A/N: This year there's another Christmas OS from me. I know that the topic has already been covered enough in various fanfictions, but I couldn't help but write my own version. I thought it would be a good idea to combine it with Christmas.
I wish you happy holidays, a happy new year and lots of fun reading!
Once again, Emma read the text message she had received from her mother.
Are you coming to dinner later? The goose is already in the oven and we're looking forward to seeing you. Henry can hardly wait for the presents. Please get in touch.
Sighing, Emma scratched her forehead and stared at the computer screen, where the document she had last worked on was still open. Despite the fact that it was Christmas Eve, she hadn't missed the opportunity to drive to the sheriff's office and go about her daily duties. Though, in all fairness, she had to admit that it was also an escape of sorts. It was new to her to have a family who wanted to spend Christmas with her and even though it was nice to have people who cared about her, she still felt a little crushed by the whole situation. On top of that, she had actually had other plans after work, which her parents would neither understand nor approve of if she told them about it.
However, a glance at the clock told her that she couldn't put off the answer her mother was waiting for much longer if she didn't want a completely indignant phone call to reach her. Instead, to forestall it, she dialed Mary Margaret's number herself and listened for the dial tone while she packed up her things and shut down the computer, her cell phone tucked between her ear and shoulder.
"Emma, finally! Don't tell me you've been so busy that you couldn't get in touch sooner," Mary Margaret said with a hint of reproach in her voice as soon as she had taken the call.
Emma bit her lip and reached for her smartphone before she could drop it. "Hi, Mary Margaret," she greeted her and could have slapped herself in the face. She hadn't gotten used to calling the woman, who was her age and had been her friend until recently, Mom. The only problem was that every time Emma called her by her first name, Mary Margaret made a grave face and gave her husband a look of suffering. Before she could express her displeasure, Emma quickly continued. "No, not at all, but I wanted to finish my work so I could enjoy the holidays," she explained, tucking a strand of blonde hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear.
"All right, but you're joining us later, aren't you? We've already set the table and David and Henry have taken care of the tree and it's all turned out beautifully," Mary Margaret raved on.
Emma chewed hesitantly on her lower lip. "Yes, I think I can definitely drop in for dinner," she finally agreed.
"Just drop in?" Mary Margaret immediately replied in surprise. "What do you mean, Emma? I'm sure you'll be spending the night with us, after all, the time for the presents is tomorrow morning."
"Let's talk about it later, shall we?" Emma asked. "I'll be on my way now. See you soon!" Before her mother could interrupt her again, Emma quickly hung up. Before switching off the light, she slipped the small packet she had picked up from the pharmacy that afternoon into her jacket pocket, locked the office and then hurried across the street to her yellow Bug parked next to the sidewalk. Her breath rose in white clouds in front of her and her boots made crunching noises in the snow, which not only covered the trees and meadows, but also the entire street by now. Shivering and with chattering teeth, Emma sat down in the driver's seat and rubbed her freezing cold hands. She really should have thought about getting a winter jacket and not walking around in her red leather jacket in this weather, but as one event had followed the next, she hadn't even got around to getting properly dressed before the first snowfall.
Barely five minutes later, she had arrived in front of the house where her parents lived and climbed the stairs. After she rang the bell, it was neither Mary Margaret nor David who opened the door, but Henry, who threw himself into her arms with a happy grin and pressed his head against her chest.
"There you are, Emma!" he exclaimed enthusiastically and then looked up at her. "We've been waiting for you for half an eternity."
"Sorry, kid. I'm here now," Emma replied with a wry grin and ran her hand through his hair.
"Grandma's roasted a goose, have you noticed how great it smells?" he continued enthusiastically, running back to the stove as he spoke, where the roast was cooking until golden and crispy.
"Yes, fantastic," Emma admitted as enthusiastically as possible and slipped her boots off her feet as Mary Margaret came down the stairs.
"Emma, sweety, there you are!" Beaming with joy, she hugged her daughter and then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I've just prepared your bed. You don't mind sleeping upstairs with Henry, do you? Unfortunately, we don't have any more room in here."
"Well, about that..." Emma began, but was interrupted by David, who also entered the living area at that moment.
"Hello, Emma," he greeted her and gave her a gentle smile.
Emma returned his expression and this time it really came from the heart. She liked her father's calm, unobtrusive manner, which she definitely got on better with than her mother's sometimes bubbly demeanor. "Is there anything else I can do to help?" she finally asked, deciding not to tell her family until after dinner that she wouldn't be staying.
"No, that's not necessary. Sit down, the table is already set, I just have to cut the meat," Mary Margaret explained in response to her question. "The rest of you can sit down too. I don't want to have to call you five more times later."
Henry and David exchanged a grin, but did as they were told and took their seats at the dining table.
Emma only went into the bathroom briefly to wash her hands and encourage her reflection in the mirror before joining her family.
Soon, apart from the occasional conversation, all that could be heard was the clatter of cutlery on plates and the sound of everyone chewing as they enjoyed their food.
"You've really outdone yourself, Mar… Mom," Emma quickly improved after having her plate filled twice more and feeling like she was going to burst at any moment.
Mary Margaret blushed. "Thank you so much, my sweety. I'm glad we can finally celebrate Christmas together. Of course, we didn't have this tradition in the Enchanted Forest anyway, but I have to admit that I've grown quite fond of it over the last 28 years."
Emma, who had grown up as a completely ordinary girl in a world without magic, realized that it was still her first real Christmas. She had never had any luck with the foster families she had been placed with, so there had never been a festive meal, a tree or even presents. When she finally grew up and led her own life, there was no one she could or wanted to celebrate with. She had always been a loner through and through and wasn't good at making friends.
"Emma, are you all right? You're so quiet," Mary Margaret finally observed.
Taking a deep breath, Emma wiped her mouth clean and placed the crumpled napkin on her plate. She had to tell them now. They had finished eating and so there was no way she could delay any longer. "Everything's fine, yes. But I know you're about to be pissed off and so I'm not too keen on telling you," she explained. "I'm not going to stay. I have to go out again and I won't be staying here overnight. Of course, I can come back tomorrow when you're unwrapping the presents." The bombshell had finally been dropped, but instead of feeling relieved, she felt as if a stone had been thrown in her stomach when she saw the long faces of her parents and son.
"But Emma!" Henry said disappointedly, looking at her with a pleading expression on his face.
"I'm really sorry, kid. But you've got your grandparents to celebrate with and I'll be back tomorrow morning," she promised him with an encouraging smile.
"Emma, please come with me," Mary Margaret said, but her tone made it clear that it wasn't a request, but rather an order.
Stiff-legged, Emma stood up and followed her into the bedroom. Even there, every free space was decorated with little Christmas figures.
As soon as her daughter was in the room with her, Mary Margaret closed the door. "You're going to her, aren't you?" she asked accusingly, staring angrily into Emma's eyes. "On Christmas Eve, Emma! What is this?"
"She's not well, Mary Margaret. I know you've had your disagreements, but..."
"Disagreements?!" she interrupted her and her voice almost snapped. "She tried to kill us, and not just once! She killed my father, your grandfather. And she wanted you dead too. It's her fault that you had to grow up without us and now you care about her and would rather be with her than your family?"
Emma doubted that the closed door made any sense with the volume Mary Margaret used and just let her angry speech wash over her. "I understand you, I really do. But I only know her from here. I only know Regina, you know? I've never met the Evil Queen. You don't want to hear about it, I know, but she saved our lives."
"Which wouldn't have been necessary if she hadn't wanted to kill us in the first place," her mother snorted.
"She didn't want to kill us," Emma said harshly, having had enough of Mary Margaret's hate speeches. "She was trying to protect Henry and Storybrooke from Cora, and after I met her, I probably would have done the same thing if I were her. You can think what you like of her, but if she hadn't helped us, she wouldn't feel bad now. So it's the least I can do to stop by and keep her company from time to time and you won't stop me. I've grown up, even without you, and I'm not going to let my newly emerged parents stop me from visiting someone when I'm 28." With that, she opened the bathroom door and returned to the living area, where David and Henry were still sitting at the table, looking at them intently when they reappeared.
"You want to see my mom?" Henry asked; they hadn't been able to understand every word that was spoken, but at least that much was clear to them.
Emma nodded, squatted down in front of her son and pressed a kiss to his hairline. "I know you're still angry and disappointed, but I'm sure you'll forgive her eventually. I already did and that's why I don't want her to be all alone at Christmas, okay?"
Sighing, Henry crossed his arms in front of his chest, but nodded.
"Have a nice Christmas with your grandparents, okay?" she said softly and stood up. "Thanks for the food. I'm sorry if I ruined the mood. But I can't pretend nothing's wrong and celebrate with you while Regina sits alone in her house." With that, she slipped into her boots and jacket and left the loft.
During the time she had spent in the apartment building, it had become completely dark and it had started to snow. As best she could, Emma turned up the collar of her much too thin jacket and freed her car from the layer of snow that had settled on it. Freezing, she drove to the main road and a little later turned into Mifflin Street. Regina's house was the only one that wasn't decorated and illuminated with fairy lights. What surprised Emma more, however, was the fact that there were no lights behind the windows either.
Before she got out, Emma reached for a large bag in her back seat that she had left there in the morning before work. She took another deep breath before hurrying over to the snow-covered porch.
It had been a few weeks since Regina herself had absorbed the Death Curse she had used to stop her mother and which had almost killed Emma and Mary Margaret instead. But instead of recovering from it, she was getting worse day by day. It had been Emma who had first checked on her a few days after the incident, as it had seemed strange to her that nothing at all had been heard or seen of the mayor. As she hadn't opened the door, Emma had broken in through the back door and found Regina on her sofa with a high fever. Since then, she regularly checked on her and helped her when she let her. Although Emma had mentioned to her family several times that Regina was not well, the others were still too angry at what the former queen had done to them and felt that she deserved no less. Emma didn't think they wanted her dead, however, but unfortunately it had been looking for a few days as if that was exactly what would happen to Regina if they didn't think of something soon.
Emma used the spare key she now had to gain entry. "Regina?" she called out into the complete blackness of the house to draw attention to herself. "It's me!" To avoid breaking her neck, she pressed the light switch next to the door, which illuminated the entrance hall and the staircase. Momentarily blinded, Emma hurried through the short corridor into the foyer, where her breath caught in her throat. "Regina!" She simply dropped her bag and ran instead to Regina's slender figure at the foot of the stairs.
Wrapped in gray silk pajamas, the brunette's body was rigid and shaking in violent spasms, while her eyes were fixed sightlessly on the ceiling. Her breathing was shallow and her lips were blue.
Emma knelt behind her and carefully took her head, which had been banging rhythmically against the hard floor, into her lap to save her from even worse injury. She was about to call an ambulance when the seizure fortunately subsided after what seemed like endless minutes.
Regina was now lying very still on the floor, her eyes closed and her breathing calmer again. Even her pale face regained a little color. However, it was quite a while before she let out a soft moan and pulled a face.
"Regina?" Emma whispered, stroking her hair with a worried expression.
With great effort, Regina opened her eyes a crack and looked at Emma, who was leaning over her. "Emma," she breathed weakly and grimaced again.
"It's all right, I'm here now. You're in pain, aren't you? What happened?" the blonde wanted to know.
"I..." Regina began and looked around briefly. "I wanted to go to the kitchen," she finally explained slowly. Her hand didn't fully obey her as she lifted it and held her head. "I blacked out and fell down the stairs," she finally recalled. "That's all I know."
Emma nodded and gently squeezed her shoulder. "You were having a seizure when I found you," she explained, letting her gaze wander over her body. "Where are you in pain?"
Regina, who seemed to find every movement and every thought difficult, carefully tried to move her limbs, her face contorting again. "My left hip and... my head," she finally replied, straining.
"You need to go to the hospital," Emma said.
"No! Emma, not a hospital. They can't help me," she immediately replied gruffly and a little anxiously.
"I can't help you either! What am I supposed to do now? You've probably broken something and you've definitely got a concussion! I don't know anything about this kind of thing," she said worriedly.
Regina took a deep breath. "I haven't broken anything. It's probably just a contusion. Can you help me up?" she then asked her with an embarrassed look.
Emma didn't like the situation at all. But then again, she didn't know whether Regina would have been treated at all in hospital. Her parents weren't the only Storybrooke residents who still held a grudge against her. "All right," she finally relented. "But slowly."
Snorting, Regina propped herself up on the floor with her hands. "Believe me, it's not possible to do it quickly anyway." Only with Emma's help did she manage to sit up and then immediately closed her eyes as everything spun in front of her.
Without asking if it was all right, Emma lifted Regina's slender body into her arms.
"What are you doing? I can do this on my own," Regina protested immediately, but her voice was still so weak that her words didn't have the appropriate effect anyway.
"I'm taking you to bed. You need rest," Emma replied curtly and climbed the stairs. She had never felt so helpless in her life. The worst thing was that no one else cared how bad Regina was feeling. No one could understand why Emma, of all people, would take care of her when she was responsible for her messed-up childhood. But Emma judged her for what she did in the present and since they had met, she had changed dramatically and was really trying to be a better person. Without them planning it, a friendship had developed between them and Emma often came to Regina when she was stuck. She understood her where her family couldn't.
Emma pushed open the door to Regina's bedroom with her hip and laid her carefully on the large bed. Judging by the rumpled sheets and the flattened pillow, she had obviously only recently left it.
"Thank you, Emma. You better go now. It's Christmas, what are you doing here anyway? Why aren't you with your family?" Regina asked, exhausted but emphatic, as soon as she was lying down.
"I was with them," the blonde explained and sat on the edge of the bed. "Had dinner with them." She sighed and scrutinized Regina's pale face. "Do you really think I'd leave you alone for the whole holiday?"
"They certainly weren't thrilled," Regina said, "and they're right. Christmas is the celebration of love and family."
Emma swallowed hard. "Good, then I've come to the right place. You're important to me, Regina, even if you don't want to believe it. And I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't come, hm?"
Regina fell silent and lowered her gaze to her trembling hands.
"You're getting worse, aren't you?" Emma finally wanted to know, almost tonelessly.
"It was only a matter of time," she said quietly.
"I have to get help. We have to ask Gold. Surely he can-"
"Emma... There's no help," Regina whispered, taking her hand in hers. "It's called Death Curse for a reason."
"But..." Tears gathered involuntarily in Emma's eyes. "You're suffering, Regina. You've had a fever for weeks, you're in pain, you're weak and it's getting worse. I have to do something about it!"
Sighing, Regina stroked her hand with her thumb. "You've already done so much. Don't worry, I won't have to suffer much longer. The seizure means it's affected my central nervous system and it should be quick from there."
Emma stared at her in disbelief. Did she really think this statement would reassure her? She stood up, agitated. "I'll get you some ice." With that, she literally fled out of the bedroom and down the stairs. She didn't understand how Regina could talk so calmly about her death. Didn't she want to fight at all?
With a lump in her throat, Emma took some ice cubes from the freezer, filled them into two plastic bags and wrapped them in towels. With a heavy step, she then returned to Regina and placed one of them on her forehead. "May I?" she then asked, nodding to her hip.
Regina nodded curtly and pulled the blanket back a little.
Emma then pushed her pajama bottoms slightly aside and grimaced when she saw the bruise on her hip, which had already darkened. She placed the ice on it as gently as possible and pulled her trousers back over it.
"Thank you," Regina whispered with a relieved sigh and closed her eyes.
Emma was still torn. Part of her wanted to get Regina to the hospital as soon as possible, but another part had to agree with her. It wouldn't do any good even if they didn't refuse to help her. "Can I leave you alone for a while? I want to make you something to eat."
"You don't have to," Regina replied immediately and looked into Emma's green eyes, which scrutinized her sadly. "I'm fine here now. You can go back to your family, I'll be fine."
But Emma shook her head vehemently. "I'm not leaving you alone, so forget about it."
Regina sighed and bit her lip. "How's Henry?" she wanted to know, her voice sounding infinitely gentle.
"Good, very good. He's looking forward to the presents," Emma said with a small smile.
Regina returned it, even though she looked very wistful. "There's a gift box for him in my closet. Maybe... you could give it to him from me."
"Give it to him yourself," Emma returned a little more gruffly than intended.
"Emma... if he had forgiven me, he would have come here with you today. So he obviously hasn't. I don't have much time left. We both know I won't live to see the New Year, so... give it to him as soon as he's no longer angry with me," she pleaded.
"You're not dying. I won't let you," Emma replied stubbornly.
"Thank you, that really means a lot to me," Regina replied with a weary smile.
"I'll... make you dinner now, okay?"
Regina nodded and closed her eyes again, exhausted.
Emma slowly withdrew from the bedroom and went back downstairs to the kitchen. On the way, she picked up her bag, which was still lying in the hallway where she had dropped it in her panic, and took out the can of fresh chicken soup she had brought Regina. She knew that she had been feeling nauseous all the time recently and hoped to do her some good with it.
After a short search, she found a suitable pot, poured the contents of the can into it and warmed the soup, stirring thoughtfully. Meanwhile, Emma stared ahead of her and chewed nervously on her lower lip. She had come here today knowing that Regina wasn't well, but she hadn't expected to find her in such a bad state. The thought that she might die and that Henry hadn't forgiven her beforehand almost killed her. But no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn't think of a solution. And what could she do? She had only recently discovered that she also had magic powers, but she couldn't control them very well, nor did she know any spells she could use to help Regina. If Regina couldn't help herself and was sure that Gold couldn't help either, then Emma would have to face the inevitable, for better or worse. A tear formed in the corner of her eye and she quickly wiped it away. What Regina wanted least of all was pity.
Emma turned off the stove as the soup began to boil and poured it into a bowl. Together with a spoon and a cup of water, she placed it on a tray and then slowly balanced it upwards.
Regina, who was even weaker than before due to the seizure, was startled out of her half-sleep when Emma entered the room. "I can't promise I'll be able to eat much," she whispered, sitting up with difficulty and leaning against the head of her bed.
"That's okay. I just want you to have something in your stomach," Emma explained and put the tray on her lap.
"Aren't you eating anything?" Regina wanted to know.
Shaking her head, Emma took a seat next to her. "As I said, I ate at my parents' and I ate a lot. Enjoy it."
Regina nodded curtly and then began to spoon up the soup. "It tastes really good," she smiled a little forcedly after a while, but shortly afterwards put the tray down next to her in bed and closed her eyes.
"Are you in pain again?" Emma asked uncertainly.
"I'm fine," Regina whispered and took a deep breath. "I'm just so exhausted," she then admitted and her jaw twitched as she clenched her teeth tightly.
Emma was sure she was only telling half the truth and gently put a hand to her forehead.
Despite the bag of ice Regina had set aside before sitting up, her forehead was unnaturally hot.
"You're literally burning," Emma said worriedly and stroked her cheek with her cool fingers, causing Regina to wince.
"The fever usually comes towards evening," the brunette mumbled and curled up under her blanket, shivering. "Just let me sleep, then... I'm sure it'll be better in the morning."
Emma didn't dare say anything back. She knew Regina was trying to reassure her, but she was sure she didn't believe things would improve. Not after she'd told her it was over. "It's fine. Go to sleep. I'll take care of you," she promised, placing the ice pack back on her sweaty forehead.
"I'll be fine," Regina mumbled, barely intelligible, as she was already half asleep, but Emma wasn't impressed.
She stayed where she was and waited until Regina had fallen into a deep slumber. Only when she was sure that she wouldn't wake up straight away did Emma get up and quietly pull the fairy lights and the star that she had also brought with her out of her bag. If Regina was unwell, she at least wanted to bring a little Christmas to her sickbed. She placed both items by the window as quietly as possible. As it grew light late in the morning, she would switch on the lights for her friend on Christmas morning.
Before curling up in the armchair in the corner of the room to get some rest, Emma took a quick look at her cell phone screen. She had received a message from her mother about an hour ago, which she opened with a sigh.
Henry is in bed. Will you at least come for the presents? Mom
Emma's guts tightened. There was absolutely no way she could leave Regina alone in her condition. She might suffer another seizure or seriously injure herself if she fell again.
I probably won't make it. I'm sorry. Regina needs me. -E.
Emma hadn't expected an answer after this statement, but when none came, it still hit her hard for some unknown reason. With a deep sigh, she switched off the bedside lamp and closed her eyes. She hadn't intended to sleep as she wanted to look after Regina, but it didn't take long for her tiredness to get the better of her.
When she woke up again, it was still pitch dark outside. However, a glance at her smartphone told Emma that it was already eight o'clock in the morning. Alarmed that she had slept through the night, she immediately looked over to Regina's bed and was surprised to see her eyes open. "Merry Christmas," she whispered, "how are you feeling?"
Straining, Regina turned her head in Emma's direction and looked at her with a dull expression. "Merry Christmas. You shouldn't have stayed." A cough shook her and left her panting breathlessly.
Emma ignored her words and instead got up to switch on the Christmas lights in the window. When she turned back to Regina, she actually thought she saw a small smile and a touched sparkle in her eyes. "If you can't celebrate properly, you should at least realize that it's Christmas," she explained, taking a seat on the edge of her bed.
"Thank you, Emma," Regina said quietly, allowing Emma to put a hand to her forehead.
"The fever seems to have gone down," the blonde then noted.
"Great," Regina mumbled, her face contorted in pain as she tried to sit up.
"I completely forgot!" Emma then remembered in a flash. "I went to the pharmacy yesterday." With these words, she ran down the stairs to her jacket, which was hanging on the coat rack, to get out the small packet she had stuffed in there the day before. Shortly afterwards, she was back with Regina. "Here, for your back pain," she said and showed her the heat patches.
"I've never had anything so nice for Christmas," Regina replied with a wry grin, but then immediately reached for Emma's hand and looked her in the eye with a genuine smile. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," she waved it off. "Can I put one on you?"
Regina nodded, but didn't know how to turn on her side at the same moment, but Emma had already helped her and pushed the top up over her back.
"Okay, that's that," Emma finally commented and helped Regina back onto her back. However, before her friend could fully sink back into her pillow, Emma carefully lifted her upper body a little and fluffed up her pillow with her free hand, into which she then let her slide back.
Regina sighed with relief when she was able to lie still again and turned her gaze back to Emma. "I know you don't want to hear about it. But what about the presents? Henry must be waiting for you."
"Regina... Right now, the priority is that you're not here alone. Henry will often be able to open presents in my presence, but this... you... you're more important now," Emma said in a choked voice.
Regina sighed heavily as her chest rose and fell irregularly in labored breaths.
The lack of protest worried Emma even more than Regina's weak voice would have done. "Shall I get Henry here?" she asked after a while, so quietly that she wasn't even sure Regina had understood her.
However, the fact that Regina immediately shook her head made it clear that she had heard Emma. "I definitely don't want him to see me like that."
"But... if you really... He'll never forgive himself for that," Emma pointed out, unable to bring herself to say the horrible word.
"It's better this way... Believe me." Regina's eyelids fluttered and a moment later another seizure had her body firmly in its grip.
Emma could do nothing but watch helplessly and hope that it would soon be over. The sight of Regina's twisted limbs sent her into panic and deep pain at the same time.
When the seizure was finally over, Regina lay still and only her rapid breathing revealed that her body was still fighting against the inevitable.
This time, Emma was unable to hold back her tears. Sobbing, she pulled the unconscious Regina into her arms and cradled her like a child. "Don't leave me, please. I need you. I only really realize that now," she whispered.
It was almost an hour before Regina finally opened her eyes and stared weakened ahead of her. "What... happened?" she pressed out, her voice rough as sandpaper.
"You seized up again," Emma replied, not even bothering to make her tear-choked voice sound optimistic.
"Hm," was all Regina made. "Can you... some water?" she then asked weakly.
"Yes, of course," Emma nodded quickly and reached for the cup she had barely touched the night before, which was still on the tray she hadn't put back in the kitchen, and held it out to Regina.
Only when she tried to reach for it did she realize that her hands were not obeying her. "I... can't move," she said tonelessly and closed her eyes briefly.
"What?!" Emma gasped in horror. "But why is that? How...?"
"I've explained it to you," Regina replied tensely. "Once the central nervous system is attacked, things go downhill quickly. First seizures, then paralysis of the limbs and then..." She broke off, as she wanted to spare Emma the rest, but she wasn't satisfied with that.
"And then what, Regina?" she wanted to know, looking her firmly in the eye.
"Breathing is also controlled by muscles and nerves, Emma," Regina said quietly.
Emma sat there thunderstruck, Regina's limp body in her arms and her mouth open in a silent cry of horror as new tears ran down her cheeks.
"Stop crying, I'm not worth it," Regina squeezed out.
"You're going to suffocate?" Emma squeezed out when she finally found her voice again.
"Looks like it," Regina sighed. "And that's why I want you to leave now, Emma. I don't want you to have to see this."
But Emma shook her head stubbornly as her eyes sparkled with a determination she hadn't displayed all this time. "No. I'm definitely not going to let you go through this alone," she said bravely, carefully putting the cup to Regina's lips and taking a few small sips of the water.
Regina drank gratefully and swallowed the liquid with great difficulty until she choked violently.
Emma reacted immediately, straightened her up a little more and patted her gently on the back until the urge to cough subsided.
"I'm scared," Regina whispered after a while, her gaze fixed on the Christmas lights, which barely stood out against the increasingly bright sky.
"It would be strange if it wasn't like this," Emma pointed out. She didn't want to imagine what it must be like to wait for you to suffocate miserably. "But I'll stay with you. I promise."
Regina didn't protest, but remained silent, her eyes still fixed on the warm glow of the star in the window. "You're too good for this world, Miss Swan," she said in a whisper after a while. Every breath was now labored.
"Hardly," Emma replied, stroking her dark strands of hair that were damp with sweat. "Otherwise I'd hardly be sitting here doing nothing while the life drains out of you."
"You're not doing nothing. You're the only one who came to me," she reminded her. "I won't forget that." She audibly gasped for breath.
Emma's heart clenched and she shook her head. "That's not fair! It's Christmas, where are the miracles?"
Regina's pale lips curled into a thin smile. "No miracles for villains, I guess," she replied quietly, having to pause after each word as she had long since run out of breath to speak.
"You're not a villain. You're my friend," Emma said wistfully. She gently brushed Regina's hair aside a little and pressed a kiss to her bare forehead.
Both women flinched as a golden wave of magic suddenly erupted from them and disappeared into the distance.
"What... was that?" Emma asked in shock, staring at Regina who was clutching her arm. "Hey, you can move your hand!"
"Indeed. But it can't be," Regina mumbled and stared up into Emma's face, shaking her head.
Emma, who had also immediately noticed that Regina was not only able to move carefully, but was also clearly breathing more easily again, didn't care at all whether it could be or not. "Apparently it is. You're recovering!"
But Regina still shook her head gruffly. "It can't be," she repeated quietly.
"Regina, do you always have to..."
"Emma, listen to me!" she interrupted her. "Only one thing could have broken this curse. Just one thing." She took a deep breath and swallowed hard. "And you wouldn't have been able to do that unless..."
Sighing, Emma slid next to Regina and carefully leaned her upper body against her pillows so she could get a better look at her. "Unless what? Don't keep me on tenterhooks."
"Only a kiss of true love could have broken this curse," Regina finally said, looking Emma firmly in the eye.
The blonde opened her mouth and closed it again without making a sound.
Shakily, but with more strength than five minutes ago, Regina wiped the sweat from her face with her sleeve. She also fell silent and finally lowered her gaze to the blanket.
"You... love me?" Emma finally asked, half mumbling, while her heart pounded so hard in her chest that she could feel it pounding in her head and hear the blood rushing in her ears.
Regina bit her lower lip and chewed on it for a while. "I don't know how that has happened either," she finally said soberly.
Emma laughed and shook her head in disbelief as she gently stroked Regina's cheek with the back of her hand. "I do," she replied softly. "We've gotten to know each other over the past few weeks. I didn't realize how important you actually are to me, or maybe I just didn't want to admit it. Until now."
Wordlessly, Regina closed her eyes and leaned her head into the touch of Emma's fingers.
"And now what? What do we do now?" Emma asked after a while, unsure.
Regina opened her eyes and looked over to the door. "Now I really need a cold shower." She struggled to push her legs out of bed, but it was only thanks to Emma that she didn't fall when her knees gave way.
"Hey, slow down. You were dying a few minutes ago," Emma reminded her gently, supporting her as she slowly walked with her to the bathroom.
Regina's steps became more confident with every meter and when they reached the door, she let go of Emma's arm and leaned into the doorframe instead. "I can manage now, thank you," she whispered.
"Regina?", Emma stopped her before she could lock her out.
The brunette looked up at her expectantly.
"I meant the question. What are we going to do now?" she repeated her words.
A brief melancholic smile creased Regina's lips. "I don't know." And with that, she closed the bathroom door and left Emma in the dimly lit corridor.
The blonde stayed in place for a few more moments, listening to the sound of the water, before slowly descending the stairs and settling down on the sofa in the dark living room. Leaning her upper body forward and resting her forearms on her thighs, she stared into space and nervously knotted her fingers together. She had just broken a curse. Again. But this time she hadn't expected it. Of course, she had become increasingly aware that she felt more for Regina than just friendship, even if she hadn't admitted it to herself. She didn't know much about magic, but she was aware of one thing by now: The kiss of true love was not a one-way street. It only worked if the people involved felt the same way about each other. In her opinion, Regina had never shown that she felt anything for Emma apart from gratitude, and the way she was reacting now only reinforced this impression. On the other hand... If the kiss had worked, there had to be something to it. Such powerful magic couldn't be tricked.
"I thought you'd left," Regina's hoarse voice sounded behind Emma.
Startled, she spun around; she hadn't realized how much time had passed and hadn't heard Regina descend the stairs. She was relieved to see that she already looked a lot better. She was still pale and had dark circles under her eyes and the weight loss of the last few weeks had made her cheeks look hollow, but her dark eyes had regained their sparkle and her walk was once again upright and proud. "Should I have done that?"
Shrugging her shoulders, Regina took a few more steps closer. The daylight had become bright enough for her features to be recognizable. Hesitantly, she sat down next to Emma and looked her in the eye.
Emma returned her gaze and tried to breathe as calmly as possible.
Regina slowly leaned towards her and placed her warm palms on Emma's cheeks. She still did not take her eyes off her. Finally, she reduced the distance between them even further until her lips met Emma's and moved gently on them.
Holding back a gasp, Emma accepted Regina's full lips and savored the kiss. When Regina's eyes finally closed, so did hers and so she concentrated fully on the feeling of Regina's hands on her cheeks and her lips on hers. She felt like she was leaving a burning mark wherever she touched her, but it was a good sensation. All too quickly, her lips disappeared and Emma had the impression that they had taken half her heart with them. Her eyelids opened to meet dilated pupils surrounded by a thin rim of brown.
"It can stay in this house if you want," Regina whispered, "I just wanted to do it once..." She broke off and shook her head as she pulled back from her, running her fingers over her swollen lips. "Thank you for saving my life."
"Is that what you want?" Emma just had to ask the question. She wouldn't let another opportunity for love pass her by just because she was too cowardly to take the initiative.
Regina looked up at her questioningly.
"That it stays in this house. That it was a one-time thing," Emma specified, not even daring to blink for fear that she would scare Regina away at the slightest break in eye contact.
Regina pulled her lower lip between her teeth again.
Emma couldn't remember ever seeing her so self-conscious.
"Not if you don't want to," she finally replied.
"Good, because I don't want it. Maybe I didn't realize how I felt about you until this morning. Or I repressed it, I don't know. But now that I know that you... that I'm not the only one of us who feels this way, I don't want to pretend that nothing happened." She took a deep breath and stroked Regina somewhat hesitantly through the dark strands of hair that were still slightly damp from the shower. "I want to know what develops from this."
"What about your family?" Regina asked.
"What about them?"
Regina sighed. "They'll never accept it. They hate me, remember?"
But Emma didn't want to hear any of this. "All the better that it's Christmas. I wished for a miracle and it happened. You didn't die. So why don't we take our chances and ask for another miracle? My parents and Henry were expecting me to open presents anyway. Let's just go there together."
"Have you gone mad? Do you want me to ruin Christmas for them all?" Regina replied indignantly.
Shaking her head, Emma stood up. "No. On the contrary, we'll kill two birds with one stone. You want to give Henry his present. And I want you all to get along with each other."
"I don't think that's a good idea, Emma."
"But I do! Don't argue, you're coming with me!" And with that, Emma pulled Regina with her into the foyer, where their jackets and shoes were.
Regina stared unhappily at Emma, but finally turned her wrist with a sigh, causing a small purple cloud to form around it. When the magical mist had dissipated, she held the small box intended for Henry between her fingers. "We're definitely going to regret this, both of us," she predicted.
"You can't know that yet. I understand what you mean. Since we've been back... Henry has really cut himself off from you and I'm really sorry about that. But he still loves you, he just has it locked deep inside him and is waiting for the right moment to release it again."
Regina raised an eyebrow in disbelief as she slipped into her boots. "Since when do you say such corny things?"
"Yes, it sounds corny, I admit that. But you know what I mean," Emma sighed.
"Maybe, but I find it hard to believe," she grumbled back.
"And that's the reason I have to show you. Are you ready?" Emma was already wearing her leather jacket and shoes and leaning against the wall next to the door, waiting.
Regina looked up at her in surprise and disbelief after she had slipped into her coat. "Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that you're walking around outside in that jacket? Do you actually know how cold it is?"
Emma shrugged her shoulders. "Somehow I've been a little surprised by the onset of winter," she grinned wryly.
Sighing and curling her lips, Regina shook her head disapprovingly and took Emma by the arm. "I'll poof us before you're freezing to death." She had barely spoken when purple mist formed around them both and they disappeared from the foyer.
"Warning at very short notice!" Emma complained as she stumbled and just managed to catch herself on the wall in her parents' entrance hall. She gruffly waved the last remnants of the magical mist away with her hand.
Regina ignored her, however, and instead stared nervously at the door, which was decorated with a wreath on which little angels were sitting, while she clutched the box for Henry tightly.
Emma stopped her rant and quietly stepped up beside her. She gently put her hand around her forearm. "Hey. They won't bite you. And what's going to happen? At worst, they'll just stay mad at you and don't want to see you. So it can only get better."
"Or," Regina mumbled, "they'll call the sheriff and have me arrested for trespassing."
"Hm," Emma said. "That would be me. Don't worry, I won't let it get that far."
When Emma raised her hand to knock, Regina held her back and looked her firmly in the eye. "About the kiss..." Visibly struggling with herself, she took a deep breath. "I'd be happy if it wasn't just a one-time thing."
Emma gave her a gentle smile and nodded once. When she actually knocked, she wanted to take Regina's hand, but the brunette preferred to stay to the side of the door first, where she couldn't be seen immediately.
Footsteps approached from inside and shortly afterwards David opened the door and looked at Emma in surprise. "Emma! You've come after all!" he said happily and put his arms around his daughter. The sound of soft Christmas music could be heard from the apartment. "Merry Christmas!" It was only when he let go of her again that he noticed Regina and his joyful expression darkened. "What are you doing here?" There was nothing left of the warmth in his voice.
"I invited her," Emma quickly interjected before Regina could say anything or had to defend herself. "Her son is in there. It's Christmas. So pull yourselves together and don't sulk, because there's not the slightest reason to."
"Emma, have you forgotten who she is?" David asked, completely perplexed.
"She's Regina. To you she's the Evil Queen, your enemy, Mary Margaret's stepmother and whatnot, but to me she's just Regina and Henry's mom. Of course she's made mistakes, but who hasn't?" Emma asked, unconsciously putting her arm around the brunette's waist as she spoke.
"She's a psychopathic mass murderer, that doesn't have much to do with simple mistakes. We're celebrating the festival of love and this woman isn't capable of that," Mary Margaret, who had obviously approached the door and overheard half the conversation, said. With her arms crossed in front of her chest and an angry look on her face, she stood next to her husband as if they were defending their home.
Emma snorted. "Fine. Then send Henry out and we'll go."
"Excuse me?" Mary Margaret asked indignantly.
"You heard me. It's Christmas, you celebrate it with your parents. And that's the both of us," Emma replied brusquely.
Mary Margaret opened her mouth to say something back, but Regina had already spoken up.
"Emma, it's all right. I'm going to go. You should celebrate with your family, as it's only right." Her voice was quiet and calm, but you could still hear the pain in it.
Mary Margaret seemed to have expected dissent, for now that she and Regina were suddenly of one mind, she moved her lips silently, but no sound emerged.
Sighing, Emma leaned against the wall and shook her head slowly, looking down at the floor. She took deep breaths until she was sure she wasn't going to scream before raising her eyes again and fixing them on her parents. "When I arrived at Regina's last night, she was dying," she began quietly, noticing with some satisfaction that this revelation brought an uncomfortable expression to her parents' faces. "The Death Curse that was supposed to strike Cora raged through her body and finally took over."
With her brows drawn together, Mary Margaret let her eyes wander over Regina. "It doesn't look like that." But judging by the look on her face, she had noticed that Regina looked haggard and sickly.
"Because I broke it at the last second," Emma nodded, feeling Regina tense up next to her.
"How do you break this curse?" David wanted to know.
"The same way you break any curse," Emma replied simply and slipped her hand into Regina's.
Mary Margaret's eyes widened in horror as the realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. "No. It can't be. She's just using you, Emma! She's deceiving you!"
"You can't fake true love, Mary Margaret, not even with the darkest and most powerful magic there is," Emma contradicted her. "I... can understand that you have to get used to the idea. We have to, too. But I'm not going to lie to myself anymore and hide my feelings out of consideration for you."
These words were followed by a leaden silence, which was only broken when Henry's mop of brown hair pushed its way between his grandparents. "Emma!" he exclaimed enthusiastically when he saw his birth mother. But when he spotted Regina, he didn't rush straight towards her as usual, but eyed her with skepticism. "Mom, what are you doing here?"
"Hello, Henry," Regina whispered and her face was lit up by a gentle smile. "I've missed you so much and I... I thought I..." She broke off and lowered her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Henry. For all of it. I love you more than anything and that's never changed and it never will."
Henry didn't say anything back at first, but continued to look at his adoptive mother with a tilted head. "You were prepared to sacrifice Emma and Grandma," he said after a while.
"That's not tr-" Regina began, but broke off and nodded with a sigh. "You're right, it was a risk I was prepared to take. But I was convinced that they didn't stand a chance against my mother, otherwise I would never have even thought of it, you have to believe me. I didn't want to deliberately harm Emma or Mary Margaret. Those days belong to the past. And you recognized that and stopped me, and I am infinitely grateful to you for that," she said honestly, hesitantly extending her hand towards her son. She was visibly relieved that he let her and didn't flinch when she gently touched his shoulder.
"Is it true that Emma saved you?" he wanted to know with familiar curiosity in his voice.
"Henry!" Mary Margaret said reproachful. "You know better than to eavesdrop!"
The boy rolled his eyes so that only Emma and Regina could see, before turning to his grandmother. "How was I supposed to overhear that? You were incredibly loud."
Emma couldn't help noticing that her father even smiled slightly in response and wondered if there was any hope after all. "Okay, seriously," she intervened and took a deep breath. "I think we can agree to disagree. It's true, Henry, I stopped the Death Curse from killing your mom. I helped her over the past few weeks when she was getting worse from the effects of the curse and we... got to know each other better and realized that we don't actually hate each other. On the contrary, we've enjoyed our time together, talked a lot and realized that we could have been friends for a long time if it weren't for this family feud."
Regina stirred beside her and her hand twitched in Emma's direction before continuing to hang down by her side.
"Mom?" Henry finally turned to her when Emma remained silent. "Was it like that?"
"I think so," Regina nodded, biting her lower lip. "We both didn't expect to be friends, much less fall in love with each other. But it happened and I'm not sorry."
Henry's gaze flitted silently back and forth between his two mothers as he tried to process what he had heard. "Does that mean you're going to move in together and I can live with both of you?" he finally asked with barely suppressed excitement.
"Whoa, slow down, kid," Emma immediately stopped him, but had to grin. "If it ever comes to that, then sure. But first we should probably sort out where we're going to open the presents."
Henry then turned to his grandparents and looked back and forth between them. "Are you really going to kick Emma out because she's fallen in love with my mom?" Henry asked them.
Both Mary Margaret and David looked very uncomfortable. It was David who finally spoke up. "Well, I guess... we'll get used to the idea eventually, won't we, Mary Margaret?"
Mary Margaret, meanwhile, scrutinized Regina with a look as if she wanted to x-ray her. Without blinking or looking away from her, she finally said stiffly, "I think you need some of our blueberry pancakes first. You look thin." With that, she turned around and disappeared inside the apartment.
Regina and Emma looked after her, perplexed, but by then Henry had already grabbed his moms' hands and pulled them with him to the beautiful Christmas tree that stood in a corner of the living room, its lights twinkling across the room. There were already several presents of different shapes and sizes underneath. As they passed the couch, Henry let go of the two women's hands and dropped to his knees in front of the tree.
Emma took her coat from Regina to hang it up next to the door along with her jacket and then motioned for her to sit down, the brunette still standing indecisively in the middle of the room as she returned to her side.
"Is this a fever dream, Emma?" she wanted to know quietly after she sat stiffly on the edge of the sofa and Emma slipped her hand into hers.
A smile slid across Emma's face before she shook her head. "No, it isn't. You're well again and you're really sitting on Mary Margaret's sofa." Emma interrupted herself as her mother approached with a plate piled high with pancakes. "And she's really bringing you pancakes for breakfast," she added.
Regina raised her eyes when Mary Margaret stopped in front of her and handed her the plate, which she accepted. "Thank you," she said quietly but sincerely.
"We've made far too many anyway," Mary Margaret replied lightly, still watching Regina as unobtrusively as possible, as if to make sure she didn't suddenly attack them all.
"I meant... for everything," Regina clarified her thanks. "For letting me be here."
Mary Margaret returned her gaze, nodded once stiffly and then looked down at Henry, who had just pulled a new backpack out of one of the boxes. "It's Christmas after all, isn't it?"
"Wow, that's great!" Henry said before Regina could react.
"Your grandpa thought you could do with one of these when you go adventuring in the forest," Emma explained.
"Thank you, Grandpa!" Henry called out and hugged David.
Meanwhile, Regina shifted uneasily in her seat before she took heart and went to fetch the small parcel that she had just slipped into her coat pocket and which was still there. "This is from me, Henry," she explained and handed it to her son.
"Thanks, Mom!" He opened the almost cube-shaped box and looked curiously at the glass ball that he then held in his hands. "What exactly is it?" he asked curiously.
"It's a kind of snow globe, but it works a little differently than the souvenirs for tourists. When you shake it, you can see your happiest moments with me," she explained.
Emma thought she saw a hint of pink creep across Regina's cheeks. She was obviously a little uncomfortable that everyone was aware of the sentimental gift she had given Henry.
Henry, however, didn't seem to care at all. He shook the little globe bravely and looked inside, eager to see what it would show him. Moving images of him and Regina slid through it like a movie and he saw himself grow from a baby to a ten-year-old in fast motion. Only when the last scene had disappeared did he look up at Regina again. "That's incredible," he breathed in awe. "Thank you!"
"I... well, I wanted you to have at least something of me. Something to remind you that there were times when we were happy," she explained hesitantly, looking down. "I had no idea that your grandparents and Emma would give me another chance. And that I would even live long enough to get one."
Henry didn't say anything back, but wrapped his arms around Regina. "I missed you," he whispered after a while and pressed a kiss to her cheek.
"And I missed you," Regina nodded and took a deep breath with her eyes closed.
Meanwhile, a broad smile was etched on Emma's face. She couldn't remember the last time she had been so happy. Her gaze slid lovingly from Henry to her parents to Regina, whose faces were lit up by the candles and Christmas lights in the windows. She really was very lucky to be able to call them her family. And although she would never have thought it possible that she could hope for a second Christmas miracle after Regina had been rescued, this was exactly what had happened. Regina celebrated Christmas with them as if nothing had ever come between them and the thought made Emma's heart race with joy.