We Can Love Again

Christmas Time is Here (Part 1)

One week later...

The house smelt like a mix of fresh pine and turkey, which was slowly baking in the oven. Roland was practically bouncing off the walls, shouting gleefully "Santa was here! Santa was here!" Over and over again as he impatiently waited fake his parents to come down the stairs. It was Christmas morning.

"Henry when will everyone come?" The child asked, still dressed in his fleece pajamas.

"Hold up, they'll come soon," Henry replied, still wiping the sleep from his eyes. Though my was already eight in the morning, the two boys hadn't gotten much sleep.

"Merry Christmas!" Came a voice from behind him, causing both of them to smile. Regina encased her boys in a hug, kissing the tops of their heads and squeezing them tight.

"Are you ready for a big day today?" She asked, just as Robin came up behind her.

"Yes!" They said in unison, smiling from ear to ear. Their living room had transformed into a gold mine, filled with presents wrapped in all colors under their giant pine tree they had successfully dragged in from the forest.

"Well, why don't we start some breakfast first," their mother proposed, giving Robin a glance, "I told everyone to show up around eleven, but who knows if they'll listen or not. Doesn't really matter."

Wrapping his arms around her shoulders, Robin smiled. "I'll help you- I've gotten better at cooking, you can't deny that."

Regina responded with a roll of her eyes. "I suppose you have. Now boys, don't you are touch those presents!"

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, and they set off in the kitchen. The air was quick to become filled with the delicious scents of bacon and other breakfast foods.

Regina felt as though she were on a right schedule, fighting for every second that passed with the fear that someone was going to arrive extremely early and throw them all off balance.

"I can't believe Santa ate all my cookies!" Roland exclaimed as his mother presented him with his breakfast.

Regina couldn't help but chuckle as she remembered how she had simply raked the dozen cookies into a bag, planning on giving it to Neal secretly when he arrived.

"I know, I bet he was hungry. But you better eat up, we have a half hour until people will start coming and this house has to be spotless."

"Do you think Santa got me what I wanted?" Roland said, through a mouthful of sausage.

Regina sat down next to him and helped him cut up his food. "I don't know, let's hope. I still can't believe that out of everything else you could've asked for, it was just a few coloring books. There isn't anything else you want?"

The question had been bothering her since he revealed it.

"I don't need anything else," Roland replied, his smile as genuine as they came, "I have the bestest family in the whole world. Nothing else matters."

It was moments like these where Regina felt as though she were the child, and he the adult. His words made her heart feel like it was glowing inside of her.

"That's right, and you never forget that. I know our family is big and complicated, but we all love each other." She told him, as if it were the most important thing in the world- it was, really. But he knew.

"I love you, Momma," her precious little boy told her, a bright smile on his face, "I never want Christmas to end!"

She gave a quick but gentle kiss to his forehead. "I love you too. You've made my Christmas just about a thousand times better. Now- are you ready to have fun today?"