AN: As requested, an epilogue for the Christmas Presents story (part 1 of 3). Enjoy.
Emma was checking the supplies at the Sheriff's station. It was New Year's Eve and there would be an untold number of people drinking in Storybrooke tonight. Some of them might end up here and she wanted to count the blankets...
Okay, that was a lie. She knew it and if anyone else had been there they would have too. Only, they wouldn't have known why. She had been trying to keep busy for the past few days as she tried to understand how she was feeling. Her mind kept wandering back to Christmas Day and the moment she had kissed Regina. There had been butterflies in her stomach as she plucked up the courage to offer the ex-mayor her Christmas present. When Regina had kissed her back she assumed the attraction went both ways. She had gone back to the manor on Boxing Day, just as she had promised.
But Regina hadn't answered the door.
She had waited for ten minutes, ringing the doorbell and knocking loudly. She had gone around to the back of the house and tried the doors and windows. They were all securely locked. Regina's car was still in the driveway, so Emma knew she was home.
"Stupid!" Emma muttered as she knocked the pile of blankets over and they spilled onto the floor.
"Hey Emma." Ruby said, walking in and taking a look around. "Lunch has arrived, where do you want it?"
"Who cares? I've got too much to do…" Emma winced as she heard the way she was talking to her friend. "God, I'm sorry Ruby. I didn't mean that."
"Need a hand?" Ruby asked, kneeling down to pick up some of the blankets.
"It's okay, I'm just a little…"
"Grumpy? Well Storybrooke already has one of those so cheer up. It's New Years Eve and tomorrow we all start a new chapter of our lives."
"It's just another day. Nothing actually changes, you know."
"Are you kidding? This is the first proper celebration we've had for twenty-eight years. Since you got here everything's been changing."
"Not everything." Emma muttered.
Ruby just looked at her, waiting for an explanation.
"It's not important. I'm just preparing for tonight and need to go home and get some rest first."
"If you want I can watch the station for a couple of hours."
"What about Granny, doesn't she need you…"
"I'll ring her. She won't mind." Ruby picked up the phone, dialling before Emma could object.
Once that was sorted, she made Emma go home; telling her the lunch would keep in the fridge, in case she wanted a snack later.
Regina lay curled up under the blankets on her bed. There was no real reason to get up; she was almost out of food in her cupboard for the first time in twenty-eight years. She had panicked when Emma came over on Boxing Day. Her head was still spinning from the kiss and she froze near the door, unable to open it. She heard Emma make her usual trek around the house looking for another entrance but this time everything was securely locked. By the time her panic attack was over, the Sheriff was gone and she was alone again.
She realised she didn't even know what day it was. The phone was unplugged and her cell battery had died on Boxing Day morning when she left the charger downstairs. It had seemed like such a simple solution, to avoid Emma by staying in her room for the day. After a while she couldn't bring herself to leave the bed. It was that damn mistletoe, still over the doorway. What if she opened it and Emma wanted to kiss her again? What if she didn't?
It was so easy being the Queen, even easier to be the mayor. She could push away her feelings and let others chase after her. Being Henry's mother, learning to love him, was something that frightened her at first. After a little while, when he was able to smile at her, or laugh and hug her back, she pushed aside her hatred for Snow White and concentrated on loving again. She knew Daniel would understand. They had never spoken of having children, but he would have been a wonderful father.
Her feelings for Emma were different. She wrapped her arms tighter around her knees as she remembered that she had kissed her back. There was a pain in her chest. She knew it was her punishment for betraying Daniel. She had promised to love him forever. After her mother had killed him, she swore there would be no-one else. It was her way to prove he was her True Love.
Maybe she wasn't Emma's True Love, a small part of her mind whispered. Maybe Emma's True Love was dead as well and they were just being given a chance to be happy for a little while. Daniel had told her to find love again. That could be it.
She could hear the happy shouts from outside her window. Curiosity had her peeking out from under the blankets.
Damn it Regina, get it together. This is weakness. Get up. Get out of bed. Now! She spoke sharply to herself, wincing as the words reminded her of her mother.
She stretched out her legs. They still worked. Slowly, she pushed back the blankets and sat up.
Good, but keep going.
It was a struggle to get her legs over the edge of the bed and onto the floor. She kept telling herself it was the chill in her air, but her magic could fix that. She needed the cold. It helped to wake her up. She pulled on her dressing gown and went to stand by the window, opening the curtain just wide enough to look out with one eye.
The decorations were familiar, of course. A banner hung from the clock tower declaring the new year about start.
A week. I've been here a whole week!
It didn't seem possible. Regina raised a hand to her hair and wrinkled her nose as she realised how long it had been since she had washed it.
First things first.
She needed a shower. If she took a bath she would end up back in bed. A shower would keep her on her feet, keep her moving.
Then what?
She couldn't go to Archie for advice. There was no-one to talk to. A shower would help her think, help clear the cobwebs. That's what she told herself, looking for some kind of motivation.
Emma knew it was wrong to lie to Ruby, but while she really did need sleep she couldn't help herself. She walked past Regina's house, the same way she had been doing a couple of times a day for the past week. Everything looked the same. She felt certain that Regina hadn't skipped town. No-one else seemed to have noticed the lack of her presence, but Emma had been looking for her. Just in case. She couldn't bring herself to knock on the door again. What if Boxing Day was Regina's way of letting her down gently? Rejecting her without having to face her. Emma wanted to talk about it. She needed to see Regina face-to-face and explain. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she just knew what she had to do.
There. For a second Emma swore she saw the curtain twitch.
She blinked to clear her eyes and looked again. Was it open slightly? Was she imagining it? A few seconds later and it moved again, closing her out. Regina was in there.
I knew it!
Could she brave knocking on the door again?
She hesitated in front of the gold numbers and took a deep breath. Her mouth felt dry and she reached out. If Regina didn't answer this was going to be the last time she tried. She couldn't keep doing this to herself; it had gone on long enough.
Emma closed her eyes at the thought of giving up. It felt like people had been giving up on her throughout her entire life, from the families she was placed with to the social workers who were supposed to try and find her a new home. She didn't want to be like them, but Regina was making it so hard. She just wanted to see her, to talk to her and have a chance to sort out her feelings.
Feelings? This is Regina! I need to figure out what's going on, we're not supposed to have feelings for each other. She hates my parents and she's supposed to hate me for coming back into Henry's life… but she kissed me back.
Emma's arm dropped back to her side before she could ring the doorbell. She needed more time. Perhaps a short nap to help her feel more refreshed.
And some new clothes, so I'm a little more presentable.
Knowing Regina wouldn't appreciate the comfortable outfit she had put together this morning, Emma turned away. She smiled as she walked down the street. If she wanted the mayor to see her, maybe she had to have a better plan. If that failed, she was the Sheriff. Regina's skeleton keys had been confiscated for the good of the town. They were now in her possession.
