Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Once Upon a Time.
Twelve Days of Christmas
- By MegannRosemary
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me...
December 1:
Not even Regina Mills could be grumpy at Christmas.
The town was buried in soft snow that glowed with all the colours of the rainbow from the Christmas lights that nearly smothered the houses and shops. Garlands of pine boughs and red ribbons decorated fences and windows shone with candles. Storybrooke was buzzing with Christmas cheer and the loving warmth of the winter solstice,
If there was a time when the dark-haired woman wouldn't be able to resist the charms of a certain blonde Sherriff, it would be now.
It was now or never, Emma was going to win over the mayor, the mother of her child and the love of her life.
Emma knew she had to start small. That tiny, infuriating, amazing, sexy woman was skittish like a spring colt.
She pushed open the door of the diner, stomping her boots to remove the snow. Glancing around, she noticed little holly plants on each table and a bright red ribbon cheerfully wrapped around the bar.
She hopped up on a stool, "Hey Granny."
The older woman nodded, "Your usual?"
"Yeah thanks." She rubbed her hands together, the friction warming her, as she gathered her courage. She tried again, her voice cracking with nerves, "Hey Granny?"
The older woman looked up with slight exasperation. "What is it child?"
She thought quickly, not ready to share her plan with the general public yet. "I uh have to get some paperwork over to the mayor and I thought I might bring a peace offering in case I forgot to dot the Is or cross the Ts. You know... " She trailed off, finishing with a shrug. Today, she knew that her files were perfectly filled out, she wanted her gift to be a real gift, no strings attached.
Granny studied her before replying carefully, "The mayor loves a good mug of hot apple cider this time of year, coming right up."
"Awesome thanks."
A few minutes later and she was juggling two steaming mugs as she rushed down the street.
She made it to the doors at nine on the dot.
The only problem she had now was opening the door.
Emma glanced around helplessly. Shit, now she was going to be late.
She set her own cup in the ground and pulled open the door, only to kick it into the snow in her struggle. She could deal with half a cup of coffee as long as the precious cider was safe.
Emma strode confidently into Regina's office, one mug of cider safely in her hand, with the bonus of perfectly completed paperwork in the bag over her shoulder.
Regina sat in her desk chair, looking regal as ever, "You're late Miss Swan."
The blonde shook her head in denial and held out the cup. "A gift for you."
"What is it?" She eyed the mug carefully.
"You'll like it , I promise. Take a sip please." Averting her eyes then, she rummaged in her satchel for her files and plopped them unceremoniously onto her desk.
Regina let out a soft moan, licking her lips to catch a wayward drop of hot cider. "Thank you Emma," She murmured huskily.
Emma's breath caught in her throat, her heart beating wildly and her palms sweating.
She wasn't supposed to do that.
That was hot.
It made her want to do things that neither of them were ready for.
It made starting small very difficult, she wanted to get right to the good part.
Emma avoided her gaze as she sat down, knowing her eyes were filled with traitorous desire. She took a slow sip her own tepid half-full cup of coffee to regain her composure and refocus on the plan.
Regina cleared her throat, "I don't believe that was an invitation to make yourself comfortable. " She took another careful sip, "Thank you for the cider Sheriff, you may go now."
"It's cold out," Emma pouted, "At least let me finish my coffee and warm up."
"It's half a block dear."
The blonde stuck her lower lip out even further.
"I see where Henry gets that from," The brunette rolled her eyes.
Emma grinned, pout forgotten, "And we're both irresistible."
She hummed noncommittally, lips pursed as she let her gaze travel over the other woman. She took her time looking, but her eyes didn't betray a single thought that she may or may not have been having. "You may finish your coffee and then you will go."
"Thanks!" Emma settled in again, watching as the mayor took another sip of her cider and sighed with pleasure. "So what other kind of things do you like for the holiday season?"
"You staying here wasn't an invitation to speak Miss Swan."
"C'mon that's awkward, " The pout was back. "Tell me, or is it too embarrassing?" She picked her words carefully, knowing that the beautiful brunette never turned down a challenge.
With a cautious glare, Regina replied, "I am partial to anything candy cane flavored and I'm make excellent sugar cookies. Eggnog and gingerbread are far too strange and much to commercialized in this land."
Emma was on the edge of her seat with excitement, "What about fruit cake? Please tell me that you don't like fruit cake."
Her lips quirked in disgust, "It's vile, if I was queen in this land I would outlaw it."
Emma sighed dramatically, " I'm glad you said that otherwise this would never work, you really are the perfect woman."
"What would never work?" Regina eyed her suspiciously, eyes twinkling with something that looked a lot like hope.
Emma gulped the last of her coffee and stood up quickly, "Have a good day, Regina. I'll see you."
"But...Good day Sheriff."
She waved saucily over her shoulder, turning precisely to give her curls an extra bounce as she let the door swing shut behind her.
She practically skipped down the street, day one was a success.
She hadn't thrown the drink in her face and she hadn't thrown her out.
In fact, she'd opened up.
A few tiny, seemingly insignificant details were all the world to Emma.
This would work.
XxX
Every day for the rest of the week, Emma would show up precisely at nine to bring her a hot apple cider.
One such occasion, Emma would remember it fondly, Regina leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs in such a way that Emma couldn't help but stop and stare. "You know miss swan I could penalize you for being late every day this week."
"Who is to say that I'm not working right now?" Emma grinned confidently, "I'm making sure that the mayor is safe, warm and happy, it's the most important job in the city."
"What makes you think I'm happy?" She asked sternly, even as her lips turned up in a soft smile.
"You do." Emma took a sip of her coffee, the cup hot and not half full. There had been no more unfortunate accidents the rest of the week.
The brunette raised her perfectly sculpted eyebrows questioningly.
"You're smiling," The Sheriff explained.
"I'm not." With her words, she carefully schooled her features.
"You are," The blonde cocked her head to study the dark haired woman, and added, "With your eyes."
Regina did smile then, from head to toe.
The hadn't said a word for several minutes, softly staring and quietly smiling as they finished their drinks.
Emma was pleased at how her first gift had turned out, how the other woman hadn't been able to resist her clumsy charms.
They were ready, she thought.
Regina and Emma.
The beginning.
Now and for forever.
A/N: These are probably going to be short little fun chapters - nothing intense for the characters or for my writing machine. Thank you for reading :)