Aaaand we've arrived, y'all. The final step in this story, a short epilogue to properly close this little verse and hopefully provide you guys with some cheerful closure. Thanks so much for joining me on this very long ride and I hope you'll stick around for more stories!
It's not everyday that Regina allows herself this. Not everyday that she indulges in a drive to New York instead of spending her day in Storybrooke working, as she should be (she's still the Mayor, after all, and there are pressing issues that need to be dealt with, despite her reluctance to address Leroy's never-ending complaints).
But today is special. Today, she'd woken to the soft touch of a white tulip, trailed over her naked shoulder by Robin's hand. His lips had peppered sweet kisses down her neck, his stubble caressing her skin, and then he'd rasped a Good morning, m'lady, and used his very talented tongue to convince her to take the day off.
And so here she is, walking hand in hand with him through Central Park, her hair waving slightly in the crisp April winds as they take in the array of magnolias, tulips, daffodils and cherry blossoms adorning every area, covering the park in bright colors and catching the soft light of the late afternoon sun.
There are ducklings in the pond, swimming under the bridge just as she and Robin begin to walk up its sturdy cement floor, and Regina stays in the middle to watch the little creatures emerge on the other side, smiling when they quack-quack their way to their mother by the grassy edge.
It is there, on that bridge, surrounded by the cheerfulness of spring, that Robin tugs on her hand to make her look at him.
He's smiling that dimpled smile that she loves, but he also looks nervous somehow, like he's expecting something will go wrong.
"Robin?" she asks, confused.
"I have something for you," he tells her, almost at the same time, and then he's shoving his hand inside his jacket, keeps it there as he continues to speak. "It's the reason I wanted us to come here today."
"Oh?" her confusion grows. She'd thought this was a spur of the moment thing, not an actual plan. That age-old bout of insecurity bubbles up inside her, has her second-guessing and overthinking his motives before she can stop it. He loves her, she knows that.
But he could still leave you, her mind says.
"Regina, stop," Robin's voice breaks through her haze, and she shakes her head a little, focuses her eyes on him, on the concerned look he's giving her. "I love you, and what I'm about to give you is nothing if not a demonstration of that."
She says nothing, but her palms are cold, her body trembling with anticipation. And then that hand of his that had been buried in his jacket is bringing out an envelope, offering it to her.
"I know it's silly, but I... I wrote you a letter, and I'd like you to read it."
"Oh," she breathes, and the sound lingers in the space around them. They're alone except for the small gaggle of tourists having a late picnic near the pond, and the bridge is empty but for the two of them, the rustling of paper loud enough to break through the quiet atmosphere of their surroundings.
It's not a very long letter, not like the ones they used to exchange a few months ago, when it was all they had, but there's something about the familiar feel of the paper beneath her fingertips. Something about the way her heart flutters as she finds the Dear Regina scribbled at the very top, about the warm touch of his hand on her arm as he waits... it all has her anxiety simmering down, has her curiosity growing as she starts to read, her lips quietly forming the words.
"Out loud, please," he requests, and her eyebrow shoots up, a tiny smile lifting the corner of her mouth before she clears her throat and begins.
"Dear Regina,
I know it's a bit ridiculous to write a letter when I finally have you with me, but it felt appropriate for what I'm about to do— what are you about to do?" she cuts in, looking up at him from the paper, and Robin laughs.
"Keep reading," he urges, so she does.
"...it felt appropriate for what I'm about to do, so bear with me.
"We've been thrown about with so many magic mishaps, that I've actually lost count of how many times we've met," she chuckles at that, looks up at him with a grin before she continues reading.
"But in every occasion, from the first moment I see you, I fall in love with you."
The next part is a little awkward, because it speaks of how he sees her, speaks of her in a way that makes her self-conscious to read aloud, but she pushes through, clearing her throat again as she continues.
"There's a fire in you, one that has made you into the brave, stubborn, amazing woman I adore, a fire that warms the very heart of me, and I would like no—"
She stops, her voice breaking when her eyes catch the words that follow, and tears begin to gather, threatening to spill over at any moment. She turns to him then, her mouth open though nothing comes out. All she can do is stare at him, at that maddeningly beautiful smile, and that spark in his blue eyes that she's come to realize is only there when he looks at her.
He takes the letter from her, holds it in his hand as he lends voice to the next words on the page, though his eyes never leave hers, his smooth baritone reciting everything from memory.
"...and I would like nothing more than to spend the rest of my life at your side. I will fight alongside you, support you, and above all, I will love you, as I always have."
"Robin..." she begins, her tone one of warning, her head shaking slowly as she watches him pull out a tiny black box from the pocket of his jeans.
"Regina. You are my future."
"The last time you said that, you died," she tells him, and her voice breaks again on that last word, the pain of the memory still raw, the fear still raging a storm inside her.
"And because our souls are tethered to one another, I came back to you," he counters, "I'll always come back to you, Regina. Though I'd much rather marry you and never be parted from you again."
A teary laugh escapes her at that, and she's shaking her head as she smiles at him, watches in awe as he opens the box and displays the ring he's gotten for her. It's gold, simple, a flat band with a square cut emerald in the middle and nothing else. The color reminds her of him, of his love for the forest, of the little flecks of green in his blue eyes. It's perfect.
"I wanted to do this here, in New York, where we spent a whole year missing each other," he says, "I wanted this to be the place that saw us make this commitment to one another. And if you'll have me, Regina, I promise I will strive every single day of my life to make you the happiest woman in all the realms."
"You already do," she says, her smile growing as her hand finds his cheek, thumb rubbing over the apple of it as they both lean in for a quick kiss. When they part, Robin doesn't go far, brings his forehead down to hers and breathes.
"Is that a yes?" he asks against her lips, and Regina chuckles.
"You haven't asked," she teases, and laughs again when she sees him realize that yes, she's right, he hasn't asked her yet.
He drops to his knees two seconds later, clumsily extracting the ring from its box and holding it up to her, his eyes shining as he says the words.
"Regina Mills, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"
Her cheeks hurt from smiling, and yet the tears wetting her eyes choose that precise moment to fall, streaming down her face as she chokes out a simple Yes.
She is in his arms before she can even register his movements, and then his mouth is on hers, planting one firm, ecstatic kiss after another.
They stand close, so close it's a struggle for him to put the ring on her finger, but they manage, and she only has a couple of seconds to admire the jewel before he's wrapping his arms around her again and hugging her tighter, kissing the tip of her nose, her temple, her cheek, her lips.
"I love you," he whispers, his smile the brightest Regina's ever seen it.
Returning the sentiment is as easy as breathing.
She'd said once, that her happy ending was finally feeling at home in the world, and the words jump into her head as she takes inventory of her current state: Robin's arms are wrapped tightly around her, his smile lighting up her own as sunset begins to bathe them in its pink and orange glow. He's here, alive and wonderful and loving her, their three beautiful children safe and sound and waiting for them back in Storybrooke...
She kisses him, holds on to that bright light in her heart that bears the names of her loved ones, that flashes with the memories of what got her here, and just like that, she allows the fire of hope to spread inside her like never before.
Just like that, Regina finally, finally, gets her happy ending.
The End.
