A/N: Yikes, it took me much longer than I planned to get the next chapter up. Long story short: this semester has been a nightmare because I'm covering another faculty's maternity leave, so I'm teaching an overload of classes, which means the wedding reception that was supposed to happen in September/October didn't happen. Instead, this chapter will have references to it, so you can still see what happened (no big loss, tbh. I don't think a separate chapter would have been that exciting). I wanted to get this up by the end of Thanksgiving weekend in the States, but I got home from spending a few days with extended family to find my kitchen flooded because of a frozen/leaking pipe and needed to have all of my plumbing changed out. So, this is super late. But, better late than never, right? Plus, Thanksgiving is a fun holiday so hopefully no one minds reliving it a week later. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Thursday, November 22, 10am.

"Oh, please no," Regina says as she cuts her eyes over to Emma, who is sitting next to her and grinning as she pulls up a new Spotify playlist on her phone.

"What? You said 'no' to A Star Is Born."

"That's because you haven't stopped playing it for the past three weeks. I can't do it anymore," she rolls her eyes before focusing on the road, sighing as Josh Groban's voice comes over the stereo, singing the first few notes to "Silent Night."

"That's why I picked this. You love Josh."

"Love may be a bit of a strong word, but regardless, it's too early. You know my rule. No Christmas music until after Thanksgiving dinner. You can't wait another 12 hours?"

"Nope," the blonde grins as she looks out the windshield, her smile turning to a frown. "Are you sure you're going the right way?"

"Yes, dear," Regina says. "I did grow up here."

"I know, but this is the middle of nowhere. I can't imagine Zelena choosing to live out in the boonies. She doesn't strike me as someone who would like to rough it."

"Well, she did choose to live in Storybrooke, which I would have thought hell would need to freeze over before that happened, so…"

"It's pretty out here. I'll give her that," Emma replies, taking in the forest around them.

"Uh huh," Regina agrees, half-heartedly.

"Hey, you okay?" Emma asks, looking over. She places her hand gently on Regina's thigh.

"Yeah, just nervous all of a sudden."

"Your mom?" Emma asks knowingly.

Regina subtly nods.

"I know she didn't show up at our reception last month, but my dad made it sound like she really was sorry," Emma offers. Leopold had attended the belated wedding reception the two women had thrown in D.C., but Cora had sent her regrets. She had blamed her absence on an important and contentious congressional debate in her district that she had to moderate as the mayor of Storybrooke. "And she did call us to apologize. She sounded genuine."

"Oh, please. She's a politician. She's basically a professional actress. It was clinical and what she thought we wanted to hear. And she's the mayor. She could have rescheduled the debate, or she could have had anyone else from city council moderate in her place. She was just too chickenshit to actually own up to the truth."

"If that was true, then why would she invite us for Thanksgiving?"

"Technically, she didn't. Zelena did," Regina retorts.

Zelena, Walsh, and Robyn had finally moved out of the mayoral mansion guest house and settled into their new home the previous month, a farmhouse on the outskirts of Storybrooke. After much negotiation with Cora, Zelena had been given permission to move the annual Thanksgiving celebration to her new home instead.

"I'm sure it will be fine. My dad said that Cora seems to be coming around."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Well, we'll find out soon enough," she says, throwing the rental car into 'park.' She takes a breath. "We're here."

*.*.*

"Regina! Emma!" Zelena calls as she opens the front door. "You made it!"

"Hey, Zee," Regina smiles, kissing her sister on the cheek as Emma does the same. "Of course we did. And where is my beautiful niece"

"With Walsh, Leo, David, and the twins in the den."

"Excuse me, then," Regina says, before realizing she doesn't know her way around the house. "Uh…where is the den?"

"Through the kitchen, then down the hall to your left," Zelena laughs, pointing toward the back of the house.

"Thanks. I'll be right back," she says, quickly disappearing.

"This house is lovely, Zelena," Emma comments, turning the redhead's attention back to her.

"Thank you, but you've only seen the foyer. I'm happy to give you a full tour when Regina gets back."

"Speaking of, is she going to run into your mother back there?"

Zelena shakes her head. "No. She and your sister went back to the mansion to pick up the pies."

"Look who I found," Regina calls out as she walks back into the room, a giggling baby Robyn in her arms.

"You're so good with her," her sister comments.

Emma smiles as she watches Regina gently rock the infant back and forth. "She's a natural," she agrees, a look of awe in her eyes.

Zelena smirks. "She is…so, would you ladies like a tour?"

"Yes, please," they answer in unison.

*.*.*

"Regina, can I speak with you a moment?" Cora asks as she gently places the large pan of stuffing in the oven.

Emma sends Regina a concerned glance but says nothing.

"Um, of course…" she answers hesitantly, setting down the towel she had been using to dry dishes.

"And Emma, you too," Cora adds.

"Oh, sure…" she says quietly, following Cora and Regina into the laundry room off the kitchen, jumping slightly when she hears Cora close the door behind them.

"What's up?" Regina asks, getting straight to the point.

"I wanted to…apologize," Cora says, much less self-assured than Regina has ever heard her before. "…for missing your reception in D.C. I know I called to tell you as much, and Leo was still able to go, but I wanted to tell you in person."

"Oh," Regina says, pleasantly surprised. "Well, thank you. We appreciate that."

Emma feels Regina reach for her hand and takes it willingly, squeezing it gently. "We do. Thank you, Cora."

The older woman smiles — well, grimaces, really — before opening the door and backing out of the room, leaving the couple alone.

"Well, that was unexpected," Emma comments, turning to face Regina.

"Yeah, no kidding," she says. "That's honestly the most genuine I've seen her in years. I think she might have actually meant it?"

"Well, that's something then."

"It is," Regina smiles. "I'll take it."

"Shall we rejoin the party then or should we test the limits of her acceptance by having a quickie on top of the dryer?"

Regina rolls her eyes and walks out of the room, leaving Emma chuckling to herself.

"What on Earth are you making?" Emma asks when she catches up to Regina in the kitchen.

Mary Margaret looks up from the blender in front of her. "Margaritas!"

"Margaritas, really?" Emma questions her sister. "That's not very Thanksgiving-y."

"True. But, I've been putting up with 20 fourth graders at work who are still on sugar highs from Halloween and are already overexcited about Christmas, so…I need this."

She pours the concoction into several glasses and hands a pair to the women. "I'll pass," Emma says, crinkling her nose. "Not really my thing."

"Ditto," Regina nods.

"Fine, more for me!" Zelena happily takes the drink as Regina pushes it away. "I feel like a bad host. Can I get you two something else, then? Wine, maybe?"

"Zelena, it's only 11 in the morning," Regina points out.

"So? It's 5 o'clock somewhere…besides," she adds quietly, "I saw you were talking with Mother. I figured you might need it."

"Surprisingly, she hasn't done anything to drive me to drink yet."

"Really? Cora Mills Blanchard isn't making you reach for the liquor cabinet?"

Regina smirks. "For once, no."

"Wow. It's a Thanksgiving miracle."

*.*.*

The day continues to go surprisingly well. Contrary to Regina's expectations, even in light of the bewildering apology from her mother, Cora is pleasant and even acknowledges their presence rather than being merely tolerant of their existence. "Do you think Leo laced her breakfast pastry with weed or Xanax?" Zelena had whispered to Regina at one point after Cora engaged Emma in authentic conversation. "She has to be high. There's no other explanation."

"I have no idea, but I'm not going to argue with it," Regina had replied. "If we can get through a family holiday without any major crises, that will be a win in my book."

And so, they had continued to prepare the meal, with Cora focusing on the turkey itself while Zelena and Regina worked on a few of the side dishes, and Mary Margaret and Emma baked some additional dessert options beyond the pie Cora had previously prepared.

It's a little after four in the afternoon when they finally sit down to dinner, and Regina is finally relaxed enough, thanks to the half bottle of wine she split with Zelena when they were supposed to be waiting for one of their sides to finish cooking, to think that just maybe, this dinner might not be the total disaster she's been bracing herself for. Or, at least she hopes that's the case.

"Wine, anyone?" Zelena asks as she walks around the table and pours the chardonnay into the empty goblets at each place setting. Regina takes hers gratefully and takes a sip, while Emma nudges hers back from her plate and takes a large sip of water, bracing herself for some sort of argument. While Regina has remained calm, Emma has become more vigilant as the day wears on, expecting that some sort of confrontation is bound to happen, and she wants to be clear-headed and focused when it does.

"I would like to propose a toast," Cora says, interrupting the quiet chatter among the table. She raises her glass as she begins speaking. "First, to Zelena and Walsh for hosting all of us today," she begins, nodding at her daughter and son-in-law and smiling at Robyn, who is sleeping in the bassinette just behind them. "You have a beautiful home and it's lovely spending the holiday here, "she continues. "And Leo and I are so glad that we are all getting to spend it together, and that all our children were able to make it to Storybrooke."

Regina catches Emma's eye and sends her a forced smile as she subtly reaches for her hand under the table, her smile becoming more genuine when Emma squeezes her hand lightly in support. Both women are preparing themselves for the worst, knowing that it would be Cora's modus operandi to turn a toast into a passive aggressive attack on Regina.

"And finally," Cora says, jarring both women from their evidence-based paranoia, "I would like to wish Regina and Emma a happy first anniversary," she states, raising her glass before murmuring "cheers" and retaking her seat.

"That's it?" Regina questions, not realizing she said it out loud.

"Pardon?" Cora replies.

"Sorry, I'm just…well, I'm surprised."

"I think 'thank you' are the words you're looking for, dear."

Regina holds back an eye roll. If that's the worst her mother has to say to her all day, she'll take it. "Thank you, Mother," she says. "If I'm being honest, I'm just a little surprised that you haven't had anything disparaging to say about Emma and me, let alone that you remembered it's our anniversary," she offers as explanation.

"I know I haven't been accepting, Regina, but I really am trying."

"I can see that. And thank you," she says, nodding her head in deference to show her sincerity.

"And even if I didn't agree with it back then, or how you informed us that you were married, I'm not going to forget that you told us you eloped over Thanksgiving last year. That's certainly not a fact that would be easy to forget, regardless of how I took the news at the time."

Regina can't help but chuckle. "Fair enough."

"Okay, enough of your odd way of kissing and making up," Zelena interrupts. "Let's eat. I'm famished."

The meal progresses without much fanfare, the conversation temporarily dying down just long enough for the family to shovel more of the feast into their mouths. As it comes to a close, Emma and Regina offer to help Zelena and Cora clear the table.

"Not a fan of chardonnay, Emma?" Cora asks as she eyes the full glass that remains next to her plate.

"It's fine," she says. "I'm just the DD for tonight. With it snowing a bit outside and not being familiar with these winding rural roads, I don't want to take any added risk," she answers.

"I'll happily drink it, then," Regina smiles as she takes the glass. "Are you sure you don't want it?"

"It's all yours, babe," Emma laughs as she quickly pecks Regina's lips before taking an empty dish to the sink.

To Cora's credit, she doesn't cringe when she sees the display of affection.

*.*.*

"It smells amazing in here," Regina comments as she walks in the back door of the kitchen at the mansion the next morning. She and Emma had stayed in the guest house, while Mary-Margaret, David, and the twins had taken the guest rooms in the main house. "Are you making apple cinnamon pancakes?"

"Of course. It's tradition," Cora comments as she pours more batter onto the griddle. "Where's Emma?"

"Oh, she'll be here in a few minutes. She had an early work phone call that couldn't wait, so she's running a bit late. She was just hopping out of the shower when I left but she didn't want to hold me up."

"Ah, I see. Well, no hurry. Zelena, Walsh and Robyn aren't here yet, and I still have half the batter left to go."

Regina smiles as she maneuvers around the island to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Thank you again, Mother, for being so kind yesterday."

Cora moves her shoulders in a way that an average person would interpret as a shrug, but Regina knows her mother has never shrugged a day in her life. "I realize that I may have had some prejudices. If I am being honest, I'm still not completely comfortable with it, especially given that she's Leopold's daughter…"

"Emma and I first got together long before you even met Leopold—" Regina interjects.

Cora holds up her hand. "I know. And you're both adults. It's not like you were raised together. I get that. As I was saying, this is not what I expected when I raised you, but as Leopold has been saying relentlessly over the past year, you didn't choose your sexuality. And Leopold won't shut up about how happy you and Emma are together…"

"We are," Regina confirms.

"Good," Cora replies tightly. "So, I am trying to make a conscious effort to be more open to it."

Regina nods. "Okay, then. Well, thank you," she says, sipping her coffee. It's hardly an enthusiastic response, but she knows it's the best she will likely ever get, and she doesn't want to argue anymore. Her mother is clearly trying, and that's all she can ask.

*.*.*

"Alright, everyone, eat up," Cora says as she places the last platter of pancakes on the buffet next to the crockpot of scrambled eggs, the tray of bacon, another platter with French toast, and a large crystal bowl of berries. A pitcher of freshly-made orange juice sits at the end of the table, next to two bottles of champagne for a build-your-own mimosa bar.

"This all looks impressive, Cora," Emma says as she picks up a plate and looks over the options.

"Thank you, Emma," Cora replies with a smile, taking her seat at the head of the table.

The meal is off to a good start, with more pleasant conversations continuing from the night before. Talk of new things in their lives, their jobs, and their plans for the upcoming year are discussed. Mary-Margaret reveals that she and David are planning a trip to Europe in the spring, hoping that traveling with two-year-old twins won't be a nightmare.

"You okay?" Regina quietly asks Emma when she sees the blonde set down her fork and push her half-eaten plate back slightly. She looks a bit pale, yet also flushed.

Emma exhales as she rolls her neck. "I don't know," she responds, taking another deep breath. "Nope." She stands up and excuses herself abruptly, rushing out of the room and down the hall.

Regina watches her leave before continuing to cut a piece of her own French toast. Zelena raises a brow at her. "What?" Regina asks, noticing that everyone is looking at her.

Zelena speaks up. "Is she okay? Aren't you going to go check on her?"

Regina shrugs. "I'm sure she's fine. It may just be a migraine aura. She thought she was getting one this morning, and hers are sometimes triggered by certain foods. She hates when I hover because she thinks I get too 'doctor-y', so she does her own thing. If she's not back in five minutes I'll make sure she's okay, but she should be fine."

"If you say so," Zelena says, judgement present in her voice.

Regina rolls her eyes and goes back to her breakfast, resuming the conversation with Mary-Margaret and David. "So, where in Europe are you planning to go first?"

A few minutes later, the blonde returns to the table, looking a bit more refreshed than when she left. She retakes her seat quietly, hoping to go unnoticed.

"Feeling better?" Regina asks her softly as the blonde takes a sip of her orange juice.

"Yes, much," Emma nods.

"Is everything all right, Emma?" Leopold asks, concerned, as he looks over at his daughter.

"Yeah, Dad, I'm fine," she says, stabbing a piece of pancake with her fork and looking at it before deciding she can't eat it anymore and setting her fork back down again, the metal rattling against the side of the plate.

He appraises her, knowing his daughter well enough to know when she's not being truthful. "Emma….are you sure? What aren't you telling us?"

"Dad, I'm fine… honest. There's nothing to worry about." Emma feels Regina nudge her foot under the table. She looks over to her wife, who gives her a subtle nod. Emma looks back at her, confused, not sure what Regina is trying to say.

The brunette rolls her eyes as she stands up to refill her mimosa. As she comes back to the table, she pauses behind Emma's chair, kissing the top of her head before whispering in her ear. "I know it's early, but just tell them. They won't stop looking at you like that until you do," she says, so only Emma can hear her.

Emma looks back at Regina, who is settling back into her chair and taking a sip of her drink. "You sure?" she asks, once again earning a nod from Regina.

"May as well."

"Okay…"

"What's going on?" Cora asks.

Emma looks between Cora and her father, who still has an expression of concern on his face, and she can't let him think that she's hiding some terrible illness from them. "Okay. Umm…we weren't going to say anything yet, because it's still really early, but I'm pregnant."

A/N: Yay cliffhangers! Sorta. So, Cora has really made progress and has come around, but how will she take this new development? The next chapter will be Christmas/New Years, so I'll see you next month with that! (and hopefully you'll see something else from me in the meantime. I've been working on a few things so hopefully they'll be up and running soon-ish :)