Author's note: After the angst in the previous few chapters, here is some sugary sweetness to make up for it.

Special thanks to MonkeyLovr for helping with this chapter.

Chapter 29

(two weeks later)

Regina set the book on Emma's nightstand before tucking Emma into bed. "Did you like the book?"

Emma nodded. "I loved it. I'm glad The Grinch wasn't mean anymore."

"Me too." Regina responded. "Are you excited for tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's our first Christmas together."

"It certainly is." She responded with a smile, thinking ahead to a box she'd hidden way back in the depths below the tree. "And it will be a very special one."

"And you promise Santa knows I live here now?"

Regina placed a soft kiss on her forehead. "Promise." She smiled. "Now close those beautiful eyes and get some sleep. Before you know it, it will be morning, and you know what that means."

"Presents?"

Regina nodded. "That's right."

Emma closed her eyes, snuggling into her pillow. "Goodnight, Mommy."

"Goodnight, honey."

She stayed by Emma's side until she fell asleep. For a few minutes, she stared at the little girl in front of her. Her heart broke at the thought that she'd never had a real Christmas. She'd never experienced the joy a child should feel on Christmas morning. Regina would change that. From now on she'd make sure every Christmas with Emma was the best. She'd fallen in love with that little girl so quickly all she wanted was the best for her.

"I love you, Emma."


"Mommy! Mommy! Wake up! Santa was here!"

Regina groaned, her eyes still closed. "Emma, it's too early."

"But Santa was here, Mommy! And there's lots and lots of presents. I've never seen so many presents in my life! Come on, please, I'm so excited."

It wasn't even ten seconds later when Regina was sitting up on her queen sized bed. This was the first time Emma had woken up to a tree full of presents. Of course that little girl would be excited. Regina wanted to be part of that excitement too. Even if it meant waking up at six in the morning.

"Come on." Emma tugged on Regina's arm.

Regina smiled. "Alright, alright."

Five minutes later, the piles of christmas presents were scattered in front of Emma, Regina sitting in the armchair beside her.

"Ready?"

"I don't know which to open first!" Emma squealed. "There's so many."

She eventually decided, and from then on, the house was filled with at least ten new dolls, several board games, about six movies, The Little Mermaid (Emma's current favorite Disney movie) toys and accessories, and ten new outfits among many other gifts. Just as Emma was about to stand up to help clean up, Regina stopped her.

"There's one more."

"There is?" Emma questioned. "I don't see anymore."

"That's because this one's from me." Regina replied with a smile. "Here."

She handed her a square box, wrapped nicely in green and red wrapping paper. Emma tore the paper up instantly, quickly finding her way into the small box. Regina watched closely as Emma's brow furrowed at the object in her hands.

"A collar?" Emma questioned.

"Mhm." Regina nodded. "A dog collar."

"But we don't have a doggie."

"We will soon." She smiled. "As soon as the shop opens, you get to pick out whatever puppy you want. Remember when I promised you we'd get a dog? I was being serious."

"Really?" Emma asked, her eyes doubling in size.

"Really." Regina confirmed.

Emma ran to her, throwing her tiny arms around her. "Thank you, Mommy. Thank you."

Regina chuckled as she kissed her head. "You're welcome, honey."

"This is the best Christmas ever, Mommy. I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart."

Emma pulled away. "I have something for you too." She bit her lip almost shyly before crawling beneath the tree to retrieve a flat package that Regina hadn't even seen.

"Graham helped me with the paper." She explained as Regina turned the gift over in her hands. "But I picked out the ribbon. It's red. Your favorite color."

And indeed it was. Regina was so touched by the gesture that she started to feel something pricking behind her eyes.

"Thank you, Emma."

"You haven't even opened it yet." Emma huffed. "Open it."

Just to annoy her, Regina carefully undid the tape on one corner, and then another.

"Faster." Emma urged.

"I'm just admiring the wonderful wrapping job." She teased, reveling in the look of anticipation on Emma's face.

"It's just paper."

"Alright, alright." She tore off the rest to reveal a long sheet of cardboard of which every single inch was covered with pictures.

Oh.

She'd seen Emma make this a while back. Even expected it to be her Christmas present. But with everything that had happened recently, she'd forgotten all about it. Which worked out nicely, because now she could be genuinely surprised.

"Do you like it?" Emma asked, peering up at Regina anxiously.

Regina sniffled inadvertently. "Yes, yes, I love it dear."

"Then why are you crying?"

"Because I'm happy." Regina explained.

"No you cry when you're sad. Or when you fall down."

"Yes, but sometimes people cry when they're happy too."

"So you do like it."

"Of course I do, Emma. This is beautiful. I think I have the perfect frame to go with this, and then I'm going to take it to work so that I can see it everyday."

Emma beamed.


They decided to name their new puppy, a hyper, overly excited Labradoodle, Lola.

"Come on Lola." Emma told the wriggling puppy in her arms as she followed Regina out to the car. "We're gonna go home with me and Mommy now."

Regina smiled at Emma's incessant chatter as she opened the door; she was almost as hyper as Lola. Her arms were laden with all the supplies they'd need. Water bowl, dog food, dog toys, and a dog bed. Emma had wanted Lola to sleep in her bed with her, but Regina had drawn the line at that.

"You're gonna like your new home. There's plenty of room for you to run around and I'm gonna take you to the park and on walks and we're gonna chase squirrels…" Emma babbled as she settled into the backseat.

Regina chuckled to herself at the vision of Emma and Lola chasing squirrels together.

"...and you didn't have a home before and neither did I but now we both do because Mommy's adopting me like how we're adopting you."

That's right. Regina thought. I'm adopting Emma. The papers had come in that morning and she'd signed them and sent them back to the state. Pretty soon Emma would cease to be Emma Swan.

The words filled her with fear at first; from now on Emma would be hers, and she'd be responsible for her. Raising her, feeding her, assuaging her fears, helping with homework. Was she ready for all that?

Yes. She was. She'd been doing it for months now, and the only thing that was changing was the fact that it would be listed on paper. Emma had been hers ever since she'd set foot into Storybrooke, and now it would be official.

Despite what everyone, including herself, had thought, the Evil Queen could be happy.

Author's note: And this concludes what I consider to be Part 1 of Unconditionally. Don't worry, the story is NOT over yet! There is still so much left to tell.

Starting from the next chapter, I will do time jumps to show Emma at various ages before stopping when she is a teenager.

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