It was warm out for fall and there was a beautiful breeze coming through the open window. Sitting at the desk in her study Regina was working on a few governmental things that she'd agreed to remain in charge of, soaking in the clean air and taking in lungs full of the wonderful scent that came along with it. Fall was her favorite time of year, so full of splendid colors and warm smells. It had been a long time since she'd been able to fully enjoy the season but now that things were good in her life, she was allowing herself to take pleasure from moments like this. The stillness, the peace, it felt wonderful. Reaching for another file full of documents, her quiet moment was shattered when she heard the most goulash noise coming from outside. The moment she heard it her head snapped up and she was over taken with the oddest sense of déjà vu. Jumping from her chair she went to her window and sure enough there stood Emma by her precious apple tree with a chain saw! Had Emma lost her mind! Regina practically ran through the house to the side door and then out to the back garden where her apple tree was now planted. "What the hell are you doing?"
In the time it took Regina to get from the window to where Emma was standing the blonde had switched out the chain saw, which she'd used just for dramatic effect to get Regina's attention, for a beautifully handmade wooden box that looked just like one of Regina's gleaming red apples. "Picking apples?"
"Emma!" Regina scolded, her dark eyes wide and confused. "Seriously, what the hell?"
Emma, who was wearing jeans and an apple red sweater because it was to chilly for a tank top this time, tossed the wooden apple in the air and caught it before explaining, "This was the moment when it all really got started. Right here with this tree, a chain saw, and you running from your window like an angry lioness, which was kind of hot by the way." She paused to smile at a baffled looking Regina. "This was the moment when I told you I was staying."
Regina crossed her arms and tried really hard not to smile. "Yes, I remember. That was a life time ago, Emma."
"It was." Emma agreed. "And it hasn't been an easy life lived but every moment, good, bad, and in between has been worth it."
Brown eyes lit up as Regina finally smiled. "Yes, it has."
"You know the apple has a really long history of romance." Emma said as she tossed the wooden apple in the air and it caught again. "I can see why you're so fond of them." She was smirking now. Regina had gone back to looking confused. "There's this one thing I read, about how in Ancient Greece throwing an apple at a woman was considered a marriage proposal." Emma's smile grew, her bright green eyes lit up. "Hey Regina, catch."
Regina had been a little perplexed when Emma started babbling about apples, still a little caught off guard by the blonde bringing up that moment in their past. When Emma brought up the Greeks and marriage her brain didn't even have time to soak in her meaning as she tossed the apple she'd been playing with at her. A soft yelp of surprise slipped past the brunette's lips as she reached out on instinct to catch the apple. The moment she held it in her hands she realized it wasn't an apple at all. "Emma?"
"Open it." Emma said softly as she moved closer to Regina.
It took a few moments for Regina, who's hands had started to tremble as her brain started catching up to what was happening, to open the wooden apple. Nestled inside was a beautiful diamond and pink sapphire ring, an apple blossom set in stones and platinum. Her dark eyes locked on the beautiful ring, to scared to look up and meet the gaze of the woman now standing in front of her. Her heart was pounding, racing, and she was pretty sure she'd forgotten how to breathe.
Reaching out Emma gently cupped Regina's face in her hands and slowly made her lover look up so she could look into Regina's eyes. "I told you that you didn't know what I was capable of." Emma said gently, "Your move."
"Yes." Regina said without hesitation. "Yes, Emma, of course I'll marry you."
Tears sprang to Emma's eyes as she slipped the ring from its apple box and onto Regina's hand before pulling Regina close and kissing her. Loud happy cheering erupted from the two children, and large black puppy, watching from Lucy's bedroom window. The two women were so lost in the moment and the kiss that they didn't really hear the kids excitement, but when Regina felt something tapping her on the shoulder she did end up pulling back from Emma. Hovering there was a black velvet box wrapped in rose pink magic. Finally looking up towards Henry and Lucy she spotted the latter twitching her fingers, tip of her tongue between her teeth and lips in concentration as she magically manipulated the box. Reaching out Regina took it with a soft chuckle, "Thank you darling!"
"What's that?" Emma asked as her eyes flickered back and forth between the box and Regina.
"I'm not the best when it comes to having patience in regards to having something I want." Regina said as she flicked open the box to revile a very simple and yet stunning princess cut diamond ring. "I was going to give you until the holidays and if you hadn't asked me, I was going to ask you."
Emma laughed with fresh tears in her eyes. "Because I'm the something you want?"
"Always." Regina said while slipping the ring onto Emma's hand.
Emma kissed Regina again and again there was loud cheering from the second floor widow.
Word spread quickly through the town and most people were happy for them. There were still a few holdouts, people still angry at Regina, still holding a grudge, but for the most part people were wishing them well. Their love was hard to deny since pretty much the whole town had witnessed true love's magic in the street outside Granny's diner, and with that kind of love between the Savior and the Queen, it didn't take long for people to start talking about this huge royal wedding, but Emma quickly put the breaks on that. The wedding would be simple and intimate, and no matter how much Snow tried to convince her that as a princess certain things were expected, Emma wouldn't give in. Regina understood both sides, and though she agreed with Emma as to what they wanted, she did manage to broker a compromise. They would have the simple wedding that she and Emma wanted, an open reception for the whole town, and if they ever got back to Fairytale Land they would have the balls to end all balls.
But planning even the simplest of weddings wasn't easy when you were planning one with Regina Mills. Simple, yes, but it still had to be perfect and that was starting to get to Emma a little. Flowers, cakes, colors, food, music, dresses, it was all a bit overwhelming for Emma. Sitting in the dressmaker's shop Emma sighed a long dramatic sigh that caused her hair to flutter. She'd already been there for over an hour having her own dress pinned and tacked, and now she was sitting through it while Lucy had hers done. The two of them shared a look, though Lucy's was far more excited than Emma's, while Regina made comments and 'suggestions' about Lucy's dress. Cake tasting was next and they both wanted to be there rather than here, and the longer it took with Lucy's dress the crankier Emma was getting.
When Lucy turned on the little stool so the dressmaker could get to back the bright smile that had been on her face for what seemed like days finally faltered and her mother noticed. "What's wrong dear?"
"Mr. Gold." Lucy said as she pointed at the front shop window.
Regina and Emma both looked but when Emma headed for the door Regina stopped her. "Stay with Lucy." She told her fiancée. "I'll only be a moment."
"It looks like preparations are going well, dearie." Rumple said with a crooked smirk as soon as Regina had closed the door behind her and stepped onto the sidewalk.
"What do you want Rumple?" Regina asked, her voice low and threatening.
"Can't I simply bid you congratulations on your betrothal to the Savior and wish you well?" Rumple replied in a voice so sweet it was sickening.
"No." Regina answered honestly. "What do you want?"
Rumple chuckled. "You know me to well, dearie. Well, since you refuse polite small talk lets get down to it than. My Hook problem seems to be a lingering issue. I'm calling in the favor you owe me for telling you how to depower your dear mother."
She'd know this day would come. Regina had promised to help Rumple with Captain Hook in return for his help with her mother. "What do you need?" He told her and she shook her head. "I will not use dark magic and I will not betray Emma that way!"
"Invite her along." Rumple said with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "She might enjoy it. You use too." He giggled in that Rumple way of his that seemed so odd coming from the well-dressed Mr. Gold.
"Find a way for me to help that does not involve that kind of curse and seduction." Regina told him. "I'll use the spell I used on Maleficent and turn him into pet rat or lizard or a crocodile."
Anger flashed in Rumple's eyes. "This pirate has taken from be again and again and I will not show him mercy. I will not let him take one more thing from me that is mine!"
"Is this about Belle?" Regina asked. "Because if you end up loosing her Rumple it isn't going to be because of something someone else does, it'll be because of something you've done. Everything and everyone in this town is changing but you. You're still the same revengeful little imp you've always been. What was it you told me once? So long as you live in the past you'll never find your future? You were right. Now find another way for me to help."
"Redemption really doesn't look good on you, dearie." Rumple hissed. "When are you going to come to your sense and take back what once was yours?"
"If relaying on magic and living for power is going to turn me into you, than you can keep it." Regina replied before turning and heading back inside.
The moment Regina stepped back into the shop Emma was in her space. "What's going on?"
"We'll talk about it later." Regina promised.
"What does he want?" Emma asked.
Regina reached out and put a comforting hand on Emma's arm. "We'll talk about it later."
"Is everything alright Momma?" Lucy asked.
Regina smiled her best sweet smile. "Everything is fine my darling. Oh, look at you! So beautiful!"
That night once Henry and Lucy were safely tucked into their beds Regina told Emma what Rumple wanted. Emma was pissed; she wanted to know what gave him the right to ask Regina to do such things. She understood that Regina owed him a favor, hell so did she, but to ask Regina to sleep with Hook in order to put a dark curse on him was going to far! Emma promised she wouldn't do anything but a few days later she got a call from Rumple asking her to come to the pawn shop. He made it sound as if it were official business, something about a vandal, but Emma knew better than that.
Rumple had a plan and Regina was part of that plan. He would do whatever it took to get her back. He had put to much work into her to loose her now. He watched from the back room as Emma poked at the crystal unicorn mobile and then plastered on a smile as he came into view saying, "That was yours you know."
Emma blinked. "What?"
"The mobile." Rumple said pointing his cane at it. "It hung over the crib in the nursery meant for you. The nursery you never got to enjoy because of Regina."
"Nice try." Emma said as she turned to look at him. "You created the cruse. You created the person who cast it. You and I both knew who the real evil is in this town and it isn't her. So what do you want?"
"I'm calling in the favor you owe me dearie." Rumple said, getting right to the point.
"Seems like you've been trying to do that all over town." Emma replied. "You must be pretty desperate to get Hook out of your hair if you're calling in all your favors."
Dealing with Hook was keeping Rumple from finding Bae, so yes he was desperate. "You came to me and made a deal with me for Cinderella's child."
"Yeah, I remember." Emma said. "You were going to take Ashley's baby from her. You agreed not to as long as I agreed to owe you a favor. So what's the favor?"
Rumple smiled as he curled his long fingers around the handle of his cane. "It's really very simple, dear Ms. Swan. All you have to do is call off your wedding to Regina this Saturday."
Emma's eyes went wide and there was a painful prick in her heart. "What?"
"Call off your wedding to Regina this Saturday." He repeated. "Publicly. At the wedding."
"You want me to publicly hurt her?" Emma asked as she slowly advanced on the man. Kicking his cane out of his grip she grabbed him by the jacket lapels and asked, "Why would I do that?"
"Because if you don't I will take the child that was promised me." He replied.
"You can't just walk in there and take someone's child!" Emma argued. "You don't have the legal right to do that!"
Rumple smirked. "It would be a shame if something happened to little Alexandra's parents. But if something did happen I'm sure it would be fairly easy to persuade a judge to give me guardianship of the poor little orphan."
Emma's eyes went wide at the threat. "So either I call off the wedding or you'll kill Ashley and Sean? You realize you just admitted premeditated murder to the sheriff don't you?"
"Yes, but see King George is the D.A. and he hates your father." Rumple said with amusement. "He would side with me out of spite. You really have no choice in the matter dearie. Call off your wedding."
Emma's eyes burned with anger and for a moment Rumple felt real fear. When she let him go Rumple stumbled backwards into the counter and grinned as she stormed off. "See you on Saturday dearie!"
"Rumple."
Rumple turned to find Belle standing in the doorway and he did his best not to look surprised. "You're early my dear. I thought we were meeting for lunch at two?"
"You're never going to change are you?" She asked him. "What you just did, what you're making her do, you're always going to be a heartless cruel coward of a man aren't you?"
He could see it in her eyes. He'd finally gone to far and that only made him want to turn Regina back to her dark, evil self that much more. No one, not even Rumplestiltskin wanted to be alone.
Emma drove around town for hours trying to figure out what to do. She would not hurt Regina, but she couldn't put Ashley, Sean and their baby at risk either. She had faith in her love for Regina, and Regina's for her, so she had hope. But hope wasn't action it wasn't a plan. What was she going to do?