A/N: I'm sorry to say this but after this there will only be one more chapter. I hope you all have like reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. As I said previously, I will be putting up another story soon. So hopefully I will see many of you over there too :) Enjoy!
Chapter Thirteen
*3 Weeks Later*
Emma was sprawled all over Regina's living room floor surrounded by papers, writing utensils, textbooks, and her laptop. There was a fireplace on one wall, roaring with flames and heat. Her blonde hair was thrown haphazardly in a bun high on top of her head. There were fuzzy socks warming up her feet, black leggings on her long legs, and an over sized sweater on her toned torso. She kept frowning at her laptop, searching through her books, and letting out a big sigh. This earned many glances from her professor who perched on the couch with a laptop on her lap and papers neatly stacked beside her. Her legs were propped up on the coffee table in a still regal manner.
"Dear, are you alright?"
"Ugh, yeah. I'm just stuck on this essay."
"Perhaps you should take a break? Maybe come give me a kiss?"
Emma smiled and went over to give her girlfriend some kisses.
"How's it going over here?"
"Oh, it's going fine. I just wonder how many of my students actually read the books I assign to them."
"Ha! I always knew I was your best student," Emma gloated.
"Emma, please. Would you like some more hot cocoa," Regina stood up and gathered their mugs.
"Sure, thanks."
The blonde followed Regina to the kitchen for a well deserved break.
"How long have I been working on finals? It feels like it's been a million years," Emma groaned.
"That is highly impossible. We have only been working for three hours," Regina rolled her eyes.
"That's three hours too long. Wanna go upstairs and do something different?"
The student played with the bottom of Regina's deep red cashmere sweater and tried to sneak in a hand underneath the material. The brunette pushed her hand away and took a step back.
"Emma. You need to finish your essays and I need to finish grading. There is only one week left of school. After that we have all the time in the world to do whatever we want in the bedroom."
"Okayyyy," Emma sang melodramatically.
They went back into the living room with their hot cocoas and continued to work.
The two women decided to wrap their work up about three hours later. They were currently in the kitchen preparing dinner together.
"Emma, what are your plans for Christmas break?"
They had avoided discussing their possible break apart in fear of seeming too clingy.
"I'm not too sure. For the last three years I've been staying with Jefferson and his family upstate. And for two days I stay at the orphanage here in the city that I lived at for a few years."
"What do you do there?"
"I just hang out with the kids and the people who work there. I know it's not exactly an ideal home but sometimes it's nice to go back to your roots, you know?"
Regina's eyes filled up with tears. "Emma, that is such a sweet and selfless thing to do."
"Thanks," Emma blushed at the compliment. "What are you doing for Christmas?"
"I usually go to my aunt's house; my father's sister. I was actually thinking about something we could possibly do," she trailed off.
"What is it," Emma smiled wide.
"If you want to, I would love it if we could spend a few days together. We could have our own little Christmas."
"That sounds amazing, Regina. Come here."
The blonde pulled Regina into a large embrace and breathed in the scent of Regina's shampoo and amber perfume.
"Really? You wouldn't mind spending a few days here just the two of us," Regina questioned into Emma's shoulder.
"Of course! That is what I want more than anything."
Emma pulled away form the brunette to meet her gaze.
"This is the first Christmas I'm actually looking forward to."
"Honestly, Emma, I feel the same way. Yes, I have some extended family but I never really had anyone to share this magical holiday with. And you, my dear, are the only person I want to spend this Christmas with."
"Me too, Regina. I can't wait to get you the best present in the whole world."
The blonde gave Regina a quick kiss before they went back to preparing dinner.
It was now finally one week until Christmas and all of New York City was prepared for the holiday. Well, all except for Emma Swan. She had been running around the city and brainstorming about the perfect present for her impeccable girlfriend. So far, she had come up empty. For two weeks she had been thinking and planning but nothing seemed fit enough for the regal woman.
The blonde was wearing skintight jeans, some Dr. Martens boots, a long sleeved shirt, and a leather jacket where she kept her hands in the pockets in an attempt to keep them warm. A gray beanie sat perched on her blonde curls in order to protect her ears. The final touch to tie in her outfit and secure her warmth was the knitted gray scar around her neck.
She had been walking around her neighborhood aimlessly for close to twenty minutes when she looked up at one of the buildings. A smile finally appeared on her face when she realized she had stopped in front of her favorite stores. The perfect present for Regina Mills just popped in her head.
Regina sat at her computer with her glasses perched up on her nose and a satisfied smile on her mouth.
Emma Swan is going to be thanking me for days.
The woman was proud of herself for getting (what she hoped) the best Christmas present ever for someone. She was looking forward to seeing the look on Emma's face the most.
The blonde would be coming to stay with her in three days for an entire week. While they had sleepovers before, Regina felt that having Emma as a house guest for an extended period of time meant that her house (and her body) needed to be in immaculate shape. She started the long and vigorous process that went into setting everything up to her regal standards. But before she could pay any attention to her house she got her workout clothes on and made her way to the gym.
When she go there, Regina put in her headphones and stepped on the treadmill.
I'd better work extra hard today because the only workout I'll be getting in for the rest of this week will be from Emma in the bedroom.
That thought coursing through her mind made her blush and pushed her to run even faster.
"Regina? Reginaaa," Emma half whispered as she poked the brunette on the arm.
It was finally Christmas morning and Emma couldn't sleep anymore. She finally was able to act like a child on this holiday because there were presents waiting for her under a huge, lit up tree and a woman next to her who loved her deeply. The blonde desperately wanted Regina to wake up so they could make coffee and breakfast and exchange gifts. So she lightly poked Regina until she stirred.
"Mmm, Em," Regina mumbled, still half asleep.
She squirmed away from Emma's poking fingers and partly opened one eye to peek at the blonde.
"Morning, babe," Emma beamed. She was so awake it seemed like she already drank an entire pot of coffee by herself.
"Babe?" Regina croaked and her voice was groggy.
Emma's cheeks reddened as she realized the nickname that slipped out of her mouth.
"Umm, woops. Sorry, Regina."
Regina smirked, "Actually, 'babe' surprisingly doesn't bother me too much, babe."
The blonde smiled and gave her girlfriend a kiss on the lips.
"Emma, what time is it? I would like to sleep my usual eight hours like a normal person."
She leaned over to look at the clock before responding. "It's five."
"Emma! Go back to sleep for another two hours. Then we can start the day."
"But, Reginaaaa! I'm wide awake and ready to start your favorite day. Please, can we get up? I'll make you coffee and pancakes."
Regina rolled over to face Emma and rolled her eyes.
"Are you aware that you are acting like a complete child at this moment?"
"Yes, but it's only because I never got to before. I'm so excited to share it with you." Emma knew exactly how to get Regina to say yes to her.
The brunette let out a deep sigh and threw the covers off of both of them.
"Alright, let's get up."
Emma squealed and clapped her hands together.
"Thank you, thank you! Merry Christmas, Regina," she gave the woman another kiss.
"You're welcome. Merry Christmas, dear."
They got up and Emma convinced Regina to stay in her flannel pajamas until at least lunch time. As promised, Emma made them coffee and pancakes (only making a minor mess) and they ate breakfast before opening presents.
The two women brought their refilled mugs to the living room and Emma's eyes were wide as she saw all of the presents under the tree.
"Regina! Where did all of these come from? There were only a few under here last night."
"Someone must have put them here while you were asleep, dear."
Emma was truly touched by the gesture and she hadn't even opened anything yet.
"Shall we begin, dear?"
They opened small presents from each other first and saved the big ones for last.
Regina was opening the last one from Emma and it was a big box containing many different things. Emma was explaining them as she opened them.
"It's a bunch of my favorite things that I want to share with you. There's two versions of the board game Trivial Pursuit that way we can always challenge each other to a game of trivia. Season one of "Orange Is the New Black" on DVD so we can finally watch it together. My favorite book series: Harry Potter. Because you strike me as a person who never read them growing up. And lastly, a framed picture of me with my favorite person in the whole world."
Regina's eyes teared up as she inspected the picture of the two of them together with huge grins on their faces and then she held the picture close to her heart.
"Emma, this is the best present I've ever received. Thank you so much."
They gave each other a deep kiss before Regina got up to retrieve her final present for Emma. Handing her an envelope, she anxiously waited for the blonde to open it.
"Holy shit! Front row tickets to see a Rangers game?! They are my favorite hockey team! My favorite sports team actually! Oh my god!"
She threw her arms around Regina's neck and kept bouncing up and down.
"Are the tickets okay?"
"Okay? They're perfect. Just like you. I've never been able to go to a game before. This is the best present ever. Thank you so much!"
Regina giggled at the enthusiasm.
"The game is in two days, will that be alright?"
"Yeah! I'm glad I don't have to wait long, I'm so excited. You're gonna need to wear some of my Rangers clothes to the game, you know that right?"
'We will see about that."
The women continued to hug and kiss while looking over all of their presents. This was definitely the best Christmas for both of them.