Just a little family fic for you all :) Hope you're having/had a lovely Christmas. Please let me know what you think :) xxxxx
It was Christmas Eve. Mary Margaret and Emma were sat on the sofa, each with a mug of hot chocolate with cinnamon, watching a re-run of some cheesy Christmas film that they had both seen countless times before. It was the first Christmas Emma had spent in Storybrooke and, as much as she'd never admit it, she was excited to be able to spend it with her best friend.
Over the few moths that Emma had been living with Mary Margaret, the pair had grown very close to one another. So close, in fact, that they were practically family. Emma thought back to what Henry had said about her roommate being her mother, Snow White, and found herself secretly wishing that it were true. Mary Margaret seemed to care more about Emma than anyone ever had; a fact that confused the young blonde woman. Why was she so nice to me when she barely knows me? Emma wondered. Mary Margaret, however, was just thrilled to have someone to look after and be a mother too. Looking after Emma, even though she was 28 and fully able to take care of herself (although her cooking skills did leave something to be desired), seemed to partially fill the void within her which, before, she felt could only be filled by a child.
Both women were by now barely watching the film in front of them, each lost in their own thoughts of friends, family and how different this holiday season would be.
Once the film had finished, Mary Margaret offered to wash up Emma's empty mug while the other woman took a shower. Half an hour later, Emma came downstairs in an oversized hoodie and leggings, her hair still up in the towel, drying. She sat back down next to her roommate, who was currently flicking aimlessly though the channels on her TV, and pulled her legs up under her body.
"Mary Margaret?" The blonde woman asked. She made a noise to let Emma know that she had heard her, signalling for the blonde to carry on. "What do you usually do for Christmas?"
The young brunette thought for a moment. She knew what Emma was talking about. The teacher had no family to speak of, much like herself, and lived alone, also like herself.
"I guess I've just spent it on my own most years. I used to have Christmas dinner with Granny and Ruby, but that stopped for some reason a few years ago. For as long as I remember, I've just stayed here. I get all the excitement out of my system on the last week of school with the kids. They love it." Mary Margaret smiled. "Why do you ask?"
"I've just been thinking about my past Christmases. They haven't exactly been… special."
"How do you mean?"
"Well for the past 9 years I've been on my own." She started, silently adding that most of those Christmases she'd spent drowning her sorrows in alcohol. "The year before that I was in prison and before that I was with foster families who didn't give a shit about me." Emma sighed.
"Oh, Emma!"
Mary Margaret's heart broke slightly at this. She knew that her friend had been through a lot but there was something different about the thought of her spending the entire holiday season alone when she should have been able to celebrate it with friends and family. With that thought, the young teacher decided that from now on both of their Christmases would be different, happy and filled with people they love.
"You don't deserve to spend the holidays alone. Neither of us do. I promise tomorrow we will have the best Christmas ever." She smiled.
"As long as you don't wake me up at some ridiculously early hour to open presents." The blonde woman giggled.
"But where's the fun in that?" Mary Margaret asked. Emma just glared at her. "Stop being such a Scrooge!"
"Stop acting like a six year old!" Emma retorted. "You're worse than Henry." She teased.
"But Emma, it's Christmas. And for once the two of us are going to enjoy it." The brunette smiled.
"It's just a shame Regina won't let me have Henry."
Mary Margaret looked at her roommate's sad eyes and couldn't help but feel sorry for the woman. It was unfair of Regina to not let Henry see Emma on Christmas Day.
"Knowing him, he'll find a way to see you. He's done it before, too many times for me to count. And I know he wants to be with you as much as you want to be with him."
"I guess so. She'll blame me for it though. You know she'd got it in for me."
"She doesn't like anyone." Mary Margaret stated. "Don't let her get to you." She said as she placed her hand gently on top of Emma's. She knew that the young woman was taking the whole situation with Henry and Regina hard and wanted to comfort her, but at the same time didn't want to take things too far and make the stubborn blonde uncomfortable.
At that moment, the clock on the fireplace started to chime, signalling the arrival of midnight and, hence, Christmas Day.
"Happy Christmas, Emma!" Mary Margaret exclaimed, previous boundaries forgotten as she threw her arms around her shocked roommate and pulled her into a hug.
Emma giggled, silently thankful for something to distract her from thought of her son's evil mother. She decided to indulge Mary Margaret and relaxed into her hug, wishing her a merry Christmas and smiling as she did so.
The two friends broke apart when they heard the faint noise of Emma's walkie talkie ringing from in her bedroom. The blonde woman rushed up the stairs, knowing that only one person would be on the other end of the device.
"Henry." She greeted him, a smile already beginning to form on her face.
"Happy Christmas, Mom!" The young boy replied.
A couple of tears began to form in Emma's eyes. Henry had just called her 'mom' for the first time. She was so shocked that she almost forgot to reply.
"Happy Christmas, Kid." Emma said into the walkie talkie. "I love you."
"I love you too." Henry said.
Emma did nothing to hide her huge smile and the happy tears falling down her face. She was with her family this Christmas and for the first time ever she knew that she was going to enjoy the holiday as she was finally able to spend it with the people she loved. Maybe this Christmas won't be so bad after all, she thought.
"Happy Christmas, Emma." She whispered to herself, and for the first time she knew that it would be.