Guess, filming has officially started. Now to obsess over spoiler pictures, right?

It's all part of surviving the hiatus.

Also IMPORTANT: This chapter, once again, is a bit darker and does not have a lot to do with Killian (except the flashback) but more on Emma and what is going on with her. It continues right after the last part of chapter six. There is mentions of mental illnesses. Mental illnesses are an important and sensitive topic and I strived to write this chapter well and honor that. In no way did I want this chapter to be offensive, instead talk about how strong those who deal with mental illnesses are. Every single person reading this is beautiful and amazing and strong and wonderful. I love you all.

Chapter 7: Void Spaces

"Congratulations!"

"We are so proud of you guys!" Mary Margaret said from her spot, tucked under David's arm awkwardly, the blue fabric of his robe over her shoulders.

"Oi, stop it lass!" Will insisted. "You'll make me blush."

"Hush up, Scarlet." Killian piped in. "Today is a day to be celebrated."

"Who would've thought we three fools would have graduated college?" Will sighed dramatically.

Killian rolled his eyes over at Emma. "We all knew Dave and I would. You were the one we were nervous about."

"Be nice, boys." Emma said, laughing a bit.

"Four years," David recounted. "Four years, man."

"I know." Killian agreed. The group was standing outside the football stadium, where the graduation had taken place. A crowd of people were around them, taking pictures with their graduates and gushing over the day.

Ruth, David's mother, came up to him and requested some pictures. He and Mary-Margaret went off with the older woman to a more secluded area so she could get some pictures of her son.

"When are those two finally going to tie the knot?" Will asked once they were gone. "They already act like a married couple. Been together for years, those two."

"I think Dave would have proposed by now if it weren't for the fact that they are going to be seperated for almost a year." Killian said.

"Wait, what?" Emma asked. Last she had heard, David had not made any decisions for what he would be doing after graduation.

"He accepted the sheriff position up in Storybrooke." Killian explained. "The old sheriff had a heart attack and they would like Dave to replace him."

"And Mary-Margaret is down here for a year." Emma let out a sigh. "How are Snow White and Prince Charming going to survive a year without each other?"

"I think the real question is," Will piped in with his sarcastic voice, "how are we going to survive?"

"They'll be fine," Killian reassured her, ignoring Will's comment. "You know those two, nothing could separate them."

"So, what about you?" She changed the subject.

"What about me, Swan?"

"Where are you going now that you are done with school?"

He hummed. "I've accepted a job. It's a good one, within my field. Pays well, too. Will got a job around the same area so we are going to get an apartment together-as long as he promises to behave."

"We already signed the lease, mate. There is no escaping me now!" Will informed them.

"Where?" Emma knew a few of his different options, most of them further down south along the coast. He had also considered pursuing his masters degree, but decided against it for money's sake.

"Here. Just a few miles away. Thirty minutes away from the university tops."

"You're staying?"

"Aye." By the look in his eye, she knew there was more he was holding back, mostly because Will was with them. He wanted to reassure her that he would not leave her, that he would always be her best friend even if they were on opposite sides of the country.

"I'm staying too, Emma!" Will spoke again. "I know you would miss me more than this bloke, so I had to stay too."

They all laughed.

Emma got back to the dorm later than thought she would. It was almost ten when she sneaked back in quietly, full intent on falling right into bed and forgetting the events of the day. However, when she quietly closed the door of her room, she turned around to see Mary-Margaret and Ruby sitting on the former's bed, waiting up for her.

"Where were you?" Mary-Margaret asked, voice serious.

"Out." Emma said slowly, and went to set her bag down on her side of the room.

"You missed dinner, Em." Ruby let her know. "We said we would have dinner at Granny's tonight."

Emma groaned. The suite mates had all decided they would have a mid-week girls' night to get their minds off of school. "I'm sorry, guys I completely forgot."

"Clearly." Ruby muttered under her breath.

Mary-Margaret glared at her and then turned back to Emma. "This isn't like you."

"I missed one thing." Emma ran a hand through her hair. She was leaning against the wall to see the other girls, trying to keep her voice down for the other girls in the hall that were sleeping or studying. "I've been busy and I must have forgot to put it on my calendar."

"Busy, huh?" Mary-Margaret did not sound like she was buying it. "Busy and not sleeping. Emma, what's going on?"

At that, Ruby's ears perked up. "What do you mean not sleeping?"

"Mary-Margaret-" Emma warned, but the petite woman ignored her protests.

"Emma's been taking sleeping pills. Says she can't sleep."

"Emma!" Ruby stood. "Those can be dangerous. Why would you take those? The Emma I knew was always out like a light."

Gritting her teeth, Emma stayed silent. Ruby continued in a demanding tone. "Where did you get these? Some doctor prescribe them or you steal them?"

"They're over the counter, Ruby, knock it off." Emma bit at her.

"Why do you need these?" She persisted.

"I can't sleep." Emma felt like a broken record, hands on hips, closer to the center of the room than when they started this interrogation.

"Why, Emma? Why can't you sleep?"

"I don't know!" Emma yelled, then remembered where they were and lowered her voice. " I don't know."

Mary-Margaret, who was still sitting, sighed. "Emma, what is going on? Something is up, I can tell."

"I already told you, I've been really busy." A groan escaped her lips.

"No. That's not it. Something has been wrong for a while."

"Are you trying to insinuate something, Mary-Margaret?" She sneered.

"Is it school? Is it the stress? Killian? What is it Emma?"

"It's not him!" She insisted, raising her hands to prove her point. "He didn't do anything. I was messed up before he walked into my life and I was messed up after we walked out of it. And before you ask, helping him is not creating this. I like helping him and you know that. As for school, I do what I have to do. The work is no more stressful than any other semester."

"Emma, there are people you can talk to about all of this?" Ruby said softly. "People besides us. The university offers free counseling services."

"No."

"Emma-"

"No!"

"Why-"

"I don't want to be a statistic, okay!" She confessed in a yell.

"What?" Ruby questioned.

Emma sighed and sat down on her bed, resting her elbows on her knees. "I don't want to be another foster kid that ends up with a psychological disorder because of my upbringing. My entire life I heard that I had higher chances of depression and eating disorders and PTSD and even suicide. I don't want to fulfill what they always told me."

"We never said you were sick, Emma." Ruby said.

Mary-Margaret look up at her. "You think you're sick, don't you?"

"Mary-Margaret!" Ruby scolded.

"I know you, Emma. You wouldn't be so resistant against going if you thought nothing was wrong. Is that it? You're scared of what they'll tell you?"

"Am I scared that they'll tell me something I am almost positive is true? Terrified. I didn't want this. I became what all the caseworkers and abusive parents and mean girls told me I would become."

"Emma, this is not your fault." Mary Margaret moved to sit on Emma's bed. "And there is nothing wrong with it. People have mental illnesses. And people get colds and cancer and heart diseases. It's a disease, Emma and it's real. You're not crazy and it's not your fault."

"Emma, a lot of people struggle with this." Ruby added. "My best friend in high school had terrible anxiety. Some days it ate her up alive. But Meghan was an amazing person and she didn't let the anxiety define her."

"My cousin Mark has ADHD. It makes school really hard for him, but he's a fighter." Mary Margaret said. "He's one of the hardest workers I know."

"It's different though." Emma insisted. "My entire life I was just a foster kid. And than I get out of the system and I thought I was fine. But I knew from the beginning I wasn't. I knew when I was seventeen that something was really wrong but I didn't want to let them be right. I still don't want to let them be right."

"But, Emma" Mary Margaret's voice was soft and full of concern. "By not getting the help you may need, you are letting them control you."

"And who cares what those statistics say." Ruby stood in front of her. "Who cares? Certain groups are more prone to mental illnesses. Okay, so what? It's just a scientific study, Emma. It doesn't know you and it does not know how strong you are and how you are stronger than the disease. You are a fighter, Ems. You always have been. You go, you get help and you prove them wrong. You are more than some stupid statistic."

Emma laughed quietly to herself, a few tears running down her face. "We don't even know if there is anything wrong. This is all completely speculation."

"Why don't you go find out?" Ruby offered. "Either way we love you and will support you. We just want you to be happy, Emma."

"Thank you." She whispered. "Thank you for caring."

"Oh honey," Mary-Margaret draped an arm around her. "Of course we care. We love you."

"Ems, you always try to do whatever you can to help us. It's who you are. You are constantly trying to do whatever you can to help anyone. Let us do this for you. Let us do this with you. Don't shut us out please."

Emma gave her a small smile of had no words. Maybe getting help would not be the worst thing. Secretly, she had considered seeking help in her darker moments, but often pushed the thought out of her head out of fear. Out of fear of becoming a statistic, of becoming what they always thought she would be. Fear of being weak and having to accept help. Emma was independent-she did not know any other way of functioning. From the time she was a little girl, she knew that the only person she could rely on was herself. She had to take care of Emma. She had to make sure Emma did not get hurt. Letting someone come in and try and help her was foreign to her.

"Why don't I make us some hot chocolate and we can watch Princess Bride on my laptop until we all fall asleep on the floor?" Mary-Margaret offered.

Emma sniffled. "Sounds great."

Her friend stood, but first enveloped her in a hug and whispered in her ear. "You are strong, Emma. Don't for one second believe anything different."

She nodded. It would not be easy-nothing ever was, but maybe it was possible. For years she told herself she could never get better, but now there was a glimpse of hope. Maybe she could finally start healing.

After all, hope was a very powerful thing.

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