All it takes is a pinch of pixie dust and a little bit of hope. SwanQueen fluff and love. :)

She wasn't sure how long they laid there. Hours, perhaps. She heard the front door open and a bunch of voices and footsteps enter the house. A moment later and it was her own mother who peeked her head in, finding Emma and Regina curled together on the bed, the blonde's arms wrapped protectively around the brunette's waist.

"How is she?" Mary Margaret whispered, lingering in the doorway. Emma was glad she said nothing of their current position in bed. She wasn't really in the mood to discuss it.

"Sleeping like a rock," came the quiet reply, her voice rough from misuse. "What's going on downstairs?"

"We brought backup," her mother said with a grin and a glint in her eye. As she inched further into the room, Emma noticed the bow and quiver of arrows slung over her shoulder. She always did a double take whenever she saw her mother armed for battle, having to remind herself that the tiny brunette was the badass Snow White and not the timid little Mary Margaret she'd first met.

"My barrier still up?" All that use of her magic had left her tired as well after the initial adrenaline had worn off and she'd been drifting in and out of sleep these past few hours. It helped that she was immensely comfortable, wrapped around Regina's slender form and sharing her body heat.

"So far so good. We couldn't get Blue to snap out of it but Nova and Tinkerbell have been a great help. We've got Grumpy, August, Belle, Granny, Ruby, and Grayson here too."

"Ruby and Grayson?" Emma's brows knit together in concern.

"They were both back to themselves when we went by the station, though they wouldn't tell us how, and August was keeping mum. Besides, your barrier's keeping the demon influence out for now, and we can use all the help we can get."

Emma nodded slowly, turning her head and breathing in deeply of Regina's apple scented shampoo. The scent of apples was quickly becoming a comfort to her. "How's the kid?" she murmured. Mary Margaret leaned against the wall next to the door.

"Worried, but putting on his brave face." They both smiled at that. "He asked me about you two, you know."

Emma lifted her head with a frown. "What did he say?"

"Just asked me if I noticed something different between you and Regina." Mary Margaret quirked a brow, looking amused. "You'll have to tell him eventually, you know."

"I just… don't want to rush it. Regina needs time." After a pause, she added, "Maybe I do too."

Her mother nodded. "Of course. Just don't wait too long. He'll want to know. He'll be happy for you both."

Emma nodded, but a part of her worried nonetheless. There was a big difference between wanting your mother to find someone, and your mother getting together with your other mother. She didn't even know his stance on same-sex relationships. Did Regina ever have that talk with him? The fake memories Regina had given her when she and Henry had escaped to New York didn't include talks like that.

No, not fake. It wasn't fair to call them that. They were Regina's memories. Altered, so that Emma would think she had raised Henry in New York, but hers nonetheless. An intimate fact that they had never talked about even after their return to Storybrooke. She had never truly thanked Regina for sharing those with her, even if they were slowly but surely fading from her mind, becoming a vague, blurry remnant of a memory that had lost its feel of realness a long time ago. Emma supposed that was to be expected- they were never hers to begin with.

A problem for another day, perhaps. She didn't want to think about it right now.

"I'll be down in a bit," Emma said after a pause, taking stock of the fact that one of her arms was pinned under Regina's body and it would take some careful wiggling to detach herself without waking the brunette. Mary Margaret gave a flippant wave of her hand.

"Stay with her. You should get some more sleep too. We'll get things ready downstairs in the meantime."

"But-"

"Emma." Her mother gave her a look. "Let us handle things for a while, okay?"

"Kay… thanks, mom." Emma nestled back down into the pillow, her cheek brushing against Regina's head. The brunette shifted in her sleep and gently squeezed Emma's hand.

Mary Margaret smiled softly at her daughter, carefully closing the door as she left and tiptoed down the hall.

Everyone downstairs had relocated to the living room, spread out on seats while David stood guard by the window. Most of the room was armed, too; Granny cradled her crossbow in her arms, Grumpy had his axe, August had a spare pistol from the Sheriff's station, and the fairies had their wands. Grayson and Ruby sat on the couch with an awkward gap between them, neither acknowledging each other.

Henry sat in the armchair with Neal in his arms, Belle crouched next to him and cooing at the baby.

"How are they?" he asked as soon his grandmother approached.

"Resting. They'll be fine," Mary Margaret said with a reassuring smile. Then, directed to everyone else, "It may be wise to assume that they will not be able to fight with us, however."

"But they're the only ones who can use Pandora's box," David voiced.

"There are other ways," Nova offered.

"Not nearly as good as the box," said Tinkerbell. "But options, nonetheless."

"Like?" Granny prompted.

Nova and Tinkerbell exchanged frowns.

"Portals," they both said. A rumble of disapproval filled the room.

"Too unpredictable," someone said.

"So we're just going to pass them off onto the next unsuspecting world?" another muttered.

"Nothing good ever happens when we open portals around here," a third complained.

"Do you have a better idea?" Tink snapped.

"Anything's better than a stupid portal!"

Before anyone could get any louder, David stepped in. "Keep it down, they're resting."

He and Mary Margaret exchanged a wary look.

"I know portals aren't ideal, but we have very few options left. We need to accept the fact that we may not have a choice if it comes down to it."

"We still have time," Mary Margaret soothed. "We'll figure something out."

Regina woke first, coming to slowly as if waking from a long hibernation. She blinked in the dim lighting and guessed it was early evening from the dull reds and oranges filtering through the narrow gap in the thick curtains. It took a long, languid moment for her to realize the warmth cocooning her was Emma Swan, at which point she stiffened and lifted her head from the pillow. Memory of when she was first brought up here came to mind and she cringed at how vulnerable she'd been acting, as if she were five years old and not a grown ass woman. The last thing she needed was Emma thinking her to be weak.

"Emma," she said, trying to carefully pry loose the blonde's arms so that she could get out of bed. The Sheriff just snuggled in a little closer, face buried against her neck, breath warm on her skin. Regina shivered involuntarily. The logical part of her brain wondered where Henry was, if he was okay, and what was going on downstairs. The rest of her brain couldn't stop thinking about the blonde's legs tangled with hers. "Emma, wake up."

"Five more minutes," Emma mumbled, half-awake, her voice rough and husky in her ear. Regina closed her eyes and counted silently to ten, taking a deep breath with each number. Decidedly calmer, she reached under the blankets to grab Emma's arm and move it aside. The blonde had other ideas and locked her hands together. When Regina turned her head, she met a very alert pair of green eyes.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked quietly, voice still husky with sleep. Despite it all, the protectiveness in her tone was clear. The White Knight was guarding her Queen while she recovered and she clearly took that task very seriously.

"Getting up," said Regina, though her reply lacked its usual sharpness.

"You need more rest."

"I feel fine now, and there are demons to deal with."

"The demons can wait, my barriers are still up."

"Your barriers won't last forever."

"They'll last through the night while you recover."

"I feel fine."

"I don't care."

"Miss Swan-"

"Don't." Emma's expression hardened but her green eyes turned pleading. Vulnerable. Hurt. Regina's chest ached at the sight. When in the world did Emma's pain cause her so much grief and heartbreak?

"Emma," she whispered, lifting a hand to touch Emma's cheek. The other woman instinctively leaned into the touch without breaking their gaze. "I'm sorry, Emma. But-"

"The demons can wait," Emma insisted, imploring. "You need rest, and our friends and family are downstairs working on a plan. Everything will be fine."

"Everyone's downstairs?"

Regina's brow lifted in her signature way. Emma couldn't resist a bit of a smile knowing exactly why the brunette was making a face.

"They won't make a mess, I promise."

The brunette just sighed, pulling her hand away to rub at her temple. To her surprise, the gentle pressure around her waist disappeared as Emma lifted her hands to gently massage Regina's scalp, fingers working through dark hair with ease.

"How's that?" Emma murmured, working her thumbs across Regina's temples. The brunette moaned softly, eyes fluttering shut as the pressure in her head dissipated from the blonde's gentle ministrations.

"Feels good," came the rough, husky response. Regina relaxed into the bed, feeling Emma shift beside her as she repositioned herself so that she could more easily massage her head. Seconds turned to minutes, and Regina could very well have fallen asleep to the blonde's touches until she felt a soft kiss to her cheek.

Brown eyes opened to see a head of blonde hair as Emma laid another kiss on her cheek, then one to her jaw, and one a little closer to her ear. When Emma lifted her head, her green eyes were very, very dark.

"Can I kiss you?" she asked in a low, breathy whisper. Always the chivalrous one.

Regina swallowed audibly, faced with a choice that should have been easy. They had already shared True Love's kiss - multiple times - and there was no denying the chemistry between them, but it was the never ending voice in her head that stopped her from answering. The voice that reminded her of Daniel, of Robin, of Cora, of the Evil Queen. Most of all, the voice that wouldn't stop asking, Why me? Why would you choose me?

And, perhaps sensing the ugly doubt rearing its head in Regina's eyes and mistaking it for rejection, Emma's expression turned unreadable, and she moved away and rolled onto her back with her head turned in the opposite direction, a sigh of defeat escaping her chest.

Without the blonde wrapped around her, Regina suddenly felt cold. Alone. Frightened.

And being without Emma Swan felt worse than her fears of being with Emma Swan.

Regina rolled over onto Emma, cupped her face, and kissed her.

Strong arms immediately wrapped around her waist, hands flush against her back as Emma returned the kiss with fervor. Her sigh of relief was swallowed by the brunette as she tangled her fingers into her thick blonde mane, crimson red lips crushed against pink ones. Teeth and tongue entered the fray, tasting deeply of each other, pushing and pulling, almost desperate for more. Regina sucked the blonde's lower lip into her mouth and bit down just hard enough to sting, enticing a groan from the younger woman before that sound too was swallowed by another kiss.

Emma's hands slid their way up Regina's back to her shoulders and then down again, feeling the curve of every muscle under the soft silk fabric and wondering what it would feel like if she were touching her bare skin directly. When the brunette pressed herself down against her, Emma rolled them over, caressing Regina's sides as she broke away from their lip-lock to leave a sticky trail of kisses down her jaw and neck to her collarbone. Regina's head was tilted up, eyes closed, red lips parted in a breathless moan. She could feel Emma's chin settling over the swell of her breasts, lips smiling against her exposed skin where her unbuttoned shirt didn't quite reach.

"We need to rest," Emma murmured, though her dark eyes said she wanted to do the very opposite. Regina groaned, this time with exasperation.

"You really do have terrible timing."

"The worst," Emma agreed with a low chuckle, settling in next to her with her chin now resting against Regina's shoulder. "But you need to recover your strength while the barrier still holds. Besides, I'd rather not have our first time be with all our friends and family just downstairs having a war meeting."

"Who said we were going to have sex?"

The smile fell from Emma's lips. Had she made a grave assumption? But when she glanced up - nervously, she might add - Regina was smirking at her with a devilish glint in her eyes, and it took a lot of effort not to bury her face in the pillow and groan.

"I thought we might just get a little… frisky. But since you insist on resting…" Regina rolled over, her back to Emma, and made a show of getting herself comfortable under the blankets. Emma bit the inside of her cheek.

"Minx."

"Who, me?"

With a dramatic sigh, Emma shifted onto her side and settled in next to Regina, resting her arm around the brunette's waist and feeling her snuggle in closer. The brunette's hand found hers and they linked their fingers together.

"Hey," mumbled Emma, her voice gruff.

"Hm?"

"I never thanked you for sharing your memories of raising Henry with me."

There was a long pause in which Regina chewed gently at her lower lip and Emma just stared into the darkness, comfortable and waiting. The change in subject wasn't unwelcome, but it was certainly unexpected.

"They're fading now, aren't they?" the brunette finally said. She'd wondered about that but had never asked until now. The memories had been implanted by magic and it only made sense that they would slowly fade away once Emma had regained her real memories, overpowering the implanted ones.

"Yeah." Emma's arm tightened around her waist a little. In a selfish way, she wished they wouldn't fade. Despite knowing now that the memories were just implanted - that they never happened and she never raised Henry - she still held them close to their heart, and it hurt to think that she would eventually forget them. "They made me feel like… like we raised him together, almost. That I was as much a part of his childhood as you were. So… thank you."

Regina didn't respond. After a few minutes of silence, Emma stopped waiting for a reply, thinking that Regina either didn't want to say anything or that she had fallen asleep. She was about to drift off to sleep herself when she felt the familiar tingle in her arm where Regina's hand rested on hers, the warmth spreading through her entire body, humming with magic.

"Regina, you shouldn't be using ma-"

Her voice broke off as images came into her mind, vivid and clear as day. She was holding an infant in her arms, lifting him up and pressing her nose to his, feeling his warm breath against her face. Henry, swaddled in his blankets, a big smile across his face as he reached tiny little hands out towards her.

Henry, in his crib, crying out for her. She'd stumbled across the room in the middle of the night to pick him up and hold him close, cooing and blowing kisses and promising him everything in the world and more as he squeezed her finger with his entire fist.

Henry, five years old and snuggled into her lap as she read him his favourite storybooks, the top of his head bumping up against her chin every time he bounced or wriggled in delight at her attempts at using a funny voice for each character.

Henry, eight and rambunctious, laughing and ducking away from her hands to run another lap around the playground as she called after him. "Henry Mills! Come back here right now and put your jacket back on before you catch a cold!" He'd clambered up into the wooden castle and playfully stuck his tongue out at her, only coming back down when she promised to get him a chocolate sundae at Granny's.

Through all of it, she was acutely aware of Regina's presence, seeing through her eyes yet also feeling like she was there with her, as if they had, indeed, raised him together. And when the darkness of Regina's bedroom finally came back into focus, Emma found that she had tears in the corners of her eyes. A trembling breath escaped her throat as she reached into her memories and found them all there, every memory of raising Henry fresh and clear in her mind, strongly imprinted within her, promising to remain there always.

"Thank you," she whispered, holding Regina ever closer and hiding her face against her shoulder. Turning in her embrace, equally damp brown eyes met green ones and Regina's lips pulled into the softest of smiles, though she didn't say anything. She didn't really know what to say to convey how she felt in this moment, her heart swelling within her chest, threatening to burst after having just relived those beautiful memories with Emma.

So she kissed her.

Gently, lovingly, just lips brushing against tender lips.

When they broke apart, Regina just rolled back over and nestled her back against Emma's chest, relaxing into the warm embrace with the blonde's arms snug around her. Feeling safe and loved and protected for the first time in a very long time, they slept.

Discussions went on for hours, some voices speaking over each other until either David or Mary Margaret hushed them. Henry eventually wandered off to the study with Neal when the baby began fussing, and Belle made use of the kitchen to boil tea for everyone. At some point David accompanied Granny out of the house and they returned an hour later with food for everyone, which helped to settle the tension just a little bit. Leroy, at least, was far more amicable when his belly was full.

It was nearing ten o'clock and Mary Margaret was in the midst of trying to convince them to take turns keeping watch on the barrier through the night when Emma and Regina descended the staircase. Emma had Pandora's box in her hand, and Regina looked every bit as regal as she always did, makeup redone and hair perfect, nothing like the half-unconscious mess from earlier that day. Henry jumped up from where he'd been talking to Grayson and a look of half joy, half concern crossed his face.

"Moms! Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

He met them at the bottom of the staircase, hovering at Regina's side as if afraid that even a stiff wind would knock his mother over, relenting only when Regina pulled him into a hug.

"I'm better now, Henry." Regina smiled at him, her gaze flitting to Emma almost shyly as she lowered her voice, speaking only for him and Emma to hear. "Emma took good care of me."

Henry grinned at his blonde mother, deciding to reward her with a hug too, then scowling and ducking away when all that got him was his hair ruffled. The sound of Neal squealing reminded them that they weren't alone, so they continued the rest of the way into the living room where every pair of eyes were on them.

"Regina, you should be resting more," Mary Margaret said, concern in her voice as she approached the two women, Neal still in her arms.

"Nonsense, I'm fine now. We have a town to protect." When Mary Margaret lifted a brow at her, not in a jab but rather in amusement, she added in a grumble, "And besides, it looks like there's an unsupervised sleepover party in my living room."

"I promised no one would make a mess," Emma chuckled. "And if they do, I'll clean it up."

Mary Margaret didn't miss the way Emma's hand rested ever so lightly against Regina's lower back, and though her lip quirked up in a smile, she smartly said nothing of it. Emma, meeting her mother's gaze with a little nod, moved further into the living room to greet the others, perching herself on the arm of the couch next to Ruby.

"Hey," she said, lifting a brow at the younger brunette. Ruby grimaced.

"Hey. Sorry about…" She flickered her hand in the air. "All that stuff before."

"Don't worry about it, you were under a curse. Just remind me never to get on your bad side."

Ruby flushed and grinned at that, elbowing Emma in the side.

"How'd you break your curse, anyway?"

She was fishing and Ruby damn well knew it, giving Emma a half-hearted attempt at the stink-eye. "It's complicated," was her unspecific answer.

Granny snorted.

"What, no details?" Emma whined, doing her best puppy-dog impression. Ruby curled her lip in a mock, teasing snarl.

"Didn't you say something about not getting on my bad side?"

"Right. So!" Emma slapped her palms down onto her thighs with a snicker, glancing around the room. "What'd we miss?"

"A whole lotta nothing," Leroy grunted.

"We hadn't decided on a plan of action," interjected David. "You two were the only ones who could use Pandora's Box, so we were looking for alternatives."

"Well we're here now, but Pandora's Box didn't work the last time we tried." Emma glanced over to where Regina stood with an arm around Henry's shoulder. Regina straightened up a little as eyes turned to her.

"The demons are getting stronger. I think if we weakened them enough, Pandora's Box would work again. The only problem being…"

At that, she hesitated. Emma continued, "One of the demons has taken Regina's form. Er- the Evil Queen's form."

"Aw hell no," Leroy blurted out, indignant. Tinkerbell groaned and their two token werewolves gave long suffering sighs. Everyone else had some form of a grimace on their faces. No one wanted to face the Evil Queen again, especially not a demon version.

"Sorry," Regina muttered with a roll of her eyes, though she didn't sound sorry at all. Emma caught her gaze and flashed her a quick grin. At least someone thought this was funny.

"So how do we weaken the demons?" said Mary Margaret, trying to keep everyone on track. There was a round of shrugs, and again, all eyes fell on the Queen and the Savior. When even Emma deferred to her, Regina sighed dramatically. It was a wonder Storybrooke hadn't fallen into disrepair during her time away from office.

"As it stands, it looks like the demons gain a solid, physical form as they grow stronger. This means they're more powerful, but they should also be susceptible to physical attacks. I trust you all know how to flail swords and shoot arrows."

Grumbled agreements filled the room. David and Mary Margaret were grinning at each other like they wanted to laugh but knew better.

"If you all can damage them by physical means, Emma and I can conserve our strength for capturing them in Pandora's Box."

"And you're sure that'll work?" August asked, skeptical.

"I make no promises," was Regina's curt reply.

"That's not very reassuring," said Grayson, hunched forward on the couch with his elbows on his knees. Ruby glanced at him then and he averted his eyes just as quickly, with Emma watching them all the while.

Mary Margaret rocked Neal back and forth and frowned, thoughtful. "But I thought Pandora's Box didn't work on the demon this morning," she began, slowly. "And didn't Henry say that it started out as a black mist?"

Regina seemed to mull that over before responding. She didn't like to sound uncertain of herself but she also didn't want to say something wrong and get called out on it later. "It was still more solid than a shadow, and definitely stronger than before. In hindsight, Emma and I should have attacked it with magic first before using the box."

She glanced again at Emma, who was just grinning at her like a golden retriever puppy at this point. The blonde couldn't help but perk up every time Regina said 'Emma and I,' as if it were a subtle reassurance that they came as a pair now.

"Sounds safer than opening portals," David nodded.

"Good. We're agreed then." Regina released Henry's shoulders and settled her hands on her hips. "Let's begin."

"Whoa," David and Mary Margaret said at the same time, drawing Regina's startled attention. "We're not doing anything tonight."

Regina gave them one of her patented eyebrow raises. "Why not?"

"You want to fight shadows in the dark?" said Grayson with a snort. Even Ruby seemed to nod in agreement to that.

"Besides," said Mary Margaret, giving Regina a more pointed look. "You were not okay earlier today. You need to rest up fully."

"The rest of us can take turns standing guard. We'll go demon hunting tomorrow," David finished, smiling gently.

Ruby glanced up to find a very sentimental look on Emma's face. The blonde was watching in amazement as her parents fussed over Regina. Just a couple years ago they had been at each other's throats, now they genuinely cared.

Regina was about to object when Emma reached across the short distance to grasp her wrist. "Everything's fine, Regina. It's just one night, okay?"

Grudgingly, and only after a moment of staring into those green eyes, the brunette agreed.

"I'm getting a glass of water," she sighed. "Go back to bed, Emma. You need to rest too. I'll be up shortly."

Her eyes lifted to find David and Mary Margaret staring intently at her, only then realizing her slip. Trying vainly to brush it off like she hadn't just insinuated that she'd be sharing a bed with their daughter, Regina nodded a curt goodnight to everyone and stalked off to the kitchen, cursing in her head the entire way.

Emma just grinned and stood. "The lady has spoken." Bidding a friendlier goodnight than her brunette counterpart, she kissed Henry and ruffled his hair on her way back upstairs. "Don't stay up too late, kid."

"I won't, Ma." Henry watched her go, then gave his grandparents an odd look, to which the Charmings just innocently looked away as if they hadn't noticed anything at all.

Quietly breaking away from the group, Tinkerbell headed into the kitchen after her friend.

"Regina," she said, finding the brunette leaning against the sink with a glass of water in hand.

"Not now, Tinkerbell." Regina rubbed at her temple with her free hand. The headache had returned in Emma's absence, more so when Tink's presence tended to make her think of Robin Hood. And that was not a train of thought she liked very much anymore.

"Just checking in on you. As a friend." Tink perched herself on an island stool and rested her elbows on the marble countertop. "How are you doing?"

"Tired." A heavy sigh left her chest as Regina turned to face the fairy. The stress-induced vein on her forehead was prominent in the bright lights of the kitchen. "I don't know exactly how that demon stole my form, but it would have killed me today if not for-"

She broke off, hesitating. Maybe this was not the conversation to be having with Team Robin.

"Emma," Tinkerbell finished. Regina nodded stiffly. "She really cares about you."

"Well, we are family," was the brunette's evasive reply. "Besides, Henry would never forgive her if she let me die."

"Oh, stop it," Tink huffed. "I know what's going on. Snow told me."

"Snow?" Regina's nostrils flared. How the hell did Snow know? Did Emma tell her mother? A flash of betrayal burned through her before she could squelch the thought.

"Apparently she was onto you two from the beginning," said Tink, oblivious to the afflicted emotions roiling in Regina at that very moment. "But that's not what's important right now. Why didn't you tell me?"

Regina redirected her newfound anger. "Tell you what? That I realized I had feelings for someone who wasn't on the other end of your stupid pixie dust? Don't change the goddamned subject, Tinkerbell. Why the hell did Snow White tell you about us? It's none of her business and it certainly isn't yours-"

"She was trying to help you, Regina." Tink looked less than pleased at the attack but persisted. "She knew how upset you were about Robin and how seriously you took the soulmate thing. She wanted to know if it was possible that you could have another soulmate, or that maybe I'd made a mistake."

Regina scowled. Snow White was a frustrating anomaly on the best of days. Not to mention her inability to keep her nose out of other people's business. Jesus. "Why?"

"You might find it hard to believe, but she does love you and want you to be happy." Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, Tinkerbell lifted her delicate shoulders in a shrug and slouched a little further onto the island counter. "Besides, she had a point. I've had a long time to think about the past, especially after Robin left."

Regina winced and Tinkerbell gave her an apologetic smile.

"Get to the point," said the brunette, dryly.

"Emma didn't even exist back when the dust led you to Robin. And you were younger then."

Regina nodded, impatient.

"I really thought about it, and I think I understand why it led you to Robin back then. The pixie dust wasn't wrong, I hadn't made a mistake. Back then, Robin was your soulmate."

Irritation bubbled up to the surface and Regina could nearly feel the vein in her forehead pulsing with her headache. "Thank you for that obvious revelation," she snapped, bitterly sarcastic. Tinkerbell held up her hands in a placating gesture.

"I said back then. But you're not the same Regina as back then, are you? More than thirty years later, you're a completely different person. You've grown, you've changed. You hurt and you healed. The younger Regina from back then could have lived happily ever after with Robin. But you? He wouldn't have been right for you."

She ended her little speech with a grin, letting the silence stretch on as her words sank in. Regina had since set her glass down on the counter, a pained look in her eyes.

"What are you saying?"

Instead of responding, Tinkerbell reached into her pocket and pulled out a small leather pouch. She held it up in plain view until realization dawned on Regina's face.

"One more try?" Tinkerbell suggested, softly.

Fear surged up within the brunette. Fear that the pixie dust would lead to the town line. Fear that it would disappear into the distance, on its way to find Robin at wherever it was that he and his family had gone to. Fear that whatever she and Emma had been tentatively building between them wasn't going to change the fact that she was forever tied to a man who didn't choose her. A man that she hadn't truly chosen for herself.

But she needed to know.

Unable to speak, Regina just nodded her head.

Tinkerbell shook the small amount of pixie dust into the palm of her hand, watching it glitter beneath the kitchen lights. Instead of admiring the magical dust, however, she stared pointedly at Regina as she threw the dust.

"Lead us to Regina's soulmate."

"Mary Margaret." David touched her arm with a nod of his head. She glanced up in the direction he was staring and her mouth dropped open with a soft gasp.

Pixie dust.

Except this was a trail of glowing, shimmering gold, gently spiraling its way up the staircase, and in its wake walked Regina and Tinkerbell. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Tink stopped and smiled, knowing it was as far as she went. Regina continued up the staircase, the oddest look of wonderment on her face as she followed the lights and disappeared to the second floor.

"Was that…?"

Mary Margaret and David glanced over to find Henry standing up, his eyes wide.

"Pixie dust," Tinkerbell said from the bottom of the stairs, still smiling, looking like she'd finally found peace after many years of guilt and regret.

Henry's head whipped towards his grandparents, and at this point, so did everyone else's.

"Does that mean-?"

"Yes, Henry," said Mary Margaret, unable to stop the wetness accumulating in her eyes. She had no doubt that the memory of Regina following that pixie dust - with hope and relief and joy in her expression - would remain with her forever. "Your mom found her soulmate."

Love and contentment radiated from the teenager as he relaxed and smiled. Snow was crying freely with Neal cradled in her arms and David embracing her, Ruby sniffled, and everyone in the living room shared smiles as the sound of laughter mixed with joyous tears echoed down to them from upstairs.