It was the alcohol that was making Emma do it, she decided, totally the alcohol. Of course it wasn't Regina in her revealing pant suit that fit in just the right places and made Emma- nope, it was just the alcohol. Taking a swig to instil her with courage, Emma deftly flicked her wrist, causing the Mistletoe that was currently hanging above the door at Granny's to unnoticeably move above the jukebox where Regina was standing. Once in place, Emma politely left the conversation she'd inadvertently gotten involved in with the dwarves, although whatever the topic was she was unsure as Regina had entered just as Grumpy had started a heated debate on the best type of axe handle, and well, it's safe to say the rest of the conversation was not the priority in Emma's mind.
Just as she was having one last drink for courage, Emma almost choked when she realised that somehow the Mistletoe had moved. Confusion drawn across her face, she quickly scanned the diner, eyes suspiciously raking over the dancing figures that were enjoying the music Red was playing for the party. Unable to find the culprit-or the mistletoe- in the crowd, Emma turned to the counter, seeing only Snow and Charming cradling Neal and laughing at some joke with Granny. That is until she spotted it, hung directly above her parents, taunting her as she stared in both annoyance and disbelief. Noticing her stare, Snow followed her eye line and, upon seeing the mistletoe, giggled before pulling her husband down into a prolonged and dramatic kiss.
"Nice spot, Emma," Snow called with a exaggerated wink, the red tinge in her cheeks and the ridiculous gestures revealing her inebriated state. With a playful roll of her eyes, Emma approached the counter, the mistletoe conspiracy forgotten about momentarily.
"Ignore your mother," Charming joked as he pulled Emma into a one-armed bear hug, careful not to wake the sleeping baby he was holding. Beside them, Mary Margaret had started doing the robot with an equally drunk Belle, which was rather impressive to Emma considering the song currently playing was White Christmas. Occasionally Mary Margaret would screech "Snow," before the chorus and point at herself, causing Belle to howl with laughter and Emma and Charming to exchange equally amused glances.
"Are they okay?" a chuckling voice asked Emma, her smile turning to a huge grin as she realised the source of the question was Henry. While he had arrived with Regina, Emma hadn't had a chance to speak to him as he had immediately approached Grace, leaving her stuck in the dwarves' heated discussion.
"Hey kid, and we think so." Emma responded with a small laugh.
"You're girlfriend gone?" Emma asked with a playful shoulder bump, Henry's protests of "Ew," only increasing the hilarity. "Where's your Mom?" she added as casually as she could, trying to keep the hope out of her voice.
"Behind you Miss Swan," Regina's voice replied, the smooth tone leaving Emma dazed.
"I'm glad Storybrook is being protected by such a vigilant Sheriff," Regina sarcastically added, although it was more teasing than critical, and God did Emma love being called Sheriff, and Regina looked so much more beautiful up close and was that a new shade of lipstick and-
"Miss Swan, please do try and pretend you're listening," Regina said with an exasperated huff, only then Emma realising that she had completely missed the conversation Regina had started, too busy being entranced by her presence.
"Sorry," she mumbled in a defeated response, her eyes flicking up to avoid meeting Regina's questioning gaze, instead seeing the Mistletoe hanging above her. A small smirk now on her face, she triumphantly moved to indicate the scenario to Regina, only to discover her now being pulled away to dance by an insistent Snow, her indignant shout being cut off by the blasting music of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday.
"Evening Swan," an accented voice -clearly a tipsy Killian- greeted her, making Emma take her eyes off the now (albeit reluctantly) swaying Regina. "You know lass, I couldn't help but notice you were standing under some mistletoe, and well, it would be rude to leave a lady alone is such a position." Waggling his eyebrows, he pointed upwards with a cheeky grin, Emma looking up with resigned acceptance.
"Killian, I think that rum's gone to your head," she laughed, indicating the blank ceiling above her.
"What the bloody hell..."
"Maybe you should ask Granny for some water," Emma joked, managing to hide her deepening confusion at the bizarreness of the situation, while simultaneously managing to get Hook to stagger away to talk with Granny.
By this point Emma was seriously annoyed (not that she wasn't grateful she didn't have to kiss Killian as she wasn't going back there again, but not the point) who is this person determined to stop her love life? Obviously they had magic, but knowing this town it could be anyone. Determined to best this mysterious mistletoe mover, Emma once again located it- this time above a mortified Mulan and surprisingly pleased Aurora- and after their quick kiss, moved it so it was somewhere she was sure it wouldn't be found: outside, above the entrance, in the freezing cold snow.
Satisfied it would not be moved, Emma took a deep breath and approached Regina, who by now was swaying with Henry to It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas. A content smile graced her usually stern features, and Emma, deciding to not be selfish and let Regina enjoy the night, was just about to turn around when Henry spotted her. Soundlessly, he pulled her towards him, sidestepping to make room for her in the new three-way embrace. Regina locked eyes with her as she stepped into the circle, Emma's apologetic look being met with a small shake of the head and a smile which indicated her intrusion was welcome.
The three stayed that way for two songs, only moving out of the circle so they could jump around to a third, more upbeat song, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree. While Regina did not dance as animatedly- "I am not a child Miss Swan," she had explained with a pointed glance at Henry who was in the middle of doing the sprinkler- Emma still couldn't get rid of the genuine smile that had taken over her face since she'd stepped into the familiar bubble Henry and Regina created. At the last note, Henry bowed at the round of applause that Snow and Charming had given him in response to his dancing, excusing himself to go and talk to his grandparents.
This left Regina and Emma, the former glancing around the room in search of something, Emma guessing the clock as it was getting quite late; while the latter anxiously noted that now it was just her and Regina on the dance floor, and the song had suspiciously changed to a slow rendition of Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas that she was sure Ruby had done purposefully. Her thoughts were confirmed as Regina stumbled forward-literally into her arms- as Ruby "accidentally," knocked into her, winking over Regina's shoulder to Emma as the blonde looked at her with a glare even the Evil Queen would envy.
"Are you okay?" Emma asked, concern lacing her words as she helped Regina gain her balance.
"Quite fine, thank you, not because of your idiotic friend," she added, throwing daggers at the waitress who was now flirting with an unsuspecting Mulan.
Ignoring the comment, which Emma had to admit she agreed with at this moment in time, she instead attempted to start her plan into action.
"So, erm, I was thinking, maybe we could-"
"Emma! Regina!" Snow interrupted, much to Emma's chagrin, "What a good night, and who knew you could dance," she complimented a blushing Regina, "We should totally go dancing sometime! What about tomorrow, actually I'm teaching tomorrow but Tuesday could work, or even Wednesday, or what about-" her string of comments cut off by an apologetic David, who, after reassuring Snow he would take her dancing, asked Regina if Henry could stay with them for the night, the request being accompanied by an eager nod from Henry.
"How can I expect you to look after my son when she," Regina gestured to Mary Margaret, who was currently sitting on the floor humming to herself "can barely stand?! I'm sorry but it's a no."
"Come on Regina it's Christmas, and Henry will be perfectly safe with Charming and Snow," Emma pleaded, placing her hand comfortingly on Regina's arm, the touch sending a tangible spark of electricity up Emma's arm.
"If anything happens-which it won't- you can blame me," she suggested.
"Fine, but if anything happens..."Regina finally agreed, her stern features melting into a soft smile as Henry rushed forward and hugged her at the approval.
"Thank you," Emma smiled as her parents led Henry out into the snow after saying their goodbyes, "I know you probably want Henry at home this close to Christmas. And as I said, anything happens, totally my fault."
"That is my usual opinion," Regina responded with her usual smirk, "And I suppose it'll be nice to have the house to myself for once." Emma nodded at this, ignoring the lie she knew lay behind those words. The ringing of the bell notified the women that the majority of the residents were leaving, and, not wanting to stay and clean up, they said their goodbyes and headed outside. The biting wind stung Emma's cheeks, making her bury her face in her woollen scarf and turn to ask Regina-who had worn only her usual gloves and coat as winter gear- if she was ok, when she noticed the mistletoe that she had put outside the diner at the start of the night. At the realisation that she and Regina were directly under it, Emma felt her legs turn to jelly and her mouth go dry, unable to come up with a witty remark to indicate to Regina their situation. The hope Emma had harboured was slowly beginning to evaporate as she lost the courage to fulfil the last part of her plan, when suddenly she was filled with bold resolve, and she pulled Regina to her, lips meeting her own before she could tell herself she was making a mistake. Regina's lips were warm against her own, and Emma felt herself become lost in the intoxicating taste of apple cider that still lingered from Regina's last drink. The force of the manoeuvre cut the kiss short however, as they kissed only for a second before Emma slipped and landed in a snow bank, Regina landing on top of her with a startled cry. Both mortified at the fall and disappointed at the brevity of the kiss (although elated she had finally kissed Regina, and wow had it been worth the effort) Emma moved to untangle herself from Regina, only to be pulled back into a longer, more passionate kiss. Breaking apart only when they needed breath, Emma removed her hands from where they had been grasping Regina's neck and hair, and instead intertwined her fingers with Regina's, the heat of her touch felt even between both sets of gloves.
"About time," Regina laughed blissfully, "Although the pulling me into the snow was a bit much," she quipped.
"Sorry," Emma replied with an equally joyful laugh "And what do you mean about time, I've been trying to kiss you all night!"
"As have I dear, do you really think that Mistletoe was moving itself, although how it got out here I'll never know."
"That was you?! I was trying to move it so I could kiss you," Emma said in disbelief, "I was trying to work out who was doing it all night."
"And you call yourself a Sheriff, Miss Swan," Regina joked, "Though I have to admit I was wondering who the culprit was myself."
"Well I guess you've caught me," Emma said, inching herself closer to Regina, "Now what are you going to do with me?" She added with a wink, the insinuation causing Regina to flush lightly.
"I guess you'll have to wait and see Miss Swan," she replied, emphasising her name in a way which made Emma inexplicably aroused. "How about you come over, Henry is away after all, and it's very cold, I have just the thing to warm you up..."
"And what would that be Madam Mayor," Emma teased,
"Warm apple cider of course," Regina innocently responded, although her coy smile and Emma's superpower showed that she was lying. Eagerly agreeing, the two women began the walk back to Regina's house hand in hand, not seeing the gleeful Ruby who was sneakily watching the exchange from the diner window while playing All I Want For Christmas Is You so loudly that the two could dance from across the street in the snow to it, for once not caring that others could see them, as all they could see was each other.