A/N: Okay, so I lied a little. I had planned for the epilogue to be two parts (well, that wasn't always my plan, but after writing the majority of the epilogue and hitting 10k words, I decided it needed to be two). But then as I kept writing part two, it kept getting longer because things kept happening and I didn't want to shortchange it. I thought about keeping it in two parts still, but with FFnet's weird glitch earlier this week where my chapter disappeared for 24 hours so I'm not sure if everyone's had a chance to read it yet, and the fact that part two alone would've been 11k words, I decided to split part two into two parts, since it covers two days anyway. But, I promise it will only be three parts total, and it's already finished, so the rest will be up this weekend!

Here's hoping there aren't any more vanishing chapter glitches.

EPILOGUE PT. 2:
CHRISTMAS DAY

Christmas morning arrives without much fanfare, as it's completely silent in the kid-free guest house. Regina awakens with the sun coming in through the window, smiling into the soft pillow beneath her as she feels slender arms tighten around her waist. "Good morning," she mumbles, turning her head slightly as she feels a kiss being pressed to her bare shoulder.

"Merry Christmas," the blonde murmurs into her neck. "You smell really good."

Regina chuckles as she rolls onto her back, looking over at the blonde. "Thanks. I showered last night," she says with an eye roll.

"Oh, I know. I remember it fondly," Emma smiles, pressing herself up to a seated position. When they returned to the guest house the previous night after the twins' birthday presents had been opened, Regina had wanted to take a shower since it had been a long day of traveling, baking, and family time. She had coaxed the blonde into joining her, which didn't take much persuasion on her part. And, Regina had also wanted to make good on her promise to return the favor Emma had given her earlier in the day. Emma had not raised any objections.

The brunette stifles a yawn as she stretches out, kicking the comforter down toward the foot of the bed as she drags a finger up and down the curve of Emma's spine. "What time is it? Do we need to head over soon?"

Emma reaches over to the nightstand where both of their cell phones are charging, touching the screen of one to check. "Oh, shit. Yeah. It's almost 9:30."

"Wait, really? How has no one woken us up yet? I can't imagine Neal isn't antsy to dig into the presents."

"I have no idea, but we should get dressed and head over before they come looking for us," Emma says as she stands up to dig through her suitcase, pulling out a pair of slightly-wrinkled denim jeggings for herself. She then grabs the black velvet skinnies for Regina, tossing the pants at the woman on the bed. She takes out two tops —a grey v-neck tee and a red and white flannel button down — and holds them both up for Regina. "Which one?"

"I'm not wearing flannel with velvet," Regina says, scrunching her face is displeasure.

Emma shrugs and throws her the grey tee as she throws on the flannel shirt for herself, partially tucking it into the jeans she already put on. "Here, you might want this," she says as she picks up Regina's hair brush and throws it onto the bed. "Your hair is a little…" Emma says, gesturing wildly with her hands.

"And whose fault is that?" Regina asks.

Emma says nothing, but she winks as she quickly makes her way out into the hallway to go brush her teeth. "Be ready to go in five minutes, babe," she calls from down the hall.

"Yes, dear," Regina says, reluctantly getting up from the bed to get dressed for the day, grabbing a cardigan to throw on over her tee and following the blonde down the hall.

*.*.*

"Oh, there you are! We thought you were going to sleep all day," Cora comments as Emma and Regina make their way into the living room of the mayoral mansion.

"I probably would have if Emma hadn't woken me up," Regina says without thinking. She sees Zelena arch an eyebrow and Mary-Margaret bite back a smirk in response, but no one else seems to think anything of it. For all Leopold and Cora know, Emma could have knocked on the door of Regina's room to wake her up. After all, the guest house has three bedrooms, and while Zelena and Walsh are clearly sharing one, their parents don't suspect that the third bedroom is going unoccupied.

"Well, we're glad you're here now," Leopold says as he hands Neal the first present to unwrap.

"Yes, sis, how did you sleep last night?" Zelena whispers while everyone else is distracted by the young child tearing into the presents.

"Like a baby on a cloud, once you and Walsh finally gave it a rest," Regina states. "Could you keep it down for the rest of the time we're here? I don't want to hear my sister having sex," Regina scolds.

"Well, my hormones are a little out of control right now. I can't help it," Zelena shrugs. "And besides, I didn't want to see my sister having sex, but you didn't give me much of a choice when I got an eyeful yesterday. You can deal with a little noise for a few nights."

Regina shifts uncomfortably in her seat on the sofa. "Ugh, don't remind me. Please forget that you ever saw that."

"Oh, believe me, I'm trying. But that image is permanently burned into my retinas."

"Girls, keep it down," Cora admonishes from across the room, causing her two daughters to sit up straight and silently pray that no one overheard their conversation.

*.*.*

It's a half hour later when Neal and the twins (with their parents' help) are finished opening their Christmas gifts, and the children are blissfully distracted by their new toys and gadgets, allowing the adults to quietly exchange gifts. Regina and Emma had shipped their gifts for their family to Maine ahead of time, so they are already wrapped and waiting under the tree. Emma crawls over to the obscenely tall evergreen so she can pass out the gifts she bought for her family. "Do you mind handing out the ones from me, too, as long as you're already under there?" Regina asks, chuckling at the blonde's ass that is sticking out from under the tree as she reaches for a present that's been pushed to the back corner.

"Sure, no problem," she groans as her fingertips barely graze the package in the back, but she manages to roll it closer to herself. She quickly distributes the gifts before making her way back over to the sofa, sitting down next to Regina.

"Aren't you forgetting someone, dear?" Leopold asks, looking at his daughter.

"Um, no?" she replies as she glances around the room. Leopold and Cora, David and Mary-Margaret, and Zelena and Walsh each have their respective gifts from Regina and from Emma in front of them. "Am I missing something?" she asks Regina, who just shrugs.

"You didn't get anything for each other?" Cora asks, her fingernail toying with the edge of the wrapping paper on her gift from Regina. "I know you two have a sordid…err, I mean, a convoluted history, but you're family now and need to be respectful of one another. We don't need your drama."

"Oh," Emma's eyes widen. "Um—"

Thankfully, she is cut off by Regina. "We decided to exchange gifts in D.C. There was no point in us each shipping packages out here just to have to bring them back on the plane, considering we live in the same city."

"Oh," Leopold nods. "Smart."

"Nice save," Emma says under her breath, just loud enough for Regina to hear her.

And it's true — they had decided not to do a formal gift exchange in front of their family, but not because of travel logistics, although the excuse Regina gave had been logical. They had decided to keep their gift exchange casual this year, but that also meant that their gifts for one another weren't necessarily family-friendly. Regina's gift to Emma had actually been something Regina's keeping for herself —a Baltimore Raven's jersey. It's the blonde's favorite team, and one night after they had watched a game with friends at a pub, Emma had gotten a little drunk and confessed to Regina that her ultimate fantasy includes Regina spending a full day wearing nothing but the team's jersey. The brunette had decided to oblige, buying the slightly oversized jersey for herself and hiding it in the back of her closet for future use on a day of Emma's choosing. Instead of wrapping the jersey as the gift, she had asked Jefferson to take a Polaroid of her wearing only the jersey. (Thank God he's gay. He even had a slight moment of panic when Regina had been adjusting the jersey and he accidentally caught a glimpse of her lady bits. She had laughed and completely flashed him just to make him squirm. But as an art director for a marketing company, he had been very useful in capturing the perfect photograph). In the picture, she had been standing in their kitchen making tea at the stove with her back to the camera, shyly looking over her shoulder at the camera as she reached for the cabinet above the stove, an action which caused the jersey to ride up just enough to expose what Emma refers to as "the ass that just won't quit." She had scribbled "I.O.U" on the white portion of the Polaroid and placed the photograph in a small box, which Emma had opened the night before she left for Storybrooke. Emma had said it's cruel to give her that right before a family vacation, but Regina had reminded her it would give her something to look forward to when they get back home. Emma's gift to Regina hadn't been quite as scandalous, but it still felt too personal to give the woman in front of their family. She had managed to score reservations for early January to a Michelin three-starred restaurant that's nearly impossible to get into, which she coupled with a de-stressing giftset she created, including a bottle of Regina's favorite wine, a new Diptyque candle, and massage oil (which she had admitted was a rather selfish gift, as she would get to benefit from it as well).

After the adults finish opening their presents, Regina and Emma excuse themselves to go make more coffee. Cora follows close behind so she can get started on dinner, as the ham will take several hours to properly bake. Regina immediately goes to the shelf where her mother keeps the coffee, pulling down the tin can of dark roast beans and handing it to Emma, who has started boiling water and plugs in the coffee grinder. They prepare the beverage in silence, the only sound coming from the buzzing of the machine as the beans turn into grounds. Regina takes out a tablespoon and carefully measures out the requisite amount, pouring it into the bottom of the French press. As she places the measuring spoon in the sink, Emma pours the hot water into the press, before securing the lid.

Cora's voice interrupts their actions. "You two seem to have the process of making coffee down to a science."

"What?" Regina asks, startled. She hadn't realized her mother was even in the room.

"If I didn't know better, it would seem you do that together every day. Like a well-oiled machine."

"Oh, well, actually—" Emma starts.

"It's just coffee, mother. It's not rocket science," Regina quickly interrupts, sending a look toward Emma.

"I suppose," Cora says before turning her attention back to preparing the ham.

Regina turns around and looks at her watch, and then the coffee carafe, impatiently tapping her foot as she waits for the four minutes it requires to brew to pass.

"Regina, I thought we were going to tell them this morning," Emma whispers, grabbing two mugs from the cabinet after Cora excuses herself from the room for a moment.

"I know," she sighs, "and we will. But we should tell them both together. My mother won't take it well, and Leopold is bound to take it better. Maybe he will be a good buffer."

"Maybe, but I think she might know?" Emma says, her voice indicating her uncertainty. "I mean, her comment about us being a well-oiled machine and seeming like we do this every day?"

"I wouldn't read too much into it. She's always making random observations like that. And even if she does suspect it, I highly doubt that she actually believes it."

"Regina, dear, where's your mother?" Leopold's boisterous voice asks as he enters the kitchen.

"I think she went to the restroom. She'll be back in a minute," Regina answers, pouring a mug of coffee and handing it to Emma before pouring one for herself. "Coffee?" she asks Leopold. They had made enough for at least two extra cups.

"Oh, no thank you, dear. I'm quite alright. I've already had three this morning," he says before pausing, looking carefully at his daughter. "Emma, is that new?"

Her eyebrows raise in question, as she lowers the reindeer coffee cup from her lips. "Is what new?"

He steps closer and points to her right hand that's grasping the mug, specifically the thin silver band inlayed with small diamonds.

She feels her cheeks flush as she looks to Regina, who glares at her. "Oh, um, yeah. Kinda new."

"It's pretty."

"Thank you," she says.

"What's pretty?" Cora asks as she returns to the room, opening the oven and carefully placing the first side dish inside.

"Emma's new ring."

Cora turns around and moves closer to inspect it. "Oh, it is. I didn't take you for the ring-wearing type," she says.

Emma takes another sip of her coffee, giving herself a legitimate reason not to reply right away. As she swallows the hot liquid, she subtly shifts her gaze over to Regina, who is purposely avoiding her. Instead, the brunette is frantically smearing cream cheese on a gingerbread bagel. "I'm not usually," she finally says. "But, the woman I was dating gave it to me, and I love it."

"Oh," Cora says before turning around and returning her focus to her beloved honey ham, not realizing that her daughter is carefully watching her from across the kitchen island.

"I didn't realize you have a girlfriend, honey," Leopold says, frowning slightly. He would have thought that Emma would have told him if she is in a relationship with someone, at least a relationship serious enough to include gifts of jewelry.

Emma chooses her words carefully. "Well, she's not my girlfriend. We're not dating anymore," she says, cutting her eyes over to Regina when she hears the brunette set her dishes down a little too loudly in the kitchen sink.

"Shit, sorry," Regina mumbles as she picks up the empty coffee cup that she had knocked over.

"Oh, well, I'm sorry it didn't work out dear," Leopold says, sending a sympathetic look to his daughter.

"Well, I wouldn't—" Emma starts before Regina interrupts her.

"If you'll all excuse me, I promised my nephew I'd play a rematch of checkers with him," the brunette says before rushing out of the room.

"Is she okay?" Leopold asks, turning toward his wife. "She seems a little off this morning."

"Who knows?" Cora shrugs as she brushes the honey glaze onto the ham. "There's always something with that one. I've stopped trying to figure her out."

Emma sighs. "She's probably just worried about one of her patients or something," she offers.

*.*.*

"Hey," Emma says, approaching Regina as she puts the checkers board away in the hall closet. The blonde had sat quietly for the past 35 minutes as she watched Regina and Neal battle it out in multiple games of checkers, which Regina had ultimately let the young boy win. "What the fuck was that?"

"What was what?" Regina asks innocently.

"Regina…"

"Not here," Regina sighs. "Follow me," she says, quickly looking around her to make sure none of her family can see them. Then she's grabbing Emma's forearm and leading her to the sunroom at the back of the house so they can have some privacy.

"Well?" Emma asks as Regina shuts the French doors behind them. "Shit, it's cold in here."

"Yeah, it's not really heated," Regina says as she pulls her red cardigan tighter around her body.

"Well, then let's make this quick so we can return to the land of central heating," Emma suggests as she bounces a bit on her feet to try and warm up. "You want to tell me what that was in the kitchen earlier? Why did you get all twitchy and bail?"

Regina sighs. "I panicked, Emma."

"Why?"

"I don't know," Regina says as she groans in frustration. "It's just being back here…I grew up here, and this house has a lot of really unpleasant memories, and they all just hit me at once."

"I know, babe."

"No, you don't. Not really," she says, her voice a little sharper than she intended. She notices a glint of hurt cross Emma's face, and she quickly clarifies. "You know what I've told you, and I love you and I appreciate how supportive you've been of me and all my Cora-related baggage, but you haven't lived it. We grew up so differently, Emma. After you were adopted, you had a caring and loving mother and father with Eva and Leopold…parents who accepted you for who you are, supported your choice of career. I had an amazing father, but he was a pushover and bowed down to my mother's every whim, and then there's the hell she put me through every day. I know to most people I knew growing up, and to any outsiders, my life as a kid looked perfect. This house is beautiful, and until I was 18 I had the 'perfect' nuclear family. But psychologically, it was anything but. And being back here in this house…it's messing with my head. It makes me feel like I'm 18 again on the night of my high school graduation, about to come out to my parents. When we were in the kitchen this morning… That's where I told them that night, you know. We were putting away the leftovers from my graduation party when I decided to do it. I had snuck an extra piece of cake — which my mother reminded me would just serve as a headstart to the 'Freshman 15', mind you — and I was standing at the island, like you were this morning, when I told them I'm a lesbian, and then my whole world disintegrated in an instant. Nothing was ever the same after that, so this morning, being at that island again, I just panicked," Regina says, her voice becoming quieter the more she speaks, and it's then that Emma realizes the brunette is crying. "I'm sorry. I just couldn't go through that again."

"Regina," she says, pulling the woman toward her and wrapping her arms around her. The brunette is trembling, but whether its due to the unheated room or her quiet sobs, she isn't sure. "It's been 15 years, Regina. You're an adult now. It's different this time."

"I know it's different, but it's clear that my mother is still going to have problems with it, especially with us being us," she says, her face buried in Emma's neck, soaking the blonde's flannel shirt with her tears. When she realizes this, she pulls herself back to look the blonde in the eye, brushing the wetness from her cheeks. "Yesterday and this morning have been the best days I've had in this house since I was 14, before my parents started fighting all the time, before I knew I was gay, before I came out…and I know as soon as the truth is out there, nothing will be the same. I know it's selfish, but I just wanted to enjoy the pleasantness of Christmas and the charade of a happy family a little longer before I ruin it."

"You aren't going to ruin anything. And you are anything but selfish, Regina," Emma says seriously. "You're the most selfless person I know. You deserve to have happy memories."

Regina smiles sadly. "They aren't real, though. Not really, because if everything comes crumbling down afterward…and it's not fair to you to ask you to lie to your family, so it's incredibly selfish on my part. Ugh," she sighs, letting Emma to pull her into another hug. "I think I'm also putting it off because there's a tiny part of me that hasn't totally allowed my mother to destroy all the hope and optimism inside me. And that tiny, little part is hoping that maybe she will be okay with this, and as long as I don't tell her, I can pretend like she'll be happy for us. As soon as it's out there, that little sliver of light will fade away," Regina rambles, tightening her hold on Emma, taking comfort in her arms. "And then there's the fact that my coming out pretty much solidified my parents' divorce. They were already fighting all the time —they had been for years — but that was the nail in the coffin, and they officially split less than a month later. I don't want to feel that burden again. Leopold loves you so much and I know he isn't going to let my mother come between you and him, and I'm afraid that this will ruin their marriage before it's even really begun."

Emma feels her own eyes starting to water as Regina's words and fears sink in. She had known that Regina had been afraid of telling their parents about their relationship, but she hadn't realized the depth of her fears and anxiety. "Regina," she says, and this time she's the one to pull back from their embrace. "First, if their marriage can't withstand our announcement, then their marriage has problems way bigger than anything that has to do with us. But, I don't think you need to worry about that. Yeah, Cora freaked out last year when she found out I was gay and that you and I had a history, but by the end of the night she had at least come back into the room and sat with all of us as we watched a movie. She was trying. And my father still married her, so I'm sure they had some sort of conversation to work through it. But all that said, if you don't want to tell them today, we don't have to. Whatever you want to do is fine with me."

"No," Regina shakes her head. "We do. I don't want to keep lying to them. I think we're at a point now where the longer we wait, the worse it'll be. We just need to do it."

"Rip off the Band-aid?" Emma states.

"Yes. Exactly."

Emma nods as she leans in to quickly kiss the brunette, letting her hands run up Regina's arms until her left hand snakes behind her neck. Her right hand comes to rest on the top of Regina's shoulder, drawing a soft pattern over the fabric of her shirt. "You know how much I love you, right?"

Regina smiles genuinely for the first time since this conversation began. "I do," she says, stealing another kiss.

"Good," Emma says, her fingers tracing Regina's collarbone, pausing in the center and then trailing down her sternum, playing with the long silver chain that falls from Regina's neck. She allows the cool metal to run across her fingers, following the delicate chain until it disappears between her breasts, beneath the deep v-neck of Regina's shirt. The brunette sighs into the touch, letting her body melt into Emma's a little more until Emma's hand reappears, grasping the necklace in her fist. She carefully unfolds her fingers, revealing the thin silver diamond encrusted ring pendent at the end of the chain. She gently toys with it in her fingers, looking at it thoughtfully as she moves to slide her right ring finger through the loop, allowing the ring on Regina's necklace to nestle perfectly against its identical twin on her own finger. She leans in to kiss Regina once more, feeling Regina's hand wrap around hers on the necklace. "So, should we go back inside?"

"Yeah. I'm freaking freezing," Regina chuckles as Emma carefully removes her finger from the ring on the chain. Regina wraps her own hand around it as they exit the room, smiling down at the small silver hoop. She lets go, leaving the jewelry to hang freely from her neck instead of tucking it back inside her shirt as they make their way back into the living room.

"I was wondering where you disappeared to," Mary-Margaret says as the two women sit back down in their spots on the couch.

Emma looks around the room and studies Cora's face, unable to read her expression. "What did we miss?" she whispers to her sister.

"Zelena just announced that she's pregnant," Mary-Margaret replies, but when neither Emma nor Regina seem surprised, she continues. "Wait, did you know?"

Regina nods. "Mmhmm. We found out last night."

"Oh," Mary-Margaret frowns. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not our secret to tell, Mary-Margaret," Emma reminds her sister. "Stop being such a gossip."

"Hey, I kept your secret," her sister points out.

"Yes, you have, and we appreciate that," Regina whispers back.

"Speaking of, when will that no longer be a secret?" David asks.

"Soon, hopefully…we'll see how this goes," Emma says as she continues to watch Cora's face. The older woman still has not said anything since Emma and Regina re-entered the room.

"Mother, say something," Zelena says, finally breaking the tension and causing the stunned woman to come back to reality.

"I'm going to be a grandmother?" Cora asks.

"Is that a tear in her eye?" Regina whispers to Emma. "I haven't ever seen my mother cry."

"I think so," Emma says, puzzled. She had told Regina that Cora didn't even cry at her own wedding, which had caused a drunk Zelena at the reception to remind her new stepsisters that Cora is basically a robot.

Surprising everyone in the room, Cora pulls Zelena and Walsh into a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you both. You will be wonderful parents," she says.

"Thank you, Mum," Zelena says before turning to her sister. "And Regina, I would love it if you would be the baby's Godmother."

"Really?" Regina squeaks, her breath catching in her throat.

"Yes, really. Who else could I possibly ask?" Zelena says.

Regina rises and hugs her sister, Cora wrapping her arms around them both. "Oh, my girls," the eldest brunette says. "I love you both so much."

"I love you, too, Mum," Zelena says as they break their embrace.

"Whoa," Regina says, returning to the couch as she leans against the back cushion.

"That was…unexpected," Emma adds.

"Indeed."

"Well, maybe this is a good sign? She seems to be in a good mood…" Emma offers, hoping her words are true.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Regina says, taking a deep breath as she sits up straight, waiting for the excitement over Zelena's proclamation to die down. Emma shifts a little closer to Regina on the sofa, angling herself so she can subtly rub comforting circles on the brunette's back. Regina looks over and smiles at Emma, placing her hand on her knee and softly squeezing it for a quick private moment while everyone else is distracted by the baby news. She then retracts her hand, only to gently grasp her necklace once again, flipping the ring over in her hand.

Emma can feel Regina's back stiffen under her fingers as the well-wishes and congratulations to Zelena and Walsh quiet down and things begin to return to normal. Emma pauses her movements, leaning in slightly to whisper a quick, "I love you, and no matter what happens, you know I'm behind you one hundred percent." She can feel Regina relax just a bit at that, and she's relieved.

"I know," Regina whispers back before looking around the room. She shares a knowing look with Zelena, who gives her a small smile and a supportive nod. Even after going nearly a decade without speaking to one another, Zelena and Regina always seem to know what the other is thinking. Regina sighs out a breath after her silent conversation with her sister. Despite joking about it the night before, Regina's having second thoughts about making her announcement after her sister's, not wanting to steal her thunder. But, the look of support in her sister's eyes immediately calms that worry. "Well, in the spirit of making announcements," Regina starts, clearing her throat a little as she speaks. "I have some news."

Immediately, eight pairs of eyes are on her — the twins aren't paying attention since they don't understand what's going on around them, but even little Neal looks interested in what Regina has to say. She tenses up slightly, and Emma resumes the soothing circles on Regina's back. She takes a deep breath, but before she can respond, Cora interrupts.

"Oh, have you been promoted?"

"No, Mother," Regina says, a hint of amusement in her voice. "It's not work-related."

"Oh…have you met someone?" Cora asks, hope evident in her voice. "Perhaps a nice gentleman—"

"Cora," Leopold hastily interrupts. "Why don't you just let Regina tell us her news?"

Regina sighs. "You know what? Nevermind," she says, defeated, rising from her seat. However, Emma is quick and grabs her wrist before Regina can take a step, tugging the brunette back down.

"Rip off the Band-Aid," Emma quietly reminds her. "Or I can do it, if you'd rather I break the news," she says, not wanting to push the other woman, but knowing that they can't put it off any longer.

"No, I'll do it," Regina whispers back, knowing she needs to be the one to break this news to her mother. She takes another breath and turns to look at her mother and Leopold. "No, Mother, I have not met a 'nice gentleman,' but I am in a relationship with an amazing woman," she says, quickly glancing at Emma before looking back at their parents.

"Oh," Leopold says, while Cora's face is blank. "Well, that's wonderful news. How long have you been seeing her?"

"Almost a year," Regina says. "Since New Year's Eve."

"Really? That long? How come you didn't bring her with you for Christmas? When will we get to meet this lovely lady?" he asks.

Emma bites back a smile when she hears her sister snickering from the chair next to her.

"Um, well," Regina starts, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "I did, actually, and you already have."

It's then that Cora looks up, her eyes narrowing as she looks at her daughter and step-daughter across the room, noticing that Regina has placed her hand on Emma's thigh. "Oh, no. Absolutely not."

Confusion crosses Leopold's face as he mutters a puzzled "What?"

Emma smiles awkwardly. "Hi, Dad," she says, offering a slight wave of her hand.

"Huh?" he asks again, and then he registers what his wife has already figured out. "Oh! You two…?"

"Yeah," Regina says, taking Emma's hand in hers. "Emma and I are together."

"Oh," Leopold says again. "Well, I think that's great."

"Really?" Emma and Cora ask simultaneously, albeit in very different tones of voice.

He looks first to his daughter as he stands up and walks around the coffee table. She stands up to meet him, effectively pulling Regina up, too, by their still-joined hands. "Really. I'm happy for you, honey," he says, pulling her into a hug as he looks over at Regina. "And for you, Regina," he says as he opens his arms to her as well, and she goes willingly. "But if you ever hurt my little girl, you'll have to answer to me."

"That's fine, because I have no intentions of ever doing such a thing," Regina laughs.

"Good," he replies, releasing both women from his embrace as he goes to sit back down in his chair beside Cora, who has not moved or said anything more. "So is that why you moved to D.C., Emma?"

"Yeah. Living over an hour away from her was rough. I subletted a place a little closer for a while to test things out, and then I moved into her townhouse a few months ago."

"Oh, you're living together, then? And that's been going well?" Leopold asks, genuinely interested.

"Very well," Emma beams.

"I'm glad to hear it," he says.

"Mother?" Regina hesitantly probes, bracing herself for the response.

"You cannot be serious," Cora finally says, looking at her daughter and then at her step-daughter. "You're screwing with us, right? This is some sort of prank after that bullshit you pulled last year?"

Regina winces as she hears her mother's words. Cora never uses that kind of language, so she knows her mother is outraged.

"No, we're not screwing with you," Emma says, taking Regina's hand once again and resisting the temptation to say something about how the only person she's screwing is Regina. She knows that wouldn't help matters. "I am so utterly in love with your daughter, Cora. This isn't a joke."

Cora scoffs. "Ugh."

"Mother, it's true," Regina reiterates. "I know this isn't what you wanted for me, and I knew you wouldn't take it well, but I love her, Mother, with all of my heart. I've never felt this way about anyone before. If you can just try to be happy for me, for us…"

"Be happy for you? Regina, you're throwing your life away," the older woman snaps. "You're a beautiful woman, Regina, and you could have any man you wanted…"

"God," Regina groans. "Why can't you understand that I will never want any man? I'm sorry that you think I'm throwing my life away, Mother," Regina says, feeling Emma's grip on her hand tighten. "But I love Emma, and we work really well together."

"Then go into business together. You don't need to sleep with your stepsister," Cora responds, her face contorting in disgust. "I've held my tongue for the past year, trying to get used to both of your…proclivities…but I won't stand for you to making a mockery of me in my own house."

"Mum…" Zelena cuts in, worried for where this conversation is leading.

"No, Zelena, if they want to play house and entertain this asinine notion, they can do so on their own time and in their own home. But I will not allow it in mine," she says, turning to face her youngest daughter. "When you've outgrown this phase and have grown tired of this ill-advised life choice, do let me know. But until then, we are done here," she trails off as she grasps the arms of the chair and stands up, sending a leveling stare to her daughter, though she doesn't yet walk away. Cora thrives on confrontation, she always has, and she's waiting for Regina to fight back, just so she can squash her down even more.

Regina can feel the tears burning behind her eyes, threatening to fall. Emma quickly wraps an arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer and placing a kiss to her temple as a tear runs down her own cheek. Finally, Regina speaks. "Jesus. This isn't like when I wanted to get my nose pierced when I was 15, Mother. This isn't some phase I'm going to grow out of. It's not a choice. I am in love with Emma. Nothing is going to change that."

"Dad," Mary-Margaret pleads, hoping he'll be able to talk some sense into his wife.

"Cora…" he says, pulling himself out of the shock he found himself in after his wife's outburst. He had thought she had changed in the past year. She had said that she didn't care if his daughter is a lesbian, but apparently she still very much cares about her own daughter's sexuality.

"No, Leopold. I won't condone my daughter ruining her life."

"So by proxy, then, you must think that Emma is ruining her life, too?" Leopold asks.

"Frankly? Yes. But she's not my daughter, so she's free to do as she wishes. But I won't let her be Regina's downfall."

"Cora!" Leopold shouts, standing to face her.

Before Cora can respond, Emma's voice interrupts. "Dad, Cora. Stop it!"

Regina wipes her eyes and looks up at the blonde, and her heart breaks for her. For them. She knows Emma is doing her best to be strong and support her, but the blonde is clearly just as hurt by the turn of events. "Emma…" she says softly. "It's fine."

"No, it's not fine," Emma says, brushing a tear from Regina's cheek. "No one is ruining anyone's life. I'm sorry, Cora, if you can't understand how two people can feel the love and affection that Regina and I have for each other, and I'm sorry if us being together somehow offends you, but that is not our problem. It's yours and yours alone. Nothing you can say will change how we feel about each other. And I hope you can find it within yourself to accept that. Despite all the shit she's gone through over the past 15 years, most of it the result of your homophobic views, by the way, Regina loves you and wants you in her life. But, you need to be accepting of who she is for that to happen."

"Oh, please," Cora scoffs yet again. "Do not lecture me on my daughter, Emma. You don't know her. You really think Regina will pick you over her family if it came down to it? You're just a bad, drunken college mistake that came back around when she was feeling weak. She'll get sick of you eventually when she comes to her senses."

"No, Mother," Regina says, finding her voice. "If you're making me choose between Emma and you, then I will choose Emma every moment of every day. She is my family now."

Cora rolls her eyes. "Well, I suppose she technically is now that her father and I got married."

"No, Mother," Regina shakes her head, nearly laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. "She's not my family because you and Leopold got married. I chose to make her my family. We're family because of these," she says, taking off her necklace and unclasping the lobster claw closure, removing the ring from the chain and sliding it onto her left ring finger. She looks over at Emma who moves the ring on her own right hand onto her left, before intertwining their hands once again.

"Oh my God," Zelena says. "Are those…?"

"Yes," Regina smiles, before turning her attention back to her stunned mother. "So, yes, Mother, I will choose my wife over you, if it comes down to it."

"Wait, when did this happen?" Mary-Margaret asks, completely dumbfounded.

"About a month ago," Emma says, unable to tamp down the smile on her face. "When we were in New York with Jefferson and his husband. It was a little spur of the moment, but it was amazing."

"Of course it wasn't planned," Cora says as she finally walks out of the room. "Immature idiots," she mutters under her breath.

Regina rolls her eyes. "We hadn't planned on eloping, but the opportunity came along and we couldn't pass it up. We had already been engaged for six weeks and had started wedding planning, but we realized we didn't need a big wedding, nor did we want to wait any longer. When you know it's right, you know it's right. The option presented itself, and we went for it. We couldn't be happier."

"Wait, you were engaged already? And you didn't tell me? Emma!" Mary-Margaret whines.

"Sorry," she shrugs. "We were keeping it under wraps until we had the chance to tell everyone that we're together. Regina proposed to me the night I moved into her place."

"And then Emma's the one who suggested we elope while we were in New York," Regina adds.

"I can't believe my little girl got married," Leopold says, his genuine excitement visible on his face. "And I can't believe I missed it!"

"Sorry, Dad," she says. "We are thinking about having a small reception of some sort this summer in D.C., since Jefferson and Will are the only ones who were there for the actual ceremony."

"I would love that," he says, his smile not faltering on his face as he walks over to the couple once again. "And Regina," he says. "I'll talk to your mother and see if I can talk some sense into her. But regardless, know that you're always welcome here, as far as I'm concerned."

"Thank you, Leopold," the brunette says. "But please, don't worry about my mother. I fully expected this from her, and I don't want you two to start arguing about it."

"Nonsense," he says. "don't worry about your mother and me. Just focus on your life with my beautiful daughter."

*.*.*

"Well, that could have gone better," Regina says later that night as she sits on the end of the guest room bed, watching as Emma carefully folds their clothes and puts them back in the rolling suitcase. Cora had spent the rest of the day hiding in her office, only reappearing for a few minutes at a time to check on dinner preparations. If Regina as much as walked into the room, Cora had walked out. At dinner, she had completely ignored the pair, and she didn't say more than two words to anyone else. "But, I guess it could have gone worse…I mean, someone could have actually died. That would have been worse."

Emma lets out a wry chuckle as she rearranges the items in the suitcase to fit the presents they received earlier in the day. "I guess that's one way of looking at it," she says, pausing her packing efforts and coming to sit next to Regina on the bed. "Are you okay?" she asks.

"I'm not surprised," Regina replies.

"Okay, but that's not what I asked."

Regina sighs and allows herself to fall onto her back, looking up at Emma. "It sucks. I know I should have expected her to react that way — and I did — but, part of me really believed that she had changed at least a little bit, you know?"

"I know," Emma smiles sadly down at her girlfriend. "It does suck, and I hate that I don't know what to do to fix it."

"You can't fix this," Regina says, holding out her right hand toward Emma. "I can't, either."

"I know." The blonde takes Regina's extended hand and turns around so she's facing her wife, and then she's swinging her right leg over Regina's hips, sitting gently on top of her. She leans down for a chaste kiss, before sitting back up and reaching for Regina's other hand. Despite their position, it's not at all sexual, as Emma knows that's not what Regina needs in this moment. Instead, she just wants to provide comfort and support, and she knows Regina likes the calmness that Emma's weight on top of her brings. (Regina had tried to explain the physiology of it to her once, something about the parasympathetic nervous system kicking in and reducing stress when being hugged or covered by a weight, but Emma hadn't taken a science class since junior year of high school and had been completely lost.) She threads their fingers together, slowly using her thumbs to draw circles on Regina's palms. "What do you need? What can I do?"

Regina shakes her head, a stray tear escaping. "I just need you," she whispers, pulling slightly on Emma's hands until the blonde lowers herself once again, their lips meeting in a kiss that reminds Regina just how loved she is. The blonde gently moves off Regina, rolling onto her back and pulling the brunette to curl into her side, lightly running her free hand up and down Regina's arm. "I really did hope this would be different," Regina says, her voice small. "I mean, she's my mother."

"I know, babe." She hugs her a little tighter.

"I had gotten so used to her not being in my life for those 12 years. I feel like an ass, but I didn't even miss her then...or Zelena. But after seeing how you and Mary-Margaret are with Leopold last Christmas, and now…it makes me ache for that, you know? And it makes me miss my dad even more… he would have been so fucking happy for us, and I wish he could have met you. And I really thought that my mother and I were on the right track this year, and then she pulled that shit today," Regina says, struggling to speak between the sobs she's no longer holding back. "I want to hate her, but I can't. And I hate that I can't."

Emma turns her head slightly as her own tears start to fall, hoping that they'll land on her own shoulder instead of the brunette's head that's still resting on Emma's chest. "I know," she manages to say again, not knowing what else she can do but listen as Regina vents. "You have us, though, and you have Zelena and Walsh. And Cora may come around eventually…she may just be in shock."

"Not bloody likely," Regina comments, nestling closer to the warmth of the blonde until her exhaustion eventually gives way to sleep.

A/N: I hope the SQ marriage was a bit of a surprise (though I dropped some hints throughout haha). There will be more to come. It wouldn't be one of my stories without some angst and drama amidst the fluff and a little cliffhanger/uncertainty/probable anger directed at me between chapters. You wont have to wait too long :)