Chapter 3

Emma joined Regina on the couch and gulped down the big glass of water. Regina watched the blonde then gave her a smirk when their eyes met.

"God, that was good!" Emma grinned and put down the glass on the white table. "Thanks Regina."

"You're welcome. Do you want something to eat dear?" Regina asked carefully.

"Nah I'm full. Granny made tacos for dinner." Emma shrugged.

"You could run after stuffing yourself full of tacos? That's quite admirable." Regina teased and received a playful glare from the blonde.

"I always have the energy for a run." Emma shrugged, biting her lip a bit. "It's really the only thing that helps when I have anxiety issues" What the hell Swan? Why are you saying this? She's gonna throw you out head first. You fucking idiot! Emma admonished herself quickly.

Regina studied Emma's body language in silence. She saw how tense Emma had become after telling her why she was out running. Regina knew Emma had bounced around between homes before she had gotten adopted by Granny. The gossip had blossomed in the town for a while but Regina had paid it no mind. She hated to judge a book by its cover. Regina was the opposite of her mother, who thrived on stuff like that.

"Emma?" Regina said with a gentle tone, making the blonde snap back to reality.

"Huh?"

"You don't have to feel ashamed about having anxiety dear, many people do, even I have that problem." Regina spoke with sincerity and soft eyes

"You do?" Emma frowned.

"Oh yes. Everyone in town thinks I'm happy because I have money and a brand new car, but I'm not really that happy. I'm lonely. I have been for quite a while actually." Regina shrugged. Wow. That felt good to say out loud.

"Haven't you listened to all the gossip about me?" Emma asked, a little sadness stinging in her voice.

"I don't listen to rumours Miss Swan" Regina snapped, regretting her tone as soon as the words had left her lips.

"Oh" Emma just said and felt her heart beat faster. She hated to talk about her past or feelings for that matter, and she didn't even know Regina that well. She was afraid she would scare her off. Even Ruby had flinched when Emma had told her small things from her past. She still clearly remembered how her bruises had scared her and Granny that night almost two years ago.

"Regina I…" Emma began and looked down at her feet, feeling how she couldn't sit still. "I don't know where to start.." Regina moved closer and reached for one of Emma's hands then gave it a gentle squeeze. The blonde met her beautiful green eyes. She lost herself for a moment before she gave Regina a small tentative smile.

"You're beautiful" Emma whispered and panicked when she realized that she had said that out loud. She pulled away and Regina raised an eyebrow. "Ehm sorry" Emma said and felt her own blush crap over her cheeks.

"Thank you dear." Regina chuckled beautifully, and Emma almost couldn't breathe. God Swan, get a grip!

"Ehm, I should go." Emma stuttered but looked at Regina with pleading eyes, almost begging for her to tell her to stay.

"You don't have to, dear." Regina smiled and Emma sunk down in the couch then fiddled with her hands, something she had done since she was a kid. Just one of her nervous ticks.

"Don't you think I'm weird?" Emma asked. "I mean. You're gorgeous and I'm like, just me. A fucking foster kid"

"Well, I like you as you are" Regina replied and felt her heart skip a beat. Good job Regina! She praised her own quick reply

"Ehm, you do?" Emma shot back, trying to get her breathing under control.

"Miss Swan," Regina began and looked straight into the eyes of the blonde. "I love to start my mornings talking to you. You don't see me as the Ex Mayor's rich and spoiled daughter. You just see me as I am. And I have missed that. People don't do that with me. They don't even try to get to know me for me."

****

"Is Emma okay?" Ruby asked her grandmother anxiously as they were watching TV.

"She's gonna be." Granny said and gave her granddaughter a gentle smile. She knew how worried Ruby had been through the years for Emma, and she also knew about all the nights Ruby had comforted Emma when she had awoken screaming from nightmares.

"But when?" Ruby frowned. "I'm worried about her Granny."

"I know my dear girl, but we can't do anything more than be there for her. You know how badly my plan of sending her to Dr Hopper backfired..."

Emma had slept terribly for almost a month now. She was having nightmares every night, and it had gone so far that she didn't want to go to bed at all. Instead she sat up watching TV though the nights. Granny didn't like that at all. Emma hadn't worked at all, and Ruby was quite upset about that, since she hardly had the time to see her girlfriend. Granny had talked to Dr Hopper but she hated to go behind Emma's back because she knew how fragile she still was. The young girl had lived with them for just 7 months and it had been a complete roller-coaster.

"Emma?" Granny said and popped her head into Emma's little room. It looked like a hurricane had gone through there, but she chose to ignore it. At least for now.

"Mm?" Emma replied as she looked up from her book she was reading. Emma looked exhausted and deeply troubled. That worried the older woman the most. When the tired green eyes met hers, she knew this would be hard, but necessary. Emma's health was at risk, and Granny knew she had to do something. Anything.

"This isn't working out." Eugenia said carefully and saw how the words scared the hell out of her.

"I knew it!" Emma growled and threw her book into the wall, making Granny jump. "Everyone just gives up on me and I thought you were different. Guess I was wrong..." her eyes were instantly filled with tears.

"Emma I'm not throwing you out!" Granny snapped, feeling hurt that Emma would even think that little of her.

"Yo..you're not?" Emma stuttered when the old woman sat down on the bed.

"Of course not! I promised you that I would take care of you, and I don't break my promises!" Granny shot back. Emma pulled her arms around herself and the old woman noticed the tears starting to roll down Emma's cheeks. "Come here my dear" Granny said calmly and hugged Emma tight.

"Sorry I snapped. I I I just… I have heard so many of my foster parents say those words.." Emma said between sobs. "And I just thought you were gonna throw me out too… I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be my dear daughter" Granny said then felt how the sobbing girl in her arms relaxed when she heard Eugenia call her her daughter. Nobody had ever done that. Emma had been called everything else but that through the years as a foster kid. She had hardly been called by her first name!

"I'm sorry Granny. I'm sorry for being like this" Emma sighed as she dried her tears.

"I meant that the lack of sleep isn't working. You're not taking care of yourself, you can't even sleep through the night. I want you to start therapy Emma" granny said and Emma jumped up from the bed.

"Absolutely not!" Emma snapped. "I'm not starting to see some fucking shrink!"

"Emma.." Granny warned but the blonde was shaking now.

"Please don't make me.. I.. Please don't make me"

"I would never force you to do anything Emma" Granny said gently. "But we have to do something about this. Ruby is quite mad about having to work for you so much recently. She misses spending time with Belle you know?"

"Shit.. I'm sorry." Emma shrugged and bit her lip.

"So if not therapy, what would help?"

"I always used to take a long run when I was younger, so maybe I should start doing that regularly, and we can even have this code word if I have to go out and run?" Emma said with a glimpse of hope in her eye.

"Sure, we'll try that" Granny smiled. "If that stops working though, I want you to consider the other option ok?" at Emma's small nod the older woman stood and chuckled as she looked around again "In the meantime, please clean up this mess"

"It's been over a year and running is what works"

"Yeah, well I guess you're right, but I'm still worried" Ruby sighed and dragged her fingers through her hair. "Maybe I should take her out with me some night? Have some sister to sister talk hmm?"

"As long as it doesn't include alcohol" Granny teased. She really didn't care about that fact her daughters drank while underage, as long as they came home as they should. Since Emma had shown up in their life Ruby had hardly touched a drop of alcohol. She had really stepped up and took the roll as big sister very seriously. Emma had stole both her and Granny's heart from the start, and they were determined to help the blonde to have the life she always wanted but never had.