Storybrooke's chapel, with it's high beamed ceiling and rows of freshly painted pews, was done up in warm fall reds and oranges, whites and creams. The flowers were orange calla lilies, chocolate brown roses, and black magic roses, which Emma picked because the name had made Regina roll her eyes in a way that made the blonde laugh. Candles and fairy lights made the chapel sparkle, and feel warm and inviting. Rather than rose petals the aisle was dusted with fall leaves that continued past the white runner to surround the small canopy at the alter. It was beautiful, the perfect fall themed setting. As the handful of invited guests began to arrive they couldn't help but smile at how warm it all was, and so not what they had expected. They were expecting more Queen Regina rather than just Regina, and several comments were made about how much the woman had changed. There was still a lot of debate over this change being real, or if it would hold, but for today everyone gathered to witness the wedding of their Savior and their former Queen put those doubts and issues away.
Sitting towards the front with Granny and Ruby was Belle. She knew what could happen today and it was twisting her up inside. She hadn't told anyone, partly because of her feelings for Rumple, partly because of how she felt about Regina, but mostly because she didn't know what to say. When she heard the familiar thump of a cane she turned to see Rumple as he took a seat in the very last pew, right on the aisle. Their eyes met for a moment and Belle felt as if she were going to be ill.
"Hey." Ruby said softly. "You ok?"
"No." Belle said honestly. "I need to tell you something."
"Ok, what…"
Ruby didn't get a change to ask what Belle wanted to say. With everyone, the dwarves, Archie, Marco, August, Ashley and Sean, Kathryn and Jim, the fairies, Jefferson and Grace, even King George who was lurking in the back with Rumple, literally everyone Emma had come into contact with since her arrival filling the pews the room filled with soft music. The last to be seated in the very front row was Snow and James. Then the music changed, the doors in the back opened and the brides on the arms of their respective children made their way to the canopy where the Bishop stood waiting.
Emma looked stunning in her simple white satin dress with its thin white spaghetti straps and simple beaded brooch at her cleavage and the soft twist of silk around the bodice. She had her hair pinned up, but loose in tight spiraling curls that flowed from a small almost invisible tiara. Beside her walked Henry in a handsome dark suit with the same warm buttercup color vest and tie as he sister's pretty little strapless chiffon dress with the layered skirt that she just loved to twirl in. Lucy looked so happy and proud as she walked beside her mother as if this were more a victory march rather then a bridle march. Of course Regina's dress was elegant with a fuller skirt, short train, and detailed beading. It was off the shoulder straps, white with ivory details, like Emma's there was a simple beaded broach at the center of her cleavage, and oh the cleavage. Her normally short straight hair was long and curled into dark chocolate ringlets that like Emma's poured out of a tiara, but unlike Emma's it wasn't hidden but very clearly and proudly set upon the crown of her head.
Once the four of them, the picture perfect and stunningly beautiful modern family, stood before the Bishop who'd once upon a time married Snow and Charming, he began. "Royal family, friends, and loyal subjects we gather today to…"
Emma looked into Regina's beautiful bright mahogany eyes, her own eyes sparkling, and then said, "I'm sorry. Please stop. I can't."
A small murmur arose and when Belle looked back at Rumple he was smirking.
Her eyes said how sorry she was before turning them away from Regina and towards the gathering of their friends and loved ones. "I can't do this. I can't marry Regina today because of something I did awhile ago."
The murmur returned, louder than before. Emma gave it a few moments before going on. "When I first became Sheriff I made a deal with Mr. Gold. He agreed to void the contact he had with Ashley, with Cinderella, allowing her to keep her baby and all it would cost me was doing him a favor when he asked. I didn't know just how costly that favor would be to me."
Everyone was listening, gazing between Emma, Cinderella who hadn't know how Emma managed to save Alexandra from Rumple, and Rumple.
"The favor was calling off my wedding to Regina." Emma continued once everyone was focused on her again. "Either I call off the wedding or Ashley and Sean would have an accident and he'd get their child. Regina and I couldn't, won't let that happen." There were more soft murmurs that grew louder when they noticed Rumple start to feel a little uneasy. "So that's what I'm doing. I'm doing exactly what Rumple said to do. Call off your wedding to Regina this Saturday. Those were his exact words. That's the favor he called in. So the wedding today is off, and my favor is paid."
When Emma felt Regina take her hand she smiled. "Gold was hoping that by forcing me to stand Regina up at the alter it would hurt her enough to turn her back to his side." Emma continued as she laced her fingers with Regina's. "But, see I've learned a thing or two about dealing with Gold since I've been here. He's a man who likes to play with words. I can do that too. He said I had to call off my wedding to Regina, he said today's wedding. He never mentioned marriage, though I'm sure that's what he meant, it's not what he said."
Emma looked right into Rumple eyes; she could see the anger building as he began to work this out. "Regina and I were married last night under her apple tree by Reverend Bishop in the presence of my parents and our children."
"You don't get to win, Rumple." Regina said coolly. "Not this time."
"No one breaks a deal with me!" Rumple said, pushing to his feet. "You know full well what I meant! You just said so!"
Granny stood, turned, and faced the little man in the back. "Did Emma do what you asked her to do? Did she do exactly what you said?"
"Yes, she did." Belle spoke up. "I heard the whole thing. He said to call off today's wedding."
"Then she kept her end of the deal." Granny said as she produced her crossbow, from where no one had the faintest idea.
"Regina still owes me a favor." Rumple said as he moved down the aisle towards the couple.
"I agreed to help you with Captain Hook." Regina admitted. "That has nothing to do with me and Emma and our marriage." She held up their hands, wedding bands now joined with their engagement rings. "Not even you can tamper with the contract of marriage, Rumple."
"And you can't defeat true love either!" Lucy huffed at the man.
Regina gently pushed her overly brave little girl slightly behind her.
When he got about half way down the aisle Snow put herself between him and them, and Ruby in her wolf form moved to stand between him and Snow. When she growled, baring her teeth, he finally stopped. Even he wouldn't take on a child of the moon.
"Don't bother, Ruby." Granny said as she moved to stand with her granddaughter. "He's probably all stringy grilse and tastes like stale troll shit."
"How long do you think this will last?" Rumple asked Regina. "This," He waved his hand at her. "Isn't who you are."
"It's who I was meant to be." Regina fought back. "It's who I would have been if not for you and my Mother."
Rumple laughed. "Don't be so foolish. I will have you again dearie as it is meant to be, you belong to me."
Emma let go of Regina's hand and took a step away, a step towards Rumple. "She belongs to no one, Rumple, but if you want to get picky about it she's mine. You won't have her, not if I can help it."
"And what," Rumple teased. "Do you plan on doing to stop me?"
Anger and fear mixed with true love and before Emma knew what she was doing she was doing it. The thought of Rumple doing anything further to hurt Regina more than he has triggered something deep inside her, it touched that same place in her very heart, her very soul, that Cora had touched when she'd ripped Regina's heart from her chest. The blast of magic that erupted from Emma hit Rumple like a mac truck doing a 250 on the open road. When it first hit him it was so powerful he morphed into his true form, the gnarled golden imp of a man, more thing than human, and then it sent him flying, slamming into one set and then the second set of doors. Everyone in the chapel stared with a mix of confusion, awe, and fear before a few rushed to see where he went. Outside Rumple was suspended in the air writhing in pure white magic that was painful to his kind.
"Emma." Snow said as they all gathered in the doorway. "Stop."
Emma was in shock, her body trembling. "I… I don't know how."
Regina slid her arm around Emma, pressing her hand flat against Emma's stomach, and then lifted her hand, lying her own on top of Emma's. She whispered softly, explaining how to withdraw her magic. Rumple crashed to the ground.
"So that flash of light we saw last night…" James said softly so only his family would hear.
"Wasn't in our heads." Snow said with a nod.
Emma drove around until it was really pretty late. When she slipped into the house she'd been hoping everyone would be asleep but of course Regina was still awake and waiting for her. Emma tried to give her fiancée a smile but the way Regina stood there with her arms crossed, the angry look on her face, it just made her drop her head.
"Where the hell have you been?" Regina demanded. "It's after midnight and I haven't heard a word from you since lunch!"
"Driving." Emma answered honestly as she walked up the steps and passed the furious brunette. She headed for the kitchen where she knew Regina had saved her a plate of food knowing full well that her lover was right on her heels.
"The damn town isn't big enough for that kind of drive!" Regina replied. "Emma, what happened?"
The blonde pulled her plate from the warmer and carried it over to the island. Closing her eyes she let the warmth of the kitchen, the familiar scent of apples and cinnamon, tea and coffee, wash over her. How quickly the smell of apples had become the smell of home to her. This place, this woman, those two babies upstairs asleep in their beds, were her home. Finally after a lifetime of not having one, she had an amazing one. And damn it she would fight for it with all she had. Opening her eyes she looked at Regina and said, "We're not getting married on Saturday."
Hurt and anger flashed in dark eyes. "Excuse me? What?"
Emma moved around the island towards Regina's. "We can't, so we're getting married tomorrow."
"Emma?" Regina's anger melted as Emma took her face in her hands. "What's going on?"
Following a slow reassuring kiss Emma explained everything. There had always been a strange unexplainable bond between Regina and Rumple, something that kept them from actually killing each other, but knowing that he would willingly and happily rip her true love form her for his own pleasure, broke whatever bond that was. Regina wanted to kill him. She wanted to ripe his cold black heart from his chest and crush it into ashy powder. She just might have done it to if not for Emma. Emma, who had spent all those hours Regina had spent bubbling in her concern and anger because she had no idea where the blonde was, had come up with a plan. They would be married and they would expose just one more layer of truth to everyone when it came to Mr. Gold, taking just a little more power away from him.
The next afternoon they explained things to Henry and Lucy. They left out some finer details because they were only children, but they were able to get the general idea. They went about their day as if tomorrow were going to happen just as it should. Then that evening Emma gave Regina a nod.
"You know it would be easier to just call them and ask them to come over." Regina pointed out.
Emma smirked. "What? And miss out on giving you a chance to piss of my mother for the fun of it?"
Regina laughed. "It truly is the little things that let you know just how much someone loves you."
Emma chuckled softly as she watched Regina use her magic to summon her parents. They appeared in a cloud of magical haze that was lighter and bluer these days, a sign that Regina's magic was changing right along with the woman herself.
There was a flash of anger in Snow's eyes, as she demanded, "Regina what is the meaning…."
"Stop." Emma said firmly. "I asked her to and there's a damn good reason." She explained what Rumple was doing and how this had to be an absolute secret until the wedding tomorrow, other wise they risked Rumple amending the favor to mean what he really meant. Once her parents were on board Emma gave another nod to Regina. "Now, the good Reverend."
Henry and Lucy had strung fairy lights in the apples trees, and used every candle and tea light in the house to form a circle around Regina's most beloved tree. Regina used her magic to dress everyone, simple white dresses for her and Emma, cream colored dresses for Snow and Lucy, and matching cream colored linen suits for James and Henry.
Reverend Bishop wore his best suit, the sash that marked his role as the town's clergy as well as one that marked his rank as the Archbishop back in Fairytale land. He stood under the apple tree with Emma and Regina, holding his book, smiling. "Do you Emma promise to take this woman as your wife and love her for all eternity?"
Not so long ago Emma would have heard the word eternity and run like hell. But Regina made her feel as if eternity weren't long enough for them. Looking into Regina's eyes Emma said, "I do."
"And do you Regina promise to take this woman to be your wife and love her for all eternity?" The Bishop asked.
A lifetime of pain, hurt, anger, longing, and loneliness melted away as Regina said, "I do."
"The rings?" The Bishop asked softly, holding his hand out as Henry placed them in his palm.
Simple gold bands except for what was engraved inside. It would forever be the mark of their true love, of their union, and maybe even someday their kingdom. A heart flanked on either side by swan's wings and topped with a queen's crown. As they slide the rings on they pledged themselves to each other, promising to always be there for each other through good, bad, and everything in between. The Bishop smiled and pronounced them married, their smiles and tear glimmering eyes bright as they shared their first married kiss.
They didn't see if but everyone around them did. As Emma and Regina sealed their union with a kiss a bright magical glow enveloped them, causing Snow to gasp. She looked up at her husband for an explanation but he didn't have one. This wasn't the pulse of magic from true love's kiss this was something more, something deeper, and something so pure it was the most beautiful thing any of them have ever seen. The kiss ended, the glow faded, but the warmth it left in the hearts of the people around them would linger.
The wedding might have been canceled but the party was still on. Once Rumple had picked himself up, a glimmer of real fear in his old eyes, and scurried away Emma announced that the open reception would still take place. Their family, friends, and the rest of the town would still get the chance to celebrate their marriage.
While the town gathered down in the main hall Emma and those closest to her were in Regina's old office talking about what happened. Emma was more than a little shocked over having magic. She and Regina had been so caught up in the moment the night before that they didn't really notice the spark of magic when they kissed, but what Emma did to Gold was a little harder to ignore.
"Emma." Lucy said brightly. "You have magic just like me and Momma!"
"Yeah, looks like I do kid." Emma said as she looked up at the people around her for an explanation. "How do I have magic?"
"You're a child of true love." The Blue Fairy said with that annoying know it all smile of hers.
Emma narrowed her eyes. "Bullsh…"
"Emma." Regina warned, nodding her head towards Lucy and Henry.
"That's crap." Emma said instead. "According to you people and the book Ashley and Sean are true loves, does that mean Alexandra will have magic? Will Kathryn and Jim have magic babies?"
Blue bristled a bit. "No, most likely they won't."
"Ok, so what the hell is so special about them?" She pointed at her parents and then added, "No offence." Before turning back to Blue. "That I would have magic?"
"Well," Blue said as she tried to think this out. "They were the template. Everything started with them."
"No it didn't." Nova said from behind the other fairy. When everyone was looking at her she blushed a little and said, "Um, well, it didn't. It started with Regina."
Regina's eyes went a little wide. "What?"
Blue did not look happy that Nova was not only speaking out of turn but also admitted to something she'd have kept secret. She would have told the younger fairy to stop but Snow said to go on. "Well, um, see." She began nervously. "When she was born, she was born with white magic, a pure soul and a loving heart. The problem was that she was born, um, well, out of sync."
"Out of sync?" Regina asked, looking confused.
Nova nodded. "With Emma, well, Emma's soul, and because your souls were out of sync you were corrupted. Finding Emma and falling in love, it put things back in order. Henry is right when he says everything that has happened, all the good, all the bad, had to happen. It had to happen to put things right. There was a reason you could never actually just kill Snow. Everything you did, as bad as it was and it was very bad Regina, was your soul trying to make things right, not as you believed for Daniel but for yourself and Emma."
Emma could tell that was a lot for Regina to take in so she reached over and took her new wife's hand while asking, "Ok, but what does that have to do with me having magic?"
"Like Regina you were born with the blessing of magic, good magic. Magic that would at some point in your life been needed for one reason or another. If you had grown up in our land you would have grown into it like any other magical child, like Lucy did. But, because you were out of sync with the other half of your soul, you would have been just as easily corrupted as Regina was." Nova continued. "Growing up here kept you safe from that. With magic now in this land, and your union with Regina, it has allowed that part of you to open up. Things are starting to be as they should be, that's all. If outside forces hadn't set things off track, if you two would have been allowed the density written for you, well, things back home would have been so very different and so very splendid."
"What made everything go so wrong?" James asked.
Nova shrugged. "No one knows. Something magical, something missing, it just isn't known what or when, only that it happened."
"She knows." Lucy said pointing to Blue.
Regina looked over at her daughter and asked, "What?"
"Of course I don't child." Blue piped in.
"Yes you do." Lucy said with a soft huff. "While Nova was speaking you got this look on your face."
"A look?" Blue asked.
Lucy nodded. "Yeah, like you felt bad about something."
Henry nodded as well. "You looked guilty."
"What would Blue have to be guilty about?" Snow asked.
Regina thought for a moment and then asked, "Why was I born out of sync?"
When it was clear that Blue wasn't going to answer Nova did. "Your family's patron fairy wasn't there to stop the dark forces that preyed on Cora while she was at her weakest and most vulnerable."
"Who was my fairy godmother meant to be?" Regina demanded.
Nova shrugged. "No one remembers, or at least, no one speaks of it anymore."
"Their ruler would know." Lucy piped up again.
"Blue doesn't…"
Lucy shook her head. "Blue isn't their ruler she's just a leader. The fairies have a queen."
Blue's eyes went wide. "How did you know that?"
"My best friends growing up were gnomes." Lucy explained. "I know stuff human's aren't meant to know."
Everyone in the room grew quite as they took in all of this new information. After several long moments passed Emma grabbed Regina's hand as she stood, pulling Regina to her feet as well.
"Emma?" Regina yelped as she was pulled off the sofa and towards the door.
Emma paused long enough to say, "There are people downstairs celebrating our wedding and ya know what? I'm so done talking about this right, so we are going downstairs to celebrating too."
"Emma." Regina said softly.
Emma shook her head. "Regina, I can't. I just can't."
Regina nodded. "Alright, alright lets go."
Snow watched them leave, their kids following before, and then turned towards the fairies. "So not over."