Author's Note: Saving my speech (and tears) for after. I apologize for last week's chapter; it could have been written better, but it is what it is. I'm glad at least a few of you enjoyed it. SwanQueen was always endgame in my mind, so if that bothered you, I apologize. Here's the long-awaited epilogue to get you through week 1 of the hiatus.
Standard Disclaimer:I don't own Once Upon a Time, only my own alterations to the plot.
After the last letter had been sent and answered, the entire town fell into an eerie calm. Everyone was too afraid to comment on the town-wide correspondence that had just occurred. No one brought up even the most slightly controversial idea, in fear of being discovered as a letter writer or answerer and having their role in the process identified. It appeared that the letter box had worked too well. Not only had all the fighting stopped; all the communication had as well.
Silence reigned the town until the next evening. That fateful night, a certain blonde was invited to dinner at a certain brunette's house. When their lips met, the curse that had gripped the town for 28 years was broken. At that moment, every magically suppressed memory rushed back, and the fairytale characters that had been forced to live as natives of this land once again resumed their true identities.
Snow White and her Prince Charming shared a passionate kiss. Grumpy was reunited with his dwarf brothers; Nova with her fellow fairies. Geppetto realized that his much longed for son had been working for him for the past week or so. Red and her granny had it, perhaps, the easiest; the curse had been kind to them and left them together. One by one, the townspeople remembered who they really were; two lives now entwined in one being. Marriages, children, families, rivalries, tragedies; all were brought back with a striking clarity.
The breaking of the curse had not, as they had expected, obliterated their Storybrooke identities. Instead, it superimposed on them the roles they had played in the Enchanted Forest. As if this wasn't enough to deal with at the moment, the fallout from the letters suddenly became urgent; the implications realized with the resuming of their lives where they had been paused 28 years earlier. It was as if the previous day had been an escape from reality; as if they'd realized that none of this was real, and yet, the fact that they chose to participate in it had made it irrefutably so.
It started slowly. Someone had made the connection about what this all meant, and it trickled through the town. By the morning after, the entire town of Storybrooke was back at Granny's, quarreling as before this great experiment, but this time with greater ammunition. Some had figured out who had answered their letters and demanded an explanation for the answers they had received. Others lashed out at the crowd at large, not knowing whom exactly to target.
The fight lasted hours. Fists flew as easily as insults; derogatory comments hurled with the punches. When the frenzy rose to its peak, someone noted that they were blaming the wrong people for this. Really, all of it could be traced back to the Queen, who, along with Emma Swan and Henry, was conspicuously absent from this brawl. She must have been hiding.
Their manic rage renewed, the crowd poured out of Granny's, out for blood; the blood of the Queen who had wronged them so. They would have made it all the way to the mayoral mansion and tortured Regina, or worse, if it hadn't been for the note they encountered hanging above the box.
Dear Storybrooke,
This is becoming ridiculous. When I started the box, I did so with the intention that is would resolve the issues plaguing our town, not prolong them. All it has done is caused us to suppress our problems instead of dealing with them. I am disappointed. I had expected more of you. As many of you have guessed by now, it was I who orchestrated the box. It is time to reveal my identity. It was me, Archie Hopper, your friendly neighborhood psychiatrist. I've monitored your progress the entire time, without becoming involved, and I have to say that the stubbornness and hatred in this town astounds me. Although some have been helped by the letters, the overwhelming majority does not seem to have been. Not only have you not resolved the difficulties among yourselves, but you have buried them even deeper. Anonymously, it appears that my little experiment was a success. When it came to confessing face to face and speaking to those directly involved in your conflicts, you are still afraid. Since the letters appear to have helped personally, I think that as a town, we are ready for the next step: face to face discussion and resolution of our problems. If you have written and replied to a letter, come to the elementary school gymnasium, as my office is too cramped to fit everyone. I know exactly who was involved and will know if you have decided not to show up. Another point must be brought up. I know that at the moment your feelings for Regina are not exactly positive, but violence is not the answer. She will be at this meeting, and if you could kindly refrain from hurting her, and each other, it would be much appreciated. Everything that happens at this meeting will be entirely confidential and will not spread beyond the room. Do not hesitate to share. You will only get as much out of it as you put in, so please participate. I look forward to seeing you all there and finally getting this resolved.
Sincerely,
Dr. Hopper
The entire town stared at the notice in blank confusion for a few minutes. Finally, those who had participated in the letter writing chain trudged reluctantly toward the elementary school while the rest went home to unwind, each in their own way, and try to forget their troubles.
When the crowd arrived at the gym, they found it empty except for Archie. Metal chairs had been arranged in a circle, and he was seated directly opposite the door. One by one, they found a place to sit and sat down uneasily, waiting to begin.
Archie merely glanced at the clock hanging above the door. At that moment, Emma ran through the door, slightly winded, and sat in an empty chair, one of a few that were left.
"Sorry I'm late, Doc. Had to go take of…a Sheriff emergency" she wheezed out, still catching her breath. The psychiatrist raised an eyebrow, but merely nodded in response.
Still, they didn't start. A couple minutes later, Regina walked calmly through the door with Henry in tow. Her imposing presence was enough to quell any curious questioning.
"I apologize for our tardiness, Doctor Hopper. Henry and I had a little situation we needed to take care of at home. I do hope we didn't keep you waiting long" Regina said smoothly, raising an eyebrow in question at the end.
"Not at all, Regina. Now that everyone's here, we can begin" He clasped his hands, clearly waiting for someone to start talking.
An awkward silence ensued. People shuffled in their chairs and cleared their throats, but no one spoke. After 15 minutes, Regina had had enough. She stood up abruptly, causing everyone's heads to turn toward her.
"Thank you, Doctor Hopper, but this has been enough. I really must be going. I was brought here under the impression we would be discussing our problems and resolving them. Since that is clearly not going to occur, I'll go do something productive with my time". She shot a withering glare around the room.
"Well, Regina, if the lack of discussion is bothering you, then you have the floor. Please" He swept his arm to the chair she had just vacated. Frustrated, she sat back down and addressed him once more.
"What I don't understand, Doctor Hopper, is why we need to share our problems with everyone in this room. I mean, you said you had been keeping track of who exchanged letters using this box. Why don't you just tell us what is wrong and help us fix it?" She had crossed her arms across her chest.
Archie laughed. "Oh no, Regina. I believe you misunderstood me. I merely observed who took letters from the box and put them in. I did not read a single one. That would be a gross invasion of privacy. Why don't you start by telling us if the box helped you, and then the rest can follow?"
Regina sighed in a long-suffering manner. "Very well. The box did help, somewhat. I was having issues with Henry, and after receiving the reply, I had a nice long conversation with him. It's still not perfect, but we're both trying." She gave her son's shoulder a friendly squeeze.
"That's wonderful, Regina" Archie gave her a friendly smile. "And what about you, Henry?"
"My letter was about the curse and that broke, so no problem there" Henry smiled widely.
At this point, Leroy stood. "Why do we have to hear about the Evil Queen's problems? She ruined our lives. She doesn't deserve to be here with the rest of us." He was about to move forward when Archie got up to restrain him.
"You will sit down and listen, like we will listen to you. Otherwise, Emma here can have you spend the night in jail. Are we clear?" No one had ever heard Archie speak in such a low and dangerous voice.
"Yeah, yeah, sheesh" Leroy slumped back into his chair.
"Now who else wants to share?" Archie asked pleasantly, as if nothing had happened.
David looked from Kathryn to Mary Margaret, who both nodded, then started. "As you all know, in Storybrooke I was married to Kathryn. However, Mary Margaret here; Snow, is my true love. Somehow I ended up married to two women at the same time; a situation that made none of us happy. So, Kathryn and I will be getting a divorce and she will be marrying Frederick, her true love." Archie nodded in approval.
"Very good. And I'm assuming the letters had a role in this decision?"
"Yes. Kathryn and I were going to separate anyways, before the curse broke. It was for the better. We discussed it after I got my reply."
"Well I'm certainly glad that dilemma was resolved. Anyone else care to share?"
Ruby hemmed and hawed nervously. "I guess I'll go. As some of you may know, my granny and me have had our struggles, but thanks to these letters we got through them" She gave her granny a quick hug, beaming.
All of a sudden, the responses started pouring in, everyone talking over one another.
"I was reunited with my father."
"We decided to stay together, screw the system."
"I learned how to talk to women properly."
"After all these years, I'm going to find my son."
"And I'm going to help him."
On they continued to chatter. Only Sidney, Ashley, and Mother Superior stayed silent. The letters hadn't helped them at all. In fact, they had made their lives worse. In the commotion that ensued, they excused themselves, each to go wallow in their own private misery.
By the time the excitement subsided, the previous tension had been diffused. Satisfied, Archie motioned for everyone to sit back down and be quiet.
"I think we've all made a lot of progress today. You should be proud. This town is far from the hateful mess it was a month ago. We can pick up the issues raised today in private sessions, as I realize not every problem was shared here. Write a letter to me about your problem, old or new, and I'll schedule you an appointment. Good work everyone." Archie concluded the meeting with a smile.
Slowly, everyone got up and staggered out of the gym. David and Mary Margaret walked out, holding hands. Reunited families left together. Gold hobbled out, determined to pack for his big trip. Leroy and Astrid left separately, but rendezvoused when they thought no one was looking. Finally, only Emma, Regina, and Henry were left.
"Better get going" Regina said. "We wouldn't want to spend the night here."
"You're right" Emma replied. "Come on, kiddo, let's go home."
They each took one of Henry's hands and began the walk home, feeling more hopeful than before. All was well with Storybrooke; as well as it could get. And they all lived their lives happily, far more happily than before.
A/N 2: The end. I hope you all enjoyed that. It was difficult to write a suitable ending, but this one seemed to fit. It leads right into the sequel, which will be happening in the fall, so stay tuned! Okay, speech time. When I started this story, I had no idea how much it, or you guys, would mean to me. It was a silly idea I got one day that I almost didn't carry through. Now, almost 5 months later, it's amazing to see all the reviews and love it's gotten. It's been my one constant through a turbulent semester. I knew that on Sunday nights, I could always look forward to reading your lovely reviews and being cheered up by them. This semester was kind of rough, so that meant a lot to me. This is the longest thing I've ever written, and seeing it finished, I feel like I can do anything. It has been an absolute honor and a privilege to write for such devoted readers. Thank you to my readers who came back every week; to all those who reviewed, regular or guest; to every follow and favorite this story got. The encouragement is amazing, and I'm flattered to have known such wonderfully kind readers. It's kind of sad to post this and mark this story as complete, but never fear, the fall sequel is near! Please don't hesitate to review and tell me what you thought. I'm going to go to bed now (and do my best not to cry), but know that I am grateful for every single one of you. Thanks for sticking out my crazy ride till the end. See you in the fall!