It was finally Christmas Eve. Emma, Regina and Henry were all enjoying hot chocolates at the diner, while Granny fed Lettie – having warmed her bottle of milk in the kitchen. They were meeting the Charming's for a little pre-Christmas celebration. Emma's parents had accepted their daughter's invitation for Christmas lunch, and as Emma still seemed a little nervous about it Granny had suggested to Regina – during one of their chats – that they just needed to spend a little more time together. The offer of the diner as neutral ground was supposed to put everyone at ease and with Granny there in the background, to monitor the situation, Regina was feeling confident.
Ruby greeted Snow when they arrived, and the newcomers joined them at the table. The diner had been officially closed as of 5.30 that afternoon, so there were no gawkers at the other tables. When she returned with hot chocolate for Snow and Charming, Ruby coaxed Henry away from the grownups with hints that there were leftover holiday cookies in the kitchen, leaving the four adults to talk privately.
"Ruby says there's something magical about the hot chocolate at this time of year," Regina tried to end the silence.
"That's just sales hype to get more people to buy it," Emma joked.
Charming smiled, and Snow relaxed. They made small talk, swapped gossip about the towns festivities, none of them venturing into serious subjects. Ruby managed to distract Henry for nearly an hour, getting him to assist Granny with Lettie's diaper change by insisting that her enhanced werewolf sense of smell made the task much worse for her. By the time he went to join his family, most of the earlier tension had gone.
They walked home afterwards, Lettie wrapped up warm against the cold, reminding Henry that he still had to go to bed at the normal time. Emma went to settle Lettie in her room while Regina prepared everything in the kitchen ready for Christmas day, with Henry's help. When Emma came down, they put on a Christmas movie and Regina made a small bowl of popcorn for them to share. It ran over Henry's bedtime, by half an hour, but although Regina noticed she didn't say anything.
As soon as he went to his room, Emma moved to fill the gap he had vacated and offered Regina the last of the popcorn from the bowl in her lap.
"Want to watch another movie?" Emma asked.
Regina ignored the bowl and shrugged. She wasn't tired yet, but tomorrow required an early start... also they needed to wait for Henry to fall asleep before bringing his Christmas presents down.
"I know, there's an old animated one I used to love as a kid, under an hour long," Emma told her. "I was going to wait to show it to Henry tomorrow, but…"
"Very well," Regina agreed, frowning as Emma placed the bowl in her lap while she went to set up the new film.
The second Emma returned, Regina passed back the popcorn and tried to ignore the way Emma grabbed a handful of the stuff before putting it in her mouth. With the contents empty just a few seconds into the opening of the film, Emma put the bowl on the table in front of them and relaxed into the comfortable cushions beside her. When she checked on Regina during the film, she saw the mayor was smiling which pleased her. She reached for the soft blanket folded on the armchair next to them, laying it over her lap and offering half to Regina who accepted.
Regina found the music very soothing, she hadn't realised how late it was getting. She told herself that she was just going to close her eyes for a moment, to give them a rest. The film must be nearly over, and she could hear it well enough to discuss it with Emma if the blonde so desired.
As it neared the credits, Emma dared a final peek at Regina. The mayor's head had come to rest on her shoulder a little while before, which had surprised her. She was a little pleased Regina felt comfortable enough for the slight contact though and hadn't said anything. Craning her neck around, Emma smiled as she realised Regina was asleep. Rather than try to wake her, Emma switched off the film and pulled the blanket up around Regina's neck to keep her warm.
It was nearly midnight when Regina woke. They'd switched the lights off when watching the first film with Henry, but the Christmas tree lights were on and there was another light on in the hallway - Emma had been unwilling to get up in case she woke Regina. Emma felt the mayor stir and reached down to brush away a strand of hair that had moved close to Regina's eye, mere seconds before she opened them.
"I'm so sorry, I can't believe I fell asleep," Regina apologised, lifting her head from Emma's shoulder.
"That's okay," Emma reassured her, "Lettie hasn't woken yet – it must be a Christmas miracle."
Regina smiled and yawned, stretching out her legs. She looked at her watch; it was nearly Christmas morning.
"Time to get the Christmas presents down before we forget," she advised, removing the blanket.
"Where did you hide them in the end?" Emma asked, folding it up and then checking the popcorn bowl just in case a few more pieces had magically appeared.
"You didn't find them?"
"Henry and I looked, but…"
She had only collected them from Snow and Charming's apartment the day before, when Emma and Henry had been out, but apparently that was enough time for two curious people to being searching. It was good to know that Emma hadn't found her present though.
"Maybe I should leave you to tidy up in here while I get them. I might need the same hiding place next year."
"Nah, you shouldn't try carrying them all. I'll help."
Regina nodded and Emma followed her out of the room. Perhaps by next year she'd be able to use her magic to hide them.