The Miracle on 108 Mifflin Street

by ErrolsFeather

Summary:

Emma Swan has just moved to Storybrooke after a disagreement due to her work, hoping to find the Christmas spirit she is looking for. After all the town is famous for it festivities.

Regina Mills is the mayor in the most Christmas inspired little town, and goes out of her way for her people to have the best Christmas every year. She, however, quit celebrating the holiday 6 years back.

Henry Mills is a young boy, upset with his mom for not celebrating the holiday when the rest of the town is. He wants nothing more than his mom to get back in the Christmas spirit, but that would demand a miracle.

Notes:

I've always loved the movies A miracle on 34th street so I took my inspiration from there.

A huge shout-out to my wonderful beta Brenda Chenowith, you're the best and a great help creating this story :o) I hope you have a Merry Christmas :o)

Chapter 1: Cover photo

Chapter 2: December 1st

The Miracle on 108 Mifflin Street

December 1^st

The first time Emma saw Henry was the first evening she moved to Storybrooke, when the kid walked the streets alone kicking the ground. Emma had frowned at this as the kid seemed way too young to be walking around on his own that late, and he seemed too well dressed to be living on street. She pulled up next to him and opened the window on the passenger side and said, “Yo, kid get in, I’ll drive you home.”

“Why even bother…” he had responded without even turning to look at her.

“Surely your parents have to be worried about you being out this late.”

“I only have a mom, and she’s too busy to even care. Besides she thinks I’m over at Auntie MM’s or Ruby’s. It’s not like she bothers to check anyways when I’m supposed to sleep over and since I told Auntie MM I was gonna go to Ruby’s she won’t check either,” he shrugged and kept walking.

“Maybe I could talk to your mom about it?” Emma tried.

“What is it you don’t get! She doesn’t care! Not anymore anyway…”

“I don’t bloody well care. You’re getting in the care, I’m not letting you freeze to death on my first evening as a sheriff!”

“Fine, whatever!” he said and got into her car, slamming the door shut hard, crossing his arms over his chest as soon as he got his seat-belt on.

“Where to?” Emma asked as she drove down Main Street, which was no doubt decorated for Christmas even if it was just in the beginning of December. He reluctantly told her the address and she found it on her GPS. She soon pulled into the driveway of a big mansion and she at once recognized the woman about to get into a black Mercedes. The mayor, the woman who hired her after interviewing multiple candidates a month before. Emma didn’t even know the woman had a kid or a family since there was no personal photos in her office. Not to mention she didn’t seem like the motherly type, but then again, she didn’t really know the woman yet. How much could you really learn about a woman during a job interview.

Emma killed the engine and got out of the car, motioning for Henry to do the same. He rolled his eyes but followed her out. Emma walked towards the woman saying, “Madam Mayor, I was patrolling the streets and seems I found a stray, he says he belongs to you.”

“Yes, I’m sad to admit that he does. Henry, how many time have I told you to stay with the sitter when we agree upon it? Mary Margaret called me not long ago, besides herself with worry, so I called Miss Lucas and you weren’t there either. I can’t have this happen every time, Henry! You can’t be walking around this late alone, these streets aren’t safe for a young boy!”

“Jesus Mom, nothing ever happens here, the most dangerous thing I’ll run into is one of the town drunks and I’m faster than all of them. I was a hell of a lot more unsafe where we used to live, which I miss, but you never once asked me if I wanted to move here. I hate it here!” he said and ran past her and into the house and slammed the door hard behind him.

Emma frowned and looked at the mayor that was no doubt counting to ten to calm herself. She then looked at Emma saying, “I’m sorry about his behavior, it seems I can’t do anything right these days.”

“Speaking of, it seems that he thinks you don’t care about him anymore, should I be concerned?” Emma asked, but in a calm tone to not upset the woman further.

Regina shook her head in frustration as she answered, “I ended things with my ex a while back, and in time moved here for a fresh start. I tried to make it work in the city the two of us, but even with a small fortune it’s hard when you’re a single mother; to work and be there for him, so I found it better to move. My parents live in another state so they’re not much help and neither is my sister, but I have some old friends here so they help me out with Henry when I have to work later. He doesn’t understand how much it takes out of me to run this city, even if it is a small one.”

“I’m sorry to hear that Miss Mills. If you like, maybe I could help look after him every once in a while,” Emma offered, feeling a little bad for the woman.

“No, Miss Swan, it’s not your job. Again I’m sorry for this,” she said and walked back inside. Emma looked after her for a second, but shrugged and walked back in the car, driving back to the Main Street to see if any of the patrons were making trouble near the bars.

Regina walked inside the house, closing the door and leaned against it, wondering where her life had gone so terribly wrong. She heard Henry upstairs in his room, putting on some Christmas music at an extremely high volume, it made tears fall from her eyes and her heart broke once more. She just couldn’t do this, she couldn’t celebrate Christmas anymore, not with the memory of what once was weighing on hear heart.

---

Regina was humming a Christmas tune, walking into her apartment, her hands filled with bags of presents. She was really feeling the holiday spirit today and had even used a little extra on a gift for Henry she knew he would love. It was supposed to be an apology for working so much lately, something she was working hard to change.

Walking inside she heard her girlfriend on the phone with someone, but it got cut short as she walked into the room. Regina beamed at her, happy to see her as always. Mulan had been her rock since their days at the police academy and Regina loved her beyond words. In fact she planned to ask her to marry her the very same evening.

Or at least she was, until she saw the suitcases on the floor. Regina tried to recall if Mulan had said anything about going anywhere before Christmas, a company trip or anything, but nothing came to mind. She put her bags down on the living room floor, before she went back to the hallway to hang her coat, then walked back inside. She looked at Mulan, who looked rather serious.

“What’s going on, Mulan?” Regina asked, her voice harder than she meant it too.

“I’m leaving, I can’t do this…us…anymore,” Mulan made a hand gesture between them.

“What? Why now?” Regina needed to know, trying to make sense of it all. There had been no implications that the other woman wanted to leave or end things.

“I just can’t lie to you anymore. A few months back I met someone on the job and we fell in love. I didn’t mean for it to happen, it just did. We have been meeting up ever since and it made me realize you and I are not a great fit. I haven’t slept with her yet, all we’ve done is just talked.”

“Is this because I work so much? Would it have mattered if I was home more than I have lately?”

“No, Regina, you know I never minded being at home with Henry. Like I said, it just happened.”

“What about Henry? Will you still be a part of his life?”

“No, I think it’s better that I’m not. I don’t want to cause you more pain, Regina.”

“You can’t just do that, Mu, walk out of his life like that. You’ve been there since the day he was born! What the fuck am I supposed to tell him? How the fuck am I going to work and be here for him?”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way, Regina, you always do.”

“So that’s it then, you’re just going to walk out the door, a week before Christmas?”

“I’m sorry the timing isn’t ideal, but as I said I didn’t want to keep on pretending, it isn’t right.”

“Whatever, Mulan, just leave!” Regina’s tone was harsh now as she struggled to keep her composure. Mulan had swallowed, but done as asked, as there was nothing more she could do. Regina had sunk down on the couch then, tears streaming down her face as she wanted nothing more than to tear down all their Christmas decorations, everything they’ve done together. Of all the holidays in the year, she had to pick Christmas to leave. This wasn’t fair, especially since it was Regina’s favorite holiday. Mostly because they did everything from decorating to baking cookies together. All that now would be a painful reminder.

She quickly tossed the gifts for Mulan down the garbage shoot, ring included, wondering how she was going to tell her son. She didn’t have time to reflect over it though, as he walked inside their apartment moments later, beaming at her, saying, “Hi Mom, you’re home early!”

“Yes, Henry, listen we need to talk.”

“Oh did I do something wrong?”

“No, my little prince, it’s about your ma.”

“Is she alright? Was she in an accident?”

“No, my love, but she…she…” Regina’s voice was shivering and she cursed at herself for it.

“She?” Henry looked at her in a questioning way.

“She left.”

“Left to go where? Is she coming back for Christmas?”

“No Henry, she’s never coming back.”

“This is all your fault, because you work too much! You chased her away! I hate you!” Henry said angrily and ran to his bedroom, slamming the door shut. Regina didn’t have the strength to tell him differently and so she sat there, tears dripping from her eyes, soft sobs escaping her, looking at the Christmas decorations with empty eyes. She swore right then she would never put up another Christmas decoration or celebrate Christmas ever again. By the time Henry woke the next morning the decorations were gone, all but an empty tree with his packages underneath. He found a note from his mom telling him she would be home after work. He shook his head thinking that work was all that mattered to her, nothing and no one else. Right then he hated her, for ruining everything and he didn’t even bother to bring the lunch she packed for him to school. He’d never know how it broke Regina’s heart when she found out later that day.

---

As Regina slowly made her way up the stairs, she hated herself for working so much, but being a sole parent for her son, she had no other choice to make ends meet. She gently knocked on his door, waiting to hear ‘come in,’ before she entered.

“Listen Henry, I’m sorry that I work so much and that you feel I don’t see you, but you can’t go off on me like that, it really hurts my feelings.” She tried to speak to her son in a calm way. She looked at her not so little boy playing with an Iron man action figure, the one she had given him the year Mulan left them. Her special gift to him, the box was even signed by the man that played Iron Man and Henry loved it. Not that he ever told her, but she found him playing with it more than once over the years.

“What about me then? I hate that we never celebrate Christmas; I hate seeing the houses all over being decorated, but here nothing. Not even a wreath. I miss it, Mom.”

“I understand, but I just don’t see any reason to celebrate something the shops use as a reason to sell more things. It’s become too materialistic.”

“That’s not the reason we don’t do it and you know it.”

Regina counted to ten inside her head, before she said, “How about I meet you halfway this year, maybe we could bake some Christmas cookies together this weekend?”

“I’m too old for that, Mom. You know what never mind…”

Regina shook her head, feeling like she got another kick in the abs as she turned to walk back downstairs. She really couldn’t do anything right in his eyes, could she?

She sat down by the table and opened the pc, looking over the plans for the city council meeting earlier that day; most of them about the yearly Christmas festival, including a Christmas market, the usual food drive for the poor families in town and handing out packages at the shelter for the less fortunate children. And, of course there was the lighting of the damn Christmas tree. Christmas, Christmas, Christmas, nothing but Christmas. And she hated it, everything about this infuriating holiday.

She started on a budget plan while she pulled up a skype window to call her older sister Zelena. The other woman soon picked up and Regina heard merriment and Christmas songs in the background and heard her sister say, “Hang on, Regina, let me take this in my office, there’s less noise there. I’ll call you right back.” Before her sister hung up she heard her yell, “Not too much ginger in that, honey.”

---

A moment later she heard her skype ring and saw her sister with flour on her clothes and face, meaning she most likely was baking when Regina called. Zelena frowned as she looked at her sister saying, “Oh oh, what’s up Grinch?”

“I’m not a Grinch and you know it! I pay a fortune yearly so the people of this city can get into the Christmas spirit. I make sure the market opens on time, the damn tree is lit, and everything is in order!”

“Jesus, Regina, I was just joking. No need to bite my head off. What is going on?”

“It’s Henry, he keeps running away and he’s getting worse. I don’t know what to do anymore, Zelena. He just keeps on hating me for what happened and every year he gets a little bit angrier at me. Every Christmas has been like this and now that we moved, I simply don’t know…”

Zelena thought for a second, before she asked, “Have you considered it may be time to tell him the truth about what happened and tell him why it hurts so much for you to celebrate this holiday?”

“I can’t, Zelena, I just can’t. Because if I do, I make his ma a bad person. Besides he would never believe me.”
“Then how about trying to tell him and if he doesn’t believe you he can always call Mulan to confirm it. And I know this is a lost cause to ask, but maybe you could actually decorate a little this year; some stockings, snow covered windows, some festive Christmas figurines. If you don’t want to use the ones that remind you of her, then buy new ones. I don’t mean to push Regina, but you used to love this holiday ever since you were little, and I know that deep down you still do.”

“You know what it was a mistake calling, you’re no help at all,” Regina said coolly and hung up, pushing her computer away. She wasn’t aware that Henry had been listening to the whole thing.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 3: December 5th

December 5^th

A few days Emma was walking back from one of the shops in town, when she heard Henry’s voice coming from her right side, “You’re an adult right?”

“Last time I checked. Why?” Emma asked with a quirky smile, turning to look at the young boy, he seemed troubled.

“I think I got my mom all wrong, but I don’t understand it all.”

“I need a little bit more information than that, kid.”

“Well, you probably noticed my mom isn’t into the whole Christmas spirit?”

“City hall and your house are the only places in town not having any decorations I got the idea yeah. Although I thought deep down, she was just too busy mayoring and would do it later.”

“She won’t, I mean, she used to but she doesn’t anymore.”

“What do you mean used to?”

“Well back when we lived in the city with Ma, she was all about Christmas; she loved decorating, music, Santa and everything, then she just stopped one year and that was it. No more stockings by the fireplace, Christmas tunes, eggnog, hot apple cider, Advent calendar, tree, or cookies or all the rest. It was all like she stopped believing overnight. I mean she does give me presents and all, it just doesn’t feel like Christmas without the rest, you know.”

“I understand,” Emma nodded seriously, before she asked, “Did anything happen the year that all stopped?”

“Well, she worked a whole lot, so Ma left, and we never heard from her again. I don’t  blame her for leaving though, Mom was never really there when she was home. She was a cop back then, and then when Ma left, she became a dean for a while, then we moved here.”

“When your ma left, did your mom seem sad or angry, do you even remember?”

“Angry at first, but she seemed sad that night when I went to bed. I could hear her crying inside her room. I figured she was sad because she made ma leave.”

“Aw, kid, I don’t think that’s what happened at all.”

“How so?”

“Well your mom and your ma had been together for some time, right?”

“I guess since before they had me, I was eight when she left. We’ve been on our own for six years, and lived here for about two.”

“And they usually did decorations and everything together?”

“Of course.”

“I can only offer a guess, since I don’t really know your mom or your ma. I think your ma left with someone to start a new life with her and it broke your mom’s heart. I think that she probably wanted to spend the rest of her life with her and that Christmas just became a painful reminder of what could never be. Instead of trying to celebrate it anyways it became too hard and she just pushed her feelings away and ended up not celebrating it all together.”

“Why wouldn’t she just tell me that then?”

“Because she’s hurting a lot and she wanted to shield you. She didn’t want you to think your ma was a bad person. Easier to make herself one.”
“Adults are complicated…”

“You have no idea, kid,” Emma said with a slight laugh, and gently ruffled Henry’s hair, making him laugh as well.

“So how about since your mom can’t bring herself to decorate anything, we do it for her? I don’t think she’ll tear it down and she probably wouldn’t notice if we did it a little by little. Maybe we could even get the rest of the town to help as well. Help her get the spirit back.”

“I doubt that would work. She’s like the Grinch whenever someone tries to decorate city hall, she tears it down and yells at people. I don’t see how you can make a difference. It would be a miracle if she even frosted a window.”
“Have a little faith, Henry. And besides isn’t Christmas the time of miracles?”

“I guess. Anyways I have to run, or I’ll be late for meeting my friends,” he said with a shrug and ran off. Emma looked after him when she spotted Mary Margaret walking down the street. She had talked to her once or twice since she got there, as the woman was an over enthusiastic and curious person. Emma wandered over to her and asked, “Mary Margaret, do you have a moment?”

“Sure, Emma, what can I do for you?”

“I was wondering, there must be poor children at your school, right? Children that can’t afford food and new toys and such?”

“Sure, Unfortunately there are underprivileged people in just about every city. Why do you ask?”

“Does the mayor do anything for them during the year or during Christmas?”

“Well she always makes sure there are food drives for the poor in general, but makes sure it’s a little extra around the holidays and that there is enough food at the homeless shelter. They also get toys around Christmas.”

“I understand. And these children appreciate it?”

“They do, they think she’s a hero,” Mary Margaret said and wondered where Emma was going with this.

“I had an idea that would brighten her Christmas spirit and I wondered if you and those children could help?”

“Anything, Emma,” Mary Margaret said and Emma quickly told her about the idea, making her beam ever so brightly. She nodded and said, “Any deadline on this?”

“Well, since December has already started, I would like to have it delivered to city hall tomorrow, but I know that might be impossible.”

“Nothing is impossible. Let me make some calls and I’ll get back to you.”

“No need, if you can get it done, take one of the children to the city hall to hand it over tomorrow during her office hours.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got you Emma!” she said before she hurried away. Emma smiled to herself as she walked back to the Sheriff Station seeing her deputy sheriff Jefferson taking a smoke outside. She rolled her eyes making a mental not that he had to be inside taking calls when she was out.

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 4: December 6th

December 6^th

Early the next morning, Regina heard her intercom ring. She groaned as she was feeling horrible today, having woken with a major headache. She didn’t really want to see people so she had cancelled all her meetings for the day. She had decided to do what she could of paper work instead as it always seemed to be enough of it. Still, she picked up saying, “Yes, Kathryn.”

“You have a couple of visitors; may I send them in? They say they won’t take long.”

“Alright…”

A moment later Mary Margaret stepped inside with two children, a boy and a girl. Regina knew them to be brother and sister pair named Nicholas and Ava. They lived with their dad who was working in one of the furniture stores in town. They didn’t have all the money in the world, so she made sure they had a little extra around December, as she did with most of the less fortunate.

Mary Margaret nudged the children to walk towards her, which they did, seemingly nervous. Regina’s expression softened as she said, “Mister and Miss Zimmer, what can I do for you two today?”

“We have something for you, Mayor Mills,” Nicholas said, seeming to doubt if it was a good idea.

“Well not just us, all of our friends helped really,” Ava said with an eager nod.

“For me?” Regina asked, feeling rather confused.

“Yes, you do so much for us, we wanted to give something back,” Nicholas explained as they walked towards the desk and placed a box on it before stepping back. Regina frowned at Mary Margaret who shrugged, before she opened the brown paper box seeing envelopes marked with numbers. She looked at the two children, still confused.

“It’s a calendar, Mayor Mills, we thought it could brighten up your office for Christmas.”

Regina gave Mary Margaret a scolding glance, but she said, “It was the children’s idea, they really wanted to do this for you.”

“We did,” Ava confirmed.

“We better get back to school. Have a great day, Mayor Mills,” said Nicholas with a polite nod, walking out with his sister and their teacher, before Regina could object. She opened two envelopes that had the number one marked on them, finding two hand drawn pictures. One was of a Christmas tree and a happy family around, another one was of Santa, and some presents. It was clear to see that one was drawn with a more skilled hand than the other, Regina was even more convinced when she turned the papers seeing their holiday greetings on the back.

Tears ran down her cheeks as the door opened and Kathryn walked inside, “Is there something wrong, Madam Mayor?”

“No, it’s just the children made me a calendar, look at this,” she held up the drawings.

“That is a beautiful gesture, you should hang them around your office, don’t you think?”

“No, it wouldn’t fit in here, why don’t you find a spot for them in the front office?” Regina asked politely and got a nod in return. She opened the ones for day two to six as well, finding more drawings. She got up from her chair and went out to hand them to Katryn, who made sure they were hung on the walls. Regina watched the walls become slightly more colorful and a smile almost appeared on her lips, but then it vanished. She would not give into the feeling of this holiday.

Kathryn watched her boss, seeing how the light in her eyes and slowly dim out; it made her heart sink. She didn’t know why the mayor hated this holiday so much since she certainly did everything she could to make sure the people in town did enjoyed it. She even approved a Christmas parade this year. She looked at the woman standing there looking at the colorful drawings with a sense of sadness, before turning to walk back into her office. Just before she closed the door, Regina turned to ask, “Do you think Henry is too old for an Advent Calendar?”

“No, Regina, I do not. I think he’d love one.”

“Would it matter what kind it is?”

“No, as long as it came from you, I’m sure whatever is fine,” she said and walked back out, a smile on her face.

She nodded quietly and went back into her office and closed the door. Regina closed the lid to the box that no doubt contained more drawings for the following days, no doubt made by the eager minds of children wanting to bring her the holiday spirit when a memory of herself and Mulan preparing Henry’s first Christmas surfaced. They had been so excited to share everything with him, and after he went to bed they’d made love. Regina shook her head. She got up from her chair and picked up the box, placing it on the table near the couch where she usually had one-on-one meetings. A gentle hand stroked over the lid of the box as she did appreciate the gesture, still she couldn’t bring herself to enjoy it more than she had to. With a deep and calming breath she walked back to her desk and opened her laptop to start her work day.

---

When Henry came home after school that day he called for his mom, but got no answer. He went to the kitchen and found a note on the kitchen table, which meant she would be home late, but dinner was in the fridge. She always made sure he ate properly, even when she wasn’t present to oversee it. He went over to read the note when he saw something else next to it. Taking a closer look he saw it was an Advent Calendar; she hadn’t gotten one for him in years.

He frowned as he read the note, “Dear Henry, I have some work I need to finish, so I’ll be home a little late, but you can call any time if there is anything. I got you an Advent Calendar, even if I know it’s a little late for it. I hope there is still time for you to enjoy it. Love mom.”

He lifted it up looking at the picture; it was of a smiling Santa with a huge bag of gifts, and some reindeers, all very festive. Henry let his hand gently stroke over it, before he picked up his phone to call his mom once more. She soon answered, “Henry, is everything alright?”

“Yes, Mom, I am fine. I just wanted to thank you for the Advent Calendar, I love it!”

“You’re sure it’s alright? I couldn’t decide if you wanted this or something fancier with figurines in, so I just went with it.”

“I’m sure, I really love it!”

“Good. I’ll try not to be home too late, but if you go out, please text me so I won’t have to worry.”

“I will, I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, Henry,” she said and hung up. Henry stroked the calendar gently and looked at the picture once more, before opening the first six doors, finding small pieces of chocolate inside, shaped in the form of Christmas figures. As he ate them he wondered how Emma could have managed to get his mom to do that. A woman dead-set on not having a single decoration at home for years.

He ate his meal in silence before he took his calendar and walked upstairs, deciding to make his mom a Christmas card for when she returned. It surely couldn’t hurt.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 5: 8th of December

8^th of December

It was nearing the weekend, when there was another knock on the door of Regina’s office. She told whoever it was to enter and Granny, the woman who ran the diner in town came inside. She smiled brightly as ever at Regina and said, “I couldn’t help but notice the colorful drawings outside, are those made by Henry?”

“No, the children at school; they made me an Advent Calendar with drawings, can you believe it?”

“I can and that is very sweet of them.”

“Indeed, it is…” Regina mused before asking, “What can I do for you Mrs. Lucas?”

“Please call me Eugenia. I was wondering if you might be willing to stop by the diner tomorrow. You see, every year we have Gingerbread house contest, and the winner will stand on display at the diner. We got over a dozen entries, it’s a huge deal. We thought that maybe you could be the judge this year and maybe you’d like one in here as well?”

“I…don’t know, Eugenia. Wouldn’t you prefer to do it yourself as always, it’s your diner after all?” Regina said, not adding anything whether or not she wanted a gingerbread house in her office.

“I do, but like I said, it’s a big deal and I think that maybe the people would value your opinion more than mine. I do, however, understand if you’re too busy to do so.”

“What time tomorrow did you say this was?”

“1 PM.”

“Very well, I’ll do it if it means that much to you…”

“Thank you so much, Madam Mayor. I’ll leave you to it,” the other woman said and left as quietly as she came. Regina shook her head, wondering why on earth she had agreed to that, before her eyes went to the paperwork in front of her, a proposal for a new skating rink in town. She looked it over, before she approved it to be built, emailing a confirmation back to the company that had put in the request.  

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 6: 9th of December

9^th of December

It seemed like the whole town was gathered at Granny’s the next day to witness the judging of the gingerbread houses. Regina went from one house to the next, making mental notes on all thirteen designs. There was everything from elaborate castles to the regular house with four walls. All had numbers on so she couldn’t judge the makers, just the designs.

She looked at her sheet and said, “Who made contributions three, six, eleven and thirteen? Can you come up here?”

She watched a young boy about Henry’s age step forward, along with a young boy she guessed was around five at most, two girls she assumed to be sisters and Emma step forward. She frowned at Emma that simply shrugged.

“Now please tell me, which is yours and why did you make just this design.”

The two girls stepped forward looked at each other and the older said, “We made number six, the castle, because we like fairytales and we thought it would be cool to build a fancy gingerbread castle.”

“And we tried to paint some fairytale figures on the wall with colored powdered, like the dragon here,” said the younger one, pointing towards a white dragon scaling one of the tall walls.

Regina nodded approvingly and said, “It’s most impressive.”

The youngest boy said, “I made number three, the presents because I’m not so good with big things, daddy helped me so I could get colors on them. It’s fun to look at.”

“I agree!” Regina said and winked at him.

The older boy spoke up, “I made number eleven. I decided to go for a Star Wars themed village, because I really love the movies and I thought that since we live in a small town, it would represent us all.”

“I like the way you did it. It’s well thought out. I also want to give you credit for managing to get the droids and main characters mixed in with the town people.”

“Thank you, Ma’am,” the boy said politely and beamed with pride.

“I guess that makes me unlucky number, thirteen. It’s a replica of my car in front of a pastel house, because I love my car and well it looked lonely on its own,” Emma shrugged.

“I see. Well, I think I have what I need to make my decision. Number eleven and number six will stay here on display, whereas number three and thirteen will be at display in my office. Granny will award you with the prizes. I feel bad there isn’t room for all your beautiful and creative contributions, so I’d like to suggest that the rest of the contributions will be placed in the store windows in this town as a display,” Regina said in a firm tone. She heard the people cheer as she walked out of the diner and away from the crowd.

She startled when she heard Emma’s voice yell, “Hey, Madam Mayor, wait up!”

Regina waited and Emma caught up with her and said, “Thank you for letting me win.”

“I didn’t let you win, Miss Swan, it was your contribution,” said Regina and rolled her eyes slightly.

“Same difference. I’ve never won anything, so it means a lot, even if the prize is just a free dinner at Granny’s and a bunch of cookies,” Emma said and held up a paper bag, a huge smile plastered on her face.

Regina nodded quietly and continued walking. Emma looked at her, and she seemed rather sad now, which made her ask, “What really happened for you to hate Christmas so much?”

“Excuse me?”

“Well, the whole town is covered in everything Christmas except your house and maybe City Hall, why?”

“I’d rather not get into it, if you don’t mind.”

“I do mind, you shouldn’t have to carry it alone. Plus I promise not to tell a soul.”

Regina turned to look at her. Maybe it was because the blonde sheriff seemed so persistent or maybe it was because she was tired of carrying it alone, she wasn’t really sure what the reason was, but she said, “Have you ever been in love Emma? Like head over heels, you can’t imagine your life without that person?”

“I have yes.”

“Then you can imagine how much it hurts when it ends.”

“I can, but you need to give me a bit more to go on here.”

“Six years ago, on this very day; I had it all, a job I loved, Henry and a girlfriend I loved. We lived in the city where I worked as a cop, and she worked as a cop at a different precinct in town. I was of higher rank so I worked quite a lot, meaning she was home more with Henry. I loved her beyond measure and I was planning to ask her to marry me that year.

Back then I’d known her since what felt like forever; we met at the academy, fell in love instantly and were together ever since. We had Henry together and we raised him. I never in a million years pictured there was anything wrong in our relationship, as she’d never given me any indication of there being a problem.

Turns out there was, and she’d fallen in love with someone else. She told me on this very day six years ago, the day I was going to propose. She told me it wasn’t my fault, but that she couldn’t live on a lie anymore. That day my life shattered.

Up until that day I’d loved Christmas, it was my favorite holiday, but now….” Regina stopped and shook her head. She didn’t know what else to say.

Emma stepped a little closer, looking at the woman she had come to know a bit more in the few weeks she had been in Storybrooke. In those two weeks she’d only seen her smile once, and that was when she was judging the gingerbread house contest. Otherwise, the woman had been all business, solemn and gloomy. But as Emma hadn’t been there for long, she hadn’t really gotten to know the woman, other than work issues and when she twice dropped Henry at her doorstep.

Still, Emma dared to press a gentle hand on her upper arm saying, “I understand that must have been hard.”

“You can’t even imagine how painful it is to go through the old Christmas decorations, when all I see is her. In the end I just stopped because I couldn’t go through the emotions it took looking at the lights and the bulbs in the boxes; it was better to just push it away and not celebrate at all,” she said. She didn’t meet Emma’s eyes, her gaze fell on the street in front of them as it came to an end, as they were near the harbor. She didn’t mind that Emma’s hand was still on her arm as they walked.

“How about this; give me the key to your house, tell me where the boxes are and I’ll get rid of the decorations?”

“You’d do that?”

“Sure, I can replace them with new ornaments and put them back up there.”

“Alright,” Regina said and found the key in her purse, “They’re all up in the attic, I’ll wait here for a while then go back to the diner. If you could just keep the stockings and the decorations Henry made?”

“Will do, Madam Mayor,” said Emma, looking at the other woman, she was looking out over the ocean with sad eyes. Emma felt a sting of sympathy as she dared to press a kiss to her cheek, whispering, “Don’t worry, darling, it’ll get better.”

Regina didn’t say anything for or against it, instead as she listened to Emma’s footsteps slowly move away, she felt a sting of something inside her.

---

As soon as Emma was gone, Regina picked up her phone and called Zelena on the webcam. Her sister soon picked up saying, “Hey, Regina!”

“She kissed me out of the blue, Zelena, what do I do?”

“Excuse me? Who kissed you?”

“Someone kissed Auntie Regina?” Regina heard her niece’s voice in the background.

“The new sheriff, she’s on the way to my house to throw out the Christmas decorations, but it’s besides the point. She called me darling and kissed my cheek! I didn’t do anything to encourage it at all. We have had a business relationship for the few weeks she’s been here, I don’t know what prompted her to do it,” Regina said, feeling like she was rambling now. She could feel her cheeks burn with embarrassment.

“Wow, wow, wow, hold on! You’re having her throw out your decorations, why? I know you haven’t celebrated in the later years, but isn’t that taking it a bit too far?”

“No, I hardly think so, it was time. Besides I can get new ones if needed, but that’s not the point, Zelena. What do I do about this kiss?”

“Well since it was just a peck on the cheek, I’d say nothing. It was probably just a friendly gesture. Unless…”

“Unless what?”

“You want it to be something more, then you can ask her about it and pursue it.”

“I…no.”

“You like her!”

“No, I most certainly do not! And even if I did, it would be unprofessional to engage in a romantic relationship with anyone on my payroll.”

“Oh please, now you’re over exaggerating because she isn’t even working in the same building. I really don’t see the harm if you like her.”

“The harm…the harm… do I need to remind you about what happened the last time I was in a relationship, the very reason why I don’t celebrate this stupid holiday anymore.”

“Regina…”

“No, I can’t, I just can’t.”

“I wish you would. This woman might be good for you, even if it was just a fling.”

“I agree with Mom, if she kissed you even if it’s accidental, she must like you, or at least find you hot.”

“Robin, mind your own business,” Zelena said in a sharp tone.

“No, I won’t, because I’m fed up with seeing Auntie Regina sad every Christmas. It’s not right, and I know Henry thinks so too. Just because that shithead broke your heart six years ago, it doesn’t mean that the Sheriff will. You could at least ask her if she meant it or not.”

“I have to go,” Regina said and hung up. She went to Granny’s to ensure the winning gingerbread houses got delivered in one piece to City Hall, before she walked back to the harbor and overlooked the ocean, since it was a quiet day today. She swallowed as she wondered if her sister and niece were right, but shook it off. She wasn’t ready to connect with those emotions, at least not yet.

---

As Emma walked back towards the city center, she got an idea and walked back inside the diner where it was still busy. She tried to clear her voice to get their attention, but it was too loud in there. Ruby seemed to notice and wolf whistled before she said, “People listen up, the sheriff has something to say.”

“Yeah sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt your fun, but I need you all to help me. I need Christmas decorations for the mayor’s house. Lights, decorations for the inside and outside and something for the tree, if you all contribute a little it would help. It has to be a secret though, so just hand it into the sheriff station before next weekend if you have anything. Every little piece will help,” Emma said, looking around with hopeful eyes.

They all looked at her stunned before they all started talking again, Emma shrugged and walked back out as she headed towards 108 Mifflin Street. She had almost made it there when she heard two voices yell, “Sheriff, Sheriff!”

She turned to look at two boys, who had quite a reputation for being trouble makers, but their eyes surely shone with excitement. She looked at them with calm eyes as she asked, “Stevie, Aaron, what can I do for you?”

“No, it’s what we can do for you,” Aaron said with a smile.

“Aaron and I are great at climbing roofs, we thought that if you needed someone to put lights up there, we’re your guys. Just let us know when and we’re there,” Stevie said with a great smile.

“That’s great guys, I’ll keep that in mind,” said Emma and smiled back at them. They nodded and ran off, no doubt to cause havoc at another side of town. Emma on the other hand continued to walk when she heard a more adult voice say, “Sheriff Swan?”

Emma turned to see a woman she knew to be Regina’s neighbor and her young daughter come towards her. She wasn’t quite sure what the woman’s name was, but she knew her daughter Marie and her brothers were a few years behind Henry in school. She smiled at them as she said, “Hello, what can I do for you? Did that raccoon try to break in again?”

“Luckily no. Thomas called me from the diner regarding your request and Marie and her brothers happened to be listening in. Her brothers wanted to make some ornaments, but Marie wanted the Mayor to have something,” the woman said and smiled down at her daughter.

The young girl handed Emma a white teddy bear with a Santa hat, on his belly it said Merry Christmas in green letters. As Emma took it, she said, “This is Chirs and he had been living with me and my brothers every December. We got him when we were young and dad went away to cheer us up. We’re better now, but the mayor is always sad, especially around Christmas, maybe he can help.”

Emma felt something pull on her heartstrings, wondering how sad Regina actually seemed if the children in town noticed it. She swallowed hard and asked, “How do you know she is sad during Christmas?”

“She never decorates, and her eyes look like she is about to cry, even when she smiles.”

Emma nodded quietly, before she said, “Well thank you, I’m sure Chris will help her.”

The girl nodded and handed Emma an envelope before she and her mother walked back home. Emma put the envelope in her pocket and walked the last steps to Regina’s house. She looked at it for a second, picturing how it would look with decorations with a smile on her face. She quickly went up the front stairs and let herself inside, when she realized she hadn’t thought this through as there was no way she could carry an unknown number of boxes out of the house alone. So she quickly decided to call one of her deputies when she had taken a closer look at how many boxes she would need to move. She walked towards the stairs to the attic, when she discovered two rooms where the doors were left open.

Out of curiosity she peeked inside, only to see that one of the rooms had to be Henry’s and the other’s Regina's. Her bed was neatly made and everything was in order there. Emma placed the bear on top of the covers along with the envelope. She could only hope Regina wouldn’t kill her for violating her privacy. Then again, she would easily take any punishment as long as the bear made her feel better. She left the room and pulled down the ladder leading up to the attic.

Once up there Emma turned on the light, seeing that the storage area was clean and organized, and she did wonder if that was the only way for the woman to function. Clearly, she needed everything to be in order wherever she was. Although right now that was an advantage as it helped Emma find the boxes with Christmas stuff faster and she soon carried down the five boxes and closed the hatch.

She carried them downstairs only to go through them and made sure the items Regina asked for remained in a box that she carried back up, before she called Jefferson to ask him to bring the police cruiser as soon as possible. He said that he would come right away as there wasn’t much happening. Emma smiled as she took the boxes out and locked up the house. It wouldn’t take long before she got all the boxes into their police cruiser and drove away.

Emma and Jefferson drover back to the office where they carried the boxes upstairs to decide whether or not to keep what was in them. Jefferson started with a box of Christmas tree ornaments, while Emma started on one with a ton of entangled lights. Pulling out the long wires Emma had carelessly put back in the box after going over it the first time, she soon saw that Regina had had a system for it in which she now had screwed up. She groaned as she looked at the three different wires consisting of three different sets of light, one seemed to have regular light bulbs, the second green and the last multiple colors.

Jefferson looked up from dividing boxes of Christmas decorations and sniggered, making Emma shoot him a glare, before starting on the task.

For a while, they sat there in silence, Emma untangling the lights whereas Jefferson was sorting the ornaments in two piles: one to use on the big Christmas tree that was going up in front of City Hall the following week or ones to give or toss away.  They hadn’t decided yet. It wasn’t until Jefferson said, “Emma, have you seen this?” that Emma looked up.

He was holding up a leather-bound book, which Emma had figured was some old book of Christmas stories Regina and her ex had read for Henry, and so she had tossed it in the pile to give away. Why would she suspect it to be anything else, when the cover said, “Once upon a Christmas?”

“Not really, unless that book has magic powers to help me with this, I don’t see why it is a big deal,” she said, holding up the wires that were now half solved.

“You really don’t know what this is, do you?” he said, looking at her with a frown.

“Nope, but do enlighten me with all Christmas stories while I finish this up.”

“Emma, this isn’t a book of Christmas stories, it’s a photo album with pictures of Regina and I assume her family.”

The light that Emma held fell out of her hands and onto the floor as she made her way over to him, seeing he was right. There it was, colorful pictures and writing on the pages. Regina and her ex celebrating Christmas with Henry and their families over the years. She looked so happy in those pictures that it made Emma’s heart break even more. How that woman could have been so foolish as to walk away from that was beyond her. Even if she fell for someone else it didn’t justify walking away from her son.

“She…she was really happy, wasn’t she?” Emma managed to get out, swallowing hard.

“It surely looks like it,” Jefferson agreed with a nod.

“And of course that woman had to ruin it all,” Emma said underneath her breath. She looked at the family of three smiling towards the camera, Regina’s happiness captured by whoever took it. Emma took the book from Jefferson and browsed through it to see if there was any indication that the other woman didn’t seem happy in those pictures, but found nothing.

“In my opinion, that woman never deserved Regina or Henry to begin with if she could just walk away from them like that,” Jefferson contemplated.

“I agree,” said Emma, looking at Regina dressed in a beautiful red dress, hanging a little snowman higher up on the tree, smiling at the camera. She couldn’t even imagine how much it must have hurt for Regina to never want to celebrate Christmas ever again.

Sure she had ex-girlfriends as well, but none of those relationships had lasted long, mostly because it never had gotten to the serious point. It was none of them she’d ever considered marrying. She’d marry Regina though, if it meant that Regina would be happy during Christmas time for the rest of her life. She swallowed hard as she shook it off, realizing that she’d spent way too long on the task and she needed to get back to the other woman and give her the key.

“Hey, would you mind if I went out to give the mayor her key back?” Emma asked, looking at Jefferson.

“Not as long as you bring some cookies back from Granny’s,” he said and winked at her.

“I’ll even add a caramel latte,” she said with a wink and headed out.

---

On the way to the harbor she stopped by Granny’s to grab a Peppermint Mocha for Regina and herself. Seeing the woman wasn’t inside the diner, she was glad to see that she was on one of the benches by the harbor where she left her. She seemed to be looking out over the water deep in thought.

“I…I brought you a coffee in case you were cold,” Emma said and sat down next to her on the bench. She handed the paper cup to Regina. The mayor nodded a thank you before taking a sip of the hot liquid, it felt good in the cold. She didn’t bother to tell Emma that this drink wasn’t really her favorite, instead she kept looking out over the ocean.

“Listen, I removed what you told me, Jefferson and I are working on sorting it out at the office, we thought maybe we could give it to the poor. Is that alright?”

“Go ahead.”

“We also found a photo album, do you want to keep it?”

“No, please throw it away.”

“You looked happy.”

“I was.”

“You can be happy again.”

“Please…don’t.”

Emma nodded quietly as she let her hand slide down into her pocket to take out the key, and handed it back to Regina, who put it in her purse. For a while they sat there in silence looking out over the ocean and finishing their coffees.

Emma swallowed before she said, “I think…you’re rather stupid when it comes to Christmas. Not celebrating that is. I get you’re hurting and everything, but Henry deserves to be in a house that’s decorated, that smells like fir and homemade cookies. He deserves to see his mom happy. It’s not just about you and how you feel, Regina, it is about him.”

“Did I ask for your opinion on my life?” Regina asked, her tone harsher than she meant it to be.

“No, you didn’t. But I’m giving it to you anyway, because I care about you.”

“Whatever, Miss Swan. It’s my life, my choice.”

“Yeah, but that’s the thing, Madam Mayor, it isn’t just your life, it’s his as well. Why won’t you let down your guard and let yourself be happy?”

“Because it costs too much!” Regina got up from the bench, ready to walk away, when Emma said, “I’m sorry, Regina, I…didn’t mean to push. It’s just that…”

“That?” Regina turned to look at her.

“Ever since I was a kid, Christmas has been special to me. I loved it, all of it, because my parents did everything to make it a warm and festive holiday, but it changed.”

“Why did it change?” Regina asked, as she sat back down next to Emma.

“You know I was a big city detective before I came here, right?”

“Yes, I do, because it said so in your resume and because I asked if you were willing to leave that behind on your job interview. You said there was no doubt in your mind about leaving, are you regretting your choice?”

“No, not at all, the past two weeks here have been the best of my life. I love this town and its people. What I was getting at was, you never once asked me why I would be so willing to leave.”

“I thought you said you needed a change of pace. Was there more to it?”

“Yes. When I left, I was up for a promotion, one I worked hard for and I earned, but one of my coworkers said it was only because I was related to my father. I asked my chief and he said it was based on both my merits and my connection. He said that most women would never have made it that far. He also said that my father had told him that if he gave me the promotion, it would make sure I failed and that I left the police force for good. He was never happy about me being a cop like him and my younger brother. He thinks it’s a man’s job and a woman belongs in the kitchen, so to speak. It didn’t help the case that I told him he could screw it because I’m not one of those women, because I’m gay. Even if I don’t mind cooking dinner and raising kids, it’s not my main focus in life. I wanted more than that; I wanted that job more than anything. He told me that if that was the case I was no longer welcome at his house.

My mother and brother tried to talk him out of it, but to no avail. I didn’t take it too hard in the beginning, because I’d already made a life on my own. My coworkers and friends became my family, but as the months passed I realized I’d be alone for Christmas and I didn’t want to watch all the happy couples and families in town so I figured I would search for a job elsewhere, to start all over, and maybe get some Christmas cheer.

I started to look for jobs all over, when this one came up. I researched this town an found out about the Christmas festival and all the nice things people were saying about it and I thought, here’s my chance. From the sites it said that the mayor did everything for the people so they would have the perfect holiday, and I was blown away by that. I figured that if I wasn’t welcome by my own family, I could at least join in the town festivities and maybe have an eggnog or something at the local pub, better than to sit alone. Mainly because from what I read it seemed like a friendly place.

I was so excited when I got the job, me and my friend Merida even went out to celebrate that evening. The next day I packed my belongings and left to move here. It’s been everything I expected it to be, all but one. I supposed it was too much to ask that the mayor had the same holiday spirit as the rest of her town,” Emma finished and looked at Regina.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Miss Swan,” Regina said, swallowing hard, before got up to leave. She turned to look at Emma once more, “I wish it was different, but it is what it is. I hope you find what you’re looking for here though, the holiday cheer.”

As she walked away, Emma looked after her and she was now more than ever convinced that Regina was the woman she needed to spend the rest of her life with.

---

After her encounter with Emma down at the harbor, Regina walked back home and let herself inside. For once she was glad Henry wasn’t there, but out with friends. She was also glad Emma hadn’t followed her, because right now she needed to be alone. She hung her jacket in the hallway and went upstairs to her bedroom, noticing at once that something was clearly different. Someone had been in there. Emma had been there. Her eyes scanned the room, seeing nothing was touched or out of place, wondering what right the Sheriff had to be even in here. She clearly told her that the decorations were in the attic.

It was only when Regina took a closer look at her bed that she saw the small teddy bear sitting on her bed. She walked closer and picked it up, groaning loudly in dismay, wanting to throw the thing in the trash when she saw the letter next to it, clearly addressed to her but written by a much younger hand than Emma’s.

She sat down on her bed and put the bear aside, opened the letter and started to read :

Dear Mayor Mills.

Mommy and Daddy were talking about you needing some holiday cheer, and we wanted to help. We wanted to help. They are making a surprise for you, but I wanted you to have Chris because I though he could help you. He helped me and my brothers a lot, but we are happy, so now he wants to cheer you up.

I hope he will.

Merry Christmas!

Tons of warm hugs from Marie.

Tears were welling up in Regina’s eyes as lay down on her bed and hugged the bear tight to her.  Her mind was running wild, wondering if I she was really that obvious when a child noticed she was sad. Sobs soon escaped her lips, as she started to cry so hard that she was shivering.

She laid there for quite some time, curled up in a ball, crying, before she sat up in her bed. She took a breath to gather herself, not that she really needed to as there was no one around to see her just then. Henry wouldn’t be home for hours as he would still be with his friends, giving her more time for herself. Slowly Regina made her way downstairs to the kitchen where he browsed through her closet, searching for the ingredients to make gingerbread cookies.

---

It would take her a few hours to make and decorate two batches before she put some in a cookie box for herself and Henry, some in one for Emma and her deputies and some in a box for Marie and her brothers. She put a new red bow around the box for Marie and her brothers, before she walked over to their house. She doubted before ringing their doorbell, soon having Mrs O’Malley open the door.

She looked a little surprised to see Regina there, and asked, “Madam Mayor, what can I do for you?”

“I was wondering if the children were here? I brought them something,” Regina inquired politely.

“Yes, of course. Please come inside,” said the other woman, opening the door wider and stepping aside for Regina to do just that. Once she was inside she guided her to the living room, where Regina sat down on the couch, before she went upstairs to get the children. The three soon appeared before her, looking very nervous.

“Marie, Toulouse and Berlioz, I brought you something, to thank you for your kindness,” Regina said, holding out the box towards them. The three children exchanged eyes before Toulouse - the oldest of the three - stepped forwards to take it. He gently removed the ribbon, then the lid and turned to show the content to his siblings. Regina sat there, waiting patiently for their reaction, when they again turned towards her and Maria beamed at her asking, “You baked these for us?”

“I did!” Regina answered with an affirmative nod, as their mother came into the living room. She looked from Regina to her children with curious eyes.

“Mom, look, the mayor made us gingerbread cookies! They are shaped like the Eiffel tower, and paintings and the French flag!” Berlioz said with excitement, looking at his mom.

Their mother came over and took a look inside the box, then she looked towards Regina, saying, “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Nonsense, after that moving letter and gesture from Marie and the boys it’s the least I could do,” Regina said, smiling at her.

“You’ll get the decorations a little later in the week, we hope that is alright?” Toulouse said, and looked at her. His brother nodded to this.

“Of course, it is, you can drop it by either at the house or the city hall,” she said with an approving nod.

They nodded and smiled at her as she slowly got up, adding, “I should get going, I have an appointment.”

“Of course,” Mrs. O’Malley said and followed her to the door. Once Regina was outside she went back into the children, seeing them still in awe over the gingerbread cookies. Marie looked at her mother, asking, “How did she know we’re French?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart, but it is a kind gesture nonetheless,” she said, getting a nod in agreement. She watched the children with loving eyes as they eagerly searched through the cookies bearing the shapes and colors of their culture.

---

Emma was tossing a rolled-up piece of paper into the trash can, then looking at Jefferson, “Third in a row, means you get to do the coffee run this time, Jeff.”

“Fine,” he rolled his eyes, not really wanting to go out in the cold.

He was just about to get up from his chair, when they heard Regina’s stern voice say, “I see the taxpayers money is hard at work.”

Both turned to look at her and Jefferson managed to get out, “Madam Mayor, we weren’t expecting you to drop by the office.”

“That much is clear…” she replied, glaring at him.

“What can we do for you?” Emma offered, rolling her eyes at Regina.

“I wanted to reward you for all your ‘hard’ work,” she said with a shrug. She walked over and placed the box on Emma’s desk and walked out as hastily as she had come inside before either of them could stop her. Emma frowned at this, before removing the lid of the box, hearing Jefferson say, “What’s in it, a dead animal?”

“Don’t be crass, Jeff.”

“Sorry. Seriously though, what is it?”

“Believe it or not, gingerbread cookies shaped as sheriff stars,” Emma said in disbelief.

“You cannot be serious, she hates everything about Christmas,” he said, getting up from his chair, only to come over and check it out. He was surprised to see Emma was telling the truth and added, “They’re probably laced with poison.”

“Don’t be such a Debbie Downer,” Emma said, rolling her eyes once more before she picked up one of the cookies and bit into it. She let out a sound of pleasure, “You need to taste these, they are delicious.”

Jefferson shrugged as he went over to take a cookie star and took a bite, his eyes widening as he said, “Wow, these are amazing. I can’t believe she baked them for us.”

“I can, the woman clearly loves Christmas even if she would never admit it,” Emma said with a smile as the door to the Sheriff Station opened once more and David Nolan came inside, along with Mary Margaret, both carrying two big boxes.

He placed them on the floor saying, “Lights and reindeers for the roof from us and our neighbors, they might be a bit dinged up, but will work just the same.”

“Awesome, thanks. I’m thinking about putting them up one of the days next week, have them light up when she gets home, would you be able to help?” Emma asked, looking at him.

“Of course, just let me know when.”

“I just need to get her schedule from her secretary so I know which days she’s working late.”

He nodded, before he added, “Did you get a Christmas tree for the living room yet?”

“Mine or hers?”

“Both.”

“Nope, why?”

“I talked to Marco, his nephew is selling trees and they offered one of their finest trees for the mayor and said they’d throw in one of you as well.”

“That is awesome!”

“No, Emma, what you’re trying to do is. She’s been needing this for years, but none of us had the courage to do anything,” he said and gave her a polite nod before they left. Emma smiled after them, taking another Christmas cookie.

Chapter 7: 15th of December

Notes:

I borrowed Max and Pj and the gang from the Goof Troop series, being one of my favorite shows growing up :o)

15^th of December

“Hey, be careful up there,” Emma yelled up to Stevie and Aaron as they were stapling lights to the roof of the house, spelling out, “Merry Christmas,” with what would be red and green bulbs. David was busy attaching some reindeers and a Santa up there, but as it was slippery up there, the task seemed more difficult than it should have been. Emma was overseeing it from the ground when she heard Jefferson say, “Christmas tree delivery!”

“Awesome, Henry let me borrow his key, come on,” said Emma, unlocking the door to the house so Jefferson and August could carry the three inside. They may sure it was standing safely before they back away. Emma smiled giving them an approving nod, it was the perfect size.

“Do you have any lights for it so we can fix them before we leave?” August asked politely.

“I do, hang on,” Emma said and hurried up the stairs to the second floor, then to the attic where she had placed the box with new lights for the three. She soon carried it down to them and they started on the task. As she walked back outside she heard Stevie yell, “Can you plug it in, see if it all works?”

“Yeah!” Emma yelled back up and went to plug the cords into a circuit in the garage, then ran back out. She had tears in her eyes as she looked up; it looked beautiful. She gave them the thumbs up and killed the lights. Just then Toulouse and Berlioz came running over holding a bag. Berlioz held it up towards Emma saying, “For her tree!”

“Great thanks, guys!” Emma said and motioned for them to come inside. The boys were soon hanging homemade wooden trees that were either painted or had pictures on them onto the tree. The pictures seemed to be from previous Christmases in town; there were even a couple of Regina and Henry along with the town’s people that were smiling and enjoying themselves. Emma felt a lump in her throat as they finished up inside and locked up, after turning on the lights on the tree so it would be the second thing Regina when she came home that evening.

David, Stevie and Aaron, who had by then climbed down from the roof and put the ladder back in the garage, left along with Emma. Emma was tempted to stay and see the expression on Regina’s face when she discovered it all, but as she had plans with Ruby and Kathryn to bake cookies. She gave the mansion a final glance before getting into her car and driving off.

---

Regina was beyond exhaustion when she came home late the same evening. There had been too many meetings that day and not all had gone as she planned, so she was glad she to have the weekend off. Even if tomorrow was a Friday she didn’t plan on going into the office as she was opening the Christmas festival, before that she planned to sleep in. She drove the car into the garage as usual, but something seemed wrong. She killed the engine and got out, holding a shopping bag in her hand at once seeing what it was; the ladder was not in the place it usually was.

She frowned, wondering why on earth Henry would need a ladder, when her heart stopped and she walked out of the garage and closed it up. Surely someone hadn’t used it to break into a window on the second floor. She got to the front of the house, looking up to see if she forgot to close either windows, but they were all closed, so no one could have broken in that way. It was only as her eyes went a little higher her eyes seemed to water once more. There on the roof were a dozen festive lights, Santa and reindeers lighting up in the darkness of the night.

“Emma…” Her words out in a whisper, knowing the woman was somehow behind it. She stood there watching for quite some time, forgetting the bag of food in her hands, completely mesmerized by lights, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. A warm smile appeared on her lips for the first time in ages.

Walking inside the fuzzy feeling continued when she rounded the corner to the living room seeing the tree all lit up in there. She didn’t turn on the lights to break the magic, but walked closer, seeing the home-made decorations, no doubt from the O’Malley boys. She took a closer look at some of the pictures, seeing the town’s people enjoying themselves, only the couple of herself seemed different. She seemed rather sad. Even if the pictures were stunning, it was no denying how sad her eyes were.

She swallowed hard as she carried the bag with groceries into the kitchen and neatly put the things in the fridge and kitchen closets. She saw a note from Henry on the counter saying he was sleeping over at P.J’s house along with Max, and he would be home after school the next day. Regina sighed as she wasn’t up for cooking for just herself and ordered some takeaway from Mushu’s instead.

Slumping down on the couch in the living room, she turned the TV on and found a boy meets girl Christmas movie on a streaming service. She hadn’t watched one of those since she split with Mulan, and surely it couldn’t hurt, could it?

It was just about nearing the end of it, when she called her sister in tears. Zelena picked up looking at the camera with worried eyes, when she saw her younger sister in tears. Her blue eyes softened as she asked, “Regina, what’s going on? What’s wrong?”

“Emma,” it came out between Regina’s heavy sobs.

“I’m afraid I need a bit more than that?” Zelena said, rather confused.

“She…she did this,” Regina turned the camera around so Zelena could see the tree and then walked outside so her sister could see the lights on the roof. Zelena’s jaw dropped as she managed to get out, “Wow, that’s amazing.”

“Yes, it is,” Regina whispered.

“And it makes you sad, because?”

“It made me watch a Christmas movie for the first time in years, boy meets girl, you know the classic romance stuff?”

“Yes?”

“And it made me realize how lonely I am, how much I wish I had someone to do it all with, and then there she is doing it for me and I don’t know why or how to handle it.”

“Well you could ask her out for a date you know, or simply say thank you….”

“I suppose I could do that, say thank you I mean. I don’t feel right about asking her out, I don’t think I’m ready for that.”

“You love her?” A soft smile spread upon her lips.

“Hardly, I find her…tolerable, that is all,” Regina said, but she knew all too well she couldn’t hide the shade of red spreading across her cheeks. She was well aware by now she found Emma more than tolerable as the Sheriff had come to grow on her for the past couple of weeks. She saw a notification of a text message come up on her screen and made the window of Zelena get smaller so she could read it. It was one from Emma saying, “I’m looking forward to the opening of the Christmas festival tomorrow morning. It’s been forever since I had some Christmas cheer,” with a smiley and a Christmas tree emoji next to it.

Regina quickly responded, “Well, then you’re at the right place. I can’t wait to hear what you think about the booths that will be all over. Mayor Mills.”

“I saw! They’ve been putting them up all over the square, I’m so curious to see what they sell. Maybe I could buy you a cookie or a coffee from one of them?"

“I am not sure I have the time as I have meetings not long after I’ve made sure it’s all up and running.”

“Liar, I know for a fact you do not. You’re staying away for personal reasons, aren’t you?”

“Who told?”

“Kath.”

“Fine you got me, but you know why, memories and all…”

“Well, then I say it’s time to make some new ones. Come on, Madam Mayor, just one coffee or cookie, that’s all I ask.”

Regina bit her lower lips as she heard Zelena say, “Earth to Regina, I’m still here you know.”

“Sorry, what did you say, sis?”

“I said you find her more than tolerable, you really like her, don’t you?”

“No!”

“Don’t lie to me, Regina. I saw your face while you were texting just now. It was from her, wasn’t it?”

“It was. She wanted to know if I wanted to have a cookie or a coffee after opening the festival tomorrow, but I said no. She isn’t the one to give up though. She sees right through me and since she knew I wasn’t working she keeps persisting, saying it’s time to make new memories…”

Before Zelena could answer, another message came in, this time it was a picture of Emma with a pair of reindeer ears on her head and the message, “Pretty please.”

Regina’s jaw dropped as she responded, “Alright, you win, one coffee.” She then took a screenshot and sent it to her sister before she asked, “What do you make of this?”

As she was about to answer, Robin cut in, “Who’s the cute reindeer?”

“Your auntie’s crush,” Zelena said with a soft laugh, adding, “Now that’s adorable. She seems to be as excited for Christmas as you once used to be.”

“She’s not my crush?” Regina protested, glaring at them.

“Who’s not your crush?” Regina heard her mother’s voice from somewhere in the background and frowned. As far as she knew Zelena hadn’t mentioned anything about her parents coming over until the next week. They had decided to celebrate Christmas with Zelena and her family, then visit Regina for New Year’s. Regina had gotten the mail the day before and wasn’t all that thrilled about the prospect of having her mother over for the first time in years, but knowing there was no point in arguing she didn’t. She’d yet to tell Henry.

Zelena, by the looks of it showed their mother the picture of Emma, muting the mic so Regina couldn’t hear them. She grumbled something under her breath as she waited for Zelena to get back to their conversation. Once she finally did, her mother and Robin were out of ear shot by the looks of it.

“I thought they weren’t coming until closer to Christmas?”

“Neither did I, but there was a last-minute change of plans. In any case, she does look cute and I agree with Robin when it comes to her likeness for Christmas. I know you’re on the fence, but don’t let your fear of the past stop you from trying to get a better future.”

“I’ll think about it. I should get to bed though; I’ve got a feeling tomorrow will be a long day.”

“Alright. I love you, little sis.”

“I love you, even if you’re a pain in my ass.”

“It’s my job,” said Zelena with a hearty laugh as she cut the connection. Regina shook her head and went to bed.

---

At the same time Henry, Max and P.J were playing a car race game on P.J’s PlayStation, ending in Max winning another round. They put their controllers down and ended the game only to put on a movie. Henry smiled at his two best friends saying, “Thanks for letting me stay over tonight, I just can’t be around my mom on this day, she always gets too emotional.”

“No problem, dude,” said P.J with a great big smile, pushing over a bowl of chips.

“Did you ever talk to your ma after she left?” Max asked, looking at his friend.

“No, I tried calling once, but  I think she changed her number since that the message said that it was disconnected…”

“I totally get that she’s upset with your mom and all if she worked as much as you told us, but walking out on you…that’s cold!” P.J said.

“I don’t get it, what I did wrong,” Henry said with a sigh.

“If we find her number, you can call and ask. Maybe you could get some closure,” Max suggested, knowing their friend Bobby could most likely find it as he was a computer whiz.  

“I guess, but I don’t even know if she has the same name or anything,” Henry shrugged, while Max called Bobby to explain the situation and had Henry give him the name. He called back about thirty minutes later saying, “Found her number, I’m not sure if you want to know this Henry, but she got married not long after she left your mom and has two new children, two girls.”

“Oh, okay, thank you, Bobby. Please just give me the number,” Henry said quietly before Bobby gave it to him, then hanging up. His ma was married, and had new children. Did that mean that he and his mom never mattered at all. His friends sat down next to him on the floor and Max gently squeezed his shoulder saying, “We’re right here.”

“Totally, you’re not alone in this,” P.J agreed.

“Thanks guys,” Henry said, giving them a vague smile as he pushed the number and pressed on the call button saying, “Okay, here we go,” with a shivering voice.

As he heard the ringing tone at the other end his heart was beating fast, not quite knowing what to say if she actually picked up. He almost jumped when he heard her voice say, “Hello. This is Mulan Bolger. Who’s this?”

“Ma…It’s Henry.”

Her voice sounded a bit different than he remembered, but he knew at once it was her. He swallowed hard as he heard her say, “Henry?”

“Yes, Henry, your son, or I used to be I suppose…”

“No, I understand who you are. I’m just confused as to why you’re calling me. Is Regina alright?”

“I don’t know, it doesn’t matter now does it? If you wanted to know you’d stayed, but you didn’t! You left us, you left me and you didn’t even bother to say goodbye, why? What did I do wrong?”

“Nothing, you did nothing, my quarrel was not with you. I couldn’t stay as I know it would have caused your mom more pain if I was around you with my new wife. Once I told her I’d fallen for someone else I saw how it broke her, which was never my intention. I know I couldn’t face you after what I did to her, so I found it best to cut all contact and start over.”

“Wait! You didn’t leave because she worked too much, it didn’t matter that she did. She’s not the reason you left?”

“No, never. I truly loved her and I didn’t mind her working, because she did what she loved and it made her happy. I just fell in love with someone else. I didn’t plan it, but living with your mom would be living a lie. I found it better for both of us to end it and move on so she could too. Live her best life.”

“Only she didn’t, you broke her. You have no clue the damage you caused when you left. I hated her for years thinking she was to blame, but I was dead wrong. She hasn’t celebrated Christmas ever since you left and now I understand why. Have you any idea what it’s like to have a mother that gives everything for everyone else to have the best Christmas, but she doesn’t put up a decoration or bake a single cookie? Our house looks like it always does, the only one on the street with no decorations. You caused that, Ma!”

“Oh Henry, I had no idea.”

“No, because you didn’t even bother to check up on me, did you even love me?”

“Of course I did!”

“I don’t believe you! Because if you did you wouldn’t just have left. I wish I never called you,” he said angrily and hung up. Angry tears ran down his cheeks as he felt both of his friends arms wrap around him in a group hug, holding him tight.

Once he managed to calm himself he whispered, “I got it all wrong, I blamed her for it all and I treated her horrible. P.J are your parents still up?”

“Yeah, I think so, why?” P.J asked, looking at him with concern.

“I need your mom to help bake some cookies for my mom,” he said with a sigh.

“Okay, come on,” said P.J and got up along with Max and Henry. Together they ran down the stairs to the ground floor where they found P.J’s parents watching TV in the living room, both looking at the three boys with questioning eyes. Peg’s eyes fell on Henry that by now had tear streaked cheeks as she asked, “Is everything alright?”

“Not really, it’s a long story, but Henry needs a favor,” said P.J looking at his mom.

“Alright, what can I do for you, Henry?” Peg asked, looking at him with tentative eyes.

“I need to bake some peanut butter blossoms before tomorrow morning and I don’t know how. Can you please help me or at least show us the recipe?” he asked politely.

She gave them a puzzled look, then looked at her husband saying, “Pete, will you pause it so we can finish it later, this won’t take long.”

He growled something, but obliged, as she ushered the boys into the kitchen. Pete looked after them shaking his head, knowing if anyone could help them bake those cookies it was his wife. In his opinion she was the best baker in town, which was why he was a lot heavier than most.

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 8: 16th of December

16^th of December

It was early morning and Regina was pulling her blue coat closer around her as she stood in front of the red ribbon with a scissor, looking at the townspeople. She smiled warmly as she said, “It’s with great joy I declare this festival open! Don’t forget there’s hot cider and eggnog at Granny’s diner after 6 pm tonight along with caroling.”

She cut the ribbon so the people present could get to the different booths. She saw Emma walking up to her with a great big smile and the reindeer antlers from the night before saying, “Good morning, Madam Mayor.”

“Good morning, Sheriff Swan,” said Regina and gave her a smile.

“So, how about that coffee, or did you want a cookie or something else?” Emma nodded towards the rows of sellers.

“If you don’t mind I would like a candy apple and a candy cane instead,” Regina said thoughtfully.

“A sweet tooth, I love it! I’ll buy you all the apples and candy canes you like,” Emma said, beaming at her. She dared to take Regina’s hand in her own and give it a squeeze as they passed the different stands until they got to one with candy apples and Regina chose one coated in caramel and marshmallows. Emma got one with chocolate as they continued to walk casually, talking to some of the people they passed, before they found a bench and sat down on it.

Emma watched Regina looking at the people around them enjoying themselves as she finished her candy apple, she seemed happy and content. Emma smiled at this, thinking that Regina was the most beautiful woman in the world. As Regina turned to look at her with her dark eyes, they seemed almost golden and Emma felt her breath hitch.

“What?” Regina asked, but not in a harsh or prying way, seeing the softness of the sheriff’s face where she sat beside her.

“You’re just so beautiful.” The words slipped from Emma’s lips without her having a chance to think it through. She watched as a modest shade of red spread across Regina’s cheeks and her eyes fell as she shyly said, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Emma said, daring to lean in and press a kiss against Regina’s cheek, making her blush even more. Emma felt her heart rising inside her, knowing for sure she had fallen for this woman. She loved seeing Regina react to various Christmas things she and the town had come up with to surprise her.

“Thank you for the lights and the tree, I really appreciate it,” Regina managed to get out. Her heart was beating fast and she felt fuzzy inside.

“You’re welcome, but I did have my happy helpers. There was no way I could get up on that roof, I’d just fallen down,” she said with a soft laughter.

“Well, in that case, I’m glad you had help. I’d rather not have a dead sheriff on my doorstep when I came home,” Regina replied, with a soft tone. She fully smiled at Emma now.

“No, we couldn’t have that,” Emma said, shaking her head, before she added, “You’re sure you’re okay with it, we can remove it if…”

“No, no need. It’s time I try to let go of the past. I…just can’t bring myself to do it alone, that’s all,” she said, before looking down at her boots.

“And no one is saying you have to, we’re all here to help,” Emma said, motioning towards the festive booths around the festival. Clearly they all were in a Christmas spirit.

“Thank you, Emma, that means…a lot.”

“You’re welcome, Regina.”

“Care to follow me to my office, so I can open the drawings of the day?” Regina tried, feeling her voice was shivering.

“I will, let me just pick up a few hot drinks from the booth over there first, I’m a bit chilly right now,” said Emma, nodding towards a stand that sold everything they could think of hot beverages and cookies. Regina nodded and together they got up and walked over there, only to have Emma buy two hot chocolates with crème and candy cane. She handed one to Regina, who smiled at her. Emma swore she could see Regina’s eyes light up as soon as she drank from the takeaway cup. She let her hand slip into Regina’s free one as they walked down the street towards City Hall together.

---

“So are you two dating now?” Ruby asked curiously when Emma stopped by the diner for lunch a little while later that day.

“I don’t think so,” Emma shrugged.

“You looked pretty close at the market today, holding hands and everything,” Ruby pointed out.

“It was an impulse and she didn’t reject my hand either time.”

“Do you want to date her?”

“Well yes, she’s hot and not to mention so adorable when she smiles ever so shyly.”

“You got it bad, girl,” Emma heard a familiar voice from behind and turned to look at her old partner and friend Merida. She let out a squeal and hugged her tight, whispering, “What are you doing here?”

“Visiting a friend. I thought I would check out the small town life and celebrate Christmas with you, see what all the fuss was really about. You sounded so enthusiastic in your last mail.”

“Great! I have plenty of room for you!”

“So who’s the hot chick you were talking about to your friend?” Merida wanted to know.

“The mayor,” she said, blushing hard as Merida and Ruby shook hands over the counter. She was sure she saw a flicker of something in Ruby’s eyes.

“Great, you can tell me all about it while we drive to your place,” Merida said and wrapped an arm around Emma’s shoulder as they walked out to her car. Emma laughed, thinking this was the best surprise ever, unaware of Regina looking at them as they walked to Merida’s car, a hurt expression upon her face.

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 9: 20th of December

20^th of December.

Regina was glaring at the festive children’s drawings in her office, after the front room was filled she continued to hang them in her office as they made her mood lighter. Or used to anyways. But not today, today she was rather upset, she had been ever since she saw Emma with that red headed woman a few days back. She knew that deep down she should ask Emma about her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead she ignored her texts and calls and hid in her office.

She looked at her laptop with annoyance, not wanting to deal with more city council stuff that year, but she didn’t feel like going home either. Being at home in her current mood, only caused her to comfort nibble on the cookies Henry had baked her a few days earlier. They were delicious and a welcome surprise when he came home from school that day.

Regina was surprised to learn the reason why he baked them, as he told her all about the talk with his ma. Or former ma as she was. It had been like a punch in her guts to hear that Mulan now had a family of her own, and that Henry had been so upset with her. Because he felt like for once Mulan was the villain, which had warmed Regina some. It felt like she had her little boy back that night.

A little boy that was no longer little. He was slowly spending more time with his group of friends than with her. She suspected it would be even more in the time to come as winter break was coming up. She shook her head as there was a knock on the door and Emma came inside, this time she was dressed like an elf, with an insecure look on her face.

“Is everything alright, Regina?”

“Just dandy!”

“Did I do anything to upset you, is that why you are ignoring me?” Emma asked. She had not failed to notice how the mayor had ignored her ever since the opening of the festival, when they seemed all fine. She couldn’t find any reason as to why Regina would be upset with her.

“I saw you, with that…woman,” Regina said, the memories of Mulan had come flooding back at once she saw them. She couldn’t go through that again, being left for another woman once more.

“And you thought that….ohhh,” Emma stopped, looking at her friend and boss. Her face softened as she said, “Merida and I are not in any way involved, she’s my old partner from the city. We’re close, but not as lovers, more like sisters. I’m sorry if we gave you the wrong impression, but why didn’t you just ask me.”

“I…just couldn’t, I was afraid of the answer I suppose.”

“Aww, Regina, I promise you I’d never hurt you like that, ever. If we were a couple there would be no way I’d leave you like your ex did. She was a foolish woman. A very foolish woman.”

“I’m scared, Emma.”

“Of what?”

“Of falling for you, of being hurt, of being abandoned. Even if you say you wouldn’t, there are no guarantees in life, are there?”

“Well, you could leave me as easily as I could leave you. Wait a second, are you saying you want to be in a relationship with me? As more than friends?”

“I am, how could I not, Emma. You’re made me regain my Christmas spirit, having you and your elves slowly decorating my house more day by day. The frosted windows and the wreath were a nice touch, but the decorations around the living room that have slowly appeared one by one, it makes me feel the holiday spirit. Because I know I couldn’t have done that on my own. I didn’t have the heart to do it, because when you arrived it was still broken. But in the few weeks you have managed to slowly mend it. You changed me, Emma. Which was why I was so upset to see you with that other woman.”

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry Regina, I never could have imagined how it looked to you, but I’m glad I managed to change your view on it all.”

Regina smiled at her as she got up from her desk and walked in front of it. She looked at Emma in the cute elf outfit as she said, “Come here, so I can kiss you.”

Emma smiled and obliged and she was sure that the world was spinning and her heart was beating so hard it jumped out of her chest as she did, pulling Regina closer and lingered into the kiss. Once the kiss broke, Regina rested her head against Emma’s shoulder as she whispered, “Please celebrate Christmas with me and Henry, it would mean a lot. You can even bring your friend.”

“Of course I will, but I better head back out, I’m on Santa duty,” she said with a wink. As she slowly reached the door-frame she turned and asked, “Regina, what do you want for Christmas?”

“You to be a part of our family, to fall asleep with you on Christmas Eve and wake up with you on Christmas morning.”

“I’d love that!” Emma exclaimed, beaming even brighter as she left Regina’s office, the bell on her hat chiming ever so cheerfully. Regina chuckled as she felt so much better now. She smiled by the thought of having Emma next to her on Christmas morning, perhaps even making love to her on Christmas Eve.

Notes:

Thank you so much for reading this chapter, I'd love to hear your point of view :o)

Chapter 10: 25th of December - Christmas morning

December 25^th 

Regina looked at her family, including the new member of her little family, Emma. She was busy opening presents with Merida and Henry smiling every so happily. A tear ran down her face from pure happiness at the sight of this. She had even cried after they made love the night before as her emotions were so overwhelming, Emma held her until she fell asleep in her arms. She had woken her early with the sweetest of kisses.

Regina startled when the doorbell rang as clearly she didn’t expect more visitors. Still, she went to open only to find her family outside with a bunch of bags and boxes, her jaw dropped as she managed to get out, “I…didn’t know you were coming.”

“Well to be fair, neither did we, but your mother insisted,” her father said from behind a pile of presents.

“Of course she did…” Regina groaned and stepped aside so they could get into the living room to unload the presents. Once they had everything settled the finally noticed Emma and Merida, Cora looked at her daughter saying, “Well, aren’t you going to introduce us, Regina.”

“Yes, sorry, mother. Emma, Merida, my overbearing mother Cora, my kind father Henry, my pain in the ass sister Zelena, her awesome wife Elsa and their daughter the troublemaker Robin. Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Emma and her best friend Merida.”

Emma and Merida got up to shake their hands seeing Cora roll her eyes at the introductions. Once all the presents were set by the tree, only to be handed out and open while they talked between them. It was only when it all was unwrapped that Robin turned to Emma and asked, “So how did you do it, get Auntie Regina back in the Christmas spirit and get her to date you?”

“I appealed to her good nature,” Emma shrugged, making everyone laugh, even Regina.

“Not quite true my dear, you won me over by buying me a Christmas tree, put on reindeer antlers and dressing up as an elf,” Regina said. There was a softness in her tone, and she cast a loving glance towards her girlfriend, hoping this would be the first of many Christmases’ they spent together.

“Well that too of course,” Emma said with an affirmative nod, casting and equally loving glance back towards Regina, who blushed.

Henry looked from his mom to Emma and back, seeing the love between them, knowing that Emma, in the short time she had been there had managed to perform a Christmas miracle. And although it was Emma and not his mom that frosted the windows that year, it still felt like all the pieces were falling into place. For the first time in years his mom was happy and enjoying Christmas with him and their family and that to him meant the world. He had wished for her to get her spirit back and move on for some time and it seemed Emma was the perfect fit. He watched as Zelena moved down to the floor next to Merida and Emma snuggled up to his mom on the couch giving her a soft kiss. As it broke his saw the shade of red on his mother’s cheek and smiled at her calling out, “Merry Christmas, Mom.”

“Merry Christmas, Henry,” she called back and for the first time in years she meant it. Because for the first time, she had her family and her girlfriend and later they would go out to see their friends. All this thanks to Emma, she was sure, as there was no way she would even consider a tree or tacky Christmas decorations - including a singing reindeer - in her living room before she arrived. As she kissed her again, she knew this was nothing short of a miracle, but then again it was the season for it, something Regina was glad of as she watched her family enjoy their presents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notes:

Thank you so much for making it to the end and taking the time to read my story :o) I hope you enjoyed it !

Have a very Merry Christmas, a great day or night wherever you are and may you have a miracle or two coming your way this Christmas season.