Chapter twenty-one

"Emma calm down," Ruby shouted as she ran over to the pacing blonde.

"Regina was out riding and her horse came back without her."

Ruby nodded, "do you have anything that smells like her?"

Emma thought about it for a second and hung her head with a sigh.

Ruby looked at her sadly before a thought occurred to her, walking up to the blonde she sniffed her.

"What the hell?" she asked in shock.

"You smell like her," she smirked.

"Just find her," she said grumpily.

Ruby nodded and began to sniff the air, with Emma following close behind her.

Ruby began to run towards a strong scent and Emma broke into a run to keep up with wolf.

Pointing Ruby breathed "she's up ahead."

Emma ran ahead and took a sharp intake of breath as she saw her girlfriend lying in a heap on the forest floor. Emma ran up and slid onto her knees next to the unconscious woman.

"Regina," she said as she placed a hand on her arm, noticing that the other one was bent at a strange angle and there was blood running down the side of her face from a gash on her forehead.

"Emma?" Ruby asked.

"Call an ambulance," Emma choked out.

Ruby pulled out her phone, "there's no reception," she frowned.

"Then go somewhere where there is!" Emma snapped.

Ruby nodded and ran as quickly as she could towards the stables.

"I knew there was a reason to never trust horses," Emma cried as she stroked Regina's hair, "you promised that you were a master."

Pulling her head into her lap, Emma sat and waited. As she watched Regina's chest raise and fall, thoughts of living without her began to invade her mind. She thought about having to try and raise Henry alone, she was pretty sure that he would end up as screwed up as she was. She thought about not being allowed to propose to her, though this thought usually terrified her, but now the thought of not getting the opportunity utterly destroyed her.

"Please, baby wake up," she said softly, "I love you and you can't leave me."

In that moment she realised that she had never actually told her that she loved her, she had always just allowed Henry to do it for the both of them.

"I love you so much, and I should have said it every time I saw you, and I will as soon as you wake up," leaning down she placed a soft kiss on her lips and whispered "please give me the chance to prove it."

"They're up this way," Ruby called followed by two paramedics.

With this interruption, Emma didn't notice the burst of energy that flowed out from their touching lips.

The paramedics ran towards the two women, and nicely asked Emma to step away, before she let go she whispered, "please be okay."

Emma paced the waiting room with Mary Margaret, David, Neal and Henry watching her from their seats.

"Emma she'll be fine," Mary Margaret tried again.

"The last person I know who fell off a horse wasn't okay," she countered and continued pacing.

Henry stood and grabbed her arm, "please sit down, you're making me nervous."

Emma looked down at her son, and saw that he was just as worried as she was, nodding she sat in Henry's seat who then proceeded to lean against the wall.

Whale walked into the waiting room ten minutes later and smiled, "she'll be fine, just a broken arm, fortunately she showing no signs of concussion, but I would like to keep her in for twenty-four hours for observation."

Everyone in the room let out a collective sigh of relief, "can we see her?" Henry asked.

Whale nodded "let me know if you have any questions," he added before he walked away.

Mary Margaret stood with a smile, "you two go in and let us know when she's awake," she said to her daughter and grandson.

Emma nodded and quickly made her way towards the room, with Henry close on her heels.

Upon entering the room she couldn't help but think that this happened way too often for her liking, though everything had changed since the last time that this had happened.

Each took a seat next to the brunette woman who appeared to be sleeping peacefully.

"How do you think she fell off?" Emma asked as she took her hand.

Henry thought about it, "gramps said that there's loads of reasons, she could have rode into a tree branch, or the horse could have gotten spooked."

Emma frowned, "why would anybody want to ride a horse?"

Henry just shook his head, "you know this probably isn't going to stop her from riding again, and there's no way she's not going to."

"Why would she do that?" Emma sighed.

"Have you never heard of getting back up on the horse sheriff?" Regina asked.

Emma looked up at her and smiled, but Henry just looked in shock at his mother.

"So what did happen?"

"Just didn't really have a connection with that horse," she shrugged, "what's wrong with Henry?"

"You remember," he replied.

Emma furrowed he brow as she looked between her son and his other mother, "what?" she asked.

"She called you sheriff, and she said it differently, like she did when she was mocking you," he answered.

"She's always mocked me," Emma answered still looking at Regina who was still smirking.

"Well it's good to know that at least one of you is observant," she quipped.

"How?" Emma and Henry sputtered together.

"I vaguely remember Miss Swan assuring me that she loved me, and then she kissed me, I would guess it was that," she pondered.

"You were awake?"

"I was somewhere in between, I suppose, I thought you would be happy that I remember," she replied.

"I-I am," Emma said, "I just thought you would be pissed that I'm your girlfriend when you remember," she blushed.

Regina just laughed, "you realise that I can remember the last few weeks."

Emma nodded "aren't you even a little freaked out?"

Regina blushed and Emma looked at her with a smirk, "what?" she asked.

Regina sighed, and held up her good hand, she whispered something and a pile of comic books appeared, "I believe I owe you these," she said to Henry.

A huge smile adorned the boy's face as he looked at what his mother offered him, "I'll give you some time alone," he chuckled as he took the comic books with a small hug he whispered, "I'm glad you're okay mom."

With that he left to inform the others that she was awake.

"So what is it?" Emma asked, squeezing her hand.

"This is something that I would probably never have admitted, but I have always had a...attraction towards you," she admitted.

"You actually liked me before," Emma asked with a shell shocked look.

"I thought it were obvious."

"Apparently Henry figured it out and I think my parents knew," she laughed.

Regina cringed, "does this mean I actually have to be nice to your mother?"

"I think it means that you should at least try," Emma laughed, "and if David does that protective father thing you have to at least pretend to be scared, just let him have it."

Regina nodded, "I think that I can deal with that," Emma smiled, "on one condition."

Emma raised her eyebrows and nodded.

"You have to move back into the mansion," she replied.

Emma nodded "I think I can deal with that."

-Three years later-

"Emma!" Regina called up the stairs.

"What?" the blonde called as she appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Why aren't you ready?" she asked indignantly.

"I've got time," she said casually.

"Your parents and Neal will be here in five minutes," she pointed out angrily.

"Why can't I have Christmas dinner in my PJ's," she pouted.

"We went through this last year," she said with an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, but I was your girlfriend last year, how can you say no to your adorable wife," she crossed her arms.

Regina just laughed and pointed towards their room, "well as adorable as you are I find it quite easy to say no."

Henry appeared next to his mother, "I'm ready," he grumbled as he pulled at the Christmas jumper his grandmother had given him.

"You don't have to wear that," Regina laughed.

"Then why are you wearing yours?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Looking down at the green and red monstrosity she sighed, "I made a deal with your mother a few years ago."

The door bell rang, "get ready now," she said and Emma just walked off to do as she was told.

"Yet another family dinner," she sighed as she walked towards the door.

Henry walked behind her, "you managed to get through Thanksgiving."

"Which wasn't that long ago," she sighed.

Henry just laughed and opened the door to reveal his grandparents, each smiling broadly and Regina tried not to roll her eyes at them.

Snow hugged Henry, and then proceeded give her daughter in law a big hug.

Regina half heartedly returned the hug and she eventually let go. Once she was released she turned in search of something that she desperately needed.

Emma appeared in front of her holding a glass of apple cider, "looking for this?" she asked with a smirk.

Inspecting her wife she smiled seeing that she actually had gotten dressed, "thank you dear."

Looking up she noticed a piece of mistletoe floating above them.

"Seriously?" she laughed.

"You said I should take every opportunity to practice my magic," she laughed.

Shaking her head she just smiled as she leaned forward and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

" l love you, but I don't think I'll get through another dinner with the idiots."

Emma just chuckled, "I love you too."

A/N Thank you for all the support with this story, hope you enjoyed this ending :)