Rumors somehow spread faster than riders on horseback. As David, Red, and Belle passed on the road, they began to notice villagers pulling the Wanted posters from trees and buildings. Some waved to them, their smiling faces a reassurance that the kingdom trusted and even admired them.

When they reached the village Red and David called home, it seemed that once again the news had flown past them. There was a crowd waiting for them, Granny naturally at the front. She ran forward to wrap both Red and David in a hug before allowing the shepherd to go to his mother and focusing her attention solely on Red. "I was afraid I'd never see you again," Granny said, and it was the first time that she'd ever admitted to Red that she was frightened of anything at all. Red held on tightly, not speaking, just breathing in the woman who smelled like home and who she hadn't realized she'd missed this much.

Belle stood quietly, a little awkwardly, by the horses. David had asked if she wished to part ways back on the main road, but she felt no pull to return home. She was looking forward to a bed and a bath and a normal meal as much as any of them, but she knew what going home would mean. She was no longer the daughter of a minor nobleman; she was a celebrity now, and she could only imagine all of the suitors who would be ready to pounce as soon as she arrived.

She couldn't go back to that when she'd finally gotten a taste of adventure, of real love.

She glanced in Red's direction to see her and Granny looking her way, and she joined them when Red beckoned. The girl in the red cloak slipped her arm instinctively around Belle's waist as she approached, not caring who saw. "Granny, this is Belle."

Granny smiled warmly, surprising Belle when she embraced her. "So you're the one who finally got Red to stop pining over David?"

Belle blushed, glad for the comforting feel of Red's fingers at her side. "She did most of that on her own, but I might have helped."

Granny pulled back. "Well, I tried and never succeeded her whole life. Maybe I just wasn't pretty enough." She winked at Red, who turned her namesake color.

"Granny!" Red hissed, but Belle's smile instantly reassured her.

"I guess I'll stop embarrassing you and get supper ready." Granny turned again to Belle. "Will you be joining us?"

"Yes," Belle said, looking up into the eyes of the girl who was all the home she wanted.

It took all of Regina's will to stand there beside Snow facing the sealed casket. Not because of the itching to get away from Leopold that she'd known for so long, but because she couldn't bear being away from Anaya. She trusted Johanna, Snow's beloved nursemaid, with her child – after all, it was Johanna who had stepped in the moment the carriage pulled up and a pale, clueless Regina stepped out with her bawling baby, Johanna who had taught her how to nurse and swaddle and do everything else Anaya required. But leaving Anaya in the arms of another, even someone who could care for her far better than Regina herself, was too much of a reminder of the first moments of the child's life, and Regina ached to be with her again.

But Snow needed her now, so Regina did her best to stay present, touching a hand to her back when she saw the conflict in her stepdaughter's eyes.

"You can cry, Snow. It's all right." She stroked small circles on the girl's back, hoping to soothe her. "He was a good father to you for sixteen years before all this madness."

"How can you say that?" Snow asked, eyes brimming with tears anyway. "After all he did to you, to us."

"Because there's good and bad in everyone." Regina drew the girl into her arms, letting Snow sag into her and bury her wet eyes in her stepmother's shoulder. "Leopold took everything away from me, and I can't forgive him for that. But in return he gave me the two people I love most in the world."

Snow smiled against the velvet of Regina's dress, clasping her tighter. "You love me more than your own father?"

"My father just stayed here and wrung his hands and did nothing the whole time we were gone. He would never step before a blade to save my life." She drew back enough to see the girl's eyes. "And if Rumplestiltskin had asked me to choose between my child and my father, I don't believe I would have made a deal with him."

Snow let her tears spill out freely, pulling closer to Regina again.

Dearest Snow,

Has returning home been as strange for you as it has for me? I'm surprised every morning when I wake in my own bed, and I can hardly believe that it has been two weeks since I saw you last. Red and Belle find it strange, too, and have decided to keep living as we did for all those months rather than remaining at home. There have been rumors of a Yaoguai attacking mountain villages, and they have joined the efforts to track and kill it.

As for me, there will be no more adventuring for some time. My father died just a few years back, and since then my mother and I have had to work alone to tend the flock and the farm. She lost most of the crops while I was gone, and I having been working constantly since I came back to try to make up for all the months she was without me. I dare not leave her again, so I told Red and Belle to go on their quest without me.

I hope that you have healed completely from your injury, and that Regina and the baby are well.

Yours,

David

Dear David,

It has been more than strange to return home. Almost everything has changed, and I've changed myself. To think that I left an idle princess and have returned a queen, that Regina and I left almost as strangers and returned so close. I've been quite busy with my new duties, and I often feel I have no idea what I'm doing, but fortunately my father left behind a team of trustworthy advisors. And I have Regina to encourage me, and little Anaya to cheer me when I'm overwhelmed.

With the help of the palace physician and Regina's magic, I am healed, although I still have a scar to show for it. All are healthy and quite happy here.

I'm sorry to hear of your family's troubles. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. For now, I'm enclosing the 50,000 crowns that my father set aside as a reward for Regina's capture. Seeing as I helped you spend almost all of your initial reward, it's the least I can do. Please see to it that Red and Belle get what they need for their trip, and put the rest to use on your farm.

Best,

Snow White