A/N: Merry Christmas everybody! This is just a quick one shot that I wrote today to celebrate the festivities. It's set in the universe of my fic "When Magic Collides." and makes references to it at one point - so if you didn't read that, then you won't know who Amorie is or why a new fairy has taken Blue's place.
Amorie is Emma and Regina's daughter - both of theirs biologically through a magical mishap and at this point she's only 2 months old.
For those who have read the fic and are asking how Amorie is so young (she was 1 year old where the fic ended.) It's because this happens on her first Christmas, so before the time jump that happened in the Epilogue of the fic.
I want to take a moment to thank Tracie, A.K.A JuiceCupSwanQueen for the idea and inspiration to write this one shot. I hope you're all having a wonderful festive season whatever you may celebrate and wish you all the best for the new year!
Enjoy!
It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas was blaring so loudly from the loft that Emma heard it the minute she entered the stairwell.
"Looks like Grandma and Grandpa are really getting into the Christmas spirit huh baby girl?" Emma spoke to her 2 month old. The baby smiled at her and giggled a little and that was the only response she'd ever get out of her. At least she wasn't crying…or you know, puking on her.
She had to bang really hard on the door to get her mother to open it, shaking the wreath in the process. Snow came running to open the door and beamed when she saw Amorie, who Emma was holding up.
"My my Amorie how Tall you've grown!" Snow joked.
"Thanks grandma!" Emma wiggled the baby around and spoke in a voice that was too high in pitch for a regular human, getting Amorie to giggle again as her grandmother took her in her arms. Snow gushed over her grand daughter as Emma shoved her cold hand into her pockets. "Is dad ready? We gotta go pick up that costume if we're gonna make the opening of the Christmas village tonight."
"I'm…" a loud hacking cough came from behind Snow before a downright awful looking David approached, wrapped in a scarf and a beanie.
"Woah." Emma said. "I thought you were going as Santa, not rudolph."
She was of course, referring to his bright red nose and Snow rolled her eyes at him.
"He's sick but he keeps insisting he's fine." Snow shrugged.
"Uhhh, hell no." Emma said. "Mom get Amorie away from him Regina will lose her goddamn mind if she gets a cold. You can't do Santa if you're sick."
"I can't let all the kids down." The former prince said, nasally because his nose was clogged.
"You know what you can't do? Get the entire child population of Storybrooke sick, that's what you can't do." Emma said. "Don't worry, I'll fix it, you stay home and rest."
"No one else will do it." David shrugged. "We asked everyone we could think of."
"Oh Emma…you could do it!" Snow suggested.
"Uhm, do I look, or hell, sound like I can ever be Santa Clause?" Emma asked. Snow shrugged.
"You can use magic to mask your voice, and hell you can use it to keep the beard attached to your face, make the kids really believe you're Santa." Snow said with a beaming grin.
"Oh sure, and I can summon a herd of reindeer and a sleigh and fly around on Christmas eve eating all the cookies and drinking all the milk until I puke." Emma rolled her eyes. "Mom, come on."
"Please! This Christmas village is the highlight of the entire year and it's just not the same without a Santa clause…"
David blew his nose, loudly, into a tissue.
"…or one that infects the entire town." Snow finished off, giving Emma her best puppy eyes. Emma sighed.
"Fine. I'll do it." Emma said. Snow grinned happily, but it was hard to not regret her decision when she was being laughed at by the White Fairy, the new 'mother superior' A.k.a head fairy ever since it was revealed that Blue was and undercover dark fairy…and that she also melted into ash when Emma and Regina when toe to toe with her. That had been a fun tale to tell.
"Oh Emma darling." The kind, gentle fairy said. "I do mean no offence I'm sorry it's just…well…Santa is a man."
Emma rolled her eyes. "Look this isn't a gender issue okay, you need someone to play Santa for the kids, I'll put myself in a white wig and beard, I can bind down my chest if you're that worried - The kids aren't gonna care about what's down Santa's pants…at least I hope not."
"I share that hope." White said bluntly. "Are you sure you don't want us to just ask someone else?"
"Who are you gonna ask, Spencer? He hates kids. Jefferson is downright crazy. My dad is sick." Emma shrugged.
"Leroy?" White asked.
"Over my dead body." A shout came from a lamp post where Leroy was helping put up strings of christmas lights.
"But it's for the children!" White called up.
"The same children who make fun of me for being shorter than they are?" Leroy asked. "If I'm santa, everyone's getting coal."
"They don't call him grumpy for nothing." Emma shrugged. "Come on, what's the big deal? No one's gonna care…And if they do well…they're problem."
"Oh…" White sighed. "Well I suppose it would be a treat, you are the savior after all, if anyone can bring joy and happiness, it's you."
"I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that and go pick up a Santa costume." Emma nodded. "See you tonight."
"Thank you Emma!" White called over as she walked away, waving to the blonde.
Emma thought it would be a funny joke to show up at home in her Santa costume, holding Amorie. The baby was giggling and grabbing at her fake beard.
"And what would you like for christmas little girl?" Emma said, her voice magically altered to sound like a man's. Big mistake.
"Put down my daughter you creep!" Regina shouted from behind her, getting Emma to spin suddenly and hold her hand out as the woman came up, brandishing a frying pan like a weapon.
"Woah woah Regina stop it's me!" she said, her voice changing back mid sentence, getting a weird look from Regina.
"E-…Emma?" she said in shock. "What the hell?"
"I'm covering as Santa for my dad cause he's sick." Emma said. "I was trying out the voice altering spell…why are you using a frying pan as a weapon, you have magic…Not that I'm complaining of course."
Regina looked down at the frying pan and shrugged. "Henry and I watched Tangled after lunch."
"Of course that's your explanation." Emma sighed. Regina blinked at her, looking her up and down and then burst out laughing. "What? What's so funny."
"You look ridiculous." Regina cackled. "Oh dear is this what you're going to look like when you get old?"
"I mean not all of us can look as good as you do at sixty." Emma teased. Regina stopped laughing and raised a brow at her, holding the frying pan out at Emma at chest level.
"You thank the gods you're holding my daughter right now missy." She said before walking away.
"Aww come on it was a joke." Emma called out and sighed, looking at Amorie to was sucking on her thumb. "Looks like Santa's in the dog house."
Amorie giggled. Of course she did.
"Hey babe tug my beard!" Emma said, coming into the room still wearing the costume, having only taken it off for the couple of hours between when she got it and the opening of the village which they needed to get to soon.
"I'd rather not." Regina laughed as she walked in, unable to restrain herself. "You looked ridiculous."
"Oh come on." Emma sighed. "I'm doing this because mom asked me to, something about how important this thing is to the town. I'm trying to make this as authentic as possible. Now tug on the beard so I can make sure the sticking spell worked."
"Glue would have sufficed." Regina pointed out, moving towards her and grabbing a fistful of fake bear in her hand, tugging down really hard.
"Ow." Emma hissed and then grinned. "Hey it worked."
"Yes, lovely dear, you have a beard…again." Regina teased. Emma rolled her eyes.
"You knock that off right now, or else you're going on the naughty list." She threatened.
"Oh?" Regina chuckled.
"Yes." Emma nodded, smirking under her fake beard. "Because you're being a very naughty girl."
"Hmm, and what are you going to do, Santa, punish me?" Regina teased, her voice dropping low and sultry. Emma raised a brow and leaned in closer to the brunette's face.
"I just might." She said. Regina chuckled and leaned in, ignoring the fake beard and kissing Emma softly. Emma sighed into it and wrapped her arms around Regina's waist…all of a sudden…
"Mom?" Henry gasped. Regina and Emma both jumped at his shocked tone and looked at him. "What the hell?"
"Henry I can explain." Regina said.
"Gross…are you cheating on ma? With…grandpa?" he looked horrified, and yes, Emma could understand why.
"Henry it's me." Emma said. Henry's face looked - if possible - even more horrified.
"MA?" he asked. "Why are you in Grandpa's costume?"
"Because it's Christmas?" Emma shrugged.
"And he's sick and your mother is filling in." Regina explained better.
"That too." Emma nodded.
"This family is so freaking weird." Henry said, going back upstairs with an exasperated sigh.
"Our son just caught mommy kissing Santa Clause." Regina sighed. It took Emma a second, but the she started cackling. "I don't think he finds it as amusing as you do."
"Oh come on that's hilarious." Emma chuckled. "You'll see, come Christmas day we'll be laughing about this."
"Whatever you say, Santa." Regina rolled her eyes.
"I do intend on keeping my promise, naughty girl." Emma teased.
"Stop being gross." Henry groaned, having returned with his shoes on. "Can we go now please?"
"On Dasher on Dancer." Emma joked. Henry groaned.
"This is gonna be a long Christmas." He sighed.