A/N: Happy Thursday everyone. Here is the next chapter! I only work four hours today so I had a bit of extra time. Sorry it's not longer! I tried to get the weekend off to write but it didn't happen. I promise I will do my best to get as much written by Christmas as possible! :) Please leave your thoughts after reading! It's always a nice little treat to see a review in my inbox.
The flight was going by way too quickly for Emma's liking. She had learned a little more about her new travelling companions, including that Henry was nine years old and big into superheroes, and that Regina was actually the mayor of the small town she lived in, which for some reason did not come as a surprise in the least. Henry and Regina – at Emma's own request – were currently back on the topic of telling her all about their plans for the remaining days up until Christmas. It all just sounded so perfect and she couldn't help but want to be a part of it.
"Wow," Emma said as she listened to their highlights from past Christmases. "Growing up, my Christmas traditions were always holiday bazaar's at my parent's country club... fundraisers... formal dinners with all my parent's colleagues... a Christmas Day brunch, also at the club. I would have so much preferred to have done the things you guys are doing. I kind of feel like I was robbed of proper childhood Decembers." Emma quipped. "My mother even hired other people to decorate our house, and that includes the Christmas tree!" Her voice rose scandalously for Henry's benefit.
"Wait you didn't get to decorate your own Christmas tree?!" Henry asked in astonishment.
"Nope. Sometimes my nanny would convince them to let me hang a few ornaments on the tree but they were always moved around by the decorator anyway," Emma shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I still had great Christmases, but there always just seemed to be something lacking you know?"
"Aw," Regina's eyes softened. "Well it's never too late. You don't have to be Henry's age to enjoy decorating gingerbread houses or building snowmen."
"Did your parents at least let you put out milk and cookies for Santa?" Henry asked.
Emma had to laugh at how concerned he was over this whole scenario. "Yes, that I did get to do."
"Did you ever get to write a letter to Santa?"
Emma thought back. "I think I did once?"
"How did he know what to get you if you didn't write to him?"
Regina caught Emma's eye and the two shared a knowing look. Henry still believed in Santa Claus. Emma realized. Okay, proceed with caution.
"Well obviously I told him in person when I saw him at the club." Emma responded matter of factly.
Henry's brow furrowed. "Santa visited your parent's country club?"
Emma met Regina's eye again, the brunette seemed to be enjoying this immensely. "Yeah of course he did! He was always at the Christmas parties."
"Was he a member or something?" He asked seriously.
The little cough-disguised-laugh that Regina gave made Emma's heart melt. She too, tried to hide her amusement. Emma nodded as she chuckled to herself, "you know what? I guess he must have been."
"Is he still a member?"
"Hmm, I'm not actually sure... I haven't been to the club in almost seven years." Emma responded wisely.
Henry was eyeing her and she could practically see the gears turning in his head. She hoped she wasn't about to ruin his belief in the jolly red-suit-wearing guy. Henry was around that age where in the next few years he would likely realize the truth, but for now though, Emma would have to watch what she said around him.
"Remember Henry, Santa has magic." Regina finally came to Emma's rescue. "He can be anywhere he's needed in seconds. How do you think he is able to visit Storybrooke every year, and make time to visit every other town and city all over the world before Christmas?"
"I want to have magic like Santa. Then we could go anyplace we wanted and see the entire world!" Henry wished.
"Or you could just become a flight attendant like me." Emma winked.
"Do you think I could?" Henry asked Regina hopefully.
Regina laughed affectionately, brushing her fingers through his hair. "You can do anything you want to do and be anything you want to be." Her expression turned a little more serious. "Just so long as you finish college first."
Henry was beaming excitedly. "I want to be a flight attendant like Emma."
"Excellent career choice!" A voice said fromthe aisle. The three of them looked up to see that Chris had returned with two hot chocolates and an apple juice, along with a tray full of minty chocolates. "I thought you guys were due for another round of refreshments." He winked.
"Oh my god," Emma's eyes shone as she saw the steaming hot chocolate. "You're going to make the rest of the passengers hate us."
"Emma's right, you've been far too generous to us today." Regina said gratefully as she accepted the apple juice being passed to her. "But thank you, all the same. It's very kind of you."
Chris, a young man with a healthy head of thick, expertly tousled brown hair, placed his hand over his heart and bowed his head a little in a you're welcome. "It's Christmas," was all he said in explanation before giving them all a friendly smile and leaving them to their snacks.
"He's too much." Emma grinned at the cocoa on her food tray.
"Are you like that with your passengers?" Regina quipped.
Emma breathed a laugh. "Well... only if I think they're really cute." Emma leaned forward to give Henry a knowing look. "It must be the kid. You're like the only one on the plane over the age of two and under the age of twenty."
Regina's brow furrowed and her eyes wandered around the other passengers. "You might actually be right about that." She said, before handing her son a few of the chocolates.
"How old are you?" Henry shamelessly asked Emma as he unwrapped a chocolate.
"Henry," Regina whispered in scolding.
Not seeing the problem, Henry raised his shoulders at his mother and gave her an innocent 'what?' sort of look.
"It's okay," Emma assured Regina. "I'm twenty-eight."
"Oh you're like my mom's age then." Henry said.
"Cool, really?"
Regina gave an amused eye-roll. "Not quite. I'm thirty-four."
"Close enough." Emma shrugged amiably, knowing that kids' perceptions of adults ages were different. Although when she worried that Regina would take her response as sarcasm Emma added: "with how amazing your skin looks I would have guessed you were twenty-nine at most." When Emma next worried that she was only just offending Regina she forced herself to shut up because she honestly had zero problem with the small age gap. Regina could be in her sixties and Emma would still probably be reacting to her the way she was. Regina was just Regina, and Emma liked Regina.
The brunette in question breathed a laugh, clearly not believing Emma, although her "thank you," was genuine. A few moments later, Regina bit her lip as she suddenly, very obviously, studied Emma.
Oh my god she's even adorable when she's squinting her eyes, Emma gushed in her mind, feeling her face growing a little warm again at the attention. "What?" Emma finally asked, her eyes drifting to each side as she tried to figure it out. Oh horror, I have chocolate on my face don't I?
"You know what I think?" Regina asked softly.
"What?" Emma asked, feeling herself freeze up a little in anticipation.
"I think Chris has a little crush on you." Regina said matter-of-factly.
"What?! No he doesn't!" Emma swatted her hand in amused disbelief. "If anything, it's probably you he likes."
Regina gave her a sideways look before good-naturedly shaking her head in disagreement. "You're young, blonde, very attractive... what's not for a young man to like?"
Emma's breath caught in her throat. She looked away briefly to hide the smile on her face as she gushed inside. When she turned back to Regina she found the brunette still staring at her with an expression that clearly said I mean it.
"So... you think I am 'very attractive'?" Emma asked in a daringly teasing tone as she fluttered her eyelashes for emphasis.
Wait am I flirting? Emma asked herself in shock.
Regina pressed her lips together, raising her head elegantly as she pretended to study Emma's features again before coming to a conclusion.
Smirking, Emma lifted her shoulder – and also her eyebrows – in an almost comically silent question of 'well'?
"Yes I do. I think you're beautiful." Regina finally responded in a much softer voice than Emma had anticipated.
The humor somewhat left Emma's expression and transformed into a sort of moved astonishment. She had mostly been joking around, but Regina's response had felt like honesty from the soul.
Emma was speechless as she asked herself a silent question: Could this flawlessly beautiful-in-every-way QUEEN actually be interested in me?!
Regina's eyes searched hers for a few moments and Emma could have sworn she saw a soft blush rising under Regina's makeup. Regina finally took a deep shaky breath, as if she had forgotten how to breathe for a minute. She cleared her throat and looked away, pretending to be suddenly very concerned with organizing the items on Henry's tray. The boy was looking between them, clearly very confused.
Emma realized that Regina seemed embarrassed.
Oh no. Emma thought. She thinks I'm shocked. The BAD kind of shocked. She thinks she's upset me. Everything inside Emma screamed: do something Swan! Fix this now!
This is it. Emma nervously brushed her fingers through her curly blonde hair before reaching a now shaking hand out to touch Regina's silk clad arm. She felt Regina stiffen ever so slightly, before the brunette turned slowly to meet Emma's gaze again. Regina looked uncertain, she looked nervous, and Emma felt her own heart flip-flop in response as she leaned closer to the other woman.
"Not as beautiful as you are." Emma whispered into Regina's ear.
A/N: Thank you as always for reading! Please leave a review if you'd like to read more! Take care xx
