Author's Note: Well, I guess this is it. The epilogue. I want to thank each and every one of my lovely readers and reviewers one last time. You guys are amazing!

A few hours later, about a dozen people – no longer heroes and villains, but just people – were gathered around the dining room table at the mansion that had once belonged to the author.

"This war needs to end," said Regina. "Heroes, villains – the point of all this was so that we could decide for ourselves what we want to be."

"You're really just going to let us walk away?" asked Ursula skeptically. "Get away with everything? Even after what we did to you?"

Regina sighed. "It's no worse than some of the things I've done. If I deserve a second chance, then so do you. But not without certain conditions. We can't put the people of Storybrooke in danger. So – " she exchanged a glance with Emma, who nodded. "So we're going to give you a choice."

"You can stay in Storybrooke if you want," said Emma. "If you do, you'll have to obey the law, and believe me, I will go after anyone who starts targeting innocents. But you will have a chance – a chance to start over, to be better. You don't have to be villains anymore."

"And if we want to leave?" asked Ursula.

"You're free to do that, too. But you should know that it's forever. As soon as this is over, we're going to recast the spell on the town line, and no one who leaves will be able to return."

A heavy silence hung over the group. Finally, Maleficent spoke.

"You'll really help us if we want to change?"

Regina smiled. "Of course. However we can."

"I want that," said Maleficent. "I never meant to become a villain. Maybe now that the author's gone, I can change that. Decide who I do want to be."

No one in the room could miss the spark of hope in Regina's eyes as she smiled across the table at her old friend.

"I want that, too" said Ursula. "But there's something I need to do first."

"Both of us," Maleficent cut in. "Cruella was my friend, too. We should do this together."

"What exactly is it you want to do?" David asked suspiciously.

Maleficent explained: "Before she died, Cruella told us she had a daughter who she lost a long time ago. We want to find her and give her a chance to come to Storybrooke – if you can keep the town line open long enough for that?"

"Of course," said Emma, leaning forward with interest. "Do you have any leads?"

"I just know that her name is Lily, and she has a star-shaped birthmark on her wrist."

Emma's jaw dropped.

"What?" Maleficent asked.

"I … I think I know know her," Emma murmured under her breath. "I mean, I don't know her now, but I had a friend a long time ago, as a kid … she was … look, if you need any help, finding people is kind of what I do, and …"

The two Queens of Darkness nodded.

"Of course. Thank you."

From his place further down the table, Will Scarlet interrupted.

"I know someone else who needs help."

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

"Her name's Anastasia. She used to be a villain, but she changed, and we were happy together. Until that bloody author went and messed it up, of course. Last time I saw her, she was in danger, and I need to get back to her as soon as I can. So if anyone knows of a portal to Wonderland …"

"Portals are hard to come by," said Snow. "I don't know …"

"Well, there is one right here in this house," said Rumple in his quiet voice that could capture an entire room's attention. "To Arendelle. Once you're in a magical realm, finding a mirror portal to Wonderland shouldn't be hard. In fact, I can tell you exactly where to find one"

Will gave him a suspicious look.

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You can't," said Emma. "But he's telling the truth this time, about the portal to Arendelle at least. It's the same one Elsa and Anna used to get home."

Will nodded.

"Then I'll be on my way as soon as possible."

The room went quiet again.

"What are you going to do with the Blue Fairy?" Maleficent asked. "If I'm not allowed to kill her, what do you have in mind?"

"You're going to let me go and give me back my wand!" hissed the fairy, struggling against the handcuffs that Emma had slapped on her wrists. "I am the Rheul Ghorm, the oldest and most powerful force for good, and you will not disrespect me like this!"

"Can we put her back in the hat?" asked Emma, her tone dead serious.

"Sadly, no," said Rumple. "Once something is released from the hat, it can never be returned. Without access to a wand or fairy dust, she's powerless, but …"

"She's going to stay powerless," said Snow fiercely. "Once the other fairies hear what she's done, I doubt they'll be too happy. You'll lose your wings for this, Blue."

"I – but – I'm their leader! They can't!"

"Actually, they can," said Maleficent. "If the other fairies refuse to follow you – if you lose your position as their leader, which you've been so careful to hold onto all these years – whoever takes your place will be able to do to you exactly what you did to me. You were right, Regina. Killing her would have been too easy. Now this – this is revenge."

Regina frowned. Maleficent clearly had a long way to go if she truly wanted redemption. But then again, the same had once been true of Regina as well. She owed it to her old friend to give her the kind of second chance she herself had been given, and that meant accepting that she wasn't going to become a hero overnight.

There was one last thing to deal with. Regina turned to Rumple.

"And what about you?"

"Me?" Rumple blinked, as if taken aback.

"Yes, much as I'd love to let you rot in jail for what you just tried to do, you get the same choice as Ursula and Maleficent. Either commit to change for real, or get out of this town."

Her tone and words were harsh, but there was something in her eyes that was almost begging him to prove her wrong and choose redemption. Rumple opened his mouth, but before he could speak, Belle stood and approached him, reaching out to take his hand. There was sadness in her eyes, but also hope.

"This is a day for second chances," she said. "And I'm going to give you one, too."

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes.

"You will?"

"Yes," she said. "But it won't be easy. I'm not going to just ignore everything you've done, and I'm not going to stand for being lied to again. Power and magic are your weakness, and if we're going to be together, I need you to give them up."

"Belle, what are you saying?"

"I want the two of us to leave Storybrooke, and magic, behind. Forever. Leave the dagger here and cross the town line with me. We can start again, Rumple – we can find our happy ending. I love you. But you can't have both me and the dagger. So please, Rumple, choose me."

He was silent for a moment, and no one knew what he was going to say. But then he nodded and stood, embracing her. Everyone at the table wondered whether this was some kind of trick, and maybe it was. Or maybe not. Only time would tell.

Regina took Robin's hand and gave him the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Today truly was a day for second chances.

Henry sat at the counter at Granny's, flipping through the storybook as if its pages would reveal the answer to their problems. His moms had been gone too long, and he couldn't get rid of the fear that something was wrong. What if they had gotten into a fight with the Queens of Darkness? Or worse, what if they had found the author and he had refused to write a happy ending for Regina? A thousand awful possibilities ran through his mind, and not being able to do anything about it or even know what was going on made it far worse.

All of a sudden, the door to the diner opened, and in walked Emma and Regina, both smiling. He leapt from his seat and ran to embrace them in a three way hug.

"You did it, right?" he asked excitedly, looking from one mom to the other.

"We found the author," said Regina hesitantly, and he knew from her tone that something wasn't quite right.

"What happened?"

"He wasn't too eager to give your mom a happy ending," said Emma. "But he doesn't have the power to decide that anymore."

"Is he dead?" Henry asked apprehensively.

"No, not dead," said Regina. "Just … trapped. Inside the Sorcerer's hat."

She cringed as if waiting for condemnation – how could you do that? You're evil! – but all Henry could think was that if this author was so determined to see his mom as a villain, he didn't want him in charge of her destiny.

"So there's no author now?" he asked. "There's no one controlling the story?"

"No."

"Good." He nodded. "Now we can all be the authors and write our own happy endings."

"Oh, Henry," said Regina. He could see tears pooling up in her eyes, and for once, he didn't think they were tears of sadness.

After miles of nothing but woods and empty streets, carrying Roland in her arms, Marian found herself standing at the town line. It would almost have been a relief to not be able to find it, an excuse not to cross. But this was why she had come – to find out what happened to Robin and help him however she could. Even if that meant risking a return to Storybrooke and its magic.

Up ahead, to her surprise, she saw three cars driving toward the town line. They parked there, and a strange assortment of people stepped out into the street. From the black Cadillac came Rumplestiltskin, accompanied by a woman Marian recognized from her short stay in Storybrooke as his wife, Belle. Emma Swan got out of the yellow Bug, followed by two women Marian didn't recognize. Regina exited the Mercedes. As their eyes met, the former Evil Queen's jaw dropped.

"Marian? What are you doing here?"

"Robin went missing," Marian replied. "I came to see if I could find him."

There was sadness in Regina's eyes, and for a moment, Marian feared the worst. But then Regina forced a smile.

"He's fine," she said. "He was kidnapped – " here, she paused and glared at Rumple and the two strangers " – but he's fine now. Really."

Marian hesitated.

"Can I – can I talk to him?"

"Of course."

It would be impossible to miss the painful grimace on Regina's face as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Robin's number.

"Robin? You need to get to the town line right away. Marian is here."

Turning to Marian as she hung up, she told her, "He'll be here as soon as he can."

"Thank you."

They held each other's gaze for a moment, and Marian felt a strange sort of respect for the woman whose dungeons she had once escaped from. Perhaps they would never be friends, but Robin loved her, and it was hard to deny that she had changed.

"All right," said Emma. "Belle? Rumple? Are you two ready?"

Belle stepped forward, her expression confident but solemn.

"I buried the dagger in the woods," she said. "Without any marker. No one knows where it is, not Rumple or anyone else. To tell you the truth, I'm not even sure I could find it again."

"Good," said Emma. "No one should know."

"I want you to make sure the library stays open. Find a new librarian – someone who loves books as much as I do. Everything in the pawn shop – everything that was there because of the curse – can go to the people it belonged to before."

"We'll make sure of it," said Regina.

Belle nodded, her face crumpled into something between a smile and a grimace.

"Hey, you did good today," said Emma, smiling at her. "You were a hero back there. And what you're doing now is heroic, too."

"I know," said Belle. "And I know this is what I want. But still … I'll miss this place."

"We'll miss you, too," said Emma. "Good luck.

Rumple turned to Regina: "I know you don't want to hear this."

She raised an eyebrow.

"But we've known each other a long time. It seems only right that I should say goodbye."

"Yes, I suppose you're right," said Regina. She paused for a moment, as if deciding whether to speak. "You have a chance for happiness. We all do, now. I suggest you take it."

He laughed. "Are you trying to give me advice?"

"I suppose I am," she said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

He nodded and turned back towards Belle.

"Are you ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

As the two of them got back in their car and drove across the town line, Emma turned to the two women beside her, pulling out her phone.

"All right," she said. "Ursula? Mal? I put my finding people skills to work and found this. Just under a week ago, a girl named Lily tweeted a picture of a star-shaped mark on her wrist. I traced her to New York. I don't have an address, but it's a starting point, at least."

"Thank you," said Ursula. "Really. I know you don't have to do this."

Emma smiled.

"Don't get me wrong," she said. "I want to help you. But I'm doing this for me, too."

"She was your friend," said Maleficent, nodding. "It really is a small world, isn't it?"

As the three women shared a laugh, another car pulled up. The door opened, and out stepped Robin.

"Marian!" he shouted, jogging toward the town line. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to make sure you were all right," she explained. It hurt to see him, knowing what she was going to have to say.

"I was –"

"I know. Regina already told me."

"Oh."

An awkward silence hung over them. Finally, Robin broke it.

"Listen … Marian … I need to tell you something."

"I know."

She smiled, but there was no joy in it.

"You love Regina," she said calmly. "You want to stay here with her."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be," said Marian. "I don't want to be with you if your heart is elsewhere. So stay with her. Find your happy ending. Now that I know you're safe, I can leave and find mine."

"Marian …" Robin hesitated. "They're going to close the town line again, as soon as Emma and the … ah … Queens of Darkness get back. We won't be able to see each other."

"Maybe that's best," she replied. "A clean break. A fresh start, for both of us. Take care of Roland."

Robin looked taken aback.

"He's your son."

"And yours. You raised him when you thought I was dead. You've been his father for far longer than I've been his mother, and when he had nightmares while you were away, it was you he cried out for. Don't think for a moment this doesn't break my heart, but if we have to decide, there's really only one choice to make."

"Mama?" said Roland, looking up at her. "What's going on?"

"You're going to go with daddy now, sweetheart."

"Will I see you again?"

She opened her mouth to say no, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, she said, "Maybe someday." After all, who could say that they wouldn't?

With Roland in his father's arms, Marian turned to leave, but before she could, a voice spoke up from behind her.

"Where are you going?" asked Emma.

"New York, why?"

"If you need a ride, that's where we're headed, too."

A week later, the strange quartet of the Savior, the Sea Witch, Maleficent, and Lilith de Vil drove back over the town line into Storybrooke.

"This is it?" Lily asked curiously, peering out the window. "And there's really magic here?"

"Yeah," said Emma, taking her eyes off the road for a moment to exchange a glance with her childhood friend. "Just like Harry Potter, right?"

Lily shrugged awkwardly.

"It sounds like you really are like Harry Potter," she said. "The Savior and all. I'm …"

"You're Lily," said Emma. "And you're one of us. That's all that matters."

The two women smiled at each other.

"Hey!" shouted Ursula from the backseat as the car swerved dangerously. "Eyes on the road!"

"Sorry."

"This is worse than having Cruella behind the wheel," Ursula muttered to Maleficent.

Lily smiled as the town unfolded before her, almost daring to hope that she had finally found the place she belonged. Maybe she was too old for Hogwarts now, but it seemed like no one was too old to find a home in Storybrooke.

Regina blinked sleepily. Robin was already asleep, one arm wrapped around her. Sleeping beside him was a new feeling – not sleeping with him, because he certainly wasn't her first partner in that sense, but falling asleep by his side, wrapped up in his arms, and knowing he would be there when she woke, was strange and new to the woman who had for so long spent every night alone, with her arms crossed and her hand ready to make a fireball at a moment's notice. In a way, she felt far more vulnerable like this, drifting off to sleep in her soul mate's arms, than she did at any other time.

Cora had believed that love was weakness, and maybe she had been right. But Regina would gladly make herself weak for love.

Smiling, she touched her hand to his bare chest and felt his heartbeat beneath his skin, strong and steady, a protective spell now shielding it. No one, she vowed to herself, would touch his heart ever again. As for her own, it had suffered heartbreak times over, but time and love could heal even broken hearts.

One last author's note: I'm thinking of writing a oneshot from Lily's POV, telling the story of how they found her and convinced her to come to Storybrooke. Let me know if you'd be interested :). And again, thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did.