Final chapter! In case it's a little unclear from the story, this chapter is set two days after the last one.
Emma rolled over and checked the clock again. She sighed when she saw that it was only 6 am. She'd been awake since 5, tossing and turning, checking the clock every five minutes in the hopes that time would somehow move faster. Emma had never been an early riser, but she had this feeling in the pit of her stomach – excitement perhaps? – that was preventing her from drifting back to sleep. Frustrated, she threw back the covers and headed downstairs. She sat on the couch, wrapping herself in a warm blanket, and reflected on how quickly Christmas Day had arrived.
Yesterday had flown by in a blur. Knowing that Regina would not let Henry leave the house on Christmas Day, he had stopped by yesterday morning to exchange gifts; she smiled as she touched the bracelet around her wrist and thought of the homemade card that was now propped up on her bedside table. Despite still being a bit sore from her fall at the pond the day before, the afternoon had been spent walking around town, helping her roommate pass out the presents she'd bought for the townspeople. Mary had been kind enough to add Emma's name to the gifts, but she was certain most people knew that she'd had no part in choosing them. She'd then worked well into the evening putting the finishing touches on her gift for Mary. The women had decided to wait and trade presents on Christmas morning, and she was both excited and nervous as she eyed the two boxes remaining under the tree.
Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore, and she crept into Mary's room, where the brunette slumbered peacefully. "Mary," she whispered, "Hey Mare, wake up." The older woman stirred slightly, but did not wake. Carefully, Emma sat down on the edge of the bed and gently nudged her friend's shoulder.
"Emma?" Mary asked, rubbing her eyes. "Is everything ok?"
"Oh, um, yeah," suddenly Emma was very aware of how early it was. Well, too late now – Mary was already awake. "I just…um, Merry Christmas."
Mary laughed as she sat up, shaking off the last bit of sleep. "Merry Christmas to you too, Emma." She leaned forward and embraced Emma in a light, but enthusiastic hug. "How about some breakfast?"
Emma sat at the kitchen counter, watching as Mary stirred the pancake batter, but she couldn't help occasionally throwing a longing glance at the tree and the two presents resting beneath it.
Mary noticed Emma's preoccupation, and smiled inwardly at her eagerness. She cleared her throat. "You know, I've never been the patient type when it comes to opening presents. Would you mind if we opened them now and then made breakfast afterwards?" It was a small lie, but she didn't want her roommate to feel embarrassed that she'd been caught staring at the presents like an impatient child.
Despite the surge of delight that Emma felt at this suggestion, she did her best to keep her expression neutral. "Sure," she shrugged nonchalantly, "doesn't matter to me." Her attempt at a calm demeanor was betrayed, however, by the fact that she practically raced to sit at the foot of the tree. She was quickly joined by Mary, who scooped up the gift addressed to Emma and held it out to her. "Here, you go first."
Normally, Emma would've objected, but her excitement got the best of her. She snatched the box from Mary's hands, once again shaking it as she had three nights ago. Unlike before, however, she took no care with the wrapping paper, quickly ripping it away to reveal a plain, cardboard box within. Wasting no time, she opened the lid of the box and gasped as she saw what it contained. Gently, she lifted out a delicate frame which held a picture of her and Henry that Mary had taken a few weeks ago. The word "Family" was embossed across the bottom in an elegant, swirling font. She was thankful Mary had nestled the frame within in a bed of tissue paper, so shaking the box had caused no damage. Her fingers brushed across a small button on the back of the frame, and when she pushed it, the sound of Henry's voice filled the room, "Merry Christmas, Mom!" Emma could feel tears welling in her eyes, so she mumbled a quick thanks and grabbed the remaining present from under the tree, shoving it into her roommate's hands.
Mary averted her eyes, pretending not to notice as the younger woman hurriedly wiped the stray tears from her cheek. She suppressed a smile as she surveyed Emma's untidy attempt at wrapping, and began to slowly peel away the paper in neat, precise strips. Inside was a shoe box, and, for a moment, Mary feared her friend had taken it upon herself to makeover her sense of style. The mental image of her wearing a pair of the knee-high, black leather boots the blonde favored almost made her laugh aloud, but she managed to swallow the laughter for fear of hurting Emma's feelings.
Much to her relief, the box contained not a pair of boots, but a cream-colored photo album, beautifully adorned with a picture of a bluebird – Mary's favorite. She removed the album and was surprised to find that over half the pages had already been filled with photos. The first picture was the one that Henry had taken of her and Emma ice skating, both grinning broadly, their cheeks pink with cold and excitement. The rest consisted of her with various residents of Storybrooke – she and Ruby posing inside Granny's diner, a group photo of her with her students, even a picture she'd taken with Leroy after they'd triumphantly sold their last Miner's Day candle.
"I went around town asking people for any pictures they had with you that they'd be willing to share," Emma explained tentatively. Although she'd already seen each of the photos, she scooted closer, looking over Mary's shoulder as she silently flipped through the album. The longer Mary remained quiet, the more nervous Emma grew. She'd never really shopped for Christmas gifts – aside from shopping for Henry, but 10-year-old boys were fairly easy to please – and she was worried that Mary did not like what she had chosen.
"Oh, Emma," Mary sighed, her voice thick with emotion, "this is beautiful. Thank you so much." Emma let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding, relieved by Mary's reaction.
"I'm going to hug you now," Mary declared, hoping the warning would make her roommate more accepting of the coming embrace. She scooted over to close the small gap between the two women and wrapped both arms tightly around the blonde.
Emma, amused by Mary's announcement and eager to show her friend that she was grateful for her own gift as well, not only accepted the hug she normally would've been quick to reject, but actually found herself returning the embrace. The two women sat entwined for a few moments, before a sudden burst of laughter escaped Emma's throat. Mary pulled back, her brows furrowed, "Emma?"
"Sorry," Emma grinned, "I just realized how similar our gifts are. I guess I didn't need to peek at my present after all to find the perfect thing for you!"
The brunette smiled as she acknowledged the similarity. "They say great minds think alike!" Growing serious again, she reached out and cupped Emma's chin in her hand, forcing the younger woman to meet her eye. "Thank you Emma. I know Christmas is not your favorite holiday, but I appreciate all you've done to make this one truly special for me. I know we're not a family in the traditional sense, but spending this time with someone I care about has meant more to me than you could ever know." Emma merely smiled in return, afraid the lump in her throat would cause her voice to quiver if she tried to speak.
Mary picked up the album and began to peruse the photos again, more slowly than before, taking the time to examine each picture. Much to her surprise, Emma placed her head against Mary's shoulder, hesitantly at first, before nestling her blonde curls more snugly against the woman. Gently, so as not to discourage this sudden display of affection, Mary shifted so that her arm was lightly encircling the younger woman's back. Emma watched contentedly as Mary turned the album's pages, occasionally pausing to share a funny or interesting story about a particular photo.
This had been an unforgettable Christmas for both women.
Ok guys, that's it! Thanks so much to everyone who left me reviews along the way (and thanks in advance to those who will hopefully leave reviews in the future). As you can probably tell, I'm obsessed with the MM/Emma relationship, so if you have any ideas/requests for a story about the pair, feel free to PM me!