Author's Note: All right, this is where it ends. I hope you enjoyed it - I know I did :)

Rumple ran his fingers over the flat side of the dagger, staring blankly into space.

"I still can't believe you made that … that thing," Neal said. His eyes were full of resentment.

"I know," Rumple murmured. "But you have to understand, I'm a coward. I always have been. I should never have let you go."

"Who did you kill?" Neal asked, grimacing as he pushed the words out.

"An old man called Zoso. He goaded me into it, and once it was done … well, I used the murder to keep myself alive. I was wrong to do that. I see that now."

A slender hand intertwined with his. Belle smiled up at him.

"There's still hope," she said. "I've done a lot of reading, and it is possible to put your soul back together. It won't be easy …"

"It would kill me," he said quietly. "The pain of it would kill me. Perhaps that's what the prophecy meant."

"I think you should try," said Neal. "Stop running from what you've done. Face it."

And Rumple knew, if it was what his son wanted, he would try. Perhaps he would even succeed.

A few days later, Regina sat at the table eating lunch with Henry, when a knock on the door startled her into dropping her fork. She turned to her son, taking one last look at him. Everything she had done – it was all worth it if it meant he was here, alive and safe.

That didn't change the fact that ever since they rescued him, she had been on edge, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When she opened the door, the other shoe dropped.

"Emma." Her voice was a whisper as she stared back at the other woman. She forced herself not to react, to stay calm and dignified. "I suppose you're here to arrest me."

Emma's lips twitched. "For what? Saving the world? If I was going to arrest you, I would have done it already. I came here to give you this."

She held out a roll of parchment. Regina couldn't quite keep her hands steady as she unrolled it and read what it said. She looked up in astonishment.

"A pardon?"

"Don't act so surprised. You just saved the lives of a dozen children and brought down one of the Ministry's most wanted criminals."

Regina raised an eyebrow. Emma sighed.

"Okay, okay. Snow pulled a few strings. She has … well, a lot more influence than you might think."

"She's Leopold White's daughter. Of course she has influence," said Regina. Ordinarily, she would complain about the Ministry and it's corruption, its tendency to judge people's worth based on their surname and blood status, and the fact that this was proof that a few words from the right – or wrong – person could set a truly dangerous criminal free or put an innocent behind bars. After all, even during their rescue mission, she had tried to use an unforgivable curse. Any number of witnesses could attest to that.

But it didn't seem like the time or the place to quibble over politics.

"I suppose I should thank you," she said. "And Snow. Tell her I said –"

"Tell her yourself," said Emma. "We're going to meet at the Leaky Cauldron in an hour, and you're invited."

Regina scoffed at that. "Ms. Swan, Henry and I are in the middle of lunch."

"Well, you've got an hour," said Emma. "Don't be late."

If anyone had told Regina a few months ago that she would be walking down Diagon Alley with Snow White, David Nolan, Emma Swan, and the son they shared, she would have told them to check themselves in to the psychiatric ward at Saint Mungo's. And yet here she was, smiling, feeling the happiest she had in years, hand-in-hand with her lover-turned-archenemy-turned-friend-turned-lover-again.

Wow. Things certainly were complicated between them, weren't they? But no more complicated than the new Daily Prophet headline: "INFAMOUS CRIMINAL REGINA MILLS' HEROIC ACTIONS EARN PARDON". More than one pair of eyes followed her as she walked down the street with her strange little family, but in that moment, none of them mattered. The only people who felt real to her were the ones who stood beside her.

"You should buy a new wand," Snow said. "You can do that now."

Regina found that she was less eager than she expected to re-enter the magical world, but a wand? That was certainly something she wouldn't say no to. As she walked into Ollivander's, she felt like a little girl walking up to the sorting hat again. Emma and the others waited outside, although she knew that they would have followed her into the shop if she hadn't hissed at them to let her do this alone. As she walked tentatively towards the counter, an old man with white hair emerged from behind the many shelves of wands.

"I wondered when I would be seeing you again, Ms. Mills," he said. "Apple and unicorn hair, 9 inches, slightly springy. Am I right?"

Regina nodded, surprised by how well he remembered.

"They'll have destroyed it, though?"

Again, she gave a nod. "That's why I'm here."

He smiled and pulled out a wand for her to try, made out of apple, just like her old one. But she had only held it for a moment before she cringed and put it down.

"I feel as if it's judging me," she said.

He nodded. "I suspected as much. Apple wands don't mesh well with dark magic. You aren't the same person you were at age eleven."

The next wand he gave her was cypress, and she liked the way that it felt in her hand, but when she gave it a wave, it sent an entire shelf of wands crashing down. He frowned and peered at her curiously.

"I thought … cypress wands favor the brave, those who would willingly lay down their lives if necessary. But combined with dragon heartstring … it's a potent combination. Perhaps it would only bring out your destructive side. Let me see …"

His eyes lit up. He reached for another wand and placed it in her hand. The moment she held it she knew, and clearly Ollivander did, too. The warm glow that came over her was very much like what she had felt the first time she had held her old apple wand.

"Blackthorn and phoenix feather," said Ollivander, smiling. "The wand of a warrior. And, I would say, the wand of a resilient heart. The blackthorn bush bears the sweetest berries after the harshest winters, and guards them fiercely with its thorns. I would say the same is true of you, Ms. Mills."

"So, what now?" Snow asked, peering at Regina from across the table at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Well …" Regina shrugged. "I suppose nothing has really changed."

"Don't say that," said Emma, shaking her head. "Everything has changed. Everything."

Beneath the table, she reached for Regina's hand. Something about the gesture felt … right. And yet terrifying at the same time, because here they were in public, and anyone around them could be a gossip writer for the Daily Prophet, and as much as Regina wanted to move forward in her relationship with Emma, she didn't want to do it under the scrutiny of thousands of spectators.

"I know you have a life now, in the muggle world," said Snow. "And that's what you wanted all along, isn't it?"

Regina nodded thoughtfully. She wondered if the Ministry had known, when they banished her, that what might have been a fate worse than death to some wizards and witches was exactly what she had dreamed of as a wide-eyed teenager, listening to Daniel's stories about electricity and ballpoint pens. The real punishment had been losing Henry, if only temporarily.

"But if you did want to come back, I have an idea."

Regina raised an eyebrow, silently prompting her to continue.

"We're still looking for a muggle studies teacher at Hogwarts."

Regina let out a sharp laugh. "You can't be serious." But Snow clearly was. Emma smiled, and even David was looking at her expectantly.

"I don't even have an OWL in muggle studies," said Regina. "My mother would never have let me …"

"Regina, you lived in the muggle world for the past twelve years," said Emma. "I'm pretty sure you're qualified."

"Yes, well …" she had to admit that was true, but it didn't change the fact that ...

"I'm a murderer," she said. "I may have been pardoned, but that doesn't change the fact that no parent will want me anywhere near their children."

Snow sighed, and Emma shook her head. Giving Regina's hand a squeeze, she said, "I think you might be surprised. You did just save a bunch of kidnapped kids, and Malcolm Gold may be dead, but what happened has reminded a lot of people just how important their kids' safety is. And some of his cronies are still out there. Neal's fiancée – well, his ex now – and probably others. We don't know how dangerous they might be. In fact, we're sending Aurors to guard the castle, just in case."

"What she's trying to say," said Snow, "is that a lot of people would feel better, knowing that the woman who defeated Peter Pan is on our side. That's what Headmaster Midas said, anyway, when I talked to him about it."

Regina didn't reply. Too many conflicting thoughts were battling for dominance in her head.

"You should do it, Mom," Henry told her, looking up at her with big, hopeful eyes.

"At least say you'll think about it," said Snow.

Regina nodded. That, she could agree too. She took another sip of butterbeer, her fingers still intertwined with Emma's under the table. Then, with a sharp gasp, Snow grabbed David's arm and clutched at her stomach with her other hand.

"Snow?" he said in a worried tone. "Are you okay?"

"The baby's coming."

The baby was a healthy little girl who Snow held in her arms and rocked gently back and forth. She looked up at David, who stood beside her, bending down to see the baby.

"Emma," Snow whispered. "Our baby. Emma."

It was as if she couldn't quite get out a whole sentence, but David understood what she meant. The thought was like a punch in the gut. He had been hoping for a boy, to prove the prophecy wrong.

"Snow, we don't have to …"

"We have to tell her," she said, cutting him off. "No matter what we decide. She has to know."

He nodded. Of course. It was Emma's life, and she had a right to know, after all this time, who her parents were. Or might be. Whatever tense the confusion of time travel required.

"Do you remember the prophecy?" Snow asked. She smiled at Emma, but there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. Emma shrugged.

"All I asked was the baby's name," she said. "What, is it in the prophecy or something?"

"Just answer the question."

"All right," said Emma, nodding. She could play along. "There will be two: a reluctant savior and a queen by name, one surrounded by darkness and another who brings hope. They will fight, and both will fall, but belief will bring them together. Turn back the hourglass when the time is right, but in the end, the hourglass will shatter."

Snow's smile wavered as Emma recited the familiar prophecy. New pieces fell into place in Emma's mind. Belief – that was Henry! Before, she had thought of the line as a cruel jab at what they had been to each other before, but now she saw that it was Henry and his extraordinary belief that had brought them back together again. And the hourglass shattering had to mean Pan's hourglass, not the one she had hidden in the sock drawer back at her apartment.

"Turn back the hourglass when the time is right," said Snow. "I know you've wondered who your parents were, and why they would give you up. Did you ever think that maybe they knew about the prophecy? That maybe it was the only way?"

Snow's voice trembled as she spoke. Emma stared at her, wide-eyed. Then, her eyes drifted to the newborn baby in Snow's arms.

"You're not saying …"

Snow nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm your mother. At least, that's what Rumplestiltskin said."

Emma sat down beside Snow's hospital bed. She could barely process the information. Snow and David were her parents. If it wasn't for Rumple and his stupid prophecy, she could have grown up loved and wanted. Happy. But …

"You're going to send me back, aren't you?"

Snow didn't answer. Emma could see an answer in her face, and as tempting as it was, it wasn't possible.

"You have to," said Emma. "It's the only way. It's what's best for everyone." Because of course that was what mattered. A little voice inside Emma's head asked why she was always the one who had to suffer in order to be everyone else's savior. But she ignored that voice.

"I know," said Snow, her face crumpling. "But I wish …"

Emma nodded. She wished, too. But then a thought occurred to her, and in spite of it all, she had to smile.

"Henry wouldn't have been born, if you hadn't sent me back in time," she said. It was worth it for his sake, no matter what. "Hell, maybe I wouldn't have been born. Maybe Regina would have killed you both a decade ago. And I did find a family, eventually – one that wouldn't exist otherwise."

"I've always hated your parents," Snow muttered, seemingly ignoring what Emma had said. "I didn't see how they could abandon you, even if it was for the greater good."

"But you have to," Emma told her.

"Can you forgive me?"

Emma nodded and let her mother hug her. It was an awkward hug, and Emma wasn't much of a hugging person to begin with, but it wasn't bad, really.

As she turned and walked out of the room, she tried to ignore the tears trickling down her face.

Late that night, Emma turned up on Regina's doorstep in tears.

"Snow and David are my parents," she said, choking on the words. Regina's eyes widened, and she stepped aside for Emma to come in.

"Henry's asleep," she cautioned. "Can I get you anything? Cider?"

"I'd ask if you have anything stronger," said Emma. "But your cider is plenty strong."

Regina slipped out of the room and returned to find that Emma had made herself comfortable on the couch. Regina sat down beside her and poured them two glasses of apple cider.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I know this can't be easy for you."

"Why are you apologizing?" Emma asked. "It's not your fault."

Regina shook her head. As if she would give an empty apology, knowing perfectly well how useless they could be. "It is. You were sent back in time because of me – because of the prophecy about us."

"But it was my choice, in the end," said Emma. "She didn't want to do it. I could have asked her and she would change her mind, but it would have created a paradox, and people would have suffered …"

"You did the right thing," said Regina, scooting a little closer and wrapping her arm around Emma. "Of course you did. You're … unbelievably selfless."

Emma shook her head.

"Oh?" asked Regina. "You don't think so?"

"I did it for us," said Emma. "Not because of paradoxes or being the Savior." She spat the word out in disgust. "We wouldn't be together, and we definitely wouldn't have Henry. That's why. I don't want to be happy without either of you. So why does it hurt so much?"

Regina kissed Emma gently on the lips. When they parted, she said, "It's okay that it hurts. Of course it does. But now we move forward."

Emma smiled in spite of her tears. "I want that. To move forward. Together."

"So do I."

"Are you going to take the job?"

"Muggle studies? Probably," Regina admitted. "Henry wants me to, and being able to see him and be there for him … I can't say no to that. And besides, wizards could use some perspective on the muggle world."

Emma smiled. "I hoped you would. You remember I said we were sending Aurors to guard the castle?"

Regina nodded.

"I've volunteered to go. With Henry there … I couldn't leave his safety in other people's hands. So I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other."

Regina smiled and kissed her again. Her hands tangled in Emma's long blonde hair, and their lips crashed together with an insatiable hunger. She felt the other woman's tongue push its way into her mouth. It was all so familiar, and yet so new at the same time, and she realized she never wanted it to end.

"I love you," she whispered into Emma's ear. For a moment, her heart pounded, and terror raced through her. What if Emma didn't feel the same? But then she smiled.

"I love you, too," Emma said. "I always have."

"This is good, isn't it?" Regina asked, not quite sure why she needed the affirmation but sure that she did. "Everything we've been through, both of us. This is worth it – for us, for Henry."

"It is," Emma agreed. "It definitely is."

"So, what house do you think he'll be in?" Regina asked with a playful smile. "I'll bet you three sickles he's a Ravenclaw."

Emma laughed. All signs of tears had vanished. "Not a chance! The kid's a Gryffindor through and through."

"Then you'll take the bet?" Regina asked.

"Sure, why not?" said Emma. "Maybe we'll both be wrong. Maybe he's a Slytherin. Or a Hufflepuff."

"I just want him to be happy, whatever house he's in," said Regina.

Emma nodded in agreement, leaning back and taking another sip of apple cider. She smiled at Regina. One thing Regina was sure of: everything was about to change. But hopefully, that change would be for the better.

Authors Note: Also, just a quick note about the Ollivader's section: all the descriptions of wand woods (apple not mixing with dark magic, etc) come from Pottermore.