A/N: Happy (American) Thanksgiving! Enjoy this bit of fluff, but one that marks an important moment in their lives. Hopefully this gives you something to read during your travels and/or on a break from too much family time :P

Thursday, November 23, 7:30am

Emma shifted slightly in her sleep, causing something to tickle her nose. She sniffled, hoping to clear the disturbance, but that just made it worse. She blinked her eyes open to find that her face was buried in her girlfriend's hair and that a stray curl had poked her in the nostril. She laughed to herself as she nudged the hair out of the way and snuggled closer, placing a kiss on the back of Regina's shoulder as she did, happy to have her girlfriend back in her arms after three weeks apart. It was a tie for the longest period of time they had been apart since her vacation in Montréal over the summer, and she hoped they would never go that long between visits again. They were pulling off the long-distance relationship surprisingly well, but she still missed Regina terribly when she was off filming in Halifax. Thus far, Regina had been the one to visit Emma, but the blonde hoped she would be able to visit Regina in Halifax sooner rather than later.

It was the fourth Thursday in November, which marked Thanksgiving in the United States and one of Emma's favorite holidays. She had barely moved to Canada in time for Canadian Thanksgiving in early October, which she had spent with her new dance company friends at Lily's apartment. As she lay in bed that morning, she was excited for what she still thought of as the "real" Thanksgiving, especially because she would be spending it with a certain brunette.

Regina had gotten in late Wednesday night and would be staying with Emma through Sunday morning. "The perks of working on a show filmed in Canada but run by Americans is that they still give us Thanksgiving off," Regina had explained to Emma over Facetime two weeks earlier when they made plans for the upcoming feast. It was Regina's favorite holiday as well, and she was ecstatic that she would get to share it with Emma. She had wrapped filming Wednesday morning, and even though it was just another day in Canada, the Montréal airport had been feeling the effects of the busiest travel day in the U.S. Many of the flights originated in American cities, and it caused a domino effect. Regina's flight was supposed to get in Wednesday afternoon, but it had been delayed, and she didn't get back to Emma's apartment until after 10p.m. After a quick kiss hello she had been exhausted, so they decided to watch a few Friends Thanksgiving episodes in bed before falling asleep.

During her marriage to Robin, Regina and the kids had celebrated both American and Canadian Thanksgiving, given that Regina had lived in the States until she moved to Canada, first to Montréal for a TV film and then to Halifax for Frozen Mirror. Henry and Roland had come to love American Thanksgiving after Regina became part of their lives, so Robin was more than happy to let Regina take the boys for the day so they could spend it with their mom. She had talked to Robin and he agreed to sign them out of school early that Thursday afternoon so they could be there for an early dinner.

"Good morning," Regina murmured as she felt Emma's arm wrap tightly around her waist. She pushed against it just enough to give herself room to turn around in her arms and face her girlfriend, not even opening her eyes as she leaned in for a kiss. "I love waking up to you."

"Likewise," Emma smiled, noting that this was the first time Regina had used the word 'love' in a statement. They both were hesitant about vocalizing the extent of their feelings just yet, but it was a step in the right direction. "Are you excited for today?"

"Mmhmm," Regina nodded, slowly blinking her eyes open and letting them adjust to the light in the room that was creeping in through the curtains. "I'm a little nervous, though. I've never cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner. Being married to a restaurateur had its perks."

"I haven't either," Emma said, slowly peeling herself away from Regina so she could sit up and get ready. She had rehearsal a little over an hour later, as her dance company didn't care that it was an American holiday. Fortunately, it was just a two hour ballet class, so she would be back home well before noon to help Regina with the preparations. "I usually tagged along with Killian to his brother's house in upstate New York, so we never had to do anything other than pick up some pumpkin pies from the bakery on our way out of the city. I'm sure it'll be fine, though. I made the cranberry sauce last night so it would have plenty of time to cool and gel, and the turkey is defrosted and ready to be dressed or brined or whatever it is you do to a turkey."

"Yeah, it's a good thing I'm making the turkey and not you," Regina laughed as she stood up and started straightening the comforter on the bed. "So, I've been thinking…"

"Uh oh," Emma laughed, earning a pillow thrown at her head. She caught it just before it hit her.

"Anyway," Regina continued, swallowing a chuckle, "I think I might tell the boys about the full extent of our relationship today…how would you feel about being introduced to them as my girlfriend?"

"I kind of love that idea," she replied, realizing that it would be a really big step for Regina.

"Okay, good," Regina smiled.

*.*.*

"I'm back," Emma called as she entered the apartment after returning from ballet. She dropped her keys in the bowl by the entry and tossed her bag in the hall closet as she walked into the kitchen, nearly tripping over the grey feline that was laying down in front of the fridge and keeping an eye on the meal preparations. "Oh, it smells wonderful in here."

"Thank you, dear," Regina said as she stood by the stove, peeling some potatoes and throwing them in a large stock pot. "The turkey has been roasting for a while but still has a few hours left, and we'll need to start on the stuffing soon…What?" she asked when she saw Emma smirking at her.

The blonde shook her head. "Nothing…you just look super cute in my apron," she said, eyeing her girlfriend who was wearing the red apron she had 'forgotten to return' from her very short stint working at a cupcake bakery in Portland. "If only that was all you were wearing…"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Maybe someday, when I'm not standing over a pot of boiling water that can spatter everywhere."

"Fair enough," Emma chuckled as she ate a handful of almonds from the container on the island. "Anything you need me to help you with before I hop in the shower?"

"Yes, one quick thing. Come here please," she said, stirring the pot of water and carefully adding more potatoes to it.

Emma walked around the island to the stove, peeking in the pot and standing next to her girlfriend. "What can I do for you?"

The brunette set down the spoon next to the stove and turned to face Emma, hooking her finger in the waistband of her tights and pulling her toward her to bring her in for a kiss. "Okay," she said when they separated. "That's all I needed. Go shower and then I'll put you to work."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Emma mockingly curtsied, only to get slapped on her ass when she turned to leave the kitchen.

Emma emerged from the bathroom a half hour later, dressed in dark skinny jeans and an oversized heather grey sweater. She had quickly dried her hair, allowing her natural waves to fall down a few inches past her shoulders. "I love your hair that length," Regina said when the blonde rejoined her in the kitchen. Emma had chopped four inches off her hair a few weeks prior after realizing that having that much hair was a hassle, as she had to wear it in a bun so often for class and it became too laborious to pin it all up. "It still seems long enough to grab onto," she winked as the blonde approached her.

"Kinky," Emma laughed as she poured a glass of merlot and handed it to her girlfriend, before pouring one for herself. Regina raised an eyebrow as she accepted it, sneaking a look at the watch on her wrist before looking back at the blonde. "What? It's a holiday," Emma replied as she took a sip.

"Yeah, okay," Regina shrugged as she downed half the glass in one gulp. "Would you mind helping me with the stuffing?"

"Not at all…what do you need me to do?" she asked.

Regina directed her to the three loaves of bread on the counter and the seasoning already set up. "If you can start cubing the bread, I'll melt the butter and then we just have to mix it all together."

"Sounds easy enough."

"It is…that's why I'm giving it to you to do."

*.*.*

Around two o'clock in the afternoon, the two women had finished most of the preparation and were relaxing on the sofa, with Adagio curled up in the chair nearby. Regina's phone buzzed on the coffee table, and she quickly read the message. "Robin just parked and he's walking the boys up," she said. Robin had offered to pick the kids up from school and drop them off at the apartment so Regina could focus on cooking. Moments later, there was a knock at the door, startling the cat who ran to Emma's bedroom to hide.

"Mom!" Roland yelled when she opened the door, immediately engulfing her in a bear hug.

"Hi, baby!" she replied, kissing the top of his head. While still entrapped in Roland's arms, she reached her hand out to ruffle Henry's shaggy hair.

"Mooooom," he whined, playfully slapping her hand away.

"It's long, Henry. I thought the Justin Bieber style was over a few years ago? Are you trying to bring it back?" she joked.

"I think he's going for the Nick Carter Backstreet Boys circa 1999 look," Robin chimed in from the doorway.

"That was a good year. I had their poster on my ceiling," Emma added as she joined the family at the door.

"I bet you did," Regina laughed. "I had N'Sync's photo in my locker."

Robin raised a brow. "Please tell me I'm not about to hear an argument over which boyband is better."

"They both have their merits," Regina conceded before turning her attention back to the boys that were still hovering in the foyer. "Guys, you remember Emma, right?"

"Yep! Hi, Emma!" Roland cheered, while Henry settled for a cool nod and a "hey."

"Hi, Roland; hi, Henry" she replied back. She caught Regina's eye and smiled. "Hey guys, why don't we head into the living room? Your mom said you haven't been allowed to have pets, but you've always wanted one…" Roland furiously nodded in confirmation. "Well, I have a cat who is probably hiding right now, but I might be able to get her to come out and play."

"Oh, yay!" Roland yelled as he ran and jumped onto the sofa, and Henry quickly followed.

"Alright. I'm going to go wrangle the beast," Emma said, smiling at the soon-to-be divorced couple who were still in the doorway, sensing that they may want a few minutes to talk. Emma knew that they had only physically seen each other twice since they announced their upcoming divorce, mostly because they had to maintain the appearance of a couple with irreconcilable differences to the public, rather than the best friends they actually were.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay? We made way too much food," Regina said when they were alone in the foyer.

"Thank you, but you should have the kids to yourselves today. Besides, I have to head into work anyway. We're prepping for a new chef search so I have some things to take care of."

"Right. Good luck," she said, briefly hugging him. Robin turned to leave and Regina caught his arm. "Actually, I'll walk you out. One sec." She turned back to check on Emma to make sure she had a handle on everything and would be okay for a few minutes by herself. She laughed when she saw the blonde carrying an unhappy Adagio in her arms, setting the cat down on the couch between the two boys and trying to keep the squirming cat from jumping down. Emma smiled and gave her a nod, so Regina mouthed, "I'll be right back" before she exited the apartment. She walked with Robin down the stairs until they were in the quiet vestibule of the building. "I wanted to let you know that I'm planning to tell the boys about Emma and me today."

"That's great, Regina. I think you should," he responded.

"You're okay with that?"

He rolled his eyes. "Of course I am. You didn't have any issue with me telling them that Gwen is my girlfriend earlier this month...why should I have a problem with you doing the same?"

Regina shrugged, still nervous about telling her kids. "And they took that news okay?"

"Yes, and you know that because I already told you as much. I mean, yeah, they thought it was a little odd that daddy has a girlfriend, and so they'll probably think it's strange that mommy has a girlfriend, but they like Gwen, and you know they like Emma. They'll be fine. And if for some reason they aren't, let me know and I'll talk to them." He took her hands in his, sensing her anxiety. "But, it will be fine, Regina. I'll be back around 7:30 tonight to come pick them up." He hugged her goodbye before walking out the front door, leaving Regina to take a calming breath before walking back up the stairs.

As she reentered the apartment, she noticed the boys were on the couch with a much calmer cat sleeping in between them, and Emma was nowhere to be seen. "Emma?" she called as she locked the door behind her.

"Kitchen," she heard in response.

Regina nodded to herself and made her way toward the back of the apartment, noting that the boys were watching a recording of that morning's Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV. She smiled, as that was something the boys had come to love over the years celebrating the holiday, endlessly entertained by the performances and random array of floats. It aired earlier in the day, but Emma DVR'ed it when Regina mentioned that the kids love watching it.

"Everything okay?" Emma asked.

Regina nodded. "Yeah. I just gave him a heads-up that I'm telling the boys about us today."

Emma smiled and stole a quick kiss, before turning back to the stove to finish mashing the potatoes.

"By the way, what's up with Adagio? She looked petrified when I left to go downstairs and now she looks more stoned than we were that night in the hotel in Portland."

Emma laughed. "That's because she is." At Regina's questioning look she clarified: "Valerian root. You missed the euphoric phase, but the boys loved it. She ran around like crazy while they played for a few minutes, and now she'll sleep for the next few hours," she said as she inspected her potatoes. "Okay, these are done, and this is the last thing we had left to do, I think."

"Perfect, let's eat."

*.*.*

It was safe to say Regina and Emma's first attempt at cooking Thanksgiving dinner themselves was a success. The kids excitedly shoveled the food into their mouths, and Regina and Emma were quite impressed with the results of their own efforts in the kitchen. "I feel like I could sleep for a week," Emma commented as she pushed back her chair from the table, giving her more room to stretch her back.

"Got room for dessert?" Regina asked, causing the two youngest diners to perk up upon hearing their favorite word.

"Always," Emma replied.

"Dessert? Did you make apple pie?" Henry asked eagerly.

"Of course I did," Regina said as though it was obvious. "You can't have Thanksgiving dinner and not have apple pie. It's like, a rule." She stood up from the table, grabbing some of the empty dishes to take them into the kitchen.

"Let me help you with that," Emma said as she cleared a few others and followed Regina. "Would anyone like some authentic hot cocoa to go with their dessert?" she called out over the island to look at the kids at the dining table.

"Yes, please!" Henry said.

"What's authentic hot cocoa?" Roland asked, confused by the adjective.

Emma returned to the dining table with her hands behind her back. "It means hot cocoa made from scratch…none of that artificial fake chocolate powder in packets, but made from real, melted chocolate." She then brought her hands forward, displaying several large Ghirardelli chocolate bars that she had hidden behind her.

Roland's eyes went wide as he looked at the candy in front of him. "Whoa…."

"Exactly," Emma smiled. "Who wants marshmallows with their hot chocolate?" Both boys' hands immediately shot up into the air. "Coming right up."

"Can you put some cinnamon in mine, please?" Henry asked as she started to walk back toward the kitchen area.

"Sure, kid."

She quickly got to work melting the milk and chocolate on the stove, while Regina took the pies out of the oven, where they had been warming during dinner. "Would anyone like ice cream with their pie?" Emma asked as she poured the first serving of hot cocoa into a mug. A chorus of "yes" came in reply.

"I got it," Regina said as she laughed, walking over to the freezer to take out the carton vanilla ice cream. She quickly sliced the pies and put them on plates, making sure Roland and Henry's slices were the same size to prevent any tantrums. "Alright boys, come get a piece of pie and your cocoa," she said, moving the plates to the edge of the island and putting the ice cream back in the freezer. They dutifully came up to the counter and took their plate and their mug in their small hands, carefully taking them back to the table. Emma and Regina quickly joined them with their own desserts.

As the boys start to eat Regina cleared her throat. "Henry, Roland, there's something I'd like to tell you," she said, reaching for Emma's hand under the table and bringing it to her lap. Emma squeezed it gently and then brought her hand to rest on Regina's thigh, lending her support. "You know how your dad is dating Gwen?"

They both looked up from their pie and nodded their heads.

"Well, I'm dating someone as well," Regina continued.

Roland looked up. "Is it that guy from your show?"

Regina's expression turned to one of confusion. "Who?"

"Graham."

Regina quietly chuckled. Early in the eighth season, her character finally ended the love triangle between Daniel and Graham and chose the on-screen detective over the farmhand. "Oh, God no. Honey, Graham is happily married to his wife Anastasia. And you know we're just acting."

Roland shrugged and went back to eating his dessert, still too young to truly grasp the concept of acting versus real life.

"So, who is he, then?" Henry asked. At Regina's puzzled expression, Henry continued: "Your boyfriend."

Regina took a deep breath. It was now or never. "I don't have a boyfriend," she clarified. "You know how your Uncle Will is married to your Uncle Felix?"

Both kids nodded and Roland excitedly shouted, "Yeah, they're gay!", as he recently learned what that word meant when Will married his partner Felix earlier that spring during one of their camping trips. Roland had been the ring bearer.

Regina laughed. "Right, Roland. Well, some women like to date other women," she explained, causing Roland to furrow his brow as he tried to make sense of it. She had to admit he looked particularly adorable when he was confused. Henry, meanwhile, was tracking his eyes between his mother and Emma, as if making the connection. Regina continued: "So, I don't have a boyfriend, but I do have a girlfriend," she finally declared. "Emma and I are together," she said.

"Oh," Roland said. "Okay!"

Regina and Emma both chuckled at his excitement and yet total lack of interest in the situation. Henry meanwhile stared down at his pie. "So, all those rumors were true?" he asked, absentmindedly stabbing at the pie with the tongs of his fork. "Did you cheat on Dad?" Regina and Robin had tried to keep him from seeing the rumors about Regina on social media over the years, but at 13 years of age he wasn't blind, and they weren't going to keep him off of social media entirely. They wanted him to have a normal childhood, and when all his friends joined social networks, they had to let him as well. Even though he only had his accounts for a year, he had undoubtedly seen comments and photos pop up from years earlier that called into question Regina's sexuality, especially since some fans tagged all of Regina's family in those posts.

"Those rumors were just rumors, Henry. Emma and I didn't start seeing each other until Robin and I decided to separate, just like he didn't start seeing Gwen until then, either."

"So, you're actually a lesbian? What about dad? Were you lying to him all this time?"

Regina looked briefly at Emma, who smiled sadly back at her. She wanted to help but didn't know what to say, so she let Regina handle it. But, she squeezed the thigh under her hand again, sending her silent support. Regina knew she couldn't disclose everything Henry given his age and the other issues involved, so she settled for a version of the truth he could understand. "I loved your Dad, Henry, and a part of me always will. Like we told you a few months ago when we told you about our divorce, we just both realized that we were better off as friends instead of as a couple. By that point your dad had started seeing Gwen and Emma and I started dating, so we wanted the freedom to pursue those relationships…and no, I never lied to him. Emma isn't the first woman I've dated, and your dad knew that when we got married. I don't like to label myself, Henry, but just like some women are only attracted to men and some women are only attracted to women, some women are attracted to both men and women…"

Henry rolled his eyes and interrupted. "I know what a bisexual is, Mom."

"Oh. Okay, then…"

"Why didn't you ever tell us this before?" Henry asked, looking up at Regina.

"Oh, well, I don't know. I was married to your dad so I didn't think it mattered, since he and I were together. You were young when he and I started our relationship, so I figured it would be hard to explain. And as you said there were rumors about me, so I didn't want to add fuel to the fire," Regina said, taking a breath. "On that note, I would appreciate it if you didn't tell people about Emma and me being together, at least not yet. We'd like to keep that information between us for now," she said, pausing to grab Emma's hand again under the table. "Henry, are you okay with this? Do you have any questions?" she asked, noting that Roland was still devouring his pie and not paying attention to the conversation around him. Clearly he was unaffected by her announcement.

He shrugged. "I mean, it's weird. But it's weird that dad has a girlfriend, too."

Regina laughed. "Yeah, I imagine it's weird to think about your parents dating anyone."

"Yeah it is. But I mean, if you're happy then that's good, I guess. I just don't want you and dad fighting. Peter's parents got divorced last year and when his dad brought home a new girlfriend, his mother freaked out, and now they argue all the time and can't be in the same room as each other. His birthday is next week and his dad can't come to his Bar Mitzvah now."

"Oh, Henry, I promise that will never happen with us," Regina said, leaning forward to cup his cheek with her palm. "Your dad and I still get along just fine, and we are putting you boys first in everything we do. I've met Gwen and Robin has met Emma, and we all like each other. We can all be in the same room or at the same party and it will be fine. Don't worry about that."

Henry nodded and picked up his fork to continue eating. "Okay, then."

"Okay?"

"Yep." Regina let out a breath and looked over at Emma, who smiled back and sent her a subtle wink. Regina finally picked up her fork and took her first bite of the untouched pie and nearly melted puddle of ice cream on the plate.

*.*.*

"Alright, kids, get your bags and get your shoes on. Your dad is on his way up," Regina said later that evening. After finishing dessert, they had started watching Elf on the large TV in the living room. Roland had fallen asleep, and Emma was fighting a tryptophan coma herself, waking herself up each time her head fell onto Regina's shoulder.

There was a knock on the door as Regina helped a very tired Roland into his boots and coat. "I'll get it," Emma said as she walked over, letting Robin into the apartment. "Hi, Robin."

"Hi, Emma," he said, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "How was dinner?"

"It was good. Regina did most of the cooking, and I think you would have been impressed with her work," she replied.

"I'm sure I would. She always has been really good in the kitchen. She doesn't give herself enough credit."

"My ears are burning," Regina said as she walked over to join them, a bundled up Roland staggering behind her. "Thank you again for letting me have them today, Robin."

"Of course, Regina. I know how much this holiday means to them and to you," he smiled. "Are you still okay to take them this weekend? If you'd rather have time alone with Emma, I can take them with me when I got to visit Gwen up north."

"We're more than happy to have them stay with us here."

"So I take it, then, that your announcement was okay? How'd it go?" he asked, genuinely concerned.

"It was fine…Roland is oblivious and doesn't think anything of it, but I think Henry needs some time to get used to it. He had some questions, but I think he'll be okay. I know it's a big change for him to adjust to. Hell, it was a big adjustment for me. I'm still working through it," she laughed.

"You are, but you're doing great, Regina. I'm so happy to finally see you this happy."

"Me too," she said, smiling over at Emma who had wrapped an arm around her waist.

"Alright, well I will get these rugrats out of your hair, and I can swing by early Saturday morning to drop them off on my way out of town, if that works for you?"

"That's perfect," Regina confirmed. "Bye, boys. We'll see you in two days," she called to the boys who had already started walking down the landing.

"Bye!" they both called back.

She shut the door behind them and turned to face Emma with a teasing glint in her eye. "So, just how tired are you?"

Emma raised an eyebrow. "I can rally."

A/N: Shout out to the guest reviewer who reviewed A Montreal Excursion when I asked if I should continue the fic/asked for ideas and suggested having Regina introduce Emma as her girlfriend to the boys. I hope that anonymous person is still reading and enjoyed this chapter!

Happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you enjoyed some domestic Emma/Regina fluff :)

Quick question: Several of you have mentioned that you want a SQ fight, and I agree I want one too because they're a couple and couples fight. But, I'm not sure what I want to have them argue about. I have a few ideas (one of them gets jealous, or Emma gets upset that Regina keeps paying for things since she obviously has more money and it makes Emma feel inferior/insecure, or they may fight over something that happens with Cora and the way she treats Regina and/or Emma, or maybe the stress of long distance finally gets to them...), but I don't know what I want to go with/I'm open to other ideas. So, if you have any suggestions for what could be the cause of their first real fight, feel free to leave them in the comments! And if you come up with something I haven't thought of and I end up choosing it, I'll definitely give you a shoutout/credit when that chapter gets posted (because I'm in academia and plagiarism of ideas is so not okay — gotta cite your sources! lol).

Next up: Emma is Regina's guest to an event (if you've read the previous two fics in this series closely, you might be able to guess what the event is), and a pretty monumental moment in their relationship occurs. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading :)

A/N:To guest reviewer Kat Ruggles (since I can't DM you directly): Thanks for reading and reviewing! To answer your two questions: As I was writing the chapter I quickly googled "Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in Canada" because I wasn't sure if it aired there. The first links were for livestreaming it online via Facebook/etc. CTV didn't come up, so I incorrectly assumed it didn't air in Canada. After reading your comment, though, I went back and revised it to Emma DVR'ing it for the kids to watch later, since they weren't home during the live airing anyway :), so thank you for pointing that out! As for calling it "real" Thanksgiving, I totally agree that Canada's is based on a much nicer reason and happened before the US holiday was created. But, Emma has only been in Canada for a month at this point, so she doesn't consider herself a Canadian yet...she probably didn't realize Canada had a Thanksgiving of its own until she got there, or at least later in her life (I didn't know until two people from Canada moved to my school in high school — literally our history classes never talked about Canada). If it weren't for those two I probably wouldn't have known until I started following some Canadian actors on Instagram like 2 years ago. So in Emma's mind, she still thinks of the US Thanksgiving date as the "real" one, because that's been her life for 30 years. I put "real" in quotes because it's just her thought process as someone who is still on a US calendar...it's definitely not a declarative statement that one is better than the other or that any country's Thanksgiving is more or less valid than another's, and I really hope it didn't come across that way. (I based the verbiage on how my Canadian friends used to tease us and we would tease them. In high school they would always say "I'm going back to Ottawa for 'real' Thanksgiving" in October, so then in November after we'd get back from Thanksgiving break we'd ask them how they liked our "real" Thanksgiving. It was all in jest, but maybe it doesn't translate into the written fic world). But, to be on the safe side, I might go back and reword it to something along the lines of Emma still thinking of Thanksgiving as a holiday celebrated in November (though that doesn't flow as well..idk, I'll play with it).