A/N: Sorry, I know this is a little late to be posting for Christmas! I meant to post this earlier in the week but I kept getting distracted by family and Christmassy things so I only just finished it today. :) Ships include Outlaw Queen, Captain Swan, Snowing and Rumbelle. I wanted the story to be longer and more Christmassy but I wanted to post it before Christmas was over. However if there is interest in reading more I may consider adding to it! I hope you like it! Merry Christmas!
"Regina!" Snow's voice carried into the living room from the kitchen. "The cookies are done!"
"I'll be right in!" Regina called back.
She sighed, sinking deeper into the arms that were wrapped warmly around her.
"I suppose you'd better go." Robin said softly into her ear.
"Mhmm..." Regina responded, lips pressed into a warm smile. "Or perhaps I could just stay here for a few more minutes. The gingerbread will need time to cool anyway."
"Well I won't complain if you do." Robin's hand moved from Regina's arm to rest on her sixth-month baby belly.
Regina's smile softened as her hand covered his, staring down at them.
"So far this is turning into the most wonderful Christmas I've ever had." She said.
Her gaze rose to meet his and his heart warmed at the happiness that had become practically a permanence in her beautiful brown eyes lately.
"I'm glad," Robin said tenderly. "The greatest gift for me is to see you happy."
Regina's cheeks flushed ever so slightly and her eyes dropped back downwards. Her heartbeat fluttered with emotion but she didn't know how to respond to his words.
Robin on the other hand, knew she was hiding the tears of happiness that had been a common occurrence over the past few days. She was embarrassed by them and never allowed them to fall, but he thought they were beautiful.
Her fingers entwined with his and she leaned sideways into him as he leaned forwards, so his forehead was touching hers. Both of them closed their eyes, simply enjoying the comfort of each other's embrace and the warmth provided the softly crackling fireplace nearby.
Snow's face suddenly appeared in the doorway. "Hey, I'm just gonna go outside and get the others okay?"
Regina opened her eyes as she and Robin reluctantly pulled away from each other.
"I'm sorry, I'm interrupting aren't I?" Snow asked guiltily, stepping further into the room.
Regina cleared her throat, grinning in slight amusement. "No not at all, I was just coming to join you."
Snow looked relieved. "Okay. Sorry, I'll be right back then." She said hurriedly.
"Sounds good Snow, thank you."
The younger woman scurried away and Regina suppressed a laugh, shaking her head. Her gaze met Robin's and she realised he was still watching her. There was an affection in his eyes that only one person in the world had ever shown her; it was so strong, so genuine. She still sometimes couldn't believe that what she had with Robin was real, but he was always able to convince her that she was indeed both worthy and capable of the deepest love.
Just then the front door burst open and the sounds of laughter and many excited voices filled the house. The couple could hear Roland, Henry, David, Emma and Hook piling into the foyer and taking off their coats.
Robin removed his arms from around his wife and stood up. He offered his arm out to her and helped her up.
They each wrapped an arm around each other again and headed towards the front hall to meet the others.
"Mmm. It smells great in here!" Emma commented after putting her coat in the closet.
Roland ran to Regina and Robin, dragging Henry with him by the hand.
"Papa Papa! Henry says we're gonna dec'rate Christmas cookies!"
"You sure are! They're all ready for you at the table little man." Robin answered with a smile.
Snow clapped her hands to get their attention, probably out of habit from working at the school. "If you follow me into the dining room we can begin decorating them. What do you say?"
Roland gasped. "Yeah!"
Snow laughed. "Okay well come on then! Regina and I have set up lots of cool treats you can decorate with."
"Henry!" Roland exclaimed, holding his arms up to his stepbrother.
"Alright," Henry grinned.
Knowing what was coming, Regina intervened. "Roland sweetie don't jump. I don't want you to fall and Henry I don't want to risk you hurting your back."
"I'll be careful Mom," Henry assured her with a grin. He was just short of rolling his eyes at her protectiveness.
He crouched closer to Roland's height and the little boy climbed onto his back. Henry stood up and Roland piggybacked him as they followed Snow into the dining room.
Robin smiled as he watched the two of them exiting into the other room. He was happy Roland had the chance to have an older brother he could look up to. And pretty soon he would have a baby sister to look out for too.
Robin turned back to look at the others who remained in the front hall. "Did you guys have fun out there?"
"Yeah, but I have to admit I'm glad we're back inside now." Emma wrapped an arm around Hook, pulling his arm around her in return. "I'm freezing."
"Any excuse to be close to me," Hook teased, although he wrapped his other arm around the blonde, pulling her close for a hug.
"Is it getting much colder outside?" Regina asked as the five remaining adults began to move towards the dining room after Snow and the boys.
"I think it's maybe a little cooler than it was this morning," David said. "But it probably has a lot to do with how long we were out there too."
"Well why don't I put some hot tea and coffee on for you all?" Regina offered.
"That actually sounds perfect." Emma beamed. "Need a hand?"
"Oh no, I've got it." Regina smiled. "Why don't you go make sure Henry doesn't eat all of the cookies?"
Emma chuckled. "Good idea."
"Would you object to me accompanying you my dear?" Robin asked Regina.
"Of course not." She replied tenderly.
The two shared a kiss before following Emma, Hook and David into the dining room. Regina ran a hand through Henry's hair as they passed him at the table.
"Henry would you like a hot chocolate?"
"Yeah, thanks Mom." Henry grinned up at her.
"Roland, would you like one too?"
The little boy didn't seem to have heard. He was leaning close to the table, already busily sorting through different colours of M&Ms and trying to decide which to put on his gingerbread man.
"Roland," Robin called to him.
The little boy looked up from the candy.
"Regina asked you a question did you hear her?"
He shook his head, eyes flicking towards her.
"Sweetie I'm just about to make some hot chocolate, would you like some?"
"Yes please!"
"Alright, coming right up." Regina smiled.
She and Robin proceeded towards the kitchen to get the drinks started as Emma, Hook and David took seats at the table.
"Where are Belle and Gold?" David asked. "I thought they were coming today too?"
"They're coming a bit later, they'll be here for dinner." Snow answered, offering a plate of gingerbread to him.
He selected one of the cookies and took a big bite.
Snow smacked him playfully. "David! You're supposed to decorate it first!"
David only shrugged. "A cookie's a cookie." He said, taking another bite with an amused smile on his face.
A few minutes later Regina returned to announce that the coffee and tea was ready in the kitchen.
Emma jumped out of her seat, still quite cold from the chilly December air. She grabbed Hook's hand. "Come on, there's Irish cream for the coffee."
"Sometimes I think you're worse than I am." Hook teased as he allowed himself to be dragged out of the room for whiskey and coffee.
They hurried passed Robin who was entering with the hot chocolates for Roland and Henry.
"Can I have some Irish cream too?" Henry asked his stepfather.
"No." Regina and Snow said simultaneously before Robin even had a chance to think.
"Thanks Robin," Henry laughed, taking his mug. He had known what the answer would be but he had to at least try.
"You're very welcome Henry." Robin said.
He handed the other mug to Regina who had taken a seat at the other side of the table beside Roland. She placed the mug on the placemat beside the little boy.
"Now be careful Roland it's very hot. Let it cool for a few minutes before taking a sip alright?"
"Okay." Roland agreed, fixing an out-of-of place M&M on his cookie. "Mama?"
"Yes sweetheart?"
"Can you help me with the icing?"
Regina smiled warmly. "Of course I can. What colour would you like?"
A Few Hours Later:
Belle and Gold had long since arrived and the family had all sat down together for Christmas Eve dinner. Before the couple's arrival, Regina and Emma had magically extended the dining room table, transforming it into a large rectangular table in place of the usual round one.
Regina was currently in the kitchen getting ready to wash the dishes from the dinner.
"Papaaaa," Roland said as Robin entered the dining room to collect more plates.
"What's up little man?"
"I spilled."
Robin crouched beside his son's seat to see what had happened just as Emma was gathering napkins to help mop up the mess, having witnessed it herself only a few moments before.
"Much obliged." Robin said as he took a few of the napkins from her and attempted to soak up the apple juice from Roland's shirt.
Hook began moving dishes away from the spill as Emma did her best to clean up the rest of the juice from the table before it spilled onto the hardwood floor.
David walked into the room just then, returning after changing baby Neal's diaper. "Uh-oh, what happened?"
"Just a little accident," Emma said, grabbing some more napkins as David carefully passed the baby to Snow and then took a seat in the empty chair beside her.
"I'm sorry Papa," Roland said.
"It's quite alright Roland, these things happen."
The five year old returned his father's smile.
"Well I think that's the best we can do for now." Robin said, frowning at the stain on Roland's shirt. "Come on, how about we pop upstairs and change into some fresh clothes hmm?"
Roland nodded happily. He hopped off of his chair and raced towards the door.
"Ah, Roland, what's the rule?" Robin called after him.
Roland re-appeared in the doorway.
"No running in the house?"
"That's right. Regina may be able to use magic but I don't think she'd be pleased if she had to mend any of the beautiful decorations."
"Although it wouldn't be the first time." Emma said, nodding towards Hook with a grin.
"Once!" The pirate said defensively. "It happened once. If the queen didn't want her precious horse statue destroyed she shouldn't have left it lying out in the middle of the room."
"It was on the mantelpiece. Against the wall. You're just clumsy."
"It's alright, it was as good as new in the end." Robin said with a smile. He crouched down a little and held his arms out to his son. "Come here little man."
Roland went to his father, laughing as Robin picked him and lifted him over his head before settling him into his arms.
"I'll be right back." Robin said to the others seated at the table.
"No worries," Emma said, barely looking at him as she and Hook were slowly moving closer and closer to each other. Their eyes lingered on each other, each stealing a quick glance at each other's lips before gazing into each other's eyes again.
A few seconds later they were making out where they stood beside the table. Henry groaned, covering his eyes with his hands.
"Guuuys! Do you really have to do that here? We haven't even had dessert yet."
David laughed, patting him on the back as Emma and Hook carried on anyways, seeming not to have heard him.
"I don't think these two need dessert." Snow commented with a smirk, making poor Henry wish he could just slide under the table and melt into the floor.
"Hey Mom, wanna help me take these dishes to the kitchen?" Henry asked Emma, hoping to distract her from Hook.
"Mom? Mooom?"
"I don't think she's listening Henry," Snow said, shaking her head with a smile.
When Emma finally broke away from Hook, both were panting a little. They gazed adoringly into each other's eyes for a few moments before Emma seemed to remember that they weren't alone in the room.
"Come on, we should take the rest of these into the kitchen." Emma said breathily, walking by and patting Henry on the back before picking up a few of the serving dishes.
"Honestly they're like teenagers." Snow commented.
David and Henry shared a look as the boy got up from the table to help.
After pressing a soft kiss to Snow's cheek, David got up from the table and began to help collect the dishes as well. He followed the others into the kitchen.
"Regina, let Emma and I take care of those." David said when he saw her sorting through the growing pile on the counter. "You and Snow cooked such a beautiful meal today, you shouldn't have to do the dishes too."
Regina waved her hand dismissively. "Nonsense, you're both guests here. I don't mind cleaning up. Why don't you two go and sit with the others in the living room?"
"No you've done so much today already, I insist."
"You've barely taken a break all day." Emma agreed. "We've got this covered."
"It won't take long," Regina assured her. "Are you forgetting that I have magic too?"
"Regina seriously, even using magic takes up energy. Don't try to deny it because I know." Emma said amiably. "You need to rest."
The brunette smiled, sighing in defeat. "Thank you, that's very sweet."
Emma grinned triumphantly as she traded places with the brunette.
Regina moved around to the other side of the kitchen island which was currently filled with the Christmas dinner dishes.
Henry entered the room with yet more dishes from the dining room and added them carefully to the pile.
"Anything I can do?" Henry asked as he saw David and Emma finishing Regina's organisation of the plates and serving bowls.
"If there's any more you could bring those in for us if you want." Emma suggested.
"Okay," he turned to head back into the dining room but stopped near Regina who was retrieving dessert plates from the cupboard.
"Mom," he said, placing a hand on her arm. "You should go sit down."
"I just want to get these ready for when the pies are finished."
"Don't worry Mom, I can do that. Go take a break."
She smiled, placing an appreciative palm on his cheek. "I will."
She decided to head towards the living room to sit down for a bit, and when she entered the room she found Snow walking around with the baby, talking to him softly.
"And look, there's Regina coming to say hello." Snow said to the baby. She smiled as her stepmother approached them.
Regina smiled gently down at Neal, stroking the back of his hand with her finger.
"Is he alright? I heard him crying before. Are there too many people around?"
"He's fine, he knows everyone here is his family." Snow cooed to the infant. "He just needed his diaper changed didn't he?"
Regina laughed softly as the baby waved his hand happily at his mother's voice. "He's growing so quickly." She said quietly, subconsciously placing a hand on her own belly.
"Yes he is." Snow agreed, her smile fading ever so slightly but the warmth remaining in her eyes. "Sometimes I feel like it's too quickly."
"I felt the same way with Henry. But watching them grow up... there's nothing quite so special."
"Hmm," Snow's smile grew at the thought of everything she still had to look forward to.
"Are you staying in here for a while?" Snow asked.
"Yes. I've been ordered to take a break." Regina rolled her eyes light-heartedly.
Her stepdaughter laughed. "Good! You've been working so hard all day, you deserve a break."
Regina's expression warmed. "So why do you ask?"
"Would you be able to sit with Neal for a bit? I have to pee," she added a little under her breath.
"Of course I can."
"Do you want to hold him or should I put him on the couch beside you? I know it might be getting a little awkward to hold him." She said, indicating Regina's baby bump.
"Oh I think I'll hold him," Regina said gently, looking at the baby affectionately. "Just let me sit down first."
"Of course."
Once Regina had settled on the couch, Snow delicately passed Neal to her.
"You okay?" She checked.
"Perfect," Regina responded.
"Okay, thank you so much." Snow said before hurrying for the doorway.
"It's not a problem," Regina chuckled, watching Snow's retreating form.
Regina gazed fondly down at the baby in her arms, speaking softly to him as she held him. Before Neal had come along she'd almost forgotten how wonderful it felt to hold a baby. She couldn't wait to meet her daughter. Her family had grown so much already, and now she was getting the chance to become a mother to yet another child. It was something she truly cherished. There had been a time when she hadn't believed she would ever have a real family again. Henry was all she'd had and he had wanted to leave her. But everything had worked out in the end and now her family had grown bigger than she'd ever imagined it would.
Regina contentedly gazed down at the baby who was beginning to doze peacefully in her arms. After a few minutes she heard Mary Margaret in the kitchen talking to the others, but Regina didn't mind that her stepdaughter had taken a detour, she loved holding little Neal.
A few moments later Roland came hurrying into the room, just short of running. That boy was always so full of energy.
"Mama look!" He jumped onto the other end of the couch just as Robin appeared in the doorway.
"Whoa, careful Roland," Robin gently scolded.
"It's alright." Regina smiled at them both. "Well, look who's got their new pajamas on." She observed Roland's change of clothes.
"There's reindeers on them!" Roland declared excitedly, crawling closer to where she sat so he could show her even though she had been the one to purchase them for him.
"They certainly do!" She smiled, running a hand through his hair. "You look very handsome Roland."
Robin walked to Regina's side. He pressed a kiss to her cheek before occupying the seat Roland had just vacated in order to sit next to his stepmother.
"I'm glad to see that you're finally taking a break." Robin said to her as he settled into his seat. "Where's everyone else?"
"A few are still in the dining room and the others are in the kitchen cleaning up. I'm not sure where Rumple and Belle have got to though."
"Oh don't worry we're still here." Gold's voice came from the doorway, he had his hand on Belle's back, letting her enter the room first.
"We just went outside to get a bit of fresh air." Belle explained. "I was hoping it would have started snowing by now."
"Hmm." Regina nodded in agreement. She herself kept checking the window for the exact same reason.
The two moved towards the other couch. Gold offered his hand out to Belle, and after she had taken a seat he sat down beside her.
Belle peered over at Neal, smiling at how content the infant looked. "Isn't he just the most precious thing?"
Roland kneeled on the sofa beside Regina to watch Neal. The baby cooed when he saw the little boy, reaching out for him. Roland responded by reaching back. The baby smiled happily as their fingers met.
"Will my sister look like this too?" The five year old asked.
Regina breathed a soft laugh. "Similar, but a little different perhaps. Less like David and Snow and more like your father and me... Is that okay?"
Roland nodded. Reaching out to hold one of Neal's tiny hands again, smiling when the baby's hand curled around his index finger.
"Roland are you excited for Santa to visit tonight?" Belle asked.
"Yeah!"
"It'll be his first time visiting you won't it little man." Robin asked, rubbing Roland's back gently.
Roland nodded.
"Did you ask him for something special?" Belle asked.
"Uh-huh."
Belle laughed when he didn't elaborate. "Well go on then what did you ask for? Or is it a secret?" She added in a slightly lower voice.
"A bike like Henry's!"
"Oh that'll be fun won't it?" Gold said. "Hopefully Mr. Claus has heard your wishes." He smiled knowingly at Regina who gave him a look in return.
"Is Santa really actually real?" Roland asked Gold.
"Of course he is. I've met him myself in fact. He's a tad thinner than people describe but everything else they say about him is quite true. I don't believe he was particularly fond of me though."
"Why?" Roland asked curiously, sitting back on the couch in between Robin and Regina.
"Let's just say the two of us didn't see eye-to-eye on certain things."
"What did–"
Robin cleared his throat. "I think that's a story better suited for another time, don't you think?" He asked with a grin, well aware of how Gold's encounters usually went. "How about this Roland, why don't you run upstairs and get that Christmas book Henry showed you earlier?"
"Okay!" Roland replied, hopping off the couch and hurrying towards the hallway.
"You didn't actually get into a dispute with Santa Claus did you?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Of course I did." Gold responded. "What reason would I have to lie about something like that?"
Regina gave him a look, still not sure whether the man was serious or not.
Snow and David entered the room just then, carrying a few platters of desserts along with plates and forks.
"Does anyone want pie?" David asked. "There's apple, pumpkin and blueberry."
"I think I'd like to try the pumpkin," Gold responded with a smile.
"Blueberry for me," Belle said. "Thank you David."
David's eyes fell on Regina. "Need I ask?" He teased.
"Apple's fine," she said, agreeing with his unstated assumption.
"And Robin? Anything for you?"
"I'm fine with what's here for now thanks."
"Roland would like some pie?"
"No thank you."
"Alright," David smiled. "Three pieces of pie coming right up."
Snow remained in the living room with the others after David assured her he would be fine to retrieve the desserts on his own.
"And how's my little angel doing?" She cooed, crouching in front of Regina and the baby. "Are you having a nice time with Regina?"
Her voice returned to its more normal tone as she addressed her stepmother. "Thank you for staying with him."
"It was no problem at all." Regina responded, gently passing the baby back to his mother.
Snow settled on the sofa next to Belle and cuddled with the baby.
Roland returned before David did, and he was accompanied by Henry who had met up with him in the hallway. Upon entering the room, the five-year-old climbed back into his previous seat between his parents. Henry settled on the floor in front of them. There were plenty of vacant seats but he chose to sit closer to them instead.
Roland held the book in his lap, a little unsure of what to do next.
Henry patted Regina's arm. "Hey Mom, how about it? You read this to me every Christmas Eve when I was a kid, I think we should stick to tradition. For old time's sake."
Regina smiled at him, remembering back to a time when it had only ever just been the two of them during the holidays. She and Henry had many pleasant Christmases together. It had been nice, but being able to spend Christmas with a larger family was special too.
She cupped Henry's chin affectionately and then turned to address the five-year-old. "Roland would you like me to read that story to you?"
Roland nodded happily, handing her the book.
"Hey Roland can I sit with you so I can hear the story too?" Henry asked.
Roland nodded so Henry got up, lifting the five year old up and then sitting on the couch in his place. Henry lifted Roland onto his lap and the two sat, waiting for their mother to begin the story.
Regina's fingers stroked the front cover of the children's book, cherishing the pleasant memories the image brought back.
She opened to the front page and began to read. "'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse..." She began.
Roland inched closer to her to look at the pictures, the room had gone silent as everyone present seemed to be listening to Regina.
As Regina was reading the story, David and Emma arrived with more dessert and fruit platters, followed soon after by Hook. David passed the pie slices silently to Belle and Gold, and placed Regina's plate on the table beside the couch. She smiled her thanks to him as he took a seat on a chair beside where Snow was seated on the couch. Emma passed Henry a slice of pumpkin pie, and then after adding a few more treats from the coffee table to her own plate, she settled into a chair with her dessert as she too listened to Regina reading the rest of the book.
Once they had reached the end of the story, Regina closed the book and when she looked around there was a slightly surprised look on her face. She hadn't realised that everyone had stopped talking to listen.
"That was lovely a lovely tale wasn't it Roland?" Robin asked, ruffling the boy's hair a little.
Roland nodded. "Thank you." He said to Regina.
"You're very welcome Roland." She smiled down at him, and then up at Henry.
"Can I look at the pictures again please?" Roland asked his stepmother.
"Of course you can sweetheart." She passed him the book and he began to flip through it again.
She wrapped an arm around Henry, smiling as she watched him point certain things in the book out to little Roland.
"Look Roland, those stockings are like the ones we put up over the fireplace." Henry pointed at one of the beautifully illustrated pictures in the book.
"Oh yeah!" The five-year-old agreed. His finger slid across the illustrated stockings. "This one can be yours, this one's Mummy's, this one's Papa's, and this one's mine."
"What about this one?" Henry pointed to a fifth one.
Roland frowned, he looked around at the others in the room as he tried to decide whose it could be. They had only put up four stockings in their house so it took him a minute to decide.
"That one's for me right?" Emma asked with a grin. "I like presents too."
Roland's smile grew as he shook his head. He turned instead to Regina, placing a hand on her belly. "The baby's for when she comes."
Regina felt her smile soften at his words. She blinked back a few tears as she placed her own hand next to his.
"That's very thoughtful of you Roland." Robin said with a smile.
Regina gasped softly as she felt a kick. "Roland, do you feel that? She's saying hello to you."
Roland's mouth widened. "Wooow." He said as he felt the gentle kicking. "Does that hurt?"
Regina gave a small laugh. "No, not usually."
Once the movements from the baby stopped, Roland leaned closer and gently pressed his ear to Regina's belly to listen.
Regina ran her hands through his hair and shared a warm smile with Robin.
The others had begun to break into their own little conversations and soon a lively chatter had filled the home again.
"Papa can I have one of the gingerbread cookies?" Roland asked.
"Of course you can, you helped decorate them after all. Which one would you like?" Robin asked, holding the plate up from the coffee table so the boy could see.
"Ummm..." Roland thought. "That one!" He said, pointing to a Christmas-tree-shaped cookie.
Belle and Emma entered the room, each carrying a small tray of drinks. Belle had a tray of tea while Emma had one filled with little wine glasses and was carrying a bottle of red wine in her other hand.
"There's white wine and lots of other stuff in the kitchen for anyone who wants something else." Emma announced, pouring some red wine for David.
She and Belle distributed the drinks out to those who wanted them. Henry–who was gaining a better like for tea–even took a cup from Belle.
Emma took the empty tray from Belle and went to return them to the kitchen so they were out of everyone's way.
The brunette took her seat next to her husband and they shared a quick kiss before they each settled back into their seats with their hot cups of tea.
Gold took a sip from his. "Oh that's lovely dear, thank you." He smiled to Belle, knowing just by the taste that she had been the one to make it.
"You're welcome Rumple."
Gold looked over at the other couch and saw Roland now seated on the carpet in front of it, playing with a gingerbread man and pretending it was walking across the coffee table.
Gold leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees as he watched. "Roland, how would you like to see that cookie do something really extraordinary?"
"Like what?" The little boy asked curiously, the cookie was frozen in mid-stride as it's puppeteer's attention turned towards Gold.
"I see that you and Henry have given a few of those gingerbread men ice skates, am I right?" Gold asked, indicating the frosting on the bottom of a few of the cookies' feet.
Roland nodded.
"Wouldn't it really be something if they could skate for real?"
"Yeah!"
"Have a look at this." Gold said kindly.
With a flick of his fingers, a few of the dessert plates lifted up from the coffee table and gracefully floated to a more empty table across the room. With slow, steady motions of Gold's hand, the empty space on the surface of the coffee table iced over with purple and blue swirls. Simultaneously, a ring of shortbread biscuits flew from their plate to line the new miniature skating rink like barriers. Once this was complete, two of the gingerbread men seemed to come to life, getting up from the plate and making their way over to the rink. They each hopped over the barrier and began to figure skate flawlessly around the little rink.
Roland gasped, watching them in wonder.
With another flick of Gold's fingers, a soft icing-sugar snow began to fall above the rink. It continuously appeared from thin-air about a foot above the coffee table and disappeared about half an inch from the rink's surface.
Roland leaned on the table, watching the cookie scene in astonishment.
"Okay wow Gold, that's pretty cool." Emma commented impressed. She was kneeling on the floor now with her mother and baby brother as the infant crawled between them on the carpet.
"That's awesome!" Henry said. He leaned forwards from where he still sat on the couch next to his mother.
Regina wrapped an arm around him, a pleasant smile on her face as she watched the beautiful little scene unfolding before her.
Belle placed her tea carefully on the floor beside her and leaned into Gold's embrace. "Darling that's beautiful."
Gold smiled down at his wife, wrapping an arm around her. "I'm glad you like it."
Henry got off the couch to sit beside his stepbrother, and so Robin took his place beside Regina. He wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. He could practically feel the happiness radiating off of her.
"Look my dear, it's snowing." He whispered softly.
She gave him a funny look. "Yes Robin I can see that." She laughed, her eyes following the icing sugar snow.
"No, I mean outside. It looks like your wish for a white Christmas has come true after all."
Regina's eyes widened slightly and she turned to look out of the window behind where Belle and Gold were currently cuddling.
Regina gasped softly as her eyes fell on the large, fluffy snowflakes that were falling from the sky. The snow was illuminated beautifully by the streetlights.
"Would you like to get a closer look?" Robin asked tenderly.
"I would," Regina agreed softly.
Robin gently helped her up, and the two made their way back into the dining room so as not to be in anyone's way. They stopped in front of the large windows, arms around each other and smiling up at the breathtaking scene before them.
The heavy snow looked beautiful against the trees which were quickly looking as if they too had been powdered with icing sugar.
Robin looked sideways at his wife and felt his heart warm at the sight of her. Her eyes were sparkling and she seemed to be glowing with happiness; she looked positively radiant.
"Merry Christmas Regina." He said softly.
Their gazes met, and her eyes softened when she saw the love shining in his. Her lips raised to meet his in a deep kiss before she leaned further into his embrace. They both wrapped their arms affectionately around each other and she closed her eyes, savouring the moment.
"Merry Christmas Robin." She whispered.
xXxXxXxXx
A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! Please don't forget to leave a review xox