Hey, guys, we reached the penultimate chapter, which means the next one will be the last, but don't think you'll miss moments of this story (especially after this chapter and you'll understand when you read it), because I'll write a one-shot with what I've left to show you and with what you'd like to see (it's better if I explain this on the next one).

For now, just enjoy the Christmas magic on the Mills-Locksley family ;) I hope you like it.

Chapter 25.

Christmas Eve had the family running around the house to get ready for the dinner in Charmings' house. Mary Margaret had offered to host it, so everyone in the house was trying to look their best for the special evening.

Henry and Roland were locked in the older boy's room, dressing themselves for the festivities, while Regina and Robin were in their room, trying to get ready at the same time they tried to put the outfit on Hailey as well. It was not easy to dress a baby when all she wanted was go to the floor and play with her toys, but Regina's bracelets were always a good idea when they needed to distract her.

They managed to put the red dress in her tiny body, with a little black bow around her waist that perfectly matched her dark hair. She was so adorable, staring at her parents with her big blue eyes, inherited from her father. Regina wasn't the kind of person, who liked her family to have matching clothes, and that was proven by her burgundy dress, but their outfits were really on point that night. She would put her black coat with the dress, and thank god she had chosen a dress that would look good with her tights because it was pretty cold that night.

She finished putting on her boots, walking across the room to sit in front of her vanity and finish her makeup. She was almost done, she just needed to put the final touches, and she saw through the mirror the way Robin was looking at her. He was ready since Regina had started to fix her hair, and he could say he didn't know what could take so long since she was just wearing her hair down. It was flawless as ever, falling over her shoulders in impeccable curls.

"Can you tell mommy she is perfect and that we need to go?" Robin addressed their daughter in his arms, earning a smile from the brunette as she saw how the baby girl was really attentive to her father's words. They had noticed that, most of the time, Hailey actually focused her attention when they talked to her and she even used to babble and gurgle as a reaction to their voices. She felt proud of her little girl, she was growing really fast.

"I'm ready," Regina left her seat, approaching father and daughter to place a kiss on her baby's cheek, and wiping with her thumb what remained of her lipstick in her daughter's skin, "Do you want me to carry her?" she asked Robin, trying to make it up for the time he'd been holding the baby and waiting for her.

"No, we wouldn't want to ruin the outfit that took two hours to create," he teased her with his smirk, receiving a roll of eyes as he adjusted the hold on the toddler in his arms, "Shall we meet the boys downstairs?"

They made their way to the living room, where the boys were already ready and waiting, Henry was playing with his phone, the whole room in complete silence as his brother slept beside him on the couch. Wait... Roland was asleep? Regina really didn't think she'd taken so much time, but Robin didn't fail and threw her a look that clearly said 'I told you'.

"He said he would sleep now so he couldn't miss Santa this year," Henry shrugged, interrupting his mother's thoughts, his eyes never leaving the screen of his phone, while the couple exchanged a look between them.

So it was that. Roland wanted to sleep so he could keep awake at night and see Santa. The boy was smart and that would definitely make his parents' life more difficult when the bedtime arrived.

Regina smiled, walking towards their younger boy and removing the hair from his face as she whispered his name softly, in an attempt to wake him. He shifted a little, rubbing his eyes, and Regina knew he couldn't have been sleeping for very long since he and Henry had been dressing too. She waited until he sit straight, wrapping his arms around her waist and placing his head against her belly to find a support. He was such an actor.

"Roland, I know you can't be that sleepy," she laughed, helping him to get on his feet as he remained against her, difficulting her task of straightening his shirt that had been wrinkled from his previous position on the couch, "Let's go?" she asked the rest of the family, making their way to the car, Roland just releasing his mother to dress his jacket on the foyer.

#

The door of Charmings' house swung open to reveal the family at the entrance, waiting to start with the festivities. Regina was beaming. At least two years ago, she would appear alone anywhere she went, and now she had hers and Robin's family always with her, and she even had been able to have a baby with him. She couldn't be happier, but she was. They would spend Christmas all together and that was something she wouldn't trade for anything. She just missed her father, even her mother. She couldn't help but imagine Henry growing up with his grandparents, or how Roland would like to play with her father, or the moment they would introduce Hailey...

"Regina?" Robin interrupted her thoughts, placing his hand on her bicep to make her move and enter the house. They had been the last ones to arrive, Emma and Hook were already there, but with three kids what they were expecting?

The place was beautifully decorated, with the table already set for all of them, with two special seats, one for Mary Margaret's baby and another for Hailey. It could be seen different ornaments around the rest of the house, lots of tinsel and even a mistletoe hanging at the bottom of the stairs, and the Christmas tree was placed near the window with all the-

"Presents!" Roland shouted from where he was standing next to Regina, releasing her hand to run further into the house.

"Roland-" Robin tried, but was too late, and the little boy was already approaching the tree, but being caught by Emma, who was sitting on the couch and had wrapped an arm around his waist to stop him in his tracks. They knew he wouldn't touch anything, especially because it was Mary Margaret's presents, but he was curious and if they could distract him, was less an issue they would have to face through the night.

Roland's giggles filled the room, putting a smile on everyone's face, as Emma scooped him up to sit him on her lap. She was telling him something that couldn't be heard from the entrance, so Robin shifted his attention back to Mary Margaret, who had moved to close the door behind them. Henry had begun to walk toward the couch as well, to greet his mother and Hook, and after a few seconds, David appeared from the stairs, with Neal in his arms, to also welcome the new guests.

The house smelled amazing, of the traditional turkey and potatoes on the Christmas dinner, and on the table were several plates with cookies and baked breads. One more thing for them to be attentive if they wanted Roland and Neal to eat the dinner.

"It seems you've been busy," Regina noticed, addressing the other brunette after her bag and coat were securely placed on the hooks by the door.

"Everything's almost ready," Mary Margaret agreed, watching as her son ran to the table as soon as his father placed him on the floor.

"Mommy, cookie!" the boy asked, stretching his arm up, but without reach the food, and earning a giggle from both women. Mary Margaret gestured for Regina to follow her, as she made her way towards the table to hand one cookie to her son, who had happily left their side to join Roland near the couch.

"I have the dinner, but I was hoping you could make your pie for dessert," the brunette asked, not wanting to give her work to do, but knowing everyone loved her recipe.

"Of course," Regina immediately agreed, raising a brow when she saw Roland steal a cookie from the plate on the wooden surface. He stopped immediately, but of course if Neal was eating one, Roland would want one as well, so Regina couldn't really scold him, "Just one, little boy," she joked, watching as he grabbed the biscuit, returning to his spot on the couch a lot happier.

"Just give me a second to gather the ingredients for you," Mary Margaret said, taking her place behind the counter in the kitchen, and leaving the brunette with Robin and her daughter.

"Something was bothering you when we arrived," Robin didn't waste time, lowering his voice so only she could listen to him, and showing he had noticed her thinking.

"No," she sighed, smiling at him to assure everything was fine, "I was just thinking about my parents. It's hard this time of the year, but I'm okay," she raised her hand to her daughter's face, stroking her cheek as if the baby could understand and she needed to ensure she was fine.

"I would have liked to meet them," Robin offered, earning a scoff from his fiancée, who quickly realised he was being serious about what he had just said.

"My father, yes, but my mother..." she began, pausing before she could say anything else. Cora could have turned her life into a nightmare, but she was her mother, and was dead, and it was still hard for Regina to talk about her mother that way. She would be devasted if Henry talked about her like that because of her old times, so she just said, "It would be hard."

"I bet I could win her with my charm," he quipped, making her roll her eyes and laugh at his cockiness. He was always capable of amusing her in every situation, one of the reasons she loved him so much.

"I bet you could. Now," she replied, picking her daughter from his arms and walking towards the couch, where everyone was, to place the baby on the floor, near her brother and Neal, "I need to help Mary Margaret, can you watch her?"

Yes, he would watch Hailey, but before, he caught Regina on her way to the kitchen, pulling her with him to the bottom of the stairs and earning a confused look from her. His arms were keeping her against him, and he made her signal with his eyes so she looked above them, making her immediately realise what he was doing when she saw the mistletoe over their heads.

"You planned all this, don't you?" she quipped, leaning forward to peck his lips in slow kisses until a smile formed on her lips and made them pull away. They didn't use to be so lame, not in front of other people, but Regina was extremely happy and Robin was more than pleased to make that happiness last until he could.

She finally joined Mary Margaret in the kitchen, finishing her pie just in time for dinner, and the whole family joined at the table to eat the feast. It was delicious, and quickly the food disappeared from the table to make room for the board games, that seemed to entertain everyone in the house except Hailey, who was far too young to be part of the game and was more interested in crawling all over the house under the watchful gaze of her mother.

"Oh no, that would be an awful idea," Regina rushed to pick up her daughter, who was about to pull herself up on the Christmas tree, earning a whining of protest from the baby, "This can hurt you, sweetie. And we don't want to destroy Mary Margaret's tree," she tried to calm the little girl, but without effect until Regina offer her what she knew would make her stop. She put the pacifier in her mouth, holding her daughter against her chest, which calmed her right away, "You want to sleep, don't you? Come on, let's see what daddy is up to."

Regina joined her family at the table, sitting beside Robin, who gave them a smile when he noticed his daughter almost falling asleep in her mother's lap.

"Eggnog?" he offered her his mug, but she shook her head, claiming she'd prefer hot cocoa like the kids. Mary Margaret was quick to attending her request, and a few minutes later, a mug filled with the hot drink was placed in front of her on the table. She continued to watch them playing their game, and by the time they finished, she had a sleeping baby in her arms, Neal was sleeping on the couch too, and Roland was clearly fighting to have his eyes open.

"I think the Christmas is over for today," Regina said, earning a protest from Roland when Robin picked him up to prepare to leave the house. They said their goodbyes, and as the couple was anticipating, Henry was the only one to reach home with his eyes open. Roland has been already deep asleep by the time Robin carried him to his bedroom and tucked him in, and when Robin met Regina in the hallway, she informed him that the older boy was already in his bedroom too.

"How about we fill the kids' stockings with the gifts, and then we go to our room, because I have a present for you?" she teased, wrapping her arms around Robin's neck and lowering her voice so there wasn't a chance for Henry to listen. Before he could respond, her lips had covered his in a soft kiss, and he had just time to hum against her mouth to let her know he totally agreed with her idea.

They parted a few seconds later, focusing on what they needed to do: gather the gifts and put them near the stockings. Regina was in charge of getting the packages, that were hidden somewhere in the house, while Robin left to pick a gift that would be shared by the older brothers. They had been a huge help and had received Hailey so well, that the parents had agreed in surprise them that year. They met in the living room a few minutes later and started to organize the space, placing the largest box with Henry and Roland's names between their two stockings before each of their personal gifts went to the front, as well as Hailey's. The rest of the presents were carefully placed under the tree by Robin, while Regina disappeared to the kitchen to gather the milk and cookies that Roland had insisted on leaving on the coffee table for Santa.

"We make a good team," he offered, wrapping his arms around her waist, while both of them admired their job. The room was beautiful, totally in the Christmas spirit with all the lights, decorations, and now, the presents.

"Yes, we make, and I believe I promised you something," she was biting her bottom lip, turning in his arms to face him before she left his embrace to grab his hand and lead him upstairs. Robin couldn't handle it, she was a tease, and as soon as they reached their bedroom, she let him have her trapped between him and the door, his whole body pressed against hers as they kissed. They lingered for a moment, their kiss turning more heated as time went by, until Regina pushed him backwards, leaving him with a confused look on his face when she made her way toward the vanity.

He just watched, waiting to see what she had been planning as she opened the drawer and pulled something from inside.

"Oh, so there's actually a present," he quipped, accepting the package in her hand, but not before he raised an eyebrow at her in question, "What's this?"

"Open," she shrugged, seeing the puzzled look on his face as he started to tear the paper to reveal his gift. His puzzled look remained when he turned the fabric in his hand, the little onesie was now facing Regina, who was waiting for him to say something at her offer, "This doesn't fit Hailey anymore, love," he laughed at her roll of eyes, but before he could say something else, she handed him a card, staring at his eyes while he read the words on the paper.

Your present would be unwrapped July 2015...
Until then, Merry Christmas from our growing family
- Regina, Henry, Roland, Hailey & New Baby Mills-Locksley

His eyes widened, his lips parted, and Regina was starting to feel nervous. It had been completely unexpected, and she wasn't sure if she should say something or just let him absorb the news. She chose for the second, knowing how she had reacted when she discovered as well. She had needed time to get used to it too, so she just waited until he was ready to say something.

His words didn't come, and instead, his arms wrapped around her waist in a hug, and she felt the fabric on her shoulder damp from the tears that were falling from his eyes.

"Did you really believe I was offering you clothes for Hailey?" she giggled, hugging him back and burying her hand in his hair in signal of comfort before he leaned back, just the suffice to look at her eyes.

"I thought it was one of her first onesies for us to keep," he explained, causing Regina to laugh, but really appreciating his idea, "How?" he managed to say, more a breath than really a word, but she understood completely what he wanted to know.

"I know we agreed Hailey would be the last," she began, wiping the tears off his cheeks, like he always did to her, "but I totally forgot to have my contraceptive implant after the pregnancy," she explained, seeing how he remained silent, not sure if it was a good thing, "I mean, I remembered, but then I didn't scheduled an appointment and-" her words were cut off by Robin, who silenced her with a passionate kiss, caressing her back until she was giggling against his mouth, making them pull away, "I'm going to take a chance and say you are happy," she smiled, subtly asking if he was ready for that twist.

"I am, especially for you," he surprised her with his reply, his hands moving to find her still toned stomach like he was searching for a signal that that was real. They would have another child, together.

"For me?" she parroted, interrupting his thoughts about their future family.

"Yes, about a year, you thought you couldn't have babies... look at you now," his smile was wide, and his hands never left their spot on her belly, "We can't get distracted," he teased, placing a kiss on her forehead and enveloping her in a hug.

"No, we can't, and this baby will really be the last," she said, mentally reminding herself that she couldn't forget to take measures this time. Not that she wasn't happy about the baby, of course she was, but four kids? It seemed a lot of trouble.

"When did you find out?" Robin asked, feeling her arms wrap around his waist. He understood she wanted to surprise him on Christmas, but he couldn't stop wondering if maybe he had already missed an appointment, and he didn't want to think that was true.

"The day before Roland's birthday," she informed him, and the silence befell them, as he was probably remembering that day, searching for some evidence, but she had been really good to keep the surprise. The only thing it had caught his attention was how she had tried so hard to delay the wedding's arrangements, because she had 'too much to think about', but now he understood completely.

"Was that the reason you didn't want to talk about the wedding?" he asked, his hands slowly caressing her back, "because I understand if you want to wait, now."

"No, I mean, I would like to have the baby at the ceremony," she smiled, already imagining the whole family together, "as well as my toned belly," she giggled, leaning back and rubbing her stomach, knowing how that would change just in a few weeks, "But I promised you we would start planning it next month, and I intend to keep my promise."

"We can start to see some things," he agreed, holding her more against him to rub his nose against hers.

"The baby should be born in July... what about a September wedding?" she asked. It could be the perfect scenario, not too warm, not too cold, the leaves with all that colors on the ground around them...

"As you wish, milady" he smiled, lifting her into his arms and carrying her to their bed. Their lips were locked one more time, tongues battling when she opened her mouth to welcoming him in a lingered kiss, that lasted a large part of their night.

I know it was a small chapter, but the next one will be much longer, that I can assure.

Talking about the baby... some of you had asked for twins and I didn't use that, but then I had the idea for Regina's surprise on Christmas and since then, nobody could take this out of my head, it was too sweet to throw away so, one more baby :P

I hope you liked and tell me what you thought :)