Henry woke early the next morning, full of the childhood excitement that only Christmas could bring. He practically bounced out of bed, tearing towards his mother's bedroom. Yanking open the door, he stopped in his tracks at the sight that greeted him. His adoptive mom, clad in her red silk Christmas pajamas, was curled around his birth mom, her head resting on blonde curls.

He smiled at the sight, thinking this just might be the best Christmas ever. Taking a running start, he threw himself onto the bed, startling both of his mothers awake. "Merry Christmas!"

"Can't it be Christmas later?" groaned Emma, burying her face in Regina's hair.

Regina chuckled, knowing far too well just how excited Henry got on Christmas day. "Welcome to Christmas with a kid," she said, pushing herself up to smile at her son. "Merry Christmas, darling. Why don't you go downstairs and start opening your stocking while I drag your mother out of bed."

Henry, however, didn't budge. "Are you two together now?"

At this, Emma forced her eyes open once more, leaning up on her elbows to look between Regina and her son. "Would you like us to be?"

"Are you kidding?" he grinned. "We can all be a real family!"

The former Queen turned to the blonde next to her, a shy smile on her lips. "Well?"

Grinning, in a mirror image to her son, Emma leant in to press a gentle kiss to Regina's lips. She chuckled as she heard Henry loudly voice his objection. "Sorry kid, but you want me and your mom together, you're gonna have to get used to it."

He silently glared at her for a few moments, looking as much like Regina as he had her only a few moments before. "As long as you don't get as bad as Grams and Gramps."

Regina chuckled. "I think that's a promise I can make. Now why don't you go down and check that Santa has been, and then perhaps turn on the coffee machine to help tempt Emma out of bed?"

Henry threw himself at both of his mothers', hugging them tight. "This is already the best Christmas ever!" He pulled back. "This means you won't be fighting anymore!"

The former Queen looked between and the woman who held her heart, eyebrow raised. "Henry, darling, you have met your mother and I, haven't you? I'm afraid not arguing isn't something either of can promise, but we can say there will certainly be a lot less of it."

"Yeah, and even if she does start arguing, I can just kiss her to shut her up now!" smirked Emma.

Henry rolled his eyes, extracting himself from between his mothers'. "I'll go start the coffee machine."

"You seem very keen on informing him that you'll be kissing me often," noted Regina, once Henry was clear of the room.

Emma only smiled. "He knows now, so I don't have to stop myself anymore. And you have no idea how many times I've had to do that."

The older woman found herself blushing fiercely, a shy smile on her lips. "Really?"

Shaking her head, the blonde leant in with a chuckle. "I lost count after the first few days. You're a drug, Miss Mills, and I hate to tell you, but I'm rather addicted." She leant in the rest of the way, peppering Regina's face with kisses as the brunette giggled.

Outside the bedroom door, Henry paused on hearing his adoptive mother's laughter. It had been a long time since she had laughed like that, and he was glad to hear it once more. Even more so given that Emma was the cause.

"You spoil him," said Emma, from where she was curled up next to Regina as they continued watched Henry tear into his gifts, only pausing if he picked one up that the older woman would inform him was Emma's. Much to the blonde's surprise, this had resulted in quite a considerable number of gifts being passed in her direction. So far she had unwrapped a new jacket of supple real red leather, a new hat and scarf set, (one which Regina said would look far less absurd than her current favourite which sported a huge pom pom on top), a framed picture of the three of them taken on the day that Emma had convinced them to let her take them out of Storybrooke for the day, and a number of other small, thoughtful gifts.

"He never asks for much," she said with a small smile. "And every year I find I just can't help myself."

"You've spoiled me too," added the blonde. "And spent a fortune."

"Please don't put a price on everything dear," said Regina, pleading with her eyes. "There's no price that can be put on what you've brought to my life, this is only a small token to show how much you mean."

"I'm thinking you should have bought me a dictionary, or some of those elocution classes, so I can learn to be as good with words as you are."

The former Queen chuckled. "No, darling. Never. That would imply I wanted you to change, and as absurd as it seems, I happen to love you just the way you are."

Any reply Emma had been intending to make was interrupted by a bright flash. She turned to find Henry behind his new camera, grinning at both of them. "What? Mom always takes pictures on Christmas day, but we have hundreds of me, so it's time we have some of you."

Regina smiled at her son. "I quite agree, Henry. I think our first family Christmas is definitely something to be remembered."

Emma couldn't help but smile at the expression on their faces, but the thought of her parents' reaction was impossible to shift from her mind. "Will you at least open one of your presents now," she asked Regina, effectively turning attention away from herself.

"Yeah!" said Henry. "I wanna see too! She wouldn't tell me what she was getting you!"

Regina looked down at the dream catcher in her hands, trying to blink back tears. It had been handmade by the blonde, who she was quite sure was completely unaware of the magic she had also put into it. She wasn't however, and was able to feel the soothing sensation the blonde's magic often brought her. Removing the picture that hung above her bed, she instead hung up the cream catcher, smiling at the new addition to her décor. The dream catcher itself had been woven with purple and gold threads, with small charms laced through it, each meaning something different about them and their relationship.

She couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift, really. It was made all the more special by the story behind it. It had been just after they returned from Neverland. Regina had called Emma one night, unable to stop herself in her panic. She had had a nightmare about losing Emma in Neverland, and in her state, had been unable to settle until she heard the blonde's voice to reassure her she was, in fact, okay. She had admitted that night, that the nights Emma didn't share her bed, she would have nightmares. The blonde, ever the Saviour, had taken it upon herself to sneak out of the apartment she shared with her parent's almost every night so as Regina could fall asleep in her arms. On the nights she couldn't sneak out, or when she was kept busy at the station, she would always call, saying she was her human dream catcher.

"Sorry it wasn't anything more."

Regina jumped, not having heard Emma appear in the doorway of her bedroom. "Don't you dare apologise," said the older woman, turning to the blonde. "I love it. It's perfect." She smiled as the blonde came to wrap her arms around her waist. She herself fingered the pendant around her neck. A single silver feather. A swan's feather, Emma had said. "And this, I'm never taking off."

"I know it's not all fancy like you like-" Emma found herself cut off by a kiss.

"If I just liked all fancy, how do you explain my fondness for you?" smirked the brunette.

"Best I've come up with so far is you hit your head in Neverland and still haven't recovered," replied Emma, without missing a beat.

"In that case, I'm rather hoping I never recover," said Regina, her voice soft. "Are you still sure you want me to come today?"

Emma pulled Regina more firmly against her. "I want to spend Christmas with my family, and to me you are a huge part of that family. So yes, I'm sure." She leant in to press a tender kiss to the older woman's forehead. "But I want you to want to be there too."

Regina paused before answering. "You know your mother and I are never going to be best friends, given what's gone before, but I can say that I'm more than willing to try. And I want to spend today with you and Henry, so yes…and I never thought I'd be saying this…but I want to spend the day at your parents'"

"I love you."

"I love you too," smiled the brunette, her smile wide and genuine, enjoying the rush of butterflies in her stomach whenever she heard the three little words from the blonde, and found the courage to say them back. Daniel had told her to love again, and she would be forever grateful to him for that, for the woman in her arms was more than she ever deserved, and she knew she would do anything for her. It was as terrifying as it was wonderful, and she wouldn't swap it for the world.