A/N: Here it is: the epilogue of the tale! 2 years later and it's done xD It's crazy, right?

"It's ok to be scared. Being scared means you're about to do something really, really brave."

- Unknown

Chapter 15: Epilogue

Healing takes time. It's not just one day you wake up and everything is back to normal, as if the trauma never happened. You can't become the same person you were because that person no longer exists.

It isn't until she's sitting beside Regina in the loft, her parents across from her, trying to explain what had happened that she realizes that her healing has just begun. They don't try and hug her, just listen silently as she speaks. Most of what she says is mumbled words and God she doesn't have to tell them. It's her secret. Hers and Regina's to share decades apart. But when she's finished explaining and she's hugging her parents, something clicks. It's like pieces of a puzzle falling into place.

Pongo lays his head in her lap during her sessions with Archie. For her first few sessions, she just sits, staring at the wall until the time is up. Archie sits patiently, giving her time to process. And it really is a lot to take in, isn't it? How can she go from orphan, ex-con, bail bondsperson to mother, daughter and True Love in six months? It was crazy.

Hell, she's more worried about almost dying. Or maybe she did die. She's not sure about that. It was like her life-force was gone and in the next instant it wasn't.

Eventually, she starts to opens up. Most days when she's done, she's physically drained. In fact, after the first session, she went back to the loft and just slept. She probably should've told someone where she was. Or at least not told her family she'd meet them for dinner after she was done. So when Henry and Regina woke her up warmed her heart.

She and Regina decide to do a therapy session with Archie together once a week along with one-on-one sessions separately. Henry is either with her parents or Neal when they have their therapy session together, though they talked it over with Henry, he decided that he'd rather go with Neal.

"He's my dad and I want to know him."

She had sighed and let him go.

Henry himself still had therapy sessions on Thursdays, but according to Archie, he could probably stop when he felt ready to. It was nice, though, for the three of them to go to Granny's for dinner after his sessions.

*One month later*

Henry's birthday is only a few days away, and he's staying with his grandparent's tonight. Emma had moved in with them a couple weeks into their therapy. It was something Archie had suggested, but honestly, she was sure it was something to do with a conversation he'd had with Snow. It had probably been about hope and True Love and how she and Emma should spend all the time together they should.

She would've rolled her eyes, but the truth of the matter was that being around Emma seemed to be helping with the nightmares. Emma had commented on it, wondering if it had something to do with them being True Loves.

"True Love is tricky. I've heard that it can do many different things."

Emma had grinned, looking more like herself than she had since the ordeal had happened. And even though she was loath to admit it, she was feeling more like herself than she had in decades. What she felt with Emma was stronger than she felt with Daniel. At first the thought had alarmed her, but Daniel had told her to love again, so that's what she was doing.

Emma had had a similar experience with Rumple's spawn. While she had no desire to even see the man, she had gone with Emma at the woman's request and had sat a few tables away with Henry while Neal and Emma talked. The thing about being True Loves with magic was that their magic would react to each other's moods. She had brooded over her fries, and she could feel Emma's magic's uneasiness.

When Neal had gotten up to leave, he'd smiled at Henry and had nodded to her. She almost smiled. But then she remembered where she was and nodded back. When Emma joined them a few seconds later, she slid into the booth beside Henry, grabbing a fry from his plate.

"Well?" she prompted, passing her plate of fries toward the blonde.

"He said that it looked like I found my Tallahassee." Emerald eyes had met her dark ones, "He's right."

She's pulled from her thoughts by Emma resting her head on her shoulder.

She opens her eyes as she stares down at the blonde. Emma stares up at her, smiling softly.

"Emma, I thought we were going to sleep in."

"Never thought I'd hear that from the Mayor." Emma presses a soft kiss to her lips, "I'm not that tired."

"Mmm." She kisses her back gently, sitting up slightly. The blonde wiggles herself into her lap, gently tangling a hand in her hair. Heat erupts in her core as Emma pushes her backwards onto the bed, still kissing, and she gently breaks the kiss, running a hand along the Savior's cheek.

Emerald eyes catch hers, her name coming out with a slight whine. She resists the urge to chuckle; instead she regarded her softly, running her hands along her sides as she carefully switches their positions, straddling the blonde's waist. She brings their mouths together in a soft kiss, "You're sure?"

Emma nods, "Yeah," she pauses, "Regina please."

She presses another kiss - this time more hesitant - against the blonde's lips. After she'd become queen, she tossed her past with her mother away. She reveled in her sexuality, and once Leopold was dead, she took full control, taking who and what she wanted with her bedmates' feared consent, desperate to please her. As she thought back now, the terror they'd displayed mirrored her own as a young woman, under Leopold and her mother.

She gently stroked Emma's cheek, a soft smile creeping onto her lips at the younger woman's sigh. She and Emma had been through so much. She understood her. She had to be gentle. And she would.

"Regina…"

"I've got you."

Henry looked up with a grin as his mom brought out the cake, Emma following her with plates and a knife. The Mansion was packed with his family. His grandpa and grandma had arrived first, not surprisingly. Gold, Belle and his dad had showed up a short while later. Dinner had been nice. Mom had only thrown one snide remark to grandma, and she had laughed about it. It was so absurd.

"Henry," Mom said, pulling him from his thoughts.

The cake was in front of him, Ma finishing lighting the candles, "Make a wish, kid."

He smiled and looked around the room. I wish this never ends.

With one breath, he extinguished the flames.

A/N: And there you have it. The end of this journey. In honor of the season finale, I wanted to get this up. Viva la Swan Queen, my dears. Never lose hope.

Hime