Ursula stopped by the hospital, wanting to speak with Regina. She was surprised to find Roland and Robin there as well - Roland was fast asleep in his mother's arms.

Robin took on a defensive stance at the sight of her, grabbing onto the arm rest of the chair, ready to rise. Ursula raised a hand, palm outward, to let him know it wasn't necessary.

"I came to apologize," she said simply, her eyes traveling over to Regina. "Are you all right?"

Regina gave a nod. "They wanted to keep me over night just in case."

"I'm glad it was ... nothing serious," Ursula said, wondering if her words held any meaning for the two of them.

She turned her gaze to Robin, and she could tell from his expression that he didn't trust her. She wanted to tell him how sorry she was, but she doubted there was anything she could say to make him understand.

It was fair, though. She'd created this mess herself, and she'd have to clean it up on her own.

"I ... I want to be better," she told the two of them, looking at Regina because it was easier. "I'm going to try."

"Good luck," said Regina sincerely.

Ursula gave one last look at Roland's sleeping form. She didn't know if she'd ever see him again or if he'd ever forgive her for her actions. But if that was how things had to be, then she was prepared to face the consequences.

Being better was going to involve some hard work. She might as well start here.

She turned from the room and went out the door, leaving Roland behind.

She visited Gold's shop next. Caspian had offered to go with her during her visits today, but Ursula had felt these visits were something she needed to do on her own. If she was going to better herself, the motivation to do so would have to come from her.

But she couldn't help feeling a little disheartened when she saw Gold standing at the counter.

"Can I help you?" he asked with a sly grin.

Ursula took a breath. "I want to talk to Belle."

She took some pleasure in seeing that her words had taken him he recovered quickly enough. "I don't think she wants to speak with you."

"She's a grown woman," Ursula retorted. "Why don't you ask her and let her decide for herself."

Gold hesitated, but then he turned and went into the back room from which he and Belle emerged a few minutes later. Gold remained standing by the door as Belle approached.

"You wanted to speak with me?" she asked, folding her hands in front of her.

It was Ursula's turn to hesitate. Her eyes shifted to Gold. She didn't want to have this conversation in front of him. But she had no other choice.

"You've never been hostile toward me," she said, looking only at Belle. "Aren't you..." She took a breath. "Aren't you angry about ... what I did to you?"

Belle looked down at the counter and rolled her lips thoughtfully. "Sometimes," she admitted. And then she sighed and looked up at Ursula. "You locked me away for years - decades! I lost ... so much of my life." Tears sprang to her eyes and she tore her gaze away.

Gold made a movement toward her, but Belle held up a hand to motion that she was all right. Gold stepped back to his spot at the doorway.

"Yes," said Belle at last as she found her composure. "I'm angry ... and a thousand other emotions. But," she looked up at Ursula again. "If I let those feelings consume me ... If I spent my time lashing out at you ... seeking revenge against you as you have against other people, where would I be?"

Ursula felt something within her soften a little. This was why she had come, why she had known she needed to speak with Belle. The girl had every reason to lash out at her, but had never done so. She was certain Belle had some insight on life that she was lacking.

"I have a life," Belle told her. "Or a chance at one." She glanced back at Gold and smiled before turning back to Ursula. "If I spent all my time and energy on getting back at you, I would lose everything else I was trying to gain. It's just not worth that."

Ursula thought of Caspian. There was a chance there, an opportunity to have something she'd always wanted. He'd stayed by her this time, but if she didn't make an effort to change, she knew it would all fall apart. The only problem was, she wasn't sure if change was possible.

"How do you do it?" she asked the woman in front her, who seemed to be the perfect image of composure. "How to you keep it all from ... from coming undone?"

"Well," said Belle simply. "Counseling helps."

"Counseling?" Ursula asked.

Belle nodded. "With Dr. Hopper."

Ursula remembered Dr. Hopper coming by her house one of those first evenings after the curse had broken and offering his services. She'd turned him away then, but now it didn't seem like such a bad idea.

Ursula looked up at the woman in front of her, whom had helped her so much in this short conversation. "For what it's worth," she tried. "I am sorry."

Belle gave a soft gasp, like she never would have expected to hear those words. Tears came to her eyes again.

"And thank you," Ursula concluded. She turned and left the shop, leaving Belle in Gold's care.

nine months later

"It's a girl."

The nurse laid the baby across Ursula's chest, and she looked down into the face of her and Caspian's second child. Like Eric, she had inherited her father's brilliant blue eyes. She had her mother's nose and smile. And she had just enough hair to suggest hints of red.

Caspian leaned down and kissed the baby on the forehead. There were tears in his eyes. It wasn't hard for Ursula to imagine what this moment meant for him. It had been extremely hard on her to birth Eric on her own. This time, with their second child, she'd been so grateful for Caspian's presence and the work of the hospital staff. The support system had meant a lot of her. And this time, she knew was different for Caspian as well. He'd witnessed Eric's birth but had been unable to participate in any way. He hadn't even been able to make himself known, only able to watch from the sidelines. To have been with Ursula through the whole process, to hold his child in his arms ... Ursula found herself tearing up at the thought of it.

Yes, this time had been very different.

When everything was ready, Robin, Regina, Roland, Snow, and Charming came into the room. Ursula was still working on patching her relationship with Regina and Snow. She and Regina had never really been friends, though they had both wanted to be. They had become much closer over the past months, but things were easier with Regina than with Snow.

It was hard for Ursula to see Snow as more than the woman whose arrow had killed Eric. But she was trying. She had to reminded herself that she was, or at least had been, Snow's stepmother. There was a relationship there to be formed and for forgiveness to be granted on both sides. It just took work, just as it was taking work to win over the women's husbands. Luckily, Caspian was helping on that front.

Roland, on the other hand, had taken no work at all. Children, apparently, had a much higher capacity for forgiveness than adults. He came right up to the bed and leaned over the railing to see the baby in Ursula's arms.

"What's her name?" asked Snow.

"Ariel," said Caspian.

Roland dropped a kiss on top of Ariel's head.

Ursula knew Roland would be wanting to see Ariel when she visited him for their supervised weekly visits. She wasn't sure how she'd be able to explain that she wouldn't be able to for a while. She and the baby were going to be needing a lot of rest.

She looked up at Caspian who kissed her gently. Ursula wasn't sure what the future held for the two of them, though she had high hopes. For now, she had a family and people who were almost friends - things she hadn't had for a very long time. Whatever lay ahead for them, she was looking forward to it.

"We've had a lot of changes recently," said Robin as he and his family left the hospital. Roland walked ahead of his parents.

"Hmm," said Regina with a nod. Snow's daughter had relocated her family to Storybrooke so they could be near each other. People all over town were adjusting to the idea of spending their lives in Storybrooke. Regina had to agree that it wasn't such a terrible prospect, especially without the worry of the Evil Queen or Rumpelstiltskin coming down upon them.

"What would you think," asked Robin, slipping his hand into hers. "Of getting to work on expanding our own family?"

Regina beamed at him. They had tossed the idea between them a few times recently, but hadn't truly decided. Life had certainly become more stable for them than ever these past few months. The timing seemed right.

"What would you like?" Regina asked him, turning her gaze to Roland. "Another boy or a girl?"

"Whichever," Robin told her, laughter in his voice. "So long as they are as beautiful and intelligent as their mother."

Regina smiled, but said nothing.

"You were right," he told her, suddenly becoming serious. "About Ursula, about her capacity to change. I'm sorry I wasn't more supportive."

"You were right to be mistrusting," she told him, surprised at his sudden declaration. "You were protecting us - all of us," she amended, casting her gaze around the town. "I certainly don't begrudge you that."

Robin stopped and called Roland over to them. "We're together," he said. "We're a family, and we're safe. I couldn't ask for more." He put a hand on Roland's shoulder and smiled down at him. Then he slid an arm around Regina's waist and kissed her deeply.

Roland made a gagging sound and wiggled free of the group.

Regina laughed. It wouldn't be too much longer when he'd be liking girls. And, if her intuition was correct, there was certain red-head who had just been born who might cause him some heart palpitations in the time to come.

But they had years before they would encounter any of that, years full of love and life and laughter. And Robin was right: there was simply nothing more Regina could ask for.