Chapter 10: I do

There weren't actually that many perks of being a mayor of Storybrooke, but having the entire Town Hall at your disposal was definitely one of them. Snow decided to utilize the full capacity of it. It's not like Regina didn't want to have a big wedding, she just didn't think about this at all when she demanded that Robin marries her before he goes. Snow knew better, and even though it was not an easy task, she, along with Emma and Tinkerbell, managed to pull quite an impressive event. And so, when the next day came, they were all running around the Town Hall and decorating, while Regina was in her office, trying not to think too much about anything.

"How is it going?" Snow burst into the office and found Regina in a bath robe, putting on her make up. "Oh! I thought you'd be dressed by now. Can't you just... magic it onto yourself?"

"I can." The former queen threw a makeup brush into the box of cosmetics. "I just need something to keep myself busy."

"Are you nervous?"

"Of course not." Regina snorted, but the statement wasn't very believable. She sighed. "I just don't think all of this was necessary. Archie could very well marry us by the well, like he did Gold and Belle."

"Oh, come on, a big wedding is every girl's dream."

"I already had one." Regina snapped before she could think about it. "I'm... I'm sorry... I didn't mean..."

"No, it's fine." Snow smiled and sat down. "I know those memories are painful for you. I'm sorry you were forced into loveless marriage, even if it was my father we're talking about."

"It wasn't your fault." Regina said quietly. Snow's eyebrows rose. "Yes, I'm admitting this, don't look so surprised. We've been through too much."

"Well, for all it's worth Regina, I'm happy that I get to witness you getting married to someone you truly love."

Regina looked at her and then back at herself in the mirror.

"We're doing this honesty thing again, so I might as well admit to you that I am indeed nervous."

Snow laughed out loud and stood up.

"I knew it. Sadly, I can't be of any help. I have so much work to do I shouldn't even be here. And you're going to be late, Henry is going to be here any moment."

"Right." Regina nodded and put down the mirror. She glanced in front of her where her dress was hanging and rolled her eyes. "Magic it is."

Snow grabbed her hands and pulled her up. When Regina was up and steady she waved her hand and a purple smoke formed around her. When the smoke disappeared, Snow gasped at the view.

"Given the history we just discussed, yu're going to kill me for saying that again, but... you are most certainly the fairest of them all!"

The dress was simple and beige. Knee short, with lace sleeves. Her dark hair was in a low bun, with a few strands of hair falling on her face. Magic also finished her makeup.

Regina rolled her eyes.

"This could work on me if I wan't heavily pregnant and I could find more than three maternity wedding dresses to choose from in this town."

"You truly look wonderful. And the bump only adds to your glow, trust me."

"Anyway." Regina blushed a little, so she wanted to change the subject. "How much time left?"

Snow didn't answer, because they both saw Henry walking into the office and it kind of answered the question for her. Not much.

"Mom! You look amazing!"

"Me?" Regina walked across the room to her son. "Look at you, handsome man. Where did you get this suit?"

"Grandpa left me a few. Back when I was his fake apprentice. Speaking of, he called me this morning."

"Gold? He called you?"

Regina was in deep shock, she didn't think Gold would keep his promise and stay in touch with Henry. She must have missed their calls, which made her wonder how many other things in her son's life she missed recently.

"He wanted me to pass a messege. He said the plan will work. Robin's plan. And that he's happy for you."

Regina listened to it with her eyes wide open. When Henry finished they were full of tears. She blinked quickly so she doesn't smudge her makeup.

"Yes." Snow spoke, seeing this. "Robin spoke to him. Gold is the one who told us about the Shears of Destiny and vaguely explained where to look fot them."

Regina nodded and looked at her son.

"Next time you speak with Gold... tell him I said thank you."

"You will tell him." Henry frowned, not accepting any possibility that his mother would not be around to do it herself.

"He's right." Snow said with a soft smile.

Regina didn't say anything, but also smiled palely.

"Grandma, you should be downstairs." Henry reminded them.

"Right!" Snow shouted and run out of the office to see to the last preparations.

"Oh, Henry." Regina couldn't help herself. "You look so mature. I can't handle it."

"Hopefully you'll stop fussing about me growing up when my little sister is born." Henry joked and touched her belly gently. He was the only one, besides Robin, who could do it without asking and she didn't even flinch. The baby kicked the place he touched as if she knew exactly someone's waiting for her to do it.

"She will be a handful, that's for sure." Regina smiled and looked up at Henry. "How are you feeling about this?"

"Mom, we've talked about this. I'm so excited! I wish I knew what to call her, but other than that..."

"No, I mean the wedding. This is literally happening overnight."

"So? We've had our differences, but Robin is already like a father to me. I love Roland to bits, even when he's being annoying. Maybe to you it's a big deal, but for me nothing will change really."

Regina couldn't hold the tears any longer.

"I'm so happy you said that." She pulled his son into an embrace. "I love you, Henry. I always will."

"I love you, too."

They stayed like this for a longer while, hugging, and then Henry finally pulled away.

"It's time."

Regina blinked twice and it finally hit her. It's time to go. It's time to walk down the aisle.

xxx

They slowly walked down the stairs and the closer they were to the main hall, the music became louder. She also felt a bit strange, weaker even, but she blamed it on the nerves. Henry squeezed her arm tighter, also because he didn't want his mother to fall down, since she couldn't quite see her feet.

Henry was walking her down the aisle. When Robin proposed to her months ago, there wasn't even a doubt in her mind that this is how it would go down. Apart from the fact that Henry had been the most important person in her life for so many years, it was also just symbolic. Her father was dead, but her son had his name, so in a way her father was still with her in that moment.

The hall was decorated simply, but very elegantly. What Snow did there thankfully transformed the stiff meeting room into something special. But what struck Regina the most was the amount of people who came. There were so many people, it seemed like the entire Storybrooke came to see her get married. Well, maybe that's just it. They were curious more than they were supportive. But it didn't really matter, it was still a shock to her when she first saw it.

Everyone was looking at her, but she was searching for one gaze. And there he was. Robin was seeing Regina from the other side of the room and was trying to hold it together, but couldn't stop smiling. As Regina passed through, she briefly noticed Killian with Emma, and then the Charmings. She also saw the Merry Men at the front, Tinkerbell and some other fairies, and to her surprise: Lily and Ursula. How the hell did the last one get there here fast? And Lily? She would come, but Maleficent wouldn't? It was weird.

Henry and Regina finally reached the provisory "altar", where Robin was waiting impatiently. Henry handed Regina's hand to Robin, who nodded at her son.

The ceremony went smoothly, Archie was as emotional as always in situations like this, but he carried it out perfecly. It was short, so when it came to their speeches, they kept it short as well. None of them had any time to prepare, but maybe it was better this way.

"We are gathered here to witness to union of Regina Mills and Robin of Locksley. Your vows, if you please."

"My love." Robin started. "I've had the honour to have met you for the first time... a few times." A muttered laughter swept through the room. It was true, with all the curses and memory loses, it seemed like they did just that. "But each time I fell in love with you instantly. But now, since I really got to know you, with all your beauty and strenght, what I love most about you is how much of a fighter you are. You fearlessly fight for the people you love, sometimes with fireballs and sometimes with snarky remarks." The people let out another laugh. Snow was already crying. "Some people say magic brought us together, some say it was fate. Whatever it was, this is the most real thing I've ever felt, and with this ring I vow to love and cherish you and our family forever."

Regina was listening to all of this with eyes wide open. She could've swear he had this prepared beforehand. Robin put a ring on her finger and then Archie turned to her.

"Regina?"

She gulped and glanced at all the people, who was watching her closely. She turned back to Robin and suddenly, when she looked into his eyes, she felt calm.

"Up until this moment..." She started, looking into his eyes. "I thought nothing I would say would be enough. I thought I wasn't enough... for such a long time. I always thought I didn't deserve love or a second chance, but you proved me wrong."

Robin smiled to her so brightly, she lost focus for a moment.

"Robin... thank you. For all you're giving me. For your trust, for your belief, for our perfect family... Everyone always likes to say that you're a thief who stole the Evil Queen's heart. But we both know you can't steal something that's been given to you. With this ring I promise to love you every day for the rest of my life."

They were standing like this for a few seconds and eventually Archie snapped out of a trans and remembered it's his turn to speak.

"Do you, Robin of Locksley, take this woman to be your wife and to love her for all eternity?"

"I do."

"Do you, Regina Mills, take this man to be your husband and to love him for all eternity?"

"I do."

"With great pleasure, I now pronounce you husband and wife."

Regina's heart almost jumped out of her chest when everyone started screaming and clapping. It was loud, but somehow they both were able to hear Archie saying "You guys may kiss now".

They looked at each other and smiled widely, and as their faces got closer together, and as their lips almost united, a sound louder than screams ripped through. The door to the Town Hall burst open. Regina and Robin jumped from each other, alarmed, and Robin instantly took a step forward to cover Regina with his body.

Everyone gasped in fear. Regina couldn't quite see what is causing the chaos yet, but she felt it in her bones. Somehow, deep down, she have been expecting this.

"Sorry, I'm late." Zelena spoke with a harsh growl.

"No." Regina said quietly.

"Oh please, don't stop on my account." The Wicked Witch walked through the aisle, enjoying the panic she caused with her appearance. "I'm just here for my sister. My invitation got lost, as it seems?"

Robin took a knife out of his belt. Regina didn't even knew he had it. He pointed it at Zelena and growled.

"Don't take another step."

"Feisty." Zelena laughed, highly amused. "I guess I could accept you as my brother-in-law."

"Why are you here?!" Henry yelled.

"Isn't is obvious?"

Zelena turned to look directly at Regina and smiled.

The former queen was holding Robin's arm, as if she wanted to stop him from moving forward and going after Zelena. In reality, she just didn't want him to get hurt. Truth be told, no one besides her stood any chance in a clash with The Wicked Witch.

"You don't seem surprised to see me, sis."

"I'm not." Regina admitted.

"It must have been a relief, finding out your dear sister is alive and well."

"The only relief I feel is to know my baby isn't a murderer. And that she's stronger than you."

"Is she now?"

"Try to come for me and find out." Regina growled and moved forward, but Robin stopped her with his arm.

"I'm not here to hurt you. Not today, anyway." Zelena stopped and reached for something in her pocket. "In case you haven't noticed, we're still linked by the spell." The moment she said it, she sliced the palm of her hand with a sharp blade.

Regina hissed in pain and grabbed her bleeding hand. Robin looked down, horrified. The red blood stained her wedding dress and it was difficult to contain the wound. Zelena took that moment to walk closer to them.

"As you can see, my hands are tied here."

"If you're not here to hurt Regina, why this whole charade? You didn't even care about your own life before." Robin spoke to the witch while he was holding his wife.

"And why did you even wait for so long?" Regina added another question, looking at her sister and wincing in pain.

"Because, sis, a few months ago I thought hurting you was my endgame. I didn't care if I died in the process. Sure you can understand that, you were after all The Evil Queen. You cast the Dark Curse! Or did everyone forget?!" Zelena turned to the crowd for a second. All the eyes were pointed at her. "Now it's quite a different situation. You see, I've been watching you closely. I know everything. Including how much power your little bundle of joy posseses."

Regina froze, her blood boiled, her entire body started shaking.

"You... you're here for my baby." Her voice broke.

"No!" Robin yelled.

"Oh, yes, my dears."

"You said you didn't care..."

"And I don't." Zelena stopped him. "Do you really think I could grow to have some kind of maternal feelings for your spawn?! No, thief, I realised something more important. Your daugher is the key to my happy ending, but... in its own kind of way. She can break the laws of magic, which means she can do what I failed to do before. She can take me back in time."

"And then the linking spell won't matter." Regina whispered.

"When I take her from you, seeing your suffering will be enough for me. And then... well, I'll erase you from existence once and for all. And most importantly, I live to tell the tale."

"Why are you telling us this now?" Emma took a step forward. "You came here just to crash the wedding, is that it?"

"I came here, because there's nothing you can do to stop me." Zelena paced around the altar, looking at everyone. "My gift to you, my dear sister, is this happy, happy day. Or a few, time will tell." She giggled and glacned down at Regina's belly. "I recommend you enjoy it. Say your goodbyes. Because once you have this baby, I will come for it. And believe me, I learned a thing or two trying to steal Snow White's baby, this time I won't fail. I will get her." The witch stopped and looked directly in Regina's eyes. "I shall destroy your happiness, and it won't be the last thing I do."

Regina completly lost control over herself. The despair overwhelmed her, the rage inside, along with her daugher's uneasy movements, pushed her to the edge once again. She pushed Robin away and raised her hand, she wanted Zelena dead so badly. At the same time, Zelena raised her hand as well. Everyone bent down and covered their heads, expecting to see a blast from both of the witches, but... nothing happened. Neither one of them released any magic at all.

"What the...?" Zelena looked at her hands.

"Yeah, I forgot to mention one thing."

Everyone looked at Emma, who walked forward to stand between two sisters.

"Emma, what are you doing?" Regina asked, confused, since Emma was standing directly in the line of fire.

"You shouldn't be asking what I'm doing, but what have I already done." Emma smiled to her friend and then she looked at Zelena. "Zelena… Your sick need to gloat will always be your downfall. I wasn't sure you'd come to crash the wedding, I could only assume... But I'm glad you did. And I was right, you're simply too obssesed with Regina not to."

"What did you do?" Regina asked, still looking at her own hands. By now, she managed to figure out something is neutralizing her magic. And that Emma is behind it.

"I enchanted this room this morning, so whoever comes through loses their magic. In fact, there's not a bit of magic anywhere in here. It's almost like you'd take a step over the town line."

"You... made this room a land without magic?" Regina frowned.

"With a bit of help from the fairies." Emma smiled to Tinkerbell and Blue. They both nodded. "They felt like they needed to make amends for some stuff."

"But Emma, you neutralized my magic as well."

"True. Also, I had to give heads up to Maleficent, so she wouldn't come, otherwise she'd turn back into a dust as soon as she stepped inside."

"How is this helping?"

"You're missing the point, Regina. It's not about keeping someone in or out. You can leave and you'll get your magic back. The fun part is..." Emma turned to Zelena. "...SHE can't teleport out of here. She can only leave here on her feet. And as it happens, the sheriffs, well... run faster."

As soon as Emma said it, Zelena realised what it meant. She broke into a run, headed to the exit, but some sheriff was indeed faster. It was David who caught her and knocked her down, holding her in place.

"Are we in a hurry somewhere?" He smirked.

"Let go of me, sheperd!"

"No, Zelena, you won't go anywhere. You'll stay here for as long as we need you to. And right now some time is all we need."

Emma looked at Regina. The bride smiled to her.

"Thank you."

"Let's tie her to something." Emma said to her father.

David grabbed Zelena and dragged her out into the corner.

Regina fell into Robin's arms in relief. Robin hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

"You have a good friend, my love."

"I sure do."

"What about the wedding?" Snow said. "We can't just stop here."

"Snow, I don't think it's..." Regina started, but Snow didn't let her finish.

"No! Now we truly have a reason to celebrate. But we can't stay here with her." Snow pointed at Zelena, who was hissing and jerking while David tied her to a pipe. "So we simply need to move the party someplace else."

"I agree." Tinkerbell spoke. "If we quit the celebration, the witch wins. We can't let her win."

"Well." Granny stood up. "Say no more. Parties at my diner have the best survivable statistics anyway."

Everyone laughed and the tension in the room subsided. They were safe.

"Wait!" Robin shouted and everyone froze half step. "Just one more thing."

Regina looked at him confused. He suddenly grabbed her by the waist and bend her backwards. He pressed his lips into hers so passionately she saw the stars. They kissed many times before but there was something different in this kiss. Robin pulled away and pushed her back into standing position.

"Now I'm done."

Regina was looking deeply inside his eyes and smiling. Everyone was clapping and cheering once again and tears started falling down her face.

The party was moved to Granny's. She never changed from the blood stained dress, because as soon as she stepped outside of the Town Hall, she indeed got her magic back. With a wave of her hand, she healed her palm and got rid of the stain. It only made her feel better to know that for once she's the one with magic, while Zelena has none.

Granny's diner had a little less room for dancing, but the afternoon and the evening were warm, it didn't bother anyone, they danced on the street. It was truly one of the most magical night in Regina's life. She danced mostly with Robin, but Henry, Hook and David also managed to steal a dance or two. And then Snow grabbed her and forced her to spin so fast, it made her dizzy. Eventually Maleficent came in to the diner to wish her the best.

The hours went by and the party was coming to an end. Regina was standing and watching the last people dancing, when she felt someone touch her back gently.

"Regina." Robin whispered and she turned around.

"There you are, my husband." Regina put her arms on his shoulders and smiled. "It feels so nice to say it."

"It's time, m'lady."

"Time for what?" She pulled away, alarmed.

Robin sighed and looked to the right where Hook and David were standing, already changed into their regular clothes and with bags on their arms.

"No..." Regina almost broke down. She completely forgot about...

"We need to go to the Enchanted Forest. Now."

"But... Zelena... she's locked up..."

"I fulfilled my end of the bargain. We got married. It was an amazing idea, I give you that. And it turned out even better, now that we control Zelena. But it doesn't change the fact we need to find Shears of Destiny, it's the only way we can be free of her for good."

"Right." Regina nodded energically, but couldn't help the tears. She shut her eyes, trying to look brave.

"Hey." Robin touched her cheek. "I will be back before you know it."

"I know." She forced a smile.

They kissed again. Briefly, but it held so much meaning. Regina had a very bad feeling.

Snow said goodbye to David, as Emma kissed Hook. The two women seemed to be in better moods. Then Snow walked to Regina and put an arm around her.

"It's going to be okay."

They never said "goodbye", Regina turned around to not look as Robin, Hook and David opened the portal. She only heard their muttered voices and then the sound of portal closing behind them. And then it was quiet. She touched her lips with her fingers, trying to preserve the memory of this kiss forever.

xxx

For the first week she stayed calm. Zelena was guarded and under constant supervision, and there weren't any news from Robin or any of the men who left. No news is good news, right? She knew it can take a while and this time Robin won't rest until he finds this magical object. He won't come back without it, that much she was sure of.

Regina was seeing both Archie and Whale as usual, trying to prepare herself mentally and phisically for the birth of her daughter. It wasn't easy to do this without Robin, but her daughter needed her nonetheless, and she still had a few weeks until the due date, so she kept telling herself that Robin will make it in time.

The days that came after were a mixture of feelings. One minute she wanted to follow Robin through the portal immediately and the next she became calm. Snow and Emma offered her to move in, so someone else has an eye on her besides a teenager and a 6-year-old, but she refused. She had her magic, nothing would happen to her.

In time, even Snow and Emma began to worry. Their true loves also went missing.

It wasn't until Regina was 37 weeks pregnant that all hell broke loose. In a way, quite literally. It was also when she first felt a strange new pain in the lower back, which later would turn out to be something she could pinpoint as her first contraction.