I decided not to make you wait for the end. I'm on a roll and I figured I'd finish it out. It's going to go fast, but I've loved this story and I hope you have too. (also, minor character death. Sorry, I hadn't planned it, but my head went there)

Chapter 10

It had taken a while and therapy, but by the end of the summer, Regina was doing so much better after what happened. Sidney had been arrested, Henry had time added to his sentence, and the "Camp" had been shut down with Greg going to jail for all his past crimes. It took a lot, but eventually, Cora agreed to let Regina go back for her final year at Boston Academy for Girls. This time around, Emma and Regina requested to be roomed together and got their wish.

The year went by fast and by the time Regina graduated, she had fully healed from the mental trauma of what had happened to her. It had helped that she wrote her father a very long letter explaining the damage he'd done to her. For her, it felt like closure.

That summer, Regina and Emma were practically inseparable as it would be their last summer together before Regina went to Boston University and Emma went back for her senior year. They promised things would work out and both believed in their words. On the night before Regina had to leave, they lay together in Emma's bed as her parents were out for a date night.

"I can't believe how far we've come." Regina said, tracing patterns on Emma's chest. "I still can't believe you gave me so many chances. I was such a bitch."

Emma chuckled. "You kinda were. I was so close to just going home."

"I'm glad you didn't."

"Me too." Emma bit her lip and reached into her bedside drawer. "I wanna ask you something, Regina. We're too young for marriage, I know that, but I got you something." She handed Regina the small box. "It's a promise ring. It means that no matter what, I promise to be honest and true to you. I'll keep the lines of communication open and do my best to make us work. If you accept it, it means you promise the same."

Regina smiled and took the ring. "I swear it, Emma. Thank you."

Five years later and Regina hugged Emma as she graduated from the police academy, following her father's footsteps. Regina was in her fifth year of Law school with a minor in political science and a dream to be mayor one day. The two lived together in a small, but comfy apartment in Boston, but knew that once Regina was done with school, they'd be moving back to Storybrooke. Regina had one more year and Emma would train with the Boston P.D. during that time.

Mary, David, Zelena, and Cora each congratulated Emma as well and the group went and had a celebratory dinner. During the meal, Regina clinked her glass and stood up. "I just want to make a toast to the most amazing woman I know. Emma, you have been the best thing to ever happen to me and I am so proud of how far you've come. I always hoped we'd make it as long as we have, but there was always this seed of doubt simply because we were so young and neither of us has ever been with anyone else. I can tell you one hundred percent that I don't need to have been with anyone else to know that I want to be with you for the rest of my life." She got down on one knee and took Emma's hand. "Emma Ruth Ann Swan, will you make me the happiest woman and say you'll marry me?"

Emma blinked her tears and hugged Regina, pulling her into her lap. "Yes!" She said, over and over as she kissed her now fiancée. More celebrating happened and everyone in the room – family and strangers – had smiles for the couple.

After the hardest year in Regina's school career, she finally graduated with top honors. A month later, she and Emma were married. It was a small affair, but beautiful and perfect. The two were truly happy and everyone could see that.

The two rented a house in Storybrooke where Emma was quickly hired to work under her father (the mayor hired her, not her dad – as Emma would point out to anyone and everyone). However, a year into it and Emma was called out to a domestic where in the end, she had been shot in the side.

Regina was by her bedside the whole time and when Emma finally woke up, she started crying. "Emma, you scared me to death."

"I'm sorry." Emma said, genuinely hating that she worried Regina. "I didn't see it coming and my vest didn't go down that far."

"I know. It's not your fault I just…gods Emma, the thought of losing you. I knew the job was dangerous, but this made it so real."

Emma took Regina's hand. "If you want me to quit, I will. I'll do something else, Regina if that's what you want."

Regina blew her nose and leaned down to kiss Emma's forehead. "I couldn't ask you to quit."

"You're not asking me; I'm asking you if that's what you want."

"I…is there any way you could just do desk duty?"

"I'll ask."

"You don't mind?"

"I don't mind. I will do anything to make you happy."

"Will you carry a baby?"

"Yes…wait, what?" Emma asked, trying to sit up, but gasping from the pain. They had talked about having a baby, but Emma thought for sure Regina would want to be the one to carry it.

"I apparently have a hostile womb, Emma." Regina said sadly.

"Oh, I'm sorry, baby." Emma said, kissing Regina's hand.

"So, would you carry our baby?"

"Yes, on one condition."

"What's that?"

"We use your egg."

Regina smiled and couldn't stop her tears from flowing. "You're truly amazing."

Eight months later, Emma groaned as she came home and took her boots off. She waddled into the living room and sat on the chair, sighing in relief. She had a desk job at the station since literally no one liked to do paperwork and would sometimes do the speed traps since those were deemed safe from Regina, but ever since she started showing, it was all desk duty. She smiled softly as she rubbed her stomach, thinking about the future and the past.

"Hey baby." Regina said, coming in and kissing Emma's temple. "How are the little ones?"

"They hate me today." Emma said. They had found out they were having twins and while both mothers were scared, they were also excited. A 'one and done' pregnancy as Regina called it as she really only envisioned two children. Emma, on the other hand, knew she'd talk her wife into having more. She wanted a whole litter of them…well at least she did now. She may change her mind once the twins came.

"They don't hate you, they hate sharing their space inside you."

"Well, they only have three weeks to go so if they wanted to come out now, they could."

They didn't. They didn't even come out three weeks later. A lot of times, twins are born early, but these two weren't having it. They came two weeks late and Emma was more than ready. After about eighteen hours of labor, Jack David Mills and Kayleigh Cora Mills were nestled on Emma's chest as Regina took thousands of pictures. The kids were so loved by their mothers and their grandparents and Aunt and Emma couldn't wait to see the life they would have.

Emma smiled as she saw her littles come out of their first day of pre-school. They were almost four and, to her, perfect. Jack came and gave her a hug while Kayleigh was a bit slower to come over. "Uh oh. Is everything okay?"

Kayleigh sighed. "Mama, I didn't mean to be naughty." She said with fat tears in her eyes.

Emma looked at the teacher who gave a small smile. "Kayleigh had a bit of a hard time sharing today. She wasn't exactly naughty, but she did have some think time." Think time was when the teacher would sit a student at a table to think about their actions and how to correct them.

"Did you use that think time, honey?"

Kayleigh nodded. "I should have shared and not tooked the toy away. I tolded the girl I was sorry."

"Good. And next time, you'll make a better choice?"

"Yes, mommy."

"Good, then lets put that behind us." Emma said as she stood, rubbing her baby bump. She had gotten her way and they had decided to have another child. This one was with Emma's eggs as Regina hoped for a blonde hair, blue/green eyed baby this time around. Kayleigh and Jack both had dark hair and dark eyes and both looked a lot like Regina. Emma loved that, but part of her did want a child that maybe took a bit after her too. Again, they found out they were having twins and Emma couldn't have been more excited. Regina was a bit nervous as Emma's due date was a month before the elections for Mayor, but Emma assured her they'd be fine. After a long conversation, it was decided by both of them that if Regina won the election, she'd take leave from work and be a stay at home mom until all the kids were in school.

Maggie Ann Mills and Jacob James Mills were born a week early and were a bit smaller than what their siblings had been but were in perfect health. Both babies had blonde hair and Emma's eyes and both mothers instantly loved them. Kayleigh and Jack loved being older siblings and helping out with them and the family couldn't be happier.

Regina won the election by a land slide and Emma was more than happy to stay at home with the kids. Growing up, family was everything to her, so this just seemed so natural. Unfortunately, Emma's mother took a turn for the worse after the 'babies' turned two. Her cancer came back worse than it had been before and after a year of fighting, Mary decided it was time to enjoy what time she had left.

Emma was sitting by her mother's bed one night when Zelena and Cora had the kids and just watched her mother sleep. She had cried many tears and did her best to accept what was going to happen, but it wasn't easy. Mary opened her eyes and smiled at her daughter. "You should have woken me."

"I didn't want to; you looked so peaceful." Emma said, taking her hand. "How are you feeling?"

Mary sighed and reached up to stroke Emma's cheek. "I can feel it coming, Emma. I'm sorry I couldn't fight it this time."

"Don't you dare apologize. You've been amazing, mom. I wish I could take this from you."

"Why? Baby, you have four wonderful kids that need you. Even if you could take it, I wouldn't let you. Someone has to make sure they know that their grandma Mary always loved them."

Emma tried to fight her tears. "Mom, they will know. I swear to you, they'll know everything about their amazing grandmother." She laid next to her mother and spent the night there, not wanting to leave her.

Two days later, the call came and while Emma was expecting it, it hit her hard. She hung up from her dad and fell to the floor in her bedroom, curling up and trying to cry quietly. Regina had called Zelena who came over to watch the kids and she went to the room and laid by Emma, just holding her. "I'm being so selfish." Emma said, sniffing. "My dad is all alone."

"You're not and he's not. My mom went right over there. You just let it out, baby." Regina said, her own tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, my love."

"I didn't know it would hurt this bad. Regina, we have to make sure the kids always know about their grandmother."

"We will; I promise."

Emma was truly touched when, at her mother's funeral, so many people attended. She smiled and hugged her old classmates as Mal, Ruby, Kathryn, Lacey, Bell, Ashley, Melissa, and even Miss Blue had come to help support Emma through this. She had been afraid that the kids would maybe be a cause of annoyance as, at least the two-year old's really had no idea what was going on. Kayleigh and David, at six, understood a bit more, but they were still just kids. However, Maggie and Jacob seemed to understand that this was a sad occasion and they stayed close to their moms or David or Cora or Zelena. Maggie came over and lifted her arms for Emma to pick her up, so she did. "Hey Maggie. These are some friends of Mommy and Mama." She said and all the now women smiled.

"She is an Emma Junior for sure." Ruby said with a chuckle.

Emma smiled. "And our Kayleigh over there is a little Miss Regina. We even had to have a talk with her about not looking down on others who aren't as lucky as we are."

Mal smiled at the little one. "Well, Regina turned out pretty good, so I don't thin you really have to worry."

Emma looked over at her wife who was holding Jacob and talking to Miss Blue. "She's turned out amazing."

Kathryn smiled. "Your love story is honestly the best one I've ever heard."

That night after getting the kids to bed, Emma came down and cuddled with Regina on the sofa. It had been so hard to say goodbye to her mother, but after seeing what she went through, Emma was glad she wasn't in pain anymore. "Thank you for being my rock these last few weeks." She said, pulling a throw blanket over them.

"I'm your wife, my love, that's what I'm here for. You're my rock when I need it."

Emma smiled. "When you were fifteen and you saw me in the park with Lilly and you called me dog-girl, did you ever imagine our life would end up like this?"

Regina chuckled and wrapped her arms around her wife. "First, I'm so fucking sorry I ever called you that." She said and kissed Emma's temple. "And second, no, I never imagined I'd end up with you. Not because I thought I was better; even if that's how I acted, but because you were always classes above me, Emma, in the ways that it counts. I never in a million years thought you'd ever agree to date me, marry me, and have kids with me. I honestly felt for a long time like I'd never in a million years deserve you."

The answer surprised Emma and she tilted her head to look at her wife. "We may have been socially divided, Regina, but I'm so glad we ended up here."