Hey, I'm sorry to announce that this is the final chapter. I did my best, but it's just not working.

. No. Just kidding. Sorry if that seemed a little cruel, but I couldn't resist :P. If anything, I'm just getting started. Also, sorry for the kinda late update. It was kinda difficult in the beginning to decide what direction I wanna go with, but I think this one's pretty good. Once again, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, favorited, added. You guys make my day. Don't stop reviewing, 'cause I always love new ideas. Okay, here we go.

Mary Margaret came home that day finding Emma hunched over the island, face down. With a hammer. And her new toaster. Well, what was left of her toaster. She sighed. She would have to buy a third one now.

"Hey, Emma. Rough day?" Mary Margaret asked, setting her keys down. Emma didn't reply. She was just standing there in silence. Mary Margaret cautiously edged over to Emma and saw that she was sitting on a stool. She brushed strands of blonde hair out of Emma's face and realized that her eyes were closed. Only then did she notice the nearly empty bottle of whiskey.

"Oh my god, Emma are you okay?" Mary Margaret cried. Emma didn't stir. Mary Margaret put her fingers to Emma's pulse, she was still breathing, so that was good. She shook Emma a bit, forcing her to wake up.

"Emma, come on. It's time to wake up. Get up. Please. Come on," Mary Margaret urged. Emma groaned softly and shifted. A headache was coming on.

"I'm such an idiot," Emma mumbled. She clumsily glanced up at Mary Margaret. The teacher smiled apologetically and sat down on another stool.

"You want to talk about it?" Mary Margaret asked. Emma groaned some more and sat upright. Mary Margaret could smell the strong alcohol on the blonde's breath.

"It's gonna sound kind of girly," Emma said, "So, say I have a... um... crush on you. But, I'm not supposed to, because we're not exactly friendly. Now say we were having this intense argument and I just suddenly kiss you. Then I get out of there as fast as I can. What would your reaction be? Was it wrong? What should I do?" Emma explained, biting her lip. Mary Margaret took a moment to contemplate.

"Well, that was quite... specific," Mary Margaret started uncomfortably, "But, it would all really depend on my feelings for you. If I like you, then, I'd be wanting more. If I didn't, well, let's just say you have some explaining to do. But running away? Emma, you're gonna need to fix that, because there will be repercussions," Mary Margaret thought for a second. "Emma, are you alright? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. It was just one of those 'what if' moments. Thanks," Emma reasoned, giving a feeble smile. Mary Margaret sighed.

"Okay. Well, it's been a long day, and I am exhausted. I'm heading to bed," Mary Margaret said, walking towards her bedroom. She yelled from the hallway, "If you need anything, just wake me up. Good night, Emma."

"Yeah. Good night," Emma whispered, lost in thought. She waited until the teacher disappear behind wood and saw the light under the door fade. Inhaling deeply, she leaned against the exposed brick wall. Running her fingers through her hair, she mumbled, "What the hell am I going to do?" Standing in the darkness, all Emma could picture was the brunette. Her brown eyes, her dark hair, the way she walked, the self-confidence she held when she spoke. And then there were the walls. Those damn walls were built so solid, they were almost impossible to break through. Emma would have to try hard.

"Do I really want to break them, though?" Emma muttered, afraid of what might lay behind those walls. What if she really was the Evil Queen, like Henry said? What if she had no soul? What if this intense feeling wasn't mutual? Emma thought.

"Emma, listen. You could spend all your time waiting, wondering if this is all real. You could just sit behind the lines while it eats you alive, listening to a 10 year old's advice. Or, you could get off your ass and chase something that may or may not be there. Aren't you tired of escaping challenges?" Emma said, giving herself a pep-talk. At that moment, she had come to a decision. Emma was done with running away, she just needed a little time before she could finish the race.


Words to describe the next seven days for Regina? A living hell. Every waking moment was haunted by Emma. When she turned, there Emma was. She could almost hear the blonde's sarcastic remarks and harsh comebacks ring in her ears. Even in her slumber, Regina would dream about Emma. At least in her dreams, she could rewrite the ending. Everything was becoming too much for Regina. She would have temper tantrums, smeared make-up, dried tears, depression, broken glass, binge-drinking contests with none other than herself. She hadn't had a solid four hours of sleep at least once this week.

This all happened after Henry had gone to bed or when he was at school, though. She couldn't afford to let her son to see her like this. It would give him the wrong idea. And it was so hard trying to keep a blank face at work. And make-up could only do so much. She hadn't seen Emma since the kiss and it was kind of driving her to the brink of insanity.

Regina asked herself when she became so obsessed with Emma. The simple answer was, the first time she met the woman. But she wouldn't admit it to herself. Regina found it nearly impossible to believe that she could have a fondness for someone, let alone a woman. In her time, it just seemed so... improper. So... forbidden. That didn't mean she never tried it before, though. Regina smirked slightly, despite her current state. Her experiences with woman were always the same; mindless, foolish mistakes. In fact, all of the times were results of a little too much alcohol.

But this woman, Emma Swan, she was different. Regina could tell. Why, she had no idea. All she knew was that there was an odd temptation when it came to her. She almost longed for her at times. Today was bad. Jagged glass was scattered on the floor, the walls were a bit scuffed, Regina had cuts and bruises all along her arms and face. She had streaks of mascara running down her cheeks and her lipstick was smeared around her mouth. At least one of her sleeves were torn and alcohol stains were apparent on the front of her dress.

Looking at the bathroom mirror, she could barely recognize herself. "Who are you?" she inquired, gazing at her reflection. She looked wasted, dark circles making an appearance under her eyes. Turning on the faucet, she collected a small puddle of water in her hands and splashed it on her face. Still under the influence, the water caused a small shock and she woke up slightly. Regina grasped the cider glass sitting on the sink and stumbled out of the bathroom. She was about to flop down onto the couch when the doorbell rang. Groaning, the mayor cleaned herself up a bit and answered the door.

Standing in the doorway was Emma Swan in her brown leather jacket. Regina's pulse sped up vaguely. She was about to smile in relief now that the object of her admiration was here.

"Em- Sheriff. Swan?" Regina slurred, her voice filled with curiosity, "What're... what're you doing here?" Regina tried her best to look poised and composed. Emma wasn't fooled and immediately, concern for the brunette bothered her brain.

"Madame Mayor, are you okay? You look-" Emma began.

"Drunk? Ugly? Terrible?" Regina interrupted.

"No, no. You may be drunk, but you're not ugly. You're always so beautiful," Emma bit her lip, scolding herself for the slip-up. Thankfully, Regina didn't seem to notice, she was too fascinated with the badge on Emma's hip. Or maybe it wasn't the badge...

"What I was going to say was that you look like you need someone to talk to," Emma finished, peering at all the gashes and bruises on the brunette's body. More concern. A look of uncertainty crossed Regina's face, but she gestured for Emma to come in.

"I'm sorry, Sheriff Swan. I'm not really having the best day, as you could tell. But, go ahead. Mock me all you want, I'm ready for it," Regina stated, a bit of fury returning in her voice.

"I'm not here to mock you, Madame Mayor. I'm here to make sure you're alright. Also, I'm not sure if this is the best time, but I came to apologize for um... last week. I guess," Emma said awkwardly. This was not going according to plan.

Confusion returned to Regina's face. And then she remembered the kiss. And then rage burned in her mind. How dare Emma show up, after everything she put her through. The longing, the late nights, the constant depression, the uncertainty, the emotional scars she was forced to patch up. And seven days later, she has the audacity to just prance right in and show up? Oh, hell no.

"What makes you think I want your petty apology, Ms. Swan? Do you know how complicated you've made things around here? My life was successful. My town was running smoothly, everyone obeyed me. My son could stand me. He could look at me. My staff catered to my every request. Graham was alive and well. I had full control over everything in this goddamn town. Then you show up and defy my demands. So what the hell do you want from me? Why are you so hard to control? If you're trying to take my son away, you best be stepping down. Because he is my son and I know what's best for him. And I can get a court order. Hell, I could get you arrested," Regina threatened, clutching her cider glass a little too tight. Her face was getting red, and a vein was popping out of her forehead. That murderous glare in her dark eyes was coming to life. And Emma needed to calm her down.

"Whoa, whoa. Regina," Emma said, surprising herself. Hearing the blonde breathe her name, the mayor felt a chill go down her spine. "What I did, that was stupid. Okay? But we need to get past that. Graham is dead, there is no use bringing him back up. The best thing we can do for him is to honor his memory," Emma reasoned, her heart hurting at the mention of his name, "I am not here to ruin you. And as for Henry, I'm just here to make sure the poor kid's alright. You need to relax. Right now, I'm going to make sure you're fine." Emma carefully moved closer to Regina. The woman looked even more infuriated. She began to raise her arm and Emma scooted back.

"Why won't you just leave me alone?" Regina screamed, throwing the cider glass at the woman. Emma ducked quickly, avoiding the attack. The glass, on the other hand, shattered against the wall. The pieces fell to the ground, but were quickly forgotten. Regina's mind was flooded with extreme rage. She launched herself at Emma, hearing a sharp grunt as she pushed the blonde against the wall. And in that instant, Regina snapped. She wasn't angry anymore, she just started choking back sobs. Distancing herself from Emma, Regina faced the other way, trying to hide her sudden outburst.

"Regina?" Emma questioned. Regina attempted to stifle her quiet weeping, but was unable to control her emotions. Emma heard. "Oh my god. Hey, look at me. Look at me," Emma demanded. Slowly, the brunette turned around to look at the blonde. Mascara-filled tears stained her cheeks. Regina's eyes were watery, and a pang of sorrow was evident.

"Why-why won't you just leave me alone?" Regina repeated, swiping her cheeks with the back of her hand. Emma felt a unexpected sense of responsibility for the woman in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I never meant to... I'm sorry. I know I'm probably not your favorite person, but let's put our differences aside, because you're obviously in need of attention. I'm here for you right now, whether you like it or not," Emma soothed, stepping in even closer until her arms were enveloped protectively around Regina. The brunette whimpered in protest, but reluctantly gave in. Regina's mind was screaming for her to stop, to tell Emma to get away, but her body wasn't yielding. And in all honesty, Regina really didn't want to. Especially since Emma started rocking back and forth, rubbing comforting circles into Regina's back. She closed her eyes. This was the first happy moment in a long, long time. Snuggling into the sheriff's leather jacket, Regina felt like Emma's arms were keeping out all the bad things. Her pain was gone, her longing was gone, she forgot about her past life for a minute.

"Emma?" Regina said into the sheriff's shoulder, mouthing out the word for the first time. Emma smiled and unwrapped herself from the brunette's desperate clinging. The tears had stopped and were replaced by... fear?

"Hmm?" Emma hummed quizzically, grinning at Regina like she was meeting her for the first time. Regina hated it. She absolutely hated it. Emma was getting to her, and even though it felt like heaven, she couldn't take it. Regina couldn't let her walls crumble down. She knew she was going to crush Emma, but, she couldn't have it the other way around.

"Thank you. I know we're not on the best of terms, and I do appreciate your concern. But, please, get out. I can't... you're not good for me." Regina paused and took a painful breath, "Don't you see what you're doing? You're destroying me. All of this is because of you, and I don't know what to do. So, please. It's what's best. I-I need you stay away from me."

And that's what I call a cliff-hanger. Don't worry, it's only part one of this "chapter." It was getting kinda long, so I decided to split it into two. It'll be up by Wednesday (at latest). Until next time, True Randomness.