EPILOGUE

Henry and Cora stood patiently on the other side of the door waiting for Regina to invite them in. They knew the situation would be awkward given the end result of their meeting in the park. But Regina had taken a step and invited them to her home and that was something. They both smiled genuinely at their daughter as they gave her a moment to adjust to seeing them again. After several moments of silence Regina let out a nervous laugh, smiled and spoke up.

"I'm sorry." She shook off the myriad of thoughts running through her head and stepped back to open the door further. "Come in. Please. Emma's parents are already here."

Regina took note of the bags in both their hands and took a deep breath. They didn't know a single thing about each other and she wondered how they would have even begun to shop for Christmas presents. But none of that mattered. What did matter was the fact that they were standing in her home and all three parties were attempting to mend fences in hopes of rebuilding some kind of relationship with each other. Cora and Henry had missed out on so much of Regina's life that this small step was more than they could have ever hoped for. As Regina closed the door she turned to find her parents waiting in the hall for further direction about where to go or what to do. Cora found that she so desperately wanted to hug her daughter but wondered if the timing was right just yet so she put the feeling aside for the moment.

"Regina, dear..." Cora cleared her throat as it cracked slightly. "Your father and I brought a few things. We uhm, what would you like us to do with them?"

"We can take everything into the living room. Emma's in there with her parents. I'll introduce you once everyone is settled." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and realized she was fidgeting. "It's this way."

The moment they entered into the living room, Emma was on her feet, reaching for the things to relieve them of whatever it was they had brought. She sat the bags close to their Christmas tree and turned to politely shake both of their hands. "It's nice to see you again Mr. and Mrs. Mills."

"I'm not sure our daughter feels quite the same just yet." Cora responded only loud enough for Emma to hear and Emma gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just hopeful this day goes well. It means so much to both of us, Henry and I, to be invited into your home. Was this your idea, Emma?"

"Uhm, no." Emma answered with a somewhat surprised tone in her voice. "Actually it was Regina's suggestion." She watched the older woman take a deep and somewhat relaxing breath. "That's something...right?"

"Certainly." Cora nodded. All the while Regina was busying herself in the kitchen clearly avoiding any momentary interaction with her biological parents. "I know it's going to take her a while. But we are patient people, Emma. I just hope she will find it in her heart to begin to bridge the gap."

Henry finally spoke up. "We've missed so much of her life, Emma. If it wasn't for you, we might not even be here right now."

"Well." Emma wiped her sweaty hands nervously on her jeans and glanced toward her parents and then the kitchen, wondering just how long Regina planned to hide. "Mom, Dad...This is Henry and Cora Mills. Regina's parents."

Mary Margret and David both stood with outstretched hands and exchanged pleasantries and names with each other. As soon as Emma felt they were comfortable enough with each other to manage on their own for a moment, Emma made a beeline for the kitchen. As soon as she rounded the corner, the found the kitchen empty. Regina wasn't there and Emma hadn't seen her cross the hall to head up the stairs. Stepping down the hall, Emma tentatively opened the door to Regina's 'office' and found her standing in the middle of the room staring at the numerous paintings and other artwork lining the walls. Slowly she crept up behind her girlfriend and encircled her in the safety of her arms. Regina relaxed immediately and released a heavy sigh she hadn't even known she'd been holding in.

"I thought you'd decided on which piece to give them? You have it wrapped already." Emma nodded toward the brown paper wrapped painting sitting patiently in the corner just waiting to be handed off. "Are you changing your mind?"

"No, I-" Regina paused. "I was trying to decide whether or not to invite them in here and let them choose instead."

"Can I offer a suggestion?" Emma stepped around her girlfriend in order to make eye contact. "Give them the one you decided on. You know it's the right one. And then later, if things go well and you still feel like it's something you want to do, you can always let them choose another one."

"What if they aren't interested? What if they just accept it to be...nice? Emma I-"

Emma swiftly cut off her worrying, silencing Regina with a quick kiss. "Deep breaths babe."

Regina nodded, knowing deep down that she was over thinking the whole thing.

"Are you ready to entertain?"

Regina nodded once more, exhaling one last time to prepare herself.

. . .

Emma ushered Regina back into the living room, attempting to present a united front in effort to support Regina's hesitation to join the two families waiting for them. Instead of an uncomfortable situation, what they found were both their parents seemingly involved in a very in depth discussion. About what, they had no idea, but both Regina and Emma stopped just short of entering the living room and watched the scene before them. Something about the relaxed atmosphere seemed to calm Regina's racing heart. If their parents could get comfortable with each other, then she was just going to have to give it her best shot.

The rest of the evening went by comfortably. More so than Regina had expected it to. Emma had been right. Having other people there had made all the difference and eventually she had relaxed enough to enjoy the gathering. Getting to know her parents again was going to be a process and they were all smart enough to know that it wasn't going to happen overnight. And as Emma's parents had been the first to arrive, they had also been the first to depart, given the lengthy drive they had ahead of them. Not wanting to make things uncomfortable after such a progressive day, Regina's parents had quickly followed suit. Emma had said her goodbye's and excused herself to the kitchen leaving Regina to see them out on her own. Emma had seen the brief look of panic in her eyes but had quickly reassured her with a gentle touch to her arm as she stepped away. Standing at the door, Regina opened it and stood back as Cora and Henry stepped out onto the landing. Cora turned abruptly as Regina stepped into the doorway, all three of them pausing in awkward silence.

"Regina, I- we can't thank you enough for inviting us into your home tonight. And the gift. I know we've already told you, but your work is beautiful."

Cora was the first to speak up. And though she wanted to say more, Cora knew that keeping it simple was best. Henry nodded in agreement and reached out to touch his daughter on the arm. Regina surprised them both by quickly leaning forward and pulling the older man into a hug. It was over as fast as it had happened and she quickly repeated the gesture with her mother before stepping back and clasping her hands together nervously. She saw the tears in both of their eyes but decided against pointing it out.

"I'm glad you both came." Regina cleared her throat as she felt an all too familiar lump begin to form. "I know I haven't made this easy on you. But I promise I'll get there."

None of the three were willing to ruin the moment. Regina left the conversation at that when she saw the understanding written on their faces.

"Goodnight Regina." Henry said as he took his wife's hand and moved to step away.

"Goodnight- dad. Mom." Regina's voice cracked and she pushed back the tears as she watched them hesitate for just the slightest of moments. If she had blinked, she would have missed it but Regina was thankful when neither of them reacted. She meant it when she'd told them she would get there. It was just going to take some time and Regina realized in that moment that they were willing to give her as much time as she needed.

The end.