4. My Gift to You

Henry made his way over to the Christmas tree and sat in front of it. He began pulling out the presents one by one and he handed them to their recipients.

Emma let Henry open his presents first. He had been anxious for this day for so long. Emma couldn't help but smile at his excitement. For each of them, herself, Neal, her parents, Henry; this had been another of many first in their relationship as a family because this was the first time they were spending the holidays together.

Before coming to Storybrooke, Emma had always done what she could to avoid the holiday season. She could only recall two Christmas's that meant anything: the first when she was just three years old before the family that had taken her in placed her back in the system after having their own kid and the other when she was twelve and living with a family for a few months in New Jersey.

For the most part, with the time after and in between, the holidays had become just another day even if the caretakers did try to do a crap job at the group homes in order to make it feel festive.

Today was real. Emma no longer had to go through the motions of forgetting today existed as she had done before.

Henry reached for the tall box that leaned against the wall. The tag read-

To: Henry

From: Grandma and Grandpa

David smiled. "Go on kid, open it," David said going over to Henry to place it so that it was on the floor horizontally. He then moved back to the couch with Snow.

Henry quickly tore off the green wrapping paper which revealed a slender plastic case. He then opened the latches and in the case was revealed to be a metal sword and sheath along with a bow and quiver filled with dull tipped arrows.

David smiled at Henry's excitement. "I think we've moved beyond wooden swords don't you," he asked his grandson.

"And I was thinking," Snow said, "That maybe it's time I start teaching you a few things about archery. You are after all the grandson of a princess and not just the prince," she said smiling at him.

Henry had no words. He skipped over the mess in the living room and went over to hug his grandparents.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome Henry."

"You're welcome kid."

Emma gave Snow a look. She didn't mind the presents they had gotten her son but what worried her was the idea that Henry could get hurt with the metal shafts. She would have a talk with her parents about that later and Snow knew it but she smiled at Emma, Henry still in her arms as he continued hugging her and David.

Henry moved onto his next gift which had been from Neal. It had been a set of books which had been some of Neal's favorites ranging from Dr. Frankenstein and Dracula to the classic Robin Hood. Along with those books were a stack of Hulk comics; a couple new issues and a couple written back in the 1980s. Henry thanked his dad for them.

The final present Henry opened was from Emma. For months she had struggled with what to get her son. She had never really done Christmas shopping before and after being out of his life for ten years she wanted the gift to be perfect. She wanted it to carry some kind of weight, some kind of significance and meaning.

Henry opened the small box. He removed the tissue paper to find a golden pocket watch. On the front of the watch was the a flowered crest in a coat of arms much like Emma's tattoo and much like the one David had recognized from his time in fairytale land. On the back of the watch was an inscription.

Henry,

I will always

Find You

-Mom

"It's very cool," said Henry. "Thanks."

Emma smiled at her son as he came over and hugged her. She embraced him tightly. "Thanks for finding me kid," she said to him.

"I'm glad I did," Henry replied. "I love you mom."

"I love you too, son."

A few minutes later Henry looked at his parents and grandparents.

"So are you going to open yours," he asked them.

"Sure," said Emma, "Which one first?"

Henry handed a box to Emma and one for Snow. On the separate tags they read-

To: Mom & Dad and To: Grandma and Grandpa

From: Henry

Snow smiled at Emma and let her open Henry's gift first.

In the cardboard box was a thick book. Emma lifted it and turned it over to reveal the cover. The title on it simply read 'The Life of Henry Mills Swan'. Emma was touched that Henry included her last name as part of his.

She flipped through the book which had photos of him as an infant all through his childhood. In one of the very first photos, Emma noticed that the room which baby Henry was in was the nursery at the penitentiary. She had seen it during her stint there. Emma couldn't help but feel guilty but as she saw her baby son in the photo she was reminded of the joy she had when she first held him before they came to take him away.

Emma took notice that there were very few of him with Regina, maybe a couple or so but nothing more. She couldn't help but feel slightly grateful even though Regina had raised him all these years.

She also saw that there were loads of pictures with him and Snow. It made Emma joyful to know that Henry did have some family growing up even though no one had been aware of that at the time. From what Emma could gather, Henry had known Snow a lot longer than simply before he was placed in her fourth grade class.

Emma's smile widened and then turned into a small laugh.

Her family looked at her curiously. "I'm sorry Henry," she said. "I'm not laughing over this. I love it, I really do."

Emma got up and walked toward the tree picking out one of the presents, the one that was most horribly wrapped due to the lack of inexperience. She handed it to David.

David and Snow looked at their daughter and waited for Emma to settle back in her seat and then David proceeded in opening Emma's gift which also turned out to be a photo album.

Tears began to form in Snow's eyes as she saw the pictures. She had always wondered what her little baby girl would grow up to be like, what she would look like; so many things to pass them by. Though they could not have back those experiences and lost memories, Snow was grateful for this gift.

She wiped away her tears with her fingers and turned to Emma. "I thought you said you weren't sentimental."

Emma shrugged. "It's no big deal," she said.

"It is to us," said David.

"Thank you Emma," Snow added.

Emma smiled at her parents. She then looked over at Henry. "Looks like we had the same idea didn't we kid?"

Henry went over and took a seat next to his mom.

"Well I am your son."

Emma wrapped an arm around Henry's shoulder. "That's right kid you are." She then looked at Neal while speaking to Henry. "You're our son."

Neal reached for Emma's free hand and squeezed it gently as he smiled at her.

Though the day had yet to end, Henry would later go to Regina's as per the agreement but he would be home in the evening. All ready Emma knew that this had easily become her favorite Christmas day.

There would be Christmas celebrations in the future to be sure but none would ever compare to her first one where she was finally home for Christmas with her parents, her son, and Neal.

~END~