Once Upon a Time Christmas Traditions Have To Start Somewhere

Title: Traditions Have To Start Somewhere

Author: Darley1101

Rating: PG13

Characters/Pairing: Regina/Evil Queen; Robin Hood

Premise: Robin and Regina's first Christmas together.

Dedication: For my darling freak mate, Ana, as well as my dearest friends Dee, Jacky, Ilaria, and Liz. Hopefully one day we will all be able to meet up in person!

Disclaimer: If you take offense to any of the jokes about the movies mentioned in this story...my apologies...it is all in good fun! Enjoy!

Author's Note: I started this before the finale and didn't see changing it since I only lacked a tiny bit towards the end.

The angry frustration building in Regina Mills as she sat in a pile of tangled Christmas tree lights at the base of what had to be the worse Christmas tree ever was all Emma Swan's fault. It had started four days ago when Regina had stopped by Granny's Diner for a to go cup of hot chocolate and Emma had been there enjoying what looked to be a cozy breakfast with her parents. They, or rather Emma, had been talking about Christmas Traditions. Specifically the ones she and Henry had started during their time in New York. The pair had gone decorated a tree, gone ice skating, drank cocoa, and watched movies until they had fallen asleep on the sofa; or rather Henry had fallen asleep on the sofa, leaving Emma free to put the presents under the tree. It was something, Emma had told her parents, that she wanted to continue this year. Regina's first thoughts had been _over my dead body_ and then she remembered: Christmas didn't exist in the Enchanted Forest. She would be arguing against Henry celebrating something he had come to know and love. She couldn't do that. Not to her son. She would have to step back and let him enjoy his time with Emma. And then it happened. Her great epiphany: _she_ would create Christmas traditions with Henry. Which was how she ended up sitting in a pile of tangled up Christmas tree lights, glaring at the mangy looking fir tree she'd begged Robin to chop down and bring inside.

"Are you sure this is something people of this realm do, it seems bit silly if you ask me," Robin mused as he crouched to help her unravel the strand of lights that had somehow, mysteriously, wrapped around the ankle of one leg and the calf of the other. "Not to mention dangerous."

"Yes," she spat out, her face an ugly grimace of pent up rage and frustration, "I am sure. Do you think I would ask you to bring this rodent infested tree inside if I wasn't?"

A bemused chuckle escaped Robin's lips as he managed to pull her ankle free from their prison. "Still holding a grudge over that squirrel, I see?"

Of course she was still holding a grudge. It had only been thirty minutes ago that the damn thing flew out of the tree and buried its sharp, devil claws into her red cashmere sweater. Unless Robin had caught the little bastard when she wasn't looking the beast was still on the loose. Destroying whatever it touched no doubt."Just help me get these ridiculous lights under control," she begged, trying to kick her leg free.

"Hold still," Robin muttered.

A moment later she was free. Scooting back until she rested against the sofa, Regina stared at the pitiful tree Robin had brought in. It had to be the saddest excuse of a Christmas tree that she had ever seen. Not that she had seen many, just the gloriously perfect one Snow and Charming had put up, as well as the ones she had searched up on Henry's computer. "Tell me again why you chose this particular tree."

"It reminded me of us."

Both of her brows shot up. "This," she waved her hand in the direction of the tree, "tree reminded you of us?" She didn't know if she should be offended or...what? He certainly couldn't have meant the remark as a compliment.

Robin crawled over to where she sat and wrapped an arm loosely around her shoulders. "Yes, this tree, reminded me of us." Using the leverage he'd obtained when he put his arm around her shoulders, he pulled her closer. "Look at it, Regina, really look at it." She was looking at it. And all she could see was a tall, scraggly tree with holes where branches should be, and chunks of pine needles missing. In short, it reminded her of the mange infested dog the butcher had kept in the village outside her childhood home. "You see the scars," he pointed towards the trunk. Indeed there were scars etched deeply in bark, as though someone had tried to carve chunks of the bark from the tree's trunk. "Someone, maybe even several someones, has tried to destroy the tree but the tree wouldn't let them. The tree fought back. It refused to give up." He pressed a kiss against her temple. "Just as we refused to give up," he murmured.

Regina stared at him for a moment, her eyes searching his face. Her gaze narrowed, centering on the laughter in his smokey blue eyes. "So you cut it down," she said slowly, a smirk twerking the corner of her mouth.

"Alright. Fine. I felt sorry for the bloody thing. I mean, look at it! Nobody else was going to choose it and believe it or not trees do have feelings."

Laughter erupted from Regina. Trees had feelings? She wasn't going to touch that one because there was a very real possibility that Robin actually felt that way and she wasn't going to argue with him. She let out a sigh and used the sofa to push herself upright. Part of her wanted to conjure up a spell that would transform Robin's sad, drooping tree into a masterpiece that would wow not only Henry, but Roland as well. She wouldn't do it though. She couldn't. It would feel too much like creating false memories and she'd had enough of those to last a lifetime. "I guess there is only one thing to do," she murmured, bending at the waist to gather up the lights they had just untangled from her limbs.

"Find a new tree and chop this one up for firewood?" Regina shot him a look. "No? Well, then, milady, what do you propose?"

"We cover it with so many lights and decorations nobody notices how pitiful it is."

It took three hours to get the tree decorated in a fashion she could live with. While it didn't have the lush, perfection that the Charmings tree possessed it had what Regina's father would have called gumption. Covered from top to bottom in twinkling, multi-colored lights and ornaments made from various crafts she'd saved from Henry's childhood and recent ones Roland had gifted her. It was, without a doubt, a tree that belonged to a family. One that had been decorated with love. There was only one thing missing. The presents! Regina had thought about taking a cue from Emma and putting the gifts out after the boys were asleep but since Henry was with Emma and Hook for the evening, and Snow had graciously taken Roland so they could decorate the house as a surprise, there was no point in waiting to put out the gifts. Once they had crammed all the various gifts and treats they had purchased for the boys under the tree, Robin asked her what she had planned next.

"Waiting for the boys?"

"Regina, its only 3 in the afternoon. Henry won't be home until morning and we're not due to pick Roland up from the Charmings till 7. You can't really mean to sit around waiting for them."

When he put it that way her plan of waiting for the boys did seem rather ridiculous. "And what exactly do you propose we do?"

"We could always watch that movie Tinkerbell left here."

It took every ounce of Regina's will power not to roll her eyes. She loved Tinkerbell. Really, she did. The fairy had horrible taste in movies though. Sappy, romantic comedies that weren't all that romantic or funny when it was said and done. The last one Regina had been forced to sit through had involved a young woman with a closet full of bridesmaids dresses and a slutty, bitch of a little sister. "You can't be serious."

"And why not? It looks a bit interesting. All those different couples. And," Robin grinned, his dimples winking at her from his cheeks, "if it gets to be too awful we can always make fun of it the way we did the one we watched last week."

Ah yes. The movie from last week. What it had lacked in actual plot line and acting skills had made up for with fodder for slapstick commentary. Initially Tinkerbell hadn't been amused by their pot shots at what she had called "an incredibly sweet movie" but in the end Tink had joined them in poking fun at the fact that a rich man had hired and then fallen in love with a prostitute. "Alright. Fine. We'll watch the movie. You're making the popcorn though!"

"As you wish, milady," he chuckled.

Regina watched him exit the living room. Long after he had gone her gaze lingered in the direction he had gone. There were days she still expected him to disappear or, worse, for Marian to somehow, yet again, cheat death. She supposed it was rather selfish of her to not only be relieved but grateful that Marian had taken the matter out of their hands and chosen a peaceful death in Arendelle over Robin returning with her to the Enchanted Forest with no memory of their time in Storybrooke what so ever. Regina had been willing to let Robin go, to erase every single moment of their love from his mind, if it had meant saving Robin's wife and Roland's mother. In the end what she had been willing to do had been for naught. Marian had told them it was her decision, no one else, and she chose death. She'd said death was an easy choice when one knew the people they loved would be taken care of.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

A startled gasp caught in Regina's throat as Robin re-appeared in the doorway, a large bowl of popcorn cradled in the crook of one arm. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you."

"I am the lucky one." Robin set the bowl of popcorn down and wrapped his arms around her. His left hand came up to cup her cheek as his lips descended upon hers. For a moment, she lost herself in his kiss. There was something about the way he kissed her, the way their souls connected, that made all seem right in the world. "Now," he smiled, his lips still hovering over hers. "How about that movie."

The movie, entitled Love Actually, wasn't as horrible as Regina was expecting it to be. Instead of focusing on one central character, or couple, it focused on several. Her favorite had to be Jamie and Aurelia. Even though Jamie had been crushed by the actions of his girlfriend, Fate had stepped in and brought Aurelia into his life. It reminded Regina of her own path to love; of her path to Robin. It had been full of heart ache, but in the end love had prevailed, making all the pain worth it.

"We should make this part of our Christmas traditions," she murmured, snuggling closer to Robin as the ending credits started to roll.

"Cuddling on the sofa? Isn't that already a nightly tradition?"

Playfully swatting him on the arm, Regina sat up and pushed her hair off her face. "I meant the movie. We should make it a tradition to watch a romantic Christmas movie on Christmas Eve. Just the two of us."

He reached out and pulled her onto his lap. "Now that," he pressed a kiss against her throat, "sounds like a wonderful," his mouth moved downward, across her collar bone, "tradition." A shiver rippled down her spine as one hand slid under her sweater and cupped her breast, the pad of his thumb flicking her nipple through the lace of her bra. "I can think of another tradition that might be fun to start," he murmured.

"Later," she gasped, reluctantly wiggling away. "We're due at the Charmings in twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes is plenty of time for what I have planned," Robin assured her, tugging her back towards him.

"Robin! I'm serious!" Regina pleaded, trying to untangle herself from his grasp. He had no idea how difficult it was to tell him no, to tell him that they needed to get ready for dinner at the Charmings. Besides, twenty minutes was never long enough. She'd learned that lesson.

"Alright. Fine." Robin sighed and released her. "However, I want your word that we'll come up with some 'personal' Christmas traditions of our won. Traditions that don't include the Charmings or our boys."

A slow, promising smirk stretched across Regina's lips. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

(So I think I might continue this. Make it a 2 or 3 Shot. Yes? No? Maybe? Let me know in a review or message!)


End file.

Once Upon a Time, Romance