AN: I do not own Once Upon a Time.

I wrote this around a year ago, as a possible way for the conversation in Broken (2x1) to have gone. Seems more accurate now with the current seasons.

I got up from the booth at Granny's, unable to listen to any more of my "parents'" excuses. I started walking, keeping my head down in hopes of not drawing attention to myself. Since the curse broke everyone has wanted to thank me-or blame me. I can't deal with either right now. I kept walking until I reached the beach where Henry's castle used to sit. I sat down on the sand and quickly checked to see if there were people around. Seeing the coast was clear, I screamed and slammed my fists into the sand.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret called, running onto the beach.

I drew my knees up to my chest and rested my head on my kneecaps as I heard Mary Margaret sit down. I moved away from her. I didn't want her to touch me.

"Mary Margaret, I just want to be alone right now."

"Well, I'm not Mary Margaret anymore."

I stood up abruptly and looked down at the woman who had abandoned me 28 years ago.

"I know. I liked Mary Margaret," I replied, turning to walk down the beach.

I faintly heard Mary Margaret jump up behind me.

"I don't think that's fair!" she protested, running to keep up with me.

"Fair? You want to talk about fair? My parents abandoned me. They put everyone else in the world before their daughter. Literally."

"Emma, you can't possibly believe that."

"It's the truth! You are a great queen, and you did what any great queen would do: put her people first. You can always have more kids." She looked at me, speechless. I turned and started back down the beach.

"Emma, stop!" she yelled, chasing me again. I kept walking. I wasn't interested in anything she could say. "Emma, stop! Just let me explain!"

"Explain? Go ahead, explain! What could you possibly say to make this okay?" I demanded, whirling around to face her.

"I can't make it okay. Nothing could ever make it okay. Just give me a second to explain."

"Fine, go."

"I wanted to come with you."

"Then why didn't you?"

"The wardrobe, it could only carry one. Our plan was to send me…well us, through. But you-you came too early. We had no other choice."

"You could have brought me with you." I interrupted.

"But then you would have been cursed too."

"We would have been together. Which curse is worse?"

"Emma, I'm sorry."

"I know, and hopefully one day that'll be enough."

I trudged away from her and continued down the beach, and this time she didn't follow me.