This idea came to me when I woke up one morning. I posted it on facebook and decided to do a one shot. Well, 5267 words in and I realize this will not be a one shot lol. Maybe 2-5 chapters at the most. It is SQ ending, but it takes a bit to get there.

Read~Enjoy~Review

The Loser Party

Brown eyes scanned the cafeteria from their throne like position. She was the Queen, and these were her subjects. She was looking for something... no, someone, and she just couldn't find the right one.

"Hey Gina, you get your loser yet? You usually have them picked out first but you're down to your final week."

Regina glared at her friend Kathryn but kept her cool. "Maybe. I guess you'll find out on Saturday."

"This is going to be the best loser party ever." Mal stated as she bit into her sandwich. "I really think I'm winning this year. I have that idiot Jones and his one hand."

Regina tried not to roll her eyes but knew she failed. Jones was who she had originally wanted to bring but Mal got him first. "Too bad family is off limits." Regina sighed as she watched her sister cross the room. Zelena was a senior while Regina was a junior, but the older Mills girl was too into her studies to care about popularity. Popularity was what Regina did best.

Regina was the apple of her father's eye, but part of that was because Zelena was not the kind of daughter he wanted when she was little. Zelena was always happier reading, writing, or doing something inside the house when she was young where as Regina would do anything to spend time with her father.

Zelena's arms were so full of books it was a wonder how she carried her lunch. Suddenly, a student with a mass of blonde hair and thick glasses bumped into Zelena and they both dropped everything.

"Oh I'm S..s.. so sorry. I d...d...didn't mean to...I was just...I didn't have a p...p...place to sit." The blonde stuttered as she tried to help the other girl pick up her things. Her face reddened as she realized everyone was watching them.

Zelena reached out and touched the blonde's arm. "It's okay. It was my fault, don't worry. I'm afraid I ruined your lunch. Let me buy you another."

The blonde shook her head and pushed her glasses up her nose. "It's okay. I'm... I'm not that hun... hungry anyway." Emma was a sophomore who has a terrible stuttering problem and was new. The combination was terrible but Emma, unfortunately, was used to it. She was on foster home number 12, so she was always the new girl. This place, however, was different and she actually liked it. Mary Margaret and David barely even rose their voices and compared to other foster homes, it was a nice change. They didn't get mad at her when she stuttered, didn't try to push her to finish her sentences faster, and when she had nightmares at night, Mary Margaret held her. She may only have three more years in the system, but she hoped they'd be spend with the Nolans.

"Nonsense. I insist. Oh wow, you're reading Pride and Prejudice? That's one of my favorites." The two picked up their books and now ruined lunches and put the books on a table before throwing the food away and going back in line. They talked about literature and school and Emma felt herself relieved that this girl didn't seem to mind her stutter. It was like she didn't notice. Zelena was happy to have someone to talk to who wouldn't compare her to her younger, but much cooler, sister.

Regina smirked-she found her loser. Now she just had to pretend to get close to her, so she could get her to come to the party. She stood and casually walked over to her sister and the blonde, a move that most of the students watched, but none acknowledged. She noticed that Emma was talking to Zelena and didn't even notice the brunette was coming her way. This caused a bit of irritation, but she placed a smile on her face.

"I m…moved here a f…f…few m…months ago in the s…su…summer, with D…D…David and M…Mary M…Margaret." Emma let out a breath, looking at Zelena with an apologetic look. "S…s…sorry ab…about my st…stutter…"

"Oh stop, Emma. You don't have to apologize for something you can't help. Just take your time and relax, I'll never rush you or finish your thoughts." It was then that Zelena noticed her sister watching them. She sighed and sat back, looking at her. "What do you want?"

Regina gave her sister a look before sitting down. "Are you going to introduce me to your new friend?"

"Why? So you can turn her against me?"

"Oh please, Zel. Did you forget that you're a senior? Hanging out with the underclass is unbecoming."

"How do you know she's an underclassman?"

"Well, it's the first day of school and I've never seen her before, she looks a bit young, and she's talking to you. Obviously, she hasn't been here long enough to know better."

Emma grit her teeth and glared at Regina. "Sh...sh...she's nice. N…n…no ma…matter what grade sh…sh…she's in."

Regina tried hard to not laugh at the girl, her glare behind her thick glasses and her stuttering. She rolled her eyes. "Sure, she's nice, but that's only because she doesn't have friends. I'm Regina, by the way, the popular Mills sister." Regina held her hand out, but Emma just turned away and picked at her food. She had seen Regina's face, knew she really wanted to laugh at her. Regina was at a loss for words when Emma ignored her and turned around. She bent down, close to her ear. "You just made a huge mistake, new girl. I suggest you meet me in the library after school, so you can make it up to me."

"Leave her alone, Regina." Zelena said, giving Emma an apologetic look. "She doesn't deserve your shit."

Regina glared at her sister. "I'm not giving her shit. I'm trying to make friends, so I can be sure she gets an invite to the party on Saturday."

"A party?" Zelena asked, her internal warning bells going off.

"Yes, sis. You know, a party. A gathering of people having fun, usually mixed with food, music, and maybe alcohol. I know you don't get out much, but I thought you at least knew what a party was."

"Of course, I know what a party is." Zelena huffed. "Is it one of those parties?"

"You mean one of those parties you don't get invited to because you're family? Maybe, maybe not, but if you ruin it for me, you'll regret it. Remember, I know how to make daddy take my side."

Zelena rolled her eyes. "Regina, just leave us alone." She looked at Emma and the two stood, going to dump their tray. "Emma, stay away from Regina and her friends. They're bullies and love to humiliate people."

"I…I st…stutter and I'm a f...fo…foster kid w..w..with glasses. I'm u..u..used to being b…bullied. Thanks f..for the w..warning."

"What's your last class? Maybe I can make sure Regina doesn't find you." She looked at the schedule Emma held out. "Shit. She's in your last class with you. Look, just stay in the classroom until I get there, okay? She's not going to be mean, in fact, she's going to be disgustingly nice. She's going to try to lure you into thinking she likes you, then she'll introduce you to her friends and they'll act all nice and sweet too. But it's a trick, Emma." Zelena stopped when she saw Mal and Kathryn waiting by Emma's next class. She sighed and looked at her. "I'll see you after school, Emma. Take care."

Emma gave Zelena a smile. "Th..th..thank you. See you later." Emma was proud that she got a three word sentence out with out stuttering. Once she trusted and became relaxed with the people around her, she stuttered less. She went to speech therapy a few schools ago, but they said they couldn't help because it was nothing to do with her actual speech, but with her anxiety. When she was scared or nervous, she stuttered, and unfortunately, she was scared or nervous all the time. At that foster home, that was the end of it. Here, however, when she told David and Mary Margaret what had been said before, they asked her if she wanted to see a man named Dr. Hopper. They said he was a child psychologist and he could help her with not just the stuttering, but with everything going on in her life. They understood she'd been through a lot and knew it would be good for her to have someone to talk to.

Emma took a breath and walked right past the two girls and into the classroom and took a seat. She was glad that her foster parents had talked to the principle (who was also Mary Margaret's boss) and explained about her stuttering and anxiety. So far, the principle seemed to have talked to her teachers and where, in other schools she'd be forced to introduce herself, here, she hadn't. The teacher came over and had a kind smile.

"You must be Emma?"

Emma just nodded, and the woman's smile never faded.

"I'm Ms. Winters. I won't force you to introduce yourself today, Emma, but I do encourage participation in class. I know it's not easy and I know it's embarrassing, but I've been where you are, and I know that you can do it." The woman put a sheet of paper on Emma's desk. "However, until you do feel comfortable speaking in class, what I'm going to do to be sure you are participating is give you a sheet before each class. There are questions on it where the answer should come up at some point in the lesson. If you think one doesn't, or you miss some, just come talk to me after class, okay?" Emma looked at her and sighed before nodding. "I'm not punishing you, Emma, please don't think that. I just don't want to push you to talk if you're not comfortable."

"Th..thank you. It j..j..just seems l..l..like ex..extra wo..work." Emma took a breath. "I d..don't m..mind ans..answering q…questions in cl..class, I j…just di…didn't wa..want to intro…introduce m..myself."

Ms. Winters smiled. "Okay, I get it. So, if I see you raise your hand, then we're good, no sheet needed. I'm sorry, Emma, I really was only trying to help."

"I kn…know. I ap..appreciate it." Emma could hear snickering behind her and her ears burned red. She knew the other kids heard her and while it wasn't a secret or anything, she hated how kids could be so mean about things.

Ms. Winters put her hand on Emma's. "You're very brave." She whispered. "I'll do what I can to keep them off your back." After Emma gave a small nod, the teacher stood up and went to the front of the class. "Miss Paige and Miss Midas, since you seem to think something is so very funny back there, I'd like you two to take the two empty seats here in the front row. Mal, you over there and Kathryn over there."

"But Ms. Winters, class hasn't even started yet." Mal whined as she folded her arms.

"Yes, and you're already interrupting it. Move your seats now unless you want them to be your permanent seats for the rest of the year."

Both girls huffed, but they moved. Class started, and Ms. Winters introduced Emma before starting the lesson. Emma was true to her word and did raise her hand quite a few times. When she was called upon, she turned red, but pushed through to answer the questions. If she kept her eyes on the teacher and not the other students, she could get through it. At the end of class, a tall girl with long hair came over and smiled at her.

"Hey, I'm Ruby. I noticed you're pretty smart with literature and was wondering if you'd maybe help me with our assignment?"

Emma looked at her as she packed her books up, not sure if she should be trusted or not. "I d...don't know how g...good I'd b...be at h…helping." She gestured as if it were obvious. "Y…you'd pro…probably get an…annoyed."

"What? From your stutter? Nah, that isn't annoying. It's just a part of you, nothing to be ashamed of." Ruby watched Mal and Kathryn loitering and sighed, leaning towards Emma. "I'm not one of them, just so you know. Don't trust them, they're vicious."

"Th…that's wh…what Z…Zelena said."

"Well listen to her, she would know. What's your next class?" Ruby looked at Emma's schedule and linked their arms. "I am in the rest of the day's classes with you."

Classes went by uneventful, but Emma was nervous for her last class. Regina would be there, and Emma didn't know what the girl wanted with her. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't attracted to Regina, but she also knew enough about schools to know that no one with Regina's stature wanted to be Emma's friend. Emma was listening to Ruby talk as Regina came into the room. The brunette sat on the other side of the blonde. Emma tried to act like she was paying attention to Ruby and not Regina, but Regina could tell Emma was watching her.

"So, what terrible things did my sister and Diner girl here say about me?" Regina asked, cutting Ruby off. "Because none of it is true. They're just jealous of me."

Emma rolled her eyes, she knew girls like this. They were in every school she ever went to. Usually, however, they were attacking her, not trying to befriend her. "R…Ruby has…hasn't said an…anything. Z…Zelena s…said n…not to t…trust you."

Regina let out a scoff. "Zelena is my sister, of course she'd say that. Look Emma, I really just want to welcome you here in the right way and bring you to the party on Saturday." Regina reached over and touched Emma's arm. "I was kidding earlier, you know. I only wanted to meet you in the library to talk, but I think maybe I should come to your place after school, so we can get to know each other."

Emma was taken aback by Regina's bluntness. "I d…don't kno…know if I'm a…allowed t…to ha…have p…people o…over."

Regina waived her hand. "Oh nonsense. I already talked to Mrs. Nolan about it before class. She said she would love for you to have a friend over and even said you can ride in my car with me. Here, I had her write it down, so you'd believe me."

Emma looked at the note and knew without a doubt it was Mary Margaret's handwriting. Emma didn't honestly see a way out of this, so she swallowed. "On…only if Ze…Zelena comes t…too."

Regina sighed and chewed her lip. "Emma please. I need to talk to you with out her. You don't get it because you don't have sisters, but she and I just don't get along and we both talk shit about each other. Please, just one afternoon just us."

Emma looked at Ruby who acted like she wasn't paying attention, but who also quickly made eye contact before looking back at her book pointedly. It was then Emma remembered the question Ruby asked her. "I t…told R…Ruby I'd h…help her w…with our h…homework."

Regina tried hard not to roll her eyes. "Fine, tomorrow then? Emma, please just give me a chance. I'm sure you've been in a position to want others to give you a chance. Rumors and all that aren't always true."

Emma understood what Regina was saying, but Zelena had been nice to her and she didn't want to believe she was lying to her. Before she could answer, class started. Regina continued to give Emma pleading looks and finally, Emma wrote something on a piece of paper. 'Fine, you can come after school tomorrow, but on one condition; we don't talk badly about Zelena."

Regina smiled as she took the note and nodded her agreement. Emma couldn't help but wonder if she just made the worst mistake, but she'd have tonight to talk to Ruby and Mary Margaret and see what each of them have to say about Regina. She knew, however, Zelena may be upset.

After class, Regina was one of the firsts out and Emma took her time packing her things. "Y…you do…don't have to c…come ov…over if y…you do…don't wa...want to."

Ruby packed her school bag as well. "I want to, if that's okay. I really do need help."

Zelena came in and looked relieved to see Regina wasn't there but could tell something was bothering Emma. "What's up? Did Regina do something to you?"

Emma shook her head and then shrugged. She told Zelena what happened and how she agreed to let her over the next afternoon. She could tell that Zelena was worried, but at least didn't seem upset. "Emma, you do what you want to do, and I appreciate you telling her you don't want any bad talk about me. Just…please be careful, okay? I'm not trying to worry you, but Regina and her friends…they aren't always nice." Zelena looked at Ruby. "You know. You were invited to one of these parties last year."

Emma looked at Ruby who looked down. "Yeah, I was. It was horrible." She looked at Emma. "I'll tell you about it later. If that's the kind of party Regina is talking about, you do not want to be invited."

Emma sighed and put her back pack on. "I g…get it. Th…thank you f…for c…caring, r…really." She said, giving both girls a smile.

"No problem, Emma. See you tomorrow." Zelena said with a smile before heading out.

Emma and Ruby headed towards the elementary side of the school and to Mary Margaret's class room. "Hey M…Mary M…Margaret." Emma said with a smile.

The woman turned and smiled warmly at her foster daughter. "Emma, you made it through your first day." She said, going to Emma and hugging her. "Please tell me it wasn't terrible." She then noticed Ruby and smiled more. "Ruby, I didn't expect to see you. How are you?"

Ruby smiled. "I'm good, thanks. Emma said she'd help me with some of our homework."

Mary Margaret smiled at Emma. "That was nice of you. I though Regina was coming over."

Emma sighed. "I h..had al…already to…told R..Ruby I w…would he..help her." She took a deep breath as sometimes talking was exhausting for her. However, Emma knew that as the night went on, she would stutter less because she would unwind and not feel so nervous. She still stuttered around her foster parents, but not as badly. "She's c...coming tom…tomorrow. B…but I d..don't trust her."

Mary Margaret gave an understanding nod. "If I can be honest, I was a bit surprised when she came to me earlier. I never had her in my class, but she is well known since she's the mayor's daughter. Emma, it's up to you. If you don't want her to come over, then don't."

Emma shrugged. "I k…k…kind of have t..to now." She gave a shrug. "C..can Ruby and I g..go h..home?"

Mary Margaret smiled again. "Yes, you can. I'll be here a while longer but help yourself to a snack."

"I figured we'd stop at Granny's on the way home." Ruby stated. "I have to ask Granny if it's okay anyway. If I can't go to your place, and if Emma wants to, can she stay with me at the diner?"

"Of course." She answered, looking to Emma. "Just text me if you stay there."

Emma nodded. "Okay."

The two headed out and Emma looked to Ruby. "You l…live at G…Granny's?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, she's my actual Granny. My mom never knew my dad and then she left when I was little. Apparently, she missed the life she had before I came along."

"I'm s…sorry." Emma said quietly, looking down as they walked.

"I'm not. I'd rather be with my Granny who loves me than with a woman who doesn't want me." Ruby said with a shrug. "What about your parents? Why are you in foster care?" Ruby asked and then added. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

Emma gave a shrug. "I was a..ab…abandoned as a b…baby. I w…was ad…adopted, but they ha..had their own ch..child and g…gave me back. I've b..been to…well this is m…my 12th h..home. I h…hope it's m…my last, b..but people g..get sick of m..me after a w..while."

Those words broke Ruby's heart and she stopped walking to wrap her arms around Emma. "That's terrible, Ems. I...wow. I'm so sorry."

While Emma was touched by Ruby caring, she wasn't prepared for the hug. "Th..thanks but th..that's life."

The two kept walking and once at the Diner, Ruby hugged her grandmother, feeling a new appreciation for her. "Hey, can I go to Emma's to do some homework?"

"Who's Emma?" Granny asked from behind the till.

"Sorry. Granny, this is Emma. She's…"

Granny looked up and smiled. "Right, you're David and Mary Margaret's child. I've seen you in here with them."

"Hi." Emma said with an uncomfortable smile.

"So, can I go? Or if you need me here, can Emma stay? She's really good at Literature and I need to raise my grade in that class."

Granny looked around, feeling guilty. She knew it wasn't fair to her granddaughter, but she did have a waitress call in sick. "Would you too mind staying here? I promise I'll only call for you if I'm desperate." Granny said apologetically.

"That's fine, Granny. Can we use the table in your office though? Just call me if you need me."

Granny nodded. "Of course, you can. Emma dear, what can I get you for a snack?"

Emma shook her head. "I d..don't have m..money with m..me."

"And I didn't ask for payment." Granny said with a smile. "Ruby will probably have onion rings and a chocolate shake, can I get you the same?"

"S...sure. Th…thank you."

"You're very welcome, child. Thank you for helping Ruby with her homework."

Emma and Ruby went to the office and started their work, Emma sending Mary Margaret a text to tell her where she was. About a half hour later, Granny called Ruby out to help and Emma sat back, munching on her onion rings. It took Ruby a while, so Emma peaked out and saw that both Granny and Ruby were working hard on seating people, taking orders, and bussing tables. She found a tub and started clearing a booth, knowing she could do this with out having to talk to anyone. She had two cleared before Granny saw her.

"What are you doing, child? You don't have to do that."

"D…don't mind." She said as she took her tub back and grabbed another empty one. After she had the tables all cleaned, she noticed they were also short staffed in the kitchen. After having the chef show her how to work it, she started pushing dishes through the dishwasher and then putting the dishes back when done.

"We got a good little helper here." The chef stated as Granny came back with more orders. "You hire her?"

"No. Emma, sweetheart, you really don't have to do this." Granny stated, taking plates from her hands.

"I r…really d…don't mind."

"I know." Granny said, cupping Emma's cheek. "It's just that if something happened to you, I could be in big trouble."

"Then hire her." The chef said. "Seriously, if she likes bussing, we could really use her."

"Mike, I don't think Emma wants to work here. She's just being nice because she's a good person."

"Actually, I'd l…love to h…help. I j…just don w…want to t…take orders." She gestured to herself as if it was obvious."

"Emma, there's nothing wrong with a little stutter. However, if you do want to just bus, I'll check the budget tonight and see if I have it in there to hire you. Of course, I'll need permission from your parents."

"F…foster parents." Emma corrected. "I'll ask them." She smiled, she liked when she could get three words in without a stutter.

Finally, another waitress came in and after a few more minutes, Ruby was able to do more homework. They finished and as they finished their food, they talked. "Emma, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but I can't not tell you. The party Regina is trying to get you to go to is humiliating. It's called a 'Loser Party'. They do it at least once a year. They, as in Regina, Mal, and Kathryn throw a party and invite all the "cool kids" and they each pick someone they deem a 'loser'. Then, they literally have a stage set up where they each take a turn in parading their 'loser' around and explain why theirs is the biggest loser. Usually, the loser has no idea and thinks they're actually being invited because they like them. It's humiliating."

Emma shook her head. "That's t..terrible. Z...Zelena said y…you went l…last year?"

Ruby scoffed. "Yes. I had heard of these parties and I still fell victim to their manipulation. It was Kathryn and she made me believe she was being a friend. I don't have many friends, and I guess I was kind of desperate."

"Why d…did they t..think you're a l…loser?"

Ruby laughed at that. "Because of my job. Pathetic right? I have a job so I'm a loser? I have money and they don't. At least I wasn't crowned 'Biggest Loser'. Poor August though. He had an accident early in life and has a fake leg. They took it from him and laughed as he crawled off the stage. He was homeschooled the rest of the year."

"Wow. J…just w…wow." Emma said, feeling sick. She then bit her lip. "I kn..know I h..have a st..stutter, b..but d..do you think I'm a l…loser? I m…mean, w…why would R…Regina invite m..me unless sh…she th..think's I'd w…win B…Biggest Loser?"

"Oh Emma. No, I don't think you're a loser at all and I really don't think you'd win Biggest Loser if you did go. I don't think they care who wins and who loses because either way, they get to humiliate people." Ruby gave Emma a look. "You're not going, Emma."

Emma sighed, she took her notebook and started writing. "I'm writing because I can get it out faster. Ruby, I have to go. If I don't, she'll find someone else and humiliate them. That's not okay. At least I'll know the truth going into it and I won't let it hurt me. Besides, maybe it'll surprise her."

Ruby read it and shook her head. "Surprise her how?"

Emma wrote again. "Because while she thinks she's humiliating me, I can smile and act like it doesn't bother me, like I enjoy the attention. Look, the truth is, I never last long anywhere. I'll probably be gone before the end of the school year anyway. It's not like I've never been humiliated before."

Ruby chewed on her lip as she re-read Emma's words. "You know, maybe that would work. Maybe we can teach them a lesson."

"We?" Emma asked, raising a brow.

"Yes, mostly you, but with my help. I think we should tell Zelena too, but not anyone else. Regina, Mal, and Kathryn can't know." She looked at Emma. "You sure you want to do this?"

Emma nodded. "P..positive.

Ruby gave a nod. "Then phase one is making Regina think you trust her. After today, she'll be suspicious if you act all buddy buddy tomorrow."

"W…when she c…comes to m…my house, I c…can't…tell her that I'm s…sorry for n…not giving her a ch…chance."

"Good plan." Ruby stated. "Emma, just…I don't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't. If I'm i…in control, I c…can't get hurt."

"Emma dear? Your parents are here." Granny called and Emma stood to gather her things.

Ruby took Emma's notebook and wrote in it. "That's my number. Do you have a cell?"

Emma nodded and wrote her number down. "I c…can text or t…talk. I p…prefer text. O…obviously."

Ruby made a noise with her tongue. "I don't care, Ems. I love talking with you."

Emma smiled. "Thanks. The m…more I get to know s…someone, the l…less I stutter. It h…has to d…do with my an…anxiety. I'm g…getting help f…for it."

"I hate that you're so anxious it makes you stutter, but please know that I will never think less of you."

Emma smiled, feeling tears in the back of her eyes. "Thank you. I sh…should go. S…see you tomorrow."

"See you, Ems and thanks for the help earlier."

Emma went out and saw both Mary Margaret and David and smiled back at them. David held his arm out and put it around her shoulder. "Did you have a good day today?"

Emma nodded and for once, didn't wince when he touched her. Instead, she actually leaned into him. "D…did you?"

"I did." He said, smiled at Mary Margaret over Emma's head. He felt so proud that Emma finally seemed to trust him. "So, Granny said you helped them a bit today? She said something about you possibly bussing tables?"

The trio were now on the sidewalk, walking home and Emma was feeling much calmer. "Yeah. I'd like to help." Wow, she got more words out than ever before. "Do you th…think I can?"

"First, you just said a full sentence without stuttering." Mary Margaret said, smiling wide. "You know I feel the same about you no matter what, but Emma, I'm hoping that means you're more comfortable around us. Second, I'll call your social worker and see if you getting a job is allowed."

"I am more c…comfortable with you." Emma replied, smiling. "Thank you. I w…would love a job."

The three went home and had a good night together, Emma stuttering less and less. As she was laying in bed, Mary Margaret came in and sat on the edge of it. "Emma? What I said earlier, about your stutter, did that bother you?"

"No." Emma said, turning to face her.

"Good. I…gosh, I'm new at all this, you know, and I wanted you to know how proud I was, but then I got to thinking that maybe not mentioning it would have been better. I don't want to embarrass you or make you think that I feel differently about you."

Emma gave a soft smile. "Don't worry. If I thought you f…felt differently, my st…stuttering would be worse, n…not better."

Mary Margaret smiled. "Good." She tucked the covers up on Emma, even though she knew the teen could take care of herself. "I know I asked when you first came, and you said no, and if the answer is still no, it's completely okay, but I was wondering if you maybe wanted a good night hug?"

Emma cleared her throat and nodded, holding her arms out. She hadn't wanted one at first because at some homes, hugs were not so great, but here, she now knew she was safe. As she hugged Mary Margaret, she felt tears in her eyes. It had been so long since an adult actually cared enough to hug her, and it felt good. It felt so good that she didn't loosen her grip for a few moments and Mary Margaret didn't pull away until she did. Mary Margaret stroked Emma's forehead and then kissed it. "Good night, sweet girl."

"Good night." Emma replied and snuggled down into bed.