The last month and a half has been completely insane! We're in a weird transition at work, I moved (and still have to finish unpacking), I had soooo many weddings and parties to go to, my jewelry business has been a little bit busier and my brother came to visit. BUT! School has started again which means work will be slow slow slow. Fingers crossed for more writing time! Longer chapter for you guys to make up for the wait, hopefully! :)

Holiday Spirit

Chapter 19

During the winter months, it was always cold at night in her room. It didn't matter how many blankets she had or if the heat was up, the cold always seemed to seep through the glass of the windows and into her bones. But this morning, consciousness did not come abruptly with cold; it came slowly, it was warm, and it took a moment for Regina to realize why. She felt the hand on her back first, warmth radiating from it and spreading outward. Her brow furrowed. Graham rarely stayed, and when he did, he never held her.

But Graham was dead, she realized with a start. He'd been gone for a while now. Which meant the hand on her back did not belong to him. And she remembered who she'd been sharing a bed with the night before.

Her eyes snapped open and she attempted to move, but David's arm had her effectively pinned against him. With annoyance, she remembered his promise to keep his hands to himself, but then, she couldn't lay the blame solely on him. She must have shifted during the night, because she was laying half on top of him, her arm around his middle and her head on his chest. For a moment, she panicked, shifting again.

David mumbled something in his sleep and the movement caused him to bring his other hand up, holding the arm that was wrapped around him.

Pausing, she wondered which was worse; remaining like this or waking him and facing the fact that it had been her who'd crossed the boundaries she'd set for him the night before? Deciding he'd wake eventually anyway, she opted to stall the inevitable. And now that she wasn't pulling against it, Regina felt the warmth again and realized how comfortable she was. Outside, she could see snow falling quickly, replacing whatever people had managed to shovel from their drive and walkways, but under the comforter wrapped in David's arms, she couldn't feel the usual morning chill.

Regina lowered her head, moving carefully this time so she wouldn't wake him. A few minutes wouldn't hurt. Only a few minutes, that's what she told herself, but with the warmth and how tired she still was, the soothing sound of his heartbeat lulled her back to sleep.

The second time, it was David who woke first. He watched Regina silently for several minutes; the way her face relaxed into a smooth contentedness while she slept, the one strand of hair that had escaped from behind her ear and moved slightly with each gentle exhale. She'd wrapped herself around him and was resting against his chest, unconsciously breathing in time with the rise and fall of his own breathing. He smiled at the sight of her – makeup free and curled up. Yet another side to the woman he'd never been permitted the chance to see before now. Granted, he didn't doubt she'd be upset when she woke, but for now, he allowed the peace to continue and contented himself with simply watching her.

When she finally began to stir, David closed his eyes, faking sleep to make the moment less awkward than it would certainly be. It didn't seem to matter.

"I know you're awake, you can stop pretending," her voice came, gravelly with sleep. She hadn't even raised her head yet and he wondered at how she could possibly know. He felt how tense she had become, and before he could stop himself, he'd reached out to tuck that stray piece of hair back behind her ear.

She tilted her head to look up at him, startled, but otherwise didn't move.

"I suppose we both broke the rules a bit," he told her, letting his hand fall away. He couldn't quite tell because he'd never really seen her do it before, but she appeared to blush.

"I suppose we did."

"Soo...we just don't talk about it?" he suggested, not wanting to make things uncomfortable or break the peace of the morning.

"That sounds agreeable."

To David's surprise, she lowered her head back down and closed her eyes. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously.

"Not talking about it," she told him. "If it's alright with you."

He felt the tenseness return as she awaited his answer. Truthfully, he was grateful she wasn't ready to get up just yet. "It is."

"Good. Just a few more minutes and we'll go check on everyone downstairs. I'm not ready to face the cold yet."

David didn't say anything else, simply let out a sigh and continued to hold Regina against him.

Granny looked up when the pair walked into the kitchen. James was dressed in his normal jeans and flannel, but Regina had opted for black stretch pants and a loose knit sweater that hung loosely from her shoulders. Granny raised an eyebrow. "We may not have aged, but time certainly has," she told the once-Evil Queen. "It's not the eighties anymore."

Regina smirked at her, heading straight for the coffee pot. "Fashion advice from an old wolf?"

"Have you seen my Ruby? She'd die if she wasn't on trend. Hard not to notice fashion when it's sassing you every morning, afternoon and night."

"Well, I'll have you know that comfort styles are making a comeback."

"Hmm. But for our uptight, power suit wearing, no nonsense mayor?"

"The uptight, power suit wearing, no nonsense mayor was mother to one. As mother to five, I find I'm amenable to a little more comfort in the walls of my own home."

"I'm just surprised you own such things," Granny said, smirking.

"As was I," Regina agreed. "Though I must admit they're growing on me."

David picked Ben up from his high chair, bouncing him on his hip and talking to him.

"Sleep well, then?" Granny asked. Her expression was innocent, but the gleam in her eye and the tone of her voice let them know she'd definitely noticed that they'd shared a room.

In lieu of an answer, Regina handed David a mug of steaming coffee before lifting her own to her lips and sighing at the first sip. Her eyes found Granny's and she studied the older woman, attempting to find out what she was thinking. She didn't appear angry or disgusted, only curious.

"Mommy?" Ellie asked, coming up and tugging on the hem of Regina's sweater.

"Yes, darling?" Regina asked, taking another swallow of the heavenly rich coffee.

"Did you finish my cosume?"

Regina frowned, attempting to decipher the words. "You're what?"

"Cosume!" She said, sighing heavily. "Mommy," she dragged out in a silly whine. "I'm a princess for Izzy's play."

"Costume?" Regina asked, a jolt going through her. "Play?" She looked over at David, as if he would have the answer, but of course he was as clueless as she was and shrugged. She set the mug on the counter and bent down to her daughter's level. "Are you in a play, sweetheart?"

"No, silly," Ellie said, cupping a hand over her mouth as she giggled. "Izzy's play. But I get to wear a cosume, too!"

"You're the silly one, missy," Regina told her, tickling her as she stood up. There was a calendar hanging on the wall, and she hoped it would provide her with the answers a three year old couldn't. "Christmas pageant the day after tomorrow," she read aloud, her eyes widening as she turned back to look at David. "Your sister's in this?" she asked, looking back down to Ellie who nodded, smiling widely.

"Her cosume is sooo pretty!" she squealed. "And you said I could be a Christmas princess!"

There was so much that she didn't know about from before the 'magic mess' – as she'd begun to call it in her head – and she wondered if the costumes were somewhere in the house. She could always use some last minute magic if need be, but she still wasn't sure the extent of what her children knew abo ut such things, so she was going to have to be careful about it.

"Right, then," Granny told them, giving Oliver a pat on the head. He barely glanced up from his coloring book, humming a form of goodbye. "It's time I was off. Stop by the diner if you need anything, and I suppose I'll be seeing you at this Christmas Pageant." She ran a finger along Ben's cheek, smiling at him and patted Ellie's back when the girl wrapped her arms around her legs in a hug.

"Bye, Granny!" The twins called in unison, Oliver finally looking up.

"Bye, little ones."

Regina cleared her throat. "Thank you."

Granny nodded, already headed for the door.

Regina was back to sipping coffee, watching as Ellie joined Oliver at the table to color when a sudden thought crossed her mind and she let out a bark of laughter. David looked over at her.

"What's funny?"

"I was just thinking. What do you think a school play is going to look like when none of the adults in charge of it have a single memory of what's going on?"

David blinked. "A complete mess."

"A disaster. Albeit an entertaining one. It should be adorable watching all of them run around." She hummed happily. "I wonder what part Isabella is playing."

"Do you think she'll be able to?" David asked worriedly. "With being sick so recently?"

Regina put a hand on his arm. "She'll be fine. Children bounce back quickly from illness. I learned that lesson well with Henry. We just need to keep her resting today and she should be fine by tomorrow afternoon."

Evening came quickly. David stepped outside to call Mary Margaret and reached her voicemail instead. He'd called to tell her he wasn't going to make it to the inn that night, and found himself relieved when she didn't answer. Instead he left a quick voicemail and told her he'd try her again in the morning.

Instead of heading back inside right away, he took a seat on the porch. He kept back under the overhang to avoid the snow, but found the cold helped focus his muddled thoughts. It seemed like the more time passed, the more distant he and his wife became and the closer he and Regina grew. And the scary thing was that he didn't mind…that it really wasn't that scary at all. He still felt the guilt weighing down on him, but instead of being solely about Regina, it was about Snow. It was true that they hadn't been getting along, but it seemed to only be getting worse, and he worried what watching him spending time with Regina might be doing to her. But still...he couldn't forget the warmth of that morning, feeling it even now when he recalled it sitting out in the bitter night air. It had been a blissfully peaceful moment, the two of them together, safe from the snowstorm outside the window, and from the crazy world they'd found themselves in. He wasn't sure exactly how he was feeling about Regina, but holding her that morning had felt nice...normal. And it shouldn't have because his wife was across town, most likely sleeping. All alone. He thought about going to her, but things the night before had been so awfully awkward. And the way he'd left...

The sounds of laughter floated down to him through the window, though it was closed, and David found himself looking up at the window he knew belonged to Regina's bedroom. The sound of another laugh made up his mind. As much as he felt he should go see Snow, he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not with that laughter pulling him toward his children. They needed him even more than Snow right now.

As he reentered the house, he heard silence until he was halfway up the stairs, where he could make out the sound of Regina's voice filtering through the open bedroom door. She was reading to them, he realized, and when she read the next few sentences in a high-pitched voice when the character changed, he found himself chuckling as the children giggled wildly again. He paused in the doorway, leaning up against the frame, not wanting to interrupt the moment, and when he caught sight of Regina, his heart stuttered in his chest, fluttering with warmth.

The twins were pressed in together on one side of her while Isabella leaned against the other, head on her mother's shoulder. Henry was sitting cross-legged in the center of the bed. Ben had already been tucked into his crib, asleep for the night. But the most adorable part of the scene in front of him were the black-rimmed glasses perched on Regina's nose as she read. He'd never seen her wear them before.

Regina turned the page and her hand went up subconsciously to push the glasses further up as she continued to read. They had the power of taking away the rest of her edges, somehow making her younger, less dangerous, and – he found himself flushing as his heart sped up – kind of sexy.

Of course it was that moment that Regina looked up to notice him standing there looking suddenly uncomfortable.

"David, are you alright?"

"Fine," he answered, his voice croaking slightly, and he cleared his throat quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed. "Just checking in."

Regina raised an eyebrow at him, and dammit, his heart was going crazy at the sight of it.

"Come on, Daddy!" Isabella called, "It's our bedtime story."

David smiled at her, working hard at ignoring Regina in those glasses. "Not tonight," he told her. "Daddy's still pretty tired. I'm going to go finish cleaning up after dinner and then I'll come tuck all of you in. Deal?"

She nodded, happily placated.

There were a lot of dishes to be done and the time passed quickly before David made his way up the stairs. He gave each of his children a kiss on the forehead, tucking them each in in turn and then stepping back to let Regina do the same. To his great relief, she was no longer wearing the glasses. He still felt a fluttering at the sight of them pushed back on her head, tucked into her hair, but it didn't have near the effect of her actually wearing them.

Once the lights were all out and the children were in bed, the two found themselves standing awkwardly in the hallway once more, not sure what to do next.

"Did you-" David started, but at the same time Regina started with "Are you-"

They both stopped, waiting for the other to speak and then David motioned for Regina to speak first.

"I was just going to ask if you were sleeping on the couch tonight, or..."

"Yes," David agreed quickly. "I was actually going to ask if that's what you wanted. I mean, I think it's probably best, but I..." he trailed off. "The couch will be perfect."

Regina nodded. "I'll grab you some extra blankets and a pillow."

"Thanks."

He didn't have to wait long before she was down, handing him the stack of bedding.

She stood silently and watched as he spread the sheet out and arranged the blanket. After hesitating, she finally stepped forward. "Would you like a glass of wine?"

He looked up from the couch. "What?"

"A glass of wine? Before bed? Occasionally I treat myself to a few minutes of silence and wine before sleep. It helps me wind down."

"I thought you were known for your cider?" he asked with the hint of a smile.

Tilting her head in acknowledgment, she smiled. "I am, but it's my specialty, not the only thing I drink. I do have other tastes."

"So I'm learning," he said quietly, and they both knew he was referring to more than the alcohol. "I'd love a glass."

A minute later, they were sitting on top of the blanket David had laid out on the couch, sipping glasses of Syrah.

"Warm," David commented, pulling the glass away from his lips and looking at it in consideration. "And very smooth."

She shrugged a shoulder and took another sip. "It's one of my winter favorites."

For a few minutes they sat in surprisingly comfortable silence, allowing the spicy wine to warm them.

"I didn't know you wore glasses," David said suddenly.

"Only at night," she told him. "They're reading glasses. They help when the lighting's bad." She swirled her glass lightly and looked up at him. "You're oddly interested in my glasses," she commented, the beginnings of a sly smile playing on her lips.

He took a larger swig of his wine, swallowing heavily and focusing on the Christmas tree lights. "It was just different seeing you wear them."

She hummed. "Yes, different." Her tone told him she'd noticed his embarrassing reaction earlier, but he was grateful when she didn't continue to press him on the subject. Instead, she confused him by saying, "I found the Santa stash."

"The what?"

She chuckled. "All the presents for Christmas."

"Oh." He smiled but then looked over at her. "Do you think we're still going to be here for Christmas?"

She sat up a bit, pulling her legs up and tucking them underneath her. Leaning back, she sighed. "Who knows? Certainly not that wish-granting nitwit."

"So do we spoil them?" At her confused look, he laughed. "I mean the kids...with presents."

"Ahh." She looked up at him. "Immensely. It's rather disgusting."

"I figured. They're too cute for us not to want to spoil them rotten. And I always imagined if I had more children, I wouldn't waste the opportunity to keep their lives as happy and carefree as possible."

Regina watched him, a look of guilt appearing on her face. "I'm sorry," she said, catching David by surprise. He looked up to see her expression and his brow furrowed in confusion. "About Emma."

He looked down again then, fiddling with the stem of his wine glass.

"I'm not sorry I did it," she continued, "because of everything good that's come from the curse, but..." She tightened the grip on her own glass. "I am sorry for the pain it caused you. If I was ever separated from Henry..." She shook her head, her voice shaking as she fought off tears. "I'm sorry."

David didn't say anything for a while. The apology was so unexpected and he had no idea how to respond. He felt anger bubble up again, the still-fresh wounds of remembering what he'd missed out on with Emma being opened anew. He clenched his jaw shut, not wanting to say anything from that place of anger after how far they'd come. Regina's apology was honest and true, and he knew what it cost her. He didn't take the gesture lightly. But it still hurt. He couldn't talk about it yet. Instead, he shifted the topic to something safer. "You did a good job with Henry. You should know...Emma thinks so, too. I know you and her have had your disagreements, and I know in the beginning she was concerned with Henry's upbringing, but it's clear how much you love him, and he's obviously turned out great. He's intelligent, kind, thoughtful, brave..." He saw Regina's eyes grow watery and she turned slightly away from him, quickly wiping at her cheek. The air had turned heavy, and feeling that he'd expressed what he wanted to say, he attempted to lighten the mood. He knew she hated appearing as vulnerable as she was now. "And just like these children, you've clearly spoiled him. Honestly, Regina, I don't know how Henry has room for a bed with the absurd amount of comics and toys he has in that room of his. It's the Narnia of bedrooms."

She let out a light laugh and shifted, putting her feet back on the floor. Tilting her wine glass back to swallow the last few drops, she placed it on the table in front of them and stood, stretching her back. "It's late. I'll see you in the morning?"

He nodded. "I'll be here."

She reached for the baby monitor she'd set on the table, but David stopped her. "Leave it. After last night, you need a good night's sleep more than I do. I'll take care of Ben tonight."

"David, I...thank you," she said quietly.

He tilted his head in acknowledgement and watched her leave. Stretching out onto the couch, he sighed contentedly as his head hit the pillow.