Title: Look After You
Chapter Fifty-Five: Demons
Author: snarkysweetness
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Emma, August, Ruby, & Mary Margaret; Emma/August
Summary: During dinner, Emma proves to be quite persuasive and forces August to come clean about his demons.
Warnings: Fluff and language, the usual.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Notes: The date is the next two chapters (oh yes, it needs two of them); I hope you're all ready.

"Are you sure you don't want to come along?"

Emma glanced over her shoulder. Mary Margaret and Ruby were on their way out to the Rabbit Hole and while Ruby looked like someone Emma would gladly take home after too many drinks and a bout of bi-curiosity, Mary Margaret looked like she belonged back at the convent. While she was sure watching the two of them interact with men at the bar would be quite entertaining, there was no way she was moving; she had sweatpants, a week's worth of Daily Show's on the DVR, and Chinese Food, what else did a girl need?

"I think we all know what'll happen if you get me out to an establishment with a lot of alcohol."

Mary Margaret eyed the now empty beer bottle in Emma's hand.

"He knows what he's getting into if he keeps giving me these," Emma said with a shrug as August plopped down on the couch with her new beer.

"Don't you worry about me, Mary Margaret, any molesting that goes on will be welcomed," he teased. She snatched her beer and kissed his cheek smugly. Beer wasn't enough to turn her into a dirty slut, but she'd pretend if he wanted an excuse to have her hands all over him.

Mary Margaret rolled her eyes and opened her mouth but Ruby kicked her.

"Oww."

"They want to be alone for a reason," she muttered. Emma rolled her eyes as Mary Margaret realized what Ruby was implying. Ruby was wrong, of course, but she did want to be alone with him; he made for an excellent body pillow and she'd been fantasizing about sleeping with him all day.

"Right, well, we're going, if you chang-"

"Oh my God, they're not going to. Let's go! We both need a drink after the week we've had and you promised to help me figure out my Granny problem," Ruby whined. "I can't do that without at least three Cosmos."

"Oooh, those sound good. Let's go. Bye!"

Emma waved and reached for her egg rolls.

"I thought they'd never leave," she complained. Her day had been Hell. She'd sent the heart out for testing, sent out the fingerprints, because of course Storybrooke didn't have a system to run them through in an efficient and quick manner, and Ruby had been on edge all day. Emma eventually sent her home because she couldn't take seeing her jump every time the phone rang anymore.

August placed his arm over her shoulder as he sipped on his soda.

"Planning to have your wicked way with me, Sheriff?"

"Oh yes. I'm going to get you nice and full on Chinese food, to the point where you can't move from this couch, and then I'm going to make you hold me while I take a well-earned nap."

"Kinky."

"Right? I might even lure you up to my bedroom for a night full of sleeping comfortably."

"Ooh baby. You're going to turn me on if you keep talking like that."

"Is that so?"

"Yes; and while that sounds really hot, I don't know if we're ready to take our relationship to that level."

"Too bad; I cannot handle another night on this tiny couch, so you'd better get used to the idea, mister."

"You just want me to make you breakfast again, don't you?"

"Pretty much," she admitted as she chugged down half of her beer. She glanced over and smirked. He pulled her against him and turned his attention back to the show. She eyed him as he drank his soda for a long moment before deciding she had to know.

"So, what's your story?"

August watched the television for a moment before glancing over, confused.

"What do you mean?"

She gave him a 'come on' look.

"August, I wasn't born yesterday. You asked me out for a drink and we had water, you bring over wine and only pour three glasses for four people, I'm drinking ALL of the beer while you nurse your Pepsi? It's okay; I'm not going to dump you if you and booze aren't friends anymore."

She was an ex-thief, who was she to judge?

August shifted uncomfortably and she immediately regretted bringing it up.

"We don't have to-"

"No, it's fine. I um…" He took in a few short breaths before meeting her eyes. "I'm an alcoholic. I'm talking week-long benders, black-outs, and I was a mess for a long time." She brought her hand up to stroke his hair. His haunted gaze broke her heart. "I'm still a mess and I'll always be, but I haven't touched the stuff in months. In fact, I think this is the longest I've been on the wagon," he said quietly, as if surprised by his own strength.

Emma gave him a proud smile. She understood what it was like to be a mess and like her, he seemed to be getting over his issues. She brought her fingers down to rub the back of his neck.

"Was it just the alcohol?" She whispered, suspecting that the self-loathing on his face was due to more than just a drinking problem.

He sighed leaned his head back. She kept working her fingers over his tense muscles while he continued to stare up at the ceiling. They sat in silence for a few minutes while he worked up the nerve to answer her question.

"For the most part; from time to time I'd take painkillers. Oxy, mostly, and um…" He swallowed hard. Emma recognized shame when she saw it. She set her beer down and took his hand, linking their fingers together as she rested her chin on his shoulder.

"August," she whispered, "it's okay, you can tell me anything." Sure, if he confessed he was really an axe murdered, she'd flee the loft in a heartbeat, but a body count aside, she was sure she could handle anything he had to confess.

"Women; my other weakness was women," he admitted. The muscles in his neck tensed. She closed her eyes, remembering all of the times she'd come on to him after too many drinks and felt guilt well up in her gut. He'd been able to not only resist her but the alcohol as well. He was a goddamn saint.

"August-"

"I'd be okay for a while," he insisted, cutting her off. "I'd move on, settle in to work on my writing, and then something would happen and I would start drinking which led to the pills and women. Lots of women, I don't even remember most of them. Whenever I couldn't deal I would fall off the wagon hard and…"

He glanced over sadly.

"You deserve better, Emma. I'm a mess and I'm the furthest thing from a saint…I just…I've done things I'm not proud of. And I want to be better but sometimes I think it's not in my nature to be a good person and to be happy."

Emma watched him for a long moment before pulling him against her chest. She ran her fingers through his hair and held him tightly as he wrapped his arms around her middle.

"No one's perfect, August. You're not the only one who's made mistakes. Hell, you're not the only one in this loft who can't remember half the people they've slept with. You're trying, which is more than some people can say and from what I can tell, you're succeeding."

He lifted his head and she took his face in her hands.

"It's because of you-"

"Don't-"

"No, it's true. I'd been sober for months before I came here and it was Hell, but since I met you I don't even think about having a drink. I don't want it anymore. You may not believe in magic, Emma, but there's something about you that makes it easy for people to become better."

"August," she said with a small sigh. He was sweet, but there was no way she was the reason why he was firmly on the wagon; unless he was in love with her, which was crazier than Henry's book.

"Emma, I mean it. I have a lot of demons but when I'm with you…it's like you're an angel whose light shines so brightly it keeps them at bay. You have an effect on people, Ems, whether you choose to see it or not."

Henry had told her the same thing but…

She shook her head.

"You're crazy."

"Only for you."

He kissed the top of her nose and she cringed.

"Stop being such a girl."

"I mean it, anytime I think about going back to who I was, because it's easier, I think about you and it makes me want to keep being a better man." He tucked a loose piece of her hair behind her ear as he searched her face.

"So, you're really okay with everything? I mean-"

"August, I'm not going to hate you because you don't have the perfect past; you're only human after all. I'm not perfect either, despite what you choose to believe.

Now shut up, we're missing the show."

He smirked and rested his head back on her chest as she toyed with his hair. They watched television in silence and when the girls returned from the bar hours later, they found the pair lying in the same position, peacefully asleep.