Balancing awkwardly on a wooden chair while still in her four inch heels, Regina fastened the ribbon tied bundle of leaves in her hand to a nail on the doorframe of her office and smiled. She gave the bunch a small tug, assuring they were attached, then nodded to herself in approval. Gripping the back of the chair, she gracefully – in the way only Regina Mills could in platform pumps – returned to the floor and craned her neck to take another glance upward.
This had to work. It was one small kiss. It could even be on the cheek.
Hell, she'd be content with a hug.
She flicked her gaze over to the clock. 4:35. Emma and Henry would be over soon. Per the terms of agreement once the curse broke, Snow and David had come to the consensus that Regina could have a supervised visit with her son once a week. Emma would be the one to oversee said visits.
How quaint.
She'd expected the town's beloved Sheriff to analyze her every move, reporting everything said and done back to Storybrooke's beloved King and Queen.
To Regina's surprise, though, that never happened. Emma simply gave a small smile and a nod of understanding before leaving mother and son to be.
Whatever the hell that meant.
But this wasn't about Emma, or at least that's what Regina tried to reassure herself. This was about Henry, who, despite slowly warming up to her, refused even the tiniest hugs or kisses. 'Too old for that' was his excuse.
Yet, Henry was a sucker for holiday traditions, having forced her to kiss Dr. Whale and even Leroy when she was unfortunately situated beneath the mistletoe during the town Christmas party. Under the guise of a custom, her son couldn't refuse her.
She smiled contentedly to herself and walked over to her desk to busy herself for the remaining twenty minutes.
A knock on the door startled her out of her paperwork, and Regina's eyes lit up with excitement. Fixing her hair – 'Who exactly are you fixing your hair for, Regina?' she wondered - she threw open the door and flashed a warm, toothy grin. She frowned, however, when, instead of ratty blonde curls and smooth brown hair that was in dire need of a haircut, she was greeted by a coffee pixie cut. "Snow," she welcomed sourly.
"Regina." Snow shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. "Do you have a minute?"
Regina narrowed her gaze. "No, not really."
"Oh, well, Emma had mentioned that you don't have any plans for Christmas. And regardless of what you've done-"
Regina rolled her eyes and straightened her back. "Honestly, if you've come here to chastise me-"
"Oh, no, no!" Snow stammered. "I just-"
"I can assure you, I am perfectly content with my Christmas plans. Now if you'll excuse me, I am expecting someone."
Snow raised a brow. "Who?"
Your daughter.
"My son."
"Oh." The younger woman twisted her fingers uncomfortably, a wave of guilt causing a blush to creep on her cheeks and neck.
"Yes, so." Regina sniffed.
Snow nodded. "I'll talk to you later, ok?"
"Goodbye, Snow." Regina turned and closed the door angrily. Pinching the bridge of her nose between her middle and index finger, she moved back to her desk and slumped down with a sigh. Of course Snow would come to rile her up before Henry arrived, set on putting her in a flippant mood that would push him further away. She growled deep in her throat before throwing open a manila envelope of documents to work on.
A few moments later and another knock on the door sent Regina practically flying across the room. She smoothed out her blouse and skirt before once again twisting the knob and opening the door. This time, a rather unexpected visitor greeted her with a wide smile.
Regina scrunched up her nose and forehead. "Whale?" She tilted her head to the side.
"Regina!" With his doctor's bag in hand, he attempted to step into the office, but was stopped as Regina positioned herself in the center of the doorframe.
"What do you want, Whale?" she growled, frustrated. She closed her eyes and waited for his inevitably pathetic reasoning for bothering her.
"I believe I have found a successful way to-"
"Goodbye Whale," Regina groaned, grabbing hold of the side of the door.
"No, Regina, I really have-"
"Goodbye Whale."
"Is that mistletoe?" He pushed through the crack between himself and door and waggled his brows suggestively at Regina, who merely rolled her eyes and scoffed in disgust. Pressing her weight against the door, she pushed it shut and sighed.
Before she had time to return to her desk, a soft patter on the door sounded. Regina snaked her fingers through her own brown tresses and buried her face in her hands, groaning. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, she threw open the door and growled, "No, I don't want to come to your Christmas party. No, I don't want to participate in any more of your freakish experiments. No I-" Her breath caught in her throat at the sight of red leather and blonde curls. "Oh."
"Regina, I'm sorry we're a bit late, but-"
Regina gripped the handle of the door and felt the heat of embarrassment creep behind her ears.
"I didn't-"
"Hey guys," Henry said softly, pattering a few steps behind the blonde. He blinked up at his mothers then shifted his gaze to the emerald mistletoe hanging between them. "Mistletoe!" he gasped.
Emma glanced up. The pink blush on Regina's face was quickly matched by Storybrooke's Sheriff.
"Kiss!" Henry squealed, clasping his hands together and jumping up and down.
Regina's heart raced. "Henry, Ms. Swan doesn't want-" A surprised whimper crept up her throat as pink lips pressed gently against hers. Warm and soft, they were everything she'd imagined and more.
Not that she'd imagined kissing Emma Swan.
Reluctantly, they pulled away from one another, their eyes cast in all directions but forward. Shyly, Regina twisted her pinky before clearing her throat. "Henry, how does Granny's sound for dinner tonight?"
"Awesome!" He bounced up and down once more.
"Have fun, you guys," Emma said softly, catching Regina's gaze for a moment before shifting it away awkwardly.
"If you haven't already eaten," Regina began, "I think it would be permissible if you came along with us." She swallowed heavily, a nervous lump stuck in her throat.
"I, uh," Emma croaked. She looked down at Henry, who was beaming up at her with excitement. "Ok."
Regina smiled and nodded. Turning on her heels, she approached her desk and pulled her long pea coat from around her chair. She grabbed her purse and gestured for mother and son to head to the car. "I'll lock up and meet you in a second."
Emma smiled and grabbed Henry's hand before turning to leave the office building.
It felt odd, the thundering of her heart and the warmth spreading through her belly and chest at the prospect of their – dare she say it – family outing. Grabbing hold of the handle of the office door once more, she chanced a glance up at the frame where the mistletoe hung snugly and thought of her initial plans for it.
Maybe, just maybe, deep in her unconscious, Emma Swan's kiss was part of her plan all along.
Maybe.