TITLE: A Queen Without Power
CHAPTER 28: The Last Page

"Once upon a time, there was an Evil Queen. Well... she wasn't really evil. She was evil because she was unhappy. And she was unhappy because she thought she had lost her True Love. But the truth is... she just hadn't found it yet. So the queen cast a curse over all of the land, to steal everyone's happy endings. She thought that would give her her own, but she was wrong. Sorta."

Emma heard Henry's voice as she made her way up the stairs, and she stopped at the doorway, listening to him through the half-open door.

"Everyone ended up in a town called Storybrooke, a town where time stood still, and everyone lost their memories but the queen. She thought nobody had escaped her curse, but a few did. One of them was a little princess, who grew up never knowing she was a princess, so she became a white knight instead. Then one day, the queen met the white knight. They found out they shared a son, and didn't like each other at first. The queen didn't want the white knight around. But slowly, things started to change. The white knight kept saving the queen, even though they didn't really like each other. And the queen realized that the knight was really the princess that had escaped her curse."

Emma smirked, folding her arms and leaning with them against the door frame, crossing one ankle over the other, the toe of her boot pressing into the hardwood floor. She watched her son sitting with his story book open in his lap, the smell of crisp new pages reaching her.

"One day, the curse was broken. The white knight saved everyone and brought back the happy endings. The queen was not happy, but she realized that the white knight was the only person that could save her from all the people who wanted to hurt her. They had to be nice to each other and work together. And neither one of them wanted to do it at first, but they did it anyway. And not long after that, they started to become friends. The queen gave the white knight magic by putting it in her blood, and that was when things really started to change."

"Henry?"

He turned over his shoulder, blinking his large hazel eyes at her. "Yeah?"

She chuckled. "Where did that story come from?" Off his dubious look, she smirked and rolled her eyes, clarifying, "I mean, how did it get into the book?"

"I wrote it, and August helped me put it in the book."

"Ahh. Y'know, he's out back looking for you."

Henry nodded, smiling. "Tell him it'll just be a few more minutes. This is really important."

Emma tilted her head at him and he resumed his reading.

"The queen and the white knight became very close. They even started to love one another. But before either of them could realize it, Rumplestiltskin captured their son. So to save him, the queen let Rumplestiltskin take her instead. He took her to the mines under Storybrooke, where her mother, the Queen of Hearts, and some other evil people were waiting. They did terrible things to her. They wanted to destroy everyone's happiness all over again and take over all of the magical realms by pushing them all together."

Emma swallowed, recalling the battle that seemed a few lifetimes ago. Hearing footsteps approaching from behind, she turned her head over her shoulder and smiled, hands covering Regina's as they slid their way around her stomach.

"What's going on?" she whispered.

"He's telling a story," Emma whispered back, and smiled wider when Regina's head rested in the hollow of her shoulder.

"Which one?"

"Ours."

"Rumplestiltskin and the Queen of Hearts stole the queen's power and then buried her in a tomb made of ice, thinking that the white knight would never be able to save her. But what they didn't know was that the white knight was the queen's True Love."

Emma and Regina smiled at one another, Regina squeezing her a little tighter and brushing a kiss to her neck. Emma closed her eyes with a serene smile.

"So the white knight came to save the queen. She told the queen she loved her over and over and over until the ice broke apart and she was set free. Rumplestiltskin and the Queen of Hearts were mad. So they all started to fight. Snow White, Prince Charming, Red Riding Hood, the Blue Fairy, and some of the dwarves joined in their fight, and before long they had defeated both the Queen of Hearts and Rumplestiltskin. Peace came to the land, and all the dark magic disappeared."

With a soft chuckle, Regina untangled herself from Emma and pressed her fingertips lightly to the door, swinging it open quietly. "Henry," she murmured through a smile. "Don't you think it's time to say 'the end'?"

"I'm on the last page, I promise!" His eyes begged them. "Please?"

Emma smirked, gesturing to Regina in a silent nudge to take the lead. Regina tilted her head admonishingly at the boy, her best stern look dissolving on a sigh. "Alright. But hurry, everyone's waiting to see you."

He nodded, adding one more time, "Promise." Then, he turned back to the book.

"With all the bad magic gone, the fairies pushed the realms apart. Snow White and Prince Charming returned to the fairytale land to rebuild their kingdom, and some of the fairytale characters went with them. The queen and the white knight stayed behind in Storybrooke with some of the other fairytale characters. The queen was in charge of the town and the white knight protected it. They worked very well together, and everyone was happy again... almost. The queen and the white knight were very much in love, they got married and they loved their son, but they felt like one little thing was missing."

As he began to read, Emma and Regina stepped into the room, Emma taking a seat beside Henry, while Regina moved to stand behind the mahogany crib that had taken up residence there.

"So they made a wish, and the Blue Fairy heard it." Looking up, Henry smiled at the pink bundle in the crib. "That's where you come in to the story, Amy! Amelia Snow White Mills." He went back to the book, continuing to read. "She granted their wish and they soon had a daughter. So finally the queen and the white knight were whole, and they had everything they ever wanted. They had each other, they had their son... and then they had their daughter. They were a family."

"Henry," Regina murmured, patiently smiling and speaking as quietly as possible. "This is a beautiful tale, but I believe we need to wrap things up now. The baby needs her sleep."

"Okay okay," he relented, rolling his eyes and smirking. "But just one more line?"

Blinking slowly, Regina gave her son an indulgent smile and replied, "Of course. It's the most important line."

Henry smiled. He got to his feet and went to the crib, bracing his hands on the rail and looking down at the bundle of pink as he finished, "And they all lived happily ever after."

Emma smiled at Regina, the two of them exchanging a look, while Henry reached into the crib and stroked his sleeping sister's cheek.

"See?" He looked up at Regina with a proud grin. "I got her to go to sleep."

Emma chuckled. "Nicely done, kid," she told him, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "Now let's get back downstairs and visit with everyone, huh?"

"Alright." He ran down the stairs before she could say another word.

Turning in the doorway, she watched Regina as she stared down into the crib, her brows creased deep in thought.

Emma frowned in concern, twisting the ring on her finger. "You okay?"

She watched as Regina thought it over. "I'm..." Slowly, the crease between her brows smoothed out. The thoughtful frown on her lips was replaced with a smile, and she looked up. "Happy."

Chuckling a bit, Emma asked her, "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes. It's a good thing. A very good thing." She smiled.

Emma couldn't help the last little chuckle that burst forth as she teased her, "Alright, well if it's a good thing, then quit being such a weirdo. Come downstairs."

Regina rolled her eyes in that classic 'Mayor Mills' fashion, lightly sniping, "You're completely infuriating."

Her heels clicked sharply on the hardwood floor and Emma smirked at the back of her wife's head as she passed, murmuring, "I know," before she followed her out the door.

Suddenly, Regina stopped her. "Wait, wait!"

And Emma's eyes followed her back into the room as she quirked a brow. "Forget something?"

"Yes." She stopped at the crib and leaned down to kiss her daughter on the top of her small, hairless head, murmuring, "I love you."

Emma paused a moment at the flashback from what she'd seen so long ago in the mines, tilting her head at the sight. "Regina?"

"Hmm?" Regina murmured distractedly, straightening the blanket around their daughter and stroking her cheek. After a moment of silence ticked by, she looked up. "What is it?"

And Emma shook her head, shaking away the thoughts with a smile. "Nothing."

Regina smiled back and stroked the baby's cheek one more time, whispering, "Sleep tight, Amelia Snow," before the two of them made their way out once more.

Emma softly closed the door halfway and they headed down the stairs in a comfortable, almost peaceful silence, smiling at one another again as they passed the dining room and the kitchen.

A record spun on the turntable near the back door, happy tunes filtering out into the backyard. The sound of laughter reached them as they pushed the screen door open, the smell of barbecue finding them next.

The first annual Storybrooke barbecue was underway, with many of the town's former residents having returned to celebrate with them, including the King and Queen themselves.

"Hey, there they are!" King James greeted, dressed down in his 'David Nolan' attire as he worked the grill, waving to them with the barbecue tongs he held in one hand.

Snow White wrapped her arms around each of them in turn, rubbing Emma's back as she said, "We were looking for you."

"Just had to check on the little one," Regina told her. "And retrieve Henry."

Emma glanced around the crowd of familiar faces in their backyard. "Where'd he go, anyway?"

Just then they heard his playful roar and saw him jump out from behind the honeycrisp tree, tackling August and grappling for the football in his hands while August laughed at him and did his best to keep him from stealing it. Once he got it, he held it up and jumped in excitement. August tousled his hair and Henry then ran toward them, landing with his arms around Regina's waist in a hug.

"Burgers are ready!" James announced, which incited a few cheers from their guests.

And for a moment, Regina and Emma just stood side-by-side, appreciating the sights in front of them. Friends and family, happy citizens, sitting down at several banquet-length picnic tables scattered around the yard, enjoying themselves and the company of one another. Memories of past misdeeds faded and forgiven, tenuous relationships on the mend, and all of them looking to make new memories together.

Regina reached over and took her hand, giving it a light squeeze. And Emma turned to smile back at her, the two of them united as one force: Wife and Wife. Mayor and Sheriff.

A Queen, and her White Knight.

THE END