29

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Once everyone had settled down and the wrapping paper had been gathered up by the children and stuffed into trash bags, Snow walked up to Rumple and whispered something in his ear. Rumple nodded and whispered back, "Let the kids settle down and then I'll go and get it." His hand stroked his new puppy's ears, then winced as her sharp teeth nipped his foot through his slipper. "Hey, dearie. No biting me," he reprimanded softly, and gently detached her jaws from his slipper and put the rawhide stick back in her mouth. "There you go! Eat that, girl."

The puppy's tail wagged and she chomped the stick happily.

Snow looked at the small collie. "She's a sweetheart, Rumple."

"Right, dearie. I just hope Nala gets used to her," he said.

"Where is Nala?" asked Snow.

"Up in my room, probably, waiting till all the commotion dies down," he answered.

"Papa, we've all put a name in the hat," announced Alina. "Now all you have to do is pick one."

"I'll look at them in a bit," Rumple said. The puppy had now rolled over onto her back and he was gently rubbing her tummy.

"Aww! How cute!" Alina exclaimed, and went to pet her as well.

The collie sighed in bliss and chewed her rawhide while her humans' fingers rubbed gently, one hind leg jiggling up and down when Rumple's hand pressed a certain spot.

"Look! Why's she doing that?" Alina asked.

"She's a little ticklish there," Rumple replied, and as soon as he stopped petting her there, the puppy's leg ceased twitching. "See?" His fingers rubbed the spot again and again the collie's leg moved.

Belle smiled at her husband and daughter playing with the puppy. They looked so natural together, the slender man and the dark-haired girl, both wearing identical smiles on their faces, and having a ball with the little collie, who clearly ate up the attention she was given. At first she had been skeptical if Bae should have gotten Rumple a dog, but now she recalled how he had been with their first collie, Saffy, and saw that it had been a good decision. She rubbed her belly and thought that it had been a wonderful Christmas Eve, but now she was exhausted and wanted her rest. And the babies seemed to agree with her, as they were quiet for once, except for the occasional poke in the ribs or her bladder.

Smothering a yawn, Belle got to her feet. She waddled from the room, heading towards the bathroom, her bladder had shrunk to the size of a peanut these days.

Emma glanced her way, thinking that soon they'd have two new arrivals in the Gold household, and rubbed her own still flat stomach. And one more on the way. She looked up at her husband and said, "This was the best Christmas Eve I've ever had."

"Same here, wild swan," Bae agreed, his hand reaching down to clasp hers.

"Me too, Bae!" giggled Regina, waving her "magic" wand at him. "Make a wish!"

"I wish . . . everyone a merry Christmas!" he laughed, and picked up Regina and spun her around. Then he set her down, and she ran over to Charming and "sprinkled" him with fairy dust.

"Snow," he called softly. "Don't you think we ought to get her ready for bed?"

Snow turned around to see Regina scurrying over to Jimmy and waving her plastic wand with the glowing pink star on it at the teenager.

"Make a wish, Jimmy!"

"Can't," he replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Why?" she asked.

"Cause you only make a wish when you really want something. And right now . . . I don't want anything," he replied. Then he picked up his camera and snapped another picture. He'd been taking shots of everyone all evening on the sly. He smirked as Regina posed for him. Click!

Then he took one of Rumple and the collie, especially because Rumple still had those silly slippers on! It was too funny . . . the great and powerful Gold patriarch wearing those slippers! Jimmy was sure his dad wouldn't have been caught dead in them . . . or his mother either. They'd be too much of an affront to their dignity. But not to Rumple, oddly enough. He looked perfectly calm and at ease, even with the dog shedding all over his Armani pants and shirt, his brown eyes alight with affection for the wee beastie.

Jimmy was sure he'd never seen his mother look like that at any creature . . . except maybe his dad, and that had been long ago, before she allowed her thirst for revenge to dominate everything. And he was pretty sure Hook had only looked that fondly upon three things—his wife, his ship, and sometimes his son. Neither of them had ever encouraged the young man to form attachments to animals.

Jimmy tucked the camera into his pocket, then moved over to where Gold was sitting and asked diffidently, "Uh . . . can I pet her, Mr. Gold?"

"Sure, lad," Gold removed his hand from the puppy's belly. "Go ahead. She likes you to rub her tummy best."

Jimmy hesitantly reached out a hand and began to pet the dog's soft puppy fur. The collie moaned happily, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. "Uh . . . why's she doing that?" he asked alarmed.

"It feels good, that's why. Like a massage would to us," Rumple told him.

Jimmy rubbed harder, and was rewarded with another puppy groan of contentment. His hand gently stroked the sleek white fur, marveling at how soft it was. Then the puppy suddenly lifted her head and licked his hand. "Hey there, lass!" he laughed as the warm tongue caressed his hand. "I think . . . she likes me."

"You keep that up and she'll be your best friend," Bae remarked, petting her also.

"That dog's going to be the most spoiled dog in Storybrooke," chuckled Emma, watching them. "Just like Nala."

Regina ran up and went to pet the puppy, not wanting to be left out, but forgot she still had her wand in her hand, and the puppy went and grabbed it from her. "No! My wand!" she yelped, and tried to pull it away. "Gimme it! Bad puppy!"

Before she could start screaming, Bae removed the wand from the dog's mouth and gave it back to her. "Better put that away, Regina. The puppy doesn't know about not chewing toys yet."

Regina ran to give the wand to Snow, and it was then her mother picked her up and said it was bedtime for little girls.

"Aww! I don't wanna go to bed!" Regina protested, pouting adorably.

"But if you don't go to bed, then Santa won't come," her mother pointed out.

"Oh!" Regina said, just realizing that. "Then he's comin' tonight?"

"Yes. Because tonight is Christmas Eve," Snow told her. "And all good little girls need to be asleep so Santa comes down the chimney."

"But Mommy, we aren't home. What if he don't come cause we're here at Unca Rumple's?"

"Umm . . . well, Uncle Rumple can take us home," Snow said quickly. "But let's get you in your pajamas."

She carried the toddler into the bedroom and helped her into her pajamas that Alice had brought her.

Then she brought her out into the living room again so she could say good night to everyone. Regina went and hugged and kissed everyone, saving Rumple for last, so she could hug and kiss the puppy too.

"Night, Unca Rumple!" she chirped to him, crawling into his lap for a hug and kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

"Good night, little minx!" he said, kissing her on the forehead. "Now be good and go to sleep so Santa will come and visit, okay?"

"'kay!" she yawned and almost snuggled into his lap, but Snow came and took her, returning to her little pink room and singing her to sleep.

Once her daughter was sleeping, Snow returned downstairs. Rumple handed the puppy to Alina, asking her to walk her while he went on a little errand. Alina, Henry, Jess, and Will all went outside with the collie and Rumple took Snow to get Regina's final present and help warm up the loft and make it cozy for the Charmings.

After everything was ready, Rumple transported back to his house and took Regina over and then David, sending their presents also with a quick wave of a hand.

Rhea did the same to Emma, Henry, and Bae, after going over and making sure the apartment above the dojo had heat and light in it, so they could have Christmas morning in their own home also.

Then everyone in the Gold house retired to their rooms for a much needed rest.

After putting the puppy in her kennel for the night beside the tree and humming her to sleep, Rumple dimmed the lights and left the room.

Rumple came upstairs to get changed and found Nala sitting on the bed. She hissed a little when she smelled the puppy on him, he had decided to wait to name her until tomorrow, when he was more awake and could pick out just the right name. "Hey, baby," he crooned to the cat. "Don't get upset, this is our new puppy you're smelling." He then did something he almost hardly ever did, he shifted his form into another cat, a large brown Abyssinian with golden eyes, and "talked" directly to her, explaining about the puppy and how she should please try and get along with it.

Nala listened, her whiskers twitching, not seeming startled at all by his new appearance. Why should I be? Your scent's the same whether you have two legs or four like a proper animal, Rumple-mine. At length she meowed, saying she would try, but puppies were nothing but trouble, according to what her mother had taught her.

Rumple shifted back, and said, "Thank you! Now here's your Christmas present, baby." And he pulled out a box from the closet which held a large fluffy pillow he had made of an old set of clothes, piecing it together like a patchwork quilt and stuffing it with soft spun cotton. The box also contained some of her favorite treats and a toy made from one of his old ties with a bell attached to it.

He put the pillow on the bed next to Belle, who was already slumbering, and Nala purred and ate some treats from his hand before climbing onto it and settling down, tucking her paws beneath her. He placed the toy next to her, then got into his pajamas and crawled into bed shortly thereafter.

Page~*~*~*~*~Break

The Charmings loft

Christmas morning:

Regina woke up in her princess canopy bed and rubbed her eyes. For a moment she didn't understand why she was at home, instead of at Rumple's house, but then she remembered. She jumped out of bed and ran hell for leather into her parents' bedroom . . . they'd forgotten to lock the door.

Luckily they'd been too tired last night to engage in any . . . nocturnal activities. They were snuggled up beneath the covers.

"Mommy! Daddy! WAKE UP! IT'S CWISTMAS!"

She then took a flying leap and landed right on Charming.

"Ahh . . .Regina!" he yelped. "Right on my stomach!" He winced as her bony knees poked him. "Snow . . . get her off me! Before I puke!"

Snow sat up, Regina screaming could wake the dead in their graves. "Regina, honey, you're hurting Daddy." She reached over and pulled the toddler into her lap. "Good morning!"

The little girl threw her arms about her neck. "Merry Cwistmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you too!" Snow laughed.

"Mommy, can we see if Santa came?" Regina asked eagerly, bouncing up and down.

"Yes, sweetie," Snow rose and pulled on a thick robe and shoved her feet into pretty pink fluffy slippers. "C'mon, David, get up! It's our first Christmas as a family."

David groaned. "I'm tired! I'm going back to sleep!" He shoved his head under the pillow.

Snow picked up a pillow and whacked him on the behind. "Rise and shine, Mr. Nolan!"

"Aww, c'mon!" her husband moaned.

"Daddy! Get up! B'fore Mommy spanks you!" his daughter shrilled. Then she started jumping on the bed.

Deciding that sleep was a lost cause, between his wife and his daughter, David got up. "Okay! Okay! God, you're like the invasion of the ogres!" He swung his feet over the bed and put on his Abominable Snow Monster slippers.

Regina jumped off the bed, landing with a thump on the floor and ran into the main room of the loft.

The next thing they heard was her yelling, "Mommy! Daddy! Santa came! He came! Lookit all the presents!"

"David, get the camera," Snow ordered, and hurried into the living room, smiling eagerly. "Wow! It looks like Santa decided you were good after all!"

"Yup!" she said, and looked at the plate with the cookies and glass of milk beside the tree. It was empty, luckily Snow had remembered to eat them before going to bed last night. "See, the cookies n' milk are gone, Mommy!"

"I know, sweetie!" Snow knelt beside the large wooden crate with the big velvet bow around it. "Regina, here's one for you. Let's open it!" As she began to untie the ribbon, she muttered under her breath, "David, damn it! You're slower than a snail!"

Regina untied the ribbon, then said, "Mommy, help! I's too little!" as she tried to pry the cover off the crate.

Snow carefully removed the lid of the crate.

Regina peered inside . . . just as a black and white Dalmatian puppy exploded from the straw inside the crate, and began licking her and barking yapping puppy barks.

"My puppy!" Regina screeched! "Santa brung me her! Aww!" She grabbed the puppy around the neck and kissed her wet black nose.

Click!

David lowered his phone, grinning. "My goodness! A Dalmatian puppy!"

The puppy was wagging her tail and trying to climb out of the crate, and Regina was trying to help her. They fell in a heap on the floor, with the puppy on top of the toddler.

Snow was smiling and then she picked up the puppy and held it. "Hey, little baby!" The puppy licked her face enthusiastically, then tried to eat her hand.

"Mommy, what's her name?" Regina asked, getting up and petting the spotted coat.

"We have to give her one, love," Snow said.

"How 'bout . . . Princess?" Regina sang.

"That's a great name, honey," David agreed. He snapped another picture of his wife with the puppy.

"Let's see what else Santa brought you," Snow encouraged, while Princess sniffed the floor and pounced at the colorful boxes beneath the tree.

Regina went and picked up a present and started to rip it open.

And Charming kept snapping pictures, thinking this was a wonderful Christmas.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Fire Mountain:

Henry and Emma woke up at the same time, and then dragged the covers off of Bae to wake him up.

"Jesus H. Christ!" he bellowed. "I'm freezing! Emma, what the hell?"

Emma and Henry started laughing.

"Merry Christmas, Dad!"

Bae sat up and glared at his son. "Kid, you're just begging for some Stiltskin Tickle Torture."

"Bring it!" Henry taunted, then went to run out of the bedroom and down the hall.

"Brat!" Bae yelled, and jumped out of bed to chase his son.

Henry raced down the hall and dove under the tree, grabbing a package.

Bae went and grabbed his ankle and started to drag him out from beneath the tree. "Gotcha, tiger!"

Emma gaped at them. "Okay . . . what the heck do you call this? WWF Christmas morning?"

"Mom! Help!" her son shrieked as his father tickled his foot, making him writhe. "Give him the chair!" He dissolved into giggles.

"Hey, Gold! Leave my son alone!" Emma cried, and then she went and ticked her husband under the arm.

"Traitor!" Bae laughed, and released Henry to pull Emma into his arms and kiss her. "Merry Christmas, wild swan! And swan chick!" he said, patting her belly.

Emma grinned and kissed him back.

Henry rolled his eyes. "Oh, God! It's like Mr. and Mrs. Rabbit!" Then he jumped as his father's hand reached out and swatted him on the behind. "Hey!"

"Hay is for horses," Emma smirked.

"And I gotta give Arion his sugar and carrots for Christmas," Henry recalled. "After I open my presents." He tore open the package he'd grabbed. "Cool! I got an X-Box One!"

"All right! Let's set it up, tiger, so we can play on it," Bae said.

"Hey, don't forget we need to go over your parents' house this afternoon," Emma reminded them. "And I have a Cinnabon breakfast for you."

"Whoo hoo! Cinnabons!" Henry hooted.

"With extra frosting and cinnamon coffee," Emma announced.

"Now there's a breakfast of champions," Bae grinned, releasing his wife and going into the kitchen to heat one up and get a cup of coffee to warm himself.

Page~*~*~*~Break

Gold's Victorian:

Alina woke up first that morning and went out to let the dog out. She put on the collie's leash and walked her on the patio, praising her after she did her business. When she came inside, her father was making coffee. "Merry Christmas, Papa!"

Rumple went and kissed her on the cheek. "Merry Christmas, Alina! How's my girls?" he knelt and ruffled the puppy's ears.

Nala padded into the kitchen then, and gave a soft meow.

Gold turned to see her, and the collie perked up her ears and went towards the cat.

Rumple knelt and reached out a hand, closing it over the dog's collar. "Easy, dearie. Be nice to my Nala."

The puppy wagged her tail and sniffed noses with the black cat.

Nala growled a bit as the collie licked her face, but then reared up and rubbed against the gold and white dog, purring loudly.

Rumple petted both animals. "There's my good girls!"

The puppy barked excitedly and Nala stropped his ankles, meowing.

"Here, Papa. She's hungry," Alina said, summoning a can of food for the cat.

"I think they both are," her father said, and summoned the bag of Puppy Chow which Emma had gotten for him along with some other essentials. "You feed the dog while I feed Nala," he told her, and picked up the cat and put her on the counter to eat.

Once the animals had been fed, Belle came down and said, "Have you gone and looked under the tree yet, Alina?"

"Not yet, Mama. I was waiting for you," she said, and they all went into the living room.

Under the tree were four gaily wrapped packages waiting. Alina went and picked them up. In the first one was a lovely dress of lavender and gold with matching silk stockings, it was an A-line princess cut and Alina exclaimed, "How beautiful! My first grown-up dress!" She looked at her father. "Did you make it, Papa? There's no tag."

Rumple coughed. "Umm . . . let's just say I helped . . ."

"A lot," Belle said.

Alina held the dress up against her pajamas. "Wow! It only comes down to my ankles!"

Belle smiled. "I had to keep fighting with him to shorten it."

"Belle, she's eleven!" Rumple objected.

"And heaven help you, Rumple, when she's fifteen," Belle laughed.

"Me? Heaven help those boys who try and date her," Rumple objected. "I'm going to have them pass three tests and run a gauntlet."

"Papa! You're so medieval!" Alina groaned.

"It's either that or I get out my revolver, dearie, so take your pick."

Alina rolled her eyes. "I'm going to wear a sign around my neck: Daughter of Overprotective Sorcerer-Date at Your Own Risk!"

Belle started laughing. "Oh, Rumple!" Then she hugged him. "So,have you decided what to name your sheepdog yet?"

"Uh . . . no. I need to take a look at those names," her husband admitted, just as the puppy in question came into the living room and jumped at his feet, barking and tugging on his slippers. "Hey! My foot's in there, you little monster!" he scolded. He went to disengage the collie's jaws and the puppy jumped backwards, sticking her hind end in the air and wagging her tail.

Nala strolled in and the puppy went and frisked up to her. The cat turned, batted the collie's nose and the two began to chase each other around the room and the foyer.

Belle shook her head and said, "Looks like they're best friends already . . . and it's like Animal Planet in here."

"Just wait till Regina gets here with her puppy," Rumple said. "Then it'll be like the Bronx Zoo!"

"But without the donkeys!" Alina reminded, and they all cracked up remembering their vacation to New York. "Wait till Grace sees her," the young sorceress said then.

"I can hear Alice now," Belle chuckled. "Belle, what is this—Animal Farm?"

"She'd be like—Calgon take me away, dearie!" Rumple said, laughing as the dog skidded to a stop and crashed into the wall trying to jump on Nala.

Alina went to open her other gifts while Belle went to make Belgian waffles with blueberries and cream and Vermont maple bacon and four cheese omelets with honey wheat bagels, along with Holiday Spice coffee, rubbing her tummy and saying, "Merry Christmas, little ones. It'll be like Grand Central station once you two get born, but . . .the more the merrier!"

A/N: Okay, time to vote! See the poll in my profile to vote for the dog's name, whoever gets the most votes wins the name game!

And the movie referred to last chapter was The Mighty Celt! Congratulations to cyncisquest for the first correct answer! You get a one-shot from me, dearie! But thanks to everyone who have been following and reading and reviewing this-you all are the best!

Next chapter will reveal the puppy's name and be the last one . . .