The next morning, the two of them stayed in bed for as long as possible, after another round of lovemaking. Around eleven, they crawled out of bed and made their way downstairs to help out Emma's parents with the meal. The turkey, as Emma had told Maddy's mother, was huge. Far more than they all could manage to eat, even together. It looked delicious. As ecstatic as she was for the food, though, the blonde was far more excited to see her guests - especially the young student she had grown so fond of.

When they finally arrived around one in the afternoon, Emma literally sprinted to the door. Panting, she threw the door open with a large smile and waved at them both.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted them happily. "Great to-"

But before she could get the words out, Maddy had thrown her arms around her.

"Emma!" the girl cried, resting her head on her mentor's chest. When she finally pulled away, she squeaked with excitement, "Where's Regina?!"

"She's in the kitchen with my parents," Emma laughed. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's go say hi."

Maddy, suddenly feeling shy, took the older girl's hand and followed her slowly into the kitchen.

When she saw Regina's face as the girl turned around, she couldn't help but cry, "Wow, Emma! She really is beautiful!"

Immediately, the color of the brunette's cheeks turned to a deep red, but she forced herself not to look away, instead smiling at the younger girl and giving her a quick wave.

"Hey, hey, hey," Emma cut in with a grin. "No hitting on my girl."

Laughing at the comment but choosing not to respond to it, Regina managed to say, "Thank you, dear. That's very kind of you to say."

"It's true!" Maddy exclaimed, stepping closer and sticking her hand out. "It's an absolute pleasure to meet you, Regina!"

"And it's a pleasure to meet you, dear! I've heard wonderful things about you."

"Huh?"

"Emma raves about you. Never shuts up about you, really. She thinks you're the best thing since sliced bread."

"Emma? You talk about me?" Maddy asked anxiously, looking to her mentor for the answer.

"Of course I do, kiddo. You're an important part of my life! And I'm very proud of you."

Maddy turned her attention to her own shoes, a small amount of color rising to her cheeks.

Before she could respond, her mother stepped forward towards Regina and extended her own hand as a greeting.

"Pleasure to meet you, Regina," the woman said with a smile. Then, turning to Emma's parents, who were watching them with smiles on their faces, she added, "And a pleasure to meet you both as well. Emma has been absolutely wonderful to Maddy. She never shuts up about Emma either. I think the two were meant to be sisters."

Emma grinned proudly and grabbed the younger girl's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze, which Maddy returned with enthusiasm.

"We're happy to have you here," Emma's father told them both. "You and Maddy are always welcome in our house. Your daughter has made ours a very happy young lady."

"What?" the younger girl asked. "But-"

"You do, kiddo," Emma told her, turning to face her and kneeling down as she took the girl's other hand as well. "You make me very happy. You're my favorite little buddy. You know that?"

Throwing her arms around the blonde's neck and feeling as though she might cry from happiness, Maddy buried her face in Emma's neck.

"You're my best friend, Emma," she whispered, so that only her mentor could hear her.

"You're mine too," Emma whispered back, playfully ruffling her hair. "I love you, champ."

"I love you too."

By the time Emma rose to her feet, the people surrounding her were all staring with broad smiles, especially Regina.

They all ate happily, making enthusiastic conversation with each other. As she ate, Maddy swung her legs back and forth excitedly and bounced lightly in her seat.

"Sit still, Maddy," her mother scolded her. "Be polite."

"I'm excited!" Maddy explained. "The food is really good and Regina is here and Emma is here and-"

"It's okay, sweetheart," Emma told the girl. "Just relax, alright? We're not going anywhere. We'll have plenty of time to play around after dinner."

With a quiet nod, Maddy continued eating. Still, she was unable to stay silent for the entire meal. Every few minutes, she blurted out another animated question for Regina, asking things like, 'How long before you finish school?' 'How old are you?' 'What music do you like?' 'Do you like to read?' and 'What's your favorite movie?'

"Maddy, calm down," her mother snapped. "Don't bother Regina when she's trying to eat."

"It's fine, Miss Walker," Regina laughed. "She's alright."

So dinner continued this way, until finally, everyone had finished two or three helpings of everything on their plates.

"Emma, Emma, Emma! Can we play video games now?" Maddy cried as they rose from the table.

"Madeline, don't-" the girl's mother started to protest.

"Sure, we can!" Emma cut in. "As long as Mom says it's okay."

Emma winked at the woman and waited for approval.

"Well... I suppose that's alright. If you're sure she's not bothering you."

"She never bothers me, Miss Walker. We have lots of fun together. Don't we, Mads?"

Maddy nodded enthusiastically and grinned at her mother, then at Emma and Regina.

"Okay, bud," the blonde announced. "Let's leave our parents down here to talk about adulty stuff, and we'll go play upstairs in my room."

"YAY!" the girl screamed, bolting for the stairs and running up to Emma's room.

Emma passed out the controllers, even giving one to Regina (who usually didn't play video games).

"I'm sooooo gonna beat you!" the younger girl cried, squeezing her controller in anticipation as her mentor started the console and loaded the game.

"I dunno," Emma laughed. "You might beat me, but Regina's pretty good."

"I am not!" the brunette protested with a chuckle. "Emma's the pro here."

"Not compared to me!" Maddy bragged. "I'm gonna whoop you guys."

And, to Regina's surprise, she did exactly that.

"Great job, sweetheart!" Regina exclaimed, raising her hand for a high-five.

The younger girl slapped her palm against the brunette's and grinned at Emma.

"See? Told ya!"

"Yeah, yeah, punk," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "Next time, no mercy."

"You weren't showing mercy! I beat you fair and square! Don't lie!"

"Alright, alright!" her mentor chuckled. "You won for real. I'm still gonna cream you next time."

Before the girl could manage to respond, a large yawn escaped her, and she rubbed her eyes.

"Sleepy, monkey?" the blonde asked, placing a kiss on the top of Maddy's head.

The girl shook her head, of course, but both older girls could tell that she was exhausted. Right on cue, Maddy's mother called up the stairs for her to come down, announcing that it was time to go.

"But Mooooom!" the girl cried as she stomped down the stairs, with Emma and Regina trailing behind her. "I don't wanna! I wanna stay with Em and Gina!"

"They need their alone time, Madeline," the woman told the girl, then winked in the direction of the young couple. When she turned back to Maddy, she assured her, "You'll see them again soon."

"But what about Regina? She's leaving after this weekend!"

"We'll see you Saturday?" Regina offered. "We have no plans at all for the weekend. Just hanging out. I'd love to see you again before I leave!"

Maddy nodded enthusiastically and clapped her hands.

"Okay, guys. See you Saturday!" She hugged Emma first, then turned to the brunette. Before the older girl had a chance to say goodbye, Maddy's arms were around her, squeezing her tightly, as she said, "You're the best, Gina! I'm so glad you're finally here!"

As she returned the embrace, Regina's face grew warm, and a wave of affection washed over her. Emma was right. The girl was far beyond charming, and just as her lover had, she was falling fast into a place of intense adoration.