Once Upon a Time A Merry Mills Christmas

_It is Christmas and every year Cora ignored it but after getting her heart back she wants to make it special for her daughter. With Henry's help she does. Regina loves it and has a nice Christmas. Cora gives Regina a present that she loves - Regina fan_

_Thanks for the prompt. I don't own Once or its characters. Apologies for any mistakes. Hope you all enjoy :)_

* * *

_(Many years ago) _

_Five year old Regina runs excitedly down the halls. She's been speaking to the village children and they've been telling her all about Christmas. At first she was confused, she knew nothing of this Christmas and had had no sign of it during her childhood so far, but then as they told her about tinsel and lights and presents all she could be was excited. _

_All the other kids were getting Christmas so surely she should too? _

_She hopes so anyway and has no idea why her mother hasn't had them before. The kids told her that only good little boys and girls get presents and Christmas and she's been trying so hard to be good and stop her Mama getting mad at her. Some days she succeeds, others, well she doesn't like to think about the other days. _

_She skips down the hallway her mind filled with images of a bright and colourful Christmas and a day spent with her Mama and Papa full of happiness. All she wants is for them to have a magical, happy Christmas. _

_"Mama!" she cries out sliding into her mother's study. Normally she's not allowed in but surely Christmas is an exception? _

_Cora frowns impatiently, "What have I told you about coming in here?" _

_Regina doesn't notice her mother's short temper too buzzed by the idea of candy canes and stockings, "Mama it's Christmas! All the kids in the village are having one. Are we having a Christmas too?" _

_"No," Cora says sharply. _

_Regina's face falls, tears filling her eyes, "Why?" _

_"We don't have time for such childishness," Cora replies dismissively, "Besides," she adds scowling at the young child, "Only good girls get Christmas not rambunctious princesses who never do as they told." _

_"But I've been trying to be good!" _

_Cora shakes her head, "I said no Regina." _

_The little girl walks away with tears in her eyes. She spends Christmas looking out her window at the celebrations in the village wondering if she'll ever get to have the Christmas she now dreams of. She wishes she hadn't spoken to those village kids. Before she saw them she didn't know anything about Christmas, now she__knows what's she's missing and it hurts so much more._

* * *

Cora frowns as she thinks of the Christmas memories she gave her daughter during her childhood. She ignored it every year never giving Regina what she wanted most – a happy Christmas. Now with her heart back in her chest and with her she wants to make it worse. She loves her daughter and they've worked hard to reach a point where they feel like mother and daughter and Cora wants so desperately to give Regina Christmas.

She just has no idea how.

Cora sighs trudging up the stairs. She's hoping her grandson will help. Both Regina and Henry have told her stories about the Christmases they've shared in the past and after hearing about their happiness and the joy of the day she longs to be a part of that. Her daughter gave Henry everything she never had, a proper family Christmas and she wants to do the same for Regina.

"Henry," she says knocking on the door until he answers, "Hey Nana," he says, "What's up?"

She looks around furtively. She doesn't want Regina to know. The only surprises she managed to give Regina during her childhood were bad ones. This year however she can wants to give her a special surprise, one that will hopefully lead to many more family Christmases for them all. She knows Regina is excited enough just to have her mother and Henry here this year, he's going to Emma's on Boxing Day as per their custody arrangement but still Cora wants to give her the Christmas her daughter has dreamed of since she was a little girl.

"I need your help," she announces, "Call it Operation Christmas."

"Lame name."

"MillsMas?"

"What?"

"Well I want to give Regina a Merry Mills Christmas."

"Let's stick with Operation Christmas," he concedes.

"So you're in?"

"Well you haven't told me what we're doing yet…."

So she tells him everything, about her daughter's innocent request that she denied each year, about her guilt and regret and the pain she caused Regina by ignoring this family celebration. She tells him about how she wants to give Regina everything she should have done all those years ago. Throughout it all he listens before he looks up at her solemnly, "You mean until she had me, she never had Christmas?"

Cora shakes her head as an ache fills her heart, "She never did and it was all my fault Henry. I can't make up for the childhood I gave her but I have my heart now and I want to give her everything. I want her to have Christmas Henry but I need your help to make it special."

"How Christmassy are we talking?"

"As Christmassy as we can get," Cora replies.

He smiles, "Okay I'm in," he agrees, "Operation Christmas is a go!"

* * *

They both set early alarms on Christmas morning. Nothing's been decorated or set up though Cora knows Regina's bought presents. She suspects it's because of her, because of Regina's fears from childhood that she doesn't deserve Christmas. That thought makes her heart break a little more and makes her more determined to try and make things right, to make her daughter see that she deserves Christmas in all its magical splendour.

She and Henry sneak their way down the stairs winding tinsel around the staircase before they get to work on the living room. They hang up stockings and fairy lights before stringing decorations throughout the house. There's even a banner reading Merry Christmas! in flourished script. Cora lights a winter spice candle filling the house with the scent of cinnamon, one she knows Regina loves.

They leave the tree bare for now so they can all decorate it together. Henry tells her it's a family tradition and she won't wreck that.

Cora and Henry survey the room looking at the decorations and Christmassy items surrounding the room, "How does it look?" Cora asks. She's never truly had Christmas either and as she looks around she's understanding why people enjoy it so. Just being in the room fills her heart with warmth and a sense of contented happiness.

He smiles, "Perfect. She's going to love it but we're not done yet."

"We aren't?"

"Nope, we need Christmas cookies in the shape of reindeers, trees and Santa."

Three attempts later they wind up with a batch of passable, edible cookies. Cora smiles proudly at the cookies, "We did it!" she cheers.

Henry high fives her before grinning. "We just need the finishing touches," he declares as he runs to the stereo switching on a CD filled with Christmas songs. Cora smiles as she recognises the opening bars of 'Rocking Around The Christmas Tree' before Henry runs back to her holding some kind of knitted monstrosity. "What is that?"

"Your Christmas jumper," he says handing her the red and queen sweater as he tugs his own over his head. He reaches for a pair of Reindeer antlers as he places them on his grandmother's head. She frowns at him. "Trust me," he grins, "Mom will love it."

They hear footsteps from above.

"Sh," Henry whispers as they creep into the living room to wait.

Cora bounces from one foot to the other as nervous excitement runs through her. God she hopes Regina enjoys this surprise. The door creaks open and Regina steps through still in her Christmas pyjamas, a set covered in snowmen – an early gift from Emma.

"Merry Christmas!" Cora and Henry shout causing Regina to jump before she looks around the room. Her eyes fill with tears as she sees all the decorations, the stockings and her mother and son in Christmas jumpers. It might seem cheesy or over the top but it's all ever dreamed of having as a little girl. When she adopted Henry she tried every year to give him Christmas, she did everything, decorations, carols, cookies, the trees, all family traditions and memories she cherishes, then, now and forever.

"Henry did you do this?" she asks.

He steps forward hugging her tightly, "Merry Christmas Mom. It was Nana's idea. She wanted to surprise you and give you Christmas."

Regina hugs her son a little tighter, "She did?"

He nods with a smile, "Do you like it?"

"It's perfect Henry," she replies ruffling his hair, "Merry Christmas."

He releases her and she turns to her mother. Regina was uneasy about this day. She remembered the Christmases of her childhood and dreaded that this year she would lose Christmas again. She's glad to be wrong. Tears threaten to spill out of her eyes as she realises what her mother has done for her. She's given her a Christmas.

"Mama?" she asks, the old nickname from her childhood slipping through in a flurry of emotiom, as she turns to face Cora who smiles at her, "Merry Christmas sweetheart," she says almost shyly. She wasn't sure how Regina was going to react to this surprise but then Regina takes the few steps between them and hugs her tightly, "Merry Christmas Mom."

"Do you like it?" she asks even though Henry has just asked the same. She needs to be sure. She wants this to be perfect for Regina, to be everything her daughter wished for. As Regina smiles at her she realises that all her daughter ever wanted is what she wants now - for them all simply to be together.

Regina nods, "It's wonderful," she says with a bright happy smile. She can remember the cold Christmases of her childhood, alone and ignored - they were the reason she worked so hard to give Henry the warmest Christmases she could. She knows sometimes she goes overboard but it's worth it to create the Christmas atmoshphere that she loves so much. "Except for one thing," she adds, "The tree."

"Henry told me you two decorate it together. I didn't want to take that tradition from you," Cora explains. Regina smiles at her before taking her mother's hand loosely in her own and leading her over to where Henry waits, "Why don't we all decorate it together, it's a Mills family tradition after all and you're a Mills now."

Cora smiles, "I'd like that, now where do I start?"

Regina and Henry share a grin before reaching for a box, grabbing a handful of its contents and tossing it over Cora. They laugh at her as they cheer, "Tinsel!"

* * *

Henry is absorbed in his pile of presents moving excitedly from one gift to the next and Regina couldn't be happier. This is what she loves about Christmas, being with her son and making him happy even if it is just by wearing a pair of reindeer antlers that sing Christmas songs. This year, her mother is here too, and whilst she had her fears none of them have come true, instead there's just more family and love to go around and Regina's heart swells with joy.

They've decorated the tree and she can't help but keep shooting glances at it. They've handed out presents to Henry and played his annual game of 'Guess What's In The Box' (for Regina it was an apple charm necklace and photo scrapbook, for Cora a photo book and a how to guide for modern day appliances). They've drunk hot cocoa with marshmallows and Christmas cookies whilst carols fill the air.

All in all it's what Regina wanted that day when she was five years old and heard about Christmas for the first time. She still wishes she had it then, she always will, her comfort comes from knowing that she can have happy family Christmases with people who love her. Her mother and her still have their ups and downs but today is definitely an up.

As Henry unwraps his latest XBox game with a loud cheer before immediately setting it up to play. Regina chuckles before turning to her mother, "Well that's him gone until dinner."

Cora smiles with an amused quirk of her brow, "I still don't understand that game machine."

"I'm sure it will be in your brand new book."

"As long as it tells me how to use that damn oven of yours properly," Cora replies with a chuckle.

Regina laughs too before handing Cora a small wrapped present. She fidgets with her hands nervously, "I hope you like it."

Cora smiles tipping her daughter's chin up, "I'm sure I will." She unwraps the paper to reveal a framed photo of herself and Regina taken at the Halloween fair. They're both smiling and wrapped up in warm cosy scarves and coats as Regina points something out to Cora. It's a stolen moment, one she assumes taken by Snow or Henry or Emma but it's perfect, it's a proper picture of herself and Regina looking like mother and daughter. She smiles brightly as a tear rolls down her cheek - she's never had a picture of her and Regina, a portrait doesn't look like this, the portraits were stiff and fixed whereas this, this actually looks like a family photo, "I love it," she tells Regina who lets out a breath and grins.

Cora reaches for her own gift before handing it to Regina. Regina takes it before carefully unwrapping the paper and pulling out a locket. She gasps as she holds up the star shaped locket reverently. Her father gave this to her years ago and she was sure she'd lost it in the curse.

"What is it Mom?" Henry asks lifitng his eyes up from his game.

"My necklace," she says in response with a small smile. She can still remember the day her father gave her this. It was her sixth birthday and he placed it round her neck telling her that even if none of her wishes came true his came true with her. He told her that with that necklace he would always be with her and to see it as a reminder that she could be happy. She wore it every day until Daniel's death when she buried it in a drawer and never looked back vowing she could never be happy.

Cora smiles at her, "I found it in the ruins of your palace," she explains, "I took it thinking I'd see you again one day. Luckily I did find you and even though I didn't deserve it you gave me a chance. I was waiting for the right time to give it to you but today seemed right. I love you sweetheart and you made my wishes come true this year."

Regina smiles brightly before launching herself across the chair and hugging Cora tightly, "I love it Mom, I love you. Thank you for Christmas."

Cora shakes her head, "No, thank you for showing me why Christmas is so important."

"Maybe we could do it all again next year?" Regina asks with a chuckle. Cora laughs before nodding, "I'd like that."

_Thanks for reading :) _


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