Getting out of Hell is easier than getting in, Emma assures her, but she doesn't quite agree as she feels lightheaded when she tries to sit up. Her body feels foreign to her at first, like she's been less constricted without it long enough to have to re-assimilate. It's strange and not something she has done or ever wants to do again. But at least she's home and has the opportunity to be with her son again, unlike Ursula who's damned to a world without her father, whom she's only recently reunited with. All because she and Cruella couldn't work things out together quick enough for her to have a choice.

Meanwhile, Emma nearly died trying ensure she herself had one. That wasn't something to take lightly, but when she finally had a bearing on her body and her surroundings, she finally let herself react to what Emma had done.

She smacks the blonde's arm.

"Ow! What the hell was that for," Emma asks.

"You almost died and left Henry all alone!"

"Seriously? You're complaining about how I saved your life?"

And isn't this conversation familiar.

"I wouldn't do anything differently," Emma tells her. "I think we both know that. I did what I had to do and you found a way to bring me back from the brink of death."

"With so little time to spare! Don't ever do that to me again."

"Only if it isn't absolutely necessary."

"Never," she insists and points a stiff finger at the younger woman.

"Almost never."

"Absolutely never!"

Emma smirks and casually says, "Agree to disagree."

She groans. "You're a pain in my ass, Miss Swan."

"You're really gonna call me that again? We've seen each other naked, Madam Mayor. I don't think there's anything you can call me that will remove you enough from whatever situation we're in."

She rolls her eyes.

"But it might be kind of kinky to hear you call me that the next time we share a bed," Emma adds with a grin. "Or floor. Or any semi-flat surface. Anywhere, really."

Before she can even think to turn down the enticing offer, there's a rumble that shakes the entire house that's followed by people shouting.

"What the hell is that," she asks with almost feral eyes directed at the living room window that overlooks Emma's front yard.

"Um, I don't think we've been gone long enough for a new villain to terrorize us, so...I think there's only one thing that could be," Emma answers. "And you're not gonna like it."

"How could you leave our son here when Hook is still menacing the town," she angrily asks once both of them have materialized in the Mifflin mansion with their own clouds of smoke.

"We would have lost you! And my parents were supposed to take of care of it."

"No, you were supposed to take care of it. He's your boyfriend, your problem!"

"That's not how I remember you feeling when you took that sword for me," Emma argues, and she's not wrong.

"That's not the point," she quickly says before the blonde can see even the slightest trace of agreement on her face.

"Oh, really? And what is?"

"I thought you killed him! You were looking at his ring like you'd already lost him."

"I did! Just...not because he was gone."

Regina huffs as she reaches the top of the stairs. "You didn't just go to Hell to get me. You used it as an excuse to avoid doing what needs to be done."

"If I had the time to kill him, I would have, but you were dying. You might not have made it even another minute if I hadn't cast that preservation spell."

"You... What?" She stops in front of Henry's door and gives Emma all her attention. "You cast a preservation spell? How?"

"I just...did what you taught me. I concentrated and tried to apply the same logic behind a protection spell to a preservation spell." Emma sighs. "I know you're pissed, but I had to choose between going after him or bringing you back. I chose you, Regina."

She instantly melts after hearing those words. She reaches out and gently cups one of Emma's cheeks as she flashes a warm and appreciative smile at the blonde. Now isn't the time to kiss Emma or talk about how proud she is of the other woman, but she hopes her touch and the look in her eyes is enough to convey how she feels in the short time they have to sort things out.

Emma leans into her touch for a moment and then moves toward her. She thinks Emma's about to do exactly what they shouldn't do just then, but instead the blonde reaches for the doorknob and twists.

Emma pushes the door open behind her and she takes the hint before they both step into the room together.

"Moms," Henry exclaims from his bed a split second before he dashes across the floor and smacks into them for a tight family hug.

Regina sags with relief and hugs him back while she wraps an arm around Emma as well and holds both of them close. This is what she's fought so hard for over the years. This is what she's been so afraid to lose. Now that she finally has it, she's never letting it go.

"Henry," Emma says on an exhale and slides a hand up Regina's back. "What are you doing here by yourself?"

"Grandma and Gramps told me to stay here. They thought I might be safer here because they're pretty sure you protected the house," Henry replies and looks at her when he talks about the magical wards she does actually have in place.

"Well, they're right," she tells both Henry and Emma. "But I don't like that they put all their trust in something they weren't completely sure of, especially because of the extenuating circumstances. My magic might not have worked here, because of where I was."

"But it did. And I'm okay," Henry assures her. "They might not be, though."

"What's going on," Emma asks.

Henry looks at her and answers, "Hook. He has all the past Dark Ones following him around town trying to harvest all the magic he can using Excalibur. I guess almost killing you wasn't enough, Mom."

That part he directs at her and for a moment, she smirks.

"Good," she says and Emma smiles at her.

"Not so good," Henry tells them. "He might not be completely in power yet, but he's done plenty of damage. He burned down your office."

She grimaces and clenches her fists at her sides. "Where is he now?"

"I-I don't know. The last thing Grandma and Gramps told me they were going to do was head to the station for weapons. They kind of formed a militia."

"Their typical war counsel, I'm sure," she says and then turns to Emma. "Go do what you need to do. Then come back here."

"Home," Emma softly says and flashes her and Henry a quick smile.

"Home," she echoes.

Emma wraps them up in another group hug before she leaves and Regina pulls Henry into her side.

"I missed you," Henry says and buries his face in her neck as he hugs her again.

"I missed you, too, Henry." She hugs him back, her eyes closed. She presses a kiss to the top of his head. "And I am so happy to be back. Now, there's something I think we need to talk about."

"What is it? Did something happen?"

"Yes, but it's a good thing. At least, I hope you agree that it's a good thing," she starts to explain. "While Emma and I were away, we…we grew close."

"Did she tell you?"

She furrows her brow. "Did she tell me what?"

"That she loves you," Henry replies like the answer should have been obvious.

She stutters for a short time before she eventually manages to tell him, "Yes. She did."

"And?"

"And…what?"

"What did you say?"

"I…" she shakes her head before she continues. "Henry, how did you know she loves me?"

"Mom, she went to Hell and back for you. She couldn't accept that you were gone, and it hurt her as much as it hurt me to think you weren't gonna make it. She wouldn't do any of that, or feel that way, if she didn't love you. So what did you say?"

"I…I love her, too."

Henry smiles at her, his eyes alight with joy. "So…what does that mean?"

"It means I have a question to ask her when she gets back, but I need an answer from you before I do that."

His smile brightens and asks, "What do you need to know?"

She stares down at his body, limp and pale.

"It's over," she says out loud, though it's mostly a reassurance to herself.

She closes her eyes and momentarily tips her head back as she takes a deep breath. She sighs and feels her shoulders sag upon exhale. It's a relief to not have to worry about what Hook and the other Dark Ones might do, but it's not a relief that another relationship of hers has ended fatally.

"I'm so sorry, Emma," her mother says as she steps toward her.

She feels a hand on her shoulder and she lets the tears out. She turns to her mother and hugs her as she cries and cries and cries. When she killed Cruella she hadn't felt remorse, but Hook had posed a major threat to her family after becoming a Dark One like her, and that was her fault. He may not have been a good guy, but she's the one who turned him into a monster. And now she's slayed the beast. It wasn't a tough decision, but it's still something she has to live with, and right now she just needs to be reminded that everything's going to be okay. It might not be rainbows and sunshine at this moment in time, but she's not alone, and she did what needed to be done. She set her heart free in Hell and by letting Hook finally die like he should have in Camelot, she finally let go as well.

Her father sandwiches her in a group hug and she's not sure how much time passes before she hears him ask, "Is Regina back?"

"Yeah," she quietly responds, her voice broken and wet as she speaks into Snow's hair with her arms still tight around her mother's waist.

"You brought her back," her mother says with a little surprise, a lot of relief and so much pride.

Finally, they pull apart and Snow puts her hands on both of Emma's shoulders as her father steps around to stand beside Snow and face her.

"And Henry? He's okay at the house," Snow asks.

"Yeah. Regina's with him now."

They nod and then exchange a look that makes Emma furrow her brow in confusion.

"Go," Charming says. "Be with them. We'll take care of everything here."

"Are you... I shouldn't let you deal with this. It's my fau—"

Snow shakes her head and Charming sighs as he gives her a comforting smile.

"No. Things didn't go as planned. It happens. He still had a choice, even though he wasn't happy with how things turned out," Snow tells her.

"We're so glad you're safe," Charming says then. "And if Regina doesn't slam the door in our face, we'll stop by later."

She chuckles and nods before they hug again. "I'll warn her and ask nicely if she'll let you stay."

She's just about to leave when she hears a familiar voice in the distance.

"That was dreadful. Honestly, dahling, is that what you went through to find me?"

She turns around and squints at the two figures approaching.

"I'd rather not do that again," Cruella says as she smooths out her fur.

Ursula laughs and says, "Let's hope the next time we die, we're meant to be dead. And stay that way."

Emma smiles. It doesn't make Hook's death any easier, but it's proof that good things are yet to come.

Emma trudges through the front door and collapses into a chair at the dining room table where she and Henry are waiting for the blonde in front of cooling food. It was hard to concentrate on cooking the longer Emma was out of the house. Because the more time they waited for her return, the more worry she felt that the other woman wouldn't make it back, even after all they'd gone through in Hell. But Emma's there. She's home. She looks sad and exhausted, but she's safe.

"What happened," she asks and places a hand on top of the blonde's.

"He's dead. I handled it," Emma answers and then looks apologetically at Henry before she goes back to staring down at the table. "I just… I'm glad it's over. I'm not sorry he's gone. I just wish it- I wish I hadn't been so stupid. Then all of this could have been avoided."

She squeezes the woman's hand and watches as Henry grabs Emma's free hand the same way.

"At least there's a silver lining," Emma says.

Regina tilts her head to the side and silently questions what Emma means. She doesn't have to vocalize her confusion because Emma answers what she's curious about within seconds.

"I was able to exchange Hook's life for Ursula's."

Her eyes pop open wide in surprise. "And Cruella?"

"I killed him using Excalibur, and because he's dead, no pulse dead, it made his Dark One army disappear. Apparently it took an entire history of the most powerful villains to bring Cruella back."

"So they're here," she asks with a hopeful smile. "They're happy?"

Emma nods and slowly starts to smile as well. "They're on their way to the harbor to call Ursula's dad back into town. I think they're gonna stick around for a while."

"I'm sorry you had to kill him," Henry says. "But it sounds like things worked out."

Emma's smile is less pained then as she looks at him. "They did."

"Maybe even for the best," Henry says and slyly looks over at her. He raises his eyebrows and she reads his expression as a silent way to nudge her.

"What's going on," Emma suspiciously asks, her eyes narrowed.

"Mom wants to ask you something," Henry replies.

Emma's focus turns to her and she shifts in her seat. She runs her hands over her clothes out of nervous habit as she clears her throat and then makes eye contact with the blonde before she speaks.

"Emma, I know you only recently moved out of the apartment, and I'm sure you like your space, but…after everything we've been through, I think we could…" She sighs when she struggles to get the words out. She takes a deep breath and starts over. "I wouldn't mind having you here. Permanently."

"You… Are you asking me to move in," Emma asks.

"Very poorly, but yes," she says with a hint of laughter. "Would you like to move in with me? With us."

Emma's expression changes from shock to the purest form of happiness. If not for the night they had together before coming home, Regina wouldn't have thought the look was possible after everything Emma's had to do since agreeing to be a part of Operation Mongoose.

"Yes," Emma breathlessly says.

Regina relaxes immediately and smiles. "Then it's settled. You can stay in the guest room for now if you still want your own space, but—"

"I don't want my own space," Emma quickly tells her. "Unless you're uncomfortable with it, I'm perfectly happy to share. Everything except my food. You might want to remember that when I take you out for dinner tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow… Are you asking me out on a date?"

"We might be doing things a little out of order, but I still believe in romance. All couples at any stage in their relationship should definitely have date nights, and since we haven't had any yet, I think this is as good a time as any to start."

She beams at her and spares Henry a look before she replies, "I couldn't agree more."

Henry smiles so wide he shows his teeth and looks back and forth between the two of them.

"But that's tomorrow," she adds. "Tonight, we eat here. And quickly. Before we have to microwave everything."

Emma and Henry laugh as they both try to dive in and, while Henry usually shovels food into his mouth as soon as it's set in front of him, she's surprised that Emma moves in on the food like she's had dinner with them for years, not just a few times throughout the year. It's surprising, but not at all unpleasant.

"So," Henry starts to talk around a mouthful of food. "What was it like?"

"What was what like," Emma asks, lacking just as many manners as Henry, and talks while she eats.

"Hell," he answers. "Was it full of lava or fire? Or was it like a cave? Were there bats? And what about the Devil? Is it some red guy with a pointy tail or is the ruler of the Underworld more like Hades from the Hercules movie?"

"Too many questions, Kid," Emma says before she shovels more food into her mouth. "We'll tell you about it later."

"Fine," he replies before he goes back to eating. The silence doesn't last long. "Wait, why doesn't Emma look like she did before she went after you? You know, with the almost white hair and the leather outfits and the glittery face."

Regina nearly drops her silverware, as she's reminded of just what caused Emma's transformation. She glances up at Emma across the table and the two of them immediately lock eyes.

Then it clicks for Henry, and there's hope in his voice as he says, "She's not the Dark One anymore."

Regina swallows her food, which she'd refrained from chewing in her moment of panic, and says, "No." It's the only answer she can give him because her little prince is far from ready to have the sex talk. She doesn't care if he's twelve or thirty-five, although she knows she should talk to him about it soon. She just wants to avoid it for as long as possible. Or better yet, get Emma to do it.

"How'd that happen," Henry asks, his brow furrowed as he stares expectantly at both of them.

Regina's eyes are drawn away from their son when she hears Emma's utensils clang against the other woman's plate.

"That…is a long story for another day," Emma explains.

"What? Come on. Why can't you tell me now?"

"We're tired," Regina quickly answers. And then, because she can't resist coming up with more excuses as to why they won't tell Henry his mothers had amazing and intensely charged sex, she adds, "And your grandparents probably want to hear the story as well."

"Oh god," Emma groans with a slightly panicked look on her face. "My parents."

Regina frowns.

"Um, they said they want to come over later. They, uh, had some things to handle, but they want to stop by and check in with everyone."

Her eyes widen in alarm. She's not exactly surprised, but she's definitely not calm.

"Cool," Henry says with a smile, oblivious to the tension in the room.

"I don't think we'll tell them everything tonight," Regina carefully says, her eyes on Emma at first before she directs her attention to Henry.

Henry sighs. "Okay, but I'm an author now, remember? I need the details. Eventually you have to tell me what really happened."

She closes her eyes and tries not to blush with embarrassment at the implication that her son all but demanded to know every last bit about what she and Emma did in Hell with enough description to fill a book. When she opens her eyes, she sees Emma stifling a laugh from across the table. The blonde's face is a bold shade of red and Regina's fairly certain Emma hasn't taken a breath since Henry's last comment.

She shakes her head at Emma before a smile of her own starts to spread across her face. She basks in the sight before her. Her family. Her son and Emma, the woman who drove into town four years ago and infuriated her, all while subtly and slowly wriggling her way into Regina's heart; a heart that now beats in time with Emma's because they physically and metaphorically complete each other. Not even pixie dust and the promise of soulmates and fate can touch what they have. Today is the day they finally make fate their bitch and make their own destiny. Together.

AN: Thank you so much for reading. I really hope you enjoyed. Definitely don't be afraid to tell me what you think of the fic. :)