A/N: Well, here it is. The conclusion to this holiday tale. (Sidenote: I'm super sleepy right now, but I wanted to stick to my posting schedule and get it up tonight as promised, so I didn't proofread it as many times as I would have liked/I'm too tired to catch everything. So, please excuse any typos. I'll do another read through in the morning and fix anything glaring). Merry Christmas Eve to all those who celebrate.

NEW A/N 1/30/18: I updated this fic last night (Jan. 29 - chapter 7/part one of the epilogue) and for some reason the chapter posts and then vanishes on and off. It's been doing that for the past 18 hours and I don't know why. It's showing up that I've published it on my end, but even when I try to view it I get an error message. I've contacted FFnet support hoping that they can fix it, and I'm hoping it'll be fixed before I post the second part of the epilogue later this week.

"It looks like we're going to get that white Christmas after all," Emma comments as she carefully navigates her yellow Volkswagen beetle down the road. Despite living well over 500 miles away from Storybrooke in Baltimore, Maryland, Emma had opted to drive the eight hour trip for the holiday visit rather than fly. She has always been a fan of roadtrips, finding the long drive to be a great opportunity for self-reflection and deep thoughts. She bites back a chuckle as she realizes everything she will have to think about on her drive back home after Christmas. Eight hours may not be enough to work through it all.

"It does," Regina comments, pulling the blonde out of her reverie. "I'm glad it wasn't like this last night, or your sister may have had to give birth in the backseat of my mother's car."

"I'm sure Cora would have loved that," Emma laughs as she finds a parking space near the hospital entrance. "Ready?" she asks, looking over at the brunette, whose anxiety about seeing her mother again had grown exponentially during the drive over.

"Yeah. Let's go."

They walk into the hospital and Regina sends a shy smile to Ashley, who is still stationed behind the desk. She still feels guilty for being so rude to her the previous night. It's hardly Ashley's fault that the hospital is barely functional, and Regina knows that she should not have taken out her frustration on the petite blonde receptionist.

Emma goes into the room first, immediately approaching the bassinette to pick up her newborn niece. She ignores the knowing look Zelena sends her, as she can only imagine what the redhead must think is the reason behind their delayed arrival at the hospital. "There's my little girl!" she coos. "Does she have a name yet?" she asks, turning to her brother-in-law and sister.

Mary-Margaret smiles as she watches her sister fawn over the infant. "Not yet. We're getting closer to making our final decision, though."

"Well, I think Emma is a lovely name…just saying," the blonde suggests as she rocks the little girl in her arms.

"I can promise you that will not be it," David replies before turning to Regina, whose entrance into the room had gone unnoticed by most of the others. "Oh, Regina! I'd like you to meet my parents. They just arrived this morning. Regina, this is my mother Ruth, and this is my father, Robert," he says. "Mom, Dad, this is Cora's other daughter Regina, and our personal hero for her work last night."

"It's nice to meet you both," Regina says, extending her hand to the older couple.

"You as well. David told us how wonderful you were last night. Thank you for ensuring the safe arrival of my two new grandchildren, and for making sure my precious daughter-in-law was okay," Robert says.

Regina smiles at the couple as they continue to engage in small talk. They are so much different from how her mother and her father were, and even how her mother and Leopold act now. She finds it refreshing. While Cora has always been standoffish with others, even her own loved ones, Ruth is the polar opposite. She has her arm wrapped around her husband's waist, leaning gently into his side as she speaks, an act which Robert happily reciprocates. There's no forced gestures for the sake of keeping up appearances — just two people in love, who have been that way for many, many years and take comfort in one another's presence. And while Cora is dressed as though she is scheduled to attend a business luncheon, Ruth is looking cozy and festive in a bright cherry red knit sweater, accented by an emerald and ruby holly-shaped pendant hanging from her neck.

"When can I open presents?" Neal's voice asks, cutting through the other conversations occurring around him.

Cora scowls at the young child and is about to speak, likely planning to comment on his rudeness. Zelena senses her mother's reaction and reaches out to touch her arm, effectively stopping her. The older woman quickly slips a smile back onto her face and bites her tongue.

Neal can't help but be antsy to see what Santa brought him — he's been cooped up in the sterile hospital room since last night. David had realized that because he and Mary-Margaret were staying in the hospital overnight, it would have been hard to get the Santa gifts placed under the tree. He didn't want to put that burden on the rest of the family, as they were all just as exhausted. So, he had gotten permission from Dr. Whale to set up an extra cot in Mary-Margaret's room, where the boy could have a sleepover with the rest of his family. "Soon, buddy," David answers as he tries to work out how he can get home before his kid so he can lay out the gifts. Perhaps he can ask Emma to take Neal to pick up donuts on the way home to buy him some extra time.

Emma smiles as if reading her brother-in-law's mind. "Don't worry about it," she whispers. "We've got you covered."

He raises a brow in question but doesn't have time to ask for clarification, as his wife quickly asks one of her own, staring down Regina as she does so. "Yes, how much longer until I can go home?".

"Oh, has Dr. Whale been by?" Regina asks as she grabs the chart from the end of her bed, where she sees the answer to her question: he hasn't been by since midnight. But, everything looked good then, and the nurse has been checking the babies regularly, who are as healthy as can be.

"He said he'd be by to give me an exam before he discharges me, but he didn't say when that would be," Mary-Margaret says. "I want to go home."

"Well, if you'd like I can do that now. I can't officially discharge you since I don't work here, but I can at least make sure everything looks good. If it does, I can track down Dr. Whale and get him to write it up."

"Yes, please!" the petite brunette says, scooting up toward the head of the bed with excitement. "I just want to spend Christmas with my family and two new babies at home…not in a hospital bed."

"Alrighty then," Regina says, picking up a pair of gloves from the box on a shelf nearby and turning to the extended family. "Would the rest of you mind stepping out into the hall for a few minutes to give us some privacy? This won't take long, but she doesn't need an audience."

A few minutes later, the examination is done, and David tells the rest of the family they can come back into the room.

"How's the patient?" Robert asks as they walk back in.

"I was just telling Mary-Margaret that everything looks as good as can be expected," Regina starts. She then turns back to the new mother: "Now, ordinarily I would say that you should stay another day, just to give yourself more time to recover. But, if you promise to take it easy, and since I'll be there anyway and since David is more than qualified to keep an eye on healthy newborns, I see no reason why you can't go back to the house today. But if you're feeling anything out of the ordinary — any pain, any discomfort, headaches, fever, nausea —I want you to tell me, just so we can make sure it isn't a complication," Regina says.

"It's a deal, Dr. Mills," Mary-Margaret says with a smile as she swings her legs around to the side of the bed. "David, honey, get my shoes."

"I just told you to take it easy, Mary-Margaret," Regina laughs at the woman's eagerness. "But, let's get you and those beautiful babies discharged. I'll go find Whale so he can get started on the paperwork."

*.*.*

"Santa came!" Neal shouts as he runs through the house. Behind him, Emma and Regina are chuckling as they divest themselves of their coats and boots in the grand foyer. As soon as the young boy had entered the house, he made a beeline for the Christmas tree. Upon seeing the stack of presents, he had felt the need to announce it to everyone else in the home.

"We know, buddy!" David says as he walks in from the kitchen, picking up his running son. "But you need to keep your voice down. Your new baby brother and sister are sleeping."

"Can I open presents now?" Neal asks, struggling to get out of his father's grasp as they walk back toward the kitchen.

"In a few minutes, honey," Mary-Margaret says as she yawns. "Let's make sure everyone has breakfast first, shall we?"

As if on cue, Emma carries in the dozen donuts they had picked up from the bakery on their way home. "Breakfast has arrived! Not the most nutritious, but it's certainly tasty."

"Who would like some hot cocoa?" Ruth asks. She's standing over the stove with a wooden spoon in hand, stirring a large pot of the chocolatey beverage.

"I do!" Neal smiles as he picks out the chocolate donut he has had his eye on since they stopped at the bakery.

"Why don't you take your plate into the living room and I'll be in with your hot chocolate in a few minutes?" Leopold suggests.

"Then can we open presents?" Neal whines.

"Yes," David confirms.

"Yay!" The boy grabs his plate securely in his two hands and then takes off for the living room.

"Someone's excited," Zelena comments.

"He's always loved Christmas. It's his favorite holiday," Mary-Margaret says.

"Of course it is. All kids love Christmas," Cora states.

"Speaking of," David says, lowering his voice so his child in the other room doesn't overhear him. "Who put out all the presents? I was expecting to have to rush to get everything under the tree before Neal got home, but when I came in it was already done."

"Oh, Emma and I did that before we left this morning. We came over here when Emma realized she left her car keys here last night. We noticed that they weren't out yet, so we figured we'd make sure they were ready," Regina explains.

"Oh, how sweet of you, Emma," Cora croons.

"Actually, Regina is the one who suggested it," Emma clarifies, causing the brunette to send her a grateful smile.

"Well, thank you Regina, and Emma," Mary-Margaret says. "That was really thoughtful of you, and it saved us a lot of work."

"You're welcome," Regina nods.

"Are you guys coming?" Neal calls from the other room. "I can't wait much longer."

The adults all chuckle as they gather their donuts and mugs and head to the front room. The tall fir tree stands in the corner, still emitting a scent of fresh pine. The white lights have been turned on, and the glass ball ornaments send the light reflection around the room. Emma and Regina join Zelena on one of the couches, and the brunette no longer feels anxious sitting next to the blonde. It's still a little awkward, mainly because she still remembers their kiss in the back hallway from the day before quite vividly, but at least her anger has subsided after their conversation earlier that morning.

"Now?" Neal asks. He's sitting on the hearth of the fireplace next to the tree, his leg bouncing up and down in excitement.

"Now," David nods. He barely gets out the word before the boy is ripping into the paper of the first gift.

*.*.*

"Before we leave the table, Mary-Margaret and I would like to make an announcement," David says, pushing his chair back as he rises to his feet.

"Oh, God, you're not pregnant again, are you?" Emma jokes.

"Funny," Mary-Margaret says, glaring at her sister who is seated next to her.

David clears his throat as he goes to pull the pram closer to the table. Leopold and Cora had given the couple the pram as a Christmas gift earlier in the day, which had been quite fortunate. They are currently using it as a makeshift bassinette, since the house is not yet prepared for the twins' unanticipated early arrival. "As I was saying…we have decided on our babies' names, so we would like to officially introduce you to Evelyn Regina Nolan," he says, picking up his daughter and handing her to Mary-Margaret as he continues, "named in honor of being born on Christmas Eve and after our fabulous miracle worker OBGYN."

Regina's mouth drops as she hears the unexpected announcement. She wipes away a tear that forms in her eye, genuinely touched by the gesture. "I'm honored," she says, looking at a smiling Mary-Margaret and the beautiful baby in her arms.

"We can't thank you enough," Mary-Margaret says, looking Regina in the eyes. "Truly."

"And this little guy," David says, picking up his new son. "Is Robert Reginald Nolan…after Dad and again Regina," he explained, even though it was quite obvious. "We'll be calling him Robbie for the time being, just to eliminate any confusion."

Cora rolls her eyes as she stands up from the table to get more wine, which is not lost on Zelena. "Well, I think those are wonderful names. It's nice to meet you, Robbie," Zelena says as she walks up to the baby boy, giving him her index finger since he's too little to shake hands. He takes it with his tiny fingers, and she can't help but melt. David's parents quickly gather around them as well, while Neal has grown bored and runs off to go play with one of his new toys.

Mary-Margaret looks back up at Regina, who is still beaming at the little girl from across the table. "Would you like to hold her, Regina? She's a lot less slimy than she was the last time you did," she winks.

"I would love to," she laughs as she realizes that it's true — she hasn't held the babies since she delivered them the night before.

"There you go, Evie, go to your Auntie Regina," Mary-Margaret coos as she hands her daughter to her future step-sister.

"Hello there, Evie," she says, her voice catching in her throat as she absorbs Mary-Margaret's words — she is an aunt now, or at least she could be if she decides to be part of this family. She takes a chance to sneak a look over to her mother, who is watching their interactions with a critical eye. She ignores it and returns her focus to the beautiful miracle in front of her. "You're a gorgeous girl," she whispers to the baby, lightly rocking her in her arms and placing a delicate kiss to her forehead.

Emma's eyes never leave the brunette holding her new niece in her arms, which does not go unnoticed by Mary-Margaret. The woman looks back and forth between her sister and the woman holding her child, and she realizes that Emma's line of sight is focused on the woman, not the infant. "Emma," she whispers.

"Hmm?" Emma asks, directing her attention toward her sister.

"Please tell me you're not falling for her," she whispers back. When she sees the expression on Emma's face, she continues. "You can't fall for her."

The blonde smiles and replies in a hushed whisper of her own. "Too late."

"Emma!" she quietly scolds, her voice slightly above a harsh whisper. "She's your future stepsister, not to mention she was engaged to a man."

Emma chuckles. "Oh, I know. She told me all about it the night after she broke up with Daniel twelve years ago, right before she fucked me into oblivion…It didn't seem to be an issue that night, or that time I came to visit you and David in Boston, or again last year during Anna's birthday party weekend."

Mary-Margaret's jaw drops, her mouth wide open in shock as she processes her sister's words. "What? Oh my God," she shouts, causing everyone to look over at the two sisters in concern. "Sorry," she smiles sheepishly. "I'm fine. Go about your business." After looking to make sure that no one is focusing on her anymore, Mary-Margaret begins her interrogation. "Regina was your random mystery hookup? That's how you know her?"

Emma winks at her sister and shrugs, her eyes going back to the beautiful brunette holding the adorable infant across the room.

Mary-Margaret sighs as she leans back in her chair, looking at her daughter and then back at her sister. "No wonder she hates you."

"She doesn't hate me…not anymore. We made up," Emma smiles before getting up, refilling her glass of chardonnay and walking away.

"Oh, no," Mary-Margaret says, standing up and wincing a bit as she does so. "You're not getting away that easily. Tell me everything."

Regina looks over to see Mary-Margaret chasing Emma out of the room. "Be careful not to tear your sutures, Mary-Margaret!" she chastises as the woman disappears from her sight. So much for taking it easy, she thinks. She looks back down at the baby in her arms, who is fighting against the sleep that's threatening to overtake her. Her big hazel eyes slowly close, only to reopen a few seconds later, each time staying closed a little longer until she is finally asleep. "Your mommy is crazy," she says in a voice she reserves only for newborns. "Oh, yes she is."

*.*.*

The snow continues to fall outside the window, the kind of snow that would be easy to miss with just a passing glance outside. The individual flakes are tiny and fine, but they are coming down at a steady pace, accumulating rapidly and easily surpassing the forecasted total of six inches. From her place at the living room window, Regina estimates that there must be at least a foot of the white powder on the ground. A few snowplows have been by to clear the streets, but it's falling too fast for them to keep up. It's truly a winter wonderland.

She glances around the room, quietly observing the happenings around her. It's a far cry from the last few Christmases she had spent alone. Her mother and sister are fawning over little Evie while Mary-Margaret feeds Robbie, who has finally learned to latch on. In the center of the floor, David is helping Neal build a castle out of the Lego set he got from Santa, while Robert and Ruth are working on a crossword puzzle together at the dining room table in the next room. She smiles as she takes everything in. She still feels like she doesn't quite belong here, feels like an outsider at some other family's Christmas gathering, but she doesn't feel as awkward as she did yesterday and the day before. So, that's something.

There is one person notably absent from the room, one who she has not seen in the past ten minutes or so. Regina walks into the sitting room and finds Emma sitting at the piano, softly playing through some Christmas songs by herself. After spending the majority of her time in Storybrooke avoiding the blonde, this time, Regina is the one to approach her. "Mind if I join you?"

Emma jumps slightly, startled by the brunette's appearance behind her. But, she sends a small smile her way as she looks up at the woman briefly before returning to her task. "Sure."

"I didn't know you played," Regina says as she takes the seat next to Emma on the piano bench.

Emma shrugs as she continues to plunk out the notes to "Joy to the World" from memory. "I took lessons for a few years after Leopold and Eva adopted me. I never excelled at it by any means, but I learned enough to be able to play a few songs now and then."

Regina smiles as she digs around the top of the piano for a songbook, opening it to a random page. "You take top, I'll take bottom."

"I would think that you would prefer to be on top," Emma winks.

Regina laughs. "Just shut up and play."

They fumble through the notes as best they can, but it's awkward only playing one-handed. They get tangled up a few times, occasionally having to cross over one another to hit the right note. But eventually, they find their rhythm, with Regina playing the bass line and Emma playing the melody with relative accuracy. Working up her courage, Regina moves her right hand to rest on Emma's thigh as she continues to play the keys with her left, squeezing the denim-clad leg gently. Emma bites back a smile as she moves her free hand over Regina's, threading their fingers together under the piano where no one can see them. There is no one else in the room, as the rest of the family is still scattered around the main floor of the mayoral mansion, but she keeps their hands hidden, just in case.

They hear applause to their right as they finish playing "O Come, All Ye Faithful," and they both turn to look at Leopold, who is standing in the doorway with a smile on his face. "Bravo! I'm glad to see you two getting along," he says before announcing that they're going to start a Monopoly tournament in the living room and inviting Emma and Regina to join.

"Thanks, Dad. We'll be in in a minute."

"Take your time, sweetie…but not too long. I can't guarantee how long I can keep the car piece protected from grabby hands," he replies, sending his daughter a wink before he disappears across the hall.

"You better make sure no one takes it!" she calls after him. "That's always my piece!"

After ensuring that they are truly alone, Emma looks down at their hands, which are still joined together under the piano keys. "What now?" she asks, looking up at Regina, the hope clearly visible in the blonde's green eyes. Regina opens her mouth to speak, but when she hesitates, Emma continues, deciding to put herself out there. "I mean, we always said we'd leave it up to fate, and fate seems to be screaming in our faces this weekend," she jokes, hoping some levity will quell the nerves raging in her stomach.

"That's true," Regina concedes, "and we only live an hour away from each other this time, rather than several time zones between us."

Emma tries, and fails, to suppress the grin forming on her face. "So, is that a 'yes'?"

"Is what a 'yes'? You didn't ask me a question, dear," Regina points out, earning her an eye roll from the blonde.

"Okay, fine. When we get back to our respective homes, can I take you on a proper date?"

"I suppose. But, I'm not having sex with you anytime soon…if we're going to do this, we should do it right."

"That's fine with me. I don't want to screw this up this time," Emma smiles. "Now, let's go join the game before Mary-Margaret says something to get us in trouble."

Regina looks over at Emma in confusion. "What would she say?"

"She may have caught me staring at you after dinner, and I may have told her about our history. She already knew about you in general, she just didn't realize the woman I had told her about was you. She's not the best secret keeper, so we should really get in there," she says, standing up from the bench.

"Wait, you told her about me back then?" Regina asks, tugging on the blonde's hand to halt her movement. She's thoroughly surprised, and not sure whether to be flattered or embarrassed that Emma had told her about their previous dalliances.

"Of course, Regina, she's my sister. And you're hot and it was all so very memorable. I couldn't keep that to myself."

Regina's face reddens in embarrassment. "Oh God."

Emma laughs as she pulls Regina up, reluctantly dropping Regina's hand once they're both on their feet. She then grows serious. "Not to mention, she helped me deal with the way things were left the last time we were together. I hated myself for it, and she talked me down a few times."

"Emma…"

The blonde shakes her head, silently telling Regina they don't need to talk about it anymore. The both said their piece that morning and have agreed to move on. There's no sense in dwelling on the past. Instead, she just smiles at Regina. "Come on, let's go." She leads the way, and together they walk toward the living room for the family board game night.

"Wait!" Mary-Margaret calls out as they walk through the doorway, causing both women to pause and look at the woman, the concern evident on their faces.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Regina asks.

"Oh, I'm fine," Mary-Margaret grins before she silently points up to the ceiling, directing their attention to the wood beam above their heads.

"Where the hell did that come from?" Regina asks, noticing the mistletoe that was certainly not there that morning when they set out the Santa gifts.

"David's parents put it up," she replies, winking at the older couple, "with my encouragement of course."

Emma narrows her eyes at her sister. "Of course you were involved."

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Mary-Margaret asks, challenging the two women. "You know what to do."

"What's going on?" Cora asks as she walks into the room, a tray of gourmet Christmas cookies in her hands that she carefully places on the hearth.

"Oh, nothing, just waiting for Emma and Regina to uphold a time-honored tradition," Mary-Margaret replies, still beaming at her handiwork.

The matriarch looks around, genuinely perplexed at the situation. "What are you talking about, dear?"

"Just a little silly mistletoe tradition, Cora," Leopold laughs, shaking his head as he moves to sit on the floor near the game board. He flinches slightly, sighing that his old joints aren't what they used to be, as he tries to make himself comfortable. "Emma, you know she won't relent until you do it," he adds, not even looking up as he begins to count out the colorful play money. It seems he is appointing himself as the banker for the night.

It is then that Cora chances a look up, finally recognizing the green parasitic plant above her daughter's head. "Oh, this is highly inappropriate," Cora says, her ire and disgust coming to the surface as she crosses the room to sit in the chair behind Leopold.

"All the more reason to do it," Regina smirks, her words coming out a bit more loudly than she had intended. She had only meant for Emma to hear her, but it seems she is unable to hold back her own irritation when it comes to her mother.

Cora returns Regina's snide remark with a hard stare.

"Oh relax, dear," Leopold laughs, briefly looking up at his fiancée. "It's all harmless fun. It's not like they're actually related. One kiss won't kill them."

Emma bites back a chuckle as Zelena nearly chokes on her wine at his comment, coughing harshly. "Sorry," she sputters. "Wrong pipe."

"Do you really want my depraved daughter to corrupt yours?" Cora asks him, drawing everyone's attention to her.

"What are you talking about, Cora?" Leopold asks, growing serious.

Regina stiffens, knowing that whatever is about to happen will not be good for anyone. Sensing Regina's tension, Emma subtly shifts closer to the brunette, allowing one of her hands to find Regina's and interlacing them behind their backs out of view.

"I never told you, Leopold, because I had hoped she would have outgrown her immoral choices by this point in her life and I didn't want you to think lesser of me for raising a girl like that, but it seems she insists on being a lesbian. You should not be encouraging this type of behavior, lest it rubs off Emma."

Well, that answers the question of whether she knows that Emma's gay, Regina thinks.

"Mother, stop," Zelena says when she sees her sister's face fall at their mother's words. It's more than ten years overdue, but she finally stands up to the woman in defense of her little sister.

"I will do no such thing, Zelena. She's an embarrassment," Cora reiterates, not noticing the shocked look and pain on Leopold's face, or the abject horror on Mary-Margaret's. "I will not have her corrupting Emma."

Emma looks at Regina, who is visibly shaken and clearly at a loss for words. Making a bold decision that she hopes she doesn't come to regret, she finally speaks up. "Actually, Cora, if anyone 'corrupted' anyone, then technically, I'm the one who corrupted Regina."

The older woman looks over Emma, an unreadable expression on her face. "I beg your pardon?"

The blonde glances over to Regina, just to make certain that she isn't crossing a line. When she sees the perfectly sculpted eyebrow raise and a faint smirk appear on her delectable lips, she continues. "Well, you see, future stepmother, your daughter was fairly certain that she was a lesbian when she met me. But after I thoroughly fucked her the night after she announced her split with Daniel, I'm pretty sure there was no denying where her attractions lie. And then after she returned the favor — several times, might I add — well, there really was no doubt left in her mind."

Regina holds her breath as she takes in her family gathered around the coffee table, silently thanking God that David and Mary-Margaret had already put Neal to bed so he doesn't have to witness this. The faces staring back at her range from mirth, to confusion, to utter hatred (fortunately, only her mother falls into that latter category).

"Okay, let's play Monopoly," Emma says to break the tension as she starts to move into the room.

"No, wait," Regina says, finally speaking up and tugging on the blonde's hand to pull her back. She's feeling emboldened and can't pass up the opportunity that lies before her. "I believe we have a tradition to fulfill." Her eyes glance up at the mistletoe above them, and she tilts her head in question at Emma as if to say, 'your move.'

"Well, who am I to argue with tradition?" Emma asks, pulling Regina toward her until their lips meet. Despite the heated argument that just occurred and has left both women with residual adrenaline coursing through their veins, the kiss is sweet and slow — it's a stark contrast to their kiss the day before in the back hallway under the cover of darkness.

Regina sighs into the kiss, tightening her grip on the hand that still connects them and using her other hand to softly grasp the back of the blonde's neck. Her thumb is softly sweeping along the base of her hairline, urging the blonde closer. As she allows herself to relax into it, she can't help but think how nice it feels to have Emma's lips covering her own once again, this time without the burden of underlying anger and malice. As she becomes aware that there are seven pairs of eyes on her, she reluctantly steps away from Emma, breaking their embrace.

The room is eerily silent, aside from the garbled snores of the newborns asleep in the pram in the corner. Regina looks around and sees that her mother has left the room, which does not surprise her given their display. Leopold looks as though he might chase after her, but instead he sets the dice down in the middle of the board and echoes his daughter's previous words. "Okay, let's play."

Emma laughs as she takes Regina's hands in hers, directing her toward the coffee table and then frantically snatching up the little silver car before anyone else has a chance to steal it. "Want to be on my team?" she asks the brunette as she holds up her prized silver talisman, rolling it between her forefinger and thumb.

The other woman lets out a sigh of false exasperation. "If I must," she says before pursing her lips playfully. "But, you better be good."

"She's undefeated the last five times we've played," Leopold says, sending a knowing look toward his daughter. "I'm going to go grab a beer before we get started. Can I get anyone anything?" He looks around the room but everyone shakes their head. "Okay. Be right back. Don't start without me."

Emma smiles at her father before he leaves the room, undoubtedly using his beer retrieval mission as an excuse to go find his fiancée, who still has not returned after the events under the mistletoe. She's grateful that he seems to have taken the revelation about her history with Regina in stride. She can see Regina in her peripheral vision, and she knows she's lost in thought. "Hey," she says softly, nudging her gently with her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Regina smiles and mirrors the blonde's actions, nudging her back. "Yeah, I am."

"I'm sorry if I took that too far…"

She chuckles softly in response. "You may have, but I have to admit I kind of enjoyed it. After everything she put me through, seeing the look on her face was kind of cathartic. I mean, it would be great if she would be accepting, but if she's not, at least I got to issue one last blow. I know that it's really immature to think that way, but…"

"I get it," Emma laughs, putting her beloved car token on the board as they wait for the game to start. They can hear the murmur of raised voices in the distance, but cannot make out the words. Emma pauses for a moment before turning back to Regina. "But whatever happens moving forward, know that I'm here for you. I don't know what will happen when we get back to D.C., but no matter what, I want you to know that you can talk to me."

"Thank you, Emma," she smiles as she leans in to kiss her cheek, not caring that her sister, Mary-Margaret and David, and David's parents are all still in the room and pretending not to be watching them. In that moment, she's also thankful for Leopold, whose muffled voice can still be heard from another corner of the house. She knows he's mainly standing up for his own daughter, and she respects him greatly for it. But by extension, that means he's also standing up for her, and she is even more appreciative of that.

Minutes later Leopold returns, a bottle of Sam Adams in his hand, but no sign of Cora.

Emma can hear Regina sigh next to her, though the brunette does her best to hide it. "Everything okay, Dad?" she asks as he settles himself back down on the floor, the box full of play money safely to his left.

"Yes, sweetie," he confirms as picks up the dice. "Cora just has a headache, so she's resting for a bit in her study while she waits for the aspirin to kick in…Regina, would you like to start us off and roll the dice to see who goes first?"

She accepts the dice as he drops them into her open palm. She gives them a quick jostle before rolling them on the board: a five and a six.

"Not too shabby," Emma says. "I can work with that."

The other teams do not fare quite as well. David and Ruth both roll a combined eight for their respective teams, while Zelena has bad luck and gets a total of three. Leopold glares at her and teasingly asks if anyone would like to trade partners before the game begins. Emma passes the dice to Regina once again so she can roll for their opening move, which takes them to Reading Railroad, and they eagerly purchase the deed.

The game continues on, an hour passing quickly as properties are bought and sold through bartering and innovative immunity deals that stretch the rules of the game. (Zelena offers to sell Regina and Emma the fourth railroad to complete their set, but only if they promise that she and Leopold will be exempt from paying rent if they land on it for the duration of the game. The two women shrug and agree, knowing that this deal will screw over the other two teams, so it still seems worthwhile). A lucky roll from Emma results in their little car landing on Park Place, earning a high five from Regina as they pay for the coveted property to go along with their existing ownership of Boardwalk. On their next turn, they will start building up their housing empire to hopefully bankrupt David and Mary-Margaret, who are starting to approach that side of the board and have not been managing their finances well.

All the players are so engrossed in the game that they don't notice when Cora cautiously reenters the room, almost as if she is afraid she'll get burned if she isn't careful. It's Emma who notices her appearance first, seeing the older woman approach out of the corner of her eye. She makes eye contact with the woman and sends her a hard stare, one that she hopes relays the warning she intended to give. Cora flinches and turns away, but she continues walking until she arrives at the armchair in the corner of the room, just far enough away from the game board that she won't interfere, but close enough that she can observe the game's progress.

Emma's hand finds Regina's under the coffee table, gently squeezing it to get her attention. The brunette smirks as she places another green house on Park Place and then turns to Emma, her evil grin dissolving into a soft smile. "What?" she asks, squeezing her hand back to acknowledge the blonde's earlier gesture.

"Cora's back," Emma whispers as she cuts her eyes over toward the woman who is awkwardly brooding in the corner.

Emma's back is to Cora, so the older woman does not see her subtle signal, but she does see Regina's eyes when they look straight at her. She meets Regina's gaze, which causes Regina's back to reflexively stiffen as she tries to read her mother's expression.

A flurry of thoughts run through Regina's mind at that moment. Her mother still looks angry, but perhaps slightly less disgusted than when she stormed out of the room without saying anything nearly two hours earlier. There is no empathy or apology in her eyes, but perhaps some sadness. Regina isn't sure what Leopold said to her mother when he argued with her before the game began, but once again she finds herself thinking that maybe he will be a catalyst for a change in their relationship. If Cora really loves him, then maybe she will be receptive to his words and actions. He has made it very clear tonight that he loves and accepts his daughter, and he is not willing to turn his back on Emma. If Cora really loves him, then maybe her love for him will help her overcome her misguided hate for her daughter and future stepdaughter.

Regina makes herself send a small smile toward her mother. Cora doesn't return it, but she doesn't ignore it, nor does she turn away immediately. Regina lets out a breath and looks back at the board, a genuine smile threatening the corners of her lips.

"What was that?" Emma asks, noticing the change in Regina's demeanor.

Regina rests her right hand on the blonde's bent knee as she prepares to roll the dice with her left. "I think that was progress."

A/N: Thank you so much for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing! I can't believe how many people joined me on this little journey, but I'm so glad you did. There will probably be an epilogue sometime this week, because I have three ideas that I came up with that I might want to explore to round out this fic even more. But for now, consider it complete.

For any readers of A New Exploration, in case you missed it, I posted the Christmas chapter this morning.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday.