Finding Home

Untitled Part 9

"' Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house. Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;"

"Mama?" She interrupts Regina by putting her hand on the book of stories. "Who is Saint Nicholas?"

"Saint Nicholas is Santa Clause, sweetie."

"Why don't they just say Santa Clause?" Emma asked, giving her a strange look.

"We look it up tomorrow after we're done with our presents. How about that?"

"Okay, Mommy." She said, nestling into her side once more. "Have you ever met Santa Clause?"

"I have, thanks to Henry. Have you, darling?"

She shook and looked down. "I was going to once, but I got really sick and couldn't go with the other kids."

"You never met Santa Clause?"

"No Mama, never. Did Henry?"

"Only every year. He hated him at first, he was so scared of sitting on his lap that the first three years, I had to sit with him."

"You sat on Santa's lap too? Ohh," she whined, "maybe this year it can be Emmy's turn."

Quickly, Regina hatched a scheme as she sent Emma to go use the potty and shot David Nolan a text message. Nothing too fancy just enough to help him understand the gravity of the situation. Assuring that he was awake and that he only needed to stand in a certain spot, so she could transport him and change him into the famous red velvet suit. Add to that footsteps on the roof, and Emma exiting the bathroom at just the right moment to hear it.

"Mama? Do you hear that?" she asks, clad in reindeer pajamas.

"Hear what?"

The footsteps returned, and Emma's jade eyes had never been quite so large. "Santa...!" she squeaked, running to grab Nemo and Regina from the bed.

Creeping down the stairs, Emma with her blanket and Nemo, Regina holding her hand. She smiles when she sees David's costume. His blonde beard, not exactly that of the renowned Santa Clause but nothing a light touch of her magic could not resolve. After that, David Nolan looked the way Emma always imagined Santa would.

The setting presents under the tree they could hear him talking to himself. "This one's for Emma, and this one for Henry. One for Regina, and one for Zelena. Ho, ho, ho."

Okay, next year they would practice this before he showed up. To Emma, it hardly seemed to matter as she dropped her Nemo like a hot potato to go tug on Sana's arm. "Hi Santa," she whispered.

His yelp scared them both and she jumped back. David, bumping into the large white Christmas tree, nearly knocking it over. How Regina managed for thirty years without magic was beyond her as she saved the man and the tree. Just as Emma saw Santa Clause, David saw his little girl. Truly.

"You got me!" he said, making her giggle. "Emma Swan, have you been a good little girl?" he asked, bright blue eyes shining. She barely managed to nod in response. "Would you like to sit on my lap and tell me what you hoped for?"

Taking a seat on the couch, Emma jumping right onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck "Santa, every Christmas I only wanted one thing."

"What is that Emma?"

She blushed, burying her face in his chest. "A family."

The man's tears broke little Emma's heart, as she wiped them away. "Please don't cry Santa."