❃
|Emma's House|
❃

"We can't have a wedding in less than twenty days," Regina argued. "There's not enough time and, as Mary Margaret has clearly stated before, stress is not good for the baby."

"But we already have almost everything planned," Emma pointed out. "All we need to do is find a dress for you."

"Fine," Regina gave in. "But neither Robin or I have wedding vows ready, I know for a fact you don't have your Maid of Honor speech even started, and I highly doubt Will is any more prepared than you are. We don't have a cake design ready and last night, you and Mary Margaret were still arguing about cake flavors!"

Emma waved the arguments aside. "It'll be fine. Besides, I think we've agreed on chocolate cake."

"No we haven't," Mary Margaret said.

"My point exactly!"

"I still think you should just do half vanilla, half chocolate," Belle muttered.

"Thank you, Belle," Regina stood up. "Now I'm headed home while you guys argue about other petty matters."

"No, we need to get you a dress!" Mary Margaret exclaimed.

Regina sighed. "Fine. We pick out a dress, and then I am going home."

❃
|Regina's House|
❃

Regina ran a hand through her hair as she closed the door. It was well past bedtime for the kids, so Robin was the only one awake.

"And where have you been, Milady?" He asked.

Regina huffed. "Dress shopping. I am never going dress shopping with Mary Margaret and Emma again. Belle used Evelyn as an excuse to leave and Belle never walks out. You'd think they'd be able to get along better, being family and all."

"Regina, you almost wrote your half-sister out of existence," Robin reminded her.

"Yeah, but Mary Margaret and Emma are both heroes."

Robin shook his head and wrapped his arms around Regina. "Next time Mary Margaret and Emma invite you to go dress shopping for Emma's wedding or something, I will make you watch the kids instead."

"Thank you. Hey, do we have any strawberries?"

Robin pulled back and frowned. "Why?"

"Because our baby really wants some strawberry pie."

"Regina, you are not staying up to make strawberry pie."

"But Robin..."

Robin sighed. "Fine, but I'm helping."

❃
|The Forest, April 23rd|
❃

Regina was pacing back and forth, thankful her dress didn't quite reach the ground. Robin would be waiting for her at the end of the aisle by this point and Regina was about having a nervous breakdown. What if her morning sickness hit? What if Zelena ruined it? What if Hades stormed in because he realized Cleo was gone?

"Mom!" Henry whispered. "Everything will be fine. Emma and Hook will start walking soon, you need to calm down."

Regina nodded. "Y-Yeah. You're right. Everything'll be okay."

Music began playing and that was Emma and Killian's cue to walk. At the end of the aisle, they broke apart and Emma stood in her spot while Killian went to his. Next was Will and Belle since Gold had to be the one to walk Regina down the aisle (both had protested, but Mary Margaret insisted it was tradition and Mary Margaret always got her way when it came to the wedding). After Belle and Will, the Charmings walked down the aisle and then went Zelena and Neal because Robin wanted Neal to be a groomsman and Regina wanted Zelena to be a bridesmaid, so Arthur reluctantly allowed her to walk with Neal while he watched from the audience.

Following Zelena and Neal were Henry and Roland, the ring bearers. The final people before Regina were Meg and Violet; the flower girls. Getting Meg into a dress had been a struggle and took Regina, Robin, and Zelena, but she finally ended up agreeing. The two dropped purple flower petals that matched Regina's dress along the aisle.

After Violet and Meg were in their spots, Regina entwined her arm with Gold's and they made their way down the aisle.

It was clear that Robin was mesmerized by Regina. He hadn't been allowed to even see the dress, let alone Regina in the dress, because Emma had locked it in her dungeon. And because of Mary Margaret insisting on tradition, Robin had spent the previous night in Emma's house with Killian, Cleo, and the savior herself.

Regina met Robin's gaze with a smile. She was hardly able to believe that after the past months, she and Robin were finally getting married. And when Regina saw Robin, all of her fears of something going wrong seemed to disappear.

Gold let go of Regina's arm and she took her place across from Robin, still gazing into his eyes. Friar Tuck spoke for awhile, but Regina would never be able to recall the exact words when she looked back on the day. When it was time for the vows, Henry handed a neatly folded piece of paper to Regina while Roland handed a slightly less neat one to Robin.

Robin spoke first;

"Regina. When I first met you, you were only known as the Evil Queen. But it didn't take long for me to realize that you had changed. But you were also closed off, and so I made it my goal to tear your walls down and I am certainly glad I did.

"If I'm going to be honest, the first thing I noticed about you wasn't your elaborate dress or hairdo; it was your eyes. Your dark, mesmerizing, eyes that hold so much pain, yet so much love at the same time. It will never cease to amaze me how you've lost so much, but you still love your family more than your own life.

"You have come so far from the woman that everyone feared back in the Enchanted Forest and I hope you know that I will never stop believing in you. You went from wanting to destroy Snow White to being best friends with her and her daughter. You went from only caring about your happiness to putting everyone else in this town ahead of you. You went from destroying anyone in your way to not letting Gold kill Zelena because, 'Heroes don't kill'. And if I had even a small part in that change, I feel truly honored.

"I'm sure your vow is longer, but I find it so hard to put how I feel about you into words. You're my soulmate, my true love, and the light of my life, no matter how dark you once were. I love you, Regina."

By the time Robin finished speaking, Regina was tearing up. She was sure reading her vow wouldn't help the tears go away, but she carefully unfolded the piece of paper and began to read;

"When I began writing this, I couldn't figure out where to start, so I turned to Emma for help. She told me to start at the beginning and I asked which one."

That caused Emma and several members of the audience to crack a smile.

"She told me to start at the first beginning, and so I did.

"The first beginning was decades ago, before I became the Evil Queen and when the pain of losing Daniel was still strong. I met Tinker Bell and she told me she would lead me to my soulmate. And she did. She lead me to you.

"But I was scared. I was scared it wouldn't work out and I was scared my mother or Leopold would hurt you. I didn't want someone else I loved getting hurt because of me, and so I ran. I ran, and ran, pretending I didn't have a soulmate with a lion tattoo out there somewhere and pretending that destroying Snow White's happy ending was my happy ending.

"The second beginning was in the Enchanted Forest during the Missing Year. I didn't know you were my soulmate in the beginning, and you annoyed me half to death. But I realize now that I was annoyed by how much I liked you. It irritated me that I liked your forest-y smell and your stupid, charming, smirk, and the way you didn't back down because of my title.

"The third beginning was here in Storybrooke when I went to investigate Zelena's cabin. You shot an arrow at me, I caught it, you said you thought I was the Wicked Witch, and I told you I thought you were a flying monkey. And then we went and investigated the cabin together and I saw the tattoo. I got scared again and I started running because I didn't want you getting hurt. Little did we know that by that point, it was too late. If we hadn't gotten back together before the curse was broken, we would have remembered what happened in the Missing Year after it was broken.

"The fourth and final beginning was in Isaac's universe. I tried to steal from a royal carriage that ended up being one Snow was riding in. She wanted information on Henry and I refused to give it to her. And then you came in and nearly took her head clean off with an arrow. I jumped on the back of your horse and we pretty much rode off into the sunset like in all the Disney movies.

"Of course, then I met Zelena and my hope for you being my true love like Henry had told me was ruined, but that's another story. We've been through so much since then, but I wouldn't trade any of it because it lead me here. To you.

"Because you, Robin...you make me not scared to love anymore. I've learned now that happily ever after doesn't necessarily mean forever. It just means now. And if now is what we have, I will take it because I love you. No matter how many beginnings and endings we go through, I will love you forever."

Robin wanted to pull Regina into a kiss right then, but he forced himself to wait until he and Regina exchanged 'I do's and Friar Tuck spoke, "You may kiss the bride."

Robin pulled Regina into a kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck, feeling as if she could explode from happiness for the first time in a long while. Regina broke the kiss and placed her forehead against her husband's, "I love you, Robin of Locksley."

"And I love you, Regina of Locksley."

❃

The reception was held in the same clearing the wedding had been held in. Regina's hand was practically glued to Robin's for the rest of the evening. When it was time for their first dance as a married couple,  everyone besides Regina and Robin stood at the edges. Emma gave Regina an encouraging smile as the first note of the song played. Regina recognized the song almost immediately; Only You. Emma's choice.

Before Regina could mouth a 'thank you,' at Emma, she and Robin were dancing. Regina had to actually focus on what she was doing this time because everyone was watching. But as soon as the others joined them on the dance floor, Regina lowered her guard. Her stiff stature faded into the relaxed pose she had back in Camelot.

"What song is this?" Robin whispered several minutes after Only You had ended.

"A Whole New World. Mary Margaret must have added a few Disney songs to the playlist."

"Ah," Robin nodded.

"I'm just hoping she didn't add Let it Go," Regina muttered. "That movie only got worse after we found out it was real."

❃
|Regina's House|
❃

Robin ran his fingers through Regina's dark hair. He had just finished helping her remove all of the bobby pins that were holding it in place and they now sat in a small pile next to Regina's hairbrush.

"How's the little one?"

Regina felt a smile spreading across her face as her hand rested on her stomach. "She's wonderful."

"'She'?"

Regina shrugged. "I just have a feeling..."

❃

Author's Note: If you understand the chapter title reference, then you are amazing. Also, I assure you there's still plenty more to come in this fanfic ;)