Disclaimer: Still not my characters.

A/N: This is it. Well, almost. There's going to be an epilogue ... but other than that, we're done. :) Thank you all for your love and support for this story.

Regina groaned low in her throat as Emma's hand worked its way under the shirt she had just managed to button up, and cupped her lace-covered breasts. "Emma," she breathed. "We have to stop. We're supposed to meet your parents for breakfast."

"Don't want to," Emma replied against Regina's throat before going back to her nibbling, moving from the base of the throat up to Regina's jaw. Her fingers moved out from under Regina's shirt but only to start unbuttoning it again with nimble fingers, trying to get Regina naked again, which should be easy enough given that the shirt was all she had managed to put on before Emma had accosted her — still naked herself — in the middle of the bedroom.

Regina swallowed, trying to combat the arousal running through her system. Still, her hands moved into Emma's hair and she pulled her face up, so they could kiss. Regina meant for the kiss to be calming, relaxing but it quickly turned into a hot, open-mouthed affair that had both of them moaning and pressing into each other, hands clenching and unclenching rhythmically.

Regina had no idea how much more she could take. They'd already made love through most of the night, invigorated by the effects of the regeneration potion she had added to their bath in a generous amount. Her body should be utterly sated but it reacted to their kiss and to Emma's insistent fingers with heat and returning wetness between her thighs, rendering the shower she had just taken utterly useless.

Both women were startled out of their increasingly passionate embrace by a knock on the door. "Moms?" Henry called out. "Are you ready? We need to go!"

Regina swallowed a few times as she swiftly removed the silencing spell and unlocked the door to open it a couple of inches. "Good morning, dear," she said with what she hoped was a convincingly relaxed smile, holding her shirt closed with one hand at the collar as if Henry could see through the solid wood of the door. "What time is it?"

Henry cocked his head. "It's late," he replied with a questioning look. "We should already be on the way. Come on!"

"Oh, is it that late already?" Regina had no idea what to say or do, torn between what she should do and what she wanted.

"Hey, kid," Emma said from behind the door as she pressed close to Regina. "Why don't you run ahead and let Snow and David know that we're running a little late this morning?" She ran a finger down Regina's spine and smiled when a shiver followed the move.

"Yes, dear," Regina agreed as nonchalantly as she could with Emma's fingers drawing patterns on her shirt. "I think Emma's right … we didn't sleep well last night and completely missed the alarm this morning." Both statements were technically true but there was still a part of Regina that felt bad for lying to her son.

"Oh." Henry said. "Are you two all right?"

"Yes, we're both fine," Regina replied, maybe a little too quickly. "Just a little tired."

"Well, I guess heroes deserve to sleep in after evil is vanquished." Henry grinned. "I'll tell them you'll be late." He turned and scampered down the hallway and towards the stairs before Regina could say anything else.

"Thank you, Henry," Regina called after him. "We won't be long."

As soon as Regina had closed the door, Emma pressed her against the wood with the weight of her whole body, connecting them head to toe. She groaned at the contact of skin on skin.

"Is this just because you want to avoid your mother?" Regina asked slightly breathlessly, equally affected by their closeness. "You were the one who—"

"It's not about them," Emma mumbled against Regina's chin, then worked her way lower. "This is about me wanting you," she added against her breastbone. "About not being able to get enough of you," against a belly button. "About loving you," against a lace-covered mound. She really couldn't help herself. It was as if something inside of her was drawn to Regina even more than usual. The pull was almost irresistible, maybe even magical.

"You're insatiable," Regina complained but her voice was shaky and scratchy, the way it got when she was feeling too much. She just wasn't sure if she could take another orgasm at Emma's hands or mouth.

"Not my fault that you underestimated the effect of your potion," Emma replied, her breath driving Regina crazy and making her tremble.

"Emma," she moaned when Emma breathed on her sex again just to see if she could get a repeat of Regina's reaction. "Please," she begged although she wasn't sure what it was that she wanted.

Emma smiled against the scrap of black lace that was getting warmer by the second. "Allow me," she asked, looking up to meet Regina's eyes and seeing the hesitation in them. "Henry is already letting them know we're running a little late. Why not make good use of the extra time we have?"

Regina snorted as she imagined Snow's reaction when Henry told them that his mothers would be coming whenever they felt like actually making it out of the house. She met Emma's bright eyes, and felt herself nod before she even thought about it.

Emma grinned and hooked her fingers in the thin, lacy waistband of Regina's panties.

o o o

Snow checked her watch, then played with her tea cup before checking her watch again. She felt queasy with nerves and just needed to do something with her hands.

"Relax," David whispered, stilling her hand with his. "We got here early." Because you couldn't wait to get here.

They were supposed to meet Regina and Emma for a late breakfast — the late part had been a condition of Emma's when she had talked to David on the phone the night before to let him know that Regina was okay and that the box was gone — and Emma had only agreed to the meeting at all because her father had assured her that Snow was now completely back to normal.

"Regina is the one who's always punctual," Snow pointed out. "She used to complain that I never got anywhere on time ... And us being here before them ..." She turned to David. "Do you think something happened to them?"

He raised an eyebrow.

"Something else," Snow amended. "A car accident maybe or—"

"Snow, relax," Ruby said calmly as she refilled David's coffee. "When I dropped Henry off at the mansion last night, they both looked totally exhausted." Also sated and happy and they were giving off enough pheromones to drive my hormones nearly into overdrive. "They probably slept right through their alarm."

"Exactly," David chimed in.

"I'm going to call Emma," Snow declared.

"Snow, no!" Both Ruby and David exclaimed, the latter plucking Snow's phone from her hands with a quick move.

Ruby leaned over the table, as close to Snow as she could get. "I'm guessing you're impatient because you want to start your apologies and, you know, talk to Emma and Regina," she said intently. "I get that. But believe me when I say you do not want to disturb them until they're ready. They deserve to be late for breakfast after everything they've been through, Snow. I'm pretty sure they're going to show up when they're good and ready, so calm your t— horses and have some more tea."

Ruby didn't think it wise to mention that she assumed that Emma and Regina probably got lost in each other's arms just as much as Morpheus's, if the looks they had shared the night before were any indication. They either banged each other all night and are still sleeping, or they fell asleep last night and are banging now, she mused. At least that's what my wolf says. Either way, she assumed calling them would be quite detrimental to Snow's health.

"Fine," Snow sighed with a frown.

The door dinged and Henry walked in. Alone. He looked around, then ambled over to his grandparents, but his progress was a lot less enthusiastic than normal. He still wasn't sure how to be around the grandmother he loved bt who had also usd him to try and kill his mother. "Hey," he greeted them, mostly looking at David.

"Oh, Henry," Snow blubbered as soon as he was within range. "Oh, Henry, I'm so sorry." She tried to get up to hug him, but David saw Henry tense and held Snow back. Surprisingly enough, Snow sat back down without a word.

Henry gave David a small smile. It wasn't that he didn't know that it wasn't really Snow who had shot his mom … but that didn't mean he wanted to be hugged right then.

"Where are your mothers?" David asked to take the tension out of the moment.

"Oh, they're coming," Henry said easily, looking surprised when Ruby snorted loudly, causing his grandparents to stare at her. "Soon," he added, a little confused.

Ruby burst out laughing, her imagination running off to wonder just how unconsciously accurate he might be about his parents.

o o o

"Pleasepleasepleaseplease," Regina unconsciously chanted in an endless, breathless stream of syllables, urging Emma to intensify her attentions on Regina's clit.

Emma grinned against the slick, heated folds as her tongue skimmed along the surfaces and creases, flicked against the small hood, and spelled out words of love and desire. She drew light, tight circles around Regina's clit, coaxing forth a loud, breathless moan of pleasure. She felt Regina's thighs beginning to shake and knew she couldn't draw this out indefinitely, no matter how much she wanted to. She withdrew her mouth and looked up to meet Regina's eyes.

"Don't stop," Regina panted, expression almost desperate. She had been so, so close, close enough for the heady feeling in her lower belly to start and slwoly spread. "Don't ... Why ... Please ..."

"I love it when I make you incoherent," Emma whispered reverently. Then she entered Regina with a swift, carefully rough push of two fingers and put her mouth back to better use.

That was all it took.

"Emm—aaaaah," Regina screamed her name, the end turning into a drawn-out moan that was without a doubt the most erotic sound Emma had ever heard Regina make, and that was saying something. It was almost enough to make her follow right over the edge.

"Jesus, you're amazing," Emma groaned, looking up and watching Regina's face as the aftershocks ran through the other woman. "I love you so freaking much."

Regina hummed low in her throat, trying to get her limbs to answer to her brain's commands again but everything felt like jelly. When she could finally move, she pulled Emma up — in a wholly uncoordinated maneuver that would have her ashamed at any other time — and kissed her with every ounce of feeling she could muster. "You're remarkably good at that," she husked as her hand ran over Emma's body with intent. "It's a good thing you never managed to get dressed in the first place."

Emma grinned even as she moaned when Regina palmed her ass and pulled her sharply against the thigh pressed between her legs. "Shouldn't we get … ready?" she asked teasingly, happy to forget about breakfast with her parents for another half hour.

"Well, I guess you're right," Regina called Emma's bluff and let go of her, pushing her away with a light shove. "We really should … and thanks to you, I'll have to take another shower."

Emma's pout was so adorable that Regina couldn't have stopped her smile had she wanted to. She pressed a kiss to Emma's nose, then sauntered in the direction of the bathroom. At the door, she turned around, only to see Emma still standing at the door looking like a lost puppy.

Regina smirked. "Well, are you coming or not, Ms. Swan?"

Emma was by her side in an instant. "Oh, yeah."

o o o

Snow spotted them long before they even got inside the diner. She had looked up by chance and her eyes had fallen on the two women walking across the street, hand in hand, shoulders close together, talking quietly. Smiling, glowing, radiant, looking like two people in love.

So that's what everybody was talking about, Snow thought, and she had to admit that David and Neal and Ruby had been right. Well, there's no doubt that Regina makes Emma happy. She couldn't remember ever seeing Emma smile that way at anybody and she felt a pang of anger and pain in her heart at the realization. My greatest enemy is in my daughter's happiness … and also my savior. This is going to take some getting used to.

David spotted Regina and Emma shortly after Snow did, and leaned close to his wife. "It's fitting, isn't it?" he whispered. "The Savior and the reformed Evil Queen?"

Snow turned her head to stare at David, the words taking a long moment to register fully. Finally, just as Regina and Emma entered the diner, she nodded with a smile. "They do fit."

Snow watched Regina walk closer. The thought that this woman, her former nemesis, saved her with a kiss that proved there was still some love inside her for Snow, was mind-boggling to her, but it also made her want to giggle with glee. She had always hoped, prayed, and just plain assumed that Regina hadn't hated her all that much because if she had … I'd be dead now, Snow thought with a gleeful smile.

"Well, look who's back to her annoyingly positive disposition," Regina commented dryly when she saw Snow's broad smile.

"Pfft," Snow returned. "You love me. We all saw it, so don't even bother denying it."

Regina sighed, a deeply aggravated sound, as she slid into the booth. "I should have let you be consumed by the darkness," she muttered. "If you're going to be irritating about it …"

"Why didn't you?" Snow was suddenly serious. "I hurt you … I almost killed you."

"Wasn't the first time," Regina replied mildly. "Maybe I wanted to give you a chance for a next time." She picked up the menu and studied it intently, ignoring Snow's and Emma's looks. When nobody said anything for long moments, she looked up. "What?"

"You know," Snow said slowly, "I always had the feeling you didn't hate me as much as everyone thought you did, but to have evidence that you actually still love m—"

"Loved."

"Loved me at some point in our lives …"

"For about five minutes when you were a child, before you decided that I need a mother and betrayed my secret." Surprisingly, Regina's voice was still mild, if a little acerbic. "I had to dig deep to get to that memory of love."

"How did you even manage that?" David asked, more for Snow's information than his own.

"You helped," Regina replied. "You and Henry and Emma … feeding me light magic and love, not letting me succumb to the darkness and the hate." She turned to Emma with a smile. "It also helped a lot that Snow is Emma's mother, that she gave me my true love." She laced her fingers with Emma's.

"She took away one happy ending," Emma whispered with a bright smile, "and then gave you a new one."

"Yes." Regina's voice didn't rise above a whisper either. Together, she and Emma then turned to Snow, their intertwined hands resting ostentatiously on the tabletop, their eyes challenging her to say something disparaging.

Snow simply returned their look with a smile and a raised eyebrow of her own. "You look good together," she commented. "I'm happy for you."

"No problems with us?" Emma asked dryly. "No but Neal is your true love?"

"I told you she's back to normal," David reminded Emma, always ready to defend his wife.

"I know," Emma huffed. "I just didn't know how the normal Snow would react to us … I thought the whole thing with Neal was Snow being normal."

"You were quite adamant about Neal being Emma's true love," Regina added.

"That insistence almost cost me Regina," Emma said. "It was the reason she left."

David and Snow looked at each other, then at Regina and Emma. "You were gone?"

The look of complete surprise on their faces broke the mounting tension as Regina and Emma broke out into laughter and the others followed. "See, I told you nobody would notice if I were truly gone," Regina told Emma.

"Henry and I noticed," Emma reminded her.

"After a week."

"Five days."

"That's almost a week."

"Where did you go?" David asked.

Henry opened his mouth to reply, but Regina stopped him with a quick shake of her head. "That, my dear Charming, is going to remain a secret," she told David in no uncertain terms. "We don't want the whole clan to show up when we decide to go back for some quiet time."

"One could say you're a member of that clan," Snow insisted. "Now more than ever."

"Don't remind me …"

Emma snorted. She was finally beginning to feel like being on an even keel, sitting here with her mother and the rest of their highly dysfunctional, strange family. She squeezed Regina's hand, knowing full well that her girlfriend had only talked as much as she had to give Emma some time to get used to being in Snow's presence. "I think we should drop that particular subject," she said with a grin before facing her mother. "I'm glad you're okay, though."

"Thank you." Snow hesitated, unsure how to proceed. How do you apologize to your daughter for almost killing the love of her life? Snow tried to remember what Neal had told her the day before. "Listen, Emma … I'm really sorry for how I behaved," she started. "I know that it's going to be hard for you to forgive me but … the woman who tried to kill Regina really wasn't me. I never would have done it if it hadn't been for the wand."

"I know," Emma sighed.

A watery smile instantly bloomed on Snow's face. "Oh, Emma, I'm so gla—"

"But," Emma stopped her with one sharp word, "but it's still going to take some time for me to get over it. I know that you were under an evil influence but it was still you … your face, your finger that pulled the trigger on Regina." She had to clear her throat before being able to continue. "Can you understand that it's not quite so simple for me?"

"Emma," Regina whispered. "I survived."

"Barely," Emma growled. "And only because I could heal you with magic and kiss you awake."

"Using me to try and kill my mom was pretty low as well," Henry murmured. He had almost forgiven Snow after she had apologized and explained and pled for forgiveness over their shared breakfast, but he still needed to voice his feelings on the matter.

"Yes, it was … I know it was," Snow agreed readily. "And I'm so, so sorry." She turned to Emma and Regina. "I'll never be able to apologize enough for that, for everything. All I ask is that you give me a chance to prove to you both … to you three that that person was not the real me."

"Give it time," David said softly. "We're a family, we can get through this."

Emma stared at Snow for a long moment before finally acknowledging her father's words with a minute nod. Snow sighed in relief.

Regina pressed a kiss to Emma's shoulder. "We have all the time in the world."

"Yeah," Emma snorted. "Until the next big bad comes crawling out of some hole."

o o o

Ruby watched the tense mood between Emma and Snow. She was tempted several times to just walk over and step in, although she had no idea what she would have said or done.

The door dinged and Belle came in with a wide smile for Ruby that only got wider when she spotted the family reunion going on in the back booth. "Hello, my darling," she grinned after greeting Ruby with a chaste kiss. "How's that going?" she asked with a nod to the back table.

Ruby blushed and smiled almost bashfully, not yet so used to the shows of affection from Belle that she could just take them as nonchalantly as she wanted. It was a foreign feeling to her but one she thoroughly enjoyed. She couldn't stop herself from reaching out and curling a lock of Belle's hair around a finger. "Not exactly easy," she finally replied when she remembered that Belle had asked her a question.

"Ah … not exactly unexpected," Belle murmured. "They have some big things to deal with."

"At least Snow seems to have no problem with Regina and Emma as a couple now that she's back to being herself," Ruby whispered back. "And it's good to see my friend back the way I remember her …"

"Still, the things she did while under the influence of that wand will remain on people's minds," Belle pointed out. "Things can't just go back to the way they were, especially for her friends and family."

"But they can try … we can try."

"Yes, and we all should." Belle ran a hand down Ruby's arm. "I'm just glad that Regina took care of that ancient evil for good. She deserves a medal for all the good she's done for this town in the last week alone."

"Let's hope people will at least remember that she saved Snow White, if nothing else," Ruby said with a snort. "They have a tendency to forget that she does a world of good these days. Or they simply don't care …"

"Then we'll have to be the ones to remind them," Belle stated. "Because I plan on being her friend, and I hope she feels that way too." She grinned at Ruby. "If you had told me a year ago or even six months ago that I'd grow to really like that woman, I would have locked you up in my old cell."

"Yeah, I never thought I'd want to be her friend, but here we are." Ruby's smile turned into a cocky grin as she wiggled her eyebrows. "But I'd much rather be friendly with you, Ms. French," she said, making her voice as suggestive as she could

"Why, Ms. Lucas," Belle mock-gasped. "That sounds an awful lot like a proposition to me."

"Oh, good … means I did it right."

Their laughter drew Regina's attention. She leaned into Emma who was talking quietly to her parents — mostly David, though — and spoke directly into her ear. "Will you be okay here, dear?" She enjoyed the slight shiver her breath against Emma's ear caused in her lover. "I can see Belle is here, and I owe her a talk."

Emma unconsciously leaned closer into Regina until the words registered. "Uh … yeah, I'll let you out." She scooted out of the booth and held out a hand for Regina.

"Oh, chivalry at its finest," Regina commented, a soft expression on her face.

"Well, I am your knight," Emma said with a small blush. "Isn't this in my job description somewhere, my Queen?"

"I'll be sure to check the manual when we get home."

"Home?" There was a hopeful question in Emma's voice that couldn't be denied.

"Home, dear," Regina confirmed. "You're mistaken if you think I'll let you leave my side. You're moving in."

"I like that plan." Emma pressed a kiss to Regina's cheek, unwilling to do more in front of Snow, who she still didn't feel comfortable with. "Now go talk to Belle."

"Will you be okay with your parents?" Regina's question was barely audible.

Emma met Regina's eyes before leaning in close again, so she could whisper in her ear. "We'll be fine." Her tone made it clear that she meant it for more than just today. "I'll see you at home?"

Regina nodded and turned to go but then she got a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. With a side glance at Snow to make sure she was watching, she wrapped her fingers into the lapels of Emma's leather jacket and pulled her into a short, searing kiss. "See you at home, dear."

Emma stared dumbly at Regina's back for a long second before shaking off the effects of the kiss and sliding back into the booth with a dopey grin on her face.

I'm moving in with Regina.