Emma took a breath, staring at the door in front of her. She stepped up the stairs, one at a time, feeling Regina behind her. Emma noticed the big crack on the left side of the door and traced it with her fingers. She remembered doing that. She had been with a family, but they treated her so bad she had run from the house back to there. When they had found out, they had made her come back, but she refused. And she put up so much fight she had kicked the door and made a crack on it.
And there it was, still standing. Just like her.
Regina's fingers intertwined with hers and Emma turned to look at her. She read the question all over Regina's face and she smiled, reassuring her. Then, after another deep breath, she pressed the door bell. They heard some noise inside and finally the door opened. Both heads bobbed down a metre to find a kid staring up at them.
"Hi," he said. "Are you looking for a kid? I'm clean, I do my chores and I behave very well."
Emma opened her mouth when a woman appeared behind him, "Aaron what have I told you about answering the door."
The kid lowered his head, looking at his feet, "That you are the one to do that."
She kneeled in front of him and put her hand on his shoulder, "That's right. Now go with Anna. She just made cookies." Just like that, the kid forgot the couple at the door and bolted to the kitchen. The woman rose to her feet and Regina felt Emma tense next to her. "Can I help you?"
Emma's words caught up on her throat and Regina guessed they were in front the one and only Maleficent's daughter. "Are you Lily?" The Mayor asked when Emma didn't say a word.
The other woman frowned and leaned on the door, "Yes? And who are you?"
Emma finally found her voice and cleared her throat, "It's me. Emma."
The surprise was evident on Lily's face and her eyes turned a shade softer when she recognised her. "Emma?" she said, her voice less edgy. "What…what are you doing here?"
"I think we should talk somewhere more private."
Lily eyed Regina from head to toe, but stepped aside to let them in. She led them to an office that was full of kid's drawings all over the walls. Lily sat on the desk and offered the chairs in front of her to her guests, with a frown on her face. She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, waiting for Emma to speak.
"I know it's kind of all of the sudden but I think you're going to like what we're here to tell you," Emma started.
"It must be important for you to come back after all these years."
Emma sighed and looked over to Regina, who smiled to encourage her. From the first impression, Lily didn't seem to like Regina and the feeling was mutual, but the Mayor reserved those feelings for herself. Emma needed support and she could only offer it.
With renewed energy, Emma looked back at Lily, "Remember when we used to fantasize about who our mothers would be? They could be astronauts, teachers or even prisoners." Lily nodded slowly and Emma swallowed, "Well turns out mine was a teacher."
"You found your mother?" Lily asked in surprise. Regina caught a hint of jealousy on her eyes, but it was gone as soon as it had appeared.
Emma nodded, "Yeah, and it's a funny story and you're probably not going to believe it, but…I found your mother too."
"What?" Lily whispered.
"And you're not going to believe me if I tell you who she is. I think it's better if…you come with us." Emma thought that would be enough for her to convince her, so she was taken aback when Lily's features hardened.
"I've stopped trying to find her. She didn't want me, and I've been better off without her. Now I work here with these kids, helping them find what I couldn't have. I don't need her."
"I thought like you do now just a couple years ago, but now that I have found them it's…it actually feels good," Emma smiled and Lily squinted her eyes.
"Who are you and where's the Emma Swan I knew?"
"I'm still me. Just…give it a chance? I know it's hard to get in terms with it after all these years of feeling lonely and rejected, and trust me it will be even harder when you know the whole story. But you can just come back whenever you want. Just one chance."
Lily hesitated, biting her lip, while Regina watched the interaction between them. Emma's back was still tense, but she insisted anyways. She guessed it was because she felt guilty for leaving her all those years ago. She knew the feeling of owing something to someone.
"I can't leave these kids on their own. I can't just leave forever," Lily argued.
"They won't be left alone. It's not forever, you can still come back if you want to," Emma promised.
Lily considered it one more time and finally she nodded slowly, "Okay. I'll bite. I'll go talk to Anna and be right back."
She left the room and finally Emma let the air she had been holding. Regina reached for her hand, "That went well."
"Better than I expected, to be honest," Emma admitted. "Thank you for supporting me, always. I can tell you don't like Lily very much but you still support me."
"I'll always be here for you Emma. Whatever happens," Regina promised with a kiss on her cheek. "And it's not that I don't like her. I just don't want you to feel guilty and bad for what happened."
Emma smiled but she didn't have the time to say anything else when the door opened again. Lily looked down at the locked hands and raised an eyebrow, "Shall we go?" When they stood, Lily held out a hand to Regina. "You seem to know me but I don't know who you are."
Regina shook her hand and her lips drew a tight smile, "I'm Regina Mills."
"Emma's girlfriend?" she questioned as they made their way to the car. Regina looked at Emma, unsure of how she would feel, but found she was smiling broadly.
"Yes," the Sheriff answered. "She is."
"I pity you," Lily told Regina as she opened the back door of the yellow bug. "You have to stand all the snoring that happens when she sleeps. Good luck with that."
"Hey! I don't snore!" Emma protested from her seat and Regina had to laugh at it.
"And the kicks. She sleeps like she fights."
Lily joined her laughing while Emma sulked as she started the engine of her car. Halfway back to Storybrooke, Lily told Regina stories about when they were younger, and the Mayor listened with a smile on her face; Emma had been such a rebel those days. Regina found out she had been wrong about Lily's first impression; although she was Emma's ex girlfriend, she felt they weren't really a couple. They had dated briefly but in the end all that was left between them was a friendship created around the wish to have someone else to understand them in their life.
Emma, on her hand, found out she wasn't so fond of this bonding between her ex and her girlfriend as she listened Lily tell the most embarrassing stories of her. By the time they were arriving to Storybrooke, Regina and Lily were laughing together.
When they were back in town, Emma decided to go to Regina's since she wanted to talk to Lily first about the whole fairytale thing before anyone could jump on her with it. When they got out of the car, Lily whistled, "Wow. Are you like a famous person or something?"
Regina blinked at her, "I'm the Mayor of this town."
Lily's eyebrows shot up and she turned to Emma, "You went for the big fish, huh?"
Emma rolled her eyes and opened the door to let them in. Lily immediately saw Henry's belongings threw around and Regina sighed, "I've told him a million times to not to leave his things scattered around."
"You have a kid?" Lily asked bluntly.
It was Emma who answered as Regina picked up a pair of shoes, "We share a son actually."
"Wow. I really missed a lot of things. I never thought of you like the kind of woman who settled."
Emma rolled her eyes, "We were teenagers when we met."
With a shrug, Lily looked around, "Still. So when are you going to take me to that who must not be named?"
"Uh…before you see her there's something you should now." Emma shoved her hands inside the pockets of her jacket and Lily frowned, ready to ask, when Regina spoke first.
"Coffee?"
They nodded and followed her to the kitchen, where she made coffee for the three of them. It wasn't until she offered a mug to Emma that Lily finally asked, "So what's that you have to tell me?"
"Are you on drugs?"
Regina took a sip from her mug, "It's all true."
Lily stared at her for a while. "So you're telling me you're the Evil Queen? From Snow White and the Seven Dwarves? Also known as you mother?" She looked between them back and forth with an incredulous expression. "Are you fucking serious?"
"I know it's hard to believe. I took my time to do it, but it is true," Emma looked at her, trying her to believe it. "Didn't you notice the fallen lamps on the street as we came here? Or some buildings half broken? We just had to fight a dragon a few days ago."
"You're insane," Lily deadpanned.
"Okay. I was expecting this. I just wanted to be warned before something…you know, surprises you," Emma said while her hands hugged the mug she hadn't drunk from.
"What do you mean surprise me? Am I going to find flying monkeys here too or what?"
"Actually, those are from another realm, and I'm certain I didn't bring them with the curse," Regina chimed in.
Lily just blinked; it was too much to take in and both Emma and Regina knew, so they just waited in silence for her. Finally, Lily pressed the bridge of her nose with two fingers before speaking, "Okay. Let's say I believe you. Everyone in this town is a fairytale character. Are you saying my mother is one too?"
Emma grimaced and looked at her, "Do you remember the dragon I just told you about?"
Lily blinked at her, "Are you implying my mother is a dragon?"
Emma wrinkled her nose and nodded, shrugging as she spoke with a tiny voice, "Kind of. You'll understand when you see her. I don't want to ruin it for you."
Taking a sip from her own mug, Lily stared at the kitchen counter. Regina watched how calm she surprisingly seemed to be. Emma had taken it very different from her, raging all over the fact that what her son had told her was indeed the truth.
Lily set the mug back down in front of her and swallowed the coffee before raising her head, "Okay. Then let's meet her."
Emma frowned at her, "Just like that?"
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Lily shrugged.
"Well…yeah, but...," Emma didn't finish the sentence; she didn't know how. She had known Lily and although she usually was calmed during tough situations, she had expected a little more fuss from her.
"I just want to get this over with. If she's really my mother and wants to meet me let's go. I'll give her just that, and then I can leave," she affirmed standing up. She looked up at Regina, "Thanks for the coffee by the way."
Regina just nodded and while Lily put the mug in the sink, she raised her eyebrows at Emma, who shrugged, feeling as confused as the Mayor. Emma texted David about them being ready and left the house, heading towards the Sheriff's station.
As soon as Lily entered the room, everyone whipped their heads to look at her. Maleficent rose from the bed inside the cell to rush to the bars, staring at her daughter. Regina saw in her eyes something she had never seen, not even when they had been together: tender. Emma placed next to them in case anything went wrong, while Regina remained in the background with David and Snow, who had come to the station as soon as her husband had called her.
"Lily. Meet your mother: Maleficent," Emma introduced, earning a glare from the young girl.
"A dragon," she deadpanned, knotting the dots together with what Emma and Regina had told her before. The Sheriff nodded and took a step back to leave them space, and Lily raised her gaze to meet her mother's.
"Lily," the older woman whispered. She reached for her, but her hand stopped mid air, realising her daughter's tense shoulders.
Lily blinked at her, and Emma swore she could see tears in her eyes. The girl may act like she didn't care, but in that moment, her mother really in front of her, Emma knew she actually cared. She glanced over at Regina, who nodded and smiled slightly at her as always, and Emma smiled back.
All of them waited in silence for Lily to do something, anything, but she just stood there in front of the cell staring at her mother. It took her a while to finally look down and then to Emma, "Can we have a moment alone?"
Emma swallowed and shifted her weight from one leg to another. "Uh, she's still a prisoner. I can't do that," she said with apologetic eyes. Lily nodded and flashed a glare to her mother.
"Maleficent, huh?"
The witch smiled at her, "You're so grown up."
Lily huffed, "Why are you in a cell?"
"I tried to make justice," Maleficent said, and she really seemed to believe that. Lily looked over at Emma, who rolled her eyes.
"She pretty much tried to end everyone in this town for revenge," she clarified.
"Tomato, tomatoe." Maleficent waved a hand dismissively and Lily nodded.
"Anger issues. I guess you're the one I get that from." Maleficent was about to say something when Lily whispered, barely audible, "Why did you leave me?"
"It wasn't my choice. I would've come to you if I hadn't been locked up in my dragon form," her mother explained and Lily rolled her eyes at the 'dragon' word.
"Why?" she insisted. Maleficent threw a glare to Regina, who lowered her head and stepped forward.
"Because of me," she said with a voice more firm than she had expected. "I had…anger issues too. She didn't leave you; I forced her to without any knowledge of it. I'm sorry."
Lily drew in a sharp breath looking at Regina. She was ready to snap at her when Maleficent spoke, surprising everyone in the room, "Don't dwell on anger, Lily. Don't be like me."
"You did and that got me here, right? Why shouldn't I?" Lily turned back to Regina, her hand clenching in a fist ready to punch the Mayor. Regina took a step back.
"Wait," she stopped her. "I…I can help you be happy with your mother if that's what you want."
Everyone whipped their heads towards Regina with questioning looks on their faces. Lily's fist stopped mid air as she squinted her eyes at her. "Maybe I don't want to."
Regina raised an eyebrow, "The tears in your eyes seem to say otherwise."
Lily wiped away the tears she didn't know she had shed with an angry move while Emma took a step forward, "What do you mean Regina?"
The Mayor let out a sigh, "I know she tried to kill us—"
"She killed me," Emma corrected.
Lily turned to look at her, "What?"
"She did very questionable things," Regina continued, ignoring the other women's comments. "So did I. While I agree that she has to pay somehow, I was the one who led her here. I offer a deal: she is to leave Storybrooke and never be able to come back. She can go wherever she chooses to, whether if it is with Lily or not."
"You're just going to let her go unpunished to live her happy ending?" Snow asked stepping forward with an incredulous expression on her face, which everyone in the room except from Regina mirrored.
Regina nodded, "That is if we all agree on that." She looked at Emma, her heart beating fast waiting for her reaction. It was a lot to offer, but she really believed she owed them a second chance. Away from them where she is no longer a threat, that is.
Emma knew exactly what she was doing; she knew Regina believed their happy ending was up to her. For one part, she thought Lily deserved it, but for the other side she didn't like Maleficent.
"I agree," she said all of the sudden. She looked right straight to Regina, "But on one condition. She's still a prisoner. She has to stay in prison for at least a couple of years."
"But Emma—" Regina started but the Sheriff shook her head.
"She can't go unpunished. She threatened Henry. You paid for your mistakes; now she pays hers."
"That's fair." Everyone looked at the cell, where Maleficent nodded, "Two years on prison for the rest of my life with my daughter."
Emma nodded, agreeing with her and Regina turned to the Charming family, who reluctantly nodded as well. "It's settled then," Regina stated.
"Do I not have a say in this?" Lily said and drew back the attention. "Can I at least think about it?" She stormed out of the station and the room fell silent. Maleficent sat on her bed and stared the empty cell in front of her as Emma sighed.
"I'll talk to her."
Regina nodded and took a step towards her. "Don't be too hard on yourself," she whispered only for her to hear.
Emma nodded and drew a smile she only reserved for Regina, "I'll try." She kissed her briefly and left the station, ready to find Lily, while the rest of them waited at Emma's office.
"Now what?" David asked.
Her eyes on Maleficent, Regina shrugged, "Now we wait."
After 15 minutes waiting, Regina got tired of Snow's and David's chattering, so she stood and took a seat in front of the cell. Maleficent eyed her but said nothing, so they just sat there. Eventually, Maleficent cleared her throat.
"You didn't have to."
Regina raised her head to look at her, "I know. I wanted to." Another silence followed. The Mayor watched how Maleficent clenched her jaw, refusing to show weakness in front of anyone. She had had a happy ending just around the corner, and Lily had ran away before it had a chance to happen.
"So, who's the father?" she asked casually and Maleficent stared at her for a moment before rolling her eyes.
"Who knows, some tan guy I met at a tavern I guess." They fell silent again and Regina crossed her arms, watching the seconds tick by, so she was startled when Maleficent muttered, "I'm sorry. I can't forget what happened, but I can forgive."
Their gaze met and Regina gave a nod, "I may say the same. We're at peace I suppose."
Maleficent nodded and before any of them could say another word, the doors of the station opened. Emma and Lily entered the room and, when all of them gathered –with Maleficent behind the bars– Emma nodded at Regina, who nodded back relieved.
"I agree too," Lily announced. She looked at Maleficent, her eyes softer than what her voice gave away, "It won't be easy, and it won't be all hugs and rainbows. It will take time but I think…I think we could make it work."
Maleficent's face lit up with a smile Regina was certain she had never seen on her; not even when she put Aurora under the sleeping curse. The dragon nodded, "I understand, but I'll try my best."
"Okay then. It's settled?" Snow asked one last time. Everyone nodded in agreement and sighed, "Then let's find Gold. He can make a spell so the outside world doesn't find weird that there's suddenly a new prisoner in their jail."
Emma walked closer to Regina and found her hand, giving it a squeeze. The Mayor raised an eyebrow, "What did you tell her to convince her?"
Shrugging, Emma planted a kiss on Regina's cheek. Just before she could. "I just remembered her that she didn't have to close herself to happiness. If it didn't work she still isn't committed to be with her forever."
Regina stared at Emma with a soft smile on her face and the Sheriff looked at her, "What?"
"Nothing. You're just really good at saving people."
A smug smile appeared on Emma's face, for the first time accepting she was the Saviour. She wasn't perfect, but still she managed. "Well, the title wasn't earned in vain."
The town line was a few steps away from them. It was symbolic; everyone could leave the town or enter it as they wished, but it still held a meaning to them. The sign of 'Leaving Storybrooke' hung slightly lopsided since Emma's accident. Regina had insisted the council they fixed it, but no one seemed to care about it, so it had stayed like that.
Emma handed Lily a map, "If you walk for like 15 minutes, you'll find a bus stop. You can go home from there."
She took it, "Thanks Emma."
The Sheriff nodded and turned to Maleficent, "And I better don't hear you're ruining this chance we're giving you."
Maleficent raised a hand, "Worry not, puppy."
Emma squinted her eyes but Regina didn't let her retort, stepping up, "Seriously, don't screw up."
"You neither. You finally have something real; don't let her go being stubborn," Maleficent advised her.
Regina smile softly and nodded as a goodbye. The couple joined the family while Gold worked on the spell under their gaze. With one last wave from mother and daughter, they took off, crossing the line to never come back, and they watched until they disappeared from sight.
Emma glanced at her phone and as she saw the time, she muttered under her breath, "Shit! Henry!"
Regina looked at her, "You forgot our son!"
"I did not. We did!" Emma protested as they made their way to the car. They kept bickering while Snow and David watched them with a smile on their faces until they could no longer see the car.
"Even as a couple they can't stop bickering at each other," David commented as they got into his truck.
Snow shrugged, "You never know with True Love. But you can't deny they are made for each other."
David started the car and shook his head, "That I can't deny."
The alarm rang and at the first tone, Regina turned it off. Emma heard her sigh and the bed shifted under the change of weight. "Emma, wake up."
Emma turned and grumbled, trying to get at least five more minutes. They really needed to change their schedules so Regina didn't wake her up before she had to to go to work.
"Emma," Regina warned one more time, grabbing the sheets and throwing them to the side for her to wake up. Shortly after, the Sheriff heard the muffle sound of the shower and reluctantly woke up.
She brushed the sleep away from her eyes as she yawned and stretched. The bed still smell like Regina and she smiled, finally sitting up. She knocked on Henry's door to make sure he was up and heard some rustle inside followed by his voice.
"I'm up!"
Then, she made her way down to start making coffee as well as Henry's breakfast. She always promised him pancakes, but they never had the time in week days, so he had to go with cereals. She took a seat on the counter and blew over her mug to make the coffee colder before she burnt her throat. Soon, she heard the steps of her son, followed by the sound of Regina's heels against the wooden floor and her warning.
"Henry, don't run."
They entered the kitchen and, while Henry went right to his bowl, devouring the cereals, Regina kissed Emma's forehead as the Sheriff checked her phone. "Glad to see you're up, dear."
Emma rolled her eyes, "My mom invited us over for dinner tonight. Yay or nay?"
The Mayor raised an eyebrow at Emma's choice of words, but shrugged, "Sure, why not? I would like a rest of the dinner making."
Pointing at her with her phone, Emma swallowed the coffee before speaking, "I'll do it tomorrow. I promise."
Regina nodded, knowing Emma wouldn't. She always told her so, but Regina enjoyed cooking anyways, so she just let it go. Regina finished her coffee and looked at Henry, "You're ready, little man?"
He nodded and left the bowl in the sink. When he was passing by her side, Regina leaned and stopped him, kissing his forehead. "Mooooom," he protested, but there was no venom in it; just the embarrassment of an almost teenager. Regina didn't care about his protests; she was finally in a place in which she could do that without him scurrying away, so she might as well enjoyed it while she could.
Henry ran outside the kitchen to get his bag and Regina took the chance to hug Emma from behind. The Sheriff jumped, startled by it, but then turned her head to look at her. "Hello."
"Hello," Regina said with a smile. "I'm still sore from last night."
Emma's lips drew a smug smile she tried to hide biting her lip but failed miserably, "Me too, but it's so worthy."
Regina smirked in return and pressed soft kisses along Emma's neck, "I hope dinner tonight doesn't take long. I'm not quite finished." Emma gulped and she didn't have the chance to get her voice back when they heard Henry outside.
"Mom, come on! I'm ready!"
Pressing a kiss on her lips, Regina stood and fixed her dress, "See you at lunch?"
"Of course," Emma said finishing her coffee. "I love you."
Regina, who was already making her way to the door, turned and flashed a smile at her, "I love you too, Emma."
The Sheriff followed her and watched them go for another day. Another plain and without dragons threatening to murder everyone in town day. While she came back to the kitchen, Emma couldn't help but smile. When she imagined her life, she had thought it would feel good and at peace, finally happy. She had no idea she had been falling short.
THE END
A/N: How's that for an ending? Seriously, I would love to hear your thoughts. Thank you for all the follows/favs/reviews and I hope you enjoyed this story!