A/N- Here we go, last chapter! Thanks for sticking with it, and now I'll stop doing the writing thing let you do the reading thing.

Regina rolled her eyes as she watched her 200 level seminar file out of the lecture hall, not missing the long stares and the whispers that followed. She had just been waiting for one of them to ask her about the ring, but the poor little sophomores were all either too dense or too intimidated to voice the question.

Now as her senior seminar trickled in, Regina could only hope that one of her headstrong seniors would finally break the silence.

Kathryn took her usual spot in the center of the fourth row, next to David, and he noticed it immediately. He leant over and whispered, "What's that on Doctor Mills' finger?"

The blonde had to smile at his purely testosterone driven question, "It looks like a ring."

"Yeah, but what kind of ring?"

"I'm guessing a wedding ring."

Apparently, Kathryn and David weren't the only ones whispering amongst themselves as Regina abruptly stopped the beginning of her lecture with a severe expression, "Something you want to share with the class, Ms. Blue?"

Astrid in the first row froze from where she had clearly been gossiping with the woman next to her, "No."

"Are you sure, it would appear as though you and Ms. Bell were engaged in a very important conversation. I can just wait to begin my class until you're done, unless there's something pressing you need to address before then?"

Kathryn could see the challenge in her professor's eyes. It was the same look she got when Kathryn watched her and Emma make their silly bets. The dean wanted Astrid to ask about the ring.

But Astrid wasn't stupid, "We were just talking about how pretty your ring is. Is it new?"

The Dean's smile was unreadable while Kathryn watched on from the fourth row, "No, it's not."

David, bless his poor male heart, was so confused by now, "So it's not a wedding ring?"

"No, David, it is a wedding ring." Regina's smile softened slightly in addressing the kind boy. She took off her glasses now, prepared for her students to finally give her the third degree.

"So you're married?" He asked trying to connect the dots aloud.

"Yes, I am."

By now Astrid had regained her usual self- entitled attitude and chimed in happily, "Is it to someone who works here!?" She asked excitedly. Kathryn knew exactly where she was going, having heard the shorter woman helping spread the rumor of Regina sleeping with Professor Graham.

"It is." Regina said, with a slight smirk teasing the edges of her lips. She shared a conspiratorial look with Kathryn who smiled in reply.

"It's Professor Graham, isn't it!" Astrid practically squealed.

"No. It's Professor Swan." The Dena said with the positively largest smile that Kathryn had ever seen her have during school hours, "Any more questions?" She asked, reveling in the shocked expression on her students' faces while also trying to get them back on track for her lesson plan.

"I've got one." Kathryn said, raising her hand in a pointless gesture. Regina acknowledged her with a raised eyebrow, "Are you happy?"

"I'm so happy. The only thing that could make me happier is if the essays you all handed in last class weren't absolutely atrocious." Regina smiled, turning to the presentation projected on the wall behind her, "Today we're going to be moving onto the nuances of economics in foreign policy…"

It's been five years since Emma and Regina hired Kathryn to watch Henry. Five years of bedtime stories and messy science experiments. Five years of Kathryn working all hours to make ends meet. Five years of hard work, school, law school, and finally, Kathryn was sitting on the green at Yale ready to walk across the stage and get her law degree.

She hadn't talked to her father in months, ever since Carol (a junior at Dartmouth) had decided that she wanted to join Doctors Without Borders. Their father thought it was an entirely pigheaded and irrational decision, but Kathryn had stood up for Carol, and their father ultimately blamed the older girl for polluting her sister's judgement.

Carol had her finals this week, so she couldn't attend her sister's graduation and Kathryn's current boyfriend Frederick was in South America as part of Doctors Without Borders (he was the one who actually inspired Carol to look into the service program) so Kathryn wasn't expecting anyone out there to be cheering for her.

She couldn't have been more wrong.

When the dean called her name, and she ascended the steps of the outdoor stage, a loud cheer went up from the audience. A row of five people jumped to their feet, clapping and cheering wildly.

It was all the new lawyer could do to hold her tears back until after the ceremony when she could confront the people. Thankfully, she didn't have to wait long before a mess of brown hair was tearing across the crowded green to ambush her in a tight hug. At ten years old, Henry's head reached Kathryn's shoulder and he could finally beat her in their impromptu arm wrestling matches. When she hugged him back, she couldn't believe how strong the boy's grip on her was.

His fearlessness never went away, nor did his kindness. Though he quickly shed his innocence growing up with the initial backlash of bad press his mothers got when they came out with their marriage, he learned quick and unconditional kindness from the eager support that the women also got. Countless groups and individuals came forward to back the professors, when the campaign for marriage equality came to Connecticut in the following years, the family was at the forefront of the offensive, helping to ensure it's legalization.

Behind him trailed the four most important people in Kathryn's life. Her sister was the next to hug her once Henry let her go.

Carol, despite being five years younger, was taller than Kathryn and she playfully lifted her sister in the air as she hugged her, "Congratulations, Kat." It was a nickname only Carol was allowed to use.

"I thought you had finals this week, what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, finals were last week. That was a blatant lie."

"But how did-"

Carol just smirked and shook her head, stepping back so that the next person could have their shot at congratulating Kathryn. In the next moment, the blonde was swept off her feet in a bone crushing embrace by none other than her boyfriend, "You did so good, Kathryn!"

He spun her around in an easy circle while she laughed in surprise and pure joy.

"This is insane, you're supposed to be in Bolivia."

Frederick smiled and set her down, "That I am."

"Then how-" Kathryn stopped herself from even finishing the question as her eyes locked on the final two people waiting to congratulate her, "You didn't."

Regina had this guilty little smile on her face that told Kathryn all she needed to know.

"I can't even.."

"Get over here, kid." Emma held her arms open for a hug that Kathryn stepped into easily. The professor smelled like vanilla , and held Kathryn fiercely, "It seems like just yesterday you were in my sophomore lit seminar. You've come so far." Emma felt like the older sister that Kathryn never had, the role model she had always wanted.

When Emma let her go, it was with a solid clap to her shoulder and the new lawyer turned to the final person in their little group.

In the five years that she had worked for the two women, Kathryn knew exactly how many times she had hugged Doctor Mills- two. Once when the professors came home drunk and Regina half fell over and tried to play it off as a deliberate hug, and once after Kathryn graduated from her undergraduate program.

Today made it three as Regina made the first move to hug the younger woman, "I'm so very proud of you, Kathryn." She said quietly.

Finally, the tears that Kathryn had been working so hard to hold back came flooding out. If Emma was the older sister that Kathryn never had, Dean Mills was the mother figure she had been deprived of. Getting that affirmation, that somebody approved of her, that someone was truly proud of what she had done, was all that Kathryn ever really wanted.

That night, the professors had everyone over to their home for a congratulatory dinner for Kathryn. It was then that Kathryn finally managed to weasel out of the Dean that she and Emma had paid to fly Frederick and Carol out for the commencement ceremony. When Emma cleared the dishes, and Frederick immediately volunteered to help, Kathryn could have sworn she heard the professor ask him what his 'intentions were' with Kathryn. She had never felt more at home.

"Alright, out with it. What's going on with you?" Regina insisted over the rim of her tumbler.

Kathryn blushed from her seat across the couch. It's ten years after Regina and Emma hired her to watch Henry, and she's back in Connecticut for the week visiting them, and her sister who's doing her medical internship in the city.

"Is it that obvious?"

"You're practically bursting at the seams."

The blonde swirled the remainder of her wine around the bottom of her glass. It was the crappy boxed kind that had started to grow on Kathryn, despite her initial reservations. Emma was upstairs trying to put Charlotte back to bed, the toddler was in her terrible twos and bedtime wasn't quite her favorite time of the day.

"Frederick proposed."

"Congratulations." Regina's smile was sincere and only a shadow of the blonde's own megawatt grin.

"Thank you!" The dean was afraid that Kathryn was going to burst a blood vessel with how intense her smile was, but there seemed to be no chance of dampening it, "I just have one question for you."

"What is it?"

"Since my mother died, and I've not talked to my father in nearly twelve years, I was wondering if you would consider maybe, uhm." Kathryn stalled out, suddenly becoming very interested in the carpet under her feet.

"Out with it, Kathryn." Regina smiled.

"Will you walk me down the aisle?"

"No."

"Thank yo- Wait. What?"

Regina put her tumbler down on the table and turned to fully face the younger woman, seeing her own self in the disappointment and sudden flash of hurt etched in Kathryn's face, "Listen to me, Kathryn. I'm so honored that you asked me, but I can't. You need to ask your father, if not to walk you down the aisle, then at least to your wedding."

"But I-"

"Kathryn, just listen. I know how hypocritical this may sound coming from me, but you can't just cut your parents off like that. Reconnecting with my father before he died was one of the best things I've ever done, and I would have regretted it so much if I hadn't."

By now, Kathryn wasn't afraid to voice her mind around the older woman, and the rebut was out of her mouth in seconds, "How long has it been since you talked with your mother?"

"Two weeks."

"What?"

Regina had this sad little smile on her face, "We've been talking more. She lives in New York so I haven't seen her since that night when you were still watching Henry, but she's really been trying to reconnect. I don't want her anywhere near Henry or Charolette still, but she's my mother."

"You can't choose your parents." Kathryn said. It was a mantra she had heard Regina say many times in the past few years, and one she had learned to accept, though now it was coming to have a new meaning.

"You can't choose your parents." The brunette echoed, "And no matter what, they're always your parents."

A few moments of silence and Kathryn finally caved, "Alright, I'll invite him. But if he declines, will you be my backup?"

"I would be honored."

With that, Kathryn set her glass down beside Regina's, "I had better get going, I'm supposed to meet Carol for an early breakfast tomorrow before her shift at the hospital starts."

Regina walked her to the door, Emma joining them part way down the hall so they could all say goodbye from the front door.

Watching Kathryn retreat from the doorway, Emma wrapped her wife in a secure hug from behind, resting her chin on the brunette's shoulder, "You're kind of amazing, you know that right?" Emma asked.

"I know. Why am I amazing this time?"

"This time, it would be for your advice giving."

"You heard that, huh?"

"I didn't know you and Cora had been talking."

"Just a little." Regina turned in her wife's arms, "I think she is mainly just concerned that once she dies all of the money she leaves behind will be spent on rainbow flags and financing a life of purgatory."

Emma laughed at the weak joke, knowing that though Regina would never admit it, reconnecting with her mother was truly important to her.

"Oh no, that money will go to the kids' college funds, our retirement, and then the remainder can finance all the purgatory."

"Obviously." The brunette pressed a chaste, yet loving kiss to her wife's lips before slipping out of the embrace, "Now I have a call to make."

"To who?"

"Mr. Nolan." Regina turned with an intimidating smirk, "I think we need to have a little heart to heart."

"Ok, here's something I never thought I would have to tell my wife. No threatening the fathers of our former employees."

"No promises." The brunette laughed walking down the hall back to her study. Kathryn's father would walk her down the aisle if Regina had anything to do with it.

A/N- Well that's it. I can't believe that a hairbrained idea for a short story turned into this whole deal. More so, I can't believe the following and reviews that it gained. So one last big thank you to all of you for following this story through until the end and for your amazing and kind reviews.

Love, Ms. Informed.

P.S. Keep a look out for my next Swan Queen story, 'Not just a crossing guard'.