It had been a long day at the Sheriff's office. The town seemed to have hit a stretch of mid-December craziness. People were anxious for the holiday, but the stress of the season was starting to set in. The day had started with a call from Mother Superior. Someone had stolen Jesus from the Nativity scene. The day went downhill from there.

Emma walked in the door of the apartment and saw Killian and Henry, both slouched down on the couch with glazed looks in their eyes. She thought it looked like a good idea, and slouched down in between them. She was pretty sure their eyes weren't even registering what was on the screen, they were in a trance.

Her son and her fiance had both barely acknowledged her entrance. She got a quick peck on the cheek from Killian, and a 'Hey Mom' from Henry, neither taking their eyes off the screen. She was glad. She didn't feel like talking, or answering any questions and needed a few minutes to just decompress. There was a box of pizza on the coffee table, and she grabbed a slice, settling back into the couch.

After about 10 minutes, she finally decided to ask what they were watching. It was old, it was blurry, a woman was wearing a weird white dress and singing a crazy song.

"You guys, what is this?"

"It's the Star Wars Christmas Special, Mom. It's the worst thing that's ever been on TV."

"I've only seen ten minutes and I'm inclined to agree. Why was there ever a Star Wars Christmas Special? I mean, isn't their religion some Jedi thing? Why would they be celebrating Jesus being born?"

"Swan, I've found it's best not to ask questions on this one. I've tried. Just accept it."

Emma sat quietly for another five minutes, and then couldn't take it any more. "This is awful. I'm going to go read, or something."

That seemed to snap Killian out of his daze. "Wait, love no. Henry's seen this before and I can watch it another time. Henry wants to watch a different Christmas movie every night from now until Christmas. We figured this one was a good one to watch without you. We can switch to something else. Henry, what would your mom like?"

Henry thought about it for a minute. "Mom would like A Christmas Story, but we have to save that one for Christmas. They play it for 24 hours straight on this one channel, and it's kind of a tradition to just keep it on all day. Tonight we should watch Miracle on 34th Street. The mom in that one is kind of a grinch, like my mom."

"Watch it kid. It's not too late to return your presents." Henry had already gotten up to switch out the DVDs, and Emma lobbed her napkin at him. "Besides, I think I've shown plenty of Christmas spirit this year." Emma usually kept her feelings pretty close, but went on to admit "I think I may even like Christmas. Celebrating with you two has made it special."

Henry smiled at his mom as he sat back down on the couch, and leaned in as she put her arm around his shoulders. "Good. That's what Killian and I have been aiming for." He moved a little forward so he could see Killian and added, "Operation Rudolph is a success."

Emma laughed. "Was this a secret mission?"

Killian leaned in to Emma's other side and kissed her cheek. "Yes, and your son and I are bloody brilliant because we've succeeded with eight days to spare. And you haven't even opened your presents yet. Mary Margaret and David have been in on it as well. We've been trying to make this Christmas so good that you forget about all the bad ones."

She pulled both of them in for a hug, truly touched. What she loved even more about it was that Killian and Henry were working together. She wouldn't have to worry about the man she was bringing in to her son's life. Killian was never going to be Henry's father, but he could be a role model and a friend.

Letting them go, the three settled in to watch Miracle on 34th Street. Emma hadn't seen this movie since her childhood, but remembered liking it. She saw a little of herself in Doris Walker, and realized that the situation of this movie paralleled her life in a few ways.

\\\

Mary Margaret and David returned from their date night to find the three asleep on the couch. Mary Margaret got out blankets to cover them up, and took a moment to take in the sight of her family. She knew they wouldn't be at the apartment for much longer, and she was really going to miss all three of them.

When she climbed in to bed she questioned David. "What are we going to do without them? I know there are too many people living here, but I'm going to miss them all so much."

David, who was seeing the silver lining of the situation, turned to his wife with a cheeky grin and just said, "well, I for one am looking forward to lots more tacos."