Chapter 22

Slipping into one of my dresses, a short blue summer dress, I glanced around my room looking at what I had done so long ago. The ice that my magic had made, I could remember when I was little and how afraid I was when I first discovered it, now I loved it and found myself making myself happy through my magic and even because of it. I looked behind me at Terrence, who was laying on the bed watching me, and I smiled at him.

"What?" I asked walking over to the bed.

"Can't I look at my wife?" He asked with a smirk.

"I love the sound of that," I smiled sitting down next to him.

"You're not getting ready for bed?" He asked, I shrugged.

"I'm not tired."

"That's not what I was asking," He said pushing himself up.

"Maybe I would like some actual time with you, I feel like I haven't seen you in forever and I miss you."

"We have the rest of our lives for that." He said kissing my shoulder softly.

"And what happens when we have kids four years from now and we never get a moment to ourselves?" I asked He reached out grabbing my waist pulling me down on top of him making me laugh.

"That's why we have fun tonight," He whispered as I continued to laugh.

Moving from underneath me he hovered over my body his arms on either side of me, he stayed there looking at me.

"Give me some time to just enjoy being married and tonight I promise you can have my undivided attention," I said biting my lip.

"It is tonight, love." He said bringing himself down to kiss me softly. "But I will do anything for you." I laughed putting my arms around his neck.

"I'm so happy right now." I said looking at him and those big beautiful eyes.

"So am I, this may be the best day I've had in a long time." He said but looked off thinking. "Okay one other day."

"What was that?" I asked.

"The day I met you."

I laughed making him look at me. "Want to know mine?" I asked.

He nodded rolling off of me, I turned onto my side looking at him. "The day you came back."

"What time?" He asked with a chuckle.

"The first, though the second time I wasn't as mad." He smiled kissing my forehead.

"This is our second chance Es, and I'm not going anywhere." There was a knock on the door and I let out a sigh getting up to see who it was.

"Sorry but can we have you two down in my office?" Oswin asked, I nodded looking at Terrence.

We walked into the office where Regina and Dorothy were already sitting and took a seat on the couch.

"What's this about?" I asked looking at everyone.

"It's about you going back to Storybrooke." Oswin said, I looked at him my heart sinking into the pit of my stomach, I had known we would probably go back to Storybrooke but this just made it feel real.

"When are we leaving?" I asked with a sigh.

"I was hoping tomorrow." Regina said. I nodded feeling Terrence's hand on my shoulder.

"If we all plan on leaving, then what's there to talk about?"

"Not all of us are leaving Essie." Oswin said, I looked up at him unable to speak. "I need to stay here. I can't leave OZ when we are just trying to get back on our feet."

"I can't just leave you here, you'll be all alone. Please don't do this to me again Oswin. You sent me away before, and I'm not leaving without you this time," I cried standing up.

"My people need me here, and this is the one place where I feel close with Aly."

"But.."

"This isn't a question Elsa" He interrupted. The whole room fell into a silence. I was in tears when he finally spoke. "I'm sorry, I hate to do this to you again, but you don't need me anymore. It's time you left and started your own life. If one day you want to come back believe me I'll be waiting for that day to come." He said softly.

"I'm always going to need you." I said in almost a whisper.

"You have Terrence and Regina, as well as all your friends in Storybrooke. You'll do fine, and just because we won't live together doesn't mean I won't think of you or that we can never speak."

"How?"

"I have a magic mirror, so does Oswin, you can see each other." Regina explained.

"I guess that's good enough." I said with a shaky sigh. "What about you?" I asked looking at Dorothy.

"I don't have anything waiting for me in Kansas anymore." Dorothy said. "Aunty Em and Uncle Henry died a few years before I came here," She looked down at Toto.

"Come with us to Storybrooke." I said.

She looked at me smiling softly. "Maybe" She said with a sigh.

"Just think about it, I need my best friend." I smiled, and she nodded in response.

Dorothy got up, hugging me before excusing herself. I watched her leave, Toto running behind her, before I turned and looked at Regina and Oswin.

"I'm going to my room with Terrence and I don't want to be disturbed until morning." I said taking Terrence's hand.

"I did not need to know that." Oswin said I rolled my eyes.

"You're the one who went there," I replied pulling Terrence up.

Walking out of the office the door swung shut behind me. I didn't stop till we were safely in my bedroom and the door was closed. Without saying anything Terrence pulled me into his arms holding me tightly. I stayed there feeling warm and safe in his arms and loved. My head was rested on his chest my arms around him. My body didn't want to move but I felt my feet leave the floor.

"What are you doing?" I asked, well screeched, at Terrence putting my arms around his neck.

"Taking my wife to bed" He said walking up the stairs.

I laughed as he dropped me on the bed.

"I really need to get ready to go." I said as he kissed me. "Come on it could be fun to go through my old stuff.

"Fine," He moaned I laughed getting up.

Within an hour I had my things packed in a bag and Terrennce was sitting at my chair doing something. I smiled softly seeing his bare skin, it took everything I had not to faint. He was mine and I was so in love with him. Moving up the stairs I sat down on my bed watching him.

"What are you doing?" I asked he turned and I tried not to laugh, he had used one of my facial cream masks. "Nice look."

"Is it supposed to burn?" He asked, I laughed getting up, I got a wash cloth and got it wet before moving in front of him. "Does it make me look good at least?" He asked laying his hands on my waist.

"So good," I smiled kissing him before cleaning off the mask, I didn't say anything and felt him pull me closer to him. Sitting on his lap I leaned against his chest laying my head on his shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked quietly.

"Just thinking," I sighed he smiled pushing me up off of him.

"Come on let's go" Terrence said grabbing my hand.

"Where?" I asked laughing as he dragged me from the room, he stopped checking around the corner before running towards the stairs.

We ran out the front of the Castle and down the steps following the road to the gate. I couldn't help but smile as I realized where we were headed. Tonight we would spend one last moment together at our tree.

"Race you there" I whispered in his ear dropping his hand. He laughed picking up his pace to get to the tree before me.

I reached the tree first and started climbing trying to avoid stepping on my dress. The old willow had been home to many adventures over the years and ones that I will always hold dear. But tonight seemed different, maybe it was the full moon, or the fact this was our wedding night, but either way tonight was perfect. I found a branch that looked heavy enough and sat down watching as Terrence came up to sit next to me leaning against the tree. He swung his leg over the branch letting me sit between them. I relaxed into him looking up through the branches at the moon and the stars.

"This is my favorite spot in all of OZ" I sighed, Terrence slipped his arms in front of me holding me there.

"Mine too" He said, softly laying his chin on the top of my head. "I'm going to miss it here." He said with a sigh. "You know I'll do whatever you want to do right? If you want to stay here in OZ or if you want to go to Storybrooke."

"I keep thinking about that." I said turning my head to look at him.

"And?"

"I think that it will be good for me, of course I'll miss it here, but I have you and I have my mom now. It can be a whole new adventure for us." I said with a soft smile, he nodded.

"I agree and like I said before I'm not going anywhere and I'm never leaving your side." He said making me laugh.

"When did you become such a romantic?" I asked reaching up, my fingers followed his jaw line feeling his unshaven chin.

"When I fell in love with you" I rolled my eyes looking back towards the city.

People had started to try and rebuild the city and magic was back in OZ but it still didn't look like it did when we were kids. There was no life, everything just looked old and rusted. I hoped that Oswin would be able to make the city as it use to be and bring joy back to the people.

"Is everything okay?" Terrence asked rubbing my arms.

"Yeah why?"

"Because your making it snow."

I looked up and sure enough there were snowflakes.

"Oh, sorry" I said embarrassed, even though I could control my magic sometimes it got away from me.

"It's fine."

"But I make it cold for you, the cold doesn't bother me." I said biting my lip.

"I don't mind love I promise, besides I have you to keep me warm." He smiled kissing my head softly.

"Hard when I have magic that makes me cold all the time," I said with a soft chuckle.

"But I love you and your magic." He replied.

"Glad to hear it." I smiled.

"You ready to head back yet?" He asked letting out a sigh I looked up.

"Not yet, if we go back everything changes." I said, as ready as I was for change my heart longed for things to stay the same.

"I'll do whatever you want my love, as long as I'm with you." He said making me smile.

We stayed there for a long while in each others arms talking and remembering our younger selves and all the fun we had. We made our way down the old tree Terrence pulled a knife from his pocket and started carving in the trunk of the tree. I tried to see what he was doing but I couldn't see around his broad shoulders.

"What in the world are you doing Tin man?" I asked sitting down in the grass.

"We gotta leave our mark some place." He smiled turning to look at me. I looked past him seeing now that he had carved our names into the tree with the date. I smiled standing up, taking his hands I looked up at him smiling unable to stop myself.

"We left our mark on this whole town" I said softly.

"You bet we did." He smiled kissing me quickly. "Come on it's getting late and we have a big day today." He said leading me towards the city.

"Do you think people will still talk about this place years from now?" I asked looking down at the Yellow brick that had become so familiar to me.

"I think it will be our job to keep it alive, tell our story to our kids and our grandkids."

"What do you think happened to Theo and Sawyer?" I asked.

"I don't know, but I think that if they were still alive they would have heard of our return and of our success with Zelena." I sighed worried that he was right.

We got back into the palace, and, well, let's just say we made the night count. I fell asleep my hand rested on his chest feeling his heart beat in rhythm with mine. It felt like I had no more fallen asleep when I woke up in a sweat. My body feeling hot and sticky against the cold air of my room. I could feel the tears coming. Terrence's hand came to my back rubbing it softly.

"Are you okay?" He asked his voice still tired.

Looking at him the tears stung my eyes, he sat up quickly, pulling me into a hold trying to sooth the now flowing tears.

"It was just a dream, love, your safe." He whispered laying soft gentle kisses on the top of my head.

"It was so real," I cried "I think I remember what happened to Sawyer and Theo."

"What?" He asked breathlessly.

"She killed them. Zelena killed them, Terrence." I sobbed tucking my head into his shoulder unable to stop the tears realizing just what I had done.