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Häagen-Dazs

Häagen-Dazs

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It's getting close to Christmas, the snow was starting to pile on windowsills, and her breaths were starting to come out in little white puffs. In the morning Regina could no longer walk out into the balcony to let the beaming sun fully wake her up, it's that time of the year where she can't even be bothered to get out of bed to make herself something hot to warm up.

Apparently, Christmas was Natalia's favourite time of the year, so Regina had been making plans to make the day special for her daughter, even if it was a while from the holiday.

Henry used to like Christmas too, very much actually. He had loved the letters to Santa, of course it wasn't the real deal; there was no magic in Storybrooke so there was no chance for Regina to send Nick any letters from her boy. But now in the Enchanted Forest, with magic, there was no limits, she had already made Mirror call on him and threatened to not ignore her daughter for Christmas, it was a good thing that Natalia was on the nice list, unlike Regina.

Regina had never celebrated Christmas, her mother had deemed it a peasant holiday and never allowed Regina to partake in the traditions, and when she lived with Leopold and Snow she had only gotten one present and that was the very first Christmas there; she had caught Saint Nicolas placing presents under the tree late the night before Christmas, he had graciously handed her a bit of parchment with drawings of her precious child and deceased true love, she never got anything ever again. Not until Henry, he used to make her presents, little things that only a child could do, that lasted for barely five years, then he got the book and wouldn't talk to her, then he got Emma Swan and she was no longer his mother.

Regina tiredly decided that it was time for breakfast, she turned to look at her daughter reading on the chaise-lounge, her long hair still in the braid Regina did last night before she went to bed – she had been staying with her mother for the past couple months, peacefully falling asleep curled into her mother's arms – her eyes were darting across the page, she was practically hanging on every word she read and Regina almost hated pulling her away from the book.

"Come on, Mija, time to eat," she stood from the vanity and turned to the full length mirror on her dresser, she turned a few times inspecting her outfit and grinned a little with approval.

Nat rolled her eyes, "Why are you always late?" she huffed.

"A Queen is never late, everyone else is simply early," she muttered as she grabbed her daughter's hand and made them appear in the great hall just before their seats.

"Yeah, fashionably late and all that, I get it, but why do you actually do it?"

Regina shrugged, "If I'm late I spend less time with these... people," she stated hesitantly, she wanted to say more but her daughter liked most of them so she had to keep the snark under check.

"Regina, my dear, it's lovely of you to turn up," Maleficent smirked.

Regina rolled her eyes but chose not to say anything. She looked at the people around her, Scar was brooding as always, Mal was half glaring at Aroura who was pretty much cuddled into her prince's arms they both gently cupped her large stomach (she was definitely going to pop any time soon, she had days, a week at the most before she was giving birth), Ruby was in a deep conversation with David, Granny was frowning at her granddaughter, Regina almost missed the fact that her darling stepdaughter was nowhere to be seen. She frowned at the empty seat but said nothing, she didn't want anyone to think that she cared about Snow White.

"Your Majesty," Regina turned to the side, Prince Phillip was standing tall and hesitant beside her.

The Queen rose a brow at him, she waited for him to say something but it seems the poor dear had frozen up a little, he was just staring at her with wide eyes, he kept pulling at his jacket sleeve and swallowing hard, "What!" she snapped impatiently when he said nothing for another minute.