Truly Happily Ever After
Baelfire and Vella awoke to the sun beaming on their faces after the their first night home.
"Well, you've spent your first night in your new home. How do you feel?" Bae asked. Granted, the first day back wasn't perfect but a lot of good still came from it.
"I slept like a baby…" Vella replied but there was something she wasn't saying and Bae could tell. "It's just, we weren't even here half a day on my world's time and your heart was ripped out of your chest. I don't expect perfection but really?"
"I know. It took me by surprise too but it won't happen again."
"How is it that your hearts can be ripped out and none of you have protection spells on them? Especially you, your heart can be used to do God knows what. I want you to put the spell on your heart."
"It's probably not necessary."
"Probably?" She laughed. "Better safe than sorry."
"You're right, I just haven't spent my life worrying about it too much. I've always been safe… You don't want to go back home, do you?"
"That's nonsense. It's you and me forever… On the bright side, I adore the rest of your family. They've really made me feel at home." Vella said as they got up to get ready for breakfast with the family.
-v-
Speaking of at home, guess who was back… Pregnant Jane and Rumple with a timid Tarzan entered the family room where everyone except anyone between the ages of sixteen and twenty-six were. They had stopped to get Wendy from Rumple's castle first and they arrived just before the big family breakfast. Even Pinocchio and his family were visiting. They were excited to see them, Neal and Regina in particular. Regina and Jane always had a strong sister bond so it was nice to have her back but Neal and Regina couldn't believe their baby sister was having a baby. They embraced her into a hug. Then Neal gave his old papa a hug. Rumple and Regina never much got to much of a hugging phase of their relationship but she seemed a little more standoffish than usual.
"Go away for a few months and we take a few steps back." Rumple thought.
Regina politely smiled at Rumple and said, "Hello father." That's all she gave him. It was better than nothing. He could tell she wasn't angry but he could also tell something was different in that little head of hers.
Jane introduced Tarzan to them and it was a lot of people for him, though she tried to ease him into it. They all realized they had to be gentle with him but they tried to make him feel comfortable.
The young adults joined the party and were happy for the return of their family as well. Haven and Philip Jr. now had a newborn son as well called Prince Philip III and Salem's wife Jaime was halfway through her pregnancy. There must be something in the water.
Seiko entered the room to announce that breakfast was ready to be served and it was the first time Henry saw her since he'd been back and he didn't want to waste anymore time so as everyone headed to the kitchen he ran after her but she tried to walk faster so she could get away. Since running behind her and calling her didn't work he just decided to stop her in her tracks and appear right in front of her which scared her. She should be used to it by now because he's been doing since they were kids.
"I really wish you'd stop doing that. I'm sorry, okay. I didn't want to betray you but I had to do what's best. If you want to kill me, well then, do it." Seiko said. He was confused.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Me, telling your mom you were up to something."
"That's how she found out? Makes sense now but that's not why I'm here. It doesn't matter. It was the right move anyway... I've been an idiot, clearly. I've been lost and frankly, I'm still searching but one thing I no longer have to search for is what my heart wants and that's you. I'm on a new mission to be better but one thing I know is that I am certainly better with you. You're my true love. I know that as sure as the sky is blue. I'm going to be the man you know I can be. I know I am asking for you to have a lot of faith in me but I know you love me and together, I know we can get through anything. Marry me, Seiko. Be my wife and I promise I will give you a happily ever after."
"This is fast. People don't change this fast."
"No but I've learned my lesson and I'm trying. Beyond that, my heart didn't have to changed because it's always lied with you."
"You have a day old baby and you just left Goldie yesterday."
"I should have never been with Goldie in the first place. I love you and now that I see that clearly, I feel weightless. It also helps that I'm trying to deal with my issues. Come on, Seiko. Marry me. You want to or you would have blatantly said no."
True. She sighed. She loved this man with all her heart but a lot would come with being his wife, not all good but when you love someone you can get through it.
"I will."
"You'll what?"
"Marry you, you nut."
He picked her up and spun her around. "You won't regret it. I promise. Now…" He waved his hand to take her out of her maiden uniform and put her in a dress that would fit in with every princess in the castle that he figured she'd probably like.
"What is this?"
"Well, you're royalty now. You shall not serve your own family, only the people of your kingdom."
"Oh boy. This will be awkward."
"You were always family, you know that."
"No, I mean with the rest of the staff."
"Worry about that later. Join us at breakfast."
"You're eating with the family after what you pulled yesterday?"
"Look, forgiveness is important, okay? Let's eat." He took her hand and kissed her before they headed toward the dining room. Once they got there, everyone was happy to see Seiko. It was about time Henry got it together. Goldie wasn't at the table because no one new what she would do after last night and if she ruined what could be the first peaceful breakfast with the entire family in a long time, it was going to be a problem. They didn't want to shut her out completely.
Rumple went and got Michael and John. Hook and Tinkerbell came to breakfast too so that the entire family could really be together, no one left out.
The spread came out to the table and there was everything you could desire for breakfast to choose from. Time to dig in.
"We have an announcement." Roland referred to himself and Alexandra.
Everyone could take a wild guess as to what that was.
"We're engaged!" Roland exclaimed.
"So are we!" Henry chimed in.
"That makes how many engagements now?" David asked.
"Five." Emma replied.
"Congratulations. So, how are we doing this?" Snow asked.
"I say we do one big wedding. I mean, who's planning and going to multiple weddings in a week? That's ridiculous." Hope said.
No one had a problem with it, what the hell? The more the merrier.
"I assume you're not going to try and ruin your own wedding." Hope said to Henry.
"Calling me a villain?" Henry questioned.
"Only one we've had lately besides old King George and he's locked up." Hope said.
"Hope-" Henry yelled. Too soon to test him, he's working on it.
"Not. Today." Regina interjected as the matriarch of the family. "Or any day for that matter. We are finally learning to be a half normal family so we are going to sit here and act like the half normal family we are. Does everyone understand?" Mumbles of yeses were replied. "Now, no one is ruining any weddings. Those days are behind us." Nothing else to say to that.
"Well, I call the honeymoon at the cabin." Bae said.
"No! You don't get the family ring and the cabin. Anyone gets that but you." Hope objected and the other engaged couples agreed.
"Well fine. We'll go somewhere else."
As Vella observed this family breakfast she thought, "Sure they're a bit nutty but they are a family." That, she loved. It felt good to be apart of a family again and she's never had a big one. Subsequently, Astrea was thinking the same thing and with everyone, everyone being coupled up with only the exception of anyone under the age of sixteen, she was hoping she could find love soon too. Ugh. She's catching the fairy tale-itis.
Overall, breakfast turned out to be a major success. Afterward, Rumple caught Regina alone.
"Once upon a time, who would have thought we would all be able to share a nice meal like that, especially with us included?" Rumple said.
"We've come a ways." Regina replied, still with a standoffish vibe.
"Did I do something? We don't seem to be in the same space we were when I left. I feel like we've taken two steps back."
"I'm sorry. I don't mean to do it… Yesterday, Henry created a time portal." She shook her head. "We fell in and went back decades. Snow was just sixteen in our first landing. I know you're over three centuries old but do you remember me showing up and asking you to help send us back to the future, twice?"
Rumple thought about it. "I reckon I do. I had forgotten about it."
"Well, a relationship and person that felt so far in the past, no longer was. It brought up some things but I'm trying to let it go, get the images out of my head because we've come so far. I'm not attempting to go backwards. I don't want to live in the past. Besides, I can't be too upset with you after how I treated people. I also saw my dad, I got to talk to him, hug him."
"I understand. We've been through a lot. I do wish I could have raised you. I think I would have done better than Cora but I couldn't compete with Henry. I wanted a child and you were right there but I suppose I always thought it was a possibility. I don't know if I ever said this but I'm sorry I used you and manipulated you and pushed you off the cliff. I always knew I needed you but I think it was a lot easier to do what I did because your mother hurt me."
"I get it. The whole apple and the tree thing."
"No. You're better than us. I love you, you know."
"… I love you too, father." She smiled and they actually managed a hug.
Then Robin entered the room carrying Raven in his arms. "Looks like we walked in on a magical moment." Robin said then handed Raven to Regina.
"Meet your new granddaughter. Actually you've met already but meet again." Regina said.
Rumple was confused. He just knew they didn't have another baby but then a memory fluttered back. "Is this the child you had in the past? Did you take her from the past?"
"Spare me the lecture. You taught me well. I know the rules but she was going to die. I couldn't let that happen. I didn't change anything except an innocent life."
"I guess I should just say congrats then."
-v-
Meanwhile, Tinkerbell and Nova made it their business to catch Maleficent alone.
"Hello sister." Tinkerbell said.
"Tink, Nova nice to see you again." Maleficent replied.
"I'm glad you're back. You should come home once and for all." Nova said.
"I can't, I have a family now. So much time has passed."
"Mal, you are so wise and have experienced more than any fairy ever has. Nova and I have taken the roles of head fairies upon ourselves after Blue was imprisoned. It's a bit much but things are better and we've made it okay for fairies to have relationships as long as they take care of all their fairy duties efficiently. Hook and I want to start a family, so does Nova and Grumpy but we could use your help. Don't you miss it? Being a fairy?" Tinkerbell replied.
"Sure but…"
"Then do it. Now that you're here, you need something to do anyway." Tinkerbell said.
"I was just animal fairy."
"No such thing as just and you were the animal fairy. They've been lost ever since. You're needed Mal and we miss you. Come home." Nova pleaded.
-v-
Snow, David, Regina and Robin called Emma and Neal in for a meeting. It's rare that they do something like this so Emma and Neal were curious as to what they wanted. They were in the council room and everything so they knew it was serious official monarchy business.
"What's going on?" Emma asked.
"Well, we overthrew King George so we're in charge of Whiteland now. We can't let it fall. It wouldn't be fair to the people. We need you two to take charge there." Snow explained.
"Why can't grandma and grandpa do it?" Emma questioned.
"Because my reigning days are over. I'm just here to give advice and show up at events." Regina responded.
"That's not fair. Besides, I'm not ready. I wasn't supposed to have to deal with this for at least another decade and we have the orphanage to run." Emma said.
"Roland and Alex could run the orphanage." Robin suggested. They're always there anyway. They know how it works.
"That's not the point." Emma replied.
"Why are you so resistant?" Snow asked.
"Because she's your daughter. We had the same conversation." Regina reminded.
"That's not fair. You wouldn't let me be queen so I got comfortable not being queen." Snow defended.
"But you had done it before. You knew what to do." Regina responded.
"For less than a year and I wasn't that great at the time." Snow said.
"The history lesson is nice ladies but this is about Emma and Neal right now." David interrupted that thing they do. Moving on.
"Why me? I'm not even the oldest, Pinocchio is. You adopted him so he's your first born, not me. Make him and Andalasia do it. They have nothing else to do." Emma argued. She was ready to use every argumentative skill she learned in high school mock trial. She did not want to do this and she didn't want to move. Sure, she's a princess, she has responsibilities. That's fine but she didn't want this yet. She'd been preparing all her life for that moment but when it finally arrived, it hit her like a pile of bricks.
"She kind of has a point." Robin said and they all agreed.
"Okay but next time there's no running." Snow said.
"Next time I won't have to move and it'll be a long time from now." Emma says.
"Time flies. Don't get too comfortable." Regina said, they left Emma and Neal there.
-v-
Bae, Vella, Hope and Andy were walking out into the courtyard to do some training. Andy had to learn how to defend himself. You never know what you may find in the Enchanted Forest and who wants their wife to always have to protect him. It was time for Vella to move up to archery and sword fighting. Bae would train Andy and Hope would continue to train Vella.
"You know, it would be nice if my friends could come to the wedding. How possible is that? I know it takes a lot of energy and all. I get it." Vella said.
"I can't lie, I'd love for my mom and sisters to be there too." Andy said.
"I guess we better talk to Emery so we can make that happen." Bae replied. They understood wanting to share that special day with the people closest to you.
"Thank you!" Vella exclaimed.
"Now, let's get started." Hope said.
"I can't wait." Andy said.
"You say that now." Vella said. He didn't know what he was getting into. They're like drill sergeants with this stuff. He wasn't ready.
A few days later, they went back to the other world. Hope and Andy went their way, Bae and Emery took Vella to her friends then went to ride go-carts while they waited.
Vella knocked on her friends' door and they couldn't believe their eyes when they saw her standing there. They embraced her.
"OMG! I didn't think we would see you again." Amy exclaimed.
"You probably weren't going to but hey, I had to have my girls at my wedding, right?" They invited her in and they sat in the living room with glasses of wine.
"We were worried about you. We looked Baelfire up and we can't find a Prince Baelfire anywhere." Sam said.
Vella laughed. "I'm sure you didn't but not to worry, he is certainly a Prince."
"So you live in a castle?" Amy questioned.
"Yes and it's beautiful. Our room is as big as your apartment and the view we have of the kingdom is spectacular."
They didn't expect that answer. "Is his family cool?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, mostly. I love them."
"When's the wedding?" Amy asked.
Vella cleared her throat. "Tomorrow." She replied then took a sip of wine.
"Tomorrow?" They repeated in unison.
"First of all, that's all the notice we get, we have jobs, you know? Secondly, why so soon?" Sam asked.
"I'm sorry but it's the best I could do and Baelfire's family, they don't believe in a year engagement. You get engaged, you get married. What are you waiting for? We won't be the only ones getting married either. It just so happened that his sister and uncles all got engaged at the same time."
"Isn't his sister like sixteen?" Amy asked.
"Yeah, well…" Vella said nonchalantly.
"You're sharing your wedding with all those other people?" Sam asked.
"I don't care as long as I'm marrying the man I want and get the gown I want and it is gorgeous too! Remember that recurring dream I'd have about the prince whose face I could never see?" Vella asked. They nodded. "I finally saw his face. My dream literally came to life and played out in front of me and it was Baelfire all along."
"Wow. That's deep." Amy responded.
"Now… I have a little secret. You won't believe it but it is true and I can prove it. I couldn't be sure that you'd be able to come to my wedding and I couldn't call you and you couldn't find any record of Baelfire because we live in another world, universe, realm, whatever you want to call it. It's not this world."
Their faces said afraid, afraid that their friend had lost her mind. She saw that coming so she closed her eyes and focused on Baelfire. With their connection, that's all she needed to do to call him. He appeared and they fainted. A moment later they came to and were speechless.
"This is Prince Baelfire, grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming and Rumplestiltskin. Did I forget to mention that fairy tales are a legit thing?"
There mouths were wide open. "You know what, after what I've just seen, anything is possible." Sam said.
"Exactly! Anything is possible." Vella exclaimed. "Ready to visit a land far, far away?" They remembered Bae would always say that's where he's from. Makes so much sense now. They just nodded. "Yay! Call out of work for a couple days! I'm getting married!"
They met up with everyone else a little later and Andy introduced everyone to his mom and sisters then they headed back to their world. His mom and sisters thought he and Hope were crazy but they were quickly made to reevaluate their take on reality.
The men and women split up to prepare for the big day and they introduced everyone.
"This is freaking surreal." Sam said.
"Do you get a bachelorette party? Where's the turn up?" Amy asked. She was also thinking, how could you party with all the old people, the parents and the grandparents.
"Things are a little different here but we can have fun." Emma said then queued the music while they all got a glass of wine.
"To love and family!" Alexandra announced the toast.
They drank and danced and totally relaxed.
"Not to ruin the fun and I know who I'm marrying so who am I to talk and mom, I know you said the wedding ruining days our behind us but please tell me, someone is going to lock Goldie in a tower before the wedding." Seiko said.
"Don't you worry about Seiko. I've handled her already." Regina was one step ahead. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to check on Raven." Regina left the room.
Meanwhile, the men were having a similar time, drinking rum as the elders gave them advice on marriage and being good husbands.
Soon the day had come for the five couples to get married. The bonding of so much true love was magic within itself. The kingdom was excited to see the young royals taking this step in their adulthood. Seemed like just yesterday they were being held up and announced at the royal baptism. Soon enough, they were all pronounced husband and wife and like Regina said, they got through the ceremony without it being ruined. They didn't even have to lock up Goldie, she attended the wedding and whatever Regina said to her, she got her to behave. While in the romantic setting, Astrea made an unexpected connection with Archie, in human form of course, he had the ability to switch back and forth now. A drunicorn and a cricket, who would have thought it? That should make for an interesting child.
When the night was over Vella had to stay goodbye to her friends for the last time but they were all glad they got to experience this day together and they felt comfort in knowing Bae really was who he claimed to be. They knew they were leaving their best friend in the hands of a good family. Andy's family, with their new outlook on life, they decided to stay and rebuild their relationships. They finally knew he wasn't actually crazy but they almost drove him there.
After Bae, Emery and Hope returned from the other world for the last time they went on their honeymoons. Emery and Melody got to go to the family cabin. Everyone else spread out and went to different places in the world. Hope and Andy went to Arendelle. It was cold, they could ice skate and everything. Roland and Alexandra went to Lyons Kingdom where Simba and Nala lived. They had their first date their and they loved the vibe. Henry and Seiko went to Pocahontas' kingdom. He needed the peace and to become one with the earth while Bae and Vella went to Motunui, Moana's island because they, especially Vella loved islands. Their honeymoon was beautiful and everything they hoped for but now it was time to start the beginning of the rest of their lives.
Speaking of lives, it wasn't long before Jane gave birth to twins, a boy and girl named Bellamy and Rose.
Vella got pregnant right away, again, something in the water. They had a baby girl they named Winterlynn. Vella's mom's name was Lynn and Winter was basically in honor of Grandma Snow. The name itself meant beautiful. They eventually had three children total, including Baelfire III & David II.
Roland and Alexandra soon adopted a little boy they had grown close to at the orphanage but a few years later, they had a daughter they named after his mother Marian. It meant a lot to him to be able to honor her in some way.
After a couple years, Emery and Melody had a little girl named Charley.
Years later, Hope and Andy had their first child, a son they named Day, for every new day brings new hope and new light.
Pinocchio and Andalasia took the thrown over in Whiteland. Pinocchio never expected to rule anything. He didn't even take that Prince title seriously but it seemed he had to now, it meant more than he thought. Besides, both their children were adults, they had two grandchildren, and Gepetto died so they really didn't have much to do anymore. He'd learned enough from Snow and the rest of the family at this point to perform his duty and he knew Emma didn't want to leave home and Nara was only twelve, not to mention the orphanage. Besides, she and Neal would have to take over the Enchanted Forest eventually anyway… But actually didn't happen for another, fifteen years and when they did, they made a great king and queen.
Love and hope had only made the Charming family stronger. They passed down their message of eternal love and spread it across the kingdom. They learned from their mistakes and fought for goodness even in themselves then they slayed dragons together, side by side.
And they finally lived truly happily ever after…
Thanks for sticking with me, duly appreciated. Hope you enjoyed. If you managed to stick through all three, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Any Thoughts? Feelings?