Miles To Go

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Emma made the long drive up to Storybrooke two days before Christmas Eve with Ruby and Granny following close behind in Ruby's car. It had taken them close to ten hours to drive to Storybrooke, the roads a mess as a small storm hit the state of Maine hours before they got there.

At least they had gotten there in one piece and since her phone had died and as usual she had forgotten her car charger, Regina was distraught with worry the moment she opened the door before Emma could knock on the front door of 108 Mifflin Street at eleven-thirty at night. Regina barely let her sleep that night, hours upon hours of making love quietly and slowly kept them both awake.

They spent the first full day in Storybrooke as a family, Granny more eager to visit old friends and take in the sights of the town she'd left her heart behind in. It was a perfect day and even with the chill in the air and the snow that clung to the ground, it was just perfect and Emma couldn't remember a time when she'd been so happy and the feeling of home was so strong, more than it ever had been before.

Waking up in Regina's arms the next morning was one of the best feelings in the world. She woke with a smile on her face as the warm morning sunlight poked through the partially closed drapes. Unlike the first night, they had slept in pajama's, changing into them shortly after they'd made love for well over an hour, neither of them barely able to get under the covers before they were fast asleep.

"Morning, love."

"Morning," Emma smiled as she turned in Regina's arms. "It's Christmas Eve."

"That it is, darling."

Regina was well aware of the Christmas Eve tradition that Emma and Henry had with Granny and Ruby and she wanted for them to follow through on it even though they were in Regina's home. Emma couldn't wait for breakfast, for the pancakes and eggs and sausages and bacon Granny would cook up for all of them and they'd stuff their faces until their bellies were full and they could barely move a muscle. Before Granny had taken her in, she never had any traditions when it came to holidays and especially Christmas had been a particularly depressing one for her.

It was something she didn't like to talk about, but Regina knew, Regina knew just about everything about her now after all the hours they'd talked, revealing secrets to one another nobody else even knew. She had feared at first that Regina would feel differently once she knew what her childhood had been like, but all Regina had done that night she told her everything, was hold her and promised her that she'd never go a day without being loved fully and completely ever again.

And she had no doubt about it because she felt it every day, whether she was with Regina or not.

They shared a slow yet passionate good morning kiss before they slipped out of bed. Silently they made the bed together before Regina disappeared inside the en suite to shower while Emma slipped out of the bedroom and down the hall to the room that Henry was staying in so she could wake him.

"Henry?" Emma said quietly as she knocked on the door before opening it. "Hey, kid, time to get up," she urged as she sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed her hand over his messy brown hair.

"Do I have to?"

"Yeah, you do."

"But it's early!" Henry whined as he pulled the pillow over his head.

Emma sighed as she nudged at him again and pulled the pillow away from his head. "I am not gonna ask you again. Get up, kid. We're guests, okay, and it's kind of rude to sleep in too late in someone else's house."

"It's just Regina," Henry mumbled. "I don't think she'd care if I slept in!"

"Well, I care so get your butt outta bed and get dressed. Final warning."