There were nights, while chasing sleep, that Regina would lay awake for hours simply thinking, replaying events over and over in her head. The night that followed her gift wrapping experience with Emma was one of those nights. The happy thoughts of that evening didn't make sleep come any easier for Regina, in fact they seemed to make things worse. She knew there were far worse fates than being kept awake by happy memories, but the continual tossing and turning was frustrating regardless. This close to Christmas, her mansion was fully decked with the sights and smells of the holidays. There were constant lingering smells of baked goods floating around the first floor. The subtle but ever present smell of freshly fallen snow that made itself known with every opening of the front door. And of course the group of misfits she now reluctantly called her family brought along their own set of smells and perfumes. It was as though just a hint of one of these smells could bring back all of the other memories while she laid in bed. As much as touch had always invoked troubled memories for Regina, smell had typically brought forth relatively happy ones.
Unlike some of her childhood memories, those involving scents seemed to be some of the brightest. As a small child she would often sneak out at night to experience some of her favorite smells. The faint aroma while walking through a field of blooming flowers. The unpleasant surprise, followed by a sneeze that was the result of sniffing a particularly pollenated bud. There was the fresh, crisp smell of the night air as she was riding her horse. Then there was her horse itself. Much like a close family member, the smell of her prized horse was one that she would never forget. Even the unpleasant smells that accompanied her pet were associated with happy memories. Later in her life, she was able to once again experience this odd affinity for likely offensive smells. Having Henry brought many gross, yet all too familiar smells back into her life. Of course there were the much more pleasant smells that accompanied having a child. There were also the new ones. Regina had never smelled such weird concoctions. Specifically the smell of playdough was both intriguing and disturbing all at the same time. But now many years later, there were many more people in her life who had a part in bringing new memories to life.
Perfume and cologne are not the only influence on what a person might smell like on any given day. Body chemistry plays its part and on occasion it can mix with someones chosen fragrance to create a unique scent. There are other choices like shampoo and deodorant that give off smells but aren't what most people prefer. With her new addition, Snow frequently smelled of baby powder and a hint of floral perfume. Charming seemed to want to project his "perfect" image of masculinity. The musky smell of the outdoors seemed to enter the room minutes before it's owner did. Her son had his own unique scent. He was old enough to desperately need deodorant, but subtle enough to not go overboard. He was not yet involved enough with young girls to beg for cologne. His age was in between wanting to rough house with friends, but not wanting to ruin the expensive clothes he requested Regina buy him. This meant less offensive mud smells and an increase in the soft scent of laundry detergent. Yes, Henry came to her mind when she smelled a whole array of fragrances but no one flooded her mind more often lately than one blonde Sheriff.
Emma herself was like a breath of fresh air for Regina. She often smelled of food. Bearclaws, coffee, and french toast were frequent offenders in the morning. During her almost daily stops into Regina's office at lunch time, she often smelled of sweat while she ranted about the latest embarrassing task she was forced to perform. The occasional scent of leather from her jacket could be picked out as her arms flailed wildly during her story telling. In the evenings, if Regina was lucky enough to see her, Emma would often come over straight out of the shower. She would smell clean and just a little soapy. She didn't seem to use any product with an overwhelming fragrance and that was possibly Regina's favorite fact. For the smell she most commonly remembered about Emma was 100% her own. It wasn't manufactured. It wasn't a remanent of the hot coco with cinnamon she would often request. It wasn't an attempt to impress anyone, male or female. It was uniquely Emma. Regina was without a doubt confident that even blindfolded she would be able to identify that smell.
It was a night a few weeks prior that introduced a new scent that Regina would begin to associate with her son's other mother. One of Henry's main holiday wishes was that the three of them spent as much time together as possible. This included going to pick out a Christmas tree. It was something that they did every year, yet this time would be different. Emma had never picked out a real tree. She had been lucky enough to have a small table top sized fake tree a few years while she lived in New York alone. There were the trees that some of the houses she had stayed at would put up, but those never felt like her own. This year was going to be different for all of them. They were bundled up and an hour into their search when Regina realized that Emma had wandered away from them. After a few minutes of searching, they found the blonde. That is another memory that Regina will never forget. There, in the middle of a Christmas tree farm with snow falling around her and the smell of pine hanging in the air, was Emma Swan staring up in wonder at the perfect Christmas tree. The smile on her face continued from the moment she agreed to purchase that specific tree to the evening they had finished decorating it. The exuberant smile had returned every other time Emma crossed paths with the pine since that day.
It was in that moment, laying in bed, that Regina knew that she would forever associate the smell of fresh pine with the bright and beautiful smile of Emma Swan. It was a scent that many people disliked and very few preferred, but to her it had become sacred. Because just like with her son, if there was ever any way that she could be the reason behind a smile that wonderful, she would make it happen as often as possible.