"You're going to combine all the realms?" Emma asked, staring at Regina with wide eyes.

Regina nodded, her hands already crackling with the restrained magic of the scroll clutched in her fingers. "I am. I think it's for the best. No more curses, no more being caught off-guard by people that exist…"

Emma wrinkled her nose at that. No amount of acceptance would take away the shock of discovering Les Miserables or The Avengers were real people.

But she knew Regina was right. For too long the realms had been separated, and too many people had gotten hurt in the process. Curse after curse, villain after villain…

And, Emma realized, it would actually allow the Storybrooke residents the ability to travel. No, they wouldn't be able to go to Disneyworld, or New York City, or Tallahassee, but they'd be able to get out of the tiny little town they'd called home for decades, without being ripped away from her again.

A happy beginning.

So it was cast, a piece of everyone's heart sacrificed in the process, from hero and reformed villain alike, and Storybrooke? Well, it got much, much more crowded.

Which meant that, for a few weeks, Emma and the other sheriffs were incredibly busy, registering the inhabitants of the respective realms, welcoming them, and making sure everyone was able to settle in. A transportation system had been drafted by several builders, and had been completed in a few days thanks to the various magic-users in the lands.

It was a little unnerving how quick everything seemed to fall into place, and before long, things had settled down into a routine.

A few months after the dust settled, Neal slapped a map down on the table after their daughter Audrey had left for school.

"What's this?" she questioned, sipping at her coffee.

"It's a map of the Realms," he said with that same love-sick puppy dog look on his face. "I thought you and I could go on vacation, just the two of us."

Huh. Now that was an idea. She couldn't remember the last time they'd had any sort of vacation alone. If it wasn't something at the school they needed to support Audrey with, it was some sort of villainous disaster waiting in Storybrooke, or they were cursed in Hyperion Heights, as a bitter, angry, divorced couple with a daughter caught between them.

They hadn't had time to just… be free.

"I suppose it would only be fair if Audrey got to choose who she stayed with, if we're bailing on her for a week or two," Emma said.

"Well, she is seventeen. It wouldn't be fair if she got stuck and grandma and grandpa's. A farm and a pawn shop don't seem to be all that hip with the teens," Neal replied with a grin.

"God, we're not that old, Neal," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"Emma, we're grandparents. I think it's time to pack it up on the young game."

"Oh? Then maybe we should spend our vacation looking at retirement homes, then," she said. "Since you're so convinced we no longer have our youth."

Neal's face went red. "Well, maybe we don't go that far, but - "

Emma laughed. "It's fine, Neal. I'll tell Philip I'm taking a couple weeks off. I'm sure he'll understand." It was rare for Emma to take a day off, so it might provide some relief in the office anyway.

Audrey had been understandably ecstatic about being away from her parents. Emma didn't understand the feeling, but as long as her daughter was happy, that was all she cared about.

What hadn't made her all that happy was when Audrey decided to stay with her boyfriend, rather than with a friend, Henry, or even one set of grandparents. But Emma and Neal had promised it would be anyone, so, with Audrey taken care of, the two of them were off on their great adventure.

"You said Arendelle first, right?" Neal asked.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be nice to see Elsa and Anna again."

"It has been quite a while since they crashed into Storybrooke. I wonder if Anna still sword fights. Might be fun to set up a match between her and your dad."

"I think dad would love that."

The snowy landscape of Arendelle gave way to the sparkling desert sands of Agrabah, where they caught up with Aladdin and Jasmine. From there, they traveled south to Camelot, where they were greeted with… a mixed welcome.

Lancelot, at least, welcomed them with open arms, and since he was the newly-crowned king, it seemed any dissenters kept their mouths shut.

They hadn't stayed more than a night before venturing to Oz to visit with Red and Dorothy.

Knowing that her mother could see Red more often made Emma happy. She knew it had been hard over the years, with only a mirror to talk through, and even that had only come five years after Red had left for Oz.

Then they made their way to Erik and Ariel's beachy kingdom.

"Think this makes up for us missing out on Tallahassee?" Neal questioned as they spread out on the beach for a picnic. It was every bit of a corny romantic movie, with the sun setting, the sky brilliant shades of pink and orange as the few rays left reflected off the water's low tide.

Emma laughed. "More than, considering the nearest beach to Tallahassee is two hours away."

"What?"

She shrugged. "I spent a couple years there after I got out of juvie. Thought you'd show."

He winced, scratching the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, Em. I didn't think you'd want to see me. Wasn't sure what August had been planning."

"It's okay. I understand," she said, reaching to take his free hand. "We found our way back to each other, and everything's worked out."

Neal smiled, squeezing her hand. "We found our way home."