Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or these characters, etc.

A/N: I was hoping to finish the story by Christmas Day, but I started writing it a little too late. It will get happier and shouldn't be more than a couple of chapters long. Chapter 2 is almost complete, hopefully will get to post it tomorrow.

During the curse Regina never had to bother with the peephole on the door. Now though, she was grateful for the small circle of glass on the door. It gave her a chance to prepare herself to face whoever waited on the doorstep. Usually that meant putting on the face of the Queen. Today, Henry was the one who had knocked. He still had his key, even though he had lived with Emma since the curse broke. Regina wasn't sure if he just wanted to give her some privacy or no longer thought of this as his home. She spent a moment longer looking out at him, before sighing and reaching for the door handle. Her other hand went behind her back, fingers splayed as she used her magic to fill the hall with Christmas decorations.

It was that time of the year again. She had celebrated winter differently in the Enchanted Forest, but here, with Henry, for Henry, she had always provided the full Christmas festive spirit. She didn't want him to think anything had changed.

"Hello Henry." She greeted him with a smile, keeping her hand on the door when she saw Emma was there too.

"I brought you a present." He held out a large square-shaped box wrapped with bright Christmas paper and a red ribbon.

Her hand slipped from the door as she stared at him in shock. She hadn't seen him for days. She looked back towards Emma, as if questioning her opinion of the present.

Emma shrugged. "He brought it himself and wanted to bring it over. It's Christmas."

Regina stepped towards Henry and lifted the precious gift from his hands. "Thank you."

She allowed the door to open slightly, so that they could see the decorations. See that she hadn't forgotten how to celebrate the season, that she was living her life well enough without Henry.

"Don't forget to put it under the tree." He told her.

"Time to get to school kid." Emma put a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay." Henry smiled up at Regina. "Are you coming to watch the Christmas play? I've got a speaking role this year, not just part of the scenery."

"I…" don't think anyone would want me there.

Regina couldn't finish the sentence. Emma looked like she understood why.

"I think they've sold all the tickets, but I can ask them if you want?" Emma offered.

It was a way out without hurting Henry's feelings. Regina took it, nodding at Emma.

"Thank you."

Emma looked at her watch, checking the time. "Henry, school."

"See you." Henry waved as they turned to leave.

Regina stepped back into the house. As soon as the door was closed she pulled the present tight into her chest and leant against the door. She refused to cry, letting her feelings out on the decorations instead, and removing them from her sight.

When Henry was little she would hire someone to decorate the house for Christmas. Between work and being a single parent, in such a large house, she didn't have enough time to spend doing it all herself. She would decorate the tree with Henry and put up a few special little pieces, things he had made for her. That was some of the best quality time they had spent together. Even in the last few years, Christmas time was one where he allowed himself to be happy in her company. She would allow him a chocolate advent calendar as a special treat and they would hang one candy cane on the tree for him to eat on Christmas day. He would get so excited in those early years, wanting to know exactly how much longer before Santa Claus would be visiting. She always had to check that he wasn't trying to wait up, reading with a torch under his blankets.

Regina walked into the living room and placed the present on top of the fireplace. Henry had told her to put it under the tree, but she couldn't face having all those decorations in the house. They were just a reminder of the things she no longer had. But Henry…

With a wave of her hand, Regina brought a small sapling into the room. It was an apple tree, one she had begun growing so that she would have something to look after, something to watch grow. It was only just a little taller than the present and there were no leaves on the branches yet, but that was okay. It was still a tree.

Emma watched until Henry's school bus pulled away. She had waited to make sure he stayed on it. He was becoming too much like her, and she had found more than one way to skip school in her time. Part of her wanted to go to Regina and ask what she was supposed to do. Being a parent was so hard and she knew that before she had come into his life Henry had been a much better student. Perhaps she needed to sit with him while he did his homework. Even if she didn't understand it, she could at least make sure he attempted it. It wasn't fair to expect her parents to help out all the time. She knew Mary Margaret was struggling to stop herself from telling her what to do.

It was going to be her first Christmas with Henry. And her first Christmas with her parents. Never in twenty eight years had she imagined this. She still hadn't started buying presents for them.

Emma stepped off the kerb and headed towards the diner. She was meeting Ruby there and they were going shopping. Hopefully Ruby would know what she could buy her parents for Christmas. She had known them in both worlds and if anyone had a chance of getting it right, Ruby was the most logical choice.

"Hey!" Ruby stood outside the diner waiting for her, waving as she walked over. "I just have to drop this at the B&B then we can head off."

"Great, my bugs just around the corner."

They began walking down the road, Ruby telling her about the drama of trying to put up the Christmas decorations at the diner. How Granny still wanted everything just perfect and was making her climb up onto the chairs to hang things from the ceiling.

"I told her we should pay someone to hang the things, it's a safety hazard and there I am wearing high heels…not that I can't balance on a chair in them but she moans about the safety hazard of…"

Emma wasn't really listening.

"…but I guess hanging the decorations is just part of Christmas. It's only once a year. Unlike her ordering me around for everything else."

"I think Mary Margaret's waiting for David to finish work before they start at home."

Ruby gave her an odd look.

"What?"

"Are you sure she's not waiting for you and Henry to get home too? She'll probably want to decorate with you as a family, now you're all back together."

"Oh, sure Henry and I will be there, but…"

"Emma, she's your mother and she's going to want to make up for all that lost time. Even little things like putting up the decorations together is going to be important to her."

"I don't see why. Even Henry's too old to believe in Santa. Christmas is just one day where people give each other presents and sure you have a nice time, and a big roast dinner, but…"

"Woah!" Ruby paused on the B&B doorstep, turning to look back at Emma. "Christmas isn't just presents and food. It's not really about the religious side anymore either. It's about a feeling which everyone and anyone can have…"

"I know. I'm just saying…"

"Emma, it's about being happy and helping others to be happy. It's about remembering the wonder of when you were young and believed in Santa and magic. It's wanting to spend time with your family because you know they love you and building more happy memories with them. In this world, there seems to be so many times when bad things happen, but at Christmas you can shut them away and focus of something else. Everything is closed so there's no temptation to hide from your problems by going out and hiding amongst strangers. Even in our world bad things happened, but Christmas is a chance to have one more day to help you fight against the dark ones. Christmas is…"

"I get it Ruby, I get it!" Emma held her hands up in surrender. "It's just that, I never really had that. The foster homes I was in didn't bother to hide the truth about Santa and then when I was old enough to live on my own I spent every Christmas working or alone. I'd try celebrating with friends, when I made them, but I always felt… different. I never found that joy they did on Christmas Day, or even leading up to it."

Ruby walked back down the steps and sat down, taking Emma's hand and pulling her to sit next to her. "Then go home today and help your parents decorate for Christmas. Find things to do with Henry, Christmassy things like baking little shaped cookies and see what they like to do for the holiday season. I promise, eventually you'll find that joy and you'll see what you've been missing."

Ruby reached out and wiped a tear from the corner of Emma's eye. "It's going to be okay."

Emma let out a little sigh and wiped her other eye free from the other tear. "Thanks. I'm just being silly."

"It's not silly to want Christmas. Now, are you still up for going shopping?"

"Yes." Emma was determined, and she needed Ruby's help.

"Good." Ruby stood and held out a hand to help Emma up. "Because you'll find my werewolf strength with come in extra handy helping to carry all those heavy presents."

Emma just laughed.