Sister Mary Margaret doesn't finish grading her papers, deciding that talking to Emilia Swan takes precedence, walking calmly over to her apartment. She's seconds away from knocking when the door suddenly opens and instead of the woman she came to see, it's her roommate, Clare.

"Miss Logan," she greets, "Is your roommate available?"

"She's currently indisposed at the moment," Clare muses, "nursing a hangover,"

"I don't need her to talk; I came here on behalf of a mutual friend,"

"He sent you here didn't he?" she observes, sighing, "I already apologized to Emilia for inviting him to dinner but I mine as well apologize to you as well. But it wasn't my idea,"

Sister Mary Margaret notices Emilia leaving her room, groggily walking to the kitchen and looking very miserable. Clare turns back and lets the nun inside. However, as soon as she sees her, Emilia groans and hides her head in her arms.

"Emilia," Mary Margaret starts, "First, I want you to know that neither of us – Father Jones and I – are not angry with you,"

Clare clears her throat and Emilia looks up at her. "I'm just going to leave you two to talk," she says and darts for her room, shutting the door behind her.

"He told me that you kissed him," she says.

"I'm not even sure why I did it," Emilia counters, "Dinner was nice; Clare's a really good cook but the kiss – I can't decide what hurts more, the hangover or remembering that,"

Mary Margaret gently grasps her hand and Emilia starts crying. "It's not like I haven't kissed other guys before but kissing him felt different," she remembers, "as strange as it sounds, it felt natural like somehow what Clare said was true,"

"Not all fairytales are true, Emilia," Mary Margaret adds, "I don't want to break your heart any further but I think it would be best, for both of you, to stay away from each other for awhile until this passes. Father Jones has a calling to serve the Lord and you..."

Emilia frowns at her and she relents. "Love and life aren't always easy," she soothes, "sometimes, it's easier to believe that we will find our happy ending in the most unlikely place and everything else will come together. But life isn't like that, Emilia,"

"You must be so disappointed in me," she cries.

"Why?"

"Because all my life, you've counseled me to be the good girl and I've turned away from your advice, thinking that being the rebellious, stubborn teenager chasing after guys who weren't necessarily good for me was the best way to lead my life," she cries, "I'm damaged goods, Sister and I've committed the worst sin: lusting after my community priest,"

Mary Margaret sighs. "I'll tell you a secret," she whispers, "Long ago, I fell in love with a married man. This happened not too long after I joined the Church. We had a brief fling; he wanted me to leave for him but I wasn't strong enough to so I stayed and he went back to his wife,"

"Is he still in town?"

"He is and still married," she says, "I see him sometimes and I remember, the pain of leaving him but I really loved him and I was too scared to rush into the unknown with him,"

"Does Father Jones know about this?"

Mary Margaret frowns. "I never told him, instead, keeping the pain locked away in my heart where it's safe," she says.

Emilia looks at her curiously. "Why are you telling me this?" she wonders.

"Because I can relate to what you're going through: loving someone who can't love you back but you want him too," she says, "I could say that it'll pass in time but that would be a lie,"

"You know, it's weird but all my life you've been the closest thing I've had to a mother," Emilia cries, "And all I've ever done is rebel against your advice. I don't know why you even bothered sticking by me all this time,"

Mary Margaret shrugs. "I like to think that advising you has taught me patience," she says.

tbc