"Here," Snow murmured quietly, breaking the silence at the bow of the gently swaying pirate ship. She stood behind her daughter, admiring the way the moonlight seemed to make her golden hair glow.

Emma jumped as if startled, and automatically reached out to take the tin mug of coffee that Snow offered. "Thanks."

"I know it isn't hot chocolate," Snow said lightly, trying to raise Emma's spirits. "I couldn't even find any cinnamon, but you need something to warm you up."

Emma graced her mother with a ghost of a smile and held the mug tightly in both hands. "Thanks," she repeated, then shuffled her feet; a gesture Snow knew was a classic Emma sign of wanting something but being afraid to ask.

Snow's heart ached for her daughter. As sick and terrified as she was for Henry, she knew it was even worse for Emma. She knew that pain, that agonizing unknown, of not knowing where your child was or if they were safe or scared or hurt or crying. Maybe she'd only known it briefly, in the span of time between Charming taking her precious baby from her arms and the moment the curse struck, but it resonated in her memory as harshly as if it happened yesterday.

She knew Emma was worried, scared, and vulnerable. She also knew, in a way someone only knew when they'd lived with a person for a good amount of time, that Emma was also confused and frightened by not only what happened to Henry but what happened before that. The trigger, the fight to stop Tamara and save Regina, losing Neal and not being given more than a second to grieve, being faced with fleeing the only world she's ever known and going back to the Enchanted Forest permanently, and then finally helping to stop the trigger with some of the most amazing magic Snow had ever witnessed.

It was a lot, a lot to ask any one person to handle. But that's what Emma did; she handled things strongly and silently. Yet in the midst of all that chaos, Emma had done something Snow didn't think she'd ever do. She'd called her and David, Mom and Dad.

And that alone was sign to Snow that Emma was terrified, and didn't need to be alone.

So she sidled up beside Emma against the railing, deciding not to push her if she wasn't ready to talk. "Do you feel like talking about it yet?"

Emma sighed, looking out at the black ocean instead of at her. "Nope," she said simply.

Snow nodded, having expected that, but didn't move to leave. "Do you want to be alone?" and if she said yes, Snow would walk away. Now was not the time to attack that wall.

Emma hesitated, and Snow watched her fingers clench the railing. Her answer was so quiet it was almost lost in the breeze. "Nope."

So Snow stayed, sipping her own bitter coffee and letting her shoulder stay in contact with Emma's. Just a little reminder that she was still there.

After some time of listening to the waves lapping up against the side of the ship, Emma chuckled breathily. "That sounded a lot like a conversation we had a while back, only the roles were reversed then."

Snow furrowed her brow, but then realized what Emma was talking about and laughed. "Oh my goodness, you're right! I didn't even realize. Heavens…that seems like so long ago."

"I know," Emma droned. "The damn curse broke only a couple of months ago, but it feels like a lifetime ago. But you know what's weird?"

Snow tilted her head to one side, signaling that she was listening.

"At the same time, it feels like just yesterday I was sitting in your kitchen for the first time and you were serving me hot cocoa with cinnamon and convincing me not to leave town."

Snow smiled warmly. "I can remember very clearly feeling the strangest…I don't know, kinship to you, I guess. I wanted you to stay so badly, and I couldn't even say why. I was so afraid of freaking you out."

"Freaking me out? Why?"

Snow laughed and shrugged. "Because I had developed such an instant attachment to you, and I was afraid if you knew you'd think I was in love with you!"

Emma wrinkled her nose. "Ew. Well, I'm just glad you didn't take your confusing attachment feelings to believe you were in love with me. Talk about awkward."

Snow laughed louder, covering her mouth with the back of her hand so not to waken the sleeping inhabitants elsewhere on the ship. "Oh no. I was confused, yes, but I really just wanted to be your friend. You struck me as someone who needed one."

Emma smiled wistfully. "I did need one. Didn't want one, but needed one."

"What do you mean, 'didn't want one?'" Snow asked, frowning.

"It's just….at the time, I thought I was okay, you know? I mean in life. I made decent money, had a great apartment…for the first time I was settled and content. And then Henry showed up," her eyes softened at the mention of her son's name. "And sent my life into a whirlwind. I thought that I would take him home and leave, and then I thought I would make sure he was okay, then leave. I didn't want anything tying me to Storybrooke, I didn't want a reason to want to stay. I was already falling for Henry, but I just kept telling myself that it was best for him if I stayed out of his life. And then there was you. Sweet, unassuming Mary Margaret with her kind eyes and encouraging words, and I didn't want to like you. I didn't want anything else anchoring me to that town. But I couldn't help it! You're impossible not to like, do you know that?"

Snow smirked. "Tell that to Regina."

"No, I swear, I think even Regina likes you. I think what makes her hate you the most is the fact that she can't completely hate you. You're like a puppy."

"I'm not entirely sure how to respond to that."

Emma waved her off. "Take it as a compliment. You just got under my skin, and once I gave in and became your friend all I wanted to do was protect you from the world."

Snow perked up. "Really?"

"Yeah. You were like this innocent, naïve little…" she gestured with her hands like she was balling something up. "…bird that I just want to put in a box and shelter from anything that might hurt you. Especially after that night I came home to find you crying over David. I could have beaten the hell out of him for that."

Snow was filled with such warmth at the revelation that Emma was so protective over her back then. She supposed she knew already, but as Mary Margaret she'd never thought about it. While Emma was trying to protect her, she was busy trying to be a friend to Emma. "That's sweet," she said. "But I don't know about all of these animal analogies."

Emma grinned, the first genuine smile Snow had seen from her in ages. "Oh shut up, you love birds. And puppies."

"I guess you're right. Good thing you didn't beat the hell out of your father that night. It might have hurt his pride now."

Emma chuckled and turned around to sit down against the railing, and Snow followed suit. There was a question worming around in the back of her mind, a question she'd almost asked several times while she and Emma were in the Enchanted Forest, but she was almost afraid of the answer. "Emma?"

Emma hummed in response.

"Do you miss her?"

Emma furrowed her brow. "Miss who?"

"Mary Margaret."

"You're Mary Margaret."

"Yes, I know…but I mean…"

Emma sighed. "Do I miss the way it was before, when we were just roommates and best friends?"

Snow nodded. "Yeah. I mean, it's not like Mary Margaret is gone, I'm still me, but I know that…I know that I'm not the same as I was. I like to think the change is for the better. But she was your friend, and I'm your mom. I guess I wouldn't blame you for missing it, life was a lot simpler back then…I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked…"

"You're rambling," Emma said, amusement in her voice.

Snow smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Just forget I said anything."

Emma met Snow's eyes. "I miss her in some ways," she admitted, and Snow tried desperately not to let her disappointment show. "Like you said, life was easier. Even when you were being tried for murder it was easier! And I miss some of the conversations we used to have…"

"You can still talk to me!" Snow interrupted.

"I know," Emma said softly. "But you don't talk to me anymore."

Snow's mouth fell open. "What?"

"You don't talk to me. Not about anything you think might upset me," she wasn't accusing, just sadly stating the fact. "Like, I can live without discussions about sex now," both women made faces. "But Mary Margaret told me everything, well, at least I think she did. She told me things so that I could help her. That whole debacle with you going to Regina after Cora died?"

Snow's eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"Like secrets can be kept in that apartment, yeah I know. And one day you and me are going to sit down and talk about how you will never do anything like that again."

Snow would have smiled at the maternal tone in her daughter's voice if the subject wasn't so serious. "I would have told you, but you had so much else going on…"

"You wanted to protect me, I get it, I do. And I'm glad you have David now to talk to, I'd be even more furious if you had just kept it bottled up. But…" she shifted uncomfortably. "I guess I just miss the days when you'd talk to me. I guess now that you have your husband back you don't need me…"

"Emma!" Snow grabbed her arm to stop her. "Don't ever think that I don't need you! You're my best friend, even if you are my daughter now too. Life has been a roller coaster from hell the past few months, I just didn't want to add to that. I never meant to make you feel like I couldn't talk to you anymore. I miss those talks too. Yeah, I went to my husband for...that. But there are some things that you just can't talk to a man about. They're clueless," Emma chuckled. "And you, missy, can talk to me about absolutely anything. Including sex, and I promise I'll never make a face or bring up your father in any way."

"Deal," Emma said laughingly. "If you promise not to hide anything from me."

"I promise."

Emma scooted a little closer, and Snow bit her lip to keep from smiling about it. "I'm glad I have you. As Mary Margaret, as Snow White, as whatever. You're all the same to me, and I'm glad."

Snow couldn't stop herself from bumping Emma's shoulder with her own and reaching down to take her hand.

"I guess the biggest adjustment," Emma continued. "Was we went from me protecting you to you protecting me…and sometimes I think we were trying so hard to protect each other we didn't know what to do."

Snow giggled. "Isn't that what family does? Besides, I think our entire relationship was pretty even. I gave you a place to live, you helped me with my David drama. You defended me and believed me when no one else did, and I kicked a man out of a two story window for you."

Emma had begun to slowly lean closer and closer to Snow until her head was resting on Snow's shoulder. "That was so awesome," she mumbled drowsily. "And then you jumped into a Vortex of Doom for me."

"And you supported me through the Netherworld."

Emma cuddled a little closer, and Snow brought up her arm to wrap around her shoulders. "And you went all badass and shot an ogre in the eye to save me."

Snow rested her head on top of Emma's, feeling her body relax against her. "And you were willing to sacrifice your life to save mine. Which I never want you to try again."

Emma's eyes were closed, but the corners of her mouth twitched up. "Yes, Mom."

"Emma?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

Snow didn't know if Emma heard her or not, as she seemed to already be asleep, so she situated herself more comfortably and tightened her hold on her daughter, ready to spend a night propped up against a ship railing if it meant Emma got a few hours of rest.

After a few seconds of quiet, Emma murmured something sleepily into Snow's shoulder, and Snow felt it go straight into her heart, brightening what had become dark.

"I love you, too."

This came to me last night, just a little bonus moment of the likes I HOPE we see in season 3! Though it may be a while yet to the season premiere, it's only a couple more days till season 2 is on DVD and BluRay! I've got my copy preordered at Moviestop and my best friend just texted me a picture of the guy who works there holding up a copy to his face. Mocking us with our inability to purchase it yet. Can you believe that?! Le sigh. Anywho, keep an eye out for an update to Memories Keep Us Near. I working on some formatting issues, but I should have it up soon! Thanks for reading!