A/U: Well my friends, this is it! I just want to say thank you so much to everybody for sticking with this story until the end, it really does mean a lot. I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you 3
Today was the last day you were allowing yourself to wallow in self-pity. Laying in bed and not going to work were not going to get you your son back. You roll over after opening your eyes to the harsh sunlight, covering your face with your blanket again like you've become so accustomed to doing. You really should get up and shower and eat and attempt to be productive but you can't bring yourself to move. You feel the tears start to come again but you swallow them back. No tears were going to fall today. You close your eyes, hoping to fall back asleep but that would be too easy, instead there's a knock at the door. You wonder if it's Ruby leaving food for you again. You hadn't eaten the last 3 meals she's dropped off but the thought was sweet anyway. There's another knock at the door, this one sounding more urgent. You sigh and trudge down the stairs in your Soffe shorts and wife beater, your outfit of choice for the past week.
"Rubes I'm not-" but you stop dead in your tracks when you realize it's not Ruby on the other side of the door. It's Regina. A gasp escapes your lips and you quickly clear your throat, "Hi..." She's looking down at her feet, toeing the threshold of the door, hands clenched together behind her back. 'She looks so damn cute. No Emma!' you yell at yourself silently for being weak.
"...Hi" she says softly, still not looking at you. A moment of silence comes and goes and that's when she looks up at you. She gasps, eyes widen in shock and tears start to form at the corners of her eyes.
"Oh Emma," and like that, she's on you, arms wrapping around your even smaller frame due to the lack of food intake in the past week. You push her off of you as much as you don't want to.
"What is it Regina?" you ask exasperated.
"I-I wanted to come see you. Check on you. I was wor-"
"Don't! Don't you dare say you were worried about me!" you argue. "You were the one that caused this when you kicked me out and slammed the door in my face while I collapsed on your porch and sobbed. I even begged Regina and you couldn't give two shits! So don't you dare come over here and say you were worried because I don't beli-" but the sudden crashing of lips on yours stops you mid-rant. Your lips break apart slowly, a small trail of saliva still connecting you two.
"What. The. Fuck." you growl.
"Dammit Emma I was worried! You don't know how it felt that night I kicked you out. It broke me just as much as it broke you. Our son hates me."
"Don't you mean your son," you hiss. She steps further into the apartment and closer still to you.
"No I mean our son. I can't deny how happy you make him. I mean truly happy. And I can't deny how you make me feel either. Not anymore. Emma," she pauses and takes a breath, "I was scared that night. You have to understand I haven't felt these feelings in a very long time. Since before Henry even came into the picture. The thought of opening up my heart to you terrifies me but I'm willing to because of how happy you make me and our son. I love you Emma Swan."
You stand there, unsure of what to say. You want to be mad for her kicking you out but you want to believe her too. You knew you weren't crazy for thinking what you did. So instead you stick with what you know.
"Do you mean it?" you ask, waiting to see if she's lying or not. She comes closer, invading your personal space, and places both of her hands around your cheeks and holds you head still. Her hazel eyes gaze into yours and it feels like she's looking into the depths of your soul. "Yes I mean it. Truly, madly, deeply. I love you Emma Swan." And she pulls you into the deepest, most gentle kiss that has ever graced your lips before. Tears roll down your cheeks and you grab her by her waist, pulling her in closer, kissing her deeper.
There's a loud rumble in the distance but you don't hear it. You do however feel the earthquake that follows. You instinctively hold on tightly to the woman in your arms; when the shaking stops you look at her making sure she's ok.
"I didn't know Storybrooke had earthquakes," you tease.
"We don't dear," but her voice is different. It's an octave lower and huskier than you could have imagined it getting.
"Well, what was that then?" you question.
"Emma! Emma!" you hear in the distance. You can tell by the voice it's your room mate, but when she reaches the door she stops, eyes on Regina.
"Mary-Margaret, I can explain," you start.
"Well well your Majesty," she says emphasizing the last two words, eyes unwavering from Regina still.
"Oh dear..." Regina breathes out as she takes a defensive stance.
The woman you know as Mary-Margaret lunges for her but Regina quickly grabs your hand and it suddenly feels like you're caught in a riptide. Your head and your feet are tumbling over each other and somewhere in the distance you hear a woman scream, "Noooo!" as she lunges through purple and black smoke trying to grab something that is no longer in front of her. The scream is followed by heartbreaking sobs, but before you can ask what's happening, everything fades to black and the sobbing is drowned out by the pounding in your own head.
When you feel your feet finally touch solid ground you immediately collapse to your knees, unsure of what just happened to you. Your breathing is labored and your vision is blurry but you definitely aren't in your old loft, the floor here is too nice, too polished. And suddenly she's there, rubbing small circles on your lower back, trying to calm you down. The words are caught in your mouth, all the questions you want answers to are there, but they won't come.
"Ssshhh, it's ok. You're ok. I promise."
The voice speaking to you is hushed, more breathy than usual but still hers. And that reason alone slows your heart rate down a steady thump instead of the erratic drum beat from a few minutes before. But you're tired, so tired from all the fighting and heartache that you don't even question what the hell just happened to you. There's only one question burning at the forefront of your mind.
"Do you still mean it? Do you still love me," you question, fighting back the tears.
"Yes, I do. I love you very much Emma."
You release a breath you never realized you were holding; this right here, this moment is what matters most. You know deep down that everything will work out, if not immediately, then over time at least. You look up into hazel eyes, tears brimming at the edges, and you quirk up the corner of your mouth and lean forward brushing your lips gently against hers.
"I love you too Regina."