Seasons change
Weeks turned into a month and then another, Emma, and Regina's. routine had become cemented into place, Tuesdays and Fridays had become their days, they didn't even have to discuss it anymore it was so much of a given, any discussion that they did have centred around what they were going to do each Friday evening, sometimes they chose somewhere more child friendly and took Henry, other times they went out just the two of them but more and more as the weather was becoming colder and the days shorter they were opting to have dinner at Henry and Regina's house and Tuesday's were always dinner at the Mills mansion days, Sitting together on the settee while Emma and Regina read from Henry's book was now a weekly occurrence, they had read the book in its entirety by this point and were rereading whatever of Henry's favourites that he picked. Though the two women couldn't help but flirt with each other they actively toned it down when they were around Henry saving the real heat for their more private dates which always ended in steamy kisses before they parted ways on Emma's doorstep.
"I think it's time to tell Henry about us" Regina announced during their three-month anniversary date,
"Are you sure?" Emma asked between mouthfuls of food,
"Yes" Regina replied adamantly "I want to make this official and maybe have you stay over sometimes if you're up for it" she smiled reaching across the table to squeeze Emma's hand,
"I'd like that more than you know" Emma said meeting Regina's dark irises with her own sparkling green,
"That's decided then" Regina beamed "When you come for dinner on Tuesday, we'll tell him" Emma smiled and nodded in agreement.
Tuesday came with a belly full of nerves for Emma, she loved Henry and he loved his Sheriff, it had been a true pleasure to watch the child bloom and grow over the past few months, seeing Henry's carefree joy and the happiness that his emergence brought Regina while knowing that she was a part of making that happen made Emma's heart swell with pride and love, but she didn't know how Henry would react to finding out about hers and his mother's relationship, she didn't want the boy to feel betrayed or worse still retreat back into himself, part of her wanted to call Regina to talk her out of telling him that night and just carry on as they had been for the past few months but a bigger part of her knew that they had to tell him at some point especially if they ever wanted to move their relationship past first base, so she took her shower after work, dried her hair and bundled herself up in warm clothing then got into her bug and headed over to the Mills house praying for this to go well.
She was greeted at the door by Regina as always and followed her through to the kitchen where she collected the cutlery and set the table. Henry chatted excitedly about his day as they ate which suited Emma because her nerves were growing rapidly again and she didn't think that she could have done much more than listen and eat her own meal in that moment,
"Are you okay?" Regina asked when they were doing the dishes together while Henry was fetching his story book "only you're a little quiet today"
"Yeah, just a little nervous about telling the kid" Emma shrugged,
"Well don't be I'm sure he's going to be just fine" Regina smiled turning to face Emma, pulling her into her arms and bringing their lips together in a quick kiss,
"I hope so" Emma murmured when the kiss ended, "any idea when you want to tell him?" she asked,
"I thought after his story would be a good time" Regina answered,
"Okay" Emma nodded leaning in for another kiss, both of them jumped apart when they heard Henry's footsteps racing down the hall and tried to appear as inconspicuous as possible once they had created an appropriate amount of space between them,
"Can we read Snow white again tonight" Henry asked eagerly as he skidded in through the kitchen door book in arms "that way mom can be the evil queen again" he said bouncing excitedly on the balls of his feet, if the six-year-old suspected anything out of the ordinary he didn't show it,
"Only if you stop running in the house" Regina told him ruffling his hair affectionately,
"Sorry mom" Henry replied eyes cast down,
"Come on" Regina smiled wrapping her arm around Henry's shoulders "let's go read your story"
Emma got so into her characters roles as she gave them all voices and she all but forgot her prior nerves as she fully immersed herself into her story telling,
"Another one, another one" Henry squealed excitedly once the evil queen had met her demise and Snow White had gone with her prince to live happily ever after,
"Actually, Emma and I want to tell you something" Regina said reaching to close the book "then maybe we can read another story after"
"Okay" Henry replied, looking from one to the other eyes wide with wonder,
"You know how you, me and Emma have been friends for a while now" Regina began, and Henry slowly nodded a slight frown forming on his brow, "Well Emma and I, we like each other as more than friends, like how your daddy and I cared about each other, and we wondered how you might feel about that?" Regina finished
"You mean Emma's going to be my mommy too?" Henry asked excitedly,
"Woah kid, jumping the gun a bit there" Emma chuckled "what I mean is that it's still early days yet" she hastily amended when Henry looked instantly deflated, "but is that something that you think you'd want in the future, I mean I could never replace your daddy and I'd never try to but maybe if things go how I hope they will I could be like another mommy to you one day, but only if you want me to be" she said,
"Yes" Henry beamed ecstatically "I knew it, I knew it" he squealed bouncing on the spot,
"You knew what kid?" Emma asked confused,
"You're my mommas happy ending" he said looking up at Emma with undiluted adoration,
"I don't know about that Hen, your moms a pretty strong woman all by herself but I sure do think that you two might be mine"
"We can be each other's" Henry smiled throwing his arms around Emma,
"Hey, does this mean that Emma will be coming away with us for Christmas?" Henry suddenly asked Regina,
"Away?" Emma asked briefly meeting Regina's eyes over Henrys head before the brunette dropped eye contact and shifted uncomfortably, Christmas was only a few weeks away but neither of them had broached the subject yet because Henry still hadn't known about their relationship and neither of them had thought past that so this was the first that Emma was hearing about anyone going away, Emma hadn't thought about Christmas but in that instant she realised just how much she wanted to spend it with Henry and Regina, she understood that they might have plans of their own but the thought of not seeing them at all over the Christmas period stung a lot more than she cared to admit,
"Yes" Regina spoke carefully, and Emma felt anxious all over again "Henry and I usually go to the lake house for a couple of weeks over Christmas" she glanced up and saw the mixture of emotions warring across Emma's face, "I was going to tell you about it after we told Henry about us" she added, Emma nodded, looked down at Henry's hopeful face and after a brief pause and a deep breath finally answered his question,
"I'd love to come away with the two of you for Christmas if you'll have me" she said,
"Of course, we would" Regina replied looking a little surprised but very happy none the less at the same time as Henry shouted out,
"Yes!" jumped up from settee first bumping the air and dancing a happy little dance,
Warmth spread thorough Emma's body radiating out from her heart as she watched him with only the slightest edge of worry creeping in, even though she had begun to heal and move on with Regina, the lake house had spelled the beginning of a very emotionally traumatic time in Emma's life that had spanned over more than a decade and she had never even thought about the possibility of ever returning there before now, let alone for Christmas.
"You know" Regina ventured when Henry was in bed asleep and they were sitting alone on the sofa a little while later "If it would be too much for you to go back to the lake house this quickly into our relationship, we could change our plans and stay here for Christmas" she offered,
"But wouldn't Henry be disappointed?" Emma asked as she considered her options,
"At first" Regina admitted "but I don't think that he would take very long to get over it once he started making plans with his favourite sheriff" she laughed,
"And your mother" Emma frowned not relishing the idea of meeting Cora again but realising that as Regina's mother she might end up being a guest of Regina and Henry's over the festive time of year and it was after all Cora's holiday home that they would be staying in, if they went to the lake house, she shuddered as she remembered that cold master suite with its black satin throw, and the cold hard woman who slept in it.
"My mother hasn't spoken to me for years and she definitely won't be turning up for Christmas" Regina stated very matter of factually, "she's never even met Henry, the only guests that we will be having for Christmas are Zelena and Chad, and you already love her more than you love me" Regina laughed,
"Now you know that's not true, I love you both the same" Emma teased leaning in to plant a soft lingering kiss on Regina's giggling lips, it was true that she and Zelena got on like a house on fire, but Zelena couldn't even come close to Regina in Emma's heart and the brunette knew it.
"Is it okay to ask about your mother?" Emma asked when they parted again, understanding if Regina didn't want to discuss the subject further and fully ready to drop it and move on if she didn't, "I know I only met her for a few minutes, but she didn't strike me as the type to let go of any control that she thought she might have over anyone or anything" she added with a renewed shudder,
"And she's not" Regina agreed "Which is why she was so angry when my father passed and left almost everything to me and Zelena"
"Wow" Emma gaped wondering how a husband manages to disinherit his wife because she couldn't imagine for a second imagine someone like Cora agreeing to sign any kind of prenuptial agreement that would have protected her husband's assets from his wife's greedy hands and that would only have worked is he was the wealthy partner going into the marriage anyhow and she didn't know if that was the case but Regina answered that seconds later,
"Daddy came from very old money" Regina explained, "He both inherited and earned his wealth, my mother on the other hand married into it, her mother died not long after she was born and her father began to drink heavily after that, his mother helped raise my mother until she passed when Cora was seven, then she spent the rest of her childhood taking care of her drunk father, they never really had any money thanks to his drinking problems and by all accounts he was a really nasty abusive drunk, my mother couldn't wait to escape, her upbringing is what turned her into the twisted cold person that she is today"
"I'm not making excuses for her" Regina assured Emma when she saw the scowl on the blondes face at her words "it's just an explanation for why she is the way she is, but it's not an excuse because there are no excuses for how she treated me and Zelena growing up or our father, bad things happen to all of us, heaven knows that you and I have lived through more than our fair share of crap, our past certainly helps to form part of who we become but it doesn't define us, we have a choice, I know that and she chose to be as bad as her father, maybe even worse and I would never excuse that" she spoke with such conviction that Emma merely gave a satisfied nod and continued to listen,
"My father saw a solicitor and made a new will after I was born, he said that he didn't want my mother to get her hands on everything and leave Zelena and I at her mercy, he needed for us to have a way out when he was no longer around to shield us from her toughest blows, that made mother even more angry because Zelena isn't biologically his and mother couldn't understand why his step daughter got more than his wife" Regina explained,
"Woah" Emma gasped shaking her head in amazement "so what your mom had another mans baby and still expected to inherit everything from your poor father? Unbelievable"
"No it wasn't quite like that" Regina replied "Zelena is a couple of years older than me, she was born a few months before mother met daddy but he loved and raised her as his own, she's never known any other father but him, all we know of her biological father is that Mother met him during her quest to find a wealthy man that could free her from her life of poverty living with her father, Zelena's father was smitten with Cora but love never held any value to her, which is probably why she never really gave any to us, her only interest was in the wealth and power that she thought he possessed, he promised to marry her and she made sure that she got pregnant hoping that, that would seal the deal quicker, it wasn't until it was too late and Zelena was well on the way that our mother discovered the truth, she asked when she would be able to move into his parents mansion with him because she felt that, that would be far better suited to their child than her father's grungy apartment, and he told her that he thought she knew that he wasn't part of that family he just worked as a grounds person for them, mother was fuming, told him that he had deceived her, walked out on him and never saw him again, she got a small apartment for her and Zelena with help from the state and escaped her own fathers clutches leaving him to drink himself to death not that he is deserving of our sympathies either" she stated
"She was in the process of giving poor Zelena up for adoption because she no longer had any need of her when my big hearted, slightly naïve father met her and the rest as they say is history. Mother tried to contest the will of course but she had no grounds, Daddy made sure that she would be comfortable for the rest of her life, he left her the mansion that they lived in and plenty of cash but the rest of his assets which equated to significantly more than that went to me and Zelena, including the lake house when he died just before Henry was born" Regina continued a little sadly
"Daniel and I named Henry after both him and my father, and it was that year that we started the tradition with Zelena, we've been going to the lake house every Christmas since Henry was just a few months old , because it is full of wonderful memories of Daddy and it makes us feel close to him, even the memories of times spent there with mother can't over shadow our happy times with him, the only memory that causes me any pain while I'm there is that of the hurt on your face when you realised I had betrayed you all those years ago" Regina confessed,
"You didn't betray me Regina" Emma murmured pulling Regina into her embrace "You were a victim of your circumstances just as much as I was, and I would be honoured to accompany you and your family to the lake house for Christmas"
"You are our family now Emma" Regina replied snuggling deeper into Emma's shoulder so that she missed the wide smile that graced Emma's lips just before she leaned forward to plant a chaste kiss in her hair.
Over the coming weeks Emma found herself conflicted with a mixed array of emotions, for the most part she was super excited to spend Christmas with Regina, Henry, Zelena, and Chad but part of her was feeling more than a little apprehensive about returning to the lake house.
Henry however had no such apprehension, and why would he, Emma reasoned he had nothing, but wonderful memories associated with that house and boy did it show, he chatted non-stop about their little traditions that Emma would be a part of this year, baking gingerbread cookies, dressing the tree,
"You can lift me up to put the star on this year Emma" he had squealed excitedly, and Emma had agreed laughing at his contagious enthusiasm,
Their exchanging of Christmas eve gifts before they indulged in an extra social hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles on top, while they watched a Christmas movie in front of the open fire, memories of which Emma shared equally fond ones though the hot chocolate hadn't been quite so fancy when she had spent a truly memorable Christmas with Regina.
Henry also enjoyed talking about all the food that they would eat and how mommy and Aunty Zee would get jolly together after they'd all eaten their fill of Christmas dinner, Christmas was really all that Henry could talk about since Emma had agreed to spend it with them.
"You'd never believe that he hasn't been this excited for Christmas since he was about two, would you?" Regina chuckled as Henry chatted animatedly about Father Christmas to the salesclerk who was trying new ice-skates on the child, "He wouldn't even let me buy him new skates last year, said there was no point because no way was, he skating, and he didn't" she added a little sadly,
"Well unless the lake doesn't freeze he definitely will be this year" Emma smiled her own new skates in hand ready for her to purchase, Regina had suggested the trip seeing as Henry's feet had grown a lot since he last had a pair brought him and Emma didn't own any of her own, she had offered to buy them as an early Christmas gift for Emma but Emma had insisted on buying her own, they were the last things that they needed before they left Storybrooke for Christmas, the presents were already bought and all but one were wrapped, Regina was having most of the gifts that she had bought delivered to the lake house just ahead of their arrival but Emma was bringing all of hers in the car, she had wrapped all but one of Henry's which she had been working on since not long after his birthday, she had it tucked safely in the bottom of her suitcase unwrapped because she felt that it wasn't quite complete yet and she hoped to finish it at the lake house.
Food was another thing that would already have arrived ahead of them and would be plentiful this year unlike the year when Emma had stayed there before and they had searched the sparse cupboards together, Emma had felt a slight pang of sadness when she had walked into Regina's study earlier in the week before they were set to leave and found her on the phone making arrangements for somebody to arrive ahead of them to spruce the place up and stock the cupboards, it had forcefully resurfaced a memory of Regina telling her how she had heard who Emma had assumed to be her foster carer on the phone making similar arrangements, Regina had ascertained then that she had always been left behind and Emma had believed that they had found a mutual understanding, the reality of course had been very different because Regina had heard her awful mother on the phone and of course she had gone on the trips with her every time, her's was the purple bedroom while Zelena's was the green and while not all of their memories there had been good, enough to make them want to make a tradition of returning each Christmas had been and some small part of Emma still didn't quite know what to make of that knowledge.
Despite telling Henry about their relationship Emma still hadn't stayed overnight at the mansion so their first night back at the lake house was going to be the first night that would sleep under the same roof together in thirteen years, and Emma felt both excited and terrified at the prospect.