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The air was sharp and cold. The green mist of the curse swirled at the edge of the forest, pulsing like a living thing. Everyone stood in silence, watching, hearts caught between fear and hope.
Henry was already in the car, watching through the window, his eyes wide and wet. Regina had promised herself she wouldn’t cry, not in front of him, not when she’d worked so hard to be strong, but the sight of him clutching that storybook to his chest broke something inside her. Her throat ached.
“Regina…” Emma’s voice was softer than she’d ever heard it, stripped bare. When Regina turned, the savior was standing just a step away, all golden hair and trembling hands, her eyes bright with something that looked far too much like grief.
“You should go,” Regina said, forcing her chin up, her tone steady. “It’s almost time.”
Emma hesitated, then reached out, her fingers brushing against Regina’s. The touch was light, barely there, but it made Regina’s breath hitch.
“Hey,” Emma murmured. “You did the right thing. You’re saving everyone.”
Regina gave a small, bitter laugh. “Even if it means losing everything that matters.”
Emma squeezed her hand. “Not everything.”
For a moment, they just stood there, the hum of the curse behind them, the low rumble of the car engine ahead. The wind carried the faint scent of apples and smoke.
Regina blinked rapidly, but tears still fell, slipping down her cheeks before she could stop them. Emma’s hand came up, hesitant at first, then certain, cupping her face, thumb tracing the tear’s path.
And when Emma leaned in, it wasn’t for a kiss. Her lips pressed gently to Regina’s temple, lingering. The warmth of it settled deep in Regina’s chest, like a promise she hadn’t known she wanted.
When Emma pulled back, Regina opened her eyes and for a heartbeat, they just looked at each other. There was too much to say and no time left to say it.
“Take care of him,” Regina whispered.
Emma nodded. “I will.”
Then Regina took a shaky breath, let go of Emma’s hand, and stepped back. Her fingers lingered in the air before she pushed gently at Emma’s shoulder, guiding her toward the car.
“Go,” she said, her voice barely holding together. “Before I change my mind.”
Emma hesitated only a second longer, then turned, climbed into the driver’s seat, and looked back one last time. Regina was standing at the edge of the town line, framed by mist and magic, her silhouette steady against the breaking light.
When the car disappeared into the distance, Regina finally let herself crumble, her knees bending, one hand clutching the air where Emma’s warmth had been.
The drive through Storybrooke felt unreal.
Emma had seen this town in dreams, or maybe nightmares, for a year now, always just out of reach. The way the streetlights leaned over the road, the smell of the ocean hidden behind the trees… it all pressed against her chest, familiar and distant at once.
Henry was quiet beside her. He didn’t remember, not really, but he’d stopped asking questions somewhere outside of town. Now he stood against the car, arms crossed, eyes on the house like he was trying to solve a riddle. Emma hadn’t told him much, just that there was someone important they had to see.
Her palms were sweating when she climbed the porch steps. The boards creaked, and for a moment she thought she might turn back, just drive away and pretend she hadn’t remembered.
But she knocked.
The door opened.
Regina stood there.
She didn’t say a word. Her lips parted slightly, her eyes shining with unshed tears that caught the light spilling from the hallway behind her.
Emma’s breath caught.
“Hi,” she said softly.
Regina blinked, as if grounding herself back in reality. The silence between them stretched, fragile, charged, full of everything they hadn’t said.
Emma stepped closer, slow enough to give her time to pull away. She didn’t.
Her hand lifted, brushing a strand of dark hair away from Regina’s face. The gesture felt natural, inevitable. Her thumb lingered at Regina’s cheek, close enough to feel her breath.
“I’ve been thinking about you,” Emma whispered. “About what we almost had… what I should’ve done at the town line.” A shaky exhale. “Maybe if I’d kissed you then, things would’ve been different. Maybe if I do it now, it’ll bring everything back.”
Regina’s gaze flicked past her shoulder, toward the boy standing by the car, and then back to Emma. Her voice, when it came, was low and trembling.
“Is that the only reason, Miss Swan?”
Emma’s lips curved, but her voice came out rough. “Regina, I’ve been in love with you for so long. I really took it upon myself not to kiss you the second you opened that door.”
That earned a faint, broken smile from Regina, the kind that looked like it hurt to hold.
“Idiot,” she murmured, and then she reached for Emma’s jacket, pulling her forward.
The kiss wasn’t tentative. It was desperate, grounding, all fire and release and everything they hadn’t dared hope for.
Magic flared, bursting through the air around them like sunlight breaking through fog. Emma’s eyes fluttered shut against the light, feeling it hum through her veins, through them.
When it faded, Henry’s voice broke the quiet.
“Mom?”
Emma turned. He was standing near the car, eyes wide. And when Regina stepped toward him, he ran full speed, laughter catching in his throat as he collided with her arms.
Regina held him close, one hand tangled in his hair, the other still clutching Emma’s fingers.
Emma stood there, blinking through tears she hadn’t realized were falling, watching them both like she couldn’t quite believe it.
Home.
For the first time, it didn’t feel like a word she was chasing. It felt like something she’d finally found.