A/N: It's the most glorious May weekend as I write this … Merry Christmas to Regina and Emma!
London glittered with happiness as they walked to the tube station on Christmas Eve, hand in hand, each carrying a bag laden with presents. The carriage was buzzing with festivities as groups of friends traveled to events, tipsy with holiday cheer already, despite it only being three in the afternoon.
The journey took them to the outskirts of London, the tube emptying steadily as they moved further away from the centre. By the time they reached the penultimate stop, there was only a handful of passengers left.
"Welcome to Watford," Emma announced as they emerged onto the high street.
Regina looked around. The town centre was fairly nondescript but it seemed nice enough. The streets were busy with last minute shoppers mostly men, looking harried and stressed about their quest for gifts. She nodded and shifted the bag of presents to her other hand as she set off beside Emma. It didn't take them long to leave the commercial hubbub behind and within five minutes, the roads were quieter, larger, with houses set well back from the curb.
"It's nice here," Regina mused.
"Yeah, it's ok. It's the place to be if you like Harry Potter." At that, Regina looked at her quizzically, so Emma explained that the town had become best known as the location of Harry Potter World.
"Can we go some time?" Regina asked. "I loved those books as a kid."
Emma grinned. "Sure, we can go. I've been twice but I'm up for going again with you."
"You're a Potterhead too?"
"I mean, I'm not a total geek about it but yeah, I like it. Ruby loves it though. She was the one who organised for us to go. She got us tickets to see the play too."
"Is it good?" Regina asked. She'd heard about the fact that there was a play to accompany the books in the West End but going to see it had always been a pipe dream.
"We can go there too, if you like," Emma offered.
"I … I mean, I would like to." Regina faltered. For what was not the first time, she was reminded that for anything and everything she wanted to do, she was still reliant on Emma. Somehow the fact that she was living rent free in the blonde's house and eating food without contributing anything had become unspoken and accepted for months. But now, after the trial, Regina felt like her financial position had been thrown into sharp relief.
Despite the fact that they hadn't talked about it, Emma somehow knew what was on Regina's mind. It was Christmas Eve; not the right time to have the conversation, but she wanted to allay the brunette's discomfort. "We've got time. We can go a year from now. Two years, five, whatever. Whenever we want to, ok?"
"Ok, thanks," Regina replied, grateful for the out Emma offered.
"We're here," the blonde said, turning into a driveway and shuffling past a car which was parked in the way. "God, my dad is terrible at getting this thing in here. He needs a smaller car. Who even needs a car in London anyway, let alone one this huge?" she grumbled as she held the present bag in front of her and slid through the gap.
Regina laughed as she followed, careful not to rub up against the edge of the vehicle where a mixture of London grime and road salt left a dark grey sheen against the silver paintwork. She was wearing her new dress she'd bought specifically for the evening, and black tights which were doing little to keep out the bitter winter wind but looked great with her overall outfit.
A huge wreath adorned the front door, obscuring the knocker completely, so Emma had to bang straight onto the wood.
"A heads up, my mum loves Christmas," Emma said to Regina.
"Who doesn't?"
"No, I mean, loves it beyond all normal measure. It's her favourite day of the year."
"It's my favourite day of the year," Regina mused.
"Really?" Emma asked, knocking again.
"Yeah, I mean, what day is better than Christmas?"
Emma thought for a moment. "Yeah, ok, fair point."
The door in front of them opened, the heavily scent of Christmas cooking filling the porch as Mary Margaret exclaimed at their arrival. "Come in, come in! You two must be freezing. I know we're not going to get a white Christmas but it's so cold out there. Hello darling daughter," she added, kissing Emma's cheek as the nurse shrugged off the rucksack she'd been carrying with their clothes in it. "And Regina, welcome. It's lovely to see you, and congratulations on the trial."
"Thank you, and thank you for having me. It's very kind of you."
Mary Margaret waved away the thanks. "Of course, we're delighted to have you. Christmas is all about celebrating with people. The more the merrier! Emma, why don't you run your things up to the guest room and I'll take Regina through to get a glass of mulled wine."
Doing as her mother suggested, Emma winked at Regina who was dutifully following into the kitchen which was at the back of the house, leading onto a huge garden which was quickly being swallowed by the early evening darkness.
"Hi Regina," David said as she entered the overly stuffy kitchen where every available surface had been given over to food preparation.
She balked at the sight of the police officer at home, wearing an apron and peeling what looked like enough potatoes to feed ten people. "Hi, um, yeah, hi."
David grinned. "Not my usual attire, I know, but MM has designated me her sous chef and I'm not the tidiest cook. Mulled wine?"
"Yes please," Regina smiled back at him. Mulled wine wasn't something she'd had until Emma introduced her to the concept a few weeks ago. She had been sceptical at first when Emma described the hot drink but had quickly come around to the point of view that it was delicious.
Carefully ladling the dark red liquid into a glass, David handed over the steaming drink before returning to prepare one for Emma, whom they could hear returning down the stairs. Mary Margaret meanwhile was fiddling with her phone and moments later, Christmas music added to the festive atmosphere. Regina took the time to look around, taking in the large space, including the beautifully decorated table, resplendent with live foliage and gold crackers.
"Wow, Mum, you've outdone yourself," Emma remarked as she entered the room. "And the Christmas tree is insane."
Regina scanned the room, frowning. "It's in the living room, dear," Mary Margaret explained.
"Oh, I look forward to seeing it then."
"We'll go through there after everything is in the oven. Emma, I thought we'd do presents in a bit, seeing as you won't be here tomorrow?"
Emma nodded her agreement to that. She had already stashed the bags of presents they'd brought under the tree on her way through.
"Are you sure you can't change your shift?" her mother asked as she set about preparing the Brussels sprouts.
"No, Mum. People have to work Christmas in hospitals. It's just another day as far as illness is concerned. And with the amount of alcohol being consumed, A and E is always full of drunken idiots who burn themselves on goose fat or cut their fingers off carving the turkey."
"Oh, David, did you remember to get the goose fat?" Mary Margaret asked, suddenly panicked.
"Right here," David replied calmly, knowing that it was his job that day to keep everyone as relaxed as possible while his wife got worked up over the amount of cooking tasks she'd set herself.
"Good. Regina, you're not vegetarian or anything, are you?"
"No, I eat meat," Regina assured, wondering what Mary Margaret would have done if she'd said she didn't. To be fair, she wouldn't have gone hungry given the vast quantity of vegetables being prepared. "Can we help, by the way?" Regina offered, wanting to contribute something to the meal and pull her weight, as it were. Emma had insisted that she was more than welcome but she still wanted to make a good impression."
"Oh, yes please. Those carrots could do with a scrub. And Emma, once your father has peeled the potatoes, can you do the parsnips? I'm going to make that honey glaze you like."
Emma licked her lips over dramatically at the description, causing her dad to laugh, her mum to roll her eyes and Regina to have a flashback to the night before which made her cheeks flush red. She took a large gulp of her wine to try and cover up her thoughts and set to work preparing the carrots as instructed.
Fifty minutes later and the four of them were in the living room, freshly topped up mulled wines beside them, as Emma sat beside the Christmas tree like a child, sorting the presents into piles. Regina thought she looked completely adorable, the excitement of the day etched on her features.
The cooking of the various elements which made up Christmas dinner was all well underway, with the meal planned for eight that evening. The house smelled delicious and Regina was feeling relaxed. There had been no further mention of the trial and the conversation had flowed smoothly. She wondered briefly if her parents would be as accepting of Emma as Emma's parents were of her. Well, as David, at least. Mary Margaret had taken a little more time to come around to the fact that Emma was with someone whose past was as dark as Regina's. But she seemed to be over that now. At least, Regina hoped she was.
Mary Margaret's music had followed them through to the speaker in the living room and Wham started up just as Emma pushed a pile of presents across the carpet towards her father. The next pile went to Mary Margaret whose expression mirrored that of her daughter's as she saw her hoard.
"And these are for you," Emma said, pushing a not insubstantial pile to Regina's feet.
"What?" she gawped. "Emma, you didn't have to … this is too much." A flush of embarrassment coloured her cheeks again.
"They're not all from me," Emma explained. "Some are from Mum and Dad too."
Whether this made it better or worse, Regina wasn't sure. Yes, she'd bought presents for Emma's parents, but considering she'd had to borrow the money off Emma, they were more token gifts than anything else.
"Get stuck in," Emma encouraged as she returned to her own pile which was bigger than everyone else's. The perks of being an only child, Regina supposed.
Her eyes drifted to the wrapped items at her feet, toes curling uncomfortably into the thick carpet beneath them. She picked up the top present and slowly slid her fingernail under the tape, before pausing and turning it over to see if there was a label.
"The ones in gold are from me and David," Mary Margaret explained, catching Regina's movement out of the corner of her eye.
"Oh yeah, and mine are all in the silver with the robins," Emma offered.
"Thank you," Regina said quietly. "I mean, for all of this I … I wasn't expecting … thank you."
She forced herself to smile although her eyes burned. They were happy tears but she didn't want to ruin the evening with what she knew would be seen as marks of sadness. Mary Margaret beamed back at her while Emma leaned forwards and squeezed her knee. "Don't thank us yet. We may have bought you crap."
Grateful for the release, Regina laughed and nodded her agreement. Emma went back to tearing the paper off her first present and Regina resumed her opening too.
Fifteen minutes later, the floor was strewn with wrapping paper and each of them sat with a healthy pile of presents beside them. Emma was still making her way through her stash and the rest were watching her open the last few items. The very last one was from Regina.
"If you don't like them, you can take it back," Regina heard herself saying, wondering when she'd picked up these British mannerisms. Self deprecation about her own shopping abilities for gifts was a new one she'd only recently observed in herself.
Emma opened the little black box and gasped. "Oh, they're so cute! I love them, thank you." She immediately set about changing her earrings which were mini Santas for the delicate silver swans.
"Not the most original, I know but -"
"I love them," Emma said firmly as she slid the back onto the second one. "How do they look?"
"Beautiful," Mary Margaret exclaimed. "You have very fine taste, Regina," she added, stroking the yellow and grey scarf which was wrapped around her neck even though the room was almost uncomfortably warm. The gesture touched Regina, a glow of happiness that her gift was being appreciated.
David looked up from his book about famous cold cases which had stumped the MET police to admire his daughter's earrings too before disappearing once more, clearly sure he was going to spot something everyone else missed. There too, Regina mused, she'd made a good choice.
"They're perfect, thank you," Emma said, crawling on her hands and knees over to where Regina was sitting and leaning in for a kiss.
It was just short, a peck and nothing more, considering where they were, but Regina felt her stomach coil in delight. It wasn't sexual however. It was contentment, belonging, happiness. Love.
Three hours later, plates scraped clean and feeling uncomfortably full, the foursome made their way back from the debris-strewn kitchen to the living room, having come to the conclusion that the washing up could be left until tomorrow. Groaning in discomfort but satiated by the delicious spread, they collapsed onto the sofas and allowed the light entertainment of Christmas Eve TV to wash over them.
Despite Emma having to get up early the next morning, she didn't want the evening to end and suggested a game of charades. Regina soon realised she was in the presence of master charade-players, or perhaps a family who'd played together too much. But she didn't mind; she wasn't competitive when it came to those types of games and simply laughed at their antics as they whipped through a mind boggling array of films, books and tv shows. She was pretty good on the books, but the rest left her stumped.
It was nearing midnight when they finally headed up to bed. The guest room was nice but had no relics of Emma's childhood, seeing as they'd moved out after Emma had left home.
"I can't wait to find some hidden treasures in your bedroom in Puerto Rico," Emma teased Regina when the brunette expressed her disappointment at the lack of embarrassing teenage photos tacked to the walls.
"I'll have to distract you with something particularly delicious and tropical while I stash it all away."
"I can think of something delicious which always distracts me," Emma smirked, looping her arms around Regina's waist and pulling her close.
The kiss was deep but Regina soon pulled away. "Your parents are next door," she reminded the blonde who pouted but agreed that perhaps this wasn't the right location for a night of passion. Plus she had to get up in, she checked her phone, six hours.
"Thank you again for my presents," Regina said as Emma slid into bed beside her.
"You're welcome, and thank you for mine, but I've actually got one more for you?"
Reversing her movements, Emma climbed back out from beneath the sheets and rummaged through the rucksack on the floor beside the bed. Moments later she was back, Regina's frown told her that her girlfriend was not expecting anything more.
"Emma, you already gave me so many things. The new clothes, those books, that delicious chocolate."
"Yeah but I ate half the chocolate and, well, I think if anyone deserves a good Christmas this year, it's you," she smiled, placing the carefully wrapped package between them.
Regina raised an eyebrow but picked up the item. It was rectangular and heavy. "Another book?" she asked.
"Open it," Emma encouraged.
She did so, carefully peeling the tape away and unwrapping this final gift of the night. The smell of the old binding told her what was inside before she'd uncovered the front cover. She loved the scent of old books. Taking in the slightly tattered edges, she turned it over and gasped. "Emma!"
"You like it?"
"I … where did you find this?"
"Ebay," Emma replied. "It took a few months of searching but I found it in the end."
"But these are so rare. It must have cost hundreds of pounds. No, Emma, I can't accept this."
She tried to push the book back into Emma's hands but the blonde shook her head. "Of course you can. It's a gift. I wanted to get you something special. Do you like it?"
Regina traced the embossed letters on the front cover with the tip of her finger, wondering how many people before her had held this in her hands. "I love it. I love her. I love you, thank you."
Emma kissed her soundly before encouraging Regina to open the book. Curious, she flipped to the first page. There wasn't a signature, which she had been half hoping while also knowing that that would have pushed such a book way out of Emma's price range. Instead, the blonde had put a loose sheet of thick stock paper in that, not wanting to mar the inside of the book permanently.
Dearest Regina,
These last six months have been the most amazing time of my life. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone before. I know we've done this a little bit backwards but when we go back home after Christmas, I want like to ask you if you would officially move into my bedroom. As much as having 'a room of one's own' (see what I did there?) is great, I want my room to become our room.
And in the words of Virginia Woolf, "Just in case you ever foolishly forget; I'm never not thinking of you."
I love you, Regina. Merry Christmas.
Emma x
A/N: What was your best ever Christmas present?