A/N: Hello everyone! I just want to say thank you to everybody who has stuck with this story and given feedback on it, I always love hearing what you have to say. And thank you to everybody who has recently started following this crazy story I started a year ago. It's with bittersweet emotion that I'm now going to tell you that there are very little chapters left in this. You will have 2 more chapters and then the epilogue. I'm only warning you now because I hate when I'm reading a story and it just ends with no warning, so now you've been warned lol. As always, reviews are welcome and I hope you enjoy! It truly has been a great ride with all of you.
A small sob did escape her lips this time as she let her emotions go. "Yes," she sobbed. "Yes Emma Swan I will marry you."
Regina clutched the note to her chest, tears falling freely down her cheeks. Emma leapt forward and pulled Regina into her lap, wrapping her in a warm embrace. She peppered kisses all over Regina's face and her neck, she kissed the tears away before locking lips in a lingering kiss that spoke volumes about Emma's own emotions at the moment. She knew deep down that Regina would say yes but there was always that sliver of doubt that said she wasn't good enough, that she wasn't enough to deserve a love like this. She pushed all of those thoughts out of her mind though as she held tightly to her fiancé. "I love you Regina. I love you so much," she whispered against kiss swollen lips.
Regina's hands came up and cupped Emma's cheeks, looking deep into emerald green eyes she whispered back, "I love you more."
"Can I come in yet?" Henry called from the hallway.
Both women chuckled, their son momentarily forgotten and lost in the moment. "Sure thing kid," Emma called back.
"So?" Henry inquired after stepping into the room and seeing his mother's in a close embrace.
Emma held up Regina's left hand and with a beaming smile said, "She said yes!"
Henry rushed into the room then and fell on the floor next to his moms, enveloping them both in a tight squeeze. "This is so awesome!"
Emma and Regina locked eyes over their son's head, both smiling and taking in the moment. "Yeah it is," Emma whispered as she pulled her family in closer.
Regina sat in bed, waiting for Emma to come out of the en suite. She couldn't stop staring at her left hand and admiring how beautiful the ring was. It was an odd feeling, being engaged to Emma Swan; when Daniel had promised they could run away together she was happy, truly happy, but with Emma it felt like what was supposed to happen. She knew that Emma was her one true love. Daniel might have been her first, but Emma would certainly be her last.
She put her glasses on then pulled the wooden box out of her nightstand drawer, and carefully opened it. A soft gasp escaped her lips as she saw the first note on top of the pile, you are enough. She had received that almost a year ago now; if she knew then what she knew now she would have laughed at it, scoffing at the idea that anybody would want to marry her after everything she had put the town and its people through. But Emma Swan, always the savior, had come through once again and rescued her when she least expected it.
She combed through the notes, smiling at the memory of every single one and how far she had come since then. Their relationship had grown, had blossomed into something beautiful and extraordinary. She never knew the Evil Queen was capable of love this deep without it being tinged with hatred. She wasn't the Evil Queen anymore though, she was Regina Mills, ex-mayor, mother, mother-to-be, fiancé. She let the word roll around her tongue as she looked at the proposal card in her hand, a smile graced her lips that reached her eyes and that's exactly how Emma found her when she came out of the bathroom.
"Whatcha got there beautiful girl?"
Regina looked up and her breath caught in her throat. The way Emma was leaning on the doorway, her pregnant belly sticking out, the light behind her framing those golden curls, Regina felt like the luckiest woman alive. "I, my dear, am reminiscing. Care to join me?" She folded down the covers next to her and patted the bed invitingly.
Emma climbed onto the bed and joined Regina leaning against the headboard. Emma laid her head against Regina's shoulder as she looked down at the box in Regina's lap. A single tear rolled down Emma's cheek as she noticed the stack of notes inside the wooden box. "You kept them? How many?" she said so quietly Regina wasn't sure if she heard her or not.
"All of them," she said breaking into a beautiful smile.
"A-all of them?" Emma said breathless.
"Of course I did." Regina took her glasses off and placed them back on her nightstand before turning towards Emma and taking her face in both hands. "I have never had anybody do something so lovely, so grand, before in my life. You know my mother taught me that love was weakness and when you started leaving me the notes I thought it was a joke at first. Just somebody playing with me. I kept them though because they still meant something to me as awful as that sounds. I wanted to believe the words on the paper so I kept them and whenever I was feeling down or out of sorts I would pull the box out and glance through the notes again, hoping, that they were real and weren't out of cruelty. Then by the third note I realized they were real and that was the night I met you at the diner. I learned a long time ago that my mother was wrong about love, it's not weakness, it's strength. It's everything I crave, want and need. And I just happen to be the luckiest woman ever that you my love are the one that makes me feel this way. So yes, I've kept all of them as a reminder of what I have and everything I don't want to lose."
Emma gazed into chocolate orbs at a loss for words. She never knew she meant that much to anybody else but she would be damned if she would ever let that slip away. She grabbed a handful of Regina's nightgown, desperate just to hold her, to touch her. Regina sensed this and gently closed the lid of the box and replaced it in the drawer before climbing atop Emma's lap and straddling her, making sure not to put all of her weight down. No more words were needed as she threaded her fingers through golden curls and leaned in to kiss Emma, swiping her tongue across Emma's bottom lip begging for entry. Emma opened her mouth easily, inviting Regina in for more.
Emma's hands found purchase on Regina's hips and soon they weren't two separate pieces making a whole, they were one single entity with barely room for air between their two bodies moving as one.
They woke in a tangled mess of arms and legs, but as always Regina had one hand splayed protectively over Emma's stomach. She felt a nudge, a hand or foot she wasn't sure, but it was enough to warm her heart throughout. She carefully pulled back the covers and leaned down to place a few gentle kisses to Emma's stomach still keeping her hand in place. "Good morning Amelia, I hope you were able to sleep ok all tucked away in there." She started drawing light circles on Emma's stomach, enjoying the morning's peace and quiet with her daughter.
"Not Amelia," Emma grumbled sleepily.
Emma's stomach was currently undulating with the kicks and stretches of their growing baby girl and Regina was completely enraptured as she said, "Why not? It's a perfectly respectable name."
Emma rubbed at her eyes, trying to wake herself up a little for what was clearly going to become the baby name discussion. She thought she still had at least a month before this came up but since she was wrong, they might as well start now, it could very well take a month before they agreed on anything. "I want her to make her own name babe, not have to live up to a famous person with the same name."
"So that means no Taylor, Harper, or Ginny then."
"How long have you been thinking about this?" Emma asked through a big smile.
Regina shrugged her shoulders, attempting nonchalance, but a grin broke out on her face too as she locked eyes with Emma and said, "Ever since we found out it was a girl."
Emma leaned up on her elbow and crooked a finger at Regina with a salacious smile on her face. Regina obliged by leaning over and before she knew it Emma's mouth was latched onto hers in a languid kiss. She broke away, missing the contact as soon as it happened, but she knew that if they continued things would escalate quickly and they had a big day ahead of them. "I'm sorry babe but I'm vetoing all of the names you just said."
Regina fixed her with a pout she was certain would work and not without good reason as Emma relented and said, "Fine, I'll think about Harper. But the other two are out."
A small smile broke out on Regina's face as she leaned in and gave Emma a loving peck on the cheek. "Thank you my love. Have you thought about any names for our daughter yet? Since you are so against the ones I've thought of," she said with a playful roll of her eyes.
"I have actually," Emma beamed proudly. "I was thinking about Calliope or Constance."
"And you think my names are ridiculous because of their origin?!" She playfully slapped Emma's arm before leaning in and whispering in the shell of Emma's ear, "No Calliope."
A shiver ran down Emma's spine but she wasn't sure if she was turned on or slightly terrified or both at the sound of Regina's voice. She didn't really care either way, this was fun for her. She didn't get to share this experience with anybody with Henry, she had simply handed him over to the nurse as Baby Boy Swan. She never got the chance to think about picking a name or play around with any because if she picked a name then she would get attached and she might change her mind about giving him up and letting him have his best chance. She didn't have to worry about that anymore because she knew that with her and Regina, this little girl would be the most loved child ever and would never want for anything. They would both give her everything she needed and more.
"Ok what about Coraline then?" Emma joked.
Regina shot her a glare so quickly and so reminiscent of how they used to be that it wasn't just a shiver that ran down Emma's spine, it was like an ice bath had washed over her. "Kidding. I was just kidding babe," she said quietly.
"Oh I know you were," Regina said, "Because even if you were serious you know that would never happen. Not only did that movie give me nightmares because of the button eyes and the other mother, but I don't want our daughter having a name anything close to my mother's."
They decided to end the name game after that, both promising to give it more thought before they approached the subject again.
"Now will you please go shower and get ready? The guests will be here in little over an hour," Regina quipped.
"Why you decided to throw me a baby shower the day after I proposed to you I will never know."
Regina looked down at her left hand again in constant awe that it had really happened and it wasn't just some dream. Even her dreams couldn't compete with how things had actually happened though and for that she was incredibly thankful. Her reality had been better than dreamland for once in her life. "Well dear, I didn't know you would propose yesterday. And besides, it wasn't totally my idea, you mother helped too," she said over her shoulder as she made her way into the en suite to start getting ready herself.
Emma had the easiest job of all setting up for the baby shower, she only had to sit there and look pretty. Regina and Henry insisted that they had everything covered and could handle it themselves, so while they were in the study preparing everything, Emma sat at the kitchen island nursing a glass of orange juice. She rubbed a hand over her belly, something she found herself doing more often than not, and started talking to her daughter. "Hi little one," she said softly, "This is your Mama Emma. You have no idea how incredibly loved you are already and we haven't even met you yet." She felt a single tear roll down her cheek and looked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was eavesdropping. "You are so loved and already overly protected. Mommy Regina and I and your big brother Henry will never let anything happen to you. I promise. And there are lots of people who are excited to meet you like your Auntie Ruby and Granny. And my good friend Belle. And your grandma Snow, I think she's as excited as mommy and I are. I just need you to know that no matter what, you will always be loved."
"That was beautiful my love."
Emma snapped her head around and saw Regina leaning up against the doorframe, tears rolling down her face and wearing the prettiest smile Emma had ever seen.
"H—how long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough," Regina said as she strode over to wear Emma was sitting. She got down on her knees and placed both hands around Emma's belly. "Hi baby girl, it's me, your Mommy Regina. Everything Mama Emma said is right. You are loved, more than you'll ever know. And if you ever need anything or anybody to talk to, you have an entire family that will be by your side in a heartbeat. No matter what love," Regina said before placing a kiss on Emma's stomach as a foot kicked out.
"Do you think she heard us?" Emma asked shyly.
"I know she did, and it won't matter anyway because we're going to tell her the same thing every single day," Regina commented before leaning in for a kiss. "Are you ready? The room is all set up and everybody should be here in the next few minutes."
The doorbell rang as soon as she finished speaking but before she could move she heard Henry greeting his grandmother lovingly. "You know I can't believe I'm saying this, but I'm so grateful for your mother being around."
Emma gaped at her with her mouth hanging open, unsure what to say in fear of ruining the moment.
"I'm serious, I don't know what I would have done without her a few times. She helped after you collapsed and she's always been supportive. It's nice knowing that at least some parents aren't totally controlling and manipulative. Even if I am older than she is," Regina added with a wink.
"And to think, you were scared of telling her when we first started dating," Emma teased. She kissed the back of Regina's hand before leading her out of the kitchen. "Come on, we can't keep the family waiting," she said with a smile on her face.
Regina was relaxing on the couch, with Emma by her side, just taking everything in. The cake had already been eaten and the presents opened, she marveled at how well their friends knew them. Their friends, the phrase felt strange on Regina's tongue but she knew it was true without even having to ask. They had both come a long way since that first date night. The town no longer cowered in fear at the sight of Regina and she could honestly say that the people surrounding them, their loved ones, were indeed both of their loved ones. She never thought she would see the day that Granny openly offered her a hug or that Belle would discuss the numerous books Regina had read during her hideout from the town. But they had, and they had done so much more. Belle of course had gotten baby books that Regina and Emma could read to their daughter, Granny had made a tiny red cloak for the harsh winter months, and Ruby had gotten them the most beautiful crib Regina had ever seen.
Her eyes welled up at the thought of how far they had come together and how much further they had to go. But she wasn't scared, she was thrilled. The thought of spending the rest of her days with Emma Swan and their family warmed her throughout her entire body. Before she knew she what she was doing she was leaning into Emma's side and whispering in her ear, "Can we tell them now?"
Emma looked over at Regina slightly surprised at how eager she was to share the news. But what woman isn't eager to? Regina was proud to call Emma's hers and she only wanted the rest of their family to know as well. She wanted to share the joy she had felt since yesterday afternoon. "Of course you can babe."
Regina's smile lit up her face and she leaned in to give Emma a quick kiss before clapping her hands to get the room's attention. "I just want to thank everybody for coming today. It really is wonderful that we're able to share this with you all, our family." A few of the guests nodded their heads and she also noticed that a few had tears in their eyes at being called family by Regina. "But our new addition isn't the only incredible thing happening," she said as she held up her left hand to show off her ring, "We're also engaged!"
The room erupted into cheers and awes as everyone took turns coming to look at the ring. Belle playfully nudged Emma as everything clicked into place about yesterday and all of the notes she had left around for Regina to find. Ruby commented on how beautiful the ring was and how fitting it was for Regina. And Granny even offered to officiate for them.
Emma sat back watching her fiancé blush and gush about how excited she was about everything happening in their lives. Emma was ecstatic too, but the thing that made her the happiest was Regina's happiness. That was all she'd ever need in life. They could be poor, broken and beaten down, but as long as she had her family and Regina was happy, that was all that mattered. The rest they could figure out along the way.