Here it is, the final chapter! Can't believe this is it!
Chapter 50: Letting Her Go
Many people heard the stories about the adventurous group who journeyed to Neverland to save Henry. They were greatly surprised to hear that Rumplestiltskin, the Dark One and Cora, the Queen of Hearts actually sacrificed their lives to save their grandkids and every world. The townspeople couldn't help but admire them for their bravery. They realized that those characterized as villains may not always act in such a manner and that they can be good.
Once Mandy was feeling better, they threw a huge party at Granny's welcoming everyone home. They paid tribute to Gold and Cora then celebrated the rest of the night.
Jake snuck Mandy out the back and walked to the park, just the two of them.
"So…why'd you bring me here?" Mandy asked as they sat on a bench.
"I just wanted to be alone with you. You're parents have been guarding you like hawks." Jake answered.
Mandy giggled. "They're just nervous I'm not telling them when I don't feel well. They're just worried is all."
"You're okay right? You're not lying about how you feel?" Jake asked with concern all over his face.
Mandy waved him off. "No. I'm fine, really. I'll let you know if anything is wrong. Promise!"
Jake nodded. Silence fell between them for a few minutes. Jake turned back to face his girlfriend. "Miranda?"
"Hmm?" She hummed looking in his direction.
Jake sighed before he asked her his question. "Did you ever want to just get away from Storybrooke and all the drama that follows?"
Mandy furrowed her eyebrows. "What are you talking about, Jake?"
"Do you want to leave town? Just you and me?" He turned eagerly fully facing Mandy. "We can travel the world. Go see all the amazing sites this land has to offer."
"Jake..I…" Mandy started but couldn't finish her sentence. "Don't decide now!" Jake interrupted. "Take a few days to think about it."
Mandy sighed. "Okay. But how would we cross the town line anyway?"
"While you were away, your grandmother and I went through Gold's things. He had a potion in there that would allow us to cross the line unharmed." Jake explained.
Mandy nodded. "I see." Part of her wanted to run away with Jake but the other part wanted to stay here. She would have a very big decision to make in the next coming days. She knew if she was going to go through with this then she wouldn't be able to tell her parents; she would just have to go without saying goodbye. She truly didn't know what to do.
Jake felt uncomfortable with the awkward silence that fell between them once again. "I'll stay with you if you decide you want to stay here, just so you know. I won't leave you no matter what you decide." He said reassuring her that he wouldn't be angry with her decision.
Mandy gave him a slight smile, "Thanks." She whispered before she kissed him softly. "I love you, Jake."
He put his hands on her cheeks. "I love you too, Miranda. Forever and always." He kissed her passionately until they needed to break for air.
Mandy looked into his eyes. "Can you take me home now?"
He nodded. "Sure. Is everything okay? Did I scare you with that question?"
"Everything's fine. I just want to lie down for a bit. I have a lot to think about." She said honestly. "And it's also after midnight."
He nodded and walked her home, kissing her goodnight. She walked through the door quietly so she didn't wake her parents but they were waiting up for her anyway.
"Do you know what time it is, young lady?!" Regina asked angrily placing her hands on her hips.
"Miranda, I know you haven't seen Jake in a while but you are still recovering." Daniel added crossing his arms.
As soon as Daniel finished Regina began talking. "And you still have a curfew. We don't want to punish you but you know the rules. They haven't changed."
Mandy nodded. "Okay. I'll just go to my room and I won't watch TV for a week."
Daniel nodded. "Fine. Go on up." He instructed and she obeyed, heading up the stairs to her room.
"Well, that was easy." Daniel said turning towards Regina.
Regina kept her narrowed eyes on the stairs. "Too easy."
"What do you mean?" Daniel asked confused.
"She doesn't go down without a fight." Regina said. Daniel playfully nudged her. "Sounds like she takes after you."
Regina narrowed her eyes on her husband. "What I mean is that she always fights with me if I punish her or tell her something she doesn't want to hear. Something's up."
"A mother's intuition never fails." Daniel rolled his eyes. "Let me know what it is when you finish your talk with her."
"How did you know I was going to talk to her?" She asked.
Daniel placed his hands on her arms. "Honey, I know everything about you." He kissed her forehead. "Now go talk to our daughter. I know you are dying to find out what's bothering her."
Regina gave him a playful smile. She liked that she had someone who knew her so well. "I'll be back shortly."
Regina knocked on her daughter's bedroom door before opening it slightly. "Honey, may I come in?" She asked when she saw Mandy lying on her stomach on her bed. Mandy nodded.
Regina took a seat beside her. "I couldn't help but notice your strange behavior and…"
"I'm not acting strangely." Mandy interrupted.
Regina put her hand on Mandy's back. "You just gave yourself a punishment…"
Mandy huffed. She hated how much Regina caught on to the littlest of details. "Yea, I suppose that would be weird."
"So what's going on?" Regina finally asked.
Mandy shook her head. "Nothing, everything's fine." She then rested her head on her heads and stared across the room.
Regina walked in front of her and squatted down to make eye contact with Mandy. "You can tell me, ya know."
Mandy looked back into her mother's eyes. "I have a question for you."
"Okay…." Regina said preparing herself for the question.
"Were you and daddy gonna run away together? I've been thinking about how you two met and I just wanted to know what you were going to do if Cora didn't kill him?" Mandy asked. She was curious to hear this answer. If her mother was going to run away then it shouldn't be a problem if she did it.
Mandy sat up as Regina stood. "We were going to run away together. Start a new life."
Mandy interrupted. "But wouldn't you miss your parents? Well at least your dad?"
Regina tilted her head to the right. "I would've but I had your father and that's all I really needed. We were going to start a family and that's what we were focused on. It's what we both wanted."
Mandy nodded. She wasn't ready to start a family yet, that's for sure. She still wanted to have fun and enjoy life. "So you wouldn't have missed your magic?"
"I didn't have my magic when I was going to run away with your father, you know that." Regina put her hands on her hips. "Why are you asking me these questions, Miranda?"
Mandy lowered her head and shrugged her shoulders. She didn't have an excuse, only the truth and she didn't want to tell her mother.
"Miranda, spit it out." Regina demanded.
She kept her head down. "Jake wants to leave Storybrooke…and he wants me to come with him."
"Out of the question!" Regina yelled. "You're staying right here!"
Mandy got to her feet. "See! This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you! I knew you would over react, like you always do!"
Regina took a moment to gather her patience and relaxed her face. "Do you really want to leave?" She asked in a calm voice.
Mandy sighed and also relaxed. "Yes and no. That's why I was asking you those questions. I can't make up my mind."
Regina took a seat on the edge of the bed. "Alright, let's talk this out."
"Seriously?" Mandy arched her eyebrows in shock.
She nodded and patted the spot next to her. "Yes, I can be rational."
Mandy scoffed. "Yea, right."
"Give me a chance, will ya."
Mandy rolled her eyes then sat next to her mother. "If I go with Jake I will lose my magic but we will travel all over and see all the cool sites in this world."
"But how will you afford said trips?" Regina asked.
"Oh…" Mandy paused. "I didn't think of that."
Regina looked over to her. "You'll have many expenses to think about. Clothing, food, a place to sleep, the adventures you want to go on…all of that cost money. I'm not trying to deter you from going. I'm just trying to give you the bigger picture, dear."
"No, I know. That's a lot to think about." Mandy said honestly.
"I know you want to be with Jake but you can do that here. We can take vacations and travel the world, if that's what you want to do and Jake is more than welcome to come along." Regina said wrapping her arm around her daughter.
"You're making this really difficult now, you know that." Mandy said looking up her mother.
Regina hummed. "Just know that you're father and I will miss you terribly." She gave her a kiss on her forehead. "But I'm not going to stop you if that's truly what you want to do."
"Are you being serious right now?" Mandy asked shocked to hear her mother allowing her to go.
She nodded. "Am I ever not serious?"
"True." Mandy laughed.
Regina stood. "I'll leave you alone to think about your decision." She started walking towards the door.
"Wait, you're not going to help me?" Mandy called after her.
"Like I said before, it's your decision." She answered before leaving.
Mandy plopped down on the bed and sighed. "The one time I want her to tell me what to do, she lets me decide!"
Mandy and Jake went riding a few days later and had a picnic. Jake didn't bring up leaving Storybrooke until now. Mandy was still having trouble deciding. There were so many pros and cons to this situation.
"I've thought about it Jake and as much as I want to travel the world with you.."
"But…" He said, knowing that was coming next.
She sighed. "But I can't leave my parents. I've spent my whole life wanting to be with them and I finally get that chance."
Jake nodded. "I understand you want to stay with your parents. I've been with my parents my whole life so I don't know what that is like."
"Maybe someday we can run away together, Jake. Like when we saved enough money…" She pointed out.
"Oh yea…money. Forgot about that." He said rubbing the back of his neck.
Mandy laughed. "Yea, there's that little detail."
"Why don't we make a plan." Jake said. "We both get jobs, save enough money, and in a few years we can travel like we want to…and possibly get married and start a family together."
"I don't want to start a family just yet." She replied.
"We can wait on that, but I do want to marry you." Jake responded.
Mandy hummed. "Well I think that can be arranged." She leaned in to kiss him.
"Glad to hear it." He said when they broke apart. "My parents weren't thrilled of our leaving either." He admitted.
"I didn't think they would be." Mandy said resting her head on Jake's chest. "Let's just enjoy the night before we have to get to work."
He wrapped a protective yet loving arm around her. "I could think of nothing better. As long as I'm with you, I'm happy."
Mandy and Jake decided to stay in Storybrooke much to their parents delight. Mandy got a job at Granny's, taking extra shifts whenever she could and Jake got a job at the mechanic shop, fixing cars and such. They saved every penny they earned and in a few months, they had enough money to finally leave.
Neither one of them told their parents what they were planning, it would only cause trouble and drama which they wanted to avoid in the first place. Mandy left a note on her bed for her parents so they knew not to worry. She told them she and Jake were going out to dinner.
She wanted to visit her grandmother's grave before they left so Jake waited in the car so she could have some time alone.
She placed a bunch of flowers on her grandmother's coffin. "I brought you red roses, grandma. I knew they were your favorite."
She ran her hand along the wooden box and thought of all the times she spent with Cora and began to cry. "I can't believe you sacrificed your life for me. I really do love you grandma and I miss you so much. I miss our movie nights and magic lessons. You were a lot of fun; I just wish you were here with me."
She began sobbing. "I know mommy misses you terribly. She doesn't show it openly but when she's alone, she breaks down. I caught her one time…" She laughed at herself. "She doesn't know I saw her so let's keep that a secret."
She spent a few more minutes talking to Cora's coffin before collecting herself and ascending the stairs. She got in the car and put her seat belt on without saying a word to Jake.
"Are you okay?" Jake asked seeing her tear-stained cheeks.
She nodded. "I'm fine. Let's go before it gets too dark."
Jake was hesitant at first but he started the car and began driving to the line. They had already received the supplies needed from Gold's shop and were on their way.
"Are you sure this is what you want to do, Mandy?" Jake asked as they got closer to the line.
"Yes, I'm sure Jake. Will you stop asking me that question." Mandy snapped.
"I'm just making sure this is what you want to do." Jake said keeping his eyes on the road.
"It is." She whispered as she put her hand down looking at her hands.
"You know, Miranda, we could just postpone the trip and wait a little longer." Jake said looking over and then quickly looking back when he saw purple smoke appear in front of their car a few feet ahead.
He put his foot on the breaks and swerved trying to avoid whatever it was. When the car finally stopped they looked up to see Regina and Daniel standing there.
"Mother." Mandy growled when she saw Regina.
She got out of the car and slammed the door shut storming over to her parents. "What the hell are you doing?!" She yelled.
"I think the better question is 'what the hell are you doing'?" Regina yelled back.
"I left you a note explaining everything." Mandy replied.
"You're just going to up and leave?" Daniel asked.
"For the time being, yes." She said nodding her head. Jake came to her side. "We already figured out everything and we saved a lot of money."
"Stay out of this Jacob." Regina warned. "This is between us and our daughter."
"No, he is involved in this just as much as you and me." Mandy shot back. "Why can't you see that he loves me and that we are right for each other?"
Regina clenched her jaw about to reply to her daughter's remark when Daniel grabbed her arm and pulled her aside. "What are you doing Daniel?"
"Don't you see? This is almost the exact same situation your mother had us in all those years ago." He pointed out.
"It's not like we aren't letting her date Jake…" Regina replied. "I'm not going to rip his heart out."
"Regina…" Daniel sighed. "You know what you have to do, right?"
Regina looked over at her daughter who was talking to Jake. "I don't want to let her go, Daniel. I just got her back." She said as tears filled her eyes.
Daniel smiled. "If you love someone, set them free. If they come back, they're yours. If they don't, they never were." He kissed her forehead.
Regina sighed. "Why do you always have to be right?" Daniel rubbed her shoulder then walked over to his daughter and embraced her. "Have fun, Princess. Don't forget us now."
"I won't. Thank you, daddy." Mandy replied letting go over her dad and seeing her mother behind him.
"Mom?" She said basically asking for a hug before she left.
Regina walked over to Mandy and looked her over, making sure to memorize everyone detail of her daughter. She wrapped her arms around Mandy and hugged her tightly beginning to cry. Mandy also became very emotional. "I love you, sweetie. So much."
"I'm gonna miss you, mommy." Mandy cried into her shoulder. "I love you too."
Regina kissed the top of her head. "Call me at least every other day. I want to hear from you."
Mandy giggled wiping away her tears. "Of course mom."
"And be extremely careful!" Regina added.
"Mom, I got this." She said smiling.
"Right, sorry." Regina gave her another quick hug before she and Jake got back in the car. They drove passed Regina and Daniel and waved goodbye.
Daniel wrapped his arm around Regina's shoulder and watched the car until it slowly disappeared.
"She'll come back, honey. Don't worry." Daniel said trying to comfort his wife.
"I know. "Regina smiled. "I stole her money. They won't get too far."
Daniel chuckled. "You're too much, you know that?"
Regina laughed. 'I know, darling, but you still love me."
Epilogue
Mandy called her mother as soon as she noticed all her money was missing. Regina felt bad and wired her the money she took. Mandy kept her promise and called her parents every other day. She and Jake were gone for about 6 months traveling the world, seeing all the amazing sites they read about in books. They took many pictures and had a wonderful time but soon grew very homesick and decided to finally head back to Storybrooke.
Their parents were ecstatic when the teenagers surprised them with their homecoming. Mandy told them about how Jake proposed on the steps on the Trevi Fountain in Rome and how romantic he was the entire time. Their parents were shocked to learn that the young couple would be getting married so soon but were very happy for them nonetheless. Regina, Miranda and Jake's mother, Valerie instantly began planning the wedding.
Of course there were many disagreements between mother and daughter but they didn't matter once the big day came. Daniel walked his beautiful daughter down the aisle and gave her away to the groom. Jacob was looking more dashing than ever but he couldn't take his eyes off of his bride. They were happily married and couldn't wait to spend the rest of their lives together.
The End.
So this story has come to a close but I would just like to say how much I appreciate all the favorites, follows and reviews. I hope you all loved the story as much as I did writing it. I've grown greatly attached to my character Mandy and I'm sad to part with her but it's time.
I am going to be starting a new story soon. Probably entitled "In a Far Away Land" or something along those lines.
Let me know what you think of this final chapter. I would love to hear from you and your thoughts. I would also like to thank you all once again! You all are amazing!
