this Epilogue is set sometime after the curse is broken. Sorry it took so long in coming but this one is much longer than previous chaps so hopefully that makes up for it... thanks for reading. I hope you like happy endings.


Epilogue

More than 10 years later...

Since the curse had been broken, Henry no longer paid much attention to the book anymore. But when he'd awoken this morning he'd bolted into the bedroom with it and shook Emma awake insisting that she read it with him immediately.

Overnight a new story had appeared in Henry's book. It was different from all the other stories though - this one read more like a letter. It was written by hand in a familiar handwriting and an even more familiar voice:

"...Since leaving Storybrooke that day you've had no recollection that you were ever here. And when Henry brought you back no-one remembered you from 10 years ago... Mary Margaret, Ruby, and the others - their memories of you faded into the haze maintained by the curse.

When I came over from the other land, knowing there would be no magic here, I brought a few enchanted objects with me. Just in case.

I put the apple pendant in your palm and made you forget Storybrooke and everyone in it, including me. And Henry.

I used one of the last pieces of magic I had left to destroy your memories. I separated you from your son (although I didn't know who he was to you at the time). I took from you the knowledge that you came looking for him. I took from you the comfort of knowing he was ok. Those precious memories of time spent with your baby boy are gone. The only way I can give you those memories back is to write down my own memories... for both of you.

I'm sorry."

Emma slowly closed the cover of the thick book, scarcely able to believe what she'd just read.

Emma made her way downstairs to the kitchen having sent Henry off to wash up. He'd protested of course excited by what they'd just learned, but she needed him out of the way for a bit. Her footsteps were silent as she padded across the tiles to where the kitchen's only occupant stood with her back to her. The smell of pancakes filled the air.

"You've done some fucked up shit you know that right?"

Shocked as much by the tone as by the language Regina whirled around with a spatula in her hand. She was still dressed in her slate satin pyjamas and robe.

"In light of recent circumstances, I thought you should know the truth," said Regina. "But I can see you don't forgive me."

Emma recognised the return of the rigid posture and imperious tone of the former mayor, but there was something else in the other woman's face which betrayed her. Something like vulnerability and hope.

"Oh I forgive you all right," said Emma fiercely. "I just want to know if this is the last of the fucked up shit I don't know about."

"As a matter of fact it is. Now, do you want blueberry pancakes or plain?" asked Regina.

"Chocolate chip."

Regina rolled her eyes at the request but retrieved the contraband packet from the pantry anyway. Emma hopped onto one of the barstools at the bench where three empty plates were waiting.

"So when does the grovelling and the telling me you love me start?"

Regina flipped the browning pancakes in the skillet before answering. "I do not grovel. As for the second, I don't believe I've admitted to that actually."

Emma smirked. "Not what I heard last night."

To Emma's delight Regina actually reddened and looked like she was about to reply when Henry ran in.

"Happy Mother's Day, Moms!" The boy handed each of them a handmade card before running off saying he was still making their presents in his room.

As Emma looked down at her card an overwhelming amount of emotion filled up inside her. Today was her first real Mother's Day and she was amazed by how wonderful it was to be spending it with her son. She felt so lucky that she'd found her way back to him. Regina too, she realised, must be grateful to be spending today with Henry after almost losing him.

"Uh, Regina? I think they're starting to burn-"

The brunette, who had been absorbed in reading her own card, quickly rescued the pancakes. With deft moves she flopped them onto the stack and placed the plate in front of Emma.

"So I got Wolverine. What'd you get?" asked Emma, referring to the front of Henry's card where he'd drawn one of his favourite comic book characters.

"Spiderman." Regina held up her own card.

"We've got a great kid haven't we?"

Regina smiled happily. "Happy Mother's Day, Emma."

"Happy Mother's Day." Emma tilted her head and couldn't contain her grin. "Oh and Regina? Thanks for the gift. Yours is coming later."

When Regina went back to the second batch of pancakes, Emma surveyed the kitchen and surrounding rooms with new eyes. The place didn't look quite so tidy these days, with Henry's school project spreading across the dining table and Emma's paperwork relegated to the side table along with her red jacket and car keys. Emma knew for a fact that hers and Regina's clothes were still laying on the bedroom floor where they'd fallen the night before. The house didn't look like a museum anymore. It looked lived in.

"So I was here before huh... and I used to be your maid. Did you make me wear a maid's outfit?" Emma said, waggling her eyebrows.

"No. And you didn't do much cleaning either," said Regina in wry amusement. "Same as now."

Emma pretended to be wounded. "So if I was such a crappy maid what'd you keep me around for?"

Regina came over with the choc-chip pancakes and leaned over the bench. She set them down and without taking her eyes off Emma's, placed two fingertips under the blonde's chin and tilted her face up.

"Same reason I keep you around now," Regina said in a low voice. She closed the short distance and stole a slow kiss, causing Emma's eyes to flutter closed.

It took a few seconds but Emma pulled back suddenly.

"Regina Mills! You did not seduce me when I was 18 did you," she said in a mock-scandalised whisper.

"No," said the brunette snippily, grabbing the dishcloth and heading to the sink. "And apparently I'm still waiting for you to grow up."

Regina stood with her back to Emma stacking dishes unnecessarily. She still felt raw and exposed after revealing yet another of her dark and terrible secrets, unsure if revealing the full extent of her past was wise. Emma and Henry now knew everything and it had been a big risk for her to tell them when things had been going so well lately. She felt sure that one day there would be one more secret from her past revealed and they'd find her unforgivable. Everything would come undone and she'd lose them.

Emma had been a threat to Regina both times she'd turned up in Storybrooke, threatening the controlled life the former evil queen had carefully constructed to be safe though it kept her alone. But the irritating and stubborn blonde had wormed her way into her life and she'd had to push her away out of fear that she would never be able to. Emma was an instant hit with Henry at any age, she'd gotten his love so easily.

For Regina, bonding with the baby and becoming his mother had been a struggle and last year when he'd found out he was adopted things had deteriorated so fast she hadn't known how to fix things with her son. When Henry had turned up with his "real mom" she could hardly believe her cruel fate, that Emma was once again standing on her porch ready to turn her life upside down.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Emma, clad in her white tank top and flannel pyjama bottoms, get up from the bench. A few seconds later she felt her come up behind her and thread an arm around her waist even though the brunette stubbornly resisted eye contact.

"Hey, I know what you meant," whispered Emma. "I wanted to stay in Storybrooke. For you and Henry."

"You remember?" Regina spun around in shock at the exact words she'd heard 10 years ago and searched Emma's eyes carefully. "No. That's not possible."

Emma shook her head slowly, she didn't remember but she knew herself. "No, but it's why I'm here now."

"Emma, I-" Regina looked down, struggling to say it.

"It's okay, you know. I understand why you sent me away."

"You do?"

"Yeah, and we should probably talk later, preferably with more glasses of wine and less clothing... but let's just enjoy today?" said Emma, proposing it with a half-shrug and a hopeful look. It was their first Mother's Day together and she wanted them to spend it as a family without getting hung up on all the stuff in their past.

"Henry's ok," said Emma. "So are we."

Regina nodded and smiled, eyes dropping to Emma's lips once more. Sometimes she still couldn't believe Emma's capacity for accepting her and just getting on with their future. They were slowly coming to understand each other, but Emma knew that sometimes Regina got caught up ruminating on the past too much.

"Urgh, you guys are being all mushy again," said Henry, scrunching his face. He hopped up on a stool at the bench and started pouring syrup and butter over his breakfast.

The two of them jumped a little guiltily and Emma reluctantly drew back but not before pressing a quick kiss. Henry might complain about the "mushy" but she knew how thrilled he was to be living with both his mothers and for them to be happy together.

"You know you love it, kid," said Emma, with an immature nah-nah face. "Hey, are you eating my pancakes?"

"Mmph, no?" Henry grinned but he could hardly close his full mouth.

Emma watched him swallow with difficulty and then raced over to pull him off the stool. She tickled him mercilessly causing her son to laugh uncontrollably,

"E-m-ma, sto-op!" he laughed, trying to protect his middle.

"Oh, no you don't kid. You can't escape!" Emma kept up her assault until they collapsed on the floor laughing.

"Mo-o-om, help me," Henry cried out, appealing to his other mother to rescue him.

"Emma, stop, you could hurt him..." admonished Regina in a serious voice. She went to Henry who'd been released immediately and made a show of looking him over and checking on him. Emma made sissy faces at him behind Regina's back.

The brunette winked over her shoulder at Emma surreptitiously, "... and you don't know where he's really ticklish."

"Mo-om, no-oo-oo!" Henry laughed as he was yet again assaulted with pokes to the ribs and he tried to roll away. "No-ot fair!"

Regina eventually let him go and got up off the floor. She grabbed his plate of pancakes and handed to him. "Here. Why don't you go finish your breakfast in the den and watch some cartoons."

Henry ran off full of energy and excitement. Seeing it made Regina happy but partly uneasy that she'd let him have so much sugar.

"We're not gonna be able to calm him down later," warned Emma.

"Actually, that will be Miss Blanchard's problem."

Emma gave Regina a questioning look. "Why?"

"Your mother called this morning while you were still asleep inviting us over for lunch."

"And... we're going?" asked Emma slowly, wondering who had replaced her girlfriend with this charitable woman who was apparently going to spend time willingly with her former arch nemesis on such a special day. Things were much better between them these days (compared to before anyway) and ever since Emma and Regina had gotten together, everyone was making a strained kind of effort to get along.

"Yes," said Regina simply. "We are all going to have a nice lunch and then your parents are taking Henry for the night."

Emma grinned lasciviously and laughed. "Right. I suppose it was their idea to give us the house to ourselves."

"I may have suggested it," said Regina, hiding a smile behind taking a sip of coffee.

After a pause, Emma said a quiet "Thanks".

"It is your mother's first Mother's Day as well, dear," said Regina, knowing what she was thankful for. It meant a lot to Emma to not have to choose between her two families. Seeing Emma happy was a balm for the searing pain of the guilt over what she'd done to the woman she'd come to love and know so well.

Regina narrowed her eyes at Emma. "You did get your mother a gift didn't you?"

"Yes, but," Emma grumbled shiftily. "I didn't know what to get and it's stupid."

"Miss Blanchard teaches fourth grade, dear. You could make her a macaroni necklace and she'd wear it with pride. I'm sure whatever you have will be fine."

Emma rolled her eyes good-naturedly and went to retrieve the gift from under the pile of paperwork she'd left on the side table. She handed Regina a thin pile of photographs with a thick white ribbon tied around them in a bow. Only the top one was visible, an aged photo of a little girl with ratty blonde curls sitting on a playground slide.

Regina smiled inwardly at her girlfriend's nervousness about this. The brunette held a small stack of photographs of Emma as a child and she knew seeing these would mean everything to a mother who had missed out on those moments firsthand.

Emma cleared her throat and mumbled. "I don't have many but I thought she'd like them."

"I love you," Regina let out suddenly. She was surprised at her own admission and then concerned that she'd given away too much.

A smile lit up all over Emma's face at Regina's unexpected declaration. She'd known what they'd both felt for one another for a while but hearing the words returned was something else.

"Aw. You do love me," teased Emma gently, to let the brunette save a bit of face.

"Yes," said Regina, trying to avoid the dopey lovey-dovey eyes on her. "Now go get in the shower or we'll be late."

"Ok," Emma said innocently. "Are you sure you don't want join me, Madam Mayor? To verify that I'm cleaned to your satisfaction?"

Regina bit her lip to hide a grin and returned her coffee cup to the sink. "I guess we're going to be late then."