CHAPTER 21

~FB~

Emma stared down at the papers that Henry had just handed her with tears in his eyes. She reached out an arm and hugged him. She felt the same way he did.

After talking to Rumple she'd come to a decision. But she knew she couldn't do it alone. It wasn't just her life that would be affected.

She'd come back to the inn and explained to Henry as best she could what Rumple had told her. That he could suppress the bad memories that Regina held about the two of them while creating better ones. Ones that didn't hurt any of them anymore.

Henry had instantly been on board. In fact, Emma hadn't seen his face light up so much so fast since the breaking of the curse.

Then came the hard part. Rumple asked them to write out exactly what memories needed to be rooted out.

Henry and Emma had sat on opposite sides of the room, each hiding their tears from one another, as they wrote down a list of their sins and trespasses against the woman. Emma hadn't been able to handle things well. She had ended up leaving Henry after asking Neal to check in on him and gone to the bar. She'd sat for hours crying into drinks and filling out page after page of interactions she wished she could take back between the two of them.

By the time they were finished Henry and Emma both had enough pages to fill a notebook. They'd handed them over to Rumple with reddened faces. He'd just taken them and stuffed them into his pocket as he began to work on the spell.

Emma and Henry went back to the inn to wait. And for the first time, they both had a real conversation with one another. Henry missed his Mom. And he didn't hate her. He merely had problems reconciling her past with the fantasy that he had created in his head about how his family should be. He thought that if he'd created the life that the storybook told him was the way things were supposed to be then he'd be happier. That didn't happen. For the first time he was beginning to understand what Emma had been trying to tell him when she'd first arrived in Storybrooke. That he was creating a lot of problems for himself that didn't have to be. But at the time he wasn't willing to accept that truth.

And Emma's presence hadn't helped the situation out at all. Even though she convinced herself that her involving herself in their life was all for his benefit she knew deep down it wasn't true. She was just unable to let her son go for a second time. Then Regina's rejection of her in their life to her felt like all of the foster homes and parents who'd told her she wasn't good enough and that she wasn't wanted. This had immediately put her into defensive mode. And for her a good defense involved a good offense. Though the two of them went back and forth with each other had she not insisted on fighting back maybe things would've calmed down between them sooner. And they wouldn't all still be dealing with collateral damage a year later.

Emma had thought that with the time she spent bonding with Henry before the curse she had a good handle on who he was. But she was wrong. Time and the mistakes she'd made along the way had helped her get a clearer perspective on things. The truths he had now opened up to her about floored her.

It was the next morning when Emma was having breakfast with Henry at Granny's that she had received the call from Rumple. The spell was ready.

Emma had asked Ruby to keep an eye on Henry before heading out to Regina's. Sure enough she sat watching in her car as she placed the last of her bags into the trunk. She turned one last time and looked back at her house. Then she jumped in her car and took off.

Emma called Rumple as she followed behind her toward the town line. Somewhere along the drive Emma had managed to get her car around Regina's. She'd managed to slow her down while she waited for Rumple to do whatever the hell he was going to do. She watched in her rearview mirror as Regina's jaw tightened and her eyes flashed dangerously.

When they got near the town line Emma pulled over and waited. Regina drove past her without another look back. As her car neared the border, Emma sat in her car and watched as Regina's body flew out of the car and her car crashed into an invisible barrier. She winced as she watched her body fall to the ground.

When she stood over Regina's body her first thought was making sure that she was okay. Her second was being thankful she hadn't left.

After Rumple performed his spell and disappeared she'd called Ruby and let her know that she was headed to the hospital with Regina. Then Regina had come to. Emma had become terrified that she had been caught. But after Regina had been checked out and moved into a private room she'd been nothing but grateful that the spell had worked. She now had a chance to put her family back together again.

~EFB~

Emma was nervous. She had made many mistakes in her life but if this one didn't come off right then they would all be screwed.

She sent Henry to her parents for the night while pushing Regina out of the house. She told her not to come back for at least two hours. Regina wasn't going back to work for a couple of more weeks but Emma had recognized her symptoms of cabin fever. Some alone time should do her some good.

She placed Lolly in a mobile crib in the kitchen while she whipped them all up some dinner. As the pots simmered on the stove she went about getting the house in order. Thankfully she'd made Henry help her clean before she left. Not that there was much to do. Regina and her OCD kept the place spotless.

But Emma had plenty of tricks up her sleeves. She drew a bubble bath in Regina's massive bathtub with jet streams. She placed rose petals on top of the bubbles and a trail of them that led to their bed.

She ran downstairs and checked dinner before giving Lolly her dinner. She put her into a quick bath all while keeping an eye on the food and the clock. With only minutes to spare she'd managed to put Lolly to bed, dress herself with more care than usual in the makeup department, and get their dinner plated and the kitchen picked up before Regina walked back into the house.

Regina's nose turned up as she walked into her home, "Hello?" she called out. In the time they'd been together Emma had only prepared dinner a few times. But whatever was simmering on the stove had her mouth watering.

Emma ran down the stairs with a grin on her face, "Hey babe." She came toward her and planted a kiss on her lips.

When she drew back, Regina smiled at her girlfriend, "what's all this?" she asked as she took in Emma's attire.

Emma preened then blushed under her scrutiny. "Can't I do something special for the woman who's given me everything?"

"You can," Regina drawled. "But you usually don't," though she kissed her cheek to take the sting out of her words. "What's going on?" she ran a hand self-consciously through her hair. Though she appreciated the sentiment, she hated surprises. Now here she was feeling like a whale with the added baby weight that was coming off slower than she wanted it to in a plain pair of jeans and black button up blouse.

Emma began helping Regina off with her coat, "It's called a pampering babe. You enjoy it without asking a million and one questions." She led Regina into the dining room as she spoke. There were covered dishes on the crudely but thoughtfully put together table. Emma made a big show out of pulling out her chair.

"Well, thank you my dear," she said as she looked at the care that Emma had taken in setting the table. It was still a little messy and disorganized but Emma had obviously tried hard and that made Regina's heart swell.

Emma lifted the lid of her dish and Regina found one of her favorite dinners. Pistachio crusted lamb with artichokes and caponata. She gave Emma one of her award winning smiles that made Emma's heart speed up. "It's beautiful babe."

Emma's blush returned and she buried her head behind her hair, "It was nothing," she shrugged as she took a seat to Regina's left. She waited for Regina to pick up her fork before doing the same.

They made small talk about nothing while they ate. Most of the stories were about how perfect Lolly was and how happy and grateful they were to have her.

After the main course, Emma cleared the table before bringing in dessert. She refused to accept Regina's help as she brought in dessert plates of fresh poached pears with a honey, ginger, and cinnamon syrup. She'd added real homemade whipped cream to the tops.

"You're going to spoil me," Regina accused her as she took her first bite. Her eyes closed in delight as the flavors burst in her mouth.

"You're a queen. You should be spoiled," Emma answered with a grin before digging into her plate. "And the night's not over yet. There's more to come," she winked at Regina's raised eyebrow.

Regina lowered her fork beside her plate, "what did you do?" she asked with a straight face.

Emma feigned hurt. She stuck out her bottom lip in a playful pout, "can't a woman spoil the mother of her children without being accused of evil intent?"

Regina regarded her suspiciously before returning to her meal, 'Umm hmm."

After dinner, Emma again insisted that Regina go into the living room and unwind as she cleaned up. It took her little time to finish the remaining dishes and she immediately ran back out to the living room.

"Madame, your pampering awaits you," she said from the doorway as she waited for Regina to join her. She held out her arm which Regina took after giving her one of her classic eye rolls. Then she walked her upstairs to their bedroom.

The first thing that hit Regina were the rose petals strewn across their bed. Emma had also taken time before Regina had returned home to light a bunch of scented candles. The room was lit up from the ambient glow and it smelled of vanilla and jasmine together. Regina breathed in a lungful before turning to her girlfriend, "It's beautiful."

Emma nodded, "there's more," she pointed out the rose petals that led into the bathroom. Together they moved forward until they were standing in the open doorway.

Emma went inside and began adding hot water to the bubble bath that was still filled with bubbles. She had lit a bunch of candles in here also and the scent they gave off was heavenly. She turned to Regina, "get in."

Regina nodded and began to undress, "You are joining me right?"

"Of course," Emma said before looking around her with a small frown.

"What?" Regina asked as she paused in taking off her clothes.

Emma's face grew pensive, "I think I'm just going to run and check on Lolly really fast."

Regina smiled at Emma's thoughtfulness, care, and concern when it came to their daughter. She had never thought that having a baby of her own was possible. But now with Emma, she couldn't imagine ever sharing this experience with anyone else. She continued undressing then slid into the perfectly tempered water as she awaited Emma's return.

Emma was back in no time with the baby monitor. She held it up for Regina to see, "she's sleeping like a baby."

Regina smiled and drank in the sight of her baby sleeping peacefully in the crib tucked away in a corner of their room from the video monitor. They still hadn't been able to bring themselves to separating from her yet. She then sat back with her eyes half closed and her head leaning against the lip of the tub as she licked her lips drinking in the sight of Emma taking off her clothes. Heat ran through her core and she began to throb.

Emma climbed into the tub pleased with herself and how quickly she'd thrown everything together. She leaned over the mouth of the tub and pulled out a tray that Regina had missed before. There was a bottle of what looked like champagne plus strawberries and chocolate. She raised an eyebrow and inclined her head toward the bottle questioningly.

"It's nonalcoholic," Emma assured her as she poured them both two glasses.

Regina was still breastfeeding and had no plans to stop before Lolly turned one so none of the good stuff for her for a while. She sat up and waited for her glass. After Emma handed Regina hers she clinked their glasses together. "To love, health, and happiness. And the fact that we were able to make it despite all the insanity around us."

"Amen to that," Regina drawled before taking a tentative sip. It tasted horrible but she placed a tight smile on her face. She put the glass away from her before turning back to Emma.

Emma slyly looked over at the chocolates before grabbing the plate and holding it out to Regina being careful to put the truffle she'd went to a lot of trouble to make prominently under Regina's nose. As petite as the woman was, not to mention her control freak issues, you'd never know that she had a sweet tooth from hell. And that she couldn't resist chocolate. She grinned as Regina bit into it. She quickly put the tray away from them and stood up.

Regina bit down expecting the chocolate to burst into her mouth. Instead her teeth clinked painfully around something. "What the - ?" she asked as she pulled it away from her mouth while holding her now aching teeth. Her attention drifted to Emma as she stood up. "What the hell is going on?" she asked.

Emma indicated the chocolate, "see for yourself."

Regina looked down into the chocolate she'd bit into and saw something shiny. She began to strip away at the chocolate with her fingers and eventually unearthed a platinum diamond ring. She looked confusedly back and forth between Emma, the ring, and the candy.

By this point Emma had fallen down on one knee. Or as best as she could in a tub full of bubbled bath water. When Regina looked at her again she stared sincerely into her eyes. The green orbs full of hope and love, "Will you marry me?"

Instead of answering Regina sat there quietly staring at her girlfriend. Her breath was caught in her throat as her brain worked frantically trying to process through what was happening. Her mouth began to work and the pressure in her chest caused her to remember to breathe again but she was still stunned speechless.

Emma began to get nervous. She had thought they were on the same page. The longer Regina sat there speechless the more her old insecurities began to creep in. She hung her head, "you don't have to," she said quietly trying to keep the tremor out of her voice. "It's fine," she slumped into the water with a dejected look on her face. She turned her face away as she tried to cover up the tears that were forming by wiping her face with a washcloth.

Emma's voice pulled Regina out of the trance she was in. She shook her head to clear it before reaching out to her girlfriend. "Emma," Regina reached out and turned Emma's face toward her. Emma pulled her face from Regina's hand and continued to stare at the wall as her heart thumped in her chest and her tears began to buildup behind her eyes before her face finally crumbled and the floodgates opened.

Regina again placed her hands on either side of Emma's face forcing her to look directly at her, "Em-ma! Emma!" she cried out trying to reach her. Once she knew she had her attention she smiled at her "Of course I'll marry you. Together is where we belong." She pressed her lips to her now fiance's. She tasted the salt from her tears as she tried to impart to her with a kiss precisely how she was feeling in that moment.

Emma began to slowly come around by the second press of Regina's mouth to hers. A smile broke out on her face as she sniffled loudly, "Yeah?"

"Of course I'll marry you. We have two children together. We're not getting any younger you and I. I've been wondering how long it would take for you to ask me anyway," Regina playfully splashed water at Emma.

Emma playfully splashed her bath. After a small water fight, the two women calmed down. "You could've asked me you know."

Regina scrunched up her nose before shaking her head, "Nope. I delegated that responsibility to you."

"Delegated huh?" Emma grinned as Regina smiled and nodded. She puckered up her face, "Where's the ring?"

Regina gasped and her eyes widened as did Emma's when she met them. They both began to frantically search the tub. Before Emma breathed, "Ah ha!" triumphantly. She held it up. It had slipped out of Regina's hand during the water fight. "Now we make it official," she said as she put her hand out for Regina's.

Regina slipped her hand into Emma's as she placed the ring onto her finger. She smiled as she held it up to admire it, "this is a pretty big rock. It must've set you back quite a bit."

"Nothing but the best for my Queen," she said as she puckered her lips up for a kiss. Regina leaned in and things had just begun to heat up when Lolly began to cry.

"The princess beckons," Emma said as she climbed out of the tub. She dripped water onto the floor as she hastily tried drying herself off before running into the bedroom. She came back in carrying Lolly who was putting up a fuss. "I think she's still hungry," she threw Regina an incredulous look before looking lovingly back down at her daughter. "You little greedy gut," she nuzzled her before beginning to pull her clothes off of her. "Yes you are," she kissed her head as she handed her off to Regina before climbing back into the water.

Regina took her daughter into her arms with a smile on her face. As soon as Lolly caught a whiff of her Mom's scent, she began to move her face around with her mouth moving in a suckling motion desperately trying to find her meal. Both women laughed softly as she latched on and began to feed.

"I thought I was the one who'd be doing that tonight," Emma chuckled as she placed a kiss upon her babygirl's head. She breathed in a lungful of her wishing she could bottle up that scent forever.

Regina waggled her brows at her, "later."

Emma grinned before throwing her arms around her new fiancé. She jockeyed around for a position behind Regina. Then she pulled her back against her front as she leaned her chin onto her shoulder gazing down at her daughter lovingly.

Regina sighed happily. She turned toward Emma and neither woman had to wonder what the other was feeling because they were feeling it for themselves.

Happiness and contentment of the likes that neither one had ever thought they'd find. In finding their way to one another, they had found their way home. And it was better than they ever could've asked for.