gezelligheid:
(n.) the coziness, warmth and comfort of being at home, or being together with friends or loved ones sharing time in a pleasant and nice atmosphere.

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Regina invites Zelena over for dinner. Again.
"Two nights in a row, Sis?" Zelena says as she walks into the kitchen, "people might actually think you care about me." She smirks as she sets down a tray of rice crispy treats on the island.
Regina rolls her eyes but quietly says, "just because we have our memories back doesn't mean anything has to change, Zelena."
Zelena stares at Regina with a questioning gaze but before she can question her Kelly runs in, "Aunt Gina!" she screams as she runs to her aunt and wraps her arms around her waist.
"Hello dear. How was your day?" Regina asks as she brushes her nieces unruly red locks out of her face.
"It was alright," she shrugs, "can I go play with the boys?"
Regina smiles, "of course dear."
"Play nicely," Zelena reminds. Kelly rolls her eyes on her way out of the room. "I blame you for that," Zelena says as she turns back to her sister.
Regina smiles. "The eyes may be mine, but the attitude is most definitely yours, Lena." Zelena rolls her eyes. "See?" Regina points out.
"You know, I feel like such a childish nickname should offend me, but it makes me feel oddly calm, and almost warm inside," Zelena says with a scoff.
"That's happiness, Z," Emma says with a smirk as she walks into the kitchen with a baby monitor, "and I'm truly shocked that your angry black heart can feel such an emotion."
Zelena merely rolls her eyes and Regina reprimands, "Emma."
Emma simply smiles and says, "Just kidding Z, you know I tolerate you."
"Awwww! How sweet," Zelena mocks. Emma smiles wider, sets the monitor on the counter, and walks out of the room.
"Why must you two antagonize?" Regina asks exasperatedly.
"It's what we do, sis. I thought it would please you that this has not changed. We were like this while your memories were gone." Zelena says as she moves around the counter to help her sister finish dinner.
Regina sighs, "of all the things that stay the same from our time here, that's what has to stay?"
"I'm not following Regina," Zelena says as she stops putting together the salad to turn towards her sister.
"It's nothing." Regina tries to go to the fridge but Zelena steps in front of it.
"You know. I liked when you were under the curse and I only had partial memories. I thought I was a terrible person for trying to kill you-"
"Well…" Regina says with a shrug.
Zelena rolls her eyes and continues, "but I actually felt guilty, I didn't feel guilty in the Enchanted Forest because you were so happy and I felt that you were happy because you had the life I deserved and then I went into the past and everything became jumbled and I didn't have time to process before I met Robin and I guess it was just simpler to pretend I didn't feel anything towards you. That couldn't have been further from the truth. I hated you but then I saw that I loved you and I was so confused and so I just pushed everything aside. When we came to this world, it was just so pleasant to have those fake memories, even if I still remembered bits and pieces, I still had all of the fake memories as well. It was-well for lack of a better word-nice." Regina gave her a watery smile. "Oh. Don't go getting all sentimental and foolish on me now, Sissy," Zelena adds with a wink and the tension dissolves.
Regina laughs and shakes her head, "that speech was sentimental itself, Zelena. Should I be worried about all of these feelings you're showing?" Zelena shoves her as she laughs, turning back to the salad. Regina walks towards the fridge, or so Zelena thinks until Regina wraps her arms around Zelena from behind and rests her head against her shoulder, "Thank you," she whispers.
"Well, I knew you were not going to say anything, so I figured I would step up and do everything. Again." Zelena says it haughtily, but Regina knows there's no bite behind it. She can practically hear the smile in Zelena's voice.
"Mhm," Regina murmurs, "always the best big sister, Lena." She lets go and turns to open the fridge.
"Don't you forget it," Zelena sasses, not looking up from the salad she's preparing.

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There's just as much laughter at tonight's dinner as there was last night. The kids each talk about their day at school. They eat, they laugh, and they reminisce. Apparently Robin's memories returned entirely during the night and Roland remembers bits and pieces of his old life, but he was very young, so initially he assumed they were just dreams. The adults (and Henry) do their best to keep quiet about the old world because the younger two begin to get upset when everyone is talking about something they are not a part of, not for long, Regina muses to herself as she thinks to their impending "family outing" back to her homeland. What are they going to think? She wonders, will they love it? Of course they'll love it, there are dragons and ogres and knights in shining armor. Every child's dream and my nightmare wrapped up with one giant helping of crazy. Zelena nudges her under the table and Regina looks over to see Tommy falling asleep with his face getting too close to his dessert plate. She smiles and goes to pick him up. When she gets him in her arms, he sits straight up and says, "not tie-yahed, Mommy." Which is followed by a huge yawn and he rests his head on her shoulder.
"Of course not darling," she says with a smirk as she moves to the stairs. She changes him into his pajamas, while he stays asleep, leaning against her chest. She helps him into the bath with a gentle, "it's bedtime Querido, which means bathroom time. Go to the bathroom, wash your hands, and brush your teeth darling. Then I will tuck you in."
"Song?" he asks as he stumbles into the bathroom.
"Once you are in your bed, tucked under all of your blankets, I will sing one song," Regina says with a smile.
"Onwy one?" he whines.
"Now Thomas," Regina says semi-sternly. He hangs his head and shuts the door.
When he crawls into his bed, Regina tucks him in and kisses his forehead. "Song," he reminds with a big yawn.
"Of course darling, I have not forgotten," Regina says with a smile as she sits next to her son and brushes his hair away from his face.
He snuggles into her side and says, "I wuv you, Mommy."
"And I love you my little prince. Now it's time for a song.

Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.
Black and bays, dapples, grays,
All the pretty little horses.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleep my little baby.
When you wake you shall have
All the pretty little horses.

I love you my little prince," she whispers as she kisses his forehead before standing and leaving the room. He was so tired he did not even make it until the second round of hush-a-bye's. Regina is still smiling when she gets to the bottom of the stairs and looks to see all of the dishes are cleaned off of the table and it seems the food has been put away and the dishes placed in the dishwasher. But where is everyone? She listens and hears voices coming from Henry's game room. I wonder what they're doing in there; she walks towards the door and sees it shut. The voices are getting louder and she can make out bits and pieces:
"Boo ya!" she hears her wife say and can't help but smile.
"-a sore loser!" Henry says with a smile evident in his voice.
"Haha sucka! In your face!" Robin yells.
"I will end you." That's definitely Zelena.
Regina pushes the door open and the first thing she notices is that Kelly and Roland are laying upside down on the couch-their heads hanging off the edge while their feet dangle in the air-giggling at the adults doing their best to win at Mario Kart. Regina shakes her head and watches as Henry and Emma elbow each other to throw the other off as they race towards the finish line. Kelly notices her and rolls off the couch and stands in front of Regina, arms outstretched. Regina reaches down and picks her up before moving to the couch behind the "adults" and places Kelly on her lap. Kelly immediately places her head under Regina's chin and snuggles in. Regina leans back against the back of the couch and Roland moves next to her, tucking under her arm. Together they watch cars race on the television and the players' trash talk back and forth.
"Care to actually join the race, Z?" Emma taunts as she flies past Henry.
"Ugh. This juvenile game is utterly ridiculous," Zelena says with a dramatic eye roll. Regina tries to hide her smirk, but cannot. Seems that it was Mother's side of the family that has a hard time losing.
"That's just because you're losing Aunt Z," Henry says as he tries to pass his blonde mother.
"Even Robin is beating you," Emma adds with a laugh.
"Hey!" Robin says in an offended voice
Everyone starts laughing and Henry cross the finish line first, "Woo-hoo!" he cheers as he throws his hands in the air.
"Shhhh, kid!" Emma hushes, "babies."
"Oh right," he says, looking ashamed as he glances at his sleeping sisters.
"Well, as entertaining as that was," Regina says drawing attention to herself, "I believe there was a reason you are all here, and it certainly was not to play these trivial games you so enjoy-"
"Oh. Don't be such a kill-joy," Zelena says dramatically, "you're just upset because you are worse at this dreadful game than myself."
Regina rolls her eyes and looks down and her sleeping niece and nephew, "that is untrue, Zelena. I just chose not to play something that is determined to burn away my brain cells."
"Drama Queen," Emma singsongs. She starts laughing when Regina sends her a death glare.
"She is right however," Zelena concedes. "We have to look for the gateway."
Regina stands and gently places a sleeping Kelly down on the couch and Zelena resituates a sleeping Roland so he is in a more comfortable position before they cover them with a blanket. "Henry? Will you stay here with your sisters and your cousins while we go read the rest of the books downstairs?"
Henry looks like he is about to protest when Robin steps up and says, "I'll stay up here with you Hen, because I'm sure I'll only cause problems if given a book in a language I do not understand."
Henry gives a tight smile in thanks to his uncle trying to distract him and says, "fine. It'll give me another chance to wipe the floor with you in Mario Kart." Robin gives a hearty laugh as he moves to sit on the couch once again. Henry follows suit with one last look at the three women in the doorway.
"Shall we?" Regina asks as she leads the way to the basement.

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It's been hours, Emma thinks in a whine as she leans away from the book she's been attempting to read. Thank God Regina found a book written mostly in English or I'd be just as useless and Forest Boy upstairs. Emma is sitting on the floor leaning against the wall of their basement. She rests her head against the wall as she looks up at the other two women reading at the table. Emma sighs and glances down at the book in front of her, how can The History of Magic help us? Not once does it talk about The Gateway, or anything remotely close, not even realm travel. She sighs again.
"If you have something to say, just say it," Zelena says with an eye roll.
Emma glares at the back of her head but doesn't move away from her spot against the wall.
Finally, she looks toward her wife who has abandoned reading her own book and watching Emma closely. Emma gives a fake apologetic smile and sets her legs flat against the floor, Regina raises an eyebrow and asks, "I take it there is nothing of use in that book either?" Emma shakes her head as she pushes the book away. Regina shakes her head and says, "I would like nothing more than to blame your parents incompetence and leave it at that. But since this is the only way we can get back to the Enchanted Forest we need a book that will actually be helpful."
Emma stands up from her spot and starts pacing. Why does this have to be so damn difficult? If they wanted us back wouldn't it have been easier just to send up a signal? Like Batman? Emma shakes her head at her own stupidity. Of course her parents couldn't send up a signal because they hadn't even remembered until a few days ago. And who would know if we even had a magical book that pointed the way to the gateway in this realm. How do we know if the gateway is nearby? What if it's on the other side of the world? Emma stops in front of the bookcase in their basement, was that here when we moved in? She starts looking at the titles of books and one catches her eye because it is different than all the rest Attracting True Love: How to Find and Keep Your Soulmate she eyes it as if it has suddenly grown eyes and is watching her. All of the other books are classics Wuthering Heights, Leo Tolstoy (which Regina had read before and translated it to Love can be a train wreck for Emma), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. Emma knew Regina had exquisite taste in literature but it didn't seem that Attracting True Love would be something she would buy, let alone put on a bookshelf with the rest of her collection. And why does it look so old? Emma wonders. Is it a part of the shelf itself? Maybe it doesn't even come off the shelf. I bet it's some kind of inside joke Regina has because of my parents always finding each other. But why is it here to begin with? She didn't remember. Is it new?
"Gina?" Emma asks as she stands in front of the bookshelf.
"Hmm?" Regina answers without looking up from the book she was reading.
"Was this a gag gift from Christmas or something?"
"What are you talking about darling?" Regina asks, finally looking up to see her wife across the room.
"This book. Attracting True Love: How to Find and Keep Your Soulmate? Where did you get it?"
Regina raises an eyebrow, "that sounds like something more suited for your parents, dear. It certainly would never be among the real literature on my shelf."
"Ummmm…then why is it here? Are you sure it wasn't some kind of gag gift?"
Regina moves around the table towards her wife, "Emma. I have never even heard of such a book. Why on earth would it be on my shelf?"
Emma shrugs. By now Zelena is intrigued and has moved behind her sister to see what Emma is talking about. "It looks really old babe. Why is it here?"
Regina sighs, "I do not know how many different ways I can say this for you, darling, but I do not own such a book."
"It's right here!" Emma exclaims and she tries to pull the book down. Instead of coming off the shelf, it pulls halfway out and stops. There is a puff of purple magic and the shelf moves across the wall to the side and a passage is revealed.
"The Gateway," Zelena says in a barely audible voice.

We are headed back to the Enchanted Forest soon. I'm curious to know if you guys have any thoughts on why they're needed back in the Enchanted Forest and who/what is waiting for them. Leave your thoughts/assumptions in the comments and maybe you'll see them in the coming chapters ;)

Hugs and Such
-IrishBella