So here's the deal!

I was going to do a mini story for the holidays, but apart from doing my double-update extravaganza, I'm also working on a story for the upcoming Big Bang, so in order to not go completely insane, I'll just write one-shot drabbles for the holidays!

There were 24 prompts on a list I found on tumblr, so let's see how this fares!

Now, these are super random prompts, so some fit AUs, and others fit within canon, so I will put a note at the beginning, kind of like how I do with my drabble collection.

I hope everyone enjoys!

Also, this small series is dedicated to a very dear friend of mine, Irene, who has been keeping me company and making my days so much brighter and wonderful these past few months with all her reassurances and amazing conversations. This is my way of saying thank you for everything.

Stranded

Summary: Emma's patrolling at night, and the cruiser breaks down in the snow.

World: Canon compliant through 4a. But without frozen characters.

Emma wasn't a big fan of the graveyard shift, but it had its good moments. Especially in the winter. Driving around in the snow was serene and peaceful, with the town looking like something out of a holiday postcard.

However, right now, it was not one of those good moments. She had just turned a street, when the cruiser sputtered and died.

"Oh come on, seriously?" she muttered, trying to rev the engine.

No go. Cursing under her breath, she kicked her door open, and her boots crunching the snow under her feet as she got out of the car. It had been snowing persistently, the soft white fluff falling didn't look like it'd amount to much, but it was accumulating steadily.

Making her way to the front, she huffed and put her leather gloves on, trying to not let the chilly air get to her. She pried the hood open and tried tinkering around, but found nothing to help her figure out what was wrong with the car. Deciding that there was nothing she could do from that end, she checked her phone. Of course she'd have no service. So she couldn't call Michael to come tow her car, nor anyone else to come pick her up for that matter.

Shuffling back into the cruiser, she tried the engine again. Nothing.

"Great, so I'm gonna freeze to death. If this is the universe's version of a funny joke, I'm really not finding it funny." Then Emma groaned. "And I'm talking to myself. Just perfect. So I'm gonna become a crazy popsicle."

The car was quickly cooling, with no way to heat. She supposed she could go to the trunk and find provisions to keep her going through the night.

"Well, might as well try to survive this properly." So once again, she got out of the car. As she walked over to the back, she looked up at the lamp post, at least it'd offer her some light through the night. Then she saw the street she was on. Mifflin.

Emma bit her lip. She and Regina weren't in the best of places, after her fiasco in bringing Marian back. Regina had been slowly thawing - Emma paused to curse her mind for the terrible pun - but things still could be better. Lately, Regina had tried to talk to her - probably to chew her out some more - but Emma had started avoiding her like the plague. Looking at the nearest house, she saw the number, 140. She was a bit away, but she would still make her way to the house. She could always try to wrangle Henry to work the puppy dog eyes in order to convince his mom to not let his other mom die from frostbite.

So, after checking she locked the car, she started walking through the snow. Her jacket wasn't one of her warmest ones, but it kept the cold at bay, plus she had a wool scarf and a hat. Though after five minutes, the chill was getting to her. She supposed that she could always knock on any house and ask to stay over, since whoever lived there would be kind and hospitable for the Saviour, she really didn't like playing that card.

Instead, the obvious answer was to head towards the house of the one person who would most likely turn her down. But Emma wasn't considered hard-headed for nothing. She trudged forward and hoped Regina was in a charitable mood.

Finally, she reached the gate for the house, and pried it open with numb fingers. Her gloves, despite being lined and supposedly thermal, had given way to the cold after 10 minutes. She fist-bumped the doorbell because she couldn't be bothered to work her fine motor skills to press it with one finger.

Once Emma heard the muffled sound of the doorbell from within, she waited, rocking from one foot to the other, and hoped.

When the door opened, a very startled Regina stood on the other side, looking very comfortable in her silk pyjamas.

Emma had come prepared, certain that Regina would start with a scathing remark, and with the part of her brain and cognitive functions that were still working, she prattled off her speech. "Hey, I know it's late and you're still angry at me and probably hate me too, but the cruiser broke down and my phone doesn't have service so could I stay over for the night?"

Regina opened her mouth to answer, and Emma hastened to add, "I'm good with like the couch or whatever, I just don't have-"

"Emma!" Regina interrupted, eyes furrowing in concern. Emma shut her mouth with a snap, and Regina stood aside. "Come in."

It took a few seconds for Emma to move, which prompted Regina to sigh and grab her by the lapel of her jacket, pulling her inside. Emma stumbled in, feeling the heat seeping in automatically as soon as the door closed.

"Mom?" Henry was standing at the top of the small set of stairs, wearing a pair of pyjamas as well, though his were flannel.

"Hey Henry," Emma greeted with a shiver. She shucked off her boots with as much precision as she could, which at that moment was none at all. She was certain she would've fallen over if it wasn't for the sturdy wall that she leaned on.

"Your mother was apparently in the neighbourhood," Regina was explaining during Emma's pitiful attempts at removing her jacket. "Her car broke down. Henry, can you bring two or three blankets from the linen? Preferably the thicker ones."

Henry immediately left and rushed upstairs to fetch the blankets. Meanwhile, Regina moved past Emma and beckoned the latter to follow her. "Now, come on."

Emma wordlessly followed, deciding to keep her scarf and beanie on, arms tightly crossed in front of her. She walked into the living room, where Regina had already conjured a healthy fire in the fireplace, and was drawing a very nice couch closer to the fire. "You can lie down here."

With a nod, Emma got comfy on the couch, with a fluffy pillow to rest her head on, right on time for Henry to arrive. Together, the two Mills covered Emma with four blankets - the kid was an overachiever - and she was beginning to actually feel warmth coming back to her joints. As she felt warmer, she also became sleepy. The last thing she remembered was Regina softly murmuring, "If you need anything, we'll be right over there finishing watching our movie."

She also could've sworn Regina had rubbed her shoulder affectionately, but immediately dismissed it as some kind of delirium mere seconds before she succumbed to sleep.

When Emma's eyes fluttered open, she was surprised to see the fire was still going strong. Then again, if it was magically-produced fire, it would last for hours. She let out a hum and sat up a bit. To her surprise, she saw Regina sitting in an armchair reading. The brunette looked up when Emma moved, and smiled softly. "Hey, how're you feeling?"

"Like I just took really ill-advised bath in the pond at Storybrooke park?" Emma quipped, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She adjusted the blankets until she felt more like a burrito, much to Regina's amusement.

"If you want I can make the fire stronger?" Regina offered.

Emma shook her head. "This is fine. I'm curious though..."

She let the sentence hang, prompting Regina to ask, "Yes?"

"Why did you let me in?"

Regina had an incredulous look on her face. "Are you honestly insinuating you had expected me to leave you out in the cold?"

"Well we haven't been having the best relationship lately..." Emma mumbled.

With a sigh, Regina bookmarked the page she was on, and put it down on the armchair as she vacated it. She made her way over to where Emma was, and sat down on the edge of the couch. "Emma...I might've been mad at you at first a few months ago, but you've been avoiding me lately."

Emma floundered for a moment, looking away in embarrassment. She had been avoiding Regina because she was sure the other woman was ready to chew her out or something. "You're not mad at me?"

Letting out a rich laugh, Regina shook her head. "No, neither do I hate you. And I most certainly wouldn't leave you alone in the cold looking half dead. Despite everything, we're family, Emma."

The sentence made her jerk her head back to face Regina. "We are?"

Regina smiled softly. "Yes Emma. We share a son and so much more, but how about we talk about that tomorrow? You still look a bit pale."

As if proving her point, Emma's body betrayed her with a sneeze. "I rest my case. The fire will stay on for the entire night, so you can sleep comfortably and you don't have to maintain it. I would offer a guest bedroom, but I feel this is warmer."

"Yeah, I'm good here, thanks anyway." Emma nodded, flashing a grateful smile before burrowing back down on the couch. Then a question cropped up in her mind. "Wait, if the fire doesn't need maintenance, then why were you just reading here?"

At first, Regina didn't answer. She silently went to pick up her book, and Emma glanced at the clock on the mantel. It was past 2am. Next thing she knew, Regina was bending down to kiss her on her forehead. "I was worried about you. Sweet dreams."

Emma fell asleep with a goofy smile on her face. When she woke up the next morning, she came to the embarrassing realization that she could've just magicked herself home, rather than trudge for two blocks in the middle of the snow.

But when she saw Regina's welcoming smile, asking her what she wanted for breakfast, she was glad she forgot.

And that was that!

I'm aiming for stories that are about 1,000 words or so long. Some are more holiday oriented, some more winter-themed. Not all of them will have them in full relationship mode, a few burgeoning romances, a few established ones.

Let me know what you thought, and I'll see everyone tomorrow for another prompt, secret santa!