Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The three spent their first couple of hours together again as a family, baking cookies and playing Christmas games. Lilith insisted on going out to play in the snow, but Mal and Regina made their greatest attempts at explaining to her that there wasn't enough snow out to go play in...yet anyway. Also, living in New York City...there wasn't much land to play on in the first place.
"Oh, I almost totally forgot to tell you that Zelena is coming over later tonight for a Christmas Eve dinner." Regina practically hit herself in the face for being so forgetful at times.
"Oh...okay." Mal wasn't sure how she felt about having company so soon after returning home after a month, but she did miss Zelena and she certainly missed hanging around more down to earth people. Working with actors was a bit tricky seeing as they're always causing drama and rumors and the paparazzi doesn't help any, therefore she preferred to keep her home and her life separate from the workplace, hardly ever speaking about Regina or Lily.
"And Mother and Daddy should be over tomorrow afternoon."
"So, they ARE flying in? I thought they cancelled their flight?" Maleficent remembered Regina's parents changing their plans due to business issues and also the fact that she still didn't feel Cora had fully accepted her just yet, though she tolerated her.
"Well, you know how Daddy is. He'll do anything he can to try and see his daughters as much as possible. And holidays are never an exception." The brunette spoke with great pride in her father and she couldn't wait to see him herself. "Oh! And I also have a surprise for you."
"Mmm, you do?" The blonde hummed in content, leaning in closer to her wife as they both sat on the floor in the middle of the living room, playing with Lily and a couple of her blocks.
"I do." The younger woman nodded, leaning in closer herself, getting ready to kiss the actress.
"I love it when you say those words." Their noses were almost touching.
"What? 'I do?'" Upon seeing Mal's face light up again, Regina repeated those two words. "I do. I do. I do." The blonde closed her eyes with a wide smile on her lips before Regina finally touched her own to her wife's.
"Ew! Mommy!" The two had almost forgotten Lilith's presence and they looked over to her, closing her eyes with both her hands, but smiling behind them. "Mama Gina! Yuck!"
"What? We're not allowed to love each other?" Maleficent giggled, grabbing her daughter by the waist and pulling her into her own lap, tickling her. "Huh? We're not allowed to love each other?" She repeated in more of a playful voice as she began to blow raspberries on the four year old's stomach.
"Mommy!" Lily screamed with laughter and she fought for her life, giggling away and trying her hardest to rip herself out of Maleficent's grip. "Mama Gina, help!" She laughed.
"Help?" Regina said aloud. "What? You mean like this?" With that, Regina began to tickle Maleficent and soon, all three of them found themselves in a big tickle fight that eventually turned into a game of hide and seek where the person who was "it" would tickle the first person they found.
About an hour later they had the cookies all baked and some carrots ready for Santa's reindeer. Regina had missed this, it'd been a month of nerves and fear that she would mess something up while looking after Lily. Sometimes she would catch herself watching Lily sleep or play with her toys, wondering what it would have been like raising Henry and Lilith together. She'd wipe away stray tears and tell a worried Lily that she was fine and her allergies were just acting up. But a part of her loved raising her alone for a bit because she had finally gotten to know what it had been like for Belle and Maleficent the past four years.
"Uh oh. Was that a yawn, little lady?" Regina heard Mal saying to the toddler. "I think it's time for your nap."
The two put their daughter down and she was asleep in no time. They spent the next couple hours getting dinner ready for tonight and even found some spare time to lay down and cuddle on the couch. They looked around their apartment admiring the fact that it was their own...together. They didn't mind its small size as they were a small family. All they needed was two bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom (which they had two of), and a living room. The apartment building had a nice laundry room in the basement and their neighbors were kind and quiet. The couple realized that they had indeed been living happily ever after...and obviously not perfectly. They fought more now, knowing of each other's flaws and knowing each other longer, but they always found a way to get through it all. Even if it did take a month or so to make up.
"Hey, Regina?" Mal said as she held her wife in her arms on the sofa in the family room.
"Hm?" Regina hummed with her eyes shut.
Maleficent just now realized she had almost fallen asleep and she giggled, looking down at the brunette. "Are you taking a nap yourself?" She teased and Regina giggled. "Well, nevermind then."
"No, no. What were you gonna say?" The younger woman slowly opened her eyes, hugging Mal closer to her.
"I was just gonna ask exactly what time Zelena was coming over." Mal also giggled and she squeezed Regina tighter in her arms.
"Oh, she said probably around five o'clockish." The twenty year old closed her eyes again, leaning against Maleficent's chest.
Mal looked at the clock, seeing that it was only two and she sat up, Regina opening her eyes once more and sitting up as well. "Where are you going?" The brunette whined as she saw Mal standing up off the couch.
"Come on." The 39 year old held a hand out, offering it to her wife and Regina took it graciously. Maleficent pulled her up off the sofa and led her to their bedroom, gently laying her down on the bed. "You go to sleep for a little bit and I'm gonna take a shower.
Already half asleep, Regina gently smiled as Mal covered her with the blankets and kissed her on the top of her head. The older of the two looked down at her wife and sighed, wishing she hadn't hurt her during that incident with the financial aid advisor at F.I.T. last month. She couldn't wait to get paid more so she could send Regina back to school with enough money to pay for it. She bent over, pushing Regina's hair behind her ear and got ready to get in the shower.