A/N: Part 1 of 3 to be completed before Christmas. This one was fun :D This is set in the same arc/ setting as my 'Witch's Brew' Halloween fic- just prior to the current season following the trip down to Hell. Rated M for upcoming chapters. Please review!

Checking her phone while taking a swift nip of brandy, Emma smirks as she licks the sweet residue from her lips. She supposes she really should pour some into the wine warming on the stove rather than sipping it neat from the bottle. She also supposes she should stop winding up Henry, but then both of these endeavours are really quite entertaining.

Mom! Don't be so embarrassing!

Chuckling at Henry's mortified response to her teasing about his looking especially smart to meet up with Violet earlier today, she taps back a reply to remind him that it had been his other mother worrying about Snow putting sprigs of mistletoe festively up in the school's halls, and receives an emoticon with its eyes drawn shut in irritation and smoke escaping its nose. Replying with a sarcastic angelic smile, she places her phone back on the counter and finally gives up straight shooting brandy and pours what remains into the pan of wine, cinnamon sticks and spices. Padding over to the fridge, she inspects its offerings while she waits for the wine to heat up with little hope, and is proven right in her depressing inkling that she'd already eaten the chocolate hidden in the top drawer this morning. Opting for a jar of peanut butter and a spoon instead, she raises a brow and glances up at the clock above the sink as the front door opens and closes.

"Ummmm..."

She grumbles loudly, having lost count of the amount of times she's told Hook to quit just barging into the house without knocking first. His response is most often that this would no longer be an issue if they just moved in together properly, and this in turn has led to her using some truly spectacular phrases in which to refer to him in her panicked rage. Still, he should know by now how she feels about her privacy, and her irritation shouldn't be all that surprising.

"It's raining and you always take forever to answer the door."

Comes a disgruntled response from the hallway, and the blonde swiftly puts back the jar of peanut butter as a sharp tap of stilettos sounds towards the door.

"Hey, Regina. Just make yourself at home, why don't you?"

She sighs, and the Mayor raises a brow that suggests the younger woman should watch her tone, before smiling wickedly.

"So kind."

"Mmm."

Emma agrees, turning back to the pan on the stove as the brunette helps herself to one of the bar stools that surround the Sheriff's kitchen island.

"Do you want to know what I just saw?"

Regina asks, eyeing the blonde up from behind as the latter pays her no attention. Emma offers another grunt that may or may not mean she's interested, and the darker woman sighs loudly as she makes a mental note that the Sheriff wears the black jeans with the green stitching that show off each and every tiny flaw caused by her underwear. It has become somewhat of a perverse habit to check when the blonde turns her back if she's wearing bikini briefs or shorts underneath, although she'd never go so far as to admit to this little game, even to herself. Today she can spy no lines to speak of, and she raises a brow before taking Emma's lacklustre response as an invitation to carry on.

"Your mother."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. Your mother dressed in-"

"-Oh! Yeah, the jingle suit."

The blonde giggles, finally turning around to face her uninvited guest with a smirk.

"The what now?"

The Mayor frowns, and the Sheriff lowers the flames on the stove to a gentle flicker and elaborates as she fetches them each a mug.

"That weird green thing with the bells on it."

"Yes."

Regina agrees, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, I saw her earlier, carol singing with the nuns. She kept trying to convince me I should show some community spirit and accept my 'royal duty' or whatever and join in."

"Fat chance."

The brunette sneers, and Emma nods with a grin as she searches out a ladle.

"That's a less x-rated version of what I told her, yeah. She gave up pretty quick and started on Hook."

"I doubt that was any more prosperous?"

"Sure it was. She got David to ask him."

The blonde shrugs, and dark eyes roll as the Mayor goads

"The pirate does whatever your father tells him to. I know this, and yet I'm still disappointed."

"Oh, so am I-"

Emma agrees, serving up hot, mulled wine.

"-But Hook and David have this weird 'thing', you know?"

"Yes. I'd noticed. The protective father and the obsequious boyfriend."

Regina yawns.

"Right."

"You've never struck me as the sort to want Daddy watching over you."

The darker woman scoffs, and the younger woman throws her a look of confirmation as she laments

"Hell no, but it seems not to really matter what I actually think about it. Honestly, all I want to know is where David was when I was fifteen and dating a guy with Captain Crunch tattooed on his asscheek. Where was he when I needed him?"

Emma sarks, and Regina smirks- glancing over the darker facts of the younger woman's enquiry as she has learnt it is wise to do- and responds primly

"Absent, along with your common sense, it sounds like?"

"Bite me."

The Sheriff snaps, but not without a note of good humour, and she hands the brunette her wine as she takes a seat opposite her.

"Smells good."

Regina remarks, and Emma rolls her eyes as she sighs

"You sound genuinely surprised."

"Well, I was when I came in to witness you cooking... Now that I know there was alcohol involved, I'm less confused."

"Oh, Regina, you are so full of crap."

The blonde grumbles, and scarlet lips pull into a gleeful smirk as dark eyes glitter amiably.

"It's actually very nice."

The Mayor offers finally, and Emma smiles, drinking deeply and savouring the warmth of the wine and brandy spiced and sweetened.

"I know. Lily made me some the other day, and I've been adding my own twist to it."

She explains, leaving out that her 'twist' is simply to add three times the amount of brandy as Lily had jotted down for her.

"You still go and see her?"

Regina wrinkles her nose, and the blonde shrugs as she sips and asks

"Why wouldn't I?"

"You were dangerously close to shooting her in the street... Didn't quite offer the hallmarks of a healthy friendship."

"... With that in mind, I should be highly suspicious that you're sat here with me."

Emma points out, before elaborating

"We had our issues. She's also a friend. All you other lot all know each other and have a past. I'm still getting there, and sometimes it's nice to talk to someone that doesn't think you're talking about the Ogre Wars when you mention tougher times, or remind you that your problems might have been fixed by a fairy. We have stuff in common, is all."

"I suppose I can understand that. She still seems like trouble to me, but she has fair taste in drinks, I will allow her that."

"She says they make this stuff in Europe a lot around Christmas."

"Lily has been to Europe?"

Regina asks, genuinely surprised as- in her eyes- the prickly young woman seems about as cultured as an old shoe.

"No, but she lived for a while with a guy that came over from London. He'd tried to find himself in New York, and instead he found the needle."

"The needle?"

"Drugs."

"Hmm."

The brunette sniffs in the manner she often does when the Sheriff regales her with tales of the outside world.

"Either way, this is good."

Emma shrugs, and the Mayor nods in agreement, before pointing to the remains that steam in the pan.

"Evidently. You've made enough to liquor up an army."

"It wasn't just for me. I thought you were Hook."

The blonde reasons, and dark brows furrow in distaste as Regina scoffs

"Hardly. And that's rather offensive."

"Well, I guess you'll do, too."

The Sheriff grins impishly, and Regina rolls her eyes as she informs the younger woman

"Hook's out with Henry."

"He is?"

Emma asks, surprised.

"I told Henry he needed a chaperone if he was planning to take Violet out to the well. Something about candles and a picnic and god knows what else."

"Really?!"

"Really."

Regina nods, not mentioning something else the pirate had said when picking up the boy and his date. It had been along the lines that Henry must have gotten his apparent romantic streak from her, as it certainly wasn't from Emma. There had been a note of irritation in his tone that she has come to recognise while dancing around the topic. She also doesn't mention that this irritation seems to be simultaneously directed at her.

What good would it do to do so?

But twice now, Hook has muttered something about how the blonde often seems far keener to please her than she does himself. This is something that she'd picked up on way before it had been expressed to her in a surly, quarrelsome tone. It's something she's simply come to expect from the Sheriff. It is a quirk of Emma's that has often served her quite nicely, and she sees no need to bring it up or argue about it. If she were so inclined- or if she wished to be cruel- she might find it tempting to ask Killian just what he might make of the fact. She might get him to spell out the reason for the tension sometimes suffered between the two of them. She has no wish to do so, however. It would only Result in creating a mess between herself and Emma, and she doesn't enjoy fighting with the blonde as much as she used to.

Certainly not about topics that mask curious connotations.

"We argued, but eventually Henry said he wished to take Hook, and I relented and agreed. I believe he thought having either of us along might be more uncomfortable."

Is all she says, and the younger woman grins as she imagines this might well be true, what with her whooping after the boy earlier until his ears had burned a telling scarlet.

"Well, it was nice of him to tell me."

She sighs, though she supposes there's a chance that the four missed calls she'd accidentally swiped from her phone and never bothered chasing up might have been meant to do just that.

Oh, well.

"So it seems you do have a vat of wine to yourself."

Regina smirks, and Emma reciprocates with a shrug to let the darker woman know that she really wouldn't find this to be a burden were it the case, before suggesting cooly

"Hardly. You pretty much invited yourself in; it would be rude to leave now."

"Would it?"

The brunette sighs.

"Very."

Emma grins, and the Mayor offers a thin smile in response; allowing the blonde to top up her cup before following her into the living room at the younger woman's request.

"And it means you can help me do the tree so that Henry will stop pestering me with remarks that I'm no fun."

"Well..."

Regina smirks suggestively, although she very much doubts Henry thinks this about the blonde at all. She can be moody and aloof when dealing with most of the town, but to their son she lets loose a secret wild side, and it is one that the Mayor knows well as it has caused her a great deal of washing, scolding and chasing up over the last year or two. Tailing Emma into the room, she frowns as she surveys the bare tree shoved unceremoniously in the corner, and points out

"Well, it is Christmas Eve!"

"I know, I've been busy."

The younger woman snaps, leaving out the fact that she had been meaning to do the tree the night before last, but had been preoccupied arguing with Hook. She leaves this small detail out, as it had been the brunette they'd been arguing about.

As always.

Blushing, she simply turns away and scuffs at a litter of pine needles that have scattered around the tree. She doesn't need Regina to know that- yet again- her decision to cancel dinner plans in order to hang out with the brunette in her mansion hadn't gone down too well. It is something they had once done maybe once a week or so, but since Robin's passing it has become a much more regular habit. At first, she'd argued it had been for support, and it had been. Now, she just enjoys the darker woman's company, and will leave it at that.

Yes, leave it at that before thinking too deeply on some of the other accusations Hook has made...

And, it's funny, because she believes Hook is more often than not just throwing any barb that might stick. She doesn't think he really means it when he suggests that her inclination to spend as much time with Regina as she does might be indicitive of more than just a friendly interest.

There's nothing funny about the madness you sometimes indulge at three am, Swan...

Swallowing, she stalks over to the cabinet by the window and brings over a medium sized box and places it on the coffee table.

"These are the decorations my mom didn't want. And, by 'didn't want' I mean, they're the ones she couldn't fit on her tree. She tried, though! You better believe she tried!"

"I know, I've seen it. Next time I'll visit to discuss town matters wearing sunglasses."

Regina muses disdainfully, and the younger woman grins, before sighing as she roots around in the box.

"There's no lights. They must still be in the basement. Come help me look?"

"Sure, a trip into the darkness with my sworn enemy; what better way is there to spend a Friday night?"

"Well, it's not the first time."

Emma chuckles, and Regina rolls her eyes, muttering irritably that she certainly hopes that the hospitality is going to be better than when they'd visited Hell.

"Course it will be! I'm an excellent hostess."

The Sheriff smirks, making a grand gesture with her wine as she fiddles with the lock to the basement, and the Mayor purses her lips as she follows the younger woman down into the shadows with an unconvinced

"Hmmm..."