A/N: I don't have a clue of what this is. All I know is that, exactly a year ago today, I posted the last chapter of Aut Vincere Aut Mori, a fic that (and I'm not lying one bit) completely changed my life. Suddenly, I found myself writing again yesterday, and this oddball piece of fic came out. A sort of a post-epilogue epilogue if you will; an anniversary addition to the fic. Yeah, I don't even knowwwww~

I also want to be utterly clichéd and dedicate this to fallingforlana, the girl of my dreams, who I probably wouldn't have met without this fic. [/disgustingly sweet]

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"No, absolutely not."

"Regina."

"No; and that's final."

Emma sighed, exasperated, but refused to let her frustration show by actually pulling at her hair. Even after all these years, Regina was still as pigheaded as ever.

"Just admit it; in your mind, nobody will ever be good enough for him." Emma briefly glanced at Regina, noticing how the other woman's jaw muscles tightened.

"That's preposterous!" Regina huffed. "Just look at her! The way she keeps doting at Henry, it simply makes me uncomfortable."

"I've actually seen that look before," Emma mused, the corner of her mouth twitching, just barely. She then turned fully to Regina, causing the former Vestal to tear her eyes away from the scene a little ways away.

"What do you mean?" Regina looked suspicious, as if desperately trying to decipher the look on Emma's face.

"In fact, I see that look every day," Emma continued, utterly unfazed by Regina's narrowing eyes. "And, to be more precise, I see it whenever you look at me."

The myriad of emotions flickering across the other woman's face would've been highly comical to Emma if she weren't aware of the reasons behind Regina's reaction to the simple compliment. But the slight reddening of the brunette's cheeks told Emma that her comment was, ultimately, positively received.

"It is not the same," Regina protested, but it was half-hearted at best, the reddening only intensifying and spreading further. She let out a resigned sigh.

"Just face it, darling. Our boy is in love." Emma chuckled and turned back to a 19-year-old Henry who was, at that moment, sitting next to a girl on a tree trunk and smiling shyly at her. The scene was bordering on disgustingly sweet. "Come on, let's give them some privacy."

Emma gently nudged Regina who, albeit unwillingly, turned her back on the obvious display of affection. Stalking purposefully away from the trees, Regina made it nearly halfway across the grass field before unexpectedly whirling around and causing Emma to nearly bump into her.

"You are the leader of this tribe," she stated, matter-of-factly, as if trying to make a point.

"And?" Emma asked, utterly bewildered. "You're just as much of a leader as I am. We're together in this."

"Even more of a reason for our son to choose wisely." Regina hammered the point across by poking Emma to the chest with her forefinger.

"Regina, he's nineteen. He's old enough to make his own decisions." The former Vestal's hand trembled a little when Emma took a hold of it. "And by all I've seen so far, I'd say he has chosen wisely."

"I simply don't want him to make the same mistake I made." The effort it took to confess that must've been great, Emma knew.

"You had no choice." Emma squeezed Regina's hand even tighter. "Everything was arranged; you had nothing to do with it."

"Still." Regina looked away, uncomfortable.

Gently, Emma placed her hand on Regina's warm cheek and urged the other woman to look at her. Gingerly, Regina did just that.

"You did nothing wrong." When Regina was clearly about to speak up, Emma shook her head as a warning. "It was not your choice, Regina. But, what you have now, with me, with Henry? I would like to think I didn't force you into anything."

"I chose you." It was said so quietly that Emma nearly missed it.

"And you remember that." Emma smiled lovingly. It didn't matter how many times she would have to keep reminding Regina, she would do it until the brunette truly believed it.

Slowly pulling Regina to her, Emma placed an unhurried kiss on the other woman's lips and revelled in the softness, the rightness of it. There was an obvious sparkle in her eyes when she, eventually, pulled back.

"I, on the other hand, I was a slave for you from the moment I saw you," Emma stated, happy to see the corners of Regina's mouth turn up a little.

"Literally," Regina said sweetly and patted Emma on the cheek almost condescendingly.

"Seriously? This is what I get for being romantic?" Emma huffed, crossing her arms when Regina actually laughed out loud.

Something flashed in the blonde's eyes, and Regina knew she should've made her escape then, but she was too amused to realise what exactly Emma had in mind. Before the former Vestal knew what was happening, Emma had swung her up on her shoulder and was determinedly marching towards the village and their humble house just on the edge of it.

"Emma! What in Jupiter's name do you think you're doing?" Regina demanded to know, simultaneously trying to wiggle herself free from the strong hold Emma had of her.

"You said it yourself; I'm just a gladiator. A mere barbarian." From the tone of Emma's voice, Regina knew that she was anything but offended by the brunette's earlier comment. "Remember what they say about gladiators?"

"For crying out loud, you're the head of the village, Emma!"

"And?"

"And? And?" Regina practically wheezed. "This is wholly inappropriate! What if someone sees you dragging me around like a common tart?" Regina hissed in a scandalous voice.

"Not that I'm calling you a tart, but you, if anyone, should remember the harvest festival last autumn."

"Oh, gods." Regina buried her head in her hands; she would never, ever live that down. Defeated, Regina finally went limp in Emma's hold. "Well, at least be a little bit quieter! This is embarrassing as it is."

"Yes, my Queen."

"Ugh." Regina sighed and seemed to concede to her fate, her backside unceremoniously up in the air as Emma, with surprising agility, traipsed onwards. "You'd better make it worth my while, Swan."

"Oh, I intend to."

The dance they danced, while seemingly spontaneous, was, actually, carefully choreographed, resulting from years and years of simply being in each other's lives. And, while neither of them would ever admit it out loud, both of them were utterly content with the current situation.

Unbeknownst to Emma, Regina smiled happily and grabbed the other woman's tunica just a little bit tighter.

OuaTOuaTOuaTOuaT

FIN. (for real this time)