Summer sunshine sifted gently through oak leaves, giving the tombstone a comforting glow. After some time of private mourning, Belle had a lovely dark marble made, with a vacant spot right beside him. She found herself lost in thought as she looked towards his name engraved on the tombstone, still in disbelief that he was gone.

"I never thought I would live in a world without the Dark One in it," said a voice from behind, causing Regina to turn around. Her soft expression froze in place when she saw who it was.

"Malificent?"

The other woman mirrored her delight. "It's good to see you, Regina."

She could only gaze back towards her, still in a stupor.

"How did he die?" Malificent continued, slowly making her way towards the grave. She stopped when she was at Regina's side, focused on the engravings ahead.

"He had cancer," Regina heard herself respond, following her gaze. "Brain cancer."

Mal let out a heavy sigh, allowing comfortable silence to fill the space around them. "I guess we never know what will happen down the road."

The two stood quietly next to each other, unsure of how much time had gone by. Fragmented memories came and went through her mind, each one seemingly carried off in the gentle breeze.

"What are you doing here?" Regina asked suddenly, turning to face her. She began to study the woman's appearance more in depth, noticing the wrinkles on the corners of her eyes. Although changed slightly, she was still the same woman she knew all those years ago.

"I'm here to visit my daughter," Malificent said, matching her glance. "I actually might get a place close to her- I'm looking at houses later this week."

"You have a daughter?" She could hardly keep the surprise from her voice. She had often wondered what had happened to her after they had lost touch.

Smiling brightly, Mal was quick to pull out her phone and hand it to Regina. "Her name is Lily."

Regina couldn't believe her eyes as she scrolled through the pictures, each one mirroring happiness and love. "She's beautiful."

She nodded in agreement. "We've had our ups and downs, but we're closer than ever before. I should've left the Enchanted Forest years ago- magic is nothing in comparison to family."

They sifted through a few more photos- Disneyland, camping, the beach- each one bringing a smile to her lips.

"What about you?" Malificent asked, "what have you been up to for the last few decades?"

Regina smiled softly, reflecting on the journey life had taken her on. "I met a really great guy, and somehow got three amazing kids."

It was Mal's turn to be surprised. She carefully studied each picture she was shown, her eyes lit with joy. "I'm so happy for you."

She debated continuing her line of thought, knowing she would regret anything she didn't say. "With everything you went through… I wasn't sure if you or me would get any sort of happy ending. I didn't think it was possible for people like us. But… we proved them wrong."

Regina smiled in return. "We proved them wrong."

Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through this story! It might've taken almost ten years for me to write, but it was worth it! I started this fanfic in 2014, back when Zelena's character was first introduced in the show. Her character had so much potential, but the writers never gave her the chance to live up to what I think she was capable of. She deserved better, so I wrote her the best ending I could! Thanks again, and long live Outlaw Queen!

-Kayla