Emma wasn't looking forward to dinner with her parents. It had been a while since they had all been in the same room together due to the strife between her and her mother. And she didn't figure one meal would repair their relationship.
It's not that she didn't love her mother – she did, but her mom was always pushing her in directions that Emma didn't want to go. Even as an adult it was if her mother failed to realize that her daughter wanted to live her own life.
It had come to a head a month ago when her mom had arranged for a different kind of dinner – inviting over a co-worker of hers at the school. It was an attempt at matchmaking that caused Emma to blow up at her mother after dinner and they hadn't spoken since.
A part of her hoped this dinner invite was her mom's attempt at making things right, but she doubted it.
She arrived on time – so there was no reason for her mother to be critical. She walked in and was immediately greeted by her father.
"Hi honey," he said, hugging her. "Glad to be off the night shift?"
"You have no idea," she said. "Of course it will probably take all week before my sleep schedule is no longer out of whack."
"Well we're happy you could come over," he said.
"Where's mom?"
"In the kitchen, finishing up."
"I didn't see any other cars outside so is it safe to assume it's just the three of us?"
"Yes, just us."
Emma didn't respond and she went and sat down with her dad and spoke until Mary Margaret came out to tell them dinner was done. She said hello to Emma, but there was nothing else said as they sat down for their meal. Throughout the three of them stuck to safe topics. After dinner, she helped her mom clean up knowing it would give them a chance to talk – something she couldn't avoid she realized.
"So you asked dad to ask me to come to dinner, I came, but you haven't said what you want yet," Emma said.
"Why do I have to want something from my daughter? Can't I just want to see you?"
"Yeah, I suppose," Emma said. "Then again, we haven't spoken in a while so if there is something you want to say to me, say it."
Mary Margaret was loading the dishwasher as Emma spoke, not looking at her, but she straightened up now and faced her. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have ambushed you at that last dinner."
"No, you shouldn't have."
"I want you to know why I did it though."
Oh, here it comes Emma thought.
"I'm worried about you," Mary Margaret. "I'm worried about you being alone. I want for you, what I have with your father. Does that make me a bad person?"
"No, of course not, but I can find my own dates," Emma responded.
"And when is the last time you went on a date?"
Emma crossed her arms in front of her. This was not a conversation she wanted to have with her mother.
"Mom, I'm not lonely. I like my life," she said. "Do I want a happy ever after, sure I do. But setting me up, trying to force me together with someone, that's not how it's going to happen."
"How do you know if you won't even try?"
Emma pursed her lips together and her eyes went toward the ceiling for a moment, trying to decide if she should say something she was sure her mother wouldn't appreciate. By the time she made eye contact with her mother, she had made her decision.
"I don't need to try because I'm already in love."
"You are!" her mother said, her eyes lighting up. "Who is he? How did you meet? How long have you been together?"
"We're not together. Yet," Emma said. "I'm going to try to make it work this time though because this could my last chance with her."
The way her mother's expression went immediately to stony, hard planes, Emma knew Mary Margaret had not changed her mind even after all of these years.
"Regina," Mary Margaret said. "You're talking about Regina."
"Yes. She is the one I want to be with. She's always been the one."
"Emma. I understand that Regina was important to you once upon a time. It was a childhood adoration. But you're an adult now and so is she. And she hasn't been around for a long time and my understanding is she is not intending to stick around."
"Maybe because she hasn't had a reason to stay."
"You think you can be that reason."
"Why not? She's not married. She's not engaged. Even if she doesn't want to stay, well …if she is willing to give me another chance there is nothing stopping me from leaving Storybrooke if that is what it takes to show her how serious I am about being with her."
"Don't be ridiculous," Mary Margaret said. "You aren't leaving Storybrooke."
"Yeah, well maybe I should have left it a long time ago and I would have gotten my happy ending by now."
"You want to believe Regina is your happy ending, fine, just answer me this – if you are so in love with her, why did you cheat on her the moment she was away at college?"
Emma turned, went through the living room while ignoring her mother calling her name, grabbed her jacket off the coat rack by the door, and slammed the door shut behind her. She wasted no time in starting her car and leaving her parents' home.
As angry as she was at her mother bringing up her past transgression she knew she was the only one to blame for it. She had cheated on Regina while her girlfriend was away at college and it had torn their relationship apart.
Not for the first time she wished she could go back in time to when their relationship was the strongest. Back then the only thing that Emma thought would ever tear them apart was her mother. Mary Margaret Swan never wanted her daughter in a relationship with Regina.
"Hey beautiful," Emma said, wrapping her arms around Regina and kissing her.
"Hi," Regina said kissing her back. "You ready to go?"
"Yes, thanks again for picking me up," Emma said, taking Regina's hand as they walked out to Regina's car. Her car was in the shop so her struts and shocks could be replaced and she had no ride home after working at the library on a group project for school. Well, that wasn't exactly true, one of her classmates would have driven her home but she would take any excuse to spend time with her girlfriend.
Even though she had to let go of Regina's hand for them to get into the car, as soon as they were inside, she took up a position where she could put her hand on Regina's thigh. The move didn't escape Regina's attention as she smiled at her.
"Are your parents home?" Emma asked.
"Probably," Regina said. "My dad at least."
"That's a shame," Emma replied. "We could have had some fun."
"And that's not possible at your house. I presume I will be dropping you off down the street from your house."
Regina started the car and Emma removed her hand. There had been this growing tension lately due to her mother's disapproval of their relationship. Technically, Emma wasn't supposed to be seeing Regina at all. Her mother had forbidden it.
And Emma wasn't even sure why her mother objected so strongly because it wasn't even a topic that her mother would discuss with her. She was left with the only possibility – her mother was against this because Regina was a woman.
They went along in silence until Regina pulled the car over down the street from her house. Emma could see her home and could see there were lights on. With her mom being a teacher and her father working at the animal shelter they were usually home at night except for their once-a-week dinner out. Those dinners out had stopped happening a couple of months ago when her parents came home and caught Emma and Regina kissing on the couch.
Her mother had asked Regina to leave immediately – not even looking at her, keeping her eyes on Emma. Regina had left and that was the night that her mother had forbidden Emma from continuing the relationship. Ever since then she mostly saw Regina at school and times like these where they could steal some time together. Luckily, her friend Tink had been more than helpful in this regard as she was often Emma's alibi.
"Are you going to get out of the car?" Regina asked after Emma continued to sit there.
Emma leaned over and kissed her.
"I'm sorry about all of this," Emma said.
"It's not your fault. I know this isn't your choice, this is your mother's doing."
"Still sucks."
That earned her a small smile. "Yes it does," Regina said. "See you tomorrow at school?"
"I'll be counting down the minutes."
She got a few more kisses in until she finally exited the vehicle, giving Regina a wave as she drove off. Hefting her bag over her shoulder she began the lonely walk to her house.
Emma felt just as lonely as she drove away from her parents' house. She ended up driving by Regina's parents' house and saw Regina's car parked there. She wondered how long she was planning on staying in town – probably not long, Emma thought. It wouldn't leave her much time and she still hadn't thought of any good way to approach Regina.
She thought about what she had said to her mother – about how she was willing to leave Storybrooke. Regina had asked her before to come with her – to leave and come to college with her but Emma hadn't done it. She wasn't like Regina, she had no desire to leave her home.
That was years ago though and she wondered if she had it in her to leave.
….
Regina brought the water upstairs to her parents' bedroom. Her father had been released from the hospital and was now recuperating at home. She had the small pitcher for the water that the hospital gave out and she placed it on the bedside table. Her mother was sitting in a chair she had brought up and placed next to the bed where her father was sitting up.
"Can I get you anything else?" Regina asked.
"No, take a seat. I feel like I've barely gotten to see or speak to you since you've been back," he said.
Regina took a seat at the end of the bed. "I've been brought up to speed on all the pertinent issues at city hall," she said. "Everyone there has been helpful."
"They are a good group of people," he said. "But I didn't ask you to sit so we could talk shop. I get the feeling your mother isn't going to allow such talk to happen – at least not in long stretches."
"That is correct," Cora said.
"Tell us about Neal," Henry said. "When do we get to meet him?"
Regina averted her eyes and bit her lip. "I don't know. As I said, I'm taking the Savannah job so I'm not sure what that will mean for me and him."
"If you like this guy you shouldn't let your job dictate if you want to be together," Henry said.
"It's complicated," Regina said.
"What does he do for a living?" Cora asked.
"Um … he's a bartender and a part-time musician. He plays the guitar and he's really good at it."
"Is that how you met? Did you hear him playing?"
"Yes," Regina said, forcing a smile. "Things just sort of happened from there."
"Sometimes it doesn't take much," Henry said. "I was supposed to go on a date with a friend of your mother's not her, but fate had other plans and here we are. All that matters is that you make each other happy."
"He does make me happy," Regina said. This time she didn't have to lie. She loved having Neal in her life. He was everything she wasn't and that worked for them. They somehow seemed to understand each other like no one else could. There was only one other person in her life who she had felt understood her. The thought of Emma came uninvited into her mind once more. She didn't let it linger though – she never did. "He's funny and he cooks, which is a good thing since I rarely have the time for it. He makes sure I don't get overworked and watches out for me. Neal is a good guy. It's funny because he and I have lived in almost the exact same states. When we were getting to know each other it came out. When I was in East Lansing, he had been Ann Arbor. He was in New York City while I was at Cornell. We were both in Boston around the same time. Actually, in each place he was there first and I came afterward. He accused me of being a stalker when we finally met in Philly."
She noticed that while her father was smiling at her, her mother was studying her.
"You don't know how happy it is for us to hear you have found someone," Henry said. "We worry about you being so far away. It's good to know there is someone in your life who is taking care of you."
Regina managed to steer the conversation in another direction but it didn't last long before Cora pronounced that Henry needed to rest. Regina kissed her father on the cheek and left the room, going downstairs to get some work done in the library. She was all the way down the stairs when her mother called her name from the top. She waited until Cora made it down as well.
"I admit there are a lot of things I don't know," Cora said. "But one thing I do know is that my daughter is gay, so would you like to explain to me who Neal really is?"
Regina was honestly surprised, figuring if anyone would see through her, it would be her dad as he always had a knack for it.
She shrugged. "Have you ever heard of someone being bisexual?" she said crossing her arms in front of her. She didn't want to have this conversation with her mother, not here, not now, not ever really.
"Of course I have," Cora said. "You however are not bi. Come on Regina, talk to me. What is this all about?"
She sighed, "Dad wants to know that I'm ok, I figured that letting him think that I'm in a happy relationship would keep him from worrying. I think we can both agree that him worrying right now is not for the best."
"True, but lying to your father doesn't make it better. Now, who is Neal?"
"He's my best friend," Regina said. "We live together. He is a good guy like I said, and he does watch out for me. I can't imagine not having him in my life, so what I said up there was true, except …"
"Except the part where you want us to believe you and Neal are in a relationship," Cora said finishing the statement for her. "Your father and I want to know you are ok, that you are safe and I admit that knowing you have someone like Neal in your life does put me at ease, but Regina you can't keep up this lie forever. At some point, your father will need to know the truth."
"I know," she said. "And I will tell him, but not now, not when he just got out of the hospital. You saw him up there, he was smiling at the idea of me and Neal."
"That's because your father is a helpless romantic. He always has been," Cora said. "It's part of why I love him so much. He sees the good in people and always believes in happy endings. That is all he wants for you my dear – a happy ending. But you are right, now is not the time for your father to be upset in any way, so I will play along for now. Just promise me that you will tell him in person before you leave."
"I will," Regina said. "I promise."
….
It was Monday morning and Regina was already regretting that this town didn't have a gourmet coffee shop. Her only real choice for coffee – since her mom had forbidden making any at home as it would only make her father want some – was to go to Granny's Diner.
It was early yet. Regina hadn't slept well having had some strange dream that involved a castle although she couldn't remember any other detail. Granny's opened early for the breakfast crowd so she had to wait a little bit to get her to-go coffee. She was walking out when she saw someone standing by her car.
I'm not in the mood for this, she thought.
Steeling herself, she walked over to her vehicle.
"Mrs. Swan," she said as she approached Emma's mother. "Is there something I can do for you?"
As much as she blamed Emma for the end of their relationship, she put some of the blame on the woman standing before her.
"Good morning Regina," Mary Margaret said smiling at her. Regina recognized the same false smile she used to get from Mrs. Swan. "How is your father?"
"Recovering."
"That's good to hear. I have no doubt he will be back in his role as mayor before you know it. I'm sure that will be a relief to you not only to know your father is better but also so that you can get back to your own life," Mary Margaret said. "You must be eager to leave Storybrooke once more."
Regina wanted so much to tell this woman to go to hell, but she wasn't going to let this woman ever bother her again.
"I am eager to get back to my life," Regina said. "But I won't be going anywhere until I'm 100 percent sure my dad is Ok and ready to get back to work. Until that time it will be good to get to know the town again. Who knows, maybe I will decide this is the place for me to make a home and a life once more. Now if you will excuse me, I need to get into the office."
She didn't wait for a reaction, merely went around to the driver's side and got in. As she pulled away she wondered what the point of that was beyond Mrs. Swan not wanting her in town. It's not like she had to worry about Emma and her ever getting back together again so why bother approaching her at all.
That woman had a lot of nerve.
Then again she always did. Mrs. Swan had the rare ability to make you think she was better than you. Even before she began to see Emma, Regina had seen it first hand. She had Mrs. Swan as a teacher in elementary school and she always felt like she had been treated unfairly by her. She remembered coming home from school one day crying after Mrs. Swan had accused her of copying off of another student during a spelling test. Her mother had stepped in and had words with Mrs. Swan and the principal and after that Mrs. Swan essentially just ignored her.
That was until she began to see Emma.
…..
Regina was beginning to regret that she agreed to volunteer for the summer youth league. It wasn't that she didn't like children, she loved them, but sports weren't her thing. She knew that colleges liked to see the volunteering on applications.
She may have just finished her sophomore year in high school but she was already feeling like she was too far behind the thousands of other students like her around the country who were wanting to further their education.
Normally volunteering didn't bother her either but one of the other volunteers dropped out last minute so here she was with 20 children running around playing soccer. It's not like there weren't parents around – they were all around cheering and in some cases yelling at their children.
Regina's job was supposed to be simple – help the kids with their jerseys, make sure everyone was accounted for, and generally stay on the sidelines unless needed. Yet here she was in the middle of the field playing referee or something to a bunch of 5 and 6-year-olds who didn't understand the game much more than she did.
She checked her watch, seeing it was almost time to blow the whistle on this half. The head referee – one of the adults – blew the whistle just as a kid kicked the ball which careened into Regina's leg. It didn't hurt but when a kid who didn't hear the whistle thought it was appropriate to keep kicking her ankle was the recipient of the little shoe's point. Again it didn't hurt, and she gave a weak smile to the kid, but it was just more of what was shaping up to be a bad day.
She went off to the sideline and took the first seat she could find on the bleachers as the break only last a few minutes. Let the coaches deal with the children, she thought.
"You don't look like you are having much fun out there."
She looked up and behind her to see Emma Swan and Bethany Snider sitting there. She of course knew them from school – had gone through school with both of them since kindergarten. They were friendly with each other but not exactly friends. She tended to not have much to do with Emma because of how she felt about her mother.
Bethany or Tink as everyone called her was Emma's best friend so Regina hadn't had much to do with her either, although they had been in some community plays together so she felt she knew her more.
"Soccer isn't my sport," she responded.
"I wasn't aware any sport was," Emma laughed.
Not appreciating it, Regina turned back hoping that would end any further communication. Today wasn't her day though as Emma moved down the bleachers and took a seat beside her.
"If you want I could take your shift out there," Emma said.
"That's not necessary, but thanks."
"Of course it's not necessary. I wasn't offering out of some obligation," Emma said. "Look, they're going to be starting back up here in a few minutes. Let me go out there in your place. You stay here and look pretty."
"Excuse me," Regina said.
The whistle blew to signal that the break was almost over.
Emma nudged her with an elbow and leaned in. "I was paying you a compliment," Emma said. "You are pretty."
The whistle blew again and Emma jogged out onto the field, telling the adult referee that she was filling in for Regina. For the next half of the game, Emma was running around the field with the kids, giving them pointers about things and in general looking like she was having a great time.
Regina just sat there, still not sure exactly what had happened or why Emma had called her pretty, but the obvious joy Emma was displaying out there intrigued her. Every once in a while Emma would glance in her direction and smile at her.
When the game was over Emma high-fived all the kids and Regina got up to begin the process of making sure all the kids were being picked up by a parent or guardian. Once she was done and all the kids were with their families and the park was clearing out, she looked around but she saw no sign of Emma and Bethany so she assumed they left.
Regina headed off through the park –cutting through it to head home.
She was walking through the wooded part when Emma came out behind a tree startling her.
"Sorry," Emma said. "I was beginning to think you weren't going to come this way to get home."
"You were waiting for me?"
"Yeah, thought I would walk you home if you are going home that is."
"Why?"
"Do you always question things when someone wants to do something nice for you?" as she had her hands in her back pockets and was rocking back and forth on her feet.
"No, it's just that you and I don't know each other well."
"Then we get to know each other," Emma said smiling at her again.
Regina began to walk and Emma started walking with her so Regina stopped again and looked at her.
"What?" Emma said. "That wasn't a no."
Regina began walking again as she was trying to figure out what the motive was for this. Was this some weird bet that Emma had been put up to or a prank of some sort, she wondered?
The silence between them didn't last long.
"So um … do you need help next week with the kids I mean? I could make the time. It's not like there is a whole lot to do in this town. It's not like there isn't anything to do, there is but you know I could make the time if you need help."
"There is usually another teen volunteer with me," Regina said.
"Oh," Emma said. "Well, I could show up just in case. I mean that was fun and the kids were super cute. And it will keep you from getting kicked again."
Regina stopped and looked at her.
"What?" Emma said. "Do I got something on my face or something?"
"You're nervous," Regina said, finally figuring out that Emma's rambling was because of nerves. "Why are you nervous?"
Emma's hands went to her back pockets again and she was again shuffling back and forth on her feet. "I don't know. As you said, we don't know each other really well. You are the mayor's daughter and top in our class and well, I'm just me," Emma said, her eyes directed at the ground between them before looking up. "But I'd kind of like to um get to know you."
Regina was taken aback by Emma's piercing gaze and somehow she knew this wasn't a bet or a prank. Emma was being sincere.
Regina started to walk again and Emma hesitated but caught up to walk beside her.
"The other volunteer backed out this morning," Regina said. "It's hard to say if that will happen for the next game or not. If it does though, I would appreciate the help."
"You would?" Emma responded and Regina didn't need to see her to know she was smiling and she couldn't help but also smile.
"Yes, I would."
That day would lead to them spending a lot of time together over the summer and by the end of that summer and heading into their junior year, they shared their first kiss.
….
Emma took a deep breath before entering the mayor's office. Here goes everything she thought. She couldn't come up with any reason or excuse to come see Regina so when Sheriff Graham mentioned needing to get some reports over to the mayor's office Emma had leaped at the chance.
Now she was wondering if she should have been so eager. Would this be any different than when she practically ambushed Regina at the hospital?
It was just she felt like if she could talk to Regina, get Regina to speak to her that they would work through this. She had to believe there was a way despite what she had done in the past.
"Deputy Swan," Regina said, not looking up at her. She was seated behind the desk and the secretary had already buzzed in to say she was here. "I had requested the sheriff bring me the latest crime reports."
As part of her catching up on anything, she had requested the crime reports to review the numbers over the past year as the sheriff was requesting some additional money for his budget.
Emma strode over to the desk and placed the folder with the reports in it on the desk.
"Sheriff Graham is busy, he asked me to bring them by."
"Well, in that case, thank you," she said, this time she did look up. "That will be all."
"Regina."
"I said that will be all," Regina said, her eyes going back down to the paperwork in front of her.
Emma exhaled deeply. "How is your dad?"
"He's fine. He came home yesterday."
"That's good. Tell him I said hi," Emma said.
"I will."
Emma took a step back and bit her bottom lip. "Regina, can we talk?"
"I can't imagine what we would have to talk about."
"Us Regina. I want to talk about us."
"There is no us Deputy Swan."
"Jesus fucking Christ," Emma said. "Could you at least look at me?" Regina looked up at her. "Thank you, now could you maybe try calling me by my name?"
"Get out of my office."
"It's not your office. It's your father's office unless you've decided to stop running away for once."
Regina stood. "Get out."
"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I'm sorry for never being able to say the right things to you but I'm asking for a chance to just talk. You and I. Not here, not like this. Please. I'm not asking for much."
"You lost the right to ask anything of me a long time ago," Regina said. "We don't have anything to say to each other. Maybe we never did. Good day deputy."
Emma nodded and then turned and walked out. She got to her cruiser and slammed the door shut. Perhaps it was time to walk away, she thought. After all, that woman in there was not her Regina.
…
Regina stayed working late that night mostly because she felt distracted all afternoon – ever since Emma had stopped by the office.
She had been mean to Emma. She knew this, and she found it bothered her. It wasn't as if she wanted to speak with Emma, she didn't, but she shouldn't have been rude.
A headache had formed that afternoon and it wasn't going away. Checking the time, she saw it was already close to 9 p.m. She had worked through dinner (not for the first time in her life) so she decided to call it a night and hope that there was something to eat at her parents' house.
When she got into her car she found she had no desire to go home and she ended up driving around town. She drove by spots in town where she had spent time – the high school, the library, and the park. When she got there, she got out of her car and went walking through the park despite the late hour.
As she got closer to the field where she spent many summer hours volunteering she saw that someone was sitting on the bleachers. She was coming up to the bleachers from behind so she could have stopped and turned away when she saw her sitting there, but she didn't. She came around the bleachers and took a seat on the first level of the bleachers just a foot or so away from her.
Neither woman spoke at first.
"I'm sorry," Regina said. "Despite what happened to us in the past I should not have been so rude to you this afternoon."
Emma had been sitting there, her hands clasped in front of her staring out at the field. Now she turned toward Regina, straddling the bench.
"Do you hate me?" Emma said. "Not that I would blame you, but I have to ask. After all this time, do you still hate me?"
Regina thought about this. She had reasons to hate Emma. This woman now sitting beside was the person she once believed she would spend her life with. Then it all shattered – because Emma cheated on her.
Her mind was telling her yes she hated her. But …
"I don't know," she responded. "Until I got back here, I didn't have to think about it."
"So you haven't thought about me at all in all these years?"
"Of course I have, but every time I do, I can't help but think about it all ended."
"I'm sorry," Emma said. "I was sorry then, I'm sorry now and I will keep saying I'm sorry for as long as it takes for you to know how badly I feel about it."
"Why did you do it?"
"Because I'm a total idiot," Emma said. "I don't have a good answer. Believe me, I've thought about that night so many times, wishing I could take it back."
"But you can't. You can't take it back," Regina said. "You slept with him. Of all the people in this town you could have chosen to cheat on me with it had to be Killian Jones. I think that may have hurt more than the actual betrayal. It had to be him."
Emma could hear the pain in Regina's voice and it made her again focus over on the field. She could understand why Killian was a source of added emotion for Regina.
In high school, Killian was the proverbial jock and since she was also involved in sports she had been in the same circle of friends as Killian. Like Regina, she had known him since elementary school but where she hadn't known Regina super well, she did know Killian.
Their parents were friends so she had been to every one of his birthday parties and vice versa.
It wasn't until high school that things had become complicated between them. By their sophomore year, Killian had been doing things that began to make her uncomfortable – putting his arm around her constantly, referring to her as "his girl" and other things that made her think he was wanting to shift the nature of their relationship.
When she began to hang out with Regina, Regina had thought she was dating Killian. She had quickly cleared that misconception up.
Clearing that up with Killian was not as quick. She had wanted to remain friends with him, but in the end, that was probably part of a bad string of decisions she made.
"I'm sorry," she said again.
Regina stood up. "I understand that you are sorry, but I don't know that it ever really mattered that you were. We're both adults now. We both have our own lives now. Anyway, I should get going. Good-bye."
"Wait," Emma said, grabbing her wrist. "Please. Wait." She let go and Regina faced her, waiting for her to speak. "I know this is going to sound crazy but ever since you came back into town, I was thinking that … well would you like to go on a date with me?"
"What?" Regina asked incredulously.
"Hear me out," Emma said. "All those years ago I fucked up and I lost you. And in some ways, I feel like my life has been fucked up ever since. I was waiting outside the hospital to see you because it's been too long since I've seen you and I want the chance to show you that person from all those years ago, she's not me. I'm still the one who came to that game that summer just so I could have an excuse to talk to you. You didn't know that did you? I never told you. I was there because of you because there was always something about you but I could never quite find the right time to talk to you and I never knew what to say to you. Maybe I still don't but I …"
"Stop," Regina said. "I think this conversation has taken a turn that … um …I'm just going to go."
Regina turned and walked away. She was probably about 15 feet when Emma yelled. "That wasn't a no."