A/N: I feel like I have this conversation with you guys every few chapters and then I just do it again. Let's just agree that I'm a bad person and am no good at keeping up with my own life.

I do have a couple of explanations though. I spent a month with migraines every day, I couldn't get a word out of me (I couldn't even look at my computer) and that same month work pulled me into overtime for four weeks straight. Then I had a vacation to London with my sister and then the Christmas insanity happened. It all took...a lot...out of me emotionally. Not to mention that good ol' reliable seasonal depression.

I really am genuinely sorry it took me this long. But I'm here! You guys really do keep me going.

I hope you guys had a good Christmas and have an amazing new year xx

Enjoy the chapter! Please review!

"Aunt Ruby and Aunt Belle."

Amorie had told them who her godparents were an hour ago, and they just sat there, soaking in the information. They weren't opposed to their future selves' choice, of course not. Ruby and Belle had been there to support them through just about every speed bump (Or, well, baby bump) that they'd been through when Regina had gotten pregnant.

What had them sitting there in silence was the reality of it all crashing down on them. They knew it, just by looking at each other, that there was a very real possibility that they wouldn't come back from this. Sure, they'd faced countless foes, they'd battled Rumpelstiltskin a few times before too. But this felt different. He'd never had a whole kingdom under his rule, and he never had the help of whoever this Black Fairy was.

Emma felt it in her bones, this would be their biggest challenge yet. Regina didn't want to admit it, but she knew deep down that the blonde was right, even if Emma hadn't said anything yet.

"It...It does make sense." Emma finally spoke up.

"What does?" Regina asked numbly.

"Picking Ruby and Belle." Emma went on. "Especially...Especially with what Ruby told me."

"What did Ruby tell you?" Regina asked, her interest piqued, she looked over at her fiancée, who sighed and slumped back against the couch.

"Promise me you won't get upset." she said.

"Well is there something I need to get upset about?" Regina asked.

"I...don't know." Emma sighed. "What she told me has a little bit to do with...the past."

Regina raised her brow at her "You mean the curse?"

"Yeah." Emma nodded.

"Just tell me Emma." Regina said.

"Well...before the curse...When mom was pregnant with me...Ruby was...kinda meant to be my godmother." Emma dropped. Regina narrowed her eyes at her a little.

"Didn't she flirt with you a couple of times?"

"Regina, don't make this weirder than it has to be." Emma sighed. "That's the reason she was really excited to be my maid of honor."

"I see…" Regina nodded.

"Yeah." Emma bit her lip. "So, what do you think?"

"About what?"

"Ruby and Belle being Amorie's godparents." Emma asked.

"Who are we to question our future selves' choice?" Regina asked. "I doubt we took that decision lightly."

"Yeah." Emma nodded. "Should we, like, invite them to dinner or something to ask?"

"I don't think we have the time, dear." Regina sighed.

"Okay...I'll tell Ruby tomorrow." Emma said. Regina looked off, not really focusing on anything and clearly stuck in her own mind for a moment before she looked back up at Emma, who looked at her with a curious brow raised.

"Actually." The former queen began. "Let me do it."

"Oh...kay." Emma said. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"That's alright." Regina said, leaning over and kissing Emma's lips softly. "I got this."

Emma smirked. "You always got it."

"I've trained you well." Regina teased as she got up. "Now come on, let's get dinner ready."

"Right behind you, babe."

The next morning, Regina walked into the mostly-empty diner bright and early to find Ruby nursing a coffee at the counter.

"Good morning." she said, nearly startling the younger brunette.

"Shhhhhhhhhh." the werewolf shushed, picking up her coffee mug and chugging the rest of the warm drink down. She took a deep breath and let out a contented sigh and then turned to face Regina, turning her palms up and her hands in her direction. "Now you may speak."

"Good morning." Regina repeated, trying not to let her amusement at the younger woman's antics show.

"Good morning, Regina." Ruby said with a smirk.

"Long night?"

"Belle is into more things than I thought possible." Ruby grinned. "I might be in love."

"Well you did just find out you'll be together for the next twenty years, I wouldn't blame you." Regina said, sitting up on a stool beside Ruby. "I need to talk to you about something. It's rather important."

"For the last time, I'm not cutting Emma off of her bear claws and grilled cheese sandwiches." Ruby said. "You should accept your fiancée for who she is and what she eats. Junk food, and you."

"That was wildly inappropriate." Regina quipped.

"I'm in a good mood, what did you expect?" Ruby shrugged. "So, what's up?"

"Two things, actually. But they tie together." Regina cleared her throat and pushed her hair out of her eyes. "I had a talk with Emma yesterday, she told me what you told her when she asked you to be her maid of honor."

"About you being hot or…" Ruby trailed off.

"No." Regina rolled her eyes. "I know you think I'm hot, Ruby, the amount of times I've caught you staring at my ass before the curse broke was just downright ridiculous."

"Your ass is downright ridiculous." Ruby crossed her arms. "And if you caught me, why did you never say anything?"

"I liked the attention." Regina shrugged. "I believe we're getting side tracked."

"I believe you're right. Go on." Ruby nodded.

"I meant what you told Emma about." she bit her lip. "How you were meant to be her godmother. And how I inadvertently ruined that for you."

"Oh." Ruby deflated. "Regina, I don't-"

"I know." Regina nodded. "I know you don't hold it against me. I know there were things in the enchanted forest you were glad you forgot, at least for a short amount of time. But I'm still going to apologise. I took something away from you that wasn't mine to take. And I don't understand how so many people have it in them to forgive me, but I'm sorry, Ruby. Emma...even with how happy we are together I still look back and think that she would have had the best childhood a girl could have, if only I'd kept my emotions in check."

"If you didn't, I wouldn't have Belle. You wouldn't have Henry or Amorie. You wouldn't have Emma in your life like you do now...Hell, Regina, we don't even know if we would have had Emma at all."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked.

"Think about it. Snow only met David because she robbed him. She wouldn't have done that if you hadn't sworn revenge on her and forced her to go on the run. For all we know she would have ended up being married to some fuck-boy prince and we definitely wouldn't have had Emma." Ruby said. "The getting here might have been a little fucked up, Regina, but your actions lead to it. Also, indoor plumbing. I can't thank you enough for the indoor plumbing."

"You're welcome?" Regina shrugged.

"In case you were wondering, I do forgive you for everything." Ruby said.

"Thank you." the former queen sighed. "But...there's still something I would like to ask of you, and hopefully it will make up for my past."

"Okay…" Ruby furrowed her brow curiously. Regina worried her lip between her teeth for a moment before she took a deep breath.

"Would you be Amorie's godmother?"

Ruby's eyes went wide, her arms dropping into her lap limply.

"W-what?" she stammered.

"Emma and I would like you to be Amorie's godmother." Regina explained. "You and Belle. You both were big supporters when it came to me and Emma getting together. There's a very short list of people I trust in this world, Ruby...but you two are somewhere at the top, right behind Emma and our children. You're a part of our family even if we have no blood shared between us. Besides, if anyone's going to teach my daughter how to drink tequila, I'd rather it be someone who can drive her home safely afterwards...and if something ever happens to us, I want to know that there is someone who is as protective about her loved ones as I am to watch over her. That's you...So, what do you say?"

"I...uhm…" Ruby's lower lip quivered, and she bit down on it hard to try and keep it together.

"Ruby…" Regina said in a gentle voice. Tears spilled out of the younger girl's eyes and she let out a small hiccup before she swiftly got up off of her stool and wrapped her arms tightly around Regina in a hug. "Oh."

The former queen gently wrapped her arms around the werewolf and hugged her back, holding on to her for as long as the younger brunette needed to.

"Thank you." Ruby said.

"Is that a yes, then?" Regina asked with a small smile.

"Absolutely." Ruby chuckled tearfully. She pulled back and wiped at her eyes. "I promise, I'll be the best goddamn godmother ever."

"I never doubted it for a second." Regina smiled at her. "But it is going to come with some responsibility."

"Of course." Ruby nodded.

"With what's going on, Amorie coming from the future and everything…" Regina began. "We need to go to the future with her."

"Don't you mean back-"

"Pick a new joke." Regina cut her off, Ruby chuckling in amusement as she rolled her eyes. "Obviously, we need someone to take care of Amorie and Henry while we're gone. Snow's already promised to help but…"

"But what?" Ruby asked, worry seeping into her expression.

"It's dangerous." Regina said. "We don't know what we're up against and...We don't know if we're coming back."

"Regina...of...of course you're coming back." Ruby said. The older woman shook her head.

"There's a very real possibility that something could go wrong, Ruby." she said. "As much as I'd love to ignore that possibility, doing so would just be irresponsible. We need you and Belle to be ready for it too."

Ruby gritted her teeth and nodded stiffly. "We will be. We have your backs."

"You always have." Regina smiled at her as she got up off her stool. "I can't thank you enough."

"Just promise me one thing?" Ruby asked.

"What's that?"

"Do your damndest to get back to your family." Ruby said. "It's not just your kids that will be destroyed if you're gone."

Regina gave her a smile, leaning over and pulled Ruby into a gentle hug. "I promise."

"Thank you."

"So she took it okay then?" Emma asked for the fifth time as they walked up the stairs to her mother's apartment.

"She cried on me Emma. She was elated." Regina said, smiling at the baby version of her daughter, speaking to her in a childish voice. "You're gonna have a puppy for a godmother."

"Well she did let me ride on her back once. It was fun." Adult Amorie shrugged.

"What?" Regina asked.

"And I just remembered I wasn't supposed to tell you that. Whoops." Amorie said.

"Mmhm." Regina hummed disapprovingly.

"So did you tell them we're leaving today?" Emma asked.

"They'll be here soon too." Regina nodded as they knocked on Snow's door, which opened a second later.

"Hey guys." Snow smiled at them, getting a hug from her daughter.

"Hey mom, hey dad." Emma said, going over and giving David a hug too as Snow turned to Regina

"Do you want to hug the baby or the adult version?" Regina asked as she held baby Amorie out to her.

"I'll take the baby one." Snow said taking the happy toddler in her arms and cuddling her a little. "Neil is in that stage where he's more focused on his career as a dinosaur corraler than hugging his mama. I could use some baby love."

"See I didn't have that phase because mine was horses and Mom just...took me horse riding." Amorie shrugged.

"I'm so proud of you." Regina said with a smile.

"Can we get on with this? I'm...kind of itching to go back." Amorie said with a nervous smile.

"Yeah." Emma nodded. "You okay?"

"I'm fine it's just...you know...not every day you leave your life behind to jump 20 years into the past." she shrugged. "There's people there that...you haven't...met yet."

"It's okay." Regina said. "We'll be there soon."

Amorie nodded and turned to who so far had been quiet and gnawing the life out of his lip nervously. "Hey, big brother."

"Huh? Hey." he said. She wrapped an arm around him and pulled him into her side.

"What's eatin' you?" she asked.

"I'm just...nervous." he said.

"You and me both. What's up?" she asked.

"I just...I don't know." He sighed, flipping the big empty storybook in his hands. He'd kept it when they discovered them in the author's mansion, with the hopes of helping his mother find the author and get her happy ending, but that ended up happening naturally and he just put it in his bookcase to gather dust until he figured out what to do with it. When it was time for him to write them into the future, he figured this would be the best book to use. He sighed. "I could mess this up so badly, so easily."

"You won't." Amorie said. "I believe in you."

"But what if I accidentally do something and you leave your arm behind!" he panicked.

"This isn't apparition in Harry Potter." she said. "That can only happen if you specifically write that it happens...please don't do that."

"I won't." he said, his shoulders slumping. "I just still can't believe I'll grow up to be the author."

Amorie, who was slightly taller at this age when Henry hadn't grown as tall as he was in her time just yet, leaned down and pressed a kiss to his head. "You've got twenty years to figure it out, and when it does happen, you're a lot older and a lot wiser. You'll do a fantastic job, trust me."

"Thanks." he smiled up at her.

"Consider it pay-back for all the great advice you'll give me growing up. And...that time you punched out a boy for breaking my heart." Amorie shrugged. "You're the best big brother ever."

"I punched a kid?" Henry looked at her wide eyed.

"He was a little shit." Amorie shrugged. "Tried to act all tough and punched you first."

"Oh." he smirked at her. "Did he come out worse?"

"You didn't even have a scratch on you." She said and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Stop it." He waved her off. "Come on little sis, lets get you back to your own time huh?"

"Are we late?" Ruby rushed in, Belle right behind her.

"No, we're still here." Emma said.

"Move, dog!" Zelena pushed Ruby out of the way and rushed over to adult Amorie to hug her.

"Aunt Zee!" Amorie whined as her aunt all but crushed her.

"You're a very smart beautiful young lady and I'm glad I got a glimpse of how amazing it's going to be getting to watch you grow up." she said.

"I no longer feel bad about that one time I puked on you." Amorie complained.

"Green is her colour." Emma shrugged, dodging just in time to miss Zelena's back-kick.

"Hey greenie! Lemme hug my goddamn god-daughter!" Ruby said.

"Wait your turn!"

"Oh my god." Amorie sighed.

"Wait, god-daughter?!" Snow looked rapidly between Ruby and Emma and Regina. "What?"

"I knew I forgot something." Regina sighed. "We finally picked the godparents."

"Ruby?" Snow beamed. "Who else?"

"Belle." Emma shrugged. "It makes sense since they're-"

A hand suddenly came over her mouth.

"We haven't told her yet." Ruby whispered to her, giving a big smile to snow. "Since we're really close."

"Really close." Belle smirked, turning to amorie who had just been released by her aunt. "Come here you!"

"Aunt Belle!" Amorie whined again as she got wrapped up in another hug. "Baby me is literally right over there."

"And I'll enjoy every moment watching her grow up to be you." Belle said.

"Hey! I drove them home the night they conceived her let me have my goddamn turn already!" Ruby said grumpily.

"Oh alright." Belle said, pressing a kiss to Amorie's head before literally shoving her into Ruby's arms to have the life squeezed out of her.

"Can't breathe."

"Suck it up, I'm your godmother." Ruby said, not loosening her hug at all.

"You have been for twenty years." Amorie said. "Hence the tequila thing."

"I'm going to have so much fun doing that holy crap." Ruby let out a little excited squeal.

"Oh my god." Amorie sighed.

"Okay, please release my daughter." Regina said, taking baby Amorie from Snow.

"Fine." Ruby sighed before she let the adult version of her goddaughter go. She turned around to say something to Regina, but the former queen just handed baby Amorie to her and she lit up like a light bulb "Hello you beautiful tiny human you."

"Puppy!" the toddler said, reaching up and grabbing Ruby's hair.

"...okay sure. I can be puppy." Ruby nodded.

"Now, you're sure you have all the details of-" Regina began and Snow held up a hand to shush her.

"I have everything." she said. "You sent me several emails with guides and tips and whatever the hell else practices you've adopted for motherhood - the only thing you've left out is some kind of weird ritual which requires animal sacrifices - which I would elect to ignore even if you did."

"If my daughter has so much as a hair missing from her head when I get home…" Regina began.

"May the gods have mercy on us all, because you won't. Yes yes, I know." Snow nodded.

"And you-" Regina turned around and pointed at Ruby and Belle. "Will regularly check on her, and Snow will show you the ropes of everything. If you're going to be her godparents, I want you ready to go at a moment's notice. Which means you need to know every detail about that there baby girl like the backs of your hands. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." they both answered nervously.

"Good." Regina turned to look at Emma. "Anything to add?"

Emma shrugged. "Sometimes when she can't sleep I sing to her."

"What?" Snow asked. Regina just smiled at Emma endearingly. "I didn't know you sing."

"I don't do it usually." Emma said, rolling her eyes at the wide stares she was getting from everyone. She stepped up to Ruby and Belle and gently took Amorie in her arms. "But she likes it, I sit in the rocking chair and sing to her. She doesn't usually care which song it is. Just make it soft and make sure she's warm and just...sing to her."

Baby Amorie grinned up at her mother, nuzzling into her neck and hugging her tightly, a response to the emotions she could feel within her blonde mother. Emma held onto her tightly for a moment and kissed her head.

"I promise we'll be back soon baby girl…" she whispered to her.

If anyone had been paying attention to the adult version of the child, they would have seen her wiping away a tear. But she managed to do it discreetly, thankful that the attention wasn't currently on her. Regina stepped up to Emma's side, wrapping one around the blonde's back and placing one gently on Amorie's.

"We love you baby girl." she said, kissing Amorie's head too, and the adult version of her had to bite her lip and stop herself from saying I love you too.

"We'll take good care of her." Ruby said. "And you guys will be back before we know it."

"Yes, we will." Regina nodded. "We promise."

They took another moment to hold on to their daughter before Emma sighed and moved to hand her to Ruby.

"We love you baby girl." Emma said.

"Wove you." Amorie repeated, getting another kiss on the head from each of her mothers before Emma turned to Henry.

"Kid…"

"I'll be good, I'll take care of Amorie, I'll listen to grandma and gramps and Ruby and Belle. I'll do my homework…" he turned to Regina. "And eat all my vegetables. I promise."

"And don't forget to change your damn underwear." Emma said. "Seriously you're fifteen, it's getting weird."

"Ma!" He whined as both his mothers stepped up and hugged him tightly, both giving him a kiss on the head.

"We'll take care of everything." David finally spoke up. "You two have nothing to worry about."

"In this time, anyway." Emma said. "We gotta kick ass and take names in the future."

"Yes." Regina said. "Thankfully kicking ass and taking names is something we both excel at, especially when we work together."

"Damn right." Emma said, throwing an arm over Regina's shoulders. "Ready to go show the future what we're made of?"

"I was born ready." Regina nodded, signalling to the adult Amorie to come closer and take her hand.

"We love you." Snow said.

"Good luck!" Belle said.

"Okay, here we go." Henry said, taking a deep breath and opening the blank storybook into the first page and writing into it.

And so the Saviour, the queen, and their (adult) daughter went to the future to save the enchanted forest.

Emma's hand had been gripping Regina's tightly, and Regina's had been doing the same with Amorie. Emma had prepared herself for the same slight nausea that came with magically transporting herself anywhere…

But nothing happened.

Emma opened her eyes to see the very confused faces of her friends and parents. She looked to the side to see Regina and Amorie each popping one eye open before opening the other and looking around in confusion.

"What happened?" Snow asked.

"Nothing." Emma said.

"Did you like...come back already?" Ruby asked.

"We didn't go at all." Regina said.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be here if we did." Amorie said, turning to Henry. "It must not have worked."

"I don't know." He shrugged. "I wrote it into the book like you told me to. I don't know why it didn't work."

"Urgh!" Amorie sighed, releasing her mother's hand and running a frustrated hand through her hair. "Dammit! It should have worked!"

"Woah, hey." Emma said, stepping up to her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, we'll get there."

"You calm down!" Amorie said. "You're not the one who's dying to get back home to her family - all of her family and my fiancée!"

"Fiancée?!" Both Emma and Regina exclaimed in shock.

"Yes!" Amorie said before she deflated when she realised what she'd said. "Oh...Uhh...Whoops?"

"Whoops is right." Regina crossed her arms. "Who is this man? He better be-"

"It's not a man." Amorie said.

"Oh." Regina rolled her eyes. "Well she better be good to you!"

"Meg's fantastic, actually. You love her." Amorie shrugged. "Or at least you will when you finally meet her. Can we focus now?"

"We're not done talking about this Meg person." Regina said, turning to Emma. "What do you think?"

"I think I need to have a talk with this Meg chick and make sure-"

"Focus!" Amorie groaned. "She means about us not going to the future when we should have!"

"Oh." Emma deflated. "I have no idea."

"Maybe you should talk to Isadora?" Snow suggested. "Maybe she knows what went wrong."

"Don't see any other options." Emma shrugged.

"Let's go." Regina said. "The sooner we figure this out, the sooner we can go."

"You mean…" David chuckled. "Back to the f-"

"Oh my god." Amorie rolled her eyes and turned to leave the apartment. Regina turned to Ruby who was still holding baby Amorie and kissed the baby on the head.

"Would you watch her?"

"Of course." Ruby nodded.

"Let's go, before Marty McFly steals my car." Emma said, getting a laugh from David as she and Regina left the apartment after their daughter.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think and as always, if you'd like to show your thanks in another way beyond reviewing, you can donate to my ko-fi page /bluehoneybee. I'm currently trying to fund a new laptop that will hopefully make writing a less daunting task (my current one still works but barely and poorly.)

Thanks and have a good New Year xx