Emma woke up to Mary Margaret's shrill voice shouting loudly for her to wake up. Emma panicked thinking that something was wrong with Henry.
She stood up wearing a tank top and underwear frantically trying to shake the sleep filled haze from her body.
"Emma wake up. There has been an accident." Mary Margaret shouted as she slid her shoes on. Emma was working on autopilot hardly able to think. She slid on her jeans, socks, and shoes before throwing on her leather jacket. She jumped in the car two minutes later with Mary Margaret in the passenger seat.
She cranked the car and pulled out before asking Mary Margaret where she was going. She told her, and they sped in that direction. She thought something had happened to Henry or Regina. She was convinced that that is the only reason they would be calling her. When she pulled up, the scene before her made her heart sink.
The sheriff's cruiser was smashed into pieces up against a light pole. Three paramedics were standing at the side of the car discussing something in hushed voices. When Emma saw Regina, Belle, and Henry standing on the side of the rode, she breathed a sigh of relief. David and Kathryn Nolan were standing next to them with Ruby and Granny also at their sides. Every single face had tears flowing down it.
"What happened?" Emma asked.
Regina stepped up to her. "The sheriff was in an accident. They said he died on impact. He was trying to avoid that." Regina said pointing to the dead dear that had been dragged to the side of the road.
Emma felt her heart constrict. She didn't know Graham well, but she certainly knew that he didn't deserve to die. He was a good person. "They're taking him to the medical examiner in the next town. We don't have one here." Regina answered again chocking back a sob. At that moment, Henry wrapped his arms around Emma's legs and cried openly into her stomach. Graham had been very involved in the boy's life. Henry had told her that Graham was the only one that believed him about his story. Emma wondered for a moment who Graham thought he was in Henry's story before trying to sooth the boy in front of her. She ran her fingers through his hair trying to sooth him.
She looked up into the dark brown eyes of the woman standing in front of her. Tears streamed down Regina's face. Emma didn't know what came over her, but she reached out and pulled Regina to her letting the brunette bury her face in the crook of Emma's neck. Regina placed a hand on Henry's small body completing their circle. They stood there for a long time just crying. Emma looked around seeing David huddled together with Kathryn, Mary Margaret, Belle, Granny, and Ruby with tear stained faces.
They all stood there unable to move until the paramedics asked them to clear out so that they could remove the body. Emma sent everyone home and stood there watching as they wheeled Graham's body away. She stayed there until the tow truck came to take the shattered car. She stood there until someone else came to get rid of the dear carcass so that it wouldn't bring any animals into town. She stood there until the sun came up and just looked at the destroyed pole. She had never felt this way before, and Emma didn't know where to put her emotions.
She felt like she didn't blink until a coffee cup was placed in front of her face. Ruby smiled at her softly as Emma took the cup.
"Have you been here all night?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah. Is it that obvious?" Emma asked.
Ruby just gave her a sad smile. "I know you didn't know him, but he was a good man."
"I know. I could tell that. I've just never dealt with someone dying that I actually cared about." Emma answered.
Ruby eyed her curiously. Emma continued, "I never had a family or friends Rubes. No one close to me ever died because no one has ever really been close to me."
"What about Henry's Dad?" Ruby asked. When Emma didn't respond she spoke again. "Sorry if I overstepped. You don't have to answer."
"I haven't seen him in eleven years." Emma answered. She thanked Ruby for the coffee before heading back to the station. She looked around very unsure of what to do. She sat at her desk and then looked down towards Graham's desk. His jacket was still sitting on the couch. She wondered if he had any family that would want it. She didn't see anyone at the wreck. She didn't really know anything at all.
She heard the click of heels coming down the hallway. She waited. When Regina came in she nodded at her. "I was hoping I would find you here Miss Swan." Regina's cold exterior was back up with no emotion whatsoever in her voice.
"What can I do for you?" Emma asked.
"The town charter states that any deputy currently in office when the sheriff can no longer fulfill his duties becomes sheriff. Since you are the only one, you get the honor." Emma heard the disdain in her voice.
"He died Regina. He didn't just move to another town." Emma said walking around her desk to stand face to face with Regina.
"I know he was your friend." Emma continued. "You don't have to pretend like you aren't upset."
"I have to be strong for my son." Regina answered. Emma didn't know how to respond to that.
"Does he have any family? I'd like to give them his stuff." Emma said motioning towards the jacket.
"No, he doesn't. His parents both died when he was young." Regina responded. "Get everything in order here with his paperwork. This office really could use some good cleaning up. "
"What about his jacket?" Emma asked. "Would Henry want it?"
"Sure." Regina said taking the jacket and leaving. Emma just shook her head at the woman who so quickly went from crying in her arms to pretending like it didn't happen.
Three days later that scene changed at Graham's funeral. Everyone shared fond memories of the sheriff including the mayor. Emma found herself tearing up at Henry's story about the time that Graham had tried to teach a seven year old Henry how to shoot a bow and arrow. Regina had nearly had an aneurysm when she came home to the event.
Emma couldn't look in Regina's direction because Belle was running her hands up and down Regina's back trying to comfort her.
A week passed without Emma even seeing Regina. She only talked to her when she called to ask how to get a file cabinet and file folders. She had cleaned the entire station by the end of that week. Every single piece of paper that had been stacked on the desks was placed in file folders according to the year of the incident. Every single corner of the office had been cleaned. That night Emma turned the lights off at the station. She didn't know why, but she felt like things were slowly starting to get back to a more normal pace around the town. No one would forget Graham, but people had to continue with their lives.
Emma sat at home and wondered to herself what Regina and Henry were doing. She decided to go check on them since a phone call was all she had received from either of them since that night.
When she knocked on the door, Henry opened it. He smiled at Emma. "Hey Emma. Now probably isn't a good time. Mom is upset, and she is upstairs."
"Let me talk to her." Emma said walking past the boy and upstairs to Regina's room. She wasn't expecting to see the woman sitting on the bed with dried tears on her face. Regina looked up when she heard Emma at the door.
"Can I help you sheriff?" Regina asked again snapping the walls in place.
"What happened?" Emma asked.
Regina looked at her with sad eyes before motioning for her to come to sit next to her.
Earlier that night Belle had come over for dinner while Henry was still spending the evening in the woods with Ruby. Regina had no idea what they did out there, but Henry needed exercise in his life.
They ate in complete silence neither one of them were exactly sure what to say.
"We need to talk." Belle said.
"What is it dear?" Regina answered placing her hand on Belle's. She knew what was coming, but it didn't change that it was going to hurt her.
"We can't be together anymore." Belle began. She continued when Regina didn't answer. "I know how much you care about me Regina, and you know how much I care about you. This isn't love though, and I think you and I both know it."
"I do love you." Regina said letting her voice falter slightly.
"I know you do. You love me because you want to protect me. You love me because it makes you happy to know that you can keep me from being touched by the big bad world. When I just appeared in those woods, you took care of me. I am grateful for that, but affection isn't the same thing as love Regina." Regina just stared at her with wide eyes. She knew the words were true, but she never expected Belle to say it.
"I am grateful for you Regina, but I need to take care of myself. I'm sorry to do this so close to Graham's death, but I can't let you live like this anymore." Belle said.
"Live like what?" Regina asked.
"A lie. I see the way you look at her." Regina was taken aback by Belle's words.
"I assure you that I don't know what you are talking about." Regina was defensive now.
"Regina, the only person that knows you better than I do is Henry. I don't know what happened with you and Emma in the past, but I can't get in the way of you finding out what it can mean for your future." Belle smiled softly at Regina.
"It is preposterous to think that I love Miss Swan." Regina stated in her official mayor voice.
Belle just smiled and patted Regina on her hand. "You keep telling yourself that." Belle wanted to give Regina some time and space, but she was insistent that she didn't want the brunette out of her life.
Regina had shut the door with her normal controlled look on her face, but she let a tear fall when Belle left the house. She didn't know why she felt upset. She knew that she wasn't in love with Belle, but she felt a loss. She knew Belle's words were true. She knew that all she had done was wanted to protect her from the world so that the world couldn't touch Belle like it had Regina.
She went upstairs to her room telling Henry that she just needed some time by herself.
Regina stopped talking. She was shocked that she had let all of that come out to the person that she was supposed to hate more than anyone on the planet. This person was going to break her curse one way or the other. This person wanted to take her son.
"Now, if you are done invading my personal time and interfering with my life, you can leave." Regina said in a hard tone.
Emma just stood up and moved to the door of Regina's room. "If you need me, I'm here for you." Emma said without turning.
"I don't need you." It was the last thing Regina said, and it was the last word that Emma heard before she walked out of the house. She felt the venom laced in the words, but she knew they weren't true. She wondered for a second if they were true. She tried to shake it off, but she couldn't help the sinking feeling in her chest that Regina in fact didn't need her at all.
The next day Emma took Henry to lunch. She wondered if it was Regina's way of apologizing for how crude she had been with her. The talked adamantly about school and when Emma was going to take Henry to the batting cages. When she dropped him off back at school, she smiled at him and told him to look out for his Mom. She wondered how the kid got to leave school for lunch. Then, she remembered who his Mom was.
She made her way back to the sheriff's station to finish her paperwork to officially become the new sheriff. Ruby came in a few minutes later with a cup of coffee for Emma. She smiled her dazzling smile and Emma wondered how things would be different between her and Ruby if Regina had never entered her life.
Ruby sat on the desk. "Belle and Regina broke up." Ruby winked at Emma when she looked up.
"I know." Emma said flatly.
"So, the mayor is available." Ruby wiggled her eyebrows at Emma.
"Yes, she is." Emma answered.
"Oh come on Emma. We all know you have the hots for her. I see the way you look at her." Ruby responded. Emma just rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that you better get on that before someone else does."
"Who you?" Emma asked.
"Oh no dear, but you never know." She left with a wink before leaving the sheriff's station.
It was late when Emma left the station to go home. It was nice out so she decided to walk home. On the way she walked down the street that contained the town hall. She noticed the smoke billowing out of the building immediately, and she also noticed the fire through the windows. She called the fire department quickly before she noticed that Regina's car was still parked in front of the building.
Emma ran in on autopilot making her way to Regina's office quickly. The brunette wasn't there so she headed for the stairs calling out for her. When she rounded the landing she saw Regina laying there with a thick board that had fallen from the ceiling across her leg. Emma felt the adrenaline as she lifted it off her body. Regina's ankle was swollen already. It may even be broken. Emma lifted her up to carry her out. She careful moved down the steps coughing on the smoke that continued to feel the building. When she ran out of the exit door, the fire fighters came running up. Paramedics circled Regina to check her over.
When they were done, one came over to Emma. "Sheriff Swan, she is going to be just fine. Her ankle is badly bruised, but it isn't broken. She said she will see her doctor tomorrow."
"Thank you." Emma walked over to Regina.
"You ok?" Emma asked.
"I'm fine." Regina answered. "Can I use your phone? Mine was in the building, and I need to call Kathryn. She is keeping Henry." Emma handed it over and waited before Regina gave her the phone back.
"Let me take you home." Emma said. She saw that Regina was about to protest so she continued to speak. "You can't drive Regina. You don't have to thank me. You don't have to talk to me. Just let me take you home."
Regina didn't say a single word to Emma the entire drive. When they got there, she walked her to the door acting as a crutch for the woman. Henry was concerned, but he walked to his room when Emma told him that everything was alright. Emma had Regina situated in bed with an ice pack on her ankle and it elevated before she turned to leave.
"Why did you save me?" Regina croaked out. "You could have just let me die. Henry would have been yours."
Emma walked closely to the other woman looking her dead in the eye. "I don't want Henry to be mine. I want him to be ours. If you don't want me to save you though Regina, next time I, well, I will do the same thing again and again because that is what good people do. That is what people do when they care for someone." Emma didn't look back at Regina. She walked out of the house. When she got home, she let herself cry for a second as she thought about potentially loosing Regina completely.