The family took the train to Florence the next day. Once there, they had lunch and explored the Galleria before wandering the streets for more gelato. Henry had been the most excited about his room in Florence than any other he'd had so far. It felt like a little room he was renting on his own adventures. While lying in bed that night, he couldn't help but imagine all the exciting things he could possibly do once he graduated. He knew his mothers expected him to go to college, but he craved an adventure of his own. The next day, they toured a leather factory. Henry had taken interest in the behind-the-scenes process, while Regina looked over their handbags. When she turned around, she saw Emma quietly slipping on a dark red jacket. Regina walked over to her just in time to hear the soft moan that left her throat as she felt the luxurious leather under her fingertips. With a smile, she walked away and spoke with the clerk as Emma returned the jacket to its hanger. Emma began to look around for Regina once they walked outside and was surprised to see her walking out holding the jacket Emma had tried on. She held it out to her casually.

"You forgot your jacket, dear."

Emma looked at her dumbfounded. "What- What did you do? How did you know?"

"Put it on," she instructed.

Emma slipped the jacket on and stood before her in awe as she watched Regina look her over with a satisfied smile. "See? It looks far too good on you. It was meant to be."

Henry smiled as he watched the two of them, while Regina took Emma's hand and led them down the street. Emma was speechless as tears gathered in her eyes. When Regina heard her sniffling, she looked over at her concerned and pulled her to the side. "Emma, what's wrong?"

"I just…" she began as she wiped her tears away. "I'm just not quite used to this yet."

Regina smiled at her as she caressed her cheek. "Oh, Emma…You deserve so much. You deserve the best of everything, and I want to do all I can to give that to you. I love you."

"I love you so much," she said before she kissed her soundly.

That night, after dinner, Regina decided to give Emma the surprise she procured for her in Venice. Emma had been lying on the bed, excited to see what Regina had planned for her. There was nothing that could have prepared Emma for the sight that greeted her when Regina walked out of the bathroom. Her hair was arranged in beautifully messy curls and her make up was flawless. She was wearing the sexiest lingerie Emma had ever laid eyes on. The Savior's mouth went dry as she looked her up and down. Regina leaned against the door frame, perfectly posed for her.

"Do you like it?"

Regina's voice was dripping with sex as she stared at her in the most devastating way. Emma used all her strength to pick her jaw up off the bed and breathe again. "Holy shit, you look so…oh…oh my God…"

It was exactly the reaction she was going for. Satisfied with the response, Regina crossed the room and climbed onto the bed straddling Emma's lap.

"Make love to me," she whispered against her lips before kissing her passionately.

….

The next day found them traveling to Rome. Their time in Italy so far had been a dream, which was why Regina found it odd that Emma seemed to be so unsettled on the train ride. After the fifth time she noticed Emma's knee nervously bouncing, she finally put her hand out to stop it and looked at her.

"Are you alright?"

Emma stopped biting her thumb nail and looked at Regina like a deer in headlights. "Huh? Yeah! Fine. Why?"

"Because you haven't stopped fidgeting since we left Florence."

"Oh…it's nothing. I'm fine. Just anxious to get to Rome, I guess."

Regina looked at her skeptically but decided to let it go. Once they were at the hotel, Henry had been eager to take over the itinerary for the day. He couldn't wait to get to the Colosseum. Emma seemed to be just as caught up in as Henry was, and Regina didn't mind hanging back a step to watch the two of them. The next stop on their list was the Spanish Steps. While Regina had been looking forward to seeing the steps and the church, Henry had been excited to see the Keats house. She loved that Henry had taken more of an interest in writing since becoming the Author, and she wanted to do all she could to support him. Even before he had been chosen as the next author, she thought he'd had a gift for writing. That's exactly why she'd been more than happy to get him whatever he'd asked for in the gift shop. Afterwards, Henry took them to the Trevi fountain on the way back to the hotel before dinner. Once there, he handed each of them a coin.

"Ok, so the legend is that if you want to return here one day with your true love, you throw a coin into the fountain with your right hand over your left shoulder."

Regina and Emma smiled at him and then at each other before they nodded in agreement. Henry stood next to him with his own coin, and they all tossed them in together. Of course, Henry insisted on taking a picture of them before they left. When they got back to the hotel, Regina was about to check in with Emma again before she spoke.

"I'm going to head out and see if I can find a store or something. I just need to pick up a couple of things. Do you need anything?"

Regina looked at her confused. "No, I'm fine. Are you sure everything is ok?"

"Yeah! I'll be back soon," she said before pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

Regina shook her head and filled the jacuzzi tub with water. She hoped that Emma would be back in time to join her. When she wasn't, Regina began to worry. Reluctantly, she got out of the tub and got dressed. As soon as she picked up her phone to text Emma, the blonde rushed into the room out of breath.

"Where on Earth have you been? I thought you got lost! I was about to come looking for you."

"Sorry! I got a little turned around, but I'm here! I'm just going to change and then I'll be ready," she said as she blustered her way into the bathroom.

When Emma came out of the bathroom, she found Regina waiting for her with a serious look on her face. "Emma, are you about to run away from me?"

Emma saw the fear in her eyes and how much she was struggling to hold herself together. She wanted to kick herself for making her worry so much. Immediately, she rushed to kneel in front of her and took her hands. "No! I'm not going anywhere! I'm sorry I've been a little preoccupied today. I didn't mean to make you worry. I love you."

Regina sighed in relief. "I love you too. Is this about the rest of our trip? Are you worried I'm not going to like what you have planned? Did something go wrong?"

"Something like that. I just want everything to be perfect for you."

Regina caressed her cheek. "Emma, I'll be perfectly happy as long as I'm with you. I trust you."

Emma smiled at her and kissed her sweetly. "Thank you."

"Are you sure you don't want to just tell me what it is?"

Emma laughed at her. "Oh, you're not getting it out of me that easily."

Regina shrugged. "It was worth a shot."

…

The following day found them exploring Vatican City. Regina had been mesmerized by everything she had seen. Emma and Henry found themselves appreciating the excursion as well. After lunch, they visited the Pantheon and walked around the city. By the time they were getting ready for dinner, Regina looked at Emma surprised.

"You look amazing! I feel under dressed for once."

Emma smiled at her nervously. "Thanks! You look fantastic. You don't need to change a thing."

Regin shook her head. "No, I have the perfect dress to go with what you're wearing. Give me two minutes."

Emma paced back and forth trying to calm her nerves and pull it together before Regina came out of the bathroom. When she stepped out, she was a vision of beauty. "Do you ever not look absolutely perfect?"

Regina blushed and kissed her adoringly. "Thank you, my love. Let's go get Henry."

After dinner, Emma took Regina's hand to stop her from heading towards the hotel.

"Regina, wait…" she began nervously. "So…the rest of our trip from this moment on is what I've planned for us."

Regina looked at her surprised and smiled brightly. "Ok…"

"Henry, I have somewhere to take your mom right now. Are you ok to go back to the hotel?"

Henry looked at her and nodded knowingly. "Don't worry about me. You guys have a great night," he said before he hugged them both.

Regina looked at him suspiciously. "Be careful, Henry. Call us if you need anything."

"I will, Mom. I love you guys."

They each kissed him on the cheek and said goodnight before Emma took Regina's hand once more to lead her on. Regina gazed up at the stars and then over to Emma with a contented sigh.

"So, where are you taking me?"

"I thought we could check out the Piazza Navona. I hear it's magical at night."

Regina beamed at her and leaned into her as they walked together. When they found the piazza, they wandered around looking at the artists with their artwork on display and enjoyed the music being played by a few musicians off to one side. Emma spotted a vendor and turned Regina away from them.

"Stand right here. Don't move."

Regina was confused, but amused as well. "Ok…"

Soon, Emma came back with a single, gorgeous, full red rose. When she presented it to Regina, the brunette gasped and brought it to her nose. As she inhaled, she sighed happily before she kissed Emma in gratitude.

"Thank you. This is so perfect."

Emma smiled at her. "It's not over yet."

"Oh?"

Emma nodded and took her hand, leading her over towards the musicians where some others had begun to dance. Without a word, Emma pulled Regina close and began to sway to the music. The two were floating together happily as the music began to change. Regina looked into Emma's eyes.

"Emma, I hardly have words to express how much I love you and this perfect moment."

Emma smiled at her in a way Regina had never seen before. It took her breath away. Emma stopped dancing and held her close. "I'm so happy to hear you say that. I wanted everything about this to be absolutely perfect. I love you more than I knew I could love anyone. I didn't think any of this was possible for me. When I'm with you, you make me feel like anything is possible. I can do anything with you. I never want to do anything without you ever again."

Regina kissed her softly. "I never want to be without you either. I love you, Emma Swan. You make me so happy."

Emma smiled at her and stepped back to pull a small box from her pocket. Regina looked down and felt time stand still as Emma opened the box to reveal the most perfect ring. As Emma spoke, she could hardly breathe.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you, making you happy and loving you. Regina, will you marry me?"

In an instant, she felt a flood of emotions run through her. Images of Daniel slipping that brass ring onto her finger played in her mind before she saw the King offering her a more garish ring. She remembered the happiness she felt with Daniel and the sick feeling the King had given her. Then, she was brought back to the moment by the sound of Emma's voice.

"Regina? Regina, are you ok?"

Regina held her arm both to steady herself and reassure Emma. It was as if someone had suddenly turned the power switch to her lungs back on as she gasped for air.

"I…Emma…" she began as she tried to stop her head from spinning.

Emma held onto to her and brushed her hair away from her face. "Regina?"

"Emma…" Regina looked into her eyes and suddenly felt the world right itself again. A sense of calm settled into her as she pulled her close and kissed her deeply. When they parted, Regina couldn't hold back the tears in her eyes any longer.

"Yes," she said breathlessly. "Yes, Emma, I will marry you."

Emma looked at her in awe and lifted her in her arms, spinning her around. They both giggled and clung to each other before Emma set her back on her feet. She framed Regina's face and kissed her before looking into her eyes once more.

"Are you sure? Are you ok? You scared the hell out of me."

Regina laughed a little. "Yes, I'm sure. I love you, Emma. I was just surprised."

Emma took the ring out of the box and placed it on Regina's finger. "Emma, it's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it. I never thought I was going to find the right one. This is what I was picking up yesterday. I found a jeweler here and had to go get it."

Regina looked at her surprised before she fell into her arms. "Oh, Emma!"

The two of them blushed as they noticed they'd begun to attract attention. "Should we head back to the hotel?"

Regina nodded and they walked back hand in hand. When they got back to the room, Regina went into the bathroom and closed the door. She looked down at the ring on her finger and exhaled and uneven breath as her hands began to tremble. Looking at herself in the mirror, she tried grounding herself in the moment.

You're not who you were then.

This is different.

You're ok. This is what you wanted.

You love her. She's different.

This is different.

Everything will be ok.

Her blood ran cold as the anxiety attack creeped through her veins. Her whole body was shaking now as she began to break down and cry. As soon as Emma heard her crying, she went into the bathroom and found her curled up on the floor fighting for air.

"Regina!"

She grabbed a cloth and soaked it in cool water before pulling Regina close and holding it to the back of her neck.

"Just breathe, baby. Breathe in with me," Emma instructed as she coached Regina through taking deeper, more even breaths. As soon as she quieted down, Emma just held her close. Her heart calmed, hearing Regina breathing normally again. After a while, Regina wiped away her tears and looked at Emma sheepishly.

"I'm so sorry. This isn't what it looks like."

"You don't have to apologize to me, ok? Do you want to go sit down and talk about it?"

Regina nodded and let Emma help her off the floor before they sat on the bed. She took a deep breath and exhaled heavily. "I just want to start by saying, I do love you, Emma. I do want to marry you."

As she spoke, her voice broke, and she took a moment to stop the tears that threatened her once more. Emma took her hand encouragingly. "It's ok."

"I've had two proposals in my life before you. My first proposal was a nightmare. I had plans with Daniel that my mother had canceled because the King was coming to visit. He wanted to thank me for saving his daughter's life. My reward was a proposal of marriage. He said he'd been searching for a mother for Snow. Before I could say anything, my mother accepted the proposal for me quite happily. I felt like my entire world had shattered."

Emma listened to her carefully, never taking her eyes off her.

"As soon as I could sneak away that night, I ran to the stables and asked Daniel to marry me. We decided to run away together. There was no grand gesture or plan except for him pulling a brass ring off his saddle and slipping it onto my finger. I'd never been happier than I was in that moment. A second later, Snow found us together. I thought I'd managed to convince her to keep my secret…" The weight in her voice grew, tinted with darkness. "The rest is history."

Emma nodded and waited patiently as she watched her. "My first marriage was hell on Earth. Snow was just a child. She has no idea what really happened. There was more than losing Daniel that made me the Evil Queen. Until you, I didn't even know if I was even capable of having a normal, healthy relationship. I had no idea what that looked like. But it seems we figured it out together the way we've always figured out everything else."

Regina finally smiled at Emma as she squeezed her hand. "When I saw that ring, I just had all these flashbacks and old fears come back. It had nothing to do with doubting you. I suddenly started doubting myself. It felt like everything might be too good to be true and the idea of anything happening to you felt paralyzing. I don't think I could go through that again."

Emma nodded before finally speaking up. "I understand where you're coming from. I can't imagine how horrific all that was for you. I won't ever push you to talk about that, but any time you need to, I'm here to listen. I know he was technically my grandfather, but I have no attachment to that bastard. He's better off dead in my opinion. I would give anything to take all that pain away from you. I'm not well versed in these things myself. My limited experience hasn't been exactly healthy either. I didn't know how to be with anyone in any capacity for a long time. If it makes you feel any better, I was more terrified of proposing to you than I was of trying to take on a dragon."

Regina laughed a little. "I noticed."

"Look, I don't know if I'm going to get any of this right either. I just know that there's no one else I'd rather figure this out with than you. I just want you, Regina."

"I want you too, Emma. More than I've wanted anything in a long time."

They kissed each other deeply before slowly making love to each other into the night. The next morning, they gathered their bags and headed to breakfast before leaving Rome. Once the food arrived, Regina took Henry's hand.

"Henry, we have something we want to tell you."

"Oh?" He smiled at Emma knowingly before looking at Regina intently.

"Emma and I are getting married."

Henry beamed at her. "Congratulations!" He jumped out of his chair and hugged them both. "I already knew that, but I'm really happy for you!"

Regina looked at him surprised. "What do you mean you knew!?"

"I kind of had him help me pull this off," Emma admitted.

"I see! What was this operation called?"

"We just made it an extension of Operation Swan Queen."

Regina smirked. "Well, thank you for your help, sweetheart. Are you sure you're ok with this?"

"Why wouldn't I be? You guys are practically married anyway. This just makes sense."

Regina smiled at him. "I'm glad. So, what do you two have planned for the rest of our trip?"

"I'm going home," Henry declared.

"What!?" Regina looked at him as if he'd grown two heads.

"Yep! The rest of this little honeymoon is all you two. I'll see you at home in a few days."

"Emma, what is he talking about?"

"Well, Henry is flying home from here this afternoon while you and I take a train up to Lake Como for a few days. Then, we'll fly back home from Milan."

She looked at them both in total shock. "But…"

Henry grabbed her hand. "Mom, it's ok! I've got to get back to take care of a few things anyway. Besides, you guys should have some time alone to celebrate."

She gave him a skeptical look. "What do you have to take care of?"

"Just stuff."

"Henry, don't tell anyone about the engagement until we get back, ok?"

He looked at Emma nervously. Regina didn't miss it. "What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything!"

"What were you planning on doing?"

Henry sighed. "Nothing. I won't say anything."

"Promise me, Henry," she pleaded.

"I promise!"