MERRY CHRISTMAS ONCERS :)! It's been a while but I made sure to post today as my christmas present to all of you. It's sexy, I warn you ;)

Updating has been taking me longer lately because of university and exams but don't worry, the end is in sight! Thank you SO much to everyone who stuck with me through all of this, it means the world to me. As always, please review!

"Man, how far away is this place?" Lily groaned, a few hours into the drive.

"We've got three more hours, so hold off on your complaining for at least a little longer, please?" Emma asked.

"Sorry if I'm a bit on edge after everything you've told me," Lily spat, sarcastically. "Must be my crazy dragon blood," she muttered.

"I suppose we should call your mom before we get back," Emma said.

"You haven't called her yet? You just spent hours waiting around at the hospital. What were you doing?" Regina asked, irritatedly.

"Geez, sorry if I was a bit too preoccupied with your life-threatening head injury at the time to deal with a dragon," Emma threw back.

"It wasn't life-threatening."

"The paramedics seemed pretty worried to me."

"I've lived through countless battles and seen a lot worse than a knock to the head, dear."

"You know, for some reason, Regina, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"Will you just call her? Before I murder one or both of you?" Lily snapped.

Regina muttered to herself as she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through her contacts.

"That's her?" Lily asked, as her eyes caught sight of the picture that Regina had assigned to Maleficent's number. It wasn't a flattering one, taken at an opportune moment just before the dragon could stop her. They'd been chatting like they used to in simpler times, joking and laughing and, despite the nature of her business with the supposed villains, Regina had enjoyed herself for a moment when she'd snapped the photo of Maleficent, eyes mid-roll and a scowl set on her face.

"Hmm hmm," she nodded. "That's your mom."

"She has my eyes," Lily pointed out, as she gazed at the blue orbs belonging to the woman on the phone.

"And your attitude," Regina added, prompting a soft chuckle from Lily.

"Is my father in Storybrooke, too? The apprentice didn't know anything about him."

Regina paused for a moment before answering, "Honestly, I don't know. Maleficent has never mentioned him and I didn't ask. You'll have to speak to her."

Lily nodded but didn't do well to hide the disappointment on her face.

"Anyway, without further ado…" Regina said, pressing the dial button and, after one ring, pressed the loudspeaker button, also.

"Regina?" Maleficent questioned as she picked up the phone.

"Mal-"

"Did you find her?" The dragon blurted out, her tone filled with desperation.

Regina didn't answer, instead she looked at Lily and raised her eyebrows, silently mouthing, "Go on."

"M-mom?" Lily stammered.

Maleficent let out a sound halfway between a wail and a sob, "Is that really you?"

Though Lily looked nervous and unsure of herself, a little shaken from Maleficent's reaction, she was smiling softly and her eyes glinted with tears as she nodded her head and confirmed, "It's me."

"Oh my-" Maleficent spluttered, choking on the words in her throat before continuing, "-my Gods, I never thought I'd hear your voice."

Regina looked up at Lily when a single tear dropped onto her phone. The brunette had turned an odd shade of pink, her lower lip trembling slightly. Sensing that Lily was struggling to find words, Regina patiently waited a while, offering her a chance to say more and when she didn't, Regina said, "You'll see her soon, Mal. We're about three hours from the town line. Do you think you can distract Gold while we cross it?"

Maleficent seemed to take a minute to compose herself before answering, "I can do that," she said, finally, in a shaky voice, "Where can I meet you, afterwards?"

"Do you think my vault will be safe?"

"So long as Gold remains unaware that you've returned," Maleficent said. "He hasn't been in your vault since you left."

"Good, I can set up some protection spells, in the meantime. I'll send you a text when we're five minutes away so that you can meet us at the line with the scroll. Be sure that he doesn't follow you."

"Okay," Maleficent said. "Lilith, I-" She stopped speaking abruptly and they heard a rustle from her end of the phone, followed by a man's voice. Gold's voice. It was muffled and they couldn't make out any words but it didn't sound like anything of serious concern. Regina was sure if he'd just caught Maleficent speaking to them, they'd know about it straight away. Regina and Lily stared at the phone in silence, not daring to speak lest they give Maleficent away, and a few minutes later, the other voices faded and Maleficent put the phone to her ear once again, "Sorry, that was Gold."

"We figured," Lily said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay. It was obvious I'd been crying but I've been doing that an awful lot lately, so Gold didn't ask," Maleficent said with a sniffle, that tugged at Lily's heart.

"What did he say?" Regina asked.

"Nothing important. He'll be in the shop for a while. I'll stay here and call you if that changes. He doesn't seem to suspect anything. Head straight to your vault, don't tell anyone else you're back. We can't risk anybody giving you away, even by accident. I'll get David to bring you the scroll, from what I've heard he's the more trustworthy of that couple."

Regina scoffed, ignoring Emma's eye roll, "You're right about that. But it might be better if Henry were to bring it. I'm not sure that the first face your daughter should see when she returns is David's."

Regina texted Maleficent ten minutes before they arrived at the town line, and at the woman's reassurance that Gold was preoccupied with other matters, they parked the car out of sight and waited at the town line until the scroll seemed to appear out of nowhere and rolled across the ground towards them. Regina picked it up without a word, just a small smile at Emma, and opened it.

The moment they crossed the line, Emma and Regina were knocked back by a flurry of short, dark hair and a cry of, "Moms! I missed you."

"Henry," they said together, each wrapping their arms tightly around their son and burying their faces in his shoulders.

"We missed you too," Regina told him as she stepped away from the hug, still holding tightly onto his hand.

"It's so good to see you, kid," Emma said with a grin as she ruffled his hair.

"Finally," Regina murmured when suddenly, she felt the tingle of magic flowing back into her veins, like warm water surrounding her skin, offering a comfort quite unlike any other. Emma sighed happily in agreement as hers returned simultaneously, it brought a whole new meaning to the phrase 'coming home'.

"What the heck is happening?" Lily asked. "Something just tickled under my skin."

"You must be quite naturally in tune with your magic if you felt that so quickly, seeing as you've never used it," Regina observed.

"Henry, this is Lily," Emma said, seeing the confusion on her son's face. "She's an old friend. She's also Maleficent's daughter."

Henry's face broke out into a smile, "Nice to meet you." He held out a hand and Lily shook it with a weary smile and nodded at him.

"Polite kid," she said to Emma.

"Regina raised him well," Emma said with a smile in the brunette's direction. She turned to Henry, "Kid, thanks for getting us in here, but you've got to get back now. We've got to deal with Gold and we can't have you hanging around looking suspicious. Head back to the loft, but don't tell my your grandparents anything, got it?"

"Got it," Henry said, "Are you sure I can't help?"

"Even if I didn't care about your safety and was happy for you to immerse yourself in all the crazy going on, no. You can't help. All you need to do is act normal and keep out of the way. I promise we'll let you know what's going on as soon as it's all over."

Henry nodded reluctantly and gave both his moms a final hug before waving and heading off.

"So… I can transform now?" Lily asked, once he was out of sight.

"I think it's best that we wait until all of this is over before trying that out," Emma grimaced.

"Emma's right," Regina agreed. "I suspect that the sudden appearance of a fire-breathing dragon might attract some unwanted attention. Anyway… Ready?"

At their nods, Regina took a hand from each of them and immediately engulfed them in the familiar scent of her purple smoke, poofing them straight into her vault.

The use of magic was like a sigh of relief and it suddenly felt as though she'd been holding her breath this entire time, so the wave of dizziness that hit her the moment they landed didn't surprise her.

Emma reached out and steadied the wobbling brunette by her shoulders whilst Regina tried to orientate herself. "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine, it's just been a while, as you're well aware," the brunette sighed.

"Sure," Emma agreed, reluctantly, whilst silently vowing to keep an eye on her.

"Lilith?" A shaky voice from behind them sighed out.

They each turned to find Maleficent waiting by the vault door, tears in her eyes and cheeks flushed red.

"Mom?"

Maleficent immediately dragged herself over to her daughter and embraced her in a fiercely tight hug which, after a moment, Lily reciprocated.

"I didn't think this moment would ever come." Maleficent hiccuped. "I am so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault. I know everything. I know who's fault it was." Lily said, causing Emma to flinch.

"I should have done more. I should have stopped them, somehow."

"I'm here now, mom." Lily interrupted before her mother could say another word.

"As much as I hate to interrupt this, you can make up for lost time later. We have to deal with this, now. Gold won't stay unsuspecting for long," Regina said.

"Right," Maleficent said, as she forced herself to loosen her grip on her daughter and wiped at her damp cheeks. Her expression hardened when she looked to Regina and Emma for the first time. "What on earth are you wearing?"

"That's not important, right now," Regina snapped.

"There was a time when you'd ride into battle after weeks of camping, with your hair styled and an armoured skin-tight dress. Don't blame me for noticing that," Maleficent said with a curious look at Regina's outfit and messy hair. "Anyway, I set up some protection spells while I was waiting, so if he does show up, by any chance, we'll have time to get away."

Regina nodded, grateful.

"Okay, here's the plan," Emma said. "Regina will find Belle and take her heart, just in case anything goes wrong and we need leverage. Meanwhile, I'll take the necklace, disguise myself as you," she said to Maleficent, "and get the quill."

"When did we agree that you would be the one to enter the dark one's den?" Regina questioned, one eyebrow raised dubiously.

"Gina, don't bother. I'll die before I send you into more danger after what you've been through. So just shut up, please." Emma said, firmly, not even noticing the nickname that slipped past her lips.

Regina, however, did notice, and despite the harsh tone in Emma's voice, she found her own lips softening into a smile at Emma's reaction as she realised just how much the blonde seemed to care for her. The name didn't escape Maleficent's notice, either, and the dragon smiled a knowing smile.

"Do you know where the quill is? What it looks like?" Emma asked, moving on before Regina had a chance to respond.

"It should be simple enough," Maleficent said. "It's made of enchanted bark and it's quite distinctive, you'll know it when you see it. As for where, Gold put it in his safe."

"What's simple about breaking into a safe?" Emma asked in annoyance.

"You should be able to break it open. Your so-called Saviour magic is quite powerful," Maleficent told her.

"I don't know how comfortable I am with relying on my magic for this."

"Emma," Regina said, firmly, as she took the blonde's hands in her own, "You can do this. You're more powerful than you know. You've shown that, time and time again. When you saved me, you gave the dark one a blast which sent him sprawling onto the floor. Do you have any idea how strong you have to be to do something like that?"

"That was different. That was adrenaline," Emma argued.

"It doesn't matter how you did it. What matters is that you are capable. More than capable. I believe in you, Emma, I know that you can come through. You just need to have faith in yourself."

"Careful there, you're starting to sound like my parents."

Regina cringed, "As much as I hate to admit it, that infuriating optimism of theirs did enable them to evade me for years… And I was no easy foe. So I suppose it might not be as useless as it's appeared to be."

"But-"

"Emma, we don't have another choice," Regina interrupted her. "You are capable of this and you will do it. I know you will."

Emma didn't think over her next action. Before she knew it, she was taking one large step to close the gap between herself and the brunette, tangling a hand into her hair and pulling Regina's lips to her own. It might have been the unyielding faith that the older woman had shown her, time and time again. Or it might have been the husky tone of her voice and the rise and fall of her full chest as she said it. All Emma knew was that she wanted to kiss her, and all thought of the other company in the room quickly left her mind as her tongue delved into Regina's mouth, conveying everything she was feeling in a single, passionate moment.

"My, my. Why aren't I more surprised?" Maleficent drawled at the sight.

Neither of them responded as Emma pulled away, breathlessly.

"Get a room," Lily groaned.

"I'll tell you what…" Maleficent said. "My daughter and I will fetch the bookworm's heart, we're in need of some bonding time. Why don't you two stay here and have a moment before we put the full plan into action?" With a quick wave of her hand and a puff of smoke, the pair were gone before either Emma or Regina could protest.

With no chance to argue, there were no more words to say, and Regina didn't hesitate to grip the fabric of Emma's top and haul her back to her mouth with a ferocity that made the blonde's blood boil. As they kissed, they felt the release of the tension that had been building during all that they'd been through. Relief coursing through the both of them at the feel of skin on skin and Emma realised that she'd developed a new kind of thirst. She needed the brunette like she needed water and she devoured her mouth accordingly, groaning with pleasure as Regina nipped at her lower lip.

Regina hands were at her waist now, pushing up her top and running her fingers across the smooth skin of Emma's stomach. The blonde leaned further into her touch, until the pair were pushed impossibly closer to one another, her own hands exploring the curves of Regina's ass, kneading and squeezing and pressing the brunette's lower regions up against her own.

Regina's lips went to her neck, sucking at her pulse point as her hands slithered upwards, over the material of Emma's bra, cupping her tightly. "I need you," she whispered, sending shivers down Emma's spine as her breath laced her flesh. A moment later, Emma's bra fell to the floor. Supposedly, Regina had used her magic to unclasp it, too inpatient to fiddle, and then the brunette's fingers were rolling over her perk nipples, making her knees weak and her breath uneven.

When both of their clothes disappeared in a flash, just a moment after Emma had pictured them both entirely naked, it took Regina's low chuckle to make her realise that she was the one who had done it.

"See, dear? You can be quite adept at controlling your magic. When you want something, that is."

Emma was quick to wipe the smirk from her face, cupping the brunette between the legs with a small smack. Regina let out a throaty moan, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as Emma steadied her with a hand on her lower back. "You're right. I want you," Emma growled into her ear, as she palmed Regina's clit. "Does that feel good, Madame Mayor?"

"Uh…" Regina groaned, as she brought her own hands up Emma's sides to tangle in her blonde curls. "Yes."

Emma leaned into Regina and claimed her lips, tongue swirling over hers, swallowing the brunette's needy moans as she continued to put pressure on her bundle of nerves. When Regina's arousal dampened her hand, she didn't hesitate to introduce two fingers with a hard thrust which elicited a gasp from the older woman, which Emma muffled with her mouth. She was so focused on Regina's reactions that she didn't notice the hand trailing down her stomach until delicate fingers brushed over her own clit, sending sparks of pleasure through her limbs.

"If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me, Swan," Regina warned her as she placed her other hand on the blonde's shoulder and gently pushed her downward, following her to the floor until Emma was lying flat on her back with Regina hovering over her.

She was quick to regain Emma's mouth in a kiss as her hands went back to her glistening folds.

"Wait, wait," Emma gasped, "Could you magic me a cushion or something?"

With a quick wave of Regina's hand, a grey, thick, fur blanket softened the ground beneath them and Emma let herself relax into the fabric. "Okay?" Regina asked as she straddled the blonde's knees. When Emma nodded, she said, "Well, it's about to get better." At that, she leant forward and lapped her tongue up the length of Emma's folds, pausing at her clit and circling it a few times before beginning a quick, flicking motion.

"Oh, God," Emma groaned. The sight alone was erotic enough, with Regina's legs spread either side of her own, and her face pressed firmly into her cunt. But the sensations that the brunette's tongue were causing her to have in the pit of her stomach were another story entirely, and she wasn't sure how long she would last in this position. The only thing she was sure of, was that she wasn't ready to peak just yet.

So when Regina next moved away to breathe, Emma sat up and wrapped her arms around the brunette's shoulders, scooting her up her lap until Regina's breasts were pressed up against her own, legs wrapped tightly around her waist, forehead against her own. They were sharing breath, their open mouths close but not touching and Emma thought that she could happily stay in that position for the rest of her life, breathing in the woman she lo- woah, what? Not loved, surely. She shook her head at the thought.

"Are you okay?" Regina asked when she noticed the frown.

"Yeah, fine," Emma said quickly, before moving in for another kiss.

Regina stopped her, moved her head back a few centimetres, "Are you sure?" she asked, brown eyes finding Emma's blue ones.

"I just- I don't know. Nothing."

"You can tell me anything," Regina reassured her, with a small kiss on Emma's lower lip.

"I just haven't felt this way in a long time," Emma finally admitted, "and it scares me. It scares the crap out of me. I never want to let you go." As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them and bit down hard on her lip in frustration. They'd only recently started exploring these feelings for each other and she was already becoming clingy. Way to scare her away, loser, she berated herself. She quickly lowered her eyes to avoid Regina's, but instead found herself looking down at the brunette's naked legs wrapped around her waist and immediately felt a blush rise in her cheeks. Before she could look to the side, Regina caught her chin between a finger and thumb.

"Me neither," Regina whispered, lips brushing against Emma's ear as she did so, "I don't want to lose you. Emma I-" she paused, pursing her lips.

"You what?"

"I think I love you."

Emma might have been embarrassed about the sob that left her lips at Regina's words if she hadn't been such a mess of emotions. Instead, she simply smiled a teary smile and held Regina impossibly closer, "I think I love you, too."

"I want to feel you, Emma," Regina whispered as her hands began to roam. One paused at Emma's breast, fingers finding a pink nipple. "You're so beautiful." Her other hand ventured downwards and once again she was cupping Emma's wetness.

Emma was no longer content to simply give or take, she wanted to do both, and when Regina slipped a finger inside her, she did the same to the brunette, causing the both of them to gasp simultaneously into the other's mouth. She found Regina's spot quickly, having memorised it the last time they'd made love, and soon the both of them were whimpering, hips rocking against hands.

"I love having you inside me," Regina whispered, "As much as I love being inside you."

At that, Emma increased the pace of her fingers, moving her other hand around the squeeze Regina's ass and hold her closer as her thrusts began to jolt the brunette's entire body. Regina responded in kind, her every action becoming increasingly needy and frantic, and soon Emma felt the familiar pulse of pleasure in her core.

"Gina, I'm close, already," She whimpered, breathing heavily.

"Me too, cum with me," Regina told her as she continued to increase the pace of her fingers, thumb still flicking at Emma's clit. When she added a third digit, Emma couldn't help but cry out, overwhelmed by the climax.

In her feverish state, her own hand became erratic, pumping in and out of Regina, deep as her fingers could go. The brunette answered this by slamming her hips down and riding Emma's hand as her own orgasm began to course through her.

"God, Emma, oh my Gods, I can't- Oh-!" Regina cried out as she peaked, her entire body trembling, walls clenching around Emma's fingers.

Their movements slowed, eventually stilled. But the pair remained closely pressed against each other's sweaty skin. Neither willing to let go quite yet.

"Emma," Regina said, breathlessly.

"Hmm?"

"I don't think."

"Think what?"

"I don't think I love you," Regina said, as a huge grin broke out on her face, "I know I do."