Author's Note: Title, as well as general inspiration for this fic, taken from The Gift Of The Magi by O. Henry. No infringement intended.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my readers! Thanks for all the love this year!
Emma stood outside Gold's pawn shop, fighting with herself about whether or not to actually enter the establishment. She really, really didn't want to, but she was also at the end of her rope.
Christmas was just a week away and while the rest of her shopping had been relatively easy, there was still one person she needed a gift for. One person who, it was turning out, was impossible to buy for.
Regina Mills.
Henry had been absolutely no help when she'd asked him for ideas on things his mother might like – "I usually make her something at school and she really likes that." – and Emma hadn't had the nerve to ask anyone else. But she really wanted to get something special for Regina this year. After everything they'd gone through together, Emma wanted a gift that would show Regina just how much she meant to her.
As a friend. Completely as a friend. Nothing else. (Except maybe a little bit something else.)
But so far, every place Emma had tried, she'd struck out in. The limited stores in town had offered nothing that gave off the feel she wanted her present to have and even after some extensive online shopping, she still hadn't been able to come up with anything. Nothing seemed personal enough.
Where were all the gifts for your son's other mother who risked her life to save him from Peter Pan when you needed them? Even Hallmark didn't do a card for that. She'd checked.
Which brought her here, to Gold's shop. She knew that if anyone could help her, it would be him. But she also knew that his help would come at a price. Even with having Neal - Baelfire...whatever he was going by these days - and Belle back in his life, he was still a shrewd little imp that Emma didn't trust any farther than she could throw him. But he was also her last hope.
So with a slightly sinking feeling in her gut, Emma pushed open the door to his shop.
"Well, if it isn't the Savior." Gold called out as he watched Emma enter his shop. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
Emma bristled at his voice, her eyes moving around the store, but never meeting his gaze. "I need a present for someone. I thought perhaps you could help."
"A present, you say? And who might this present be for?"
"Regina." Emma mumbled as she looked at some jewelry that was much too gaudy for Regina's tastes.
"What's that, dearie? I couldn't hear you."
Emma's eyes snapped up. "I said Regina."
Gold let out a giggle that was pure Rumpelstiltskin. "Regina, you say? And why, pray tell, might we be looking for a present for her?"
"Christmas is next week." Emma replied, as though that was all the answer Gold needed, and indeed it was all the answer he was getting.
"So it is. So it is." Gold nodded.
Emma huffed. "This was a waste of time. I'm leav—"
"Now, now, dearie. Don't be so hasty. You came to me for help and who am I to turn away the Savior?"
"My name is Emma." She gritted out, feeling the words rankle. This was clearly a mistake.
"Well, Em-ma." He drawled, "I just happen to have something that I believe her majesty would enjoy having back in her possession."
"You have something of Regina's?" Emma moved closer to the counter. She was well aware that Gold's shop was full of items belonging to the citizens of Storybrooke – or the Enchanted Forest, she supposed – but she'd never considered that he might have something that actually belonged to Regina.
If Rumpel had stolen something of Regina's and Emma could get it back for her, it would be the perfect gift.
"Not exactly." Gold giggled, reaching down behind the counter and pulling out a rather dilapidated looking box.
Emma reached out slowly, wary of what the box might contain. She opened the lid carefully and then frowned. "Glasses." She reached in and lifted the set of wire-rimmed glasses from the box. "They're old. And broken." She wrinkled her nose. "And not Regina's. She doesn't wear glasses."
"I never said they belonged to Regina."
Emma put the glasses back down in the box. "Then why would she want them?"
"Because," Gold smirked, "they belonged to her father."
Emma blinked at that. She didn't know much about Regina's relationship with her father, but she was aware that Regina had loved him very much. If these glasses had truly belonged to her father, then they would mean a lot to Regina, just like she wanted her gift to.
"How much?" Emma asked, almost afraid of the answer.
"Beg pardon?"
"Don't play dumb, Gold. Everything from you comes with a price. What do you want for the glasses?"
"Ah, ah, dearie." Gold waved his arms with a flourish. "It's not about what I want for them. It's about what you're willing to pay for them."
Emma eyed him, her hand going to her back pocket and pulling out her wallet. Upon seeing it, Gold burst into laughter.
"Money? What need have I for money?"
Emma frowned, her patience quickly growing thin. "What do you want for them, Gold?"
"Hmm." Gold looked her over before a smirk slid onto his face. "Well, being the holiday season, I'm in a generous mood. There is one thing you could give. I'd consider it a trade of sorts. Henry Senior's glasses for… your jacket."
Instinctively, Emma hugged herself, holding her jacket to her body. "My jacket?"
"It seems a fair trade. Almost unfair to me, really. Your jacket has no real monetary value. It's not worth anything. So it shouldn't be difficult to give it up. Should it?"
"And these broken glasses have monetary value?" She managed to choke out.
"Oh no, dearie. They have something far more important and far more powerful." He leaned over and whispered the next words. "Sentimental value." Then he straightened up with a grin. "What would her majesty would be willing to give up for them, do you think? Something worth more than your little jacket?"
Emma shrugged off the jacket and shoved it across the counter at Gold before she could change her mind or tell him just how much sentimental value her jacket had. "Give me the glasses."
A wicked smile lit his face as he pushed the box towards Emma. She grabbed it and left the store quickly, slamming the door behind her.
"Interesting." Gold crowed to himself as he hung up Emma's jacket in the window display of his shop. "Very, very interesting."
Emma sat on her bed, staring at the broken glasses. It wouldn't do to give them to Regina this way. She wanted them to be restored and beautiful for Regina. Her fingers wiggled and she felt the familiar prickle of magic, ready and waiting to be used, but she shook her head.
Magic, for all the good that it sometimes did, still always came with a price. She wasn't willing to risk that it might be Regina who had to pay it – after all they were her father's glasses and a gift for her. It'd be just like magic to screw around and make someone else pay the price instead of the person wielding the magic.
Besides, something as delicate as these glasses could easily be damaged beyond repair if Emma tried to use her still rather spotty magic on them and screwed up somehow. That wasn't a risk she was willing to take. Not when she'd traded her jacket away to get them.
No. She'd go about this the old fashioned way. She'd find someone who knew about glasses and could repair them without magic. Which meant that she needed to ask for help.
Chewing on her lip, Emma mulled over the possibilities of who to ask. There weren't really that many options and only one who Emma felt even a little comfortable asking.
With that in mind, she carefully replaced the lid of the box and then gently wrapped the box in a scarf before settling it safely in a small messenger bag that she crossed over her body before walking out the door.
"Hey Ems." Ruby greeted with a smile as she walked into the diner, the overhead bell tinkling her arrival. "You want your usual?"
"Uh, no, actually. I'm just here to see Granny. Is she around?"
Ruby's brow furrowed. "Sure. She's in the back. But, what do you need her for?"
"I just need some help with something, that's all."
A pout appeared on Ruby's red lips. "You know I'm always happy to help, Emma."
"I know, Rubes, trust me. It's just… this is something that you can't help with. Otherwise I'd totally ask you."
"Fine. Fine. I'll go get her."
"Thanks, Ruby." Emma called after her.
A few moments later, Granny came out from the back. "What can I do for you today, Sheriff?"
"Oh, uh, well," Emma stuttered under Granny's fierce gaze. "I was just wondering – hoping really – that you could help me with some information. About the uh, the Enchanted Forest?"
"What do you want to know, child?" Granny asked, looking at Emma with surprise. So far, Emma had shown absolutely no interest in the Enchanted Forest after her trek there. She'd actively avoided any mention of it, in fact.
"Well, uh, I was wondering – I have these glasses – they're broken and I need to get them fixed – and uh, they're pretty old and I was just wondering if you – not that I'm saying you're old or anything – because I don't think you're old – I mean, older, of course – but I guess everyone is older than they look because of the curse – but it's not that I think you're old old, ya know? It's just that you, uh, wear glasses and I thought that you might maybe know –"
"Emma." Granny's voice was stern and it caused her to snap her mouth shut. "Stop your rambling. I think I understand what you're asking, although how I understood it from all that word vomit you just spilled is beyond me. But if you're looking for an optician from the Enchanted Forest to help you fix these old, broken glasses of yours, then Doc's your man."
"Doc." Emma repeated. "The dwarf?"
Granny sighed. "One and the same."
"Okay." Emma nodded. "Okay. Great." A small smile began to work its way onto her face. "Thanks, Granny."
"You're welcome." Granny said, watching as Emma quickly rushed out the door with a shake of her head. "Sometimes I worry about that girl."
"Princess," Doc said with a grin. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"
Emma grimaced at the formal title. "Uh, it's just Emma, please, Doc. Er, I mean, Mr. –" She floundered, not remembering the name of Doc's Storybrooke personality.
"Doc is just fine, Emma." He smiled at her and she felt herself relax. "So, what can I do for you today?"
"Oh!" Emma reached into her bag. "Granny told me that you might be able to help me fix these."
She carefully unwrapped the scarf and lifted the lid of the box to show the glasses to Doc. "Something about you being an ophthalmologist back in the Enchanted Forest."
Doc chuckled. "An optician, my dear. And yes, in addition to my work in the mines, I also worked with glasses in our land. And helped your mother give birth to you, in fact."
"Okay. Wow. TMI, Doc." Emma blanched. "But, uh, the glasses?"
Doc looked down at them before carefully lifting them from the box. "They've certainly seen their better days, haven't they?"
"Uh, yeah, I guess." Emma frowned.
"Where did you get them?" He asked, turning them this way and that to study them.
"Oh, uh, just – I found them. And I thought that they were pretty cool. So uh, figured I should get them fixed up."
"Well," Doc replied, "it will take a bit of work, but I should be able to get them fixed up."
"Really?" Emma asked, a grin stretching across her face.
"Of course, Princess. Or, Emma."
"Great. Great. That's great." She laughed. "So, what do we do first?"
"We?"
"Oh, uh, yeah." Emma tucked her hands into her jean pockets and rocked back on her heels. "I, uh, was hoping that I could actually be the ones to fix them. Like, maybe you could teach me what to do?"
Doc looked her over then and Emma did her best not to squirm under his watchful gaze. "These are very important to you, aren't they?"
"Yes." She whispered, keeping her eyes down.
"Why?"
"They – they're a gift for someone."
"This someone must be very special, if you're going to the trouble of wanting to fix them yourself."
Emma chewed her lip for a few moments before she answered. "Yeah. They are." She met Doc's gaze. "They are special."
"Well then, we haven't much time, if they're to be a Christmas gift. We'd best get to work."
Emma's smile stretched across her face. "Awesome. What's first?"
Emma stood on Regina's porch, fidgeting with the present in her hand. It was Christmas Eve morning, but she couldn't bring herself to wait any longer to give Regina the gift.
Emma grinned as she thought of the newly repaired glasses. The wire frames now shone beautifully without a hint of rust or tarnish on them. Doc had helped her to reshape the frames and then shown her how to carefully polish away the rust until they looked brand new. And the glass lenses fit securely in the frames without a crack or spec of dust on them.
That had been the difficult part – learning to grind the glass just so to make the lenses as they would've been back in the Enchanted Forest. It had taken long hours and lots of swearing on Emma's part – thank goodness for Doc's relationship with Leroy or else Emma feared he would have been scarred for life – but they had finally managed to make two perfect lenses. Emma's fingers still ached from the many cuts she'd endured, not to mention the various shards of glass she'd had to pull from her fingers each night, but it was worth it. She knew it was worth it.
She and Doc had put the final touches on the glasses the night before and it had taken all of her willpower not to run directly over here then. Instead, she had taken the newly restored glasses home and carefully placed them in the beautiful wooden case that she had worked with Marco to design. It was just like the cases they used in the Enchanted Forest, although Emma was sure that Henry's case would have been made of something more precious than wood – perhaps ivory or marble. Still, the wooden case was gorgeous and she hoped Regina would appreciate the effort.
After making sure they were settled safely inside, she had painstakingly wrapped the case, using all the skills that she had picked up one winter when she'd worked as a gift wrapper in a department store to earn a little extra money to get by. The shiny blue wrapping paper sparkled in the sunlight and the silver ribbon she'd weaved around it was tied in a perfect bow. It was a beautiful present and Emma couldn't wait to see Regina's reaction.
Except that she couldn't quite bring herself to ring the doorbell. Butterflies were flitting around in her stomach and she found herself unable to let go of the present and knock on the door. She was also shaking, although she blamed that on the loss of her jacket and the cold weather, instead of on the nerves.
Suddenly, the door opened and Emma jumped back in surprise as Regina walked through. She also stopped abruptly when she came face to face with Emma. "Miss Swan!"
Emma frowned a little at that. "Hi." She said, sheepishly.
"What are you doing on my porch?" Regina asked, her eyes already moving down to Emma's hands.
"Oh, uh," Emma thrust the present forward, "here. It's for you."
Regina eyed the package warily, looking back up at Emma with suspicion. "What is it?"
"A Christmas present. Duh." Emma rolled her eyes, hoping to put Regina more at ease.
"It isn't Christmas."
"It's Christmas Eve. Morning. Christmas Eve morning. And I just – would you open it please?"
"You're giving me a Christmas present?" Regina took the gift from Emma's hand, but she still looked as though she expected it to explode any minute. "Why?"
"Because it's Christmas. You give presents at Christmas. And… you're Henry's mom and my…" Emma trailed off. She didn't know how Regina would react to being called her friend and the other ways she'd describe her certainly wouldn't work at that moment. "Look, I just wanted you to have it, okay?"
Regina didn't respond. Instead, she began to carefully open the present. Emma felt her breath catch in her throat as she watched her run her fingers over the case. "Beautiful," she whispered and Emma felt a smile begin to tug on her face.
"Open it!" She blurted, too excited now for Regina to see what was inside.
Carefully Regina pulled open the lid and looked inside. Her brow wrinkled and a frown began to work its way over her features. "Glasses? Are you trying to tell me something, Miss Swan?" Her voice was suddenly as cold as the winter air.
"What? No! They're – I mean – don't you – I thought –" Emma's mind began to spin. Regina didn't recognize the glasses. But how could that be? They were her father's glasses. Surely she had to recognize them.
"Where is your coat?" Regina asked suddenly and Emma jerked, blinking hard at the unexpected question.
"My coat?"
"Your red leather monstrosity. You're shivering. Where is your coat? Why don't you have it on in this weather?"
"I – uh – I got rid of it." She mumbled, still looking at the glasses and trying to understand why Regina didn't recognize them. "But your gift – I –"
"You got rid of it?" Regina repeated. "Well, that's just about the greatest Christmas present you could've possibly given me."
"What?" Emma felt her throat begin to close up.
"Oh, I'll happily wear these so long as I don't have to look at that eyesore anymore." Regina smirked.
Hot, angry tears pricked Emma's eyes as she felt her heart break. Not only had she given up her beloved jacket to get Regina's gift, but Regina was more pleased to see the jacket gone than she was to see her father's glasses. "Right. Well. Merry Christmas, Regina." She forced the words out of her throat, already backing away from Regina.
"Emma?" Regina questioned, as though suddenly noticing the shift in Emma's mood. "Don't you want to see Henry or –"
"N-no." She shook her head and turned, moving quickly down the steps. "I'll see him later. I have to go now."
Tears slid down her cheeks as she pushed out through the gate and onto the sidewalk. Sobs rose up in her throat and she took great gulps of air as she moved away, trying but failing to stifle them. Her jacket was gone and Regina was happy about it. That should mean something at least. The glasses certainly hadn't. But Gold had said –
She shook her head angrily, finally letting the sobs come as she made it a few blocks away from Mifflin Street. Gold had probably lied. They probably weren't Regina's father's glasses at all. She'd worked so hard, put so much into the gift, given up so much and for what?
Nothing.
"Was that Emma?" Henry asked as he came down the stairs.
"Yes." Regina replied, still looking at the spot where Emma had been in confusion. "She just left."
"Did she give you your present?"
"Yes. But how did you know she got me a present?"
"She was asking me about what you'd like for Christmas. She told me I wasn't very much help, but that she'd found the perfect thing anyway. She seemed pretty excited about it. So what did she get you?"
"Glasses." Regina replied, turning to look at Henry finally.
Henry's nose wrinkled. "Seriously? But that doesn't make sense. Why would she think those were perfect for you?"
Regina looked back down at the glasses, feeling as though there was something that she was missing. A thought was niggling in the back of her mind, some kind of recognition perhaps, but she couldn't grasp on to it. "I don't know, Henry. I honestly don't know."
The glint of red caught Regina's eye as she walked down Main Street an hour later. She was still puzzled by Emma's appearance – and gift – earlier, but she couldn't dwell on it now. She needed to go to the grocery store to grab some last minute items for Christmas dinner.
She was so engrossed in her mental shopping list, in fact, that she nearly walked right by Gold's window without a second glance. But there was a sudden flash of red in the corner of her vision that caused her to turn just enough to stop dead in her tracks when she caught sight of the display.
Emma's words flitted through her mind. "I got rid of it," she heard as she pushed open the door to Gold's shop.
Gold was behind the counter, looking far too amused for her liking. "Ah, Regina. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"What is that in your window?" She hissed, her eyes narrowed.
"There are a great many things in my window, dearie. You'll have to be more specific."
"The jacket." She snapped.
"Ah." Gold smirked. "A recently acquired piece."
"It's Emma's."
His smirk changed then, into a sickening grin. "Not anymore."
"Why do you have it? How did you get it?" She demanded.
"Now, Regina, that deal is between Miss Swan and I."
"Deal?" She gasped at the implication. "Why would Emma have made a deal with you?"
"It's amazing what people will do when they're desperate. But you should have some insight into that already." He emphasized the word sight, but she didn't know why. It only served to raise her hackles even farther.
"Desperate? What could she possibly have been desperate about? What did you do, Gold?"
"There are many causes for desperation, dearie. And I did nothing but help the Savior."
"I know all about your brand of help," she sneered as she turned on her heel and headed for the door. "This isn't over."
His laughter mocked her. "I have no doubt."
"Where's the fire?" Neal looked as though he'd just crawled out of bed when he answered the door to Regina's aggressive knocking.
"What would your father want with Em – with Miss Swan's jacket?"
Neal's brow furrowed. "Papa has Emma's jacket?"
"He claims they made a deal and she gave it to him."
"No." Neal shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. Emma wouldn't just give up her jacket."
"He says she was desperate."
"I don't care what he says. We both know Papa isn't known for his honesty. He twists things. And Emma wouldn't give up that jacket. She worked too hard to get it."
"Explain," Regina demanded.
"When we were together," Neal winced at the glare that Regina sent his way, "pulling cons… she always used to talk about getting a leather jacket when we'd saved enough money. Our last job, I was gonna buy her one with the money from the watches we fenced."
"But you let her go to prison instead. A much better gift, I'm sure."
"Jesus, Regina." He sighed at the hatred rolling off of her in waves. Regina never blinked, just continued to glare at him. "I tried to leave the money for her. August apparently took it and only gave her the car."
"Of course." Regina rolled her eyes. "Why give her any kind of a break?"
"Funny, coming from you."
"Watch yourself, Baelfire. I am not the one who abandoned her."
"You know what? I am not having this fight with you. Emma and I have made peace, so I don't care what you think."
Regina smiled at him then, but it was obviously fake. "Whatever lets you sleep at night."
"After she -" He found himself suddenly choking on the words. "After she got out, she went straight, doing all kinds of crappy jobs. She saved up until she could afford it. It's like a symbol that she can take care of herself – that she doesn't need anyone else. And I know Emma. She wouldn't just give that up."
"Well, apparently you don't know her," Regina took great pleasure in the dig, "because she has given it up. To your father."
Then she shook her head and left the dingy room.
The trip had been a waste. Neal knew nothing, as always.
"Did you get the ingredients for the gingerbread cookies?" Henry asked when Regina came back into the house. "Mom?" He frowned at her empty hands and slightly dazed expression.
Regina startled. "Oh. Henry. The cookies. I forgot. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I got distracted."
"By what?" Henry frowned.
"Mr. Gold."
"What did he do now?"
Regina debated with herself for a moment whether or not to tell her son, but she had sworn that she wouldn't lie to him again and she intended to keep that promise. "He has Emma's jacket in his store window."
"What? That doesn't make sense." Henry's eyes widened. "Did he steal it?"
"According to him, no."
"Well, you gotta ask Emma. Because I think he stole it."
"Miss Swan indicated earlier that she had gotten rid of her jacket."
"But," Henry frowned. "That doesn't make sense," he insisted again. "Her jacket's kind of like her armor. It makes her feel safe."
Regina blinked. "How do you know that, Henry?"
"She told me. I asked her about it once, why she wears it all the time. That's what she told me."
Regina's frown deepened to match Henry's. Something was going on here and her son was correct. It certainly didn't make sense. She turned back towards the door.
"Mom? Where are you going?"
"To get answers from Gold."
"Back so soon?" Gold laughed when she entered his shop a few minutes later.
"Stop playing games. Tell me why Emma gave you her jacket."
"Ah, but the question isn't why or how. The question is who."
"What?" She snapped, tired of the riddles he was spewing.
"Poor Regina, can't see what's right in front of her face. Maybe you need a little help with that." He waved his hand and in a puff of smoke, the wooden case containing the glasses Emma had given her appeared on the countertop between them. "Maybe you should try these on for size."
"How do you know about those?"
"Come now, dearie. I thought you'd stopped underestimating me by now. And I told you before, you're asking the wrong questions. It isn't about how or why I have the jacket. It's about who Miss Swan would give it up for. And that answer should be as plain as the glasses on your face. Or, should I say," he opened the case and then waved his hand again, an image suddenly appearing above the counter, "on your father's face?"
Regina gasped at the sight of her father's face and the glasses – the same glasses that were now before her – on it.
"Daddy." She whispered, her hand reaching out to try and touch the image.
"Yes, Daddy Dearest used to read you bedtime stories with these glasses on. Until Mommy Dearest put an end to that." Gold taunted, allowing the scene to play – her Daddy settling the glasses on his face as he leaned over to kiss her forehead before picking up a book and beginning to read.
"They're –" She reached out tentatively to touch the glasses, the memories that she'd buried away after her father's death suddenly bursting free.
"In much better condition than they were a week ago," Gold commented. "Miss Swan must have put a lot of effort into them." Regina's eyes snapped up. "Ah, and now the picture is beginning to come in clearer."
"But why?" She looked back at the jacket, still hanging in the window.
"As I said, desperation comes in all forms. And Miss Swan was desperate to get a gift… the perfect gift… for you."
All the pieces clicked into place. "You had my father's glasses."
"Miss Swan was quite eager to return them to you. She's such a good person that way. And being in the holiday spirit, I offered her a fair trade. One item of sentimental value for another. She accepted. So you see, your majesty, if anyone is to be blamed for the Savior giving up her jacket, it would be you. But I'm sure just seeing your joy at having your father's glasses back was enough for her to know the price was worth it."
Gold's words caused a churning in her gut and a pain in her heart. She recalled the scene on her porch – the look on Emma's face – her own words – "Well, that's just about the greatest Christmas present you could've possibly given me." – with painful clarity. She'd mocked and scorned Emma's gift instead of seeing how truly precious it really was.
She felt a lump rise up in her throat as she remembered Emma's confusion and the way she'd left so suddenly. She'd hurt her, badly, she realized now, and she needed to make up for it.
"I want the jacket." Her fingers curled around the glasses, clutching them tightly for a moment before pushing them towards him. "The jacket." She repeated.
Gold tutted at the gesture. "While in better condition," a flick of his hand reverted the glasses to their former state, giving her just enough time to take it in before another flick turned them back again, "I don't have any need for these. Not anymore."
She snatched them back, clinging to them now, unwilling to let them go. "Then what do you want?"
"As I told Miss Swan before you, it's not about what I want. It's about what you're willing to pay. So, your majesty, how much is the jacket really worth?"
Regina glared at him. She knew that Gold would come up with something if she waited him out. She just didn't know if she wanted to find out what he'd come up with.
"You're not exactly a sentimental woman, are you, dearie?" Gold taunted as he looked her up and down. "You didn't even recognize your father's glasses, after all."
"Well, we can't all keep chipped tea cups and other people's possessions." Regina snapped.
"No. And you brought so little over with you and managed to keep even less. Where is dear Daniel's ring, your majesty?" Regina flinched. "Ah, that's right, you traded it away to curse the very person whose jacket you are trying to get back."
"I did that for Henry. To protect him!"
"And we saw how well that worked out, didn't we?" Gold laughed his impish laugh. "Henry, Henry, Henry." He studied her closer.
"Leave Henry out of this."
"But how can I, when he's the only thing you truly care about?"
"Go to hell." Regina spat, tired of his games.
"Now you're starting to sound like the Savior. But will you act like her? Will you give up something precious to you? Something like…" He waved his hand and another image appeared in the air between them, showing the clay painted handprints that Henry had made for her and her mother had tried to use against her, "young Henry's gift to you?"
Regina shook her head in disbelief. "That's what you want? Something Henry made for me in first grade?"
"Oh, I don't care about the object. I didn't care about Miss Swan's jacket. What I care about, your majesty, is what it symbolizes. Emma gave up her security for you. Will you give up Henry's love for her?"
Regina turned on her heel and left the shop without replying.
Henry flung the door open before Regina even made it up the steps to the porch.
"So?" He demanded. "What did Mr. Gold say?"
Regina let out a sigh. "Emma traded her jacket to him for my present."
"The glasses?" Henry frowned. "But why would she do that? Why would she give you glasses in the first place?"
"Because the glasses belonged to my father. I didn't remember until Gold reminded me." She shook her head. "She knew that they would mean a lot to me and she wanted me to have them."
Henry smiled widely. "She was right. It was the perfect gift."
"It was, Henry. But I didn't realize it at the time and," she sighed again, "I wasn't exactly nice to her. I want to make it up to her, to get her jacket back, but…"
"But Mr. Gold wants something from you."
"Yes."
"What is it? What does he want?"
Regina waved her hands and the clay handprints appeared in them. "This."
Henry took it from her, looking it over. "I made this for you. In first grade. Why would Mr. Gold want this?"
"He doesn't want the object. He wants what it means to me." Regina whispered.
Henry looked up at her, understanding dawning. "It showed that I loved you – that you were my mom."
Regina nodded. "He wants me to give that up. For Emma." Her voice broke just the littlest bit at the end.
Henry was quiet for a few moments before he gave a nod and then looked back at Regina. "You don't have to. Emma traded her jacket knowing she wouldn't get it back. If you just went and told her that you remember now, that you like the glasses, that would be enough."
Logically, Regina knew that. She could just go thank Emma and the Savior would accept that. But Regina couldn't get the look of hurt on Emma's face out of her mind. She couldn't forget what Emma had done for her. And she couldn't allow her to do that without giving something important back. The jacket was that important thing that she could give back. It wouldn't be enough until she'd gotten Emma's jacket back.
"No, Henry, I don't think it would be."
A wide smile spread across Henry's face and she knew that she'd said the right thing. "I know this is important to you, just like Emma's jacket was to her. But I think that Emma could give up her jacket because it was just a symbol. This is just a symbol of my love for you. By giving it up, you're not giving up my love, just this symbol of it." He stepped close and hugged her tight. "I love you, Mommy. That's not going to change if you give this to Mr. Gold."
Regina's arms wrapped around Henry and hugged him tight. "Oh, Henry. I love you, too." She knelt down so that she was eye level with him. "You're sure that it's okay if I give this to Mr. Gold?"
"I'm sure. And Mom? I'm proud of you." Henry grinned.
Regina hugged him again, kissing his head. "Thank you, Henry."
"Now go get Emma's jacket!" He laughed.
She straightened up and hugged the clay handprints tightly to her chest for a moment before smiling and once again leaving the house to go to Gold's shop.
"I want the jacket, Papa." Neal was saying when Regina walked into the shop.
"Well that's too bad," Regina interrupted, as Gold was about to hand the jacket over to his son, "because the jacket no longer belongs to your papa."
"What?" Neal turned to look at her, confusion written on his face.
"It belongs to me. As of now." Regina said, holding up the clay handprints.
Neal turned back to Gold. "Papa, what is she talking about?"
"We had a deal." Regina reminded him as she put the handprints down on the table, ignoring Neal. "The jacket for these."
"Seriously? You made her give you something that Henry made?" Neal frowned. "That's ridiculous. Look, Regina, just keep these, Papa will give me the jacket, I'll give it back to Emma, everybody's happy."
"No." Regina's voice was icy. "Your father and I had a deal. Your help is neither needed nor wanted here. Run along, Baelfire."
"Regina." Neal protested before turning to look at Gold. "Papa?"
Regina leaned over the counter so that she was in Gold's face. "We had a deal, Rumpel. You're not going to break it, are you?"
Gold frowned as he looked to Neal before turning back to Regina, "I'm sorry, Bae." He handed the jacket over to Regina.
"Papa!"
Regina held the jacket close to her as she turned and walked away, not looking back even once.
It took five minutes for Regina to work up the courage to knock on Emma's apartment door. She didn't even know if Emma would be there. It was getting to be later in the evening and it was entirely possible that Emma would be at David and Snow's new home, celebrating the holiday with them. In some ways, Regina thought she would prefer if that was the case. Then she could just leave the present and not have to face Emma.
But the door swung open to reveal Emma, dressed in Grinch pajamas, her hair tossed up in a messy bun. She stopped at the sight of Regina and blinked hard, as though trying to see if she was real or not.
"Regina." She finally said, her voice flat.
Regina frowned. Never before had Emma addressed her in such a tone. She swallowed, trying to find the words that she had planned out on the drive over here, but nothing came. Nothing except, "Hi."
"What are you doing here?" Emma frowned.
Regina shoved the wrapped box forward, much like Emma had done earlier. "Here. It's for you."
"Regina." Emma sounded exhausted.
Regina pushed the box closer to her. "Please. Just. It's Christmas. And I was awful earlier." She cleared her throat, trying to push away the lump that was rising. "I know what they are now and – you have no idea what it means to me. So please, just open it."
Emma opened her mouth as though to say something, but then closed it and moved back into the apartment, motioning with her head that Regina should follow.
The television was on, a Christmas movie playing, and the smell of popcorn permeated the air, but otherwise, the apartment held no hint of the holiday season. There were no decorations, no tree, nothing. Regina frowned.
Emma sat down on the couch and began to open the gift. When she pulled off the top of the box, a small gasp fell from her lips. Her eyes darted up to Regina. "How did you –"
"I saw it in Gold's window. I knew what you'd done then. For me. And what I had to do. For you."
Emma ran her hands over the jacket still in the box. "What did he want for it?"
"Something that he thought was important."
"And it wasn't?" Emma looked up in surprise.
"It was," Regina nodded, "before. But this was more important now."
"I thought you were glad it was gone?" The hurt crept back into Emma's voice and Regina frowned.
"I thought I was. But really I was just… confused and… upset about the glasses. So I lashed out."
"You? Never." Emma said, a hint of teasing in her tone.
"Regardless, Henry and – and –"
Emma raised an eyebrow at her hesitance.
"Neal." Regina spat his name out quickly. "They said it was important to you. That it makes you feel safe, like you can take care of yourself. And I don't – I don't want you to lose that, Emma. Especially not for me."
"Well," Emma sighed, setting the box down and standing to face Regina, "they were half right. It was a symbol for me that I could take care of myself." She glanced back at the jacket. "But it was also a reminder that I could take care of myself because no one else would. It was a reminder of why I should stay on my own. And I guess I figured I was ready to give that up and… try not being alone anymore."
Regina drew in a sharp breath at those words. "Emma."
Emma searched her eyes. "You were upset about the glasses. Because you thought I was mocking you instead of giving you something meaningful. Because –"
"Because I wanted it to be special. I wanted you to have cared." Regina looked down then. "And you did. So much. And I –"
"Didn't know." Emma lifted her chin back up. "Because I didn't tell you. I should've told you. I should've explained."
"We're not very good at this, are we?"
"I don't know about that. I think we both got something pretty special in the end." Emma grinned and it was obvious that she wasn't just talking about the physical gifts.
"Yes." Regina nodded. "We did."
Just then, the sound of the clock tower striking the hour rang through the air. They each jumped just a bit.
"Oh." Regina said when it was done ringing. "I need to get back home to Henry."
Emma moved away. "Right. Of course."
Regina reached out and grabbed Emma's hands. "Come with me. We're going to bake gingerbread cookies."
"At this hour?" Emma's nose wrinkled. "Shouldn't you be shipping him off to bed instead of baking him a bunch of sugar?"
"Normally yes. However this day has been anything but normal. And it's a tradition. Please come. He'd love to have you there. And so would I."
Emma looked down, suddenly self-conscious of her Grinch pajamas. "I'm not exactly dressed to –"
"You look… just fine." Regina smiled. "Put on your jacket and you'll be ready to go. We're only going to my car and my home anyway. No one will see you."
Emma's face lit up in a grin. "I knew it!" She exclaimed as she turned and pulled the jacket out of the box, slipping it on and enjoying the sudden feeling of warmth and comfort it provided. "I knew you liked it."
"I never said that, dear."
"You got it back for me. You like it." Emma teased, stepping closer to Regina.
"I suppose if anyone in town is going to be wearing it," Regina tilted her head, her hands coming up to run over the leather before settling on Emma's shoulders, "it might as well be you. You don't look terrible in it."
Emma's smile grew wider. "You like it. You think I look good in it." She taunted and then, suddenly, inspiration struck, prompting her to begin in a sing-song voice. "You think I'm gorgeous. You want to kiss me. You want to hug me. You want to love –" She stopped abruptly.
Regina curled her fingers into the material and pulled Emma closer. "Let's start with the first two for now." She whispered as their lips met and her arms wrapped around Emma.
"I'm good with that." Emma breathed when she pulled away. "Merry Christmas, Regina."
"Merry Christmas, Emma," Regina said before kissing her once again.