I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but I wanted to post something to tide you over. The next chapter is almost finished so it won't be long now. Enjoy. :)
Ch. 15 – The First of Many
"Anything I can do to help?" Emma walked into the kitchen eyeing Regina where she stood at the counter, applying a fresh glaze to the honey ham that had just been pulled from the oven.
The blonde slid her hands to rest on the slim waist in front of her, brushing her nose against ebony locks, enjoying the scent of perfume and something distinctly Regina.
The older woman smiled as she continued brushing on the brown sugar mixture, "You know I trust you dear, however I'm hesitant to extend that trust into my kitchen."
"Hey!" Emma shot back, "I may not be world renowned Chef Regina Mills but I promise I won't burn the place down."
Regina turned slightly to quirk an eyebrow.
"I won't!" Emma insisted.
The brunette let out a breath and pursed her lips to hide her smirk, "Alright, start peeling those potatoes by the sink, cube them, and place them in the pot I have boiling on the stove."
"On it," the blonde nodded, sneaking a quick peck to Regina's cheek.
"Try not to slice a finger will you, we don't need any unwanted ingredients in the mashed potatoes."
"Seriously, Regina? Come on, I think I can handle peeling a few potatoes, I'm not going to – ouch!"
Regina whipped around, genuine concern slipping through her sarcastic mask.
"Just kidding," Emma teased, giggling at the death glare now burning a hole in the back of her head.
XxXxX
A short time later Emma had successfully peeled, chopped and mashed the potatoes while Regina took care of everything else like a pro. The potatoes and caramelized vegetables were ready and keeping warm while the ham just needed a few more minutes.
"Sooo…" the blonde said drawing out the word and wiping her hands on a dish towel, "I noticed you have two trees, one in the foyer and one in the living room." She had observed the second tree when Regina was playing the piano.
Regina turned around placing her hands behind her on the edge of the counter, "That would be correct."
Emma leaned forward slightly and raised her eyebrows at the sly response, "I also noticed the one in the entrance, as nice as it is, doesn't seem to be the one you put gifts under, yet the other tree doesn't have any decorations."
Inclining her head, Regina responded, "Henry and I set up decorations every year, he loves them. Even last year when he had suspicions of me from his book, when Christmas came around he still helped me decorate." She smiled and paused to cross her ankles, "I always have that tree," she waved a hand in the direction of the foyer, "to add some colour. But the tree in the living room is the one he and I would decorate together; the lights, the ornaments, the tinsel, and all the presents go under that tree."
"But there's nothing on it, why didn't you decorate it when you guys did the rest of the house?" Emma asked, truly curious.
"Normally we would have," Regina said tapering off for a moment before lifting her eyes, a reserved smile adorning her lips, "but we wanted to wait for you, so we could decorate it as, well, as a family."
There was excitement, hope, and a little bit of uncertainty in the brunette's eyes as they connected with Emma's.
However, all the blonde could focus on was the fact that they had waited for her. They wanted to include her in something that had been done by just the two of them for all of Henry's Christmas'. There was a reason this Christmas meant so much more to Emma than all the others and this gesture really hit home.
"You want me to help?" Emma asked finding her voice.
"Of course," Regina said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, "if you'd like." She didn't know why she felt so nervous asking Emma to help with the tree, she just really wanted to include the blonde in this and their son had agreed wholeheartedly.
In three quick strides Emma crossed the kitchen and enveloped the brunette in a strong hug, burrowing her face in the soft skin of her neck.
"Thank you," Emma whispered, trying her best to keep her voice even while she attempted to relay how much this meant to her.
Regina held the younger woman tightly, running her fingers through blonde curls. It seemed like Emma was always the one to reassure or comfort the brunette, now it was Regina's turn to return the favour.
XxXxX
The two women walked up the stairs to change for dinner, Emma made her way to the guest room where all her clothes were while Regina wandered down to Henry's, telling him dinner was almost ready.
Emma couldn't remember the last Christmas Eve where she had a traditional dinner with all the fixings, but if Regina's cooking was anything to go by she was surely not going to be disappointed.
Looking through her closet the blonde frowned, she didn't have too many dressy clothes. Pulling off her jeans Emma snagged a pair of black dress pants in the corner of her closet and flicked through a few sweaters before landing on a deep red one with a shawl collar. It wasn't formal, but it would have to do. She wanted to look nice for this dinner.
After applying a bit of light makeup she ran her hands through her hair a few times, loosening the curls, then turned to the mirror and clasped a gold chain around her neck. Finally she slipped her feet into her only pair of black flats.
The blonde studied her reflection for a few moments before nodding her head in satisfaction and headed downstairs to find Henry already setting the table.
He was wearing his own pair of black dress pants, a white button up shirt, and an emerald green tie.
Emma whistled and gave his tie a small tug, "Lookin' sharp kid."
Henry blushed and tried to hide his smile as he moved to arrange another place setting, "Thanks," he mumbled.
The blonde made her way into the kitchen again to grab a few of the side dishes, bringing them out to join Henry, neatly arranging everything.
"God that smells good, I don't think I'll ever tire of having your mom's cooking."
Henry laughed, "Just wait till you try the Christmas ham, you'll never want to leave."
"That good huh?"
"It most certainly is."
Emma whipped her head around to see Regina through the dining room archway make her way down the stairs. With each step she took Emma's eyes grew bigger and her mouth opened wider. Even though the brunette's previous dress would have been just fine for the evening she had opted to change into a deep green ensemble (adorably colour coordinating with their son) that reached just above her knee and a neckline that showed just enough to tease Emma's imagination.
The blonde was still gaping by the time Regina had made her way over and she smirked lifting a finger under Emma's chin to close her mouth.
"If I do say so myself," Regina gave a half shrug and kissed Emma's cheek before turning towards the kitchen.
Emma stayed glued to the spot for several more seconds before blinking her way back to the present.
"Jeez mom snap out of it, you're drooling."
Blushing, Emma hastily wiped at her chin finding not even a speck of drool.
Henry's laugh filled the room before he shook his head and walked over to the stereo to put on some music.
.
As expected the dinner was marvelous, resulting in Emma and Henry going back for more, while even Regina indulged in an extra helping of ham.
"If there is one good thing that came out of those 28 years Regina, it's your cooking skills." Emma wiped her mouth and leaned back in her chair, wanting desperately to pop the button on her dress pants but refrained from doing so, just barely. She felt ready to explode.
"I think that was the best meal I've had, ever."
"I believe you've said that about my lasagna as well dear."
"Your lasagna is amazing," Emma said, palms up, "but this was Christmas dinner, I hardly ever got to have a fancy meal like this when I was younger."
Regina's face fell slightly but she quickly regained a soft smile, "Well I guess we'll just have to make up for lost time then."
Catching the brunette's meaning, Emma beamed, using all the restraint she had to not get up from the table and kiss the older woman senseless. Henry might be scarred for life.
Speaking of their son, he was mutely watching his two mothers, eyes darting back and forth, observing their obvious silent conversation. He smiled to himself at just how perfect this had all worked out; the curse was broken, everyone had their memories, creepy Mr. Gold was out of town on his own adventure, he had Snow White and Prince Charming as his grandparents and both his mom's for parents.
The Savior wasn't supposed to defeat the Evil Queen as he had previously thought, but save her along with everyone else instead. He could easily see his mothers were happier together than they had ever been apart and Henry thought he wouldn't have it any other way.
The boy cleared his throat and did his best to hide the knowing grin on his face from the two love birds, "So, can we have dessert now?"
They both looked over, his blonde mother surprisingly looking more exasperated than the other, "Kid, we just finished eating this giant meal, how can you already want more food?"
He shrugged, "Because mom made something with chocolate and you know how much I love chocolate."
Emma shook her head and turned to Regina, "Is he like this every other holiday too?"
"Yes," Regina nodded her head nonchalantly, "although Thanksgiving seems to be the only one where he waits a reasonable amount of time before asking for dessert."
Henry's eyes lit up at the mention of the turkey holiday.
"Ma," he said seriously, "wait till you have Thanksgiving dinner with us, nothing beats mom's turkey dinner."
The blonde scoffed, "I don't know Henry, hard to beat the meal we just had."
"No, Emma, mom makes everything; turkey, potatoes, stuffing, veggies, yorkshire pudding, and the thing that makes it the best…"
"Which is?" Emma questioned, thoroughly amused at Henry's enthusiasm.
"Gravy," he stated with an exaggerated grin on his face.
As silly as it was, Emma was a sucker for gravy.
At Henry's words and the thought of Regina's Thanksgiving cooking, Emma's face went blank and her pupils dilated in hunger, even though she was currently stuffed.
What broke the silence and her inner food fantasy was the abrupt radiant laugh that echoed through the room.
Bringing her gaze back into focus, she turned to see Regina with a hand over her mouth, trying and failing to contain the giggles that were wracking her body.
For a moment, Emma was caught off guard at how beautiful and free the brunette looked when her laugh was genuine and honest. Not being able to hold back a laugh of her own, the blonde joined in, "What's so funny?"
Regina tried to answer but she was still chuckling too hard. The brunette couldn't even remember the last time she laughed so hard that tears began to form in her eyes. Finally catching her breath, she managed to say, "You dear," another giggle broke out and she smiled wide, "your affinity for food is just too much."
Emma's face flushed with embarrassment but seeing Henry laugh and the grin that lit up Regina's face, in that moment she really couldn't bring herself to care.