EPILOGUE PART THREE:
THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

Emma wakes before Regina the next morning, a little after 8 A.M. The blonde notices that they're in the same position as they were the night before, with Regina nestled into her side on top of the blankets, as they had fallen asleep before they could properly turn down the bed. She feels Regina shift, watching as the chocolate brown eyes blink open, still blurry with tears. (Emma had woken up once in the night, briefly, and noticed Regina had been crying in her sleep). Regina says nothing, just looks up at Emma before closing her eyes once again, pressing her body even closer to her wife. In the afternoon they'll be flying back to D.C., but they don't need to leave for the airport for another hour and a half, so they have time to just be as they are. They lie in silence for a while, as Emma gently strokes her fingers along Regina's arm and then combs them through her hair. She thinks Regina is nearly asleep again and is contemplating how she will be able to get up to go brush her teeth without disturbing her, when her thoughts are interrupted by a soft knock on the door.

Regina stirs and pushes herself up slightly, lifting her head off of Emma's chest. "Come in," she says, wiping a few lingering tears from her cheeks, though it does nothing to hide the evidence that she's been crying on and off for the past 12 hours.

"Knock, knock," Leopold says as he turns the knob, poking his head through the door.

"Hey, Dad," Emma says, not moving from her spot on the bed, her arm still securely around Regina's shoulder.

"How are you girls?" he asks, leaning uncomfortably against the dresser as though he's afraid to intrude.

Emma looks over at Regina, who is forcing herself to sit up. "We're okay," the brunette answers, not wanting to elaborate further.

"Did you need something, Dad?" Emma asks.

"I just wanted to check on you…both of you," he says. "I know yesterday was rough and didn't go the way you hoped it would."

"You could say that," Regina mumbles as she rests her head against the bed's headboard.

"Are you okay?" Emma asks her father, noticing that despite the small smile that graces his face, he's masking his own frustration and hurt.

"Honestly? Not really. But I will be," he says, not noticing that his words cause Regina's eyes to close and another tear to escape. Emma notices, though, and takes Regina's hand in hers, pulling it into her lap.

"My sexuality already destroyed one marriage. Don't let it destroy another," Regina says, looking at Leopold.

"Oh, Regina, that's not why Cora and your father split up," he says, taking a few steps closer and resting his hand on the bedpost extending up from the footboard of the bed. "You can't blame yourself for that."

"Well, it's hard not to," she scoffs.

"Well, you shouldn't. And your mother and I will be fine. It's true that I'm not happy with how she reacted, and she'll need to change her attitudes about both of you, but she will. I know she will."

"My mother is stubborn as hell, in case you haven't noticed," Regina fires back, though she keeps her voice soft, as she's not actually angry with Leopold. "She hasn't changed her attitude in 15 years, so I don't think she's going to change it now. You're going to have to figure out a way to reconcile that your wife is incapable of accepting who your daughter is, because no matter how much you and Cora may love each other, I don't think you'll be able to change her. The sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be. Believe me, there's nothing worse than holding out hope that maybe she can change. It only hurts a hundred times worse when you finally realize it'll never happen."

"That's very true. She is stubborn," Leopold concedes. "But she does love you, Regina."

"Well she has a hell of a way of showing it."

He frowns, realizing that Regina is right.

"Just…" Regina starts. "Seriously, don't let this feud between my mother and me come between you two. I know she loves you, and you're good for her. She and I may not be able to repair our relationship, but I really don't want that to influence yours. I wouldn't be able to handle that guilt on top of everything else."

"Regina," he says as he gestures to the foot of the bed. "Can I sit?"

The two women both nod. "It's your house," Emma shrugs.

"Right," he chuckles as he sits awkwardly at the end of the bed, turning his torso to face his daughter and stepdaughter-turned-daughter-in-law. "You are both adults, so I'm not going to try and sugarcoat it. This situation sucks, I'm not going to lie. Emma, it makes me furious that Cora said those things about you. You mean the world to me, and I will defend you until the day I die. And Regina, I know I will never replace your father, and I would never try to do that, but I care about you. Not only because you're Cora's daughter, but because you're now the most important person in my daughter's life...as you should be. So no matter what, you're important to me."

Regina and Emma both can't help but smile at that.

"So yes, I'm angry with your mother, and we're going to have to figure it out and work through it. The things she said yesterday were not the words of the woman I've come to know over the past seven years. I don't want to make excuses for her, because what she said is inexcusable. But I'm hoping she'll realize her mistake, because I would hate for her to cut you out of her life and miss the amazing things you'll both do in the future. But if that's her decision, then that's her decision. But know this: I refuse to give up that easy, or to let either of you walk out of my life. I meant what I said yesterday, Regina, you will always be welcome here."

"But my mother…"

"She'll have to deal with it," Leopold interrupts. "You're my daughter's wife, and that makes you my family now, even if you weren't Cora's daughter. That won't change, no matter what Cora says or does."

Regina pushes herself off the bed, walking around to meet Leopold, pulling him into a hug as Emma looks on. "Thank you, Leopold."

"You're welcome, dear," he says before chuckling. "You know, David calls me 'Pops.' You're welcome to as well."

Regina laughs as she wipes a residual tear from her eye. "Yeah, I don't know if I can take myself seriously if I do that. But I'll consider it," she says as she walks back around to her side of the bed, taking a seat once again next to Emma.

"That's all I ask," he grins. "I'll leave you girls to it. What time are you leaving for the airport?"

"Our flight's at 12:30, so we have a car picking us up at 9:45," Emma answers.

"You'll swing by the main house before you leave?"

Emma looks to Regina, who nods. "Yeah. We'll come by to say goodbye," Emma confirms.

"Good," he smiles. "We'll see you in a bit, then. And congratulations again. I really am thrilled for the two of you."

As he turns to leave, Emma scurries off the bed, catching him at the door. "Thank you, Dad," she says as she hugs him, quickly kissing his cheek before he leaves the room. She gently closes the door behind him, turning around and facing her wife once again. "You okay?"

Regina lets out a noise that's a mix between a laugh and a sigh. "You need to stop asking me that."

"I will never stop asking how you are, Regina," Emma says seriously as she crawls back onto the bed and immediately opens her arms.

Regina scoots over and wraps her arms around Emma's waist, relaxing into the human pillow next to her. "I'm fine, Emma. Or, I will be. At this point I'm just excited to get back to D.C. this afternoon and get back to our lives, and to forget about my mother for a little bit."

Emma hums. "Me, too. And I think we should break out some of that massage oil tonight. I think you deserve it."

"Oh, yeah?" Regina raises an eyebrow as she looks up at Emma's smiling face. "I won't say no to that."

*.*.*

"The driver just called — he's five minutes away," Regina says to Emma as she finishes the last of her coffee and puts the mug in the sink.

"Perfect," Emma comments as she comes out of the bathroom. "Our bags are all by the side door. Ready to head over and say our goodbyes?"

"Ugh, if we must," Regina comments as she heads toward the door, picking up her small overnight bag as Emma pulls up the handle on her rolling suitcase. The blonde takes her free hand and reaches for Regina's as they walk up the sidewalk toward the main house.

They approach the kitchen door and through the glass pane they see their entire family sitting around the table and island. Cora is at the stove flipping pancakes, chatting happily with Mary-Margaret, who is holding baby Evie in her arms. David is feeding Robbie at the table, although most of the food is ending up on his face rather than in his mouth. Zelena and Walsh look on, studying the baby as if they're trying to figure out how they're going to handle one of their own in just a few short months. Leopold and Neal are at the island, drinking glasses of orange juice and reading what appears to be a comic book. "Ready?" Emma asks, looking at her wife.

"No, but we may as well get this over with. We don't have long anyway before we'll be on our way to the airport."

Emma gently tightens her grip on Regina's hand as she opens the door, causing everyone to look up from their tasks as the pair walk in.

"Good morning, ladies," Leopold is the first to speak.

"Morning, Dad," Emma smiles as she releases Regina's hand, opting to place hers on the brunette's lower back instead.

"We just wanted to stop by quickly and say goodbye. Our car will be here in a few minutes to take us to the airport," Regina adds.

Cora says nothing. Instead, she merely stares at the two women, spatula in hand, with a slight frown on her face.

"Cora," Mary-Margaret whispers, yet it's not enough to divert the older woman's attention from couple. "The pancakes are burning."

That seems to do it, causing Cora to jump in alarm as she turns back to the stove. "Oh, dear," she huffs, quickly flipping the pancakes in hopes of salvaging them.

Emma pulls Regina a little closer to her as the brunette lets out a sigh.

Zelena stands up and walks over to the two women, pulling them both into a hug. "Have a safe trip, you two," she says. "And please come visit us in England soon," she adds.

"I don't know if we'll be able to make it there before your wedding, but we'll look into it and see if we can find some time off," Regina says, pulling back from the hug.

Mary-Margaret, David, and their children quickly follow suit, hugging the couple and wishing them safe travels, while confirming their plans to visit D.C. over Mary-Margaret and Neal's spring break. "Neal is going through a space phase, so we'd love to take him to the Smithsonian while we're there," Mary-Margaret says.

"Sounds like a plan," Regina smiles. "I haven't been there in years, but I love it."

Their mundane conversation is interrupted by a brief honking of a car horn outside. "That's our ride," Emma comments, looking at Regina and then at Cora, who still has her back to the women at the stove.

Leopold comes over and hugs Emma and then Regina, whispering, "We had a long talk after I dropped by this morning. Give her time... she'll come around," in Regina's ear.

"Thanks," she whispers to him, smiling sadly as he releases her from his embrace. She takes a deep breath before speaking a little louder, uttering "Goodbye, Mother," as she looks over to the matriarch. Everyone else follows Regina's line of sight, waiting to see what the older brunette will do.

"Goodbye," she says, half-heartedly waving the spatula in the air in acknowledgement, but not turning around.

Regina sighs as Emma once again grabs her suitcase. "Well, it's better than nothing," Regina says as they leave the house and walk toward the driveway where the black Cadillac is waiting for them. "At least she spoke to me...sort of."

"She'll get there," Emma says, reassuringly. "At least, I hope she does."

"Yeah," Regina says, nodding to the driver in thanks as he holds open the door before she climbs into the back seat. She scoots to make room for Emma, who crawls in after her. "Ugh. I'm just ready to be home, back in our real bed…"

"Me, too," Emma agrees. "Just a few more hours."

"Mmhmm," Regina hums as they back out of the driveway. She watches as the mayoral mansion fades from view, unsure if she will ever return.

*.*.*

"Oh…my...God…" Regina moans later that evening. She's sprawled out naked on their bed, her torso finding comfort in the cool, silk sheets underneath her. "Fuck, your fingers are magic."

"I'm well aware," Emma chuckles as she straddles one of Regina' legs as her fingers work their way up Regina's inner thigh. "You've said that to me many times over the years," she says, leaning over to place a kiss where her fingers just were.

"Maybe, but I never really meant it until now. You've been holding out on me," Regina sighs.

"I feel like I should take offense at that," Emma says, lightly slapping the brunette's exposed ass. She then drops more massage oil onto her palms, quickly returning to knead the woman's hamstring. "But I know I'm good, so I'll choose to take it as a compliment."

"Mmm," Regina moans again, letting her face fall into the pillow. "Just keep going," she murmurs. After dealing with a delayed flight, both women had been exhausted and immediately took a nap upon returning home. However, after a dinner of takeout (they had been too tired to cook and had an empty fridge since they needed to go grocery shopping), Emma had wanted to make good on her promise to test out the new massage oils. Emma has been doing a very thorough job, as she's been working out the knots in Regina's back and legs for over 45 minutes. "If you keep this up I'll be too relaxed to do you," Regina comments, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"I'll take a raincheck," Emma shrugs, working her way back up her back. "The oil will last. This is all about you anyway," she says, placing another kiss at the base of Regina's spine as she readjusts her own position.

Regina lifts her head up to look over her shoulder at the blonde, who is now siting astride her hips, and raises an eyebrow. "I wasn't talking about massage, dear," she states, arching her back just enough to buck her hips, causing the swell of her ass to press into Emma center.

"Oh…" Emma says, meeting her wife's eyes. "Well, we can't have that. Maybe I should stop now so you're not too tired," she winks.

"Don't you dare stop," Regina says, sinking back down into the bed, wincing when Emma hits a particularly tender knot. "I'll rally...just please don't stop what you're doing right now."

Emma laughs as she pauses, leaning down to kiss Regina on the cheek and lightly teasing her earlobe with her teeth before she moves to sit back up. As she resumes working on the stubborn knot behind Regina's shoulder blade, her eyes cut over to the clock on the nightstand, noting the time. "Five, maybe ten more minutes?" Emma asks. "My magic fingers won't last much longer than that." Regina doesn't verbally respond, just nods her head as she melts into the pillow.

They make it four minutes before they're interrupted by Regina's phone ringing on the dresser behind them. "Do not answer that," Regina says as she feels Emma start to move off of her.

"What if it's important? It could be one of your patients."

Regina considers that for a moment, but then shakes her head. "I'm not on call. I'm still technically on vacation until tomorrow at 9 A.M. If one of my patients is having an emergency, they'll leave a voicemail and I can call them back in six minutes after you're done."

"Wow…I'm not sure that the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology would agree with your priorities there, Dr. Mills," Emma chuckles.

"Less talking, more rubbing," Regina sasses back, lightly swatting Emma's leg that's still next to her hips.

"Right away, Dr. Mills," Emma replies just as the voicemail notification alerts the women of an awaiting message. Emma pauses briefly as she hears and feels Regina sigh beneath her.

"Okay, fine. Move, please," Regina whines, pulling her arms under her body to press herself up as Emma dismounts from where she was perched on her back. The brunette grabs her robe from where she had discarded it on the floor next to the bed, causing the blonde to raise an eyebrow.

"It's nothing I haven't seen, Regina," the blonde says, raking her eyes over the woman's body as she ties the silk sash around her waist.

Regina rolls her eyes. "I'm not going to listen to a voicemail from a patient or colleague while I'm naked. That's just weird," Regina says, walking over to where she tossed her phone on the dresser.

Emma shrugs as she turns around and sits cross-legged on the bed, watching as Regina unlocks her phone.

"Oh," Regina says, her face falling as she leans back against the dresser.

"Everything okay?" Emma asks, her concern growing as she moves toward the end of the bed.

She shakes her head. "It wasn't a patient or work…it was my mother."

"Oh," Emma says, sitting back on her heels.

Regina hesitates for a moment before hitting the play button, holding her phone out in front of her after putting it on speakerphone: 'Oh, good, I was actually hoping to get your voicemail, Regina…' her mother's voice echoes out into the room. Regina walks over to the bed and sits down next to Emma, pulling the robe more tightly around her body as she tucks one leg underneath herself. 'You don't need to call me back, in fact I would prefer it if you didn't…' Regina sighs at her mother's words, closing her eyes as Emma's hand comes to rest on her back, rubbing in the gentle, soothing circles she has come to know far too well this weekend. 'I know I did not react to your…uh…news…the way you would have liked.

"No shit," Emma mumbles before she can stop herself, earning a glare from Regina. "Sorry," she silently mouths back.

They hear Cora clearing her throat on the recording as she continues: 'and this may not be something I can ever fully accept, because I will never understand it…but, I will try to try to make my peace with it. I make no guarantees, but I will try. It'll take some time to digest, so when I come to terms with it…if I can…I will call you. Goodbye and take care.'

The message clicks off and Regina sets the phone down on the bed next to her. After a minute of silence, Emma speaks up when she hears Regina let out a breath. "I know you're sick of me asking this, but are you okay?"

Regina shrugs slightly. "I don't know. I didn't expect to hear from her again, especially not today."

"Well, that's a good thing, right? It's a good sign," Emma offers.

"Maybe. But it also feels a little final, like one of her small town government business transactions, saying 'okay, this deal is done. Goodbye and don't come back.' I know she has the interpersonal intelligence of a mosquito, so she doesn't know how to have a personal conversation, but seriously?"

Emma can't help but chuckle. "I'm not going to argue that."

"But, she said she's going to try…or, 'try to try.' What the fuck does that even mean? God," Regina sighs, moving to lie down on the bed. "And 'goodbye and take care'? Really? Yeah, thanks, Mom, love you, too," she huffs in frustration. "But," she says, her tone changing. "She called."

"She did," Emma says.

"So, maybe you're right. Maybe that is a good sign that maybe, someday, she'll at least accept us enough not to completely shut us out of her life. I don't even need full acceptance…just tolerance would be a good starting point. Maybe Leopold will help her realize that you aren't going anywhere, and you and I are a packaged deal now, so she'll have to see me regardless. It'll probably be a lot harder for her to get through holidays if she can't bring herself to be in the same room as us, so maybe she'll find a way to get over it."

"I hope so," Emma says, lying down and stretching out next to Regina on the bed. "Even calling you at all seems like it's a big first step for her."

"Yeah, you're right. She didn't have to do that, so it is a step in the right direction," Regina nods. "And thank you for being so great this week…and always, really, but especially with this shitshow."

"I'll always be there for you, Regina," Emma says, leaning in to kiss Regina's cheek.

"I know," Regina smiles. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Now, can we please not mention anything having to do with my mother for at least two weeks? I need to clear my head from all that. I need a break."

"Well, in that case," Emma says as she rolls over onto her side, looking at her wife as she plays with the silk sash of the brunette's robe. "I do believe you still had six minutes left of your massage…if you still want it."

"Oh, you're right," Regina smiles, loosening the tie and rolling onto her stomach, allowing Emma to pull the robe from her shoulders. "You better get on that."

"As you wish, Your Majesty."

A/N: So, there you have it! Usually Leopold is always depicted as a complete ass, so I wanted to let him be a good guy for once. I didn't want to make it too much of a perfect ending, because life is messy and I occasionally like fics that aren't perfectly happy and where everyone isn't necessarily redeemed. So, I'm leaving it there: SQ is happy and starting their lives together, Regina and her sister have repaired their relationship, and Leo is embracing his daughter and Regina with open arms. Cora is still Cora, but she wants to make an effort...or, is willing to "try to try" to make an effort.

I unintentionally left some other aspects open in this fic, and a few of you have reviewed or DM'd me to ask for follow-up/sequel one shots, and you know how I love the occasional spin-off. I wasn't planning to do it, but damn it, now you've planted that idea in my head, I have potential topics. I am considering it, but it would likely be random one-shots from this verse to mark other holidays. (There has been several requests for SQ!Baby, and while that's not usually my thing, I kind of love that idea in this verse. I've already been given a prompt for the actual birth of the baby, along with Cora's reaction to Emma having Regina's baby, because we know that will just be a delightful moment given Cora's disposition in this fic lol). I also apparently left it open for their D.C. wedding reception, and then there's Zelena's wedding and other family holidays to make things fluffy and dramatic. So, we'll see what happens. If you have any particular holidays/special occasions you want to see in this verse, feel free to drop a comment with your prompt...the more prompts I get, the more likely I'll be unable to resist writing more in this verse :) You can always follow me so you're notified if/when I post the sequel. Regardless, if I end up doing a sequel with one shots, I'll try to remember to post a preview chapter here so you'll know when it's up if you're following this fic...it'll probably be awhile, though, because I'm still finishing up Second Chances and Silver Linings, A New Exploration is still on-going with a lot to come, and I'm about to start a new AU magical realism fic. But then again, if I'm sticking with holiday themes for this verse, Valentine's Day is in like two weeks, so who knows. :D. Maybe there will be a SQ V-Day story worth telling in this verse (prompts welcome for that, too, because I'm drawing a blank right now haha).

Thanks so much for reading, and for all your reviews, follows, and favorites. I hope you enjoyed it, and if I decide to write a follow-up, I hope you'll join me for that :)