Chapter Eleven

"What the hell?!"

"Emma, calm down-"

"No." Emma's heart was racing, and not because she'd run all the way to the abandoned playground by the dock to meet Will. "Why would you think that was funny? Where do you even get a heart?"

"It's not a joke!" Will said earnestly. He looked genuinely hurt, but Emma didn't care. He was a better actor than she'd thought.

She didn't know what she'd expected upon opening the box. But it certainly wasn't that.

"It's not a joke," he said more calmly. "I swear, Emma. Regina is the evil queen. That's Sn-Mary Margaret's heart!"

"I can't believe I trusted you," Emma snapped. "I can't believe I trusted Mr. Gold, and I can't believe I almost let you talk me into this!"

"You mean you started to believe me?" He was suddenly hopeful.

"No," Emma hissed. "No, I didn't. And I will never believe in this stupid, twisted game you're playing. You wanted to haze the new girl? Well, consider it done. The new girl is sufficiently creeped out and disturbed by you."

"Emma, you can't think I'm still lying-"

"What could possibly indicate that you're not!" She shouted. She was so angry. Furious. He was just as bad as the kids she'd left behind in Boston.

"Um, how about the fact that there's a heart in a box in Regina's office? That's not normal, even for most town mayors, I'm sure."

"Just leave me alone." Emma thrust the box in his direction. "Take this back. I don't want to see you again."

"Emma-" He started, but she'd already turned and started marching away from him. Stupid. She'd been so, so stupid thinking she could trust Will. Thinking that she could trust anyone. Look where it got her.

Not knowing who else she could talk to, she dialed Mary Margaret's cell phone number. She didn't answer. She tried her home phone, too, and still nothing. Even David didn't answer either of his phones, and she knew he was off work by now.

That was weird. Never once had they not answered a call from her.

So instead of Regina's house, she headed to Mary Margaret's apartment.

When she got there, the door was cracked open. "Mary Margaret?" She called hesitantly, stepping inside. Her voice wavered slightly; she hated that, but she still felt shaky from that encounter with Will, from what she'd found in that box. How could a person be so twisted?

"Emma." Mary Margaret was surprised. She was sitting at the counter, with David. His arm was around her, and her eyes were glassy and red, like she'd been crying.

"What's wrong?" Emma asked, taken aback. She certainly hadn't expected this.

"I . . ." Mary Margaret seemed to be struggling to find words to explain. "Regina . . . Regina is kicking me out of town."

"What?" Emma gasped.

"She is," Mary Margaret sniffled. "She says I'm not a real teacher, that I don't have a license, it's the stupidest thing . . . I do . . . but I can't find it, even though I showed it to the school when I first started teaching. But they keep saying they've lost their copy, and I know it's her fault, that she just wants me gone. But I can't believe she's doing this to me."

"She can't," Emma whispered, not trusting her own voice. This was insane. Regina wasn't that evil, was she? She couldn't possibly just kick an innocent person out of her town for nothing? For something she'd made up?

"She did," Mary Margaret said. "I have to leave by tomorrow, so I'm leaving tonight. I guess I'll go to Boston, and . . . I don't know. But she's talked Graham into agreement somehow, and I don't want to get the police involved."

"This is crazy," Emma said. She didn't know what else she could say. This was ridiculous! Mary Margaret didn't deserve this. No one deserved this, except maybe Regina.

"I know," David said sadly, "But there's nothing we can do."

"Are you . . . are you going too?" Emma asked.

David nodded. "In a few days. I have to look at jobs offered in the city. I can't leave Mary Margaret."

Emma nodded, swallowing hard. She felt tears burn the backs of her eyes, stupidly enough. She knew it was a selfish thought, but she couldn't help thinking you're leaving me. She would be alone with Regina now, in a town full of crazies like Will and Mr. Gold. She'd thought being stuck at Regina's place was bad enough. This was so much worse.

"I'm sorry, Emma." Some tears rolled down Mary Margaret's face, and Emma felt awful.

"It's not your fault," Emma assured her. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"What-what did you need? Are you okay?" She asked, sniffling again.

Oh. Emma had called a bunch of times, ran all the way over here, let herself in. But her problem just seemed stupid now. "It's nothing important," she said. "Don't worry about it."

"I didn't want to leave you with Regina," Mary Margaret said.

"Neither do I," said David.

"I understand," Emma said, and she did. They didn't have a choice. And David obviously couldn't stay back in Storybrooke. They weren't family or anything.

"But we can still have one last dinner at Granny's," Mary Margaret said, smiling, though she seemed sadder than Emma had ever seen her before.

"Sounds great," Emma said, struggling to seem cheerful herself.

"But I don't want to say anything to anyone, all right?" Mary Margaret said. "I don't want to have to say goodbye to everyone."

Emma understood. Or, at least, she thought she did. She hadn't really had to say goodbye to anyone in Boston, and didn't miss anyone. Mary Margaret had a whole town of people who loved her.

They went to dinner, and it was normal, except for that nagging thought in Emma's mind that Mary Margaret and David were leaving. They stood outside the diner late, no one really wanting to leave.

"I really, truly enjoyed my time with you, Emma," Mary Margaret said, her eyes glassy. "I'm so glad you came to Storybrooke. And I'm really going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too," Emma said, hating how unsteady her voice was. She would not cry in front of them. She would not. "Thank you so much for everything you did for me."

Mary Margaret leaned forward and wrapped Emma in a tight hug. Emma hugged her back; physical contact like this usually made her uncomfortable, but this was an exception.

"I'll call you," Emma promised. "This won't be the last time I see you, will it?"

"No," Mary Margaret said. "No, it won't be."

They lingered there for a moment, and eventually, Emma couldn't take it. "I should probably get back to Regina's," she said. "She's probably wondering why I'm not there."

"Yes," Mary Margaret nodded, "You should get home. Be careful, okay? It's late."

"I will be," Emma said. She waved before turning and heading the opposite direction, and she didn't look back.

She did let herself cry, though, walking back to the mayor's house. Silently, of course; but she kept having to brush away the pesky tears from her cheeks. This still felt like some kind of cruel joke to her. But she shouldn't be so surprised; her whole life was nothing more than a cruel joke.

Regina was waiting for Emma in the living room, and Emma did her best to ignore her, to no avail.

"Where have you been, young lady?" Regina snapped. "I have been waiting for hours, with no call, no text, nothing-"

"You are a terrible person," Emma said bitterly. "All you do is ruin other peoples' lives. And I hate you. I hate you."

Regina looked genuinely hurt for the few seconds that Emma lingered in the hall before storming up to her room and slamming the door as hard as she could, hoping it chipped the paint. Hoping it broke the door. Hoping Regina had to pay for that, like she should be paying for everything else she'd done.

But Regina couldn't possibly be shocked by Emma's feelings.

Emma couldn't bring herself to focus on anything after that, not even her book. So she lay awake listening to music for hours, trying to drown out her thoughts, before she finally drifted off.

She was woken up sometime in the middle of the night by none other than Will.

He was knocking on her window again, frantically, and despite everything, Emma opened it for him. Maybe he'd come to apologize. Not that she'd accept it, but she appreciated the gesture.

"Emma!" His eyes were wide, panicked.

"What?" Emma asked groggily. Her head ached, from crying and the previous day's stress.

"It's Mary Margaret," he said, and she was suddenly much more awake. "She's at the hospital."

"What's wrong?"

"She . . . she's in a coma," Will hesitated. "But she was semi-conscious before she got there. And she asked for two people. She asked for you . . ."

"Who else?" Emma pressed. "David?"

"No." Will shook his head. "She asked for Charming."