TITLE: When You Have No Other Place To Run To – But Home

SUMMARY: "You are back. I wasn't sure you had actually left. Seeing how you didn't see fit to say good-bye to me." Mary Margaret looked up to meet Emma's green eyes. "Mary Margaret-" Emma started "Don't!" Mary Margaret stormed. "Don't even start."

CATEGORIES: Family/ Hurt/Comfort/ Friendship/ Drama/ Angst/ Tragedy/ Spiritual/ Romance/ Crime/ Suspense

RATING: T

PRELUDE

EMOTIONAL OVERLOAD

Mary Margaret started to pour her orange juice when the door opened. She kept her eyes glued onto the glass pitcher as she waited for her blond roommate to walk through the door. She was shocked how steady her hand remained. From her eye lashes she saw Emma; "You are back. I wasn't sure you had actually left." Her voice remained neutral when all she wanted too do was yell, and scream. She set the pitcher down onto the counter; "Seeing how you didn't see fit to say good-bye to me." Anger laced the final part of the sentence. She slammed her eyes up to meet Emma's green eyes.

"Mary Margaret -" Emma started.

"Don't!" Mary Margaret finally let her anger fully unleash. "Don't even start." Fire coarse through her own green eyes. "How dare you be such a damn hypocrite!"

Emma blinked.

"When I ran away and you came after me; you begged me to remain in Storybrook. That too leave it would like losing your family." Mary Margaret leaned into the counter for support, "Don't you understand Emma? You leaving Storybrook would be like me losing my family. And to have you leave without saying good-bye to me – that hurts Emma. It's like you willing abandoned me – like I don't matter at all."

"I panicked." Emma truthfully replied. "I realized how screwed up Storybrook truly is; and I don't want to be here any longer."

"What about Henry?" Mary Margaret demanded.

"I was taking him with me." Emma hands went into her leather jackets pockets. "I had him in the car with me. We were at the 'Now leaving Storybrook' sign; and he turned the wheel. He said he didn't want to go with me." She tried to blink back the tears.

"He didn't want to go with you in that way." Mary Margaret calmly said. "He didn't want you to kidnap him. He fully knew Regina wouldn't have given up tracking you down – he knew that she would be able to put you behind bars for the rest of his childhood. He was protecting you."

"It's not his job to protect me." Emma shook her head. "It's my job to protect him. I thought I was doing that when I put him up for adoption when he was born. I thought I was doing the best thing for my child not to be around my screwed up eighteen year old self. For God's shake I had him in jail." Her hands were clenched inside her jacket. "Everyone expects too much from me." She smirked, "Henry, you, Regina, Ruby, Archie, August, Mr. Gold, everyone in this damn town. I'm just one fucking human being – whom honesty doesn't know how to save her own damn fucking self." She was near hysterics.

Mary Margaret rushed behind the counter, and crossed the distance to wrap her arms tightly around Emma's stiff, and shaking body. She held on tightly as she felt the younger woman lose all control. She felt Emma jerk her hands from her jacket pockets and hesitantly wrap themselves around her back. Then she felt the hands jerk off her back, then come crushing back. This kept going on for several minutes until Emma arms stilled firmly around her back.

Emma felt herself hyperventilate. She felt that if these strong arms weren't holding tightly onto her; or if this firm body wasn't pressed firmly against her own; then she would have crumpled to the floor. She just held tightly to the lifeline that was keeping her standing.

Mary Margaret softly hummed a lullaby. Emma ever slowly began to calm down after the tenth run through. Soon the blond was just silent resting against her neck. Mary Margaret's right hand had risen up to the blond's head, and she had been stroking it for what felt like a lifetime.

Emma suddenly realized where she was, she forced herself to pull back. Her green eyes meet Mary Margaret's green eyes. So much like my own. She felt herself having a hard time breathing again. She wanted to crawl back into Mary Margaret's arms; and allow the other woman to hold her forever. But she forced that longing away. She forced herself to remind herself that Henry's theory was just a childish wish on his part. That no way in hell that this woman – whom was just slightly older than she was – was her mother. Impossible.

"Just breathe." Mary Margaret's soft voice said.

Emma obeyed. She concentrated on her breathing. "Where did you get the book?" She finally found her voice.

Mary Margaret blinked.

"The book you gave Henry?" Emma clarified. "Was it a childhood favorite of yours, and you decided to share it with him?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "I had never seen that book before September. Actually Mr. Gold gave it too me. He said it was a gift – that I would know the best use for it. He said it was just gathering dust in his shop."

"Gold." Emma breathed. Her green eyes slanted.

"Remain calm." Mary Margaret urged afraid that her blond roommate would quickly return to the hyperventilate state she had just come out of.

"I'm sorry that I panicked." Emma straightened. "I'm sorry you had to see this display of mine." Her jaw twitched. "I'm sorry for leaving without saying good-bye to you. It was very rude of me. It won't happen again."

"Emma -" Mary Margaret reached out with her right hand.

"I know what I have too do now." Emma grimly smiled. "Just promise me that you'll always be in Henry's life."

"Of course." Mary Margaret said. She frowned, "Emma, you don't have to leave. This is your home now."

"I don't have a home." Emma almost shouted. "This is Henry's home. I see that now. With you here to take of him then I know he's safe."

"He wants you." Mary Margaret pleaded. "He's not going to settle for less. He wants and needs you to be with him." Tears slipped down her cheeks.

"It's all going to work out. In time he'll see it working out in his best interest. He won't be hurt any longer. My being in his life won't hurt him any longer." Emma ran her fingers through her hair. "I should have left when I bought him back. I should never had stayed even for one night. I should have just driven back to Boston."

"Emma," Mary Margaret took a huge chance. She moved forward, and put firm hands on the blond's cheeks. "Stop running. Just simply stop running."

"I can't." Emma whimpered.

"Yes you can." Mary Margaret whispered.

END PRELUDE