Got this up a little sooner than I planned and its a long one. It has a lot of emotional conversations with August and Kelly and her friends. So I hope you all love it! I know I do.
Also none of Emma's dialogue in here in any way reflects back onto the real world. She's sixteen, upset, angry, and this is just her take on things.
"What was I thinking?" Emma sighed as she dropped down on the bench next to August. "I'm no match for Regina or Gold. I'm vastly out matched. I mean I'm… I'm just a kid. I can't handle all this."
"Emma you're not just a kid." August shook his head. "You are more powerful than you realize."
"Well it sure doesn't feel like it." Emma closed her eyes. "I'm at a loss August. I have no clue what to do. I don't know how to prove Regina, or anyone for that matter set Mary Margaret up."
"Did you tell Graham about your suspicions?" August asked.
"Yea." Emma nodded. "But he can't really look into Regina as a suspect without her finding out and creating a world of trouble for everyone involved. It's just not fair. She controls the town. No one should have that much power."
"If there's one thing Regina likes, it's control." August agreed. "Control over everything and everyone so she can get exactly what she wants."
"Maybe that's it." Emma looked up.
"Huh?" August looked confused.
"Maybe I let her win. Leave without a fight." Emma shrugged. "Once I'm gone maybe she'll get complacent, make a mistake. Then maybe you and Graham can catch her off guard."
"But then you'll be gone." August said.
"Maybe that's the price I have to pay to free Mary Margaret." Emma said.
"That's a big price." August pointed out. "Loosing everything and everyone you care about. And don't pretend like you don't Emma, it's obvious you do."
"I'm going to have to leave regardless of whether I want to or not." Emma looked at the ground. "I have no choice in the matter, no control over my own life."
"Emma you do have control over your own life." August said. "Right now it sounds like you're giving up."
"What other option to I have?" Emma cried in frustration.
"To fight." August said firmly. "To fight no matter what. Don't let them win. You write your own story Emma and at any given moment you have the power to say this is not how the story is going to end, to write a new ending."
"I wish I could write a new beginning." Emma sighed. "Write myself out of this miserable existence and into a normal, functional, boring life."
"You wouldn't survive in a boring life Emma." August let out a small laugh. "You are meant for so much more than that."
"And how would you know?" Emma looked at August.
"Because I see more in you than you see in yourself Emma." August started. "I see someone who has endured more pain, more heartache than anyone, no matter their age should have to. You know what it's like to be alone, to be in pain, to be told that you have no worth. You've been pushed to a point where most people would just give up, but you haven't. You're a fighter Emma. You fight for yourself and what you care about. You've been through more than most people could ever bear, ever imagine and still you've come out a better person than most people I know. I see greatness in you Emma, even if you can't see it yet yourself."
"Greatness." Emma scoffed. "I wouldn't know how to be great anymore than you or I would know how to be part of a functional family."
"Man you really know how to give a compliment." August shook his head.
"I'm honest." Emma looked away. "People like us? We have to wait for our shot in life, for some form of happiness that we may never get because this system screws us up. There's a reason most of us end up right where our parents were. There are very few of us who can escape this cycle and make a better life for ourselves; because regardless of what we do, or what we achieve, we will always be perceived as less. If something is missing we're always blamed because we're predisposed to becoming criminals, because we don't have a stable home, or life, or influence. Even the good things we do are justified by our past. We could do the same thing as some kid from a middle class typical happy family, for them it would living up to expectations, but for us its overcoming insurmountable odds. I know that I'll get into college over some kid with the exact same test scores, the exact same grades, because for me it's somehow achieving something more. Because being smart and attending school regularly and getting the grades I do, it's perceived as something that's not supposed to happen for kids that come from a background like ours. It's sick, and unfair, and I know it. We'll be lucky to get by, to have a normal existence, but greatness? That's not going to happen for us, it's not meant to happen for us."
"Emma if you ended up like your parents," August gave a sad smile. "You'd be a pretty amazing person."
"How do you…?" Emma looked shocked before the realization dawned on her. "Oh yea, that fairytale book you're trying to convince me is real. King James and Snow White, whatever. My life isn't a Disney movie, it never has been and it never will be. August, despite what our background dictates, the two of us actually have a shot at life. Don't screw it up with paranoid delusions of fairy tales and other worlds."
"I'm not the only one who believes in it Emma." August said carefully. "You heard Gold and Regina talking about it. And that guy out in the woods, Jefferson? You told me what he said to you, it all matches up."
"And look where that got him!" Emma exclaimed. "Holed up in a giant house, kidnapping people and holding them at gunpoint. Stuff like that gets you put in jail August, or a nuthouse which is exactly where everyone expects us to end up."
"Do you think you're going to end up in jail or a nuthouse?" August asked.
"No." Emma shook her head. "I'm going to make something better out of my life. Because I know how to keep my head down and bide my time, doing what I need to do until I can get out. So that's what I'm going to do now. Just survive, doing whatever I can to stay out of the way for the next two years. Until I make it."
"That's not much of a life is it?" August asked. "Just surviving."
"It's better than failing." Emma whispered.
"But maybe it's worth it, taking that chance, that risk." August said. "What if it actually works out? What if it's true? What if it's everything you've ever wanted, your happy ending. And what if you missed out on it because you were unwilling to believe, unwilling to take a chance because you were scared. What if you wasted your shot?"
"I'm not wasting my shot." Emma said. "I'm just playing by rules set out by an unfair system."
"The system that has failed you again and again." August pointed out. "The system that is failing you right now, and the person that you care about most in this world. Someone who is good and who loves you. Someone who would never do anything is wrong. Yet she is going to pay. I know you like to just keep your head down and try to not get people to notice you, because then you have less to lose. But how can you turn away from this? Emma, how can you expect to get your happy ending if you're not even willing to fight for it?"
"I'm tired of fighting." Emma closed her eyes.
"You don't fight." August countered. "You hide. You get by. You let things happen to you."
"I fight every day for my chance in this life." Emma shouted without meaning too. "I fight to not end up like everyone else, I fight for my future, I fight for my life."
"So fight for it now." August looked at Emma, determination in his eyes. "Write a new ending to your story Emma."
"You're the author." Emma's breath shuttered. "How does this story end?"
August gave a small smile. "With you believing."
"Hey babe." Emma sensed Kelly sliding into the booth next to her. She didn't look up. Kelly had called Graham earlier to tell them when she would arrive to collect Emma. Emma had been waiting in the diner for a while, not wanting to be around her friends. Ruby had tried to talk to her but eventually left Emma on her own. Emma felt completely numb. She didn't know how to feel now that the moment had finally arrived. "Emma?"
"I can hear you." Emma stared out the window.
"Emma I know this is less than ideal…" Kelly said slowly.
"Less than ideal?" Emma snapped. "Yea… this is less than ideal. This is a nightmare. One that I can't wake up from."
"Emma…" There was sadness in Kelly's voice.
"No." Emma shook her head. "Stop it. Don't try to make this better, because you can't. Right now you are destroying my life. So don't give me any bull-shit pep talk about how it's going to be better, or how its rough right now but things will improve. Because I really don't see how they can."
"Emma I know things look dark but you've been in situations like this before." Kelly placed her hand over Emma's. "You know things get better."
Emma pulled her hand away and looked at Kelly with cold eyes. "I've never been in a situation like this before. I've never cared about a place like this before. I have friends here Kelly. Real friends, people that I can talk to. That's a lot more than I can say about any other place. I have boyfriend, someone who loves me; someone who is good for me. Do you really think I'm going to find that again in Augusta? My teachers here like me. They challenge me. For once I'm actually participating in school. The people in this town care about me. And Mary Margaret, I've never had anyone care about me the way she does. She took the dark, broken, brooding version of me and showed me that I am worth something. She showed me what its like to have someone who cares about you, who loves you. No one's ever given that to me before. No one has ever made me feel good enough. This place has. When I'm here I don't feel like some freak foster kid. I feel normal. And I'm loosing all of that. You, this system, you're taking that away from me. So don't sit there and preach to me how this is for the best."
Kelly sat silently. As a social worker she was used to dealing with her angry charges. She had endured blow-ups much worse than this one. She had dealt with kids who were much more challenging to handle than Emma. But still, she had experienced nothing like this before. Emma had a hard life but she didn't act out like many of her other cases. She kept to herself in an attempt to survive day to day. She had closed herself off to the world, to disappointment. But that had changed when she had come here. Kelly had seen it. She was a different person and Kelly knew taking her away from here, away from this place that had become her home; it would destroy that. Emma had never believed in happy endings and Kelly worried that this experience would leave Emma worse off than before. Emma had gotten a chance at happiness, she had let herself believe it was possible, and now it was being taken away from her.
"When you take me away from here…" Emma glanced out the window. "I won't have anyone. "
"You'll have me." Kelly tried to be supportive.
"Really?" Emma glanced back at Kelly. "Because I'm not so sure about that anymore. You've been pretty checked out of my life lately. Did you even know I turned sixteen?"
Kelly looked at Emma with regret. She couldn't argue with her, Emma was right. They had always been close. Even when Emma was in awful situations back in Augusta, Kelly had always been her constant She would take Emma out as much as possible to get lunch, to get ice cream, anything to get her away from her life in the system and show her someone cared about her. But she hadn't been there for Emma lately. She tried to convince herself it was because she was far away. Emma was in good hands here and she had much more challenging cases that needed her attention. But Kelly had become the kind of social worker that only checked in when required to when it came to Emma. It wasn't something she was proud of. She had spent so much time building a relationship with the girl and now she was shattering it. Kelly knew she had been busy, but forgetting Emma's birthday? Even she wasn't sure she deserved forgiveness for that one.
"Emma I know I've been checked out lately." Kelly started. "Things have been difficult, I've had to take on more cases and trying to place them all isn't easy. We just had a to remove six children from a home and try to place them. But none of that is an excuse for forgetting about you. I know it seems like I've abandoned you but I haven't. I do care about you Emma."
"You know I'm actually happy you've had better things to do than deal with me." Emma said coldly. "Because it gave me a few more days here with the people who are actually important in my life."
"Emma." There was a pleading tone in Kelly's voice. "Babe, I don't want to do this. But there are rules and they're in place to keep you safe. I can't let you stay here when your foster mother is in prison. Who will take care of you?"
"The Sundby's. That's who's been taking care of me through this whole mess." Emma shook her head. "Do you honestly think taking me back to Stonegate where I'm just a number assigned to a bunk or putting me in another home where I'm just a paycheck is going to be better for me? Their daughter is my best friend. They care about me. They treat me like one of their own. They know me, what I like to eat, when I want to talk. Can you say that about any other family you're going to try to place me with? Who's going to want me Kelly, really. I'm sixteen years old. No one wants a damaged teenager. And the stigma I carry with me? I can't escape that. People assume so much of me based on the fact that I've grown up in the system. They think I'll be angry, or violent, or a failure at everything I do. And maybe they're right because I am angry Kelly. I've been angry for so long. And here, for once, I wasn't angry. I was happy. But that's all gone now."
"Em…" Kelly started.
"And school?" Emma continued. "Don't even get me started about that school. Those teachers have desynthetized themselves to the fact that we're even real people. They just lump as all together as kids who don't try, who don't care, who have no hope of a future. Do you think any of them realize, or even care how smart I am? Because I am Kelly. I'm smart. But they don't care. They don't see that. All they see is someone they need to pass to get out of their classroom. Someone who is as screwed up as the rest of them."
"Emma you don't know that…" Kelly protested.
"Of course I do." Emma shook her head. "I see it every day. Kelly you haven't been in those schools. They put on a face when you are around but everyday, they just see me as another face."
"Emma as much as I want to let you stay with your friend's family they're not qualified to take care of you." Kelly pointed out.
"And those people who collect foster kids to do chores for them and keep the refrigerator key around their neck so we can't eat or who have abused me?" Emma's asked. "They are?"
"Emma not all foster families are like that." Kelly said.
"But the ones I've been in are." Emma argued. "Because you guys are desperate to find people to take us in that you don't try to look beyond the façade they put up when you interview them."
"You know that's not true Emma." Kelly said.
"If you need families so bad why don't you just let the Sundby's take me?" Emma asked.
"Because after the incident we just had with a family it's going to be a lot harder to put an application through to be a foster parent." Kelly explained. "And I have a feeling they wouldn't be willing to be foster parents to anyone other than you."
"Is that such a bad thing?" Emma asked. "They're giving me a home. They offered to become my legal guardians."
"And they can." Kelly promised. "Once they get the proper paperwork through."
"But that could take months." Emma knew what Kelly was about to say. "You know I could just file for emancipation. I'm sixteen. I'm old enough."
"Emma." Kelly shook her head. "You know that's a lot more complicated than just filling out a piece of paper. You have to have a job, a stable place to stay…"
"I could get a job here at the diner." Emma shrugged. "Ruby and Granny would give me one in a heartbeat. Or I could get one with August at the bookstore. I know a lot of people who would help me out. The Sundby's would let me stay with them. Or August, he has an extra room. It would be weird but if it lets me stay here."
"Emma you know that's not going to be that easy." Kelly pointed out
"I've got to try something." Emma said.
"You need to trust this system." Kelly said patiently.
"You meant the one that has failed me so many times before?" Emma asked. "The one that has beaten me down and broken me? Yea I really have a lot of faith in that."
"I know you have had a tough road Emma but I have to follow the rules." Kelly said apologetically.
"Kelly if you send me back there." Emma said in defeat. "You will be taking any hope, and trust, any belief that there is any one who gives a damn about me, you'll be taking that all away. I'll have nothing Kelly. I'll be dead inside."
With tears in her eyes Kelly took Emma's hand and whispered. "I'm so sorry Emma."
Emma closed her eyes and shook her head. She had expected the answer. It wasn't a surprise. She was already accepting the life she used to have, the one she seemed destined to always live. She pulled her hand away and stood up, slinging her backpack over her shoulder. "I've got to go pack. We have an early start tomorrow."
Without another word Emma left, Kelly following silently behind her. Emma didn't glance back, she just kept moving forward. She knew she had left a part of her in that diner. The good part; the part that knew what it was like to hope, to dream, to be happy. In so many ways this was worse than any of the abusive families she had been with. At least then leaving was a relief. They hadn't given her any fake delusions of a happy ending. This place, this place had given her so much. And now it was taking it away. Emma couldn't help but think when she finally left this place and lost all the people she cared about, she would be loosing herself as well.
"So this is really it huh?" Kate asked. "You're really leaving."
All four of her friends had managed to squeeze onto Kate's queen sized bed. Even with them around her, Emma still felt so alone. Kelly had agreed since they would have to stay the night anyway and as most of her things were at Kate's already she could spend the night with her friends before they retired to their room at Granny's. At the moment Kelly was downstairs talking with Kate's parents. She wasn't technically allowed to leave Emma alone so wherever Emma went, Kelly came too.
Emma moved her head so it was resting on Ava's shoulder. She felt Ava squeeze her hand in response. "Yea… I guess it is."
"I can't believe this is happening." Kate shook her head. "I don't know how I'm going to…" Kate's breath shuttered. "I can't imagine my life without you."
"Don't you feel sorry for yourself." Isabelle nudged Kate. "Emma's the one that has to deal with all this shit. We're just loosing our friend. She's loosing everything."
"Wow Is." Ava rolled her eyes. "Wait to make her feel better about the situation."
"No I'm just saying that we shouldn't be focusing on ourselves and how sad we are." Isabelle explained. "We need to be there for Emma. She's the one that's being taken away from her life here. We need to put our issues into perspective. Comparatively they're not that bad."
Emma let out a bitter laugh. "Typical Is. Right intentions, awful execution."
"You know you love me anyways." Isabelle looked over Kate at Emma.
"Yea." Emma smiled sadly. "And I'm going to miss your bitchy comments towards everyone who's not in this room every day I'm gone."
"I keep life interesting." Isabelle tried to fight back her tears.
"That you do." Emma agreed. She turned to look at Julia. "And you, are perhaps the nicest person I have ever met. You could never be mean, even when people deserve it. And I love that about you. I don't know a lot of people like that in my life. I'm going to miss your eternal optimism."
"Well in this group someone has to have a bright outlook on life." Julia smiled. "You're all so jaded and what do you call it?"
"Realistic." Ava looked at Julia. "I don't think any amount of positive thinking is going to get us out of this one Jules."
"I know." Julia looked at the bed before looking back up at her friends. "But its better to try to think positively. What's happening is inevitable. I'd rather have hope."
"I wish I could think like that." Emma smiled at Julia. She looked at the girl lying next to her. "Kate, thank you for giving me a place to stay in the middle of all of this. I don't know what I would have done without you."
"I'd do anything for you Emma." Kate grabbed her friend's hand. "You're one of my best friends. I want you to know that whatever happens, you're not allowed to leave my life. You can't check out. I need you in my life to keep me sane."
"How are we going to do that?" Emma asked.
"By doing whatever it takes." Kate promised. "We'll call, and e-mail and we'll convince our parents to leave this town for once in our lives to visit you. You're not going to lose us. I refuse to let that happen."
"I love you guys." Emma closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears.
"We love you too." Kate hugged Emma tightly. She could feel Isabelle reaching over her to squeeze Emma's arm. On the other side she could see Ava and Julia doing the same. "You're not getting rid of us any time soon."
"And you." Emma turned to look at Ava. "You're the whole reason I'm in this mess, having to say goodbye to people I care about. If it weren't for your persistence and refusal to let me push you away I wouldn't have any friends to say goodbye to."
"That is the most twisted compliment I have ever heard." Ava laughed through her tears. "But I get it. And as painful as it is to be saying goodbye to you right now, I don't regret making that decision at all. You've done so much for me. You gave me my family back. I just wish I could give you yours."
"You have." Emma nodded. "I'm with them right now. You guys… you're my family. You have been since the day you took me out to that godforsaken lake and got me arrested by Graham. You made me feel no different than anyone else. You made me feel like of you. And that was one of the greatest gifts anyone has ever given me."
"We'll always be family." Ava promised. "Just a little farther apart. But nothing will ever stop us from caring about you."
"Nothing will ever stop me from caring about you guys either." Emma looked up at the ceiling. "You guys aren't the only thing I have to hold on to anymore. Knowing you guys care… That's what's going to help me survive this. I will survive, and we'll be together again one day."
Kelly glanced up as the five girls came down the stairs. Kate and Ava had their arms wrapped around Emma. Isabelle and Julia were close behind. They all looked so sad, so broken. She could see how much these girls cared about Emma, how much it was hurting them to lose her.
"Where are you girls going?" Mrs. Sundby looked up from her coffee.
"The boys are here." Kate said quietly. "We'll be in the basement."
Kelly watched as Kate opened the door. A slim brown-headed boy was the first through. He gave Emma a quick hug before moving in between Isabelle and Julia. A tall athletically built boy came in next, pulling Emma into a tight hug. It was clear he was closer to her than the boy before him. When he let her go he moved to Kate's side, pulling her to him.
The final boy through the door was one Kelly was familiar with. It was Connor, Emma's boyfriend. He looked completely broken. Kelly could see him fighting back tears as he pulled Emma to him. He whispered something into her ear and she nodded. Finally the to parted and she pulled him after her leading the whole group down stairs.
Kelly looked back at the couple sitting in front of her. "You must think I'm a horrible person for doing this to her."
Mr. Sundby let out his breath. "We don't think you're a horrible person. You're just doing your job. Rules have to be followed."
"That's just it." Kelly shook her head. "I'm trying to do what's best for Emma, but in the process I think I'm doing the worst."
"I'll admit this has been hard on all of them." Mr. Sundby nodded. "I've never seen my Kate so upset. She's usually so happy, always smiling. But today she couldn't stop crying. I think she's finally learned that the world isn't always fair. It wasn't a lesson I wanted her to learn. Especially at the expense of one of her friend."
"It's sad really." Kelly stared into her coffee. "The rules that are supposed to ensure that she has a safe and loving environment are the very things that are taking that away from her."
"I don't want you to leave." Connor whispered. They had escaped from the depressing atmosphere of the basement to try and get some time by themselves. As much as Emma loved her friends she wanted some time to say goodbye to Connor privately. They had found some peace in the backyard sitting on Kate's porch swing.
Emma lay her head on Connor's shoulder and looked up into the starry night sky. She felt Connor's fingers intertwining through hers. "I don't want to either. If I had a choice I'd stay here in this moment forever. Right now I can pretend everything is perfect. I can imagine this isn't happening. I just want to stay here, with you, forever."
"If the weight of what's happening wasn't hitting me right now I'd make a sarcastic comment about how romantic you're being." Connor tried joke.
"Man things must be really bad if you can't even do that." Emma attempted to smile but failed. The sadness was just too much.
"I can't joke about it because I feel exactly the same way." Connor admitted. "I would give anything to freeze the world in this moment and live forever here with you."
"I'm going to miss you so much." Emma fought off her tears. "I don't know how I'm going to do this without you."
"I'm so sorry Emma." Connor apologized. "This is all my fault."
"No it's not." Emma glanced up at Connor. "How could you have had anything to do with this?"
"I don't know." Connor cast his eyes downward. "I just… I couldn't protect you. I wanted to keep you safe and I didn't."
"Connor." Emma looked at him with confusion in her eyes. "You're only sixteen. How could you have protected me from this?"
"There's definitely something I could have done." Connor said bitterly.
"Connor look at me." Emma said firmly. "There is nothing you could have done differently to change what happened."
Connor closed his eyes and looked away. "I don't deserve you."
Emma let out a bitter laugh. "If the people from my old life could hear that. The perfect boy from a well-to-do family, athletic, gorgeous, charming, smart when you want to be. They'd all say I'm not good enough for you. The orphaned foster child who's supposed to be fated to fail at life…"
"You're not going to fail at life." Connor shook his head. "If anything you're going to be the one of us who does the most with their life. You're special Emma, you work so hard for everything. You're incredible."
"Not a lot of people share that sentiment." Emma shook her head. "On paper we don't match up at all. You're perfect and I'm…. well it's me who doesn't deserve you."
"You are more than good enough for me." Connor said slowly, making sure Emma heard every word. "You deserve better than me Emma. You've always deserved better than me."
"Stop it." Emma held up her finger. "Just stop putting yourself down. You're making me sound like I'm so much better than I really am."
"You are everything Emma." Connor said quietly. "You're the only good thing in my life."
"What about your mom?" Emma asked.
"She loves me but…" Connor paused. "I don't think she cares enough to put my needs before her own. It's always about her ambitions and what she needs. I mean yea she cares about me but… I don't know how to explain it. You're the only completely good and pure thing in my life and now it's being destroyed."
"Its funny how that happens," Emma said sadly. "That after all this time, life finally gave me something good, something I wanted to hold onto. But now it's being ripped away from us. It just doesn't seem fair. I've tried to be a good person, follow the rules, go to class, do what I'm supposed to, but it never seems to matter. Bad things always end up happening to me. I don't know why I ever convinced myself that this could work. I was delusional to think life would give me a shot at something good."
"Hey." Connor tilted Emma's head up to look at him. "You're not delusional. You weren't wrong to think this was something that could work. Just because this is happening right now, just because we're being separated, it doesn't mean this is over. Us being apart? It's not for forever. So we'll be apart for a little while. It doesn't mean we can't find our way back to each other."
"It's two years, Connor." Emma shook her head. "That's an eternity."
"It doesn't matter how long I have to wait." Connor promised. "I'd wait an eternity for you Emma. No matter where you go, I will always find my way back to you."
Emma's breath shuttered. Connor's words terrified her. She had never had anyone who cared about her like this before, who loved her enough to follow her to the ends of the earth. But what scared her the most was that she felt the same way. She looked away from him, trying to put distance between herself and the situation, trying to protect herself from pain, always trying to protect herself. She had to be realistic. They were only sixteen. This was a first love, there would be more. "Connor you say that now but what happens six months from now when it gets hard? When we haven't seen each other, when we barely get to talk? Connor when things become difficult, how can I expect you to stay? You're sixteen and you have your whole life a head of you. You have a real shot at life. I can't ask you to put your life on hold for me. You'll find someone else. You'll fall in love with someone else."
"No I won't Emma." Connor cupped Emma's cheek. "There's no one else. I could never love someone as much as I love you. You came out of nowhere and took my breath away. I've never met anyone like you Emma. You are smart and funny and beautiful. You've been through difficult times and have come out an incredible and amazing person. We all need someone who inspires us to be better than we are and that's you Emma. You make me want to be a better person. I may be young but I'm old enough to know that when you find something like that? You don't let it go. You hold on to it, no matter what it takes. Emma, there is no one else like you. There's no one better than you."
Emma blushed and looked up at Connor, tears pooling in her eyes. "I could have never, in a thousand years, imagined someone would say something like that to me. You don't know what it means to me to hear something like that. People like me? We usually don't have anyone who cares about us, especially not like you care about me. It hurts. It scares me to think you care about me that much and it terrifies me to think about losing it. I don't know how I'm going to handle going back. There's no one like you there. The guys back where I'm from are completely degrading. They see us as easy targets because they assume we have no self-esteem. And the sad part is they're right. Most of us don't have any self worth. Honestly, I didn't think I did until I came here. You changed that. You all changed that. I'm scared that by going back I'm going to lose it."
"I don't worry about that." Connor smiled. "You are the most confident girl I have ever met. I have complete faith that you won't let any guy tear you down. You'd rip into them before they had a chance at getting to you. But if any guy treats you poorly Emma, just call me. I'll set them straight."
"You'd leave Storybrooke for me?" Emma teased.
"I'd go to the ends of the earth and back for you." Connor promised. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you."
Emma couldn't bear the distance between them anymore. Their lips met in a passionate kiss. There were so many emotions: love, regret, sorrow. This kiss felt different to Emma. It was their goodbye. After all this time this was the moment they had to put everything into, to remember this moment when she was gone. But there was something else in the kiss, a distance Emma hadn't felt from Connor before. It confused her put she pushed it away wanting to remember this moment forever.
They stayed locked in each other's embrace until Kelly called Emma in. It was late and as much as she didn't want to go, Emma knew she had to. She reluctantly followed Kelly out of the house, hugging her friends one last time. They all promised to be there when she finally left in the morning but they all knew this was the last time they would be together like this. As Emma walked out the door she felt as if part of her was being ripped away, shredded into a million pieces. This was why she never got attached, never made real friends, because it hurt too much when you finally had to leave