Luck or Fate?

Christmas Dinner

I sprinkle the mashed potatoes with salt and pepper and then stick them in the fridge. I check the clock, and it says 6:30. We're supposed to meet Regina at her house for Christmas dinner at 7 pm. I go to my closet and pick out a tulle gown with a bejeweled belt and beige heels. I apply some makeup and pull by hair back into a high ponytail. After double checking myself in the mirror, I go out into the living room and sit down next to Henry, where he's reading on the couch.

"Are you ready?" I ask him.

He looks up from his book and smiles. "Yeah, but are you ready?"

"So ready." A week ago, I thought Christmas would be a long Skype call with Killian and dinner with Regina and Robin, but now I'm looking forward to having everyone that I love all in one place. "Hey, thanks again for letting Killian take your room."

"It's no problem at all. I'm glad to see you happy again." He says. I put my arm around him and give him a quick hug.

"Hey, how's your new girlfriend?" I say, and he tries to hide a blush. Since the party, Henry and Claire have started going out. I can see that he is so much happier now that they're together.

"She's good. I texted her earlier and she's having dinner with her family tonight." Henry says.

I smile. "That sounds nice."

Suddenly, Killian comes out of his room in a black suit. I walk over to him and take his hands. "You look so handsome, Killian." I say, pecking him on the cheek.

"Emma, you look perfect." He says, and we both smile.

"Are you ready?" I ask him.

"Yeah, let's go."

I grab the mashed potatoes and we head out the door. When we get there, I knock on the door. A few seconds later, the door opens and we see Regina. "Hey guys! Killian!" She says, giving him a big hug. "I can't believe you're back already!"

"I missed you too, Regina." He says, chuckling.

We go inside the house and I see Robin in the kitchen, probably helping Regina cook. When he sees us, he says, "Merry Christmas everyone!"

"Merry Christmas!" We reply.

He walks over to us and gives Killian a "bro hug" I think it's called. "How are you, bro?" Robin asks.

"Good. How are things here?"

"Pretty good. We're all so happy that you could join us."

"Yeah, me too."

I bring the mashed potatoes into the kitchen and warm them up in the microwave. "The food smells really good, Regina." I say.

"Yeah. We made a bunch of food, so hopefully you guys are hungry." Regina says, laughing.

We sit down at the table while Regina and Robin bring the food over. There's chicken, prime rib, my mashed potatoes, bread rolls, caesar salad, stuffing, and some bottles of wine. "Wow, Regina, you've outdone yourself."

"Well, Robin helped me."

"I was more like the food taster." He says, and we all laugh.