Regina wakes up early to the sound of Zelena banging around in the guest house kitchen. She groans as she pulls herself out of bed, pulling on her flannel pajamas that she had been too tired to deal with the night before. "Jesus, Zee," she whines as she stumbles into the kitchen. "It's too early to be making this much noise."

"We're all going to the hospital in a few minutes to visit the babies. Are you going to come?"

Regina yawns. "Not yet. I'll stop by later since I'd like to do a quick exam on Mary-Margaret to make sure everything looks good. I didn't mind leaving her in Whale's hands overnight, but I'd like to see her before she's discharged. But, I need some coffee and breakfast first, and it'll give you all some time to spend together as a family."

"You know, you could be part of this family if you wanted to," Zelena offers. "I don't know why you're making it so difficult on yourself, and on all of us while you're at it."

Regina lets out a dry chuckle. "I have nothing against you, Zelena. I know you stuck by our mother because you needed the money for law school, and I don't fault you for that. But she and I are done. She wrote me out of the family a long time ago. I've made my peace with it, so I suggest you do the same."

"She's not as horrible as you make her out to be," Zelena says. "Whatever you think she did, or she thinks you did, you both need to grow up and get over it."

Regina scoffs. "It's not that simple, Zee. If it were, don't you think we would have reconciled by now? As stubborn and manipulative as she is, she's still my mother. I wouldn't just walk away for ten years over nothing."

"Then tell me…tell me what she did that is so reprehensible that it's worth pretending that we don't exist," Zelena challenges. "Is this all because she wouldn't pay for your schooling?"

"It's not about the money, Zelena," Regina says, taking a breath. "Did you ever stop to consider why she cut me off? Why she disowned me? Why I broke off the engagement with Daniel? I know you never asked me, but did you ever ask her?"

"Of course I did. She just said you had made an immoral life choice — one that would tarnish the family name, and that you chose immorality over the family."

Regina rolls her eyes. "Of course she did. That's how she sees it."

"What did you do?"

"I told Mother that I'm a lesbian."

"Wait, what?!" Zelena nearly drops her travel mug of coffee. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm gay, Zelena. Like, super gay," Regina clarifies. "I came out to our parents when I graduated high school, and they didn't take it well. Or, at least Mother didn't. Dad didn't really say anything, but he eventually accepted it after their divorce. He even asked to meet my now ex-girlfriend when I was in a serious relationship a few years before he died. But the day after I told them I'm gay, Mother told me I was to marry Daniel. She said it would 'fix' me and help her campaign for mayor. Two birds, one stone."

"Oh my God," Zelena says, letting it sink it. "I always assumed that you cheated on Daniel, got pregnant and had an abortion or something."

Regina laughs sardonically. "No, definitely not. I never even slept with Daniel, let alone any other guys. Strictly a gold star lesbian."

"Wow," Zelena says, still digesting the news. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Regina shrugs. "I don't know. You had already moved out by the time I realized it, and you weren't exactly supportive of what I was going through in terms of Dad and Mother fighting all the time. You had checked out yourself, it seemed. We weren't really that close, and then Mother pretty much forced me into the engagement and told me stop with the 'nonsense' of being attracted to women. She more or less threatened that if I ever told anyone, I would regret it. And I believed her."

"Oh, Regina, I'm so sorry," Zelena replies, and Regina thinks she looks sincere. "Did Daniel know?"

Regina nods. "I told him about two years into our engagement. It's not like denying him sex early in our relationship was a problem. We were 18 and barely knew each other, not to mention we went to different colleges and barely saw each other. When we did see each other over breaks, he was actually a really nice guy and didn't want to pressure me. I thought that maybe Mother was right and I would eventually learn not to be this way. I thought that maybe it was just a phase and I would learn to love him and learn to be attracted to him. But, it never happened because it's not a choice, and it's not something that needs to be fixed. It's just who I am, and I learned to embrace that instead of hide it. I told him at the beginning of the summer between sophomore and junior year, my last summer in Storybrooke."

"But you didn't break up with him until Christmas…"

"Right. Well, he was understanding and willing to play along over the summer when I told him how Mother had reacted when I came out a few years earlier. He suggested we wait until Christmas to announce it, because it would buy me more time to figure out my next steps. I was trying to work out something with Dad, knowing that I would lose my tuition money as soon as I officially ended things with Daniel. I didn't want to take out student loans if I could help it, not to mention that I wouldn't qualify for anything. The government would say that Mother could pay, so I wouldn't be eligible even if she refused. Dad tried to find the money to do it, but Mother was the one with all the cash, and her lawyer screwed him in the divorce. He could barely pay for his own rent."

"What made you decide to end it, then?"

"I couldn't go on pretending. It wasn't fair to Daniel or to me. He was 21 and in college…he didn't need to have a fake fiancée when he could be out meeting a woman who would be willing to sleep with him. And I couldn't take the lies anymore. As much as I needed Mother's money, I couldn't look at myself in the mirror and lie to myself and everyone else anymore."

"Wow, Regina, I had no idea."

"Yeah, well, you had your own life to worry about. Like I said, I'm not mad at you for it."

"Well, I wasn't exactly supportive when you said you were going to stay with Dad for all the future holidays after they got divorced. I should've been there for you. And just so we're clear, it doesn't matter to me who you're attracted to. You're my sister. Being a lesbian doesn't change that."

"Thanks," Regina says, not realizing how much she needed to hear those words.

"Oh, God," Zelena says as an idea pops into her mind. "Mother must have flipped shit when she found out you're a gynecologist."

"Oh, she made a comment," Regina confirms. "Which just goes to show you how fucking homophobic and sick she is. It's disgusting. And that's why I don't want anything to do with her after this weekend. I leave town tomorrow, and as far as I'm concerned, I'm never coming back."

"So I take it Mother still hasn't accepted it?"

"God, no. She tried to get me to break up Daniel's pending engagement the other night. That's why she invited him to the party. And you weren't there during Mary-Margaret's labor last night, but she kept trying to set me up with Dr. Whale," Regina explains before chuckling to herself. "If only she really knew," she mumbles under her breath.

"Knew what?"

"Nothing," Regina shakes her head.

"C'mon, sis, tell me."

Regina looks up hesitantly, debating whether to tell her sister. She finally relents. "I slept with Emma."

"What?! When? Last night? Oh my God, was it like Grey's Anatomy and you hooked up in an on-call room after the birth? Is that where you two disappeared to?"

Regina laughs. "God, no. It happened last year…and a few years before that, and then once in college."

"Holy shit…You had sex with Emma!? Wait, she's gay too?" Zelena shouts as her finally processes everything she just learned.

"Morning…" they hear a voice behind them and turn around to see the blonde emerging from her bedroom, standing awkwardly in the doorway.

"Fuck," Regina says, running a hand through her hair before slamming her head down on the kitchen island.

"Good morning, future step-sister," Zelena smiles, looking between the pair. "Oh, this will be fun."

"Shut up," Regina mumbles.

Emma says nothing as she walks into the kitchen, her overwhelming need for caffeine winning out over her desire to go back to bed and hide under the covers to get away from whatever is happening in the kitchen.

"So, Emma, Regina was just telling me more about your past."

"Please, Zelena, stop," Regina says, finally lifting her head off the counter to glare at the redhead.

Sensing her sister's serious tone and discomfort, Zelena lets it go. "Fine. I should get to the hospital, anyway. But, don't think I'll forget about this. I do want the whole story," she says, looking between the pair before her eyes settle on the blonde. "Emma, do you want a ride over there?"

The blonde shakes her head. "No, I need to eat first."

"I bet you do," Zelena winks.

Emma rolls her eyes. "I'll drive over in a bit."

"Suit yourself." And with that, the redhead walks out the door.

*.*.*

"So…" Emma says as she pours a bowl of cereal and sits down next to Regina at the counter. The brunette is staring straight ahead and hasn't said anything since Zelena left them alone five minutes ago; her thumb just idly fidgets with the handle of her coffee mug. When she doesn't get a response, the blonde continues: "So, Zelena knows."

Regina sighs in confirmation before finally speaking. "She does."

The awkward silence returns, and after a few minutes Regina gets up to microwave her now-cold cup of coffee. "I'm sorry if that makes things awkward for you moving forward. I shouldn't have told her," Regina finally says as she waits for her coffee to reheat.

Emma shakes her head. "She's your sister. It's totally up to you what you tell her. It doesn't bother me…but just so I know, how much of the story did you tell her?"

"Barely anything. Just that we've slept together a few times. I didn't get into the details of it…or how it ended," Regina answers, her voice dropping to a barely audible volume.

Emma sighs. "Can I please tell you my side of the story about that, now? It was all a misunderstanding."

Regina rolls her eyes and finally looks over at the other woman. "You crawled out of my hotel bed sometime in the wee hours of the morning and left without even leaving a note, Emma. What is there to misunderstand? I know I scared you off with all the talk about trying to actually have some sort of relationship and getting to know each other. You got what you wanted and ran. You made that abundantly clear."

"That's not what happened, Regina. I can understand why you think that, but it's not what happened," Emma says. "You didn't scare me off. I was just as interested in seeing where things might go as you were. It wasn't just about the sex for me, at least not that time."

"Okay, so enlighten me," Regina says, sarcasm dripping off her voice as she takes her coffee back to the counter and sits back down on the bar stool.

Emma takes a deep breath as she finally gets to tell her side of the story, something she has wanted to do since she first saw Regina at the party. "When we got back to your hotel room that night, you were extremely drunk. Against my better judgment, I agreed when you wanted to open a bottle of champagne from the minibar to continue the celebration of our reunion."

"Yeah, I remember," Regina nods, still waiting for new information. "I also remember that we drank most of it in the bathtub and then took it with us into the shower."

Emma smiles at the memory. "As do I." It had been a little unconventional, but it made for a very memorable night. "Anyway, after we finished the champagne and made our way to the bed, you eventually passed out…like, you were completely unconscious. I'm guessing it was a combination of all the liquor and the rapid succession of mindblowing orgasms," she smirks.

Regina tries to hide her blush. "Go on."

"I fell asleep shortly thereafter, but sometime around 4 a.m. my phone started ringing. You slept right through it. One of my friends at the birthday party was eight weeks pregnant and an EMT was calling me from the ambulance that was taking her to the hospital. Aurora was by herself because all of our other friends were drunk off their asses and passed out in their own rooms. I didn't want her to be alone, so I had to go be with her. I tried to wake you, but you were dead to the world. I made sure you were still breathing, which you were, and then I left. I figured I would be able to be back in the morning before you woke up."

"Oh my God, Emma," Regina says, placing her hand on top of Emma's on the counter. "Was your friend okay?"

She nods. "It turns out she had an ectopic pregnancy and it was rupturing. She had to have surgery, which is why it took me longer than I expected to get back to the hotel. By the time I did, the front desk said you had already checked out. I didn't have any contact information for you, and the front desk wouldn't give me your phone number."

Regina looks at Emma and tries to decide if she believes her. "And you're telling me the truth? This isn't just some story you made up to cover your ass because you saw me again?"

"Of course it's the truth, Regina. I have never once lied to you. And if I was going to make up a medical emergency, do you really think that would I pick something from your field of medicine? You would call me on my bullshit if I did. I wouldn't even know what an ectopic pregnancy is if it weren't for that night."

"Okay, fair point. Sorry."

Emma then continues, looking over at their still-connected hands, grateful that Regina hasn't pulled hers back yet. "I even tried to find you on Facebook after that, but there are only a handful of women named 'Regina Mills' on there, and none of them are you."

"Yeah, no one can find me on there. I locked that down after my patients kept finding me."

"Smart," Emma nods in understanding. "You never told me which city you lived in, so I didn't even have that information to go on. I googled you, but do you know how many doctors are named Regina Mills? More than you would expect. If I had known you were in D.C., I would have tried like hell to track you down. I've spent the last year and a half kicking myself for not thinking to leave a note before I left, but I panicked when I got that phone call, so I wasn't thinking clearly. I just wanted to get to Aurora as quickly as I could. When you weren't there when I got back, I just figured that it meant we weren't supposed to be anything more to each other than a random periodic hookup. And now you're here, and your mother is about to marry my father."

"Fate's a bitch," Regina chuckles as she plays with Emma's fingers. "Thank you for telling me."

"I just wish I could have told you sooner. When I went up to your room that night, I really had every intention of seeing where it may lead. But I left and when you were gone when I came back, I knew that you probably thought I was just fucking with you that night. I knew you would probably hate me after that."

"I did," Regina admits. "Mostly because for that one night I thought that maybe the universe was telling me to go for it. I was finally starting to open myself up to the possibility of starting a relationship again, but it ended as quickly as it began…it's stupid, really. I became so frustrated for letting myself get that excited about the possibility of an 'us' after running into you in the bathroom of that club. I think I hated myself more for that than I hated you, if I'm being honest."

"I am sorry, Regina. If I could go back and do it all over again, I would do things differently. I've thought about it a lot since that night…about all the things I could have done instead. I would have left a note. I would have made sure I had your phone number before we went to sleep, I would have called the hotel from the hospital to have them get a message to you…anything other than the way I actually handled it."

"Your head was a mess, and understandably given what your friend was going through. It's not your fault, Emma."

"Thank you, Regina."

"For what?"

"For letting me explain my side of the story. I know you didn't want to talk about it, but I needed to tell you."

Regina shrugs. "I just wasn't ready to hear it. I've spent the last year and a half hating you, and then seeing you again brought it all back. With everything going on this weekend and being back here, I wasn't ready to let go of my anger."

"And now?"

"I don't hate you, Emma. It'll take me awhile to let all this sink in, but I'll get over it. It wasn't your fault that your friend had an emergency. Given what I do for a living, it would be hypocritical for me not to understand that."

"Thank you."

"And I suppose I owe you an apology as well," Regina admits.

Emma looks genuinely confused. "What for?"

"For being a bitch to you the last few days, and mainly for yesterday at brunch. That kiss. I wanted to hurt you, to make you feel at least a little of what I felt waking up alone in that hotel room. I wanted to make you feel like I was just using you."

"Oh. Well, it's not like I wasn't a willing participant yesterday. I wasn't hurt by it…mainly just confused, more than anything. But for what it's worth, you're forgiven," Emma shrugs.

"Can I ask you something?" Regina asks, finally pulling her hand back from Emma's. She's overwhelmed by the mix of emotions and needs to create some physical distance between them.

"Anything."

"Does my mother know about you?"

"Does she know what about me?" Emma asks, uncertain.

"That you sleep with women."

"Oh," Emma replies. "I don't know, actually. This is only the third time I've met her, and I've never been like 'Oh hi Cora, by the way I'm a lesbian.' And it's not like I'm bringing anyone with me to these family events, because I've never been in a serious enough relationship at the time to warrant bringing a guest, so she might not know. My father does know, though, as do Mary-Margaret and David, but maybe my dad hasn't mentioned it to her."

"I see," Regina nods.

"I'm guessing she still isn't okay with your sexuality?" Emma asks.

"It appears she's still as unaccepting as ever. You heard her bitching at me about Daniel, her comments about my 'morality', and her trying to set me up with Whale. She seems to like you, though, so I just figured that if she knew about you, then maybe she might eventually stop being such a bitch to me."

"I'm sorry, Regina. I have no idea if she knows, but I'm guessing that she might not, from the sounds of it. If you want, I can make it very clear to her…I can bring up my ex-girlfriend over dinner tonight or something. Then we'll know."

Regina shakes her head. "No, I'm not going to ask you to do that. Like I told Zelena, it's very clear that as far as Mother is concerned, I am no longer in this family. You still are, or are about to be, so I don't want to create any problems between you. It took you 11 years to find your family. I don't want you to lose that."

"I appreciate that, Regina, but if Cora won't accept me because of my sexuality, then I won't want anything to do with her anyway. I'm 30 years old, so I'm not going to hide who I am just to get my future step-mother to like me. I know that my dad loves me, and nothing will change that — not even Cora."

"I'm glad you have that," Regina says, pain evident in her voice.

"I just wish you did," Emma says sincerely.

"I did once…my father loved me more than anything. He was my biggest supporter," she says, a tear escaping from the corner of her eye and cascading down her face.

Emma doesn't even think and reflexively reaches out to wipe it away, her thumb lingering on Regina's cheek as she softly strokes her skin. "I'm sorry you lost him," she says before she pulls herself back.

Regina straightens in her chair and looks back to her coffee. "Thank you."

"So…are we okay?" Emma tentatively asks.

Regina smiles at the blonde sincerely for the first time all weekend and takes the blonde's hand in hers, squeezing it gently. "We will be."

A/N: Just one more to go! Thanks so much for all the follows/favorites/reviews! This is my first holiday-themed fic and I've loved sharing it with you :)