As suggested/requested by Polybi – a little prequel to 'There's No Such Thing As Santa Clause'.

Hope you enjoy! And if you do, please R&R – feed my feedback addiction!

"You'll never guess who I just met at the grocery store!" shouted Emma as she came stomping into the Mayoral Mansion, arms laden. Regina rolled her eyes, lowering her book as she waited for the blonde to inevitably come through to the living room and tell her. "Rapunzel! How freaking weird is that!" She flopped down on the couch beside the brunette. "Her hair wasn't even that long."

Regina let out a little chuckle. "Well, she was a fitness instructor up until a few months ago, can't imagine all that hair would have been practical."

"You really do know everything about this town," marveled Emma, turning to face the brunette on the couch.

"I did create it dear, it was my job."

Glossing over the details, and knowing Regina didn't like to talk about the events surrounding the curse and the details of casting it, Emma was happy to move on. "She says she's growing it out again though."

"How lovely, next she'll be moving into the clock tower and letting it out the window," quipped the former Evil Queen.

"It's still all so weird," sighed Emma, leaning to curl into her love's side. "Trying to get my head around the fact that all those stories are real. Actual real people."

"Do I have to say it again?" asked Regina, eyebrow raised as green eyes flashed up to meet her own chocolate pools. Over the past few months, Emma's shock and surprise at discovering each new fairytale character had been met with the same response. A concise reminder of exactly who her parents' and girlfriend were.

"No. It just weirds me out when you do," replied Emma. It was one thing to accept that fairytales were real, quite another to accept that Snow White and Charming were her biological parents. If ever there was a storyline made for Oprah… "I mean, before I knew, I used to talk about everything with her. Everything. One night stands, who I thought was hot, how you would frustrate me so until I didn't know if I wanted to punch you or kiss you!"

"I'm glad you finally opted for the latter," smirked Regina, leaning her head on Emma's.

"Mmm, so am I," grinned the blonde, leaning up to press her lips against waiting red ones.

"Gross,"came Henry's voice as she appeared in the doorway.

Regina pulled back, eyebrow raised. "Coming from the boy who said what he'd really love was for his two moms to get along?"

"Not that well," mumbled the boy as he shuffled into the room, coming to stand behind the sofa where his two moms remained curled up. "I'm hungry."

"You know where the kitchen is," said Emma, knowing full well what her son was hinting at, but loathe to move away from Regina's warmth.

"But we don't have bacon double cheeseburgers in the kitchen," whined Henry.

"Supposedly meaning you want to go to Grannies?" asked Regina with a smirk.

The boy nodded eagerly. "You two could make it like a date, and I could be your chaperone!" he added, trying to tempt the two women into going.

"Henry, I know there might be a whole town of fairytale characters out there, but this is still the 21st century. It's not some Jane Austen novel. If I want to take your mom out on a date, I can."

"You haven't recently though," pointed out the small boy, gaining a smirk from Regina as the blonde tried to form a response.

"I moved in! That's more serious than dating!" she finally blurted.

Deciding to give her lover a reprieve, Regina cut in. "You're right. How about if we make tonight a family night rather than a date?"

"Awesome!" grinned Henry. "I'll go get my jacket!"

The brunette chuckled as her son flew from the room, not bothering to shout after him not to run, knowing there was no point. "The only reason you don't want a chaperone is because you wouldn't know how to behave appropriately," she smirked as she turned back to the blonde.

"Would so!" countered Emma.

"Oh really? So what part of your behaviour on our dates would you consider appropriate conduct in front of a chaperone?" asked the former Evil Queen, her eyes full of mischief.

Emma let out a puff of air as she came up blank. She had to admit, she hadn't always been the most ladylike on their dates, more the horny teenage boy who couldn't believe their luck. "I was good on our first date!" she finally grinned.

"That's because you were terrified the entire time," laughed Regina, reaching out to cup the blonde's cheek. "You kept fidgeting with your dress every five minutes and flinching when I came near you."

"You were kinda scary," pointed out Emma, leaning into the touch. "And I wasn't exactly sure why you'd said yes, because you actually wanted to have dinner with me or so you could get close enough to kill me quickly."

"Still haven't decided," grinned Regina before leaning forward to press a sound kiss to the blonde's lips. "But I will admit I'm leaning towards the former."

"Are you two still doing that?" asked Henry as he appeared back, his own shoes and jacket already on, his mothers' jackets in his arms. "I'm dying of hunger over here and all you two can do is be all mushy with each other."

"Ruby not working tonight?" Emma asked as Granny herself came over to take their order.

"Not unless you want wolf slobber on everything dear," smiled the older woman, nodding towards the window. "Full moon tonight."

Emma nodded. That still wasn't computing with her either, the fact that her waitress friend could transform into a huge wolf at will.

"So, two bacon double cheeseburgers and-"

"Three," Regina cut in, bringing three pairs of disbelieving eyes round to her. "It's hardly over indulging if it's once in a blue moon," she smirked with a simple shrug.

Granny returned the smile, nodding kudos to the brunette. "All right, three bacon doubles it is."

Henry too grinned at his mother, nudging her arm gently and tilting his head towards the blonde, who sat with a frown on her face. "When is she gonna get this?"

Regina chuckled, shaking her head. "Some day, Henry, some day." A mischievous smirk settled on her face as an idea came to her, and she leant down closer to her son. "But until that day, what do you say we have a little fun?"

The boy grinned at the playfulness in his mother's tone and face. It had been a long time since they had been able to act like this with each other, and he was loving it. Since his moms had gotten together, he had seen more and more of the old Regina, until the Evil Queen was almost entirely gone. "What were you thinking?"

"Well, Christmas is coming up…"

Snow and Charming regarded the former Evil Queen with no small measure of apprehension as she stood in the doorway to Mary-Margaret's apartment where the two of them now resided, a smile on her face and a box full of muffins in her hand.

"Regina…what are you doing here?" asked Snow, looking past the woman for her daughter or at least her grandson.

"I thought we could talk about what we're going to do for Christmas," smiled the brunette brightly. She hoped the smile didn't appear as nervous as she felt. Yes, the former enemies were getting along much better since Emma had declared her love for the former Evil Queen and threatened anyone who dared harm her. It had been effective in forcing a few broken bridges to at least start being mended. The fact remained, however, that the two people standing before her now had, more than once, planned her execution.

"We?" repeated Charming.

"Yes," nodded Regina. "A family Christmas."

"You want us to help you play a prank on our daughter?" asked Snow, perched on the edge of her sofa, Charming right next to her as Regina sat on the sofa opposite. "On her first family Christmas in Storybrooke?"

Put like that, Regina had to admit, it didn't sound very nice, but knowing Emma like she did, she knew the young woman would appreciate the humour. "Well, yes, but I promise you she'll take it in the manner in which it's intended. Henry agrees with the idea, he helped come up with the plan!" she added defensively.

Charming looked to Snow, who still sat with a look of utter disbelief on her face. She still couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that the former Evil Queen was sat on her sofa, plotting a completely harmless prank, and asking for her help in doing so. And she had brought muffins. "Who the hell are you?" she asked after a few moments.

Regina frowned. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I," laughed Snow, shaking her head. "But if there ever was proof that the Evil Queen has turned over a new leaf, this is it."

Regina's frown deepened.

"I have to agree," said Charming, grinning at Regina's complete confusion. "You do realise you came over here to ask us to tell our daughter Santa Claus is real?"

"Yes," nodded the brunette. Of course she realised, what sort of question was that?

Snow joined in her husband's laughter. "Regina, think about it. Think of how absurd this is. You came here, bringing non poisonous muffins, full of Christmas spirit, asking us to help convince our daughter Santa Claus is real. You then asked Charming to dress up as the man himself, and set out presents in your house."

Regina merely let out a huff of air. It wasn't ridiculous. It was the person she had always been. Always wanted to be, only now, allowed out to play. And all thanks to one frustrating blonde she loved with all her heart. What was ridiculous was how happy she was these days. Half the town was sure she was on drugs. She allowed a smile to tug at her lips as she looked up at the couple opposite her, grinning like fools. "So will you?"

Snow chuckled. "The things you do for family, huh?" The smile she got in reply would have taken anyone's breath away. It wasn't the smile of any Evil Queen, or former Mayors, it was the smile of a little girl, thought lost so long ago. A little girl, who only wanted to love, and be loved in return, surrounded safe and warm in the embrace of family.