A/N: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews! They mean the world to me!
Also, the upload didn't seem to work correctly the first time, so I'm re-uploading the chapter with the hopes that it will show up and be readable.
"Good morning," Emma greeted with a set, nonjudgmental stare as Mary Margaret ambled out of her room, into the kitchen area, still in the clothes she had worn the day before. She smiled softly in understanding when the black haired woman groaned, leaned against the countertop, and rubbed her eyes. "Long night?"
"I have no idea," Mary Margaret answered regretfully. She sighed heavily, forcing her head away from her arms to stare at the blonde haired woman who eyed her carefully. "What time did I come home last night?"
"I think the better question would be how much you've had to drink," Emma answered dryly, watching Mary Margaret carefully. "Do you remember anything about last night?"
She scanned the room slowly, as if that would help jog her memory. Finally, her confused gaze transformed to instant regret. "Oh. David…"
Emma frowned slightly at the pained way Mary Margaret said his name. Folding her paper quickly, Emma focused all her attention on the woman who clearly was upset by whatever transpired. Her heart froze to think Mary Margaret had taken the leap, and begun an affair with a married man – exactly what both of them knew she shouldn't do. "Oh, Mary Margaret…You didn't!"
"No!" Her head perked up quickly, as if the suggestion was far from her mind. "God no! I didn't sleep with him. I didn't…" Nothing had happened with him; nothing that she wanted to happen, anyway. It was the story of her life. It seemed she never would get her happy ending.
"What's wrong?"
Mary Margaret sighed heavily, finding the courage to summon the words she had yet to say. Her voice came out somewhat strangled as she told Emma, "David chose Kathryn."
Emma snorted slightly, an action that surprised Mary Margaret so much she could only stare, wide-eyed, in shock. Emma shrugged at the look. "Oh, come on, Mary Margaret. You…You had to know that—"
"I don't need this," Mary Margaret answered, her voice an incredulous laugh as she pushed off the counter. "Really, Emma, I don't—"
Emma reached out quickly, grabbing Mary Margaret's hands so she couldn't walk away from her completely. The swift, reflexive action stopped Mary Margaret in her tracks. She could only stare down at Emma's hands, surprised slightly, and then let out a sigh. Emma took that as her cue to explain, "I wasn't trying to say anything to hurt you, Mary Margaret. And I know how much you're hurting."
Mary Margaret looked up finally, meeting her gaze. She smiled softly and shrugged the emotion off – knowing full well it wouldn't leave her no matter how hard she tried to push it away. "I…I knew something like this would happen. I just…I-"
"You hoped," Emma finished for her. "And there's nothing wrong with hope."
"Even if it's false?"
Emma sighed softly. Finally, she released the woman's hands and watched as Mary Margaret turned around to walk to the other counter, leaning against it like the world would crash around her and the one bit of granite countertop was her only support. "Mary Margaret?"
"Yeah?" She answered after a few moments of silence, her voice strained as she fought back tears.
"He doesn't deserve you."
"Yeah…" Silent moments passed before Mary Margaret finally turned, tears welling in her eyes. "I guess…I guess I should have just followed your advice in the beginning. It was stupid to get involved with a married man. I…It felt wrong and I still did it anyway because…" She laughed, disbelieving. Because she had felt a connection with him she'd never felt with any man before.
Emma sighed softly. "You need to let him try to work things out with Kathryn, Mary Margaret. It's….It's what's best."
"I know." Yet it still hurt so much. Despite her horrible hangover, she reeled from the rejection. If anything, talking about it only increased her pain. Mary Margaret sighed. If this was what opening her heart to a man meant, she wasn't sure if she ever wanted to do this again. She wasn't sure she had it in her. But Emma was right. This was what was best, and she needed to move on.
She needed to let David find his own happiness, and hope she'd eventually find hers.
"So…" Emma filled the silence suddenly, inquiring, "what did happen last night?"
Her mouth twisted in a slight frown as she tried to piece together the memories, which had turned into thin shards because of her liquor. Liquor. She remember Granny's diner, how William had walked in and convinced her to talk about her day. The taste of the liquor was still strong against her throat, and she couldn't forget the way he had laughed when she ordered another drink once her two vodka tonics had disappeared.
William had only watched her, contently sipping his beer as she drowned in liquor from her own misery, complaining about true love and how it couldn't possibly exist in the real world…How she now believed fairy tales really were stories for young children who had it in them to still hope, who were too young to experience any real pain which could destroy their dreams.
Mary Margaret couldn't remember anything after that. Her heart filled with fear at the thoughts that raged through her mind. She had sworn growing up she'd never be that girl who had so much to drink she couldn't remember anything, and that had happened. God, everything seemed to fall apart lately. All because of a man she knew she shouldn't have wanted. "What…What, um, time did I get home?"
Emma shrugged. "Maybe around midnight. When I came home from the night shift, it was around 11:30. You didn't come home until a little bit later. Why?"
Immediately she frowned. Her mouth transformed into shock as she calculated the time, the impossible moments she couldn't seem to remember. Meeting Emma's confused eyes, she only said one word: "William."
Emma frowned suddenly, shaking her head. "Wait…Who's William?"
"He's…" Mary Margaret stopped. "I…I have to go."
"But—" Before Emma could finish her sentence, Mary Margaret quickly grabbed her purse and left the apartment with a sudden slam of the door. More confused than ever, and curious to who this William character was, Emma pushed aside her coffee mug and jumped of the store. If being a bail bondsperson had taught her anything over the years, it was that she sure knew how to snoop around.
Quickly sliding on her shoes, Emma grabbed her own keys and left the apartment. She'd get to the bottom of this soon, without a doubt. Certainly this new search qualified as "police business." If not, she'd have Graham consider it police business, especially after his rendezvous with Regina the other night.
The thought made her want to gag, but she continued out the door anyway. Right now she had a mission to complete, a gap in time that needed filling. Emma Swan was just the woman to fill that void, and if it brought Mary Margaret some sense of closure in the past few hours, she'd gladly accept the mission.
Emma knew just where to start. Granny's diner: the scene of the crime.
Mary Margaret frantically maneuvered her way throughout the halls of the hospital. At least, she moved as fast as she was allowed, considering patients who remained in wheelchairs had the right-a-way. She had found out from the front receptionist that Dr. Whale currently was in with a patient, which didn't bother Mary Margaret as she rounded the corner to the wing he'd be in.
She would wait as long as it took, so long as she could hear from him exactly what had happened.
When she saw William standing in the recreation area, a chart in his hand, she immediately stopped cold. It wasn't him that stopped her, or the way he laughed, but his companion. Beside him, hands in his pockets, stood David. Her heart seemed to stop beating for a second, and she could only stare in shock.
This certainly threw a wrench in her plans.
It took Mary Margaret all she had not to slink away into a corner and pretend she had never stepped foot outside of her bed, and just slept the day – and her growing migraine – away. She had come here to solve the mystery of last night, not have the man she was trying to get over pull at her heartstrings.
Before she could turn back around, both men saw her. She noted the surprise in David's eyes, and the amusement in William's. Did he take pleasure out of her obvious discomfort? She couldn't tell, and was unable to think as both men walked from the room to greet her.
"Mary Margaret," David breathed, as he had when he bid her farewell.
She fixed her best firm glance and smiled softly. "David."
"What are you doing here?" David asked, unsure how to handle this situation. He wanted desperately to try to make it work with Kathryn, but seeing Mary Margaret like this – trying to hide her pain – made him uneasy.
Mary Margaret turned her attention from him and nodded in William's direction, who crossed his arms and grinned at her. "I'm actually here to speak with Dr. Whale."
William's smile grew, clearly happy with the statement. "I, uh, I think we're about done here, David."
David frowned when William's gaze had not left Mary Margaret, even with his statement, and he quickly glanced over at the woman in question. She glanced down at her shoes, slightly embarrassed, and he couldn't help but feel the tension in his stomach grow. This wasn't what he had expected at all. "Are you sure?"
William nodded, turning his attention away from Mary Margaret for a split second before he patted David's shoulder gently. "Yes. You've made excellent progress so far. Go home to your wife."
The words felt like another knife was stabbed into her chest. Mary Margaret forced herself to look away from both men, not even bidding David a farewell as he walked away from them. It wasn't until she was certain he had left that she dared to gaze back up at William. The small smile on his face unnerved her. "What?"
"Couldn't get enough of me, huh?"
Her lips curved in a smile at his question, which was followed by a smug laugh. Feeling nerves twist in her stomach, she said, "Look, William…" Whatever she wanted to say was lost on her when he only stared at her, waiting. Sighing heavily, she nervously twisted her hands together and looked away from him in an attempt to collect her thoughts. Finally, she released her hands and asked bluntly, exasperated, "What the hell happened last night?"
William laughed heartily, prompting a frown from Mary Margaret. "You don't remember?"
"I didn't say that."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? So, then," he unfolded one of his arms to wave at her, "please tell me what happened last night."
Mary Margaret fidgeted slightly, displeased with the proud smirk on his face. Before she could give him a flustered response – like she normally would have – she quickly retorted, "Would I be here if I knew every last detail, smartass?"
His mouth opened slightly in surprise, more pleased than upset. Finally, he chuckled. "I like to see you have some of that spunk back…especially when you aren't drunk." He smiled when she only stared at him, slightly perplexed. "Oh, yeah. When you have a couple drinks in you, Mary Margaret, you sure spit fire. It's nice to see you can not be timid when you're sober."
"Hey!" Her mouth opened slightly in defense and she crossed her arms. "I'm not timid!"
He snorted. "Oh-kay."
"I'm not!" Mary Margaret insisted, her face firm.
"Oh? And what was that between you and David?" He chuckled. "That was worse than my senior prom when I found my date making out with my best friend. And that was awkward."
"Oh." Her voice immediately fell at the thought, genuine in her sympathy. "I'm…I'm sorry that had to happen to you, William."
He shrugged. "She was a slut." His gaze quickly travelled to the ceiling as he added, "But…I suppose that's what I liked about her."
Mary Margaret blinked through the awkward moment, hoping he didn't see the blush creep on her cheeks. "Thanks for that."
William suddenly smiled. He rocked on his heels slightly before he commented, "But you didn't come here to regale old high school memories, did you?"
"No," she said finally. "I didn't."
"You want to know what happened the other night?" He asked gently, nodding when she looked away from him. "Just so you know, Mary Margaret, we didn't have sex last night."
"Really?"
"Yes. And," he added quickly, "that look of relief is very offensive. I'm excellent in bed."
"Oh…I'm sure you are," Mary Margaret agreed sardonically with a small laugh. She only shook her head. What a relief, to know she hadn't done something she'd regret the next day.
"I am," he insisted. "And you'd find that out if you gave me a chance to prove it to you."
She looked up suddenly at the suggestion, and met his lustful eyes with her own surprised stare. "I'm…I'm sorry?"
He only shrugged. "Just a thought. Throwing it out there."
"Well, reel it back in," she bluntly responded, her tone firm. "Because it isn't going to happen."
"We'll see about that." William tucked his chin to his chest for a moment as he stepped away from her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some more patients to adhere to. If you're still interested, I'm getting done with my shift this evening and I'll be at the diner at nine."
She could only watch, powerless, as he walked away with a slight smirk on his face. As much of a relief as it was to know that they hadn't had a drunken one-night stand, Mary Margaret was left only more confused. It was too soon, after all, to jump into bed with someone after David had crushed her heart. Eliminating David from the equation, even, didn't change the fact that she wouldn't sleep with him. She just wasn't that kind of woman.
But, like David, William was proving a hard man to forget. Despite his narcissism and past pompous behavior, she couldn't seem to forget the way he smirked at her, or the way his eyes reflected a deep lustful attraction that she hadn't seen since he'd unapologetically stared fixedly at Ruby in her short shorts and tight top. Clearly, Mary Margaret had done something the night before to attract his attention in her, and she was certain she didn't want to know. Whatever it was had deeply gone against her timid character. It would be too embarrassing to even think about the possibilities of what she had said or done while intoxicated.
Even though Mary Margaret had no intention of following through on his offer, she couldn't help but entertain the idea slightly. A one night stand or fling didn't sound too horrible right now, when she was certain the weight of her heartache would crush her. There was no doubt in her mind that, for one night, the lustful feeling of want would do her some good.
But she wasn't that kind of woman, and wouldn't resort to meaningless sex to drown out her pain. There had to be better ways to get over David than throw herself in the arms of another man just yet.
She just had to discover them first.
