A/N I've never been the biggest fan of epilogues, but I found that this story was in need of it. I wanted to give thanks to all of you who have continued to follow this story even when it started to hit rock bottom. This was a truly experimental narrative and my first ever long fanfiction as well as Swan Queen. Fanfiction has really helped me grow as a writer and I do hope that you continue to follow me and my other narratives.

Epilogue

After a rough few months, everything began to fall into place in the Mills Manor. Cora had finally settled down after several attempts at wreaking havoc among Storybrooke. She even resorted to helping Regina fix dinner and taking Henry to and fro school. It served as a bonding moment for the Mills family. Nevertheless, she remained almost ice towards Emma, yet was trying the best she could to warm up. The fact that this woman was the granddaughter of Eva White still wrapped around her mind and distorted the fact that maybe the blonde was actually worth her time.

It was hard to blame her, however, when looking at the reality that Cora still existed in this world without a heart, the whereabouts of the organ still locked away from prying eyes. Perhaps one day she would allow her daughter access to her heart, but for now she remained cold.

After all this time, the savior was just now beginning to get it through her head why Regina chose the move she did with her mother. No matter what the past held, no matter how terrible that woman treated her daughter, the reality of it all remained. She was still her mother and nothing would change that. The mayor never had to go out of her way to ask her mother to change, but she did. Emma may have been able to give her the most loving heart in the world, but a mother's love was always the strongest. Without that love, there remains a piece of your heart that has yet to be healed.

It was a work in progress, but the blonde remained by Regina's side, coaxing her back into peace whenever her mother would decide to take a stab at her back. Even Henry was trying. He truly wanted to get to know his grandmother.

The residents of Storybrooke would never quite understand how the pieces of the puzzle were put together. The Savior, the Evil Queen, and the Queen of Hearts residing in one house. That was truly a spectacle to see. Nevertheless, time went on in Storybrooke.

The blonde's head snapped up at the sound of her name being called from the kitchen. Glancing at the clock, she knew that it was only her and Cora in the house at the moment, Regina having stayed late at work and Henry at a sleepover with Jefferson's daughter. With a groan, she threw her legs off of the couch, regretfully leaving the television, and made her way towards the illuminated room adjacent to the living room. She could walk this whole with a blindfold now and one would say it was as if she had always lived here. The transition from her apartment was more than acceptable especially since now she had more space as well as a warm bed at night.

"Yea?"

There was a bit of trepidation in her voice, but one glance to the silver still wrapped around the older woman's wrist calmed her back down.

"Where do you keep the vanilla?"

There was the sound of cabinets being opened and shut, items being pulled down form them.

"Vanilla?" the blonde raised an eyebrow and slowly walked into the room, looking at her from across the island.

"I'm making cookies."

"Oh," that actually did sound wonderful to Emma right now, "Um…" she walked over towards one cabinet that she remembered Regina always opening when baking, and reached inside. After a few seconds she pulled out the small bottle of genuine vanilla and handed it over to Cora.

The brunette took it from her with nothing more than a slight smile, turning her back towards the counter that was littered with an array of ingredients. Emma chewed on her bottom lip for a moment, contemplating the strangeness of how just a few months ago this woman had tried to kill her. She teetered on her feet before spinning around to head out.

"Emma, dear?" It was bizarre having another woman calling her dear. She turned back around and crossed her arms, meeting Cora's eyes, "Do you mind helping me out? I'm still a bit unfamiliar with the oven."

Her mind flashed back to an event a few months ago when Cora came at her with a knife, but as consequence her magic had been used against her, sending a royal shock straight to her core, and down the utensil came with a large clatter. Regina really had been careful about the enchanted bracelet

She let the older woman's request swirl through her mind. It was sincere. Emma always knew when people were deceiving her and for the first time ever, Cora was being honest. It was merely a sly way of asking for company. Awkwardly, the blonde ran a pale hand through her gold curls before her lips turned into a smile.

"Sure."

Baking with the Queen of Hearts wasn't as unbearable as Emma had feared. In fact, the woman had a good sense of intellectual sarcasm which was quite enjoyable. Cora was quite acute when it came to baking, making sure the measurements for each ingredient were perfect, and she wasn't even using a cook book. Did Regina get that from her mother? She was sure that baking was something the mayor picked up once she had come to this world, but perhaps she was wrong.

It was when Emma was sliding one of the cookie trays out of the oven that she nearly dropped it at the woman's confession, green eyes growing wide.

"I'm glad Regina found you."

"I'm sorry. What?"

The tray barely made it to the counter before Cora was scooping them up to cool on the rack with a nonchalant shrug.

"I had always been told love was weakness, and although I may believe that still, the reality of that has been shaken severely. I've never seen her so happy in my entire life."

A deep sigh fell from her lips and she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her clip. One look at the woman and Emma knew there was a dark memory, if not several, rushing through her head. She wanted to reach out and tell her that it was all in the past now, but Emma knew better than that. Yes, people's past could be forgiven, but that didn't change the horrible scars that marred Regina's life because of her own mother.

"You can be happy too you know?"

"How?"

"You'll have to figure that yourself."

Cora pursed her lips before glancing at the blonde, noticing something strange pass by her features.

"What is it, dear?"

"I've been uh…" Emma laughed nervously, running a hand through her hair, "I wasn't really going to bring this up to you because, well you know…"

"I don't have all day."

The brunette crossed her arms, but if Emma really looked at her she could see she was trying really hard to listen.

"I'm going to ask Regina to marry me."

Cora's mouth fell open but before the words could leave her lips, there came the sound of the front door opening and closing. There was the soft tapping of hard heels hitting the floor.

"Emma, Mother, I'm ho—" the mayor stopped dead in her tracks when she reached the kitchen. It wasn't the cluttered mess across her counters that rendered her speechless, but the fact that her mother and girlfriend were side-by-side doing something that looked akin to baking.

"Hey babe," Emma said with a warm smile, her red from the talk she was having with her mother-in-law, and walked over to her, wrapping her arms around the darker woman's waist. She pressed a simple kiss upon red lips, but as she went to pull away, Regina leaned closer.

"Is everything alright?" there was a trace of fear in the question.

"Everything's great."

Brown eyes searched deeply within bright green eyes, looking for a sign that Cora had done something to her girlfriend, but no such thing was found.

"You've been baking?"

"We have, my dear," replied Cora from the other side of the counter before walking up to meet the two.

Emma took a step back and watched as Cora took her daughter's hands in her hands and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek. Brown eyes twinkled with such warmth when Regina found Emma's eyes from a few feet away. After everything, here they all were. Not so long ago, Regina had been alone in the world, but now she had more than she could have ever asked for.

"And I believe Emma has something she wants to ask you."

This time it was Emma's jaw to fall onto the floor and she stared at the Queen of Hearts dumfounded. She was gifted with an evil smirk. She wasn't ready for this. Not yet. She didn't even know what she was going to say.

"I'll be in the living room," Cora called from over her shoulders as she walked our of the room leaving a completely stunned and perhaps stuttering Emma.

Regina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion before lifting an eyebrow, waiting to hear whatever it was that the blonde was about to ask.