Emma started to stir, her eyes blinking as she slowly woke up. There was a faint sound of the TV in the background and she could hear four very familiar voices around her.
"How much longer will she be out?" She heard Henry ask. His voice was thick with worry which upset her. She hated hearing him speak in that tone, even more so when it was about her. A son should never need to worry about his parents. It was the prerogative of a parent to worry about a child and not vice versa.
"As long as it takes for her to recover," Mal replied softly. "I checked her over and there's no sign of any injury or lasting damage. It's just her mind that needs to recover after an event like that. She almost died and then gained a lot of power. You'd be out cold if the same happened to you."
"I guess," Henry sighed. "I'm just–"
"We're all worried, honey," Regina cut her son off softly, but her voice belied an inner strength.
"Emma is going to be just fine," Charming added and Emma enjoyed that everyone was making sure Henry was okay. He was the priority over her, always. "You know your mother; she's always going to be okay. She's a Charming. We're made of strong stuff."
"I know," Henry said and his voice was warmer and more assured at his grandfather's promise.
Now she was fully awake but didn't move as she was enjoying listening in to everyone rather than making it obvious that she was awake. She took a tiny peek to see where she was and with the quick glance around, she realised that she was back home and was lying on the corner sofa in the living room. As the room came more into focus, she saw that Regina and Henry were sitting on the sofa to her right with Maleficent and Charming sitting on the other to the left. Neal was sleeping, snoring softly on Mal's lap. It was much past his bedtime, but Charming clearly hadn't wanted him to be alone just yet. Charming had just lost one child and his former wife; he must have wanted the comfort of having Mal and his remaining children in the same room.
"I think she's waking up," said Henry. There was a nervous excitement in his voice. Emma knew that her breathing must have changed imperceptibly and her son had noticed.
The gig was up, Emma thought as she finally opened her eyes wide to show that Henry was correct and that she was awake.
"Ma!" Henry cried as he realised that his mother was now definitely awake. Suddenly there was a hand in hers and other touching her face as Henry had shot across the room and was on his knees in front of her. It became obvious that he was checking her for any injuries, much like Regina had always checked for his, finding none, Henry sighed in relief. He leant back but kept hold of her hand.
"Calm down, Henry," Regina said softly. "She's delicate after her ordeal."
"It's Ma," Henry said as if that was enough explanation. "She's anything but delicate."
Emma chuckled quietly. "I'm fine. Kid knows me well," she murmured as she slowly sat up. She felt like she should be in pain after what had happened, but she felt quite refreshed as if she'd just woken up from a long nap. She stretched out and wriggled her fingers as if to prove she was okay.
Realising Henry was right and Emma was awake, Regina shot out of her seat and moved to perch at the side of the sofa beside her girlfriend. She reached out and took hold of the hand that Henry hadn't taken.
"Are you sure?" Regina asked gently as she moved a piece of Emma's hair out of her face.
Looking down, Emma was happy to note that she was no longer wearing that ridiculous dress that was definitely not her style. Instead she was wearing a comfy pair of sweatpants and her one of her trusty tank tops. Her hair had also returned to her natural (albeit lightly bleached) blonde with its natural curl. Part of her thought that it was all a dream but looking at everyone's faces, all of whom were eyeing her carefully, she realised that it had definitely been true. There was also a new current of power in her body where the new magic was pumping through her blood.
As she looked up, she realised that everyone else was also no longer wearing their smart outfits that they had chosen to wear to their meal. Instead, they were in sweats, even Regina, choosing comfort over style. They also must have been sopping wet from the rain. She didn't blame them for wanting to be comfortable; then again, she normally always chose utility over style. Concentrating more deeply, she could still hear the faint tapping of raindrops against the windowpanes, but it was obvious that the storm had passed. It was just typical really. The storm had been a mere literary device it seemed; yet another reason to hate the Author.
"I'm positive," Emma assured them. "I'm just happy to be back with you guys. How long was I out?"
"Not too long," Mal said. "Only about half an hour. Although it was long enough to worry us all." Here she admonished Emma lightly with a look of love in her eyes. Emma smiled; this was what she had anticipated a mother's love to be like.
Mal continued, not realising Emma's internal thoughts. "As soon as you passed out, the shield completely dropped so we were finally able to get you. There was power in that shield that even Regina and I combined couldn't break through it. Your magic is truly incredible, Emma. Interestingly, the hat disappeared as soon as it hit the ground."
"It glowed a weird red colour though," Henry added. They had seen some interesting things, so quite obviously the weird colour had slipped Mal's mind.
Mal nodded her recognition of her grandson's amendment. "Yes, but then it disappeared and we have no idea where it went. I suppose it went back to its rightful owner."
Emma chose not to comment on what happened in her dream just yet. There would be time to tell them about it later. They didn't need to rush. Besides, the hat had disappeared, there was probably nothing to worry about. She didn't really believe Merlin anyway, but still it bore looking into. Her power was telling her as much, something was still brewing, about to begin. Although, it wasn't necessarily something bad, just something.
"Anyway, we got the crowd to clear and Mal checked that you had no injuries," Regina continued Mal's story. "When she found none, it was just a case of getting you home because you didn't need the hospital."
"Your father decided to carry you home," Mal took over with a soft laugh in her voice. "He wouldn't let us magic you home."
Emma rolled her eyes and looked at the aforementioned man. "Dad –"
"Don't Dad me," Charming interrupted with a chuckle. "It was all I could do to help." He then turned serious and sighed. "I can't believe it was all Snow's doing. How did you know all of that by the way? I know you wouldn't have kept all that information from us, but it would have been nice to know beforehand."
"I honestly have no idea," Emma said. "It was as if gaining the power also unlocked the knowledge that I didn't know I had. I was learning it as I was telling Lily about it. So, in a way, my monologue helped me sort out the truth."
"Yeah, Madame Fairest of Them All," Henry snickered before sighing. "I can't believe how far Grandma, I mean, Snow, went. She did it all for power, and Grandpa," he added as an afterthought.
All eyes in the room turned to Charming. He tightened his grip on Mal's hand. "I know. I should never have saved her from the deep sleep and should have just let her stay asleep forever."
"You didn't have a choice," Henry said. "The power of the Author is too strong. You have to do what he writes, at least to a point." People did after all have some agency, at least most of the time, it was just that the Author had written in a specific ink which meant that all his words had to come true.
Now it was Henry who was being stared at. He shuffled slightly in his seat at their gazes but didn't shrink back, even when his mothers started questioning him.
"How do you know so much about the Author?" Regina asked.
"When did you find that out?" Emma added.
Henry bit his lip. "I went back to the Apprentice's house after he told us about it. I went during lunch, so you didn't worry about me being late from school. He wants me to take over as the Author, but I said I wanted more information before I agreed. Plus, I knew I needed to talk to you guys about it. With everything that's been going on, I couldn't find the right moment to tell you all."
"It's a big responsibility," Regina murmured. "I don't know if I trust the Apprentice after everything that has happened. He's not very forthcoming with information."
However, she could see the hopeful look on her son's face and could tell that this was what he wanted. It would be his way of wielding power like his mothers and grandmother had magic and his grandfather had his sword. The weapon in question was now lying at the side of Charming who had picked it after the battle.
"We'll all sit down and discuss it," Regina continued. "I will need to speak with the Apprentice first myself. By the sounds of it, the Author can be corrupted and I will never let anything happen to you."
"Thanks," Henry replied with a grin despite the tone Regina had taken but now wasn't the time to dwell on that. "But yeah, whatever the Author writes is law, at least it is if he writes in a specific ink, which he did. He wrote that Grandpa would save Snow, so he did. I just can't believe she killed her own mother because she wanted her father's attention all to herself." He turned to his adoptive mother. "I totally understand why you tried to kill her."
"She was a brat," Regina said indifferently. "She needed to be put in her place. I didn't know that she killed her mother, I believed my mother did it to make me Queen. It looks like she just took advantage of the death of the Queen to get me the position." She rolled her eyes. "Perhaps she wasn't as evil as I thought."
Mal raised her eyebrow. "Yes, she was."
"Yeah, she really was," Emma added remembering the woman's treatment of her when she had first met her in the Enchanted Forest.
Regina chuckled and sighed. "I suppose."
Henry then sat up from kneeling on the floor and sat on the arm of the sofa. He returned the conversation back onto the aftermath of the fight, not wanting to discuss his other grandmother who made him shiver in fright. He still had nightmares in which she and Peter Pan featured quite heavily.
"I thought you were a goner when you passed out!" He said rather bluntly. "I thought the magic was too much to handle. Not just the death ball but becoming the Fairest. You were suddenly glowing white and I thought you were going to self-combust like Lily had."
"Never," Emma said firmly. "I was just bombarded with it all at once so it took a few moments for me to recuperate. Besides, I told you I was going to win," she added softly. "I had your faith in me." She squeezed Henry's hand gently before looking at the others in the room who were watching them interact. "It wasn't just Henry but all of you, I had your love with me. Gina, Mom, Dad."
The use of 'mom' so suddenly made Maleficent inhale in surprise. Emma had referred to her as her mother in passing but never directly called her 'mom' and it was like music to her ears.
"It was thinking of you all that got me to defeat the death ball," Emma said. "Lily was the one who hit it at Snow and killed her. She got her comeuppance when she had a reaction to the lack of magic. Then her anger got so bad she started self-combusting. What?"
Emma stopped talking when she saw that Regina was looking at her with her eyebrow raised.
"I'm not used to you knowing all the answers behind magic," Regina commented with a small smirk to show that she was only teasing.
Emma chuckled. "Me too. I don't know if I like it either." She wriggled her fingers. "I can feel the influx of magic in my blood and it feels like if I got any more, I would burst but he said there was no way to get rid of it."
"He?" Charming repeated, picking up on what Emma had said. People thought Charming was a bit unobservant but when it came to his daughter, he noticed more than most would realise.
It was time to tell them what happened.
"Merlin spoke to me in some kind of dreamscape while I was passed out," she revealed before going into what happened.
All eyes were now on her as she told them about waking up in the white room and seeing Ingrid who turned into Merlin. She finished her tale by telling them that she had let out two monsters but trapping Lily inside the hat.
When she finished, she realised that she had five sets of eyes on her as Neal had woken up. He was beaming at his older sister and was struggling to be let off Mal's lap. The dragon had been so caught up in Emma's tale that she hadn't noticed. Now she'd finished, she allowed Neal to slip slowly off her lap and he crawled across the room towards Emma.
With a grin, Emma picked up her little brother and rested him on her lap before pressing a soft kiss to his forehead. Once again, the image made Regina feel like something was stirring within her very soul, but as always, there was something more pressing to worry about.
"So, let me get this straight," Henry said after Emma finished her tale, blocking out Regina's thoughts. "You met Merlin in your dreams who decided he would pretend to be a woman to get you to trust him?"
Emma raised her eyebrow. "Yep."
Henry pulled a face. "Gross. He could have turned into Dad or something. That would have made more sense. You trusted him. Well, for most part anyway."
There was a stab in Emma's gut as she thought about Henry's father. She was more than glad that Merlin hadn't appeared in the dream as Neal. Her time with him had been conflicting and short and while Henry was right, she did trust him for the most part, it would have been too disconcerting to see him again after he had died. She had allowed her love for him to be buried with him.
"He could have," Emma agreed instead of saying what she had been thinking, "but he didn't."
"So, you let out two monsters?" Regina asked, stopping the conversation about Emma's ex. She knew that Emma felt conflicted about him.
"Apparently," Emma replied with a sigh. She flicked her wrist and produced a glass of water and took a sip. All the talking had made her throat go dry and as delicious as the champagne had been at dinner, it hadn't been that thirst quenching. "I wouldn't worry too much. My lie detector went off when he said they were the deadliest beings in the hat. I wouldn't be surprised if it was a kitten or something. I take it there have been no reports of anything?" She looked at her father but Charming shook his head.
"No, Ruby hasn't sent an alert through," he confirmed. "Just a request that we let her and Elsa know when you're alright. They wanted to come with us, but we didn't know how you'd be when you woke up. Zelena also wanted to be here but Belle wanted to look something up, as always, and Zee offered to help."
"I'm surprisingly okay," Emma said. "To say everything that happened. I genuinely think passing out was just a way for my body to recuperate and accept the additional magic." She wriggled her fingers again and sighed. "It's going to take some getting used to because I am the Fairest of Them All."
oOoOo
"Are you sure that you're okay?" Regina asked as she sat at her vanity.
The two had come up to bed not long after Emma had finally admitted that she was the Fairest of Them All aloud for the first time. It was nearing eleven o'clock and even though it wasn't a school night, Henry still needed to get to bed. Plus, Neal needed to be put down in his crib so he didn't have a restless night. The group had naturally disbanded and headed up to bed.
Emma had immediately stripped off and climbed into bed and snuggled under the duvet. Regina had gone straight to her vanity to apply her facial care routine. She was applying her eye cream, looking at Emma through the mirror.
"I'm fine," Emma replied with a soft smile. "Promise," she added when Regina looked like she was going to ask again. Emma tapped the bed beside her, encouraging Regina to hurry up with her routine.
Taking the hint, Regina quickly finished by applying hand cream and walking over towards the bed. She paused momentarily to strip off before slipping in beside Emma. Automatically, Regina opened her arm and Emma snuggled in. Looking up, she grinned before leaning forward and kissing Regina softly.
"I love you," she murmured.
Regina beamed as she always did when she heard the words. "I love you too."
Emma brought her arm up and started trailing random patterns on Regina's skin, enjoying the goose bumps that raised in the wake of her fingertips.
"You know, it was because I love you that I survived," Emma muttered as if it was the most casual sentence she could have said.
"Oh?"
The blonde chuckled at Regina's response as it was usually her go to. It was a sign that they had been together a while now.
"Yeah," Emma said before she bit her lip nervously. "I didn't want to say it in front of Henry, but the pain of Lily conjuring that death ball was unbearable. I couldn't see and I struggled to breathe. I genuinely thought I was going to die from the pain. Then I started thinking that I wouldn't be able to kiss you again and how much I truly love you and then the pain started to fade. Thinking about you, Henry and my parents, even Neal, made the pain lessen. My mom was right the other day, love is what helps me get control over my magic and it was how I got my magic back from Lily."
"Love?" Regina said with a soft smile.
Emma nodded and stopped her movement's on Regina's skin and sat up. "I absolutely adore you, Gina, and you know I do."
Regina's smiled looked like it couldn't get any bigger. She reached out and gently threaded her fingers through Emma's hair before pulling her forward and kissing her gently.
"I know," she confirmed. "I adore you too." She pulled back and swallowed. "I must admit, I started to panic too when you weren't getting up and we couldn't pull the shield down. Mal and I tried separately and then again by combining our magic, but nothing would shift it. Your magic is incredible."
"Even when I don't wield it," Emma sighed. "I still can't believe it all. Snow's dead and Lily's insane. I don't know if I did the right thing by trapping her in the hat."
"I think you did," Regina revealed. "The only way to put her out of her misery would have been to kill her or push her over the town line. Both of them, I think, would have had the same outcome. It's like you said, she had the reaction to being without magic. Being in the Land Without Magic would have intensified it as there wouldn't have been any magic in the air."
Emma sighed again. "I suppose. I know there was no saving her after that, but I didn't want to kill her. Even after everything, she's the oldest friend I have and my sister. You could never kill Zelena despite all the fights."
"I wanted to," Regina reminded her. "I still do when she annoys me." She chuckled to show she was joking.
"But the hat–"
"It's already done," Regina said, cutting her off, her voice gentle but final. "There's nothing you can do to change it and it's the best of all the options you had, I think. If she hadn't reacted to that, she'd have been locked under the library for punishment and the town's safety if we chose not to kick her out. If you have let out someone, we'll face them too as a team as we always do. We're a team, you and me. I never imagined that we would be when you first arrived in the town but now, I'm so grateful that Henry brought you back. You changed my life for the better."
Emma leant in and kissed Regina softly. "And you changed mine. I'm so in love with you, Regina."
"I'm so in love with you too, Emma," Regina said just as earnestly. "We can move forward from this and start fully living our lives and discuss the future. What do you think?"
"Maybe not tonight," Emma said with a soft chuckle. "I'm ready for some sleep."
The two shuffled down in the bed and Regina waved her hand to turn out the lamp. Emma returned to where she was snuggled into Regina's side and smiled when the brunette pressed a soft kiss to her head. Barely two minutes later, Emma's breathing evened and she fell asleep. Fortunately, this time it was blissful unconsciousness, with no signs of either "Ingrid" or of Merlin.