A/N: I'm happy, and yet sad, to say that we're nearing the end of this fic. There will be one more chapter (possibly two) and most likely an epilogue after this one. I'm not going to make any promises about when they're coming, because for the next few weeks, my writing energies will be largely devoted to my students' report cards, but I promise to update this and my other in-progress story as much as I can. As always, thank you for reading and reviewing.

Chapter 19: Lost and Found

Emma wanders aimlessly for a while in the woods before finding herself at Firefly Hill just before dusk. She has somewhat bitter memories of her last visit to this place, but, gazing in awe as the setting sun casts a golden glow over the now-drying grass, she's grateful to Regina for showing her this glorious place even if they can't enjoy it together at the moment.

Of course, Regina and Dani can never enjoy it together again.

She wonders, not for the first time, what it means that Regina brought her here, that she let her share in this place and this person that obviously mean so much to her.

She thinks about Regina and Dani and Cora and hearts and grief, and she wonders again about her place in this town. She wonders how she can ever feel at home in a town full of fairies and werewolves and sorcery, even as she realizes that she already does. Somehow, against her better judgment and through no lack of effort to the contrary, she is already part of this madness.

Then, as she stares directly into the brilliant pink and orange flames slowly fading over the horizon, she thinks about Mary Margaret and she knows where her place is, but she wonders if she's already lost it for good.

xx

"Hello? Emma?" Regina says tentatively through the speaker. "It is you, right?"

Emma nearly bursts into tears of relief at the sound of her favorite voice in the world. "Yes, it is. Hi! I've missed you so much."

"What's going on over there? Why are you freaking out?"

"I..." Emma trails off. She casts a quick glance around the apartment to ensure that Mary Margaret isn't home. She had been on her way out the door when Emma came home, a reusable shopping bag in her hand. She had turned her face away, but not before Emma had noticed her red-rimmed eyes and the tear streaks not fully washed off from her cheeks.

She still feels terrible about it.

"It's Mary Margaret. She asked to adopt me."

"She did?" On the other end of the phone, Regina sounds overjoyed. "Oh Emma, that's wonderful!" she exclaims.

"Yeah, it is," Emma says weakly.

She can almost imagine Regina's eyes narrowing in her hotel room in New York City or wherever she is now. "You don't sound excited," she observes. "Why not? This is what you've always wanted, isn't it."

"It is, but-"

"But what?" Regina demands. "Why is there a 'but?' You like Mary Margaret. You want - no, you need a family. So does she." Suddenly there's a sharp inhalation, and Regina says quietly, "Please tell me you didn't say no."

"I didn't say anything," admits Emma. "I kind of ran out the door before any words came out."

Regina sighs in exasperation. "What's your problem?" she asks tiredly.

"What do you mean? Wait, are you mad at me? This is a big decision! I have...there are things I have to consider. Pros, and cons, and - just stuff." Even as she's talking, Emma is aware that she sounds like an idiot, but she can't take back what she's already said and done, and she can't seem to stop her mouth from moving.

"Really? What could you possibly have to consider?" Regina's voice is becoming shrill, almost frantic. "There are no cons! You were literally just offered everything you ever wanted and you ran away!"

"It's not that simple!" Emma protests.

"Please explain how exactly it's not simple, because it seems to me like Mary Margaret loves you, and you love her, and you make each other happy. You're happy in Storybrooke! You have a home, decent grades, friends...and you have me," she adds quietly.

"Do I have you? When are you planning to come back from New York?"

"Stop changing the - wait, are you making this about me? You can't be serious. If you broke Mary Margaret's heart over me being in New York, then that's just the-"

"Obviously it's not just about you! There's...there are other factors, too. And I didn't break Mary Margaret's heart." Actually, she might have, but she's trying to squash the sinking, guilty feeling in her stomach so she only feels like an idiot and not an absolute monster. "Anyway, you hate her, so why do you care?"

That was obviously the wrong thing to say, Emma realizes as soon as she hears the half-gasp, half-sob from the other end of the line. Because Regina's feelings toward Mary Margaret fall firmly into the "not simple" category and even more firmly into the "not Emma Swan's place to talk about" category.

"Regina, I'm sorry," she says desperately. "I didn't mean-"

"Yes, you did," Regina mumbles, her voice thick and strained. "But, I suppose you're...you're not completely wrong."

"I shouldn't have said that. Can we just rewind this conversation and forget about it? Please? Sometimes my mouth moves before my brain."

She thinks she hears Regina almost chuckle. "At least you're aware of your issues," she sniffs. "Fine. I promise to forget you said that if you promise to say yes to Miss Blanchard."

Emma groans. "It's not-"

"It's not that simple, right. As much as I disagree with you on that, I suppose I'll be satisfied if you promise to talk to Mary Margaret about whatever makes it not simple for you."

"You really want this, don't you?"

"Yes, I want you to have a family. I want you to be happy. And however I feel about Miss Blanchard and our history doesn't change the fact that she'd be a good mother for you, or, at least not a bad one."

Emma nods. She can see it, if she really tries. She can see Mary Margaret as her mother. She can see a future together; she can see them watching movies and having family dinners at Granny's Diner and acting like the characters on Gilmore Girls but with magic and little bird friends instead of snappy pop culture references; she can see Mary Margaret taking her off to college or moving her into her first apartment and giving her away at her wedding (which, in her imaginary future universe, is to Regina, but that's hardly the most important part); she can see herself coming back to Storybrooke on holidays with a gaggle of crazy kids who call Mary Margaret "Grandma" and eating pie and lasagna and discussing the latest rom-coms (although, maybe by that time there'll be a "Grandpa" in the picture, too, and Mary Margaret won't need to watch so many rom-coms).

She can see a happy ending, and it terrifies her.

Because much like magic and talking birds and fairies and werewolves, it's not something she's ever truly believed in before. But maybe if all those things can be real, then happiness can be, too.

"Emma? Are you there?"

"What? Yeah, I'm here," Emma says, quickly bringing her mind back to the present. "And yeah, I'll talk to M&M."

"Good," Regina replies quietly.

"So, tell me about New York."

Regina launches into a long description of her vacation and her attempts at bonding with her father. "We went upstate to this farm one of his colleagues owns and went riding, which was...interesting. He also took me to see Wicked on Broadway."

"Oh! I had a group home a few years ago that took us to see that. Did you like it?"

She can almost see Regina's nose wrinkling and the thought makes her giggle. "There was too much singing, and the depictions of magic were very strange," she says seriously. "I don't understand why someone would want to make monkeys fly."

Emma really does giggle, now. "Have you never read The Wizard of Oz? Or seen the movie? It's kind of a famous story."

"No, I have not."

"Still, you go to school with fairies and werewolves and you don't think flying monkeys could be real?"

"I believe they could exist," Regina says seriously. "In fact, they probably do, somewhere. I just don't understand the appeal."

"Whatever. You have to at least admit that 'Defying Gravity' is a good song. That was, like, my anthem at age thirteen. I also really wanted Glinda and Elphaba to get together."

"That doesn't surprise me. But, yes, I did enjoy that particular number."

"Well, anyway, I think you should read the original, and then maybe see the musical again and you'll understand it better. It's about-"

"I think you misunderstand me," Regina interrupts; she's trying to make her voice serious but Emma can imagine the playful twinkle in her eye. "I'm not particularly interested in seeing that particular musical ever again."

"Fine," Emma laughs. "Tell your dad to bring me next time."

The two girls continue to joke around and discuss anything but the heavy topics weighing on both of their minds until Emma hears Mary Margaret's key in the front door.

"I'm going to talk to her about it," she promises Regina.

"Good. And, Emma, I hope you make the right choice, but whatever you decide...I just want you to be happy."

"Yeah, you too. It was good to talk to you. You sound...better."

"Thank you. I think I am. A little bit every day."

xx

Mary Margaret's face is thankfully free of tears when she returns from shopping, but as much as she tries to hide it, the devastated look in her eyes remains, and Emma feels awful.

"Was that Regina?" her foster mother asks, gesturing to the phone without meeting Emma's eyes.

"Yup."

"Is everything okay with her?"

"Yup."

Mary Margaret sighs and looks vaguely frustrated at Emma's monosyllabic answers, but she just says, "I'm glad to hear it," and starts unpacking the groceries. Emma silently joins her, and for a few minutes they allow themselves to bask in the comfort of this little routine they've developed.

This could work, Emma thinks to herself.

"Mary Margaret," she says softly. "I'm sorry about before."

Her foster mother heaves an exhausted sigh and stares at the ground for a moment before finally meeting Emma's eyes. "Me, too," she replies. "I shouldn't have sprung something like that on you so soon. I should have known. I just thought...I don't know."

"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong. I was just a little surprised."

"That's putting it mildly," Mary Margaret mutters.

"It was my fault, though," Emma says quickly, trying to reassure her. "I have a lot of issues that have nothing to do with you. I wasn't...my horrible reaction had nothing to do with you, personally."

"Maybe not, but if I do want to be your mother, then it's my job to understand those issues."

"You really want to? Still?" Emma asks, unable to keep her voice from squeaking like a small child's. "To be my mother, I mean."

"Yes, I do."

Emma doesn't reply right away - she can't, really. Her voice is stuck somewhere in her throat and there's a strange burning sensation behind her eyes that feels suspiciously like tears.

"Well, that's...great," she finally chokes out.

Mary Margaret looks pretty close to tears herself. "You don't have to decide right away, if you don't want to. Take as much time as you need. And, you know, if you decide you don't want to make it official, that's okay, too. You can just stay as long as you want to."

"Really?" Emma sniffles, staring wide-eyed at her foster mother. She's heard of families like this, who are actually in it to give kids a good home regardless of their own desires, but she had never imagined actually having one of her own. "Even if I say no, I can still stay with you?"

"Of course!" Mary Margaret exclaims, looking scandalized that the opposite would even be possible. "Emma, I love you. I think you're a truly amazing young woman, and while I would like nothing more than to be able to call you my daughter, I would be honored to be part of your life in whatever way you deem appropriate."

Emma doesn't hear anything after "I love you." She's crying way too hard. Mary Margaret holds her arms out, and she falls into them gratefully, burying her face in her foster mother's sweater and knowing all will be forgiven if she happens to get a little snot on it.

She's gotten hugs before - she's gotten hugs from Mary Margaret before - but it's never felt like this. As she allows their bodies to practically melt against each other, she thinks this must be what unconditional love feels like.

She holds on for a long time.

xx

For the next week, Emma practically floats through her daily routine like she doesn't have a care in the world. She still hasn't given Mary Margaret an answer, and the older woman hasn't asked, but things between them have been good - better than good, even. Mary Margaret starts teaching her to cook - only basic things, but better than cereal - and in between some slightly adventurous moments in the kitchen, Emma starts to tell her foster mother tiny snippets of stories from her past, and Mary Margaret returns the favor.

She learns that Mary Margaret's mother died her sophomore year of high school and she hasn't spoken to her father since he got remarried and moved to Florida. She learns that teenaged Mary Margaret apparently went through a really difficult time and made some "questionable decisions" before some caring teachers convinced her to get her life together, which is what inspired her to become a high school teacher instead of an animal trainer.

Emma starts helping her feed the birds in her classroom each morning and even gets one to perch on her finger for a few minutes, though she still can't understand how on earth Mary Margaret can talk to them.

"They're loyal creatures," Mary Margaret informs her. "If you love them, and they love you, they will always find you."

"Interesting," Emma remarks, letting the bird on her finger fly away out the window. "Do you think that's true about people, too?"

"I certainly hope so."

The teacher has a thoughtful, dreamy look in her eyes, and Emma knows it's somehow related to her date the previous night, but she doesn't ask because Mary Margaret's relationship with Mr. Nolan is the one topic that appears to be implicitly off-limits.

"I think it's true," says a voice from the doorway.

Emma gasps and turns around slowly.

It's not...

It can't be...

It is.

"Regina!" Mary Margaret exclaims with a smile. "Welcome back!"

"Hi," Regina says quietly, almost shyly. She looks good, Emma thinks. Not that she doesn't always look beautiful, but something is different. She's more relaxed, maybe; still sad, but less devastated. Sometime in between when she left Storybrooke and now, she's cropped off most of her hair so that it now stops just under her chin. It takes Emma's eyes a moment to adjust, but she likes it. It looks bouncier, lighter.

That's it: lighter. Regina looks lighter.

She starts walking hesitantly towards the pair at the window before Mary Margaret gives Emma an elbow-nudge and a pointed look, and the blonde takes off running across the classroom before pulling Regina into her arms and spinning her around. The other girl giggles and holds on tightly.

"You're home; I missed you," Emma says, full of overwhelming and conflicting emotions as she sets Regina down. She places a soft, chaste kiss on her cheek and rests their foreheads together. "I like your haircut."

"I'm home," Regina repeats, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply like she wants to breathe in the smell of Storybrooke - or maybe just the smell of Emma. "I'm really home."

"You didn't mention anything about when you were coming back," Emma observes. They'd spoken on the phone several times and exchanged a few more emails, but Regina had only mentioned returning to Storybrooke in abstract terms. There was a part of Emma that wondered if she actually wanted to come back at all.

"I know, I...I wasn't sure when it was going to happen, or if my dad would agree. So I didn't want to get your hopes up. Or mine. I really, really missed you."

"I missed you, too, but it seems like your vacation treated you well."

"It did," Regina agrees. "I really needed it, but I think the most important thing it did was remind me of how much I love my home, and Storybrooke is my home. This is where I have to be."

"So, you're staying, then? Because I am, so, you know..."

Regina nods and holds Emma more tightly. "I talked to my dad, and we agree that staying here would be the best thing for me. He has to go back to China, but I'm going to stay at Dr. Hopper's house. He's not exactly thrilled about it, but he understands. He knows I need you. And he promised to actually visit me this time."

"That's good. I mean, it's better than you having to move to China, at least. Are you okay with it?"

"I'm okay," Regina says decisively. "I'm with you, so I'm okay."

It's a simple statement, and in the grand scheme of things, there's probably a lot more to be discussed, but suddenly, nothing else seems to matter.