12 DAYS OF SWAN QUEEN
FIRST CHRISTMAS
"Fuuuuuck!"
Regina whipped her head around when she heard a familiar scream from the foyer. She dropped everything she was holding and bolted from the kitchen to reach the source of the voice. She didn't care that her dessert bowl hit the ground with a loud bang, covering her pristine kitchen floor with chocolate pudding.
Her sock-clad feet slipped on the floor when she made it to the foyer to see the chaos. Food and presents were covering the floor and in the middle of it all was someone whimpering in a tight fetal position.
Regina rushed past everything to reach the person laying on the floor. She pushed back layers of blonde hair to find a face of her girlfriend.
Leaning close, she kept whispering "Emma, Emma…" with no response.
She finally found a red face and teary green eyes, which refused to look at her own. She tried to make eye contact but Emma kept turning her gaze away. Regina gently placed her hands on either side of Emma's face and pressed a sweet kiss on her forehead, holding her lips there.
She then looked around them to see some smashed fruit, a few torn presents and the open front door. It was not too hard to figure out what went down, quite literally, but she felt like she needed to ask.
"What happened, dear?"
Green eyes kept looking down and Emma wrapped her arms around herself tightly. Regina sighed and ran her fingers gently through blonde locks.
"You fell, didn't you?"
All Regina was able to hear was quiet mumbling and a tiny whimper. She frowned in concern and took a closer look at Emma. She was slightly shaking and breathing heavily. Regina's concern only grew.
Emma was still looking down and holding herself tightly, when she felt Regina move beside her. Suddenly another set of arms were holding her, much tighter than her own arms ever could. She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes when she felt a nose being pressed against her own.
They were both laying on the floor, wrapped together. Suddenly a small voice was heard.
"Yes."
Regina smiled lightly and whispered to her girlfriends ear.
"I had kind of figured that."
"Oh shut up."
Regina let out a little giggle that was only reserved for her girlfriend's ears. She could feel Emma smile against her cheek. She hadn't forgotten Emma's tears and silent whimpers when she had entered the room, but she needed to wait. She didn't want to give Emma a reason to close down on her. When she felt Emma snuggle closer to her, she asked quietly.
"Are you hurt?"
She could feel Emma tense slightly in her embrace, but she soon relaxed when Regina started to rub soothing circles on her back. They were quiet for a long time, but then Emma breathed out.
"No."
Regina pulled her head back to look into the green eyes that were now studying her. She pressed a tiny kiss to Emma's nose while whispering.
"Well, I'm glad. What do you say, should we get up to clean the mess, hmm?"
Regina loosened her hold to get up but Emma suddenly pulled her closer. Regina could see clear nervousness in her girlfriend's eyes so she got back down to the floor.
"You are not angry?"
Regina frowned. Why would she be angry? She was more worried for Emma's well being than anything else. Suddenly it hit her. Of course Emma would be worried about her being angry. They had talked about Emma's childhood in the foster care when they were nearing the holiday. Regina had had her suspicions about what Emma had gone through, but the things the blonde told her while they were laying against each other in Regina's bed had terribly upset them both. Regina has vowed to herself that she would make this the best Christmas Emma would ever have.
That's why she now pulled Emma's face closer to her own to look deep into the eyes she had fallen so suddenly for. She crushed their lips together, trying to communicate her feelings that way. Emma responded to the kiss, closing her eyes slowly and pulling Regina even closer to herself.
When they separated it took Emma a moment to get her bearings and through the haze that kissing Regina always seemed to create, she heard her girlfriend answer.
"No."
She smiled to herself and loosened her hold to let Regina get up. She believed Regina. Regina was someone who just got her, someone who understood her troubles and past. Regina started to pick some of the groceries from the floor and headed towards the kitchen to put them away.
While she was gone Emma had time to look around. She looked sadly at all the things her fall had caused her to break and destroy. She had been on her last minute grocery trip and while she had gotten her bug to the garage she had thought that she could use this trip for present retrieving as well. See, she had hidden all the presents for her family in the garage to keep Henry away from them. Even though it had been few years since Henry had brought her to Storybrooke and Henry was hitting his early teens, he was still their curious little boy who crept around to look for Christmas presents.
Hence hiding the presents. Emma smiled to herself when she thought about the holiday that was upon them. It was different from all the other holidays she had lived through. While in the system she had been so alone, feeling so unwanted and unloved by the families she had been living with. Her first year in Storybrooke had been full of all sort of craziness that most holidays had gone by without her even noticing. This year though, she was gonna get her family Christmas. Her parents, her baby brother, her son and her girlfriend. All together.
She turned to look towards the kitchen where Christmas music was playing. Her smile was only growing when she thought of the woman in the other room. Regina. Regina Mills. Someone she would never have expected to fall in love with. A lot of shit had gone down when she sacrificed herself for Regina, the Darkness was way too much for her and she knew she screwed up a lot. The only thing on her mind was to keep her son's other mother alive and safe. And ultimately everything had worked out just that way.
Emma broke up with Hook as soon as she got rid of the Darkness. She had no idea how much resentment the man had for her and how false all his feelings for her were. She was heartbroken, but only for a while when she realized how happier she felt. How much more herself she was feeling and how everything had just got into focus.
She started to spend time with her family, finally bonding with her baby brother. She still couldn't bring herself to call him Neal. It was too much too soon, and she mentioned that to her mother. Her mother was sad about it but she understood. Emma was yet to come up with a nickname but she was being optimistic about the situation. She had never been an optimistic person, but this new life, this family was something that brought up unexpected sides to her.
That brought her to Regina. They had started off as enemies, later on becoming friends and then best friends. One drunken evening, going over their shitty lives, Regina opened up about her relationship to Robin and their problem with Zelena. She thought she could deal with it, but as it turned out, she couldn't. She would not be someone's second choice, and getting in the middle of that family drama was not what she wanted.
So by the end of that evening, she had broken up with Robin and Emma and Regina ended up passing out cuddled together on the couch of the mansion.
The rest of it was history. They had only been together for few months, but Emma knew she was in love. She knew it in her heart, she felt it in her soul. It made her smile, because she never would have thought she was gonna find a true love with this woman, but she would not change it for the world.
Emma had not noticed that Regina had returned, but when she felt a hand being placed on her cheek she jumped and her eyes shot to the face in front of her. Regina looked at her worriedly, but didn't take her hand back.
"Where did you go there?"
"I was thinking about you." Emma smiled brightly while leaning against Regina's hand.
Regina's cheeks quickly gained a pink hue that always caused Emma to chuckle. Regina shot her with a dirty glare, but Emma just kept looking at her adoringly.
'God I am in love with her' Regina thought while looking at the goofy smile. She couldn't help but smile back at her.
Emma lent closer and pressed her lips to Regina's. Regina wrapped both of her arms around Emma and pulled her impossibly closer, deepening the kiss.
They were interrupted by someone exclaiming - "wow, what happened here?"
The women turned to look to the door only to find Henry, arms full of presents looking around with his eyes wide.
"Oh your mother had a bit of an accident. " Regina said while smirking at Emma.
"And your other mother won't let me forget this, I'm sure." Emma glared at Regina who let out a loud laugh.
Henry was shaking his head at them, but he couldn't help but smile. He had never seen his adoptive mother smile as much as she had been, since she and Emma got together. Henry moved past his bickering mothers to the living room where a large Christmas tree was waiting. He laid the presents gently under the tree and headed back to the foyer to help his grandparents who were unloading the car outside. His mothers were still sitting in the middle of the foyer with their heads pressed together.
Henry reached the door just when Snow came through holding baby Neal under one arm and carrying a bag of presents in other.
"We're here!" she announced happily.
That was what finally broke Emma and Regina apart. Regina cleared her throat and got up, dusting her pants.
"Snow." she greeted without looking towards her.
Snow and Emma were both smirking: having Regina act so shy around her girlfriend's parents had highly amused Snow and Charming and Emma just enjoyed seeing new sides to her otherwise tough girlfriend.
"What happened to you?" Snow asked when she finally moved her eyes from her hopefully future daughter-in-law to her daughter who was still sitting in the middle of chaotic foyer.
"What does it look like, mom?" Emma asked sarcastically while gesturing with her hands around the room.
"Okay, miss smarty pants. You obviously fell. Are you alright?" Snow rolled her eyes and started to un-bundle her son who was looking around with big eyes, drinking the new surroundings in.
"Yeah, I am." Emma said, wiggling her toes happily, smiling up to her mom.
"Okay, my big baby. Time to get up and help your lovely girlfriend clean up the mess you caused." Snow used her stern mom voice to get Emma up.
It worked like a charm and soon Emma was picking up the presents and heading to the living room to tape them back together.
Regina smiled at her girlfriend's joyful smile, but then she caught Snow's eyes and her smirk got her to clear her throat and head back to the kitchen, leaving Snow to get Neal ready.
Regina came into kitchen, only to realize she had left behind a huge mess when she had bolted from the room. She knelt on the floor with a rag to wipe the dessert pudding off the floor while quietly humming the Christmas songs.
Charming popped into the kitchen to bring the food Snow had prepared and he snuck an elf hat onto Regina's head. Regina glared daggers at him, but he claimed that Emma dared him to do it. Regina broke into a easy smile at the mention of her girlfriend and Charming couldn't help but notice how smitten Regina was with Emma. He ducked away from the kitchen, but Regina didn't seem to notice. She was deep in her thoughts.
The Charming-Swan-Mills family sat into the table to enjoy Christmas meal few hours later. Conversation around the table was nice and comfortable, and Regina seemed to have shaken her shyness. Emma reached to take Regina's hand under the table and they shared few gentle kisses.
"This was perfect." Henry said while they carried their dishes to the kitchen.
"It sure was kid." Emma smiled brightly while letting some warm water into the sink.
"Can we open some presents now?" Henry looked straight at his mother with the biggest puppy eyes.
"No. You'll get to open them tomorrow morning." Regina said, not even looking at her son, knowing full well the look he had on his face.
"Awwwh 'Gina, come on." Regina closed her eyes, because she knew that the only thing worse than Henry's puppy dog eyes, was the combination on his and Emma's.
"I said no." Regina said while putting food into containers for leftovers tomorrow.
Snow and Charming were doing the dishes while giggling in sheer glee. They were happy to see the family dynamic between the three of them, and they both knew the power of those puppy eyes.
"Oh shush you idiots." Regina rolled her eyes at Snow and Charming.
"Look at them Regina. How can you say no?" Snow smirked evilly at her.
"Ginaaaa. Ginaaa. Babyyy." Emma whined while pouting out her bottom lip.
Regina took a deep breath. She did want to give in. She had never wanted to give in more in her life. Regina dared a peek at her girlfriend and son, and groaned when the adorable looks broke through her walls.
"Okay, fine. You can both open one."
Emma and Henry cheered and high-fived each other. Emma rushed towards Regina and wrapped her into a tight embrace. She was shaking with excitement and Regina could feel herself shake with the force it.
"I knew there was a reason I loved you!"
It felt like breath was knocked out of Regina. She couldn't believe what Emma had said. Did she even realize what she'd said? Was she being serious? This was something you just said right? Regina looked over Emma's shoulder to see Henry carry baby Neal out of the room, with Snow and Charming quickly following. She did not, however, miss the worried look on Snow's face.
This was the first time either of them said the three little words. When they had talked about their pasts in the darkness of their bedroom, it was clear to both of them, that this relationship was to be taken slowly. Neither felt any pressure while they were together, and they showed their affections freely, but these word were big for both of them.
Emma was holding onto Regina tightly, cursing her big mouth. She loved Regina, she did, but she was not sure was Regina ready to hear that. Maybe this was too much too soon.
"Regina? Are you okay?"
"Do you mean it?" Regina whispered breathlessly.
Emma took a deep breath and chose to go for it. She would not lie once these feelings were out.
"I do. I love you with all my heart. I feel like you are the one that I have been looking for my whole life. You are the mother of my son, Regina. You are my hero and I feel like you are my true love."
Regina couldn't hold back the sobs anymore. She held Emma against herself even tighter and cried to the blonde's shoulder. Emma kept rubbing her back soothingly. After a while she was getting nervous though.
"Regina… Babe?"
"I'm sorry, I… I'm just so happy!" Regina weeped.
"So… This feeling is not one sided?" Emma asked carefully.
"No. Of course not. I love you Emma. I love you, I love you, I love you. I was just so afraid that I would push you if I said anything." Regina pressed her nose tightly against Emma's neck.
Emma broke into a wide smile. She lifted Regina off the floor and spun her around the kitchen, while Regina cried happily. When Emma lowered her back down, she didn't waste any time before attaching their lips together.
"This is officially the best Christmas ever." Emma whispered against Regina's lips. Regina smiled brightly and kissed all over Emma's face.
Just outside the door Henry, Snow and Charming were looking at the exchange smiling. Charming reached to high-five Henry, who high-fived him enthusiastically back. He knew this was one of many happy Christmas's their family would have together. But this first one was definitely the most memorable.