Aftermath
.
After Pan vanished in an explosive puff of smoke, Emma fell to her knees and Baelfire's sword clanged discordantly on the ground. Every muscle ached and tears of exhaustion, frustration and, yes, mourning, streamed down her dirt-streaked face. Her stomach heaved, wanting to throw up. She'd won. Goddamnit, she'd won. Again. But the price. The price this time had been too high. She thought of Regina. She still couldn't sense the woman's presence within her. But she knew she'd been there. Her magic, her inner strength. Both had bolstered Emma in those final seconds. Just as Regina had surmised, their combined strength and magic had been the key. The difference between life and death, success and failure, in magically guided strokes, and pouring forth from Emma's every pore. Her shoulders shook with sobs.
From nearby, she heard scraping along the ground. Her head shot up and adrenaline poured into her veins once more. Her gaze riveted to Gold in a crumpled but alive heap nearby. Livid anger replaced the adrenaline in that moment. She staggered to her feet and lurched toward him, lifting the sword again. "I should end you for what you did," she growled. "350 fucking years!"
"To avenge Bae?" he asked feebly, the broken and cowardly man once more. But she knew he had magic still; she could smell it on him. She could smell it all around them, like the smoke of an extinguished candle, a hundredfold. And none of it was Regina.
Emma shook her head. "For Regina. I need your sorry ass. You're going to make it right. All of it. Right now. Get up. " She sheathed the sword in her belt and bent down, hauling his unresistant form to his feet by the shoulders. "Now get out your magic, old man, and bring her back." He looked at her in bafflement. "Regina's inside me. She has been, the entire fight. We combined our magic. She gave me all of hers." Rumpelstiltskin nodded and lifted a hand, concentrating. Emma felt the searching and finally the distinct presence of Regina within her grew from a speck to a spot, to a fullness in her heart, and then her whole chest expanded. She exhaled.
Regina appeared in the veil of mist and smoke pouring from Emma's lungs and body. Weak, tired, and unsteady as a newborn colt, and wearing, oddly, a replica of Emma's battered tank and jeans, Regina swayed, eyes closed. Emma rushed forward and caught the brunette in her arms, gently lowering with her to the ground before she could hurt herself in a fall. Dark brown eyes fluttered open and Emma pressed her forehead to the other woman's, tears streaming down her pale face to mingle with those on beautiful olive-toned cheeks. She cupped the cheek and felt fumbling, weak fingers brush her forearm. Giving a gasping cry, she subsided to only rhythmically breathe in the scent of her.
"Moms!" Henry rushed forward from the trees. Following behind came Snow and David, the latter turning his sword in the air around his shoulder with a broad smile.
"All the Lost Ones are a bit tied up, or I'm sure they'd be here for the victory party," David said.
The one lost that they had all cared about, however, launched himself at his mothers on the ground. He stumbled against a rock and landed hard against Emma's back. She stiffened though, preventing the crushing weight of their growing son from hurting Regina.
"Henry!" They both cried out, though Regina's protest was weak. Without a word, Henry simply wrapped his arms around both of their necks and knelt beside his mothers.