Chapter 12:
Drumbeats and Heartbeats.
The Drive-In was filled with cars the next night. Everyone in town with a car seemed to have shown up for the double feature of Home Alone and Miracle on 34th Street. Young children were running between the cars to get to the concession stand. A set of bleachers were at the back for non drivers who could tune in to the audio using radio apps on their music devices.
Henry was sitting with his friends nervously debating whether he should put his arm around Violet. He knew he could flirt with her with the knowledge that his moms wouldn't be there.
He had helped Emma with a little surprise earlier that afternoon, he decided to wait to make his move at 8.40pm that night. He set his watch to it.
#
Emma drove the bug to the edge of town with Regina sitting in the passenger seat beside her. She stopped the car a few yards from the town line. The clock on the dashboard read 8.34pm.
"Why are we here?" Regina asked when the engine killed.
"You'll see." Emma got out of the car. She ran around and opened the passenger side door. Regina stepped out and Emma led her to the front of her car.
They leaned against it looking down at the town below. The view of all the lights in the dark was breathtaking.
"Do you remember when that creature the one with the red eyes?" Emma questioned breaking the comfortable silence between them.
"The chernabog, yes." Regina frowned scrunching her nose thinking about the creature that had almost killed them in the car they were resting on.
"We were in this car and you risked your life to poof to the town line to safe me." Emma said in a loving voice.
"You saved me many times before and since." Regina pointed out thinking of her most recent attempt making Emma a dark one. She was grateful for Emma saving her but hated Emma being in pain.
"That's only part of it. When he went over the line I think that's when I first started questioning that our friendship was not as normal as most. You were looking at me with those big brown eyes and I remember I hit my shoulder off the roof of the car because I didn't want to look away and for a split second a thought ran through my mind saying 'She's safe! You should go kiss her.' And I shook it away thinking it was weird. But now that I can I want to kiss you I wanted to take you back here...It's stupid."
Emma blushed and started picking her nails hating feeling exposed.
"It's not." Regina took her wrist and brought it to her lips to press a kiss to it.
"It's not?" Emma smiled back at her leaning down to kiss Regina. The mayor smiled lovingly into the kiss. A minute into the kiss a loud bang erupted in the town.
Regina pulled back from the kiss. Another one happened and she saw green and red fireworks erupt in the sky over the town.
"Do you see fireworks too?" She asked looking at it in awe.
"Yes. Oh you mean actual ones. Yes I do. A present with help from some of the dwarves." Emma held her close as they looked up at the display for a while
When the fireworks had ended they went back to the car getting in from the cold December air. Emma opened the glove box and retrieved a flat wrapped gift.
"My last gift." She handed it over to Regina leaning in to kiss her cheek. "For this year at least."
Regina gave her a wry smile and rolled her eyes. She tore open the paper and saw the blank CD in a case.
"It's a mix tape of...Let me guess drummers?" She asked thinking she had gotten the idea of Emma's way of thinking about the last gifts she had received.
"Yeah it has 12 of the greatest drummers; Neil Peart, Dave Grohl, Phil Collins and you look lost." Emma said with a laugh.
"I'm sure I'll love it like the other gifts."
"So you loved it all?" Emma asked hoping it was. Regina grinned widely looking down at the ring on her hand.
'Daniel would have liked her.'
"Yes it was all unbelievable. You got me Daniel's ring."
"I did." Emma blushed under the look the other woman was giving her.
"And you cooked for me, and cleaned for me. While looking incredibly sexy." Regina smirked remembering the french maid costume Emma was in that day.
"You liked that?" Emma asked coyly.
"You already had me turned on with your gift from the day before." Regina admitted.
"That was the plan." Emma put her arm around the back of the passenger seat and pressed her lips against Regina's.
"Can I ask you something? It may be a little forward." Regina asked getting anxious about asking her but her and Henry had discussed it that morning.
"Go ahead."
"I was wondering if you wanted to spend the next few days staying over at my place. Henry would love having you there and I wouldn't be opposed to it." She rushed out.
"Would I have to stay in a guest room?" Emma playfully teased kissing her softly.
"I have a big enough bed if you wanted to stay."
"In that case I would love to."
#
Emma showed up at the 108 Mifflin street at noon the next morning. She had a gym bag over her shoulder filled with clothes for the next few days. She was excited for a Christmas with her son and Regina.
"Hey Mom." Henry was bouncing on the balls of his feet when he answered the door. He was already amped up for the next day.
"Hey Kid. Where's Regina?" Emma asked after releasing him from a small hug.
"She's inside cooking for tomorrow. I was helping her peel potatoes apparently you are on vegetable duty." He told her heading back to the kitchen waiting for her to follow. She dropped her bag near the coat rack and walked towards the mouth watering scent travelling from the kitchen.
She stopped by the door way near the potted partridge tree when she saw Regina.
'I am the luckiest woman alive.'
Emma sauntered and held both of Regina's hips as she pecked her cheek softly.
"Hey." Emma whispered. Regina leaned back against her taking in the intoxicating smell of Emma's perfume.
"Hey."
Emma started to pepper kisses down Regina's neck while Regina held onto the counter turning her head back. Henry threw a tea towel at them.
"Hands to yourself."
"Regina, does Henry look hungry to you?" Emma asked letting him go and walking toward her wary son.
"He's a teenage boy, he's always hungry." Regina told Emma confused toward her intentions.
"I think he needs a mom sandwich." Emma winked at Regina and she approached her son.
"Hmm, he might." The two of them of them pushed together, squashing their son between them in a crushing hug.
"Get off me!" He groaned. They let him go smirking at his annoyance.
They went to work soon after. Emma was chopping and peeling. Henry was peeling and mashing and Regina was basting and making the stuffing and trifle for the next day.
"So the turkey's is on and the rest of the stuff is ready. Want to go to Granny's because I can't cook anything in here tonight." Regina told them when the sun was about to set and most of the food was done or prepped for the next day.
#
The three of them walked into the packed diner and took one of the tables at the window. They like most of the town's inhabitants didn't need the menus they knew them off by heart by now. Granny saw the family arrive and walked over to greet them.
"Hi what can I get you today?" Granny asked resting on the end on the counter of the bar, the busy day getting to her.
"Hi Granny. Can I get a cheese burger and fries with a chocolate milkshake?"
"Sounds good, one for me too. But make mine a strawberry shake." Regina told her making her son raise his eyebrows at his mom getting the same as Emma.
"Can I get the same as Mom." He asked making Granny roll her eyes.
"Which one?"
"Emma. Sorry."
"Three cheeseburgers and shakes coming right up." She picked up some plates from a far table and made her way back behind the counter. Emma wondered who else was in but saw many eyes looking back at her.
"Have you noticed people are looking at us?" Emma asked the brunettes at the table. Regina peered over her shoulder and saw a few heads quickly turn to avoid her catching them.
"They are?"
"You guys were holding hands coming in and everyone is talking about you two dating." Henry filled them in while he straightenedthe drinks menu that was crooked."Are you dating?"
"Dating?" Emma asked not knowing how to answer him. She didn't want to put the wrong label on their early relationship. Regina had gone silent feeling the same.
"Like girlfriends." Henry asked trying to sound casual but wanting an answer. Emma was spending Christmas with them it had to mean that they were dating but they hadn't really told him yet.
"Oh...I guess we are." Emma said hoping she hadn't fucked this up. Regina's heart thumped loudly and rapidly in her chest.
'She said we're a couple.'
"Hi guys! Merry Christmas. Cutest man in town with the cutest couple." Ruby sauntered past with a tray of food on her arm. Henry followed her with his eyes.
"Stop staring at her." Emma told him slapping his arm.
"I wasn't staring!" He told her defensively.
"She dated your mom." Emma told him in a stage whisper earning a slap on her own arm.
"Emma!"
"Do you really want him lusting after someone you've been with." She pointed out while Henry covered his ears not needing to know that.
"I am ignoring you. Tuning you out." He told Emma.
"Belle and Tink are off limits too." She whispered getting another hit from Emma.
"I cannot hear you strange lady." Henry sing-songed getting up to go to the jukebox. When he walked away Regina growled at Emma.
"I will kill you."
"He was watching her bend over to drop her pen. He'd be alone in his room thinking about a woman you..." Emma said causing Regina to frown not wanting to think about her young boy doing that.
"Okay stop. By the way, you look very jealous right now."
"I am not jealous." Emma crossed her arms, pouting slightly. Regina shifted in her chair until her lips were inches from Emma's ear.
"If it makes you feel any better you are a way better lover." The mayor purred.
"Go on." Emma blushed feeling the hot breath on her neck.
"And the best kisser." Regina rasped in a breathy voice that made a heat shoot down Emma's chest to between her legs.
"I am?" She choked out.
"Uh huh." Regina held Emma's neck and they shared a tender kiss that made Emma weak. They separated when a flash of light went off in their direction. They looked around realizing where they were.
"I forgot we're in public." Regina covered her mouth noticing the crowd were all looking at them in silence with wide eyes.
"I KNEW IT" A voice yelled from the back making the room erupt in conversation all of them talking about the same two girls.
"What happened why is everyone looking at you two?" Henry asked wandering back from the jukebox to see it what had happened.
"Mom?" Emma just saw her mom holding a camera and quickly realized she was the source of the flash of light.
"I need it for a scrapbook." Snow said with a weak smile and showed the screen to the people beside her at the bar. "You two are so cute."
Snow had slipped in to get a delivery just as they had kissed.
"I was just telling them that. Oh that is a cute picture." Ruby cooed.
#
They were in the middle of watching White Christmas; a tradition of the Mills house, when Regina got up needing some air outside. She was followed out barely a minute later by Emma.
"What's wrong?"
"Earlier when Henry asked if we were a couple you were silent...I just I..." Regina sighed feeling stupid for feeling insecure.
"Regina I want to be with you for as long as you will have me. So yes I agree we are a couple. Do you not want that?" Emma asked worrying the worst that she had said the wrong thing earlier to her son.
"I'm not very good at loving people." Regina told her sighing to herself. She didn't want to mess it up.
"That's a lie. I can tell; superpower." Emma gave her a brittle smile taking Regina's hand and kissing her knuckles lightly. Regina let out a choked breath and said what was worrying her.
"What if we don't work out?" Her voice caught in her throat as her eyes teared up.
"Then we don't but I'm willing to give it a try." Emma kissed tenderly cupping her jaw and wiping a tear away with her thumb.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
"So any hint on my gift?" Emma asked with a playful smile. Regina wiped her eyes and let out a light laugh.
"Are we doing gifts this year?"
#
On Christmas morning the next year Emma, Henry and Regina were sitting near the tree surrounded by a piles of crumbled paper, new books, video game cases and electronics that Henry had just gotten.
Emma just opened her gift from Regina, a hotel stay out of town in January, she had gotten another gift the night before that they couldn't open in front of Henry. The lingerie was on their bedroom floor.
Emma reached behind the tree to get her small gift that was at the back.
"You're not going to top last year's Twelve days of Christmas." Henry told her smugly from the arm of the armchair. Emma shoved him down off the arm onto the seat.
"Maybe not. But here. Merry Christmas sweetheart." Emma gave Regina a soft loving kiss as she handed her a gift that looked similar to her last gift the year before. Emma sat next to Regina with her arm slung over the back of the couch
"The 12 Days of Christmas by The Muppets single. That's pretty cute." Regina beamed at her showing the cover to Henry who scoffed at it.
"It gets cuter, open it." Emma told her biting her cheeks to hold back a smile. She was getting clammy now. She gulped as Regina opened the CD case only it didn't have a CD inside. Inside was a ring with a silver band and a red garnet gemstone in the center. The stone reminded Emma of the color of Regina heart.
"What's this?" Regina asked in awe taking the ring out of the plastic case inspecting it. Emma slide off the couch to one knee.
"Regina Mills, Will you do my the honors of making me the happiest w-"
Both Henry and Regina let out gasps.
"Yes." Regina interrupted with a huge smile on her face.
"I didn't finish the...Wait did you say yes? Did she say yes?" She asked Henry double checking. He nodded.
"I said yes." Regina cupped Emma's face in her hands and held her as she kissed her passionately tearing up into the kiss.
"Okay you topped it."
#
I hope you enjoyed the fic. Thank you for all your love and support and Merry Christmas.
