It was raining now. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but it was night already. Staring at the rain and sitting at her desk in the Sherriff's office.
She couldn't bring herself to move. Everything happened so fast. Henry, Regina, and her parents. Parents. She'd been searching for them as long as she could remember. Now she knows exactly where they are; sitting back home with Henry probably worrying about her.
Home. Where she should be, where she wanted to be. But she couldn't move. She just sat there, placid. Remembering what happened earlier…
-Earlier that day-
After the curse was broken, everyone navigated their way through the purple smoke to find their loved ones. She and Henry made their way out of the hospital and before she could even wrap her head around what she was going to face there they were. They were smiling at her, love and sadness filling their eyes. Mary Margaret took a few steps toward them and touched Emma's face.
"Emma," she said barely above a whisper, "you found us."
Tears were starting to form in Mary Margaret's eyes and Emma couldn't handle it. She quickly looked averted her eyes to the ground. Mary Margaret took the hint and moved on to Henry. She knew how Emma was, she just needs time.
After about 20 minutes of making the rounds, Mary Margaret moved toward Emma.
"Hey," she spoke, staring intently, hoping to get any sense of what Emma was feeling.
"Hi," Emma awkwardly responded, and made a note to look straight past Marys' gaze.
"We were going to head home. Get some food, some rest. It's been a long day for all of us,"
"You coming?"
"Yeah, uhm, yes, I just need to go grab something from, uhm, the office. Yeah I'll meet you guys there,"
Mary Margaret lingered for a moment, then sadly nodded and walked off. She knew better than to push Emma.
-Now-
She doesn't know why she came here. It's not like this place has held any good memories. Her eyes subconsciously travel to the black jacket hanging on the rack. A hand reaching out to stroke the thick fabric.
Graham.
Heart breaking and mind racing, all at once it hits her. Losing Graham, losing Mary Margaret, losing Henry, fighting a dragon, finding her parents… The tears start to fall, slowly, one by one.
"Damn it!"
She has walls for a reason. She hates getting hurt. She used to have a saying, whenever she would start to have feelings for someone or start something new. She would stop herself. Hope is for the weak.
Freaking Storybrooke. Everyone here slowly began chipping away at her walls. A smile from Henry, a caring touch on the shoulder from Mary Margaret, or a kiss from Graham.
Now everything has changed; sitting on the floor in the Sherriff's office crying her eyes out. Holding onto Graham's jacket, afraid that if she lets go there's no way she could make it back. The walls were gone.
"Emma?"
She would know that voice anywhere. She should have known Mary would come check on her eventually.
"Mary Margaret, I'm in here," Emma didn't even attempt to hide her shakiness or tears. And when Mary Margaret walked in the office, it just made the tears flow faster.
She didn't know what she expected, but this certainly was not it. She expected avoidance, classic Emma; maybe even some anger. All the while with those dreadful walls being built even higher. But with one look at her, crumpled on the floor with mascara running and cheeks flushed; she was starting to get nervous. Emma just looked so sad. Was it because of her?
"It's too much, Mary Margaret. It's too much, I can't handle it" Emma was almost hyperventilating now.
Mary fell to her knees right in front of Emma and lifted her face, "Emma, you need to calm down. It'll be alright, just breathe. I need you to breathe."
Before Emma could protest Mary Margaret pulled her into a fierce embrace. There was no point in trying to run; Mary had a way of getting under your skin like that. Her mother.
They sat like that on the floor of the Sherriff's office for what seemed like forever. Emma's tears coming to a slow while Mary Margaret rubbed a hand over her hair.
"How are you?" Mary Margaret began tentatively. Not wanting to scare her off.
Emma thought for a minute, "I'm not sure."
"You'll get there, Em. No one expects you to play house. Take your time, we'll be here when you're ready" Mary Margaret spoke as she pulled back and scanned Emma's face, "guess you really do have my chin, huh?"
"Shut up," Emma sighed as she wiped away a few lingering tears and slowly laid her head back on Mary's shoulder.
"Come on; let's go home, I'll make you some hot cocoa," Mary Margaret stood up and turned towards the door. Turning around to look at Emma and holding out a hand.
"Thank you," Emma whispered as she took her hand.