Love Is an Open Door

Neal, Rumple and all the lost children returned to the Enchanted Forest.

"What are we going to do with all these orphans?" Neal asked.

"You're the next prince, aren't you? I think you can do something about that." Rumple replied.

Neal scratched his head. He wished he thought this far ahead before. He was so focused on Bae and Wendy, he didn't even think about all the lost boys. There were about a hundred of them. Who knew what Tinkerbell would do now that she was back in the Enchanted Forest? She wasn't the happiest fairy anymore. It's bad when a fairy loses hope.

"Okay, I have one more favor to ask... Can Wendy, Michael and John stay with you? Their family took me in when I had no one." Neal asked.

"Okay but what about us?"

"We'll talk. I'll let you know when the wedding is."

-v-

Back at the castle, Snow found Regina in the parlor. It was the first time she'd seen her since the incident with Cora.

"How are you?" Snow asked as she joined Regina on the couch.

"Fine... How are Bae and Emma?"

"They're okay."

"... I'm sorry about my mother... I have a question... Why didn't you give up on me?"

Snow was surprised by everything she just said and she wasn't as guarded as usual. "I've spent eighteen years trying to make two children believe that good always wins and love conquers all when sometimes I didn't even believe it myself and David wasn't around to give me a pep talk. After a while I started to truly believe it myself. I told you once that you made me believe in the goodness in people, even more than my mother or at least maybe you made me really believe her and that's the truth but you also made me doubt it too. However, I know who you were and if I truly believed that good wins and love conquers all, I had to believe that you could be... you again. Besides, you're pretty much the only parent I have left."

"You're crazy. It's not like I was this ideal step-mother. I was kind of cold to you then I tried to kill you."

"Well before the whole trying to kill me thing, you were my role model."

Regina laughed and shook her head. "You're as crazy as I am... I suppose that's what I sound like talking about my mother. At least I understand why you care so much but she's never showed me any love so I don't know why I care about her."

"Yeah well, she's your mother and that's what happens when your love isn't based on conditions."

"Listen, I can't change my past but I can change my future. I'm learning to let go... Our relationship can be whatever we want it to be from this day forward."

Snow smiled, "And we can be a family again?" Regina just looked at her. "Come on, you know you want to say it."

"I'm not saying it."

"You know you want to."

"Nope."

"Say it!"

"Okay, you little brat, we can be a family again!"

"Hug!"

"Now..." Regina's facial expression was so serious. Pushing it.

"You know you want a hug." Snow hugged her. After a moment she hugged her back. She literally couldn't even remember the last time she had a real genuine hug.

Emma walked in and saw this. "We're hugging now? I want to hug too!" Emma ran over and joined in the hug. "Aww! Isn't this nice!"

"Emma!" They heard Neal's voice call as he entered the castle.

"Neal's home!" Emma let go of the hug and took off running. Snow and Regina just looked at each other.

-v-

Emma ran into Neal's arms and he spun her around. "You're back! It wasn't as long as I thought it'd be."

"Thankfully." Neal replied because on the inside he was afraid he'd get stuck there again but he knew it had to be done.

Snow and Regina entered the common room and greeted him followed by David with Bae moments later. Neal couldn't wait to hold his son.

"Glad you're all here. Here's the thing, there's about a hundred lost boys between the ages of three and seventeen in the ballroom. I don't know what to do with them. I was thinking of maybe starting an orphanage. Most of them are really about a century or so old. They're probably not your typical children." Neal informed.

"Sounds like a good idea. We can work on that." David said.

"When do I get to meet Wendy?" Emma asked.

"Soon! She's with my father." Everyone looked confused. "We've reconciled. He gave up being The Dark One."

"No way!" Regina couldn't believe it. "How?"

"True love's kiss. He kissed me and let it go."

"Common theme, lately." Snow stated.

"Wow. Never thought he'd actually give it up willingly. So where did the Darkness go?" Regina asked.

"Into Pan I assume but he's stuck in Neverland."

"Well, at least my mother can't attempt to be The Dark One. His focus was finding you, hers would be to gain more power."

"Your mother wanted to be The Dark One?" Snow asked.

"Well she said she wanted to control him but that probably wouldn't end there."

"Okay, so once the boys are situated, we can have a royal baptism for Bae and finally get married." Emma said.

"Finally." Neal emphasized.

-v-

Snow, Emma and Regina went out into the kingdom to interact with the people and see how things were going. Not the easiest task for Regina since most were either afraid of her or just didn't like her but it was what it was.

They ran into Robin Hood and his Merry Men.

"Your Majesty, we meet again." Robin greeted.

"Looks that way."

"Excuse me your highnesses, I'm Robin Hood, this is my son Roland and these are my Merry Men."

"Pleasure to meet you all." Snow said.

"And Roland you are so adorable!" Emma exclaimed.

"Thank you!" His dimples shined through his smile.

"We shall be on our way." Robin announced before they all walked away and Regina watched him.

"He's cute huh?" Snow asked Regina.

"He smells like forest." Never know what Regina's going to say.

They kept it moving and ran into Red and The Huntsman who have recently become an item. That was a little awkward for him since he was Regina's sex slave but he played it cool though he wanted to decapitate her at the moment.

Snow got to catch up with her best friend and inform her of the new pregnancy. Red couldn't wait to come to Emma, Neal, Pinocchio and Andi's wedding. They decided to do a double wedding and Giselle would make the dresses.

-v-

While Regina was keeping her promise to Emma and helping her practice her magic, Neal and David worked on getting the orphanage together and they managed to find a lot of the younger children homes. Some of the children who weren't in Neverland for very long were able to go back to their families. After that, they were down to about sixty-five lost boys but once they got the orphanage going, other orphans from around the kingdom started showing up so they were pretty much back where they started. The whole thing made Neal feel like he had a purpose.

Once that was settled, they were finally able to have The Royal Baptism for Prince Baelfire David Cassidy, followed by the double wedding.

Giselle... and her animal friends out did themselves with Emma and Andi's dresses. Andi wore a big poufy ball grown which sparkled in the light with poufy shoulders. It was a lot like her mother's wedding dress. Emma's dress was just as dramatic but in a totally different way. She had a very long train that was slightly embellished with feathers and a short feather cape because their family clearly has a strong affinity for the material. She made a statement without being too over the top.

The Royal subjects joined in the celebration as well. It was quite a beautiful wedding, everything one would imagine for a royal wedding, except they weren't arranged marriages and everyone was truly in love.

The couples exchanged their vowels then the beautiful yet dramatic music played as the couples leaned in for their true loves' kisses and as they did the enormous double doors swung open.

"Not again." Snow said. They looked back and there was Cora and some green witch chick.

"What a joyous occasion." Cora said.

"Mother!" Regina who was holding Bae yelled irritated.

"You're attending the weddings now? I'm disappointed. You've gone incredibly soft." Cora said.

"Sorry mother but being miserable got old. Maybe you should try something new as well."

"No dear, I don't feel anything. That's why it's so easy to do this." Cora threw the brides and grooms to opposite sides of the room.

Regina handed the baby to Giselle, seemed safer to give him to someone who wasn't related.

Regina could see that Cora's next target was pregnant Snow. Regina flung her mother across the room before she had a chance to attack.

"You are so ungrateful. You don't even know what you have, do you?" The Green Witch said with an accent.

"Who the hell are you?" Regina questioned.

"Your big sister better known as The Wicked Witch. You don't see the family resemblance?"

"Sorry, green doesn't run in the family." Regina replied. "Is that my dress?" She realized.

"Yes, it looks better on me, don't you think?"

"In your dreams. Mother who is this frog?"

"This is your sister, Zelena." Cora informed as she walked back to Zelena's side.

Regina looked confused. That was a major bomb but that wouldn't be the last. "What, did you make a love child with The Crocodile?"

Cora laughed. "Not that time." She said under her breath but some still managed to hear it. So that was a joke gone left.

"So what is this? I didn't play your game so you found a replacement player? Perhaps, I should have said no a long time ago and it would have saved me a lot of trouble."

"Whine, whine, whine." Zelena mocked.

"You want my life? Is that it? You should've asked for it a long time ago. Maybe she would've killed your fiancé, forced you to marry an old man and make you feel like you'd never be loved by anyone including her."

Zelena pretended to yawn. "At least she didn't abandon you."

"Okay, well now you have her all to yourself. So now that you two have aired all of our dirty laundry to the entire kingdom, why don't you both go about your merry way?"

"Not just yet." Cora started. "I want what's owed to me, what's owed to us and since you are not grateful enough to share, well I guess we'll just have to take it."

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked annoyed. This was getting old. Did they not read the evil handbook? You come, you ruin the occasion, you make a bold threatening statement then you leave or you kill someone but it's an in and out thing. Regina had a thought. "Why do you care about this family anyway? Why Leopold? Why not... King Midas or something?"

"Because he was supposed to marry me! I was supposed to be queen, not that little brat Éva. If it weren't for her, this would all be mine."

"Well that's a new book for ya, Fairy Tales: Jerry Springer Addition." Emma commented to Neal.

"You were engaged to Leopold?" Regina said with disgust. "You just gave me your sloppy seconds? First of all, ew! Secondly, how long ago was that? You married someone else, you got what you wanted anyway."

"No. I got Prince Henry and fifteenth in line to be queen and I loved Leopold and he loved me until the little brat told him I was pregnant and I lost everything. That's why I killed the bitch and made you queen."

"Brilliant!" Zelena exclaimed.

Regina has surely done a lot of evil over the course of time, has held a ridiculously long grudge and has had some psychotic master plans but this still managed to stun her.

Snow just had to sit down.

Regina always has a snappy comeback but not this time, she was drawing a blank.

"Well that was fun! Can we kill them now?" Zelena smiled.

Regina flicked her wrist to attack Zelena but she counteracted her attack and blasted Regina across the room. She was clearly magically stronger than her. That was new. Regina didn't like it. It was embarrassing. In the past, everyone would've been happy someone could beat Regina but since her senses seemed to be coming back to her, well this was surely a bad thing.

Snow helped Regina up and Emma ran over.

"What a cute family. Say goodbye now." Zelena said.

"We can defeat them together." Emma said to Regina. Regina didn't like that she needed help but she nodded her head in agreement.

The magical battle between Emma and Regina verses Cora and Zelena began. The guests scattered out of the way. They went back and forth, things were flying, they were flying then entered flying monkeys which Regina proceeded to turn into stuffed animals. The four of them were constantly hurting each other until Regina and Emma stunned them enough for them to teleport out of there. Both Regina and Emma felt the pain from the battle.

Regina was in a rage trying extremely hard to keep her composure. "Sorry about your wedding."

Emma just touched her shoulder as to let her know it was alright then went back to Neal. Rumple hobbled over on his cane.

"Don't take it personal dearie, she's heartless."

"Well thanks." Regina replied sarcastically, like that statement would be of any benefit right now but…

"I mean it literally. Her heart is not in her body."

Regina was surprised to hear that but it made all the sense in the world. "How do you know?"

"When she said she chose power over love, she meant that quite literally. She couldn't love me and have the crown too so she chose the crown." Rumple started to walk away but you can't just say such a thing and just walk away.

"Wait! You and my mother? When?"

"Oh about forty-four years before the curse." Regina looked confused. Rumple saw Regina's mind running away with her. "Don't worry dearie, I highly doubt you're the love child of The Crocodile."

"But she said-"

"I heard her. She was probably just messing with us."

"But you don't know that!"

"We had a deal, she was to give me our child and she didn't."

"Yeah because my mother is the most honest person in the world." Regina responded sarcastically. "She wasn't going to give up her crown a second time."

She had a point... He didn't know what else to say.

Meanwhile with Emma and Neal...

"So it wasn't totally perfect but I guess it wouldn't be a fairy tale wedding if there were no interruptions." Emma joked.

"Are you okay?" Neal asked.

"Yeah! Hurts a little but I'm fine."

He looked at the bruise on her head. "Are you sure?"

"Yes!" Emma touched her head and healed it. The aches, I can't do anything about those but I'm sure you can fix that tonight." They kissed. "I want you to meet someone." He took her to a pretty blonde teenager. "This is Wendy."

"Finally! Neal loves you so much!" Emma exclaimed.

"I love him too. I'm glad he's found happiness and a family again."

"How's it going with you, Michael and John at my papa's?"

"Well! He and Belle are very sweet." Wendy replied.

The ceremony needed a bit of a pick-me-up at this point. Who better to do that than Giselle? She handed Bae to Emma then got the orchestra to play some uplifting fun music and got everyone singing and dancing. She wasn't going to let this wedding be ruined. Never let anyone steal your shine.

That night, the couples went on their honeymoons. Emma and Neal had to bring along Bae because she was still breastfeeding but they brought a nanny so they could have time for themselves.

Snow and Regina finally had a chance to talk.

"Eventful day." Snow said. "Are you alright?" Snow knew it hurt Regina to get into a fight with her mother, especially like that.

"Yeah!" Not really. Snow could see that. "Well, we know now that our problems go well beyond us."

"I can't believe my mother did that. I guess I inherited some of my dark side from her." They laughed a little.

The next day, all Regina could think about was her conversation with Rumple. If only she could put her mother's heart back inside her... Maybe she would love her. Where would her mother keep her heart? If she knew her mother and she did, she knew just where to look and when she found it her eyes lit up.

Regina went to see Cora and hid the box with her heart in it under her cape.

"Have you come to your senses?" Cora asked.

"I believe so." Regina replied. "I have a question, have you ever cared about my happiness or has it always been about you?" Regina slowly walked toward her.

"I just thought that it was enough for me so it'd be enough for you."

"Why? We've never wanted the same things."

"I thought you would learn to love it."

"Even after you saw how miserable I was? Are you happy, mother?"

"I don't get wrapped up in emotions."

"Now I know why?" Regina thought. She was close enough to shove her heart back in. Under her cape, she took it out of the box. "Perhaps it's time for that to change." She shoved the heart back in her mother unexpectedly.

Suddenly, feelings rushed back to Cora. It's been so long since she felt anything, it was overwhelming. For the first time in Regina's entire life, her mother looked at her with loving eyes. "Regina!" Cora exclaimed, looking at her as if for the first time. She touched her daughter's beautiful face then hugged her. "I love you, Regina. I'm sorry I couldn't show it before." Regina's eyes flooded with tears while she embraced the warmest hug she ever felt from her mother.

Later, Regina and Snow were able to talk again.

"I gave my mother her heart." Regina said with true happiness.

"That's good. Was it what you expected?" Snow asked. Regina just nodded with a smile. "I'm happy for you." Snow was saying one thing but concern was all over her face.

"What?" Regina questioned.

"Nothing! I'm happy for you!"

"You know me. I know you. I know the faces."

"What face? There's no face." Regina gave Snow the coldest stare. "Okay! I just think you should still be careful with her, that's all."

"She has her heart!"

"Most evil people have hearts. It doesn't stop them from being evil. You know what I learned after telling her your secret?"

"To listen when adults tell you not do something?"

Snow was caught off guard. "Okay, I guess I walked right into that one but I was going to say, never trust Cora. I hope I'm wrong, I really do."

"Aren't you the one always talking about second chances? You forgave me. You trust me."

"It's not the same thing. I might be just a tad biased when it comes to you but I knew you could change. I'm not so sure about Cora but like I said, I hope I'm wrong. I never thought you'd actually kill me, not to my face anyway. I can't say the same about Cora, therefore I'd prefer her not to be near my family. But if love is the answer then love her to death. She's your mother so I totally understand that you must try. Whatever happens, just remember we're here for you."

-v-

Emma and Neal came back from their honeymoon a few days later and as the weeks passed, they continued to manage the orphanage and the children of the kingdom. Snow, David and Regina continued to get the Enchanted Forest back up to what it used to be, it was coming along.

When the spring arrived, they had a festival. Everyone in the kingdom was invited.

At the festival, Robin was playing a game with Roland.

"Robin Hood, we meet again." Regina came over with one of those flying monkey stuffed animals.

"Greetings Your Majesty." Robin said.

"Hi Roland! Here's a gift." She handed him the stuffed toy.

"Thank you!" Roland smiled.

"That was very kind of you." Robin said.

"I can be kind... I've been trying." Regina smiled.

"What a beautiful smile."

She wanted so badly not blush but she couldn't even help it. What is it with this guy? Then she happened to look down at his wrist and he wasn't wearing gloves. That's when she saw it, the lion tattoo.

"I should get back to... everyone. Nice seeing you both again." Regina got away and went back over to the family.

"You like him!" Snow pointed out.

"I do not." Regina denied.

"Lying." Snow said.

"Come on! Love is an open door but you must walk through it first! Besides, what's one more thief in the family? Who better equipped to steal your heart, my dear?" Emma joked.

Love was something Regina had been running from for a very long time and the fact that she was learning to let go didn't make her any less afraid to open herself back up to it…

LOL, had to include the "Smells like forest" line.

I wasn't going to include Zelena but since Cora was still alive, I thought it'd be interesting to explore how that would play out. You shall see...