A/N: Thank you all for the lovely reviews! I really enjoy reading them. They totally make my day. On another note, here's another chapter for all of you lovely readers! Please tell me what you think! :)

I would like to thank betterthanbefore for giving me a prompt/idea that I had used in this chapter.

And also, I used a line from House of 1000 Corpses. Have to give credit to that. :) (although, it might not make too much sense in there, but it works)

Warning: Some very salty language and a crabby/angry Emma. You have been warned.

Emma stirred underneath the covers, the light streaming from her window hit her square in the face and woke the blonde up. Prematurely, she thought with a yawn. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet.

Groaning, she tossed onto her other side and patted around her mattress groggily in search of her phone. She might as well see how much more time she had left to sleep. With her luck, she'd only have five or less minutes. Hand coming into contact with the mobile device, she quickly woke it up and stared at the screen through tired eyes.

Then she shot bolt upright with the comforters flying off to the side of her. What the hell happened to her alarm? Her phone had indicated that it was a mere fifteen minutes before school started. Fifteen minutes to get ready and walk to the school. In this weather.

It was in the middle of November. The week was half over, although Emma just wished that it would be over already. The only reason why she seemed to look forward to each day was for the lunch period that she spent with Ms. Mills. Everyone else and every other class could go suck one for all she cared. At least, that was her thoughts this morning. It wasn't going to be a good day, and Emma could tell already. Who the hell knows what else they're supposed to be doing in her classes. Probably nothing fun and everything boring.

Although, that would have been the least of Emma's worries in the next few minutes as she scrambled to get her clothes on for the school day. She wondered why the hell Mary Margaret hadn't woken her up, yet. Surely the schoolteacher would make sure her daughter was up for the day before she left? Unless she figured that Emma decided to sleep in this morning.

But the blonde hadn't planned that. Her phone was just an asshole and decided not to inform her to wake up this morning. Damned technology.

Damn herself. She probably forgot to set the alarm last night. After all, she had stayed up quite late trying to finish up her writing assignment for creative writing. Procrastination was never a good thing for Emma. When she pushed things aside, they were pushed aside and forgotten until someone, or herself, reminded her that it was needed to be done by the next day. And, boy, had she not pushed this paper aside, she wouldn't have gone to bed passed… God, when did she go to bed? It was well passed two in the morning, she knew for sure. Then she had major difficulties falling asleep, although, what else is new?
Emma always had troubles falling asleep and tended to lay in bed anywhere from twenty minutes to five hours, depending on how many things she had on her mind. And last night she had quite a few thoughts running through her brain, like how she hoped her story hadn't sucked in the haste that she wrote it, or how she completely missed the way Ms. Mills wore her black-framed glasses sometimes.

Suffice it to say, she hadn't gotten much sleep and now she was one crabby teenager. With sleep-crusted eyes, she trudged down the stairs of the loft and headed for the front door. She didn't see Mary Margaret on her way out. She must have left early again. Damn. Emma wished the brunette wouldn't have or else the blonde would be at school by now.

Which didn't sound too appealing, Emma thought as she walked down the street towards the school. She could sure as hell use the time away from all the students buzzing around in her way. God, did she hate that. They never moved when she wanted them to and they walked so agonizingly slow through the halls. Just like the herd of students in front of her now. Sometimes she wished she were a sheepdog and they sheep, it would certainly make things a lot easier.

What.

Where the hell are her thoughts right now? With a groan, she headed down the English hallway and straight into Mr. Booth's room. Killian was there in his spot. His blue eyes watching her as she took the spot next to him. It was just about five minutes before the bell and most of the students were in the classroom by now.

Dammit. At least she didn't have to sit through more flirtatious conversations with him this morning. He was a reluctant boy and it really annoyed the hell out of Emma. She had figured he would stop doing these things upon hearing her blurt about the ladies' locker room. But apparently he really did take it as a joke, or at least chose to ignore it.

"You look like the dead." He quirked a brow, addressing the blonde who, apparently looked like the dead. She wouldn't doubt it. She could feel that her bags had bags, and from seeing the dark circles under her eyes this morning, it was true. Her hair was slightly mussed and haphazardly thrown into a messy ponytail. She wore her usual attire, which really could look no different than it had before.
"I feel like the dead." And, yeah, she did. She felt like she was walking on a cloud most of the time. Her head felt a if it were elsewhere from her exhaustion. God, did she hate being this tired.

"I take it you woke up late?"

"Yup."

"P.E.'s gonna be fun for you."

"Don't remind me."

"We have to run."

"I'll probably fall and die on the floor."

Yawn. Dammit.

"Don't worry, I'll bring my phone to video you if you do."

"Don't."

"I can see it now."

"Shut up."

"And I shall be your knight in shining armour as I come to your rescue."

Oh god, he better be joking.

"No."

"And everyone will swoon."

"Shut up, Killian." Emma groaned. She really wasn't in the mood for this.

Bleeeeep!

The bell rang and Emma nearly had a hard attack. She bolt up in her seat, green eyes wide and body tense. Holy shit. She nearly fell out of her chair. Hopefully no one was paying too much attention.

And now Killian was having the time of his life, laughing at her reaction as if his life had depended upon it.

Him.

"Don't. Say. A. Word." She grit, burying her head into her arms. Now she was blushing furiously.

Great.

"Oh..! Oh, shit, Emma…" He was doubling slightly over in his desk. Mr. Booth was glaring at them for the disturbance. "That was so much better… I wish I could have gotten that on video."

"Shut. Up."

"Now you have to fall down in gym."

"For fuck's sake! I am not in the mood for this."

"Emma!" Shit.

"Sorry, Mr. Booth." Emma glared at Killian who grinned smugly next to her.

"Do I have to separate you two?" He asked, moving towards them. The entire class was now looking at the two. Fantastic.

"Please. Do." Emma mumbled.

"Fine. Go take the spot next to Ava."

Emma obliged and got up from her seat, stumbling slightly over her own feet as she made her way next to her classmate. Well, at least she wouldn't have to sit through that all period.

By the end of third period, Emma had woken up for the most part, although most of her body felt groggy as hell. Her brain was fuzzy, yet she felt slightly alert. It was an odd feeling and the blonde didn't like it. She felt… high. Or so she thought that's how she felt. She usually tended to avoid drugs.

After what had seemed like an eternity, the blonde had finally made it to her fourth period classroom and slumped into her desk at the back. Her body was now on autopilot. It felt like she had no control anymore. From her head to her toes, she felt absolutely numb. Really, she felt like she needed a nap. Maybe she would do that when she got home. But that was highly unlikely. She hated naps. They only made her more tired and left her with an awkward dry mouth.

Her eyes wandered around the quiet room. Most of it was full, but since Ms. Mills was in the room, they remained quiet. How strange they acted around the brunette teacher, Emma thought. They seemed afraid of her. Sure, she sometimes threatened to send them to the office or give them a detention slip if they talked during the wrong time, but come on. The woman was harmless.

She was like a fluffy kitten.

Yeah.

Fluffy kitties.

Then her eyes found the raven-haired beauty standing at her podium, patiently waiting for the bell to ring.

Not a fluffy kitten.

She was a freaking panther.

The way her eyes ate up the classroom as if the students were her prey.

And that sleek, dark hair of hers.

Which looked fluffy-ish today.

Ms. Mills was a fluffy panther kitten, Emma concluded with a nod to herself.

Fluffy panther kitten?

She really was out of it today.

Keep your mouth shut, Swan, before you call your very sexy teacher a fluffy panther kitten.

Because Emma was certain that's exactly what she would do if she were to open her mouth at the moment. Or any moment, because now that damned term won't leave her thoughts. Oh, great. Just do not speak, she kept telling herself.

The bell rang soon enough and Ms. Mills began with:

"Please pass your papers forward from yesterday."

Duck a fuck.

Did she remember to bring that?

Emma quickly rummaged through her backpack and pulled out her notebook. Relief flooded over her as she found the neatly typed story in one of the pockets. She was smart enough to remember to put that thing in her notebook. Good thing, because she was sure she would have left her head at home if it weren't attached.

Passing that forward, she let her body remain at ease. Today wasn't too bad of a day, despite the fluffy kitten thoughts. They were going good. And that black dress that barely reached Ms. Mills' knees made it all the better.

After the teacher had collected all of the papers, she set those aside and grabbed a fresh stack of papers, and the class nearly let out a collective groan. Or so Emma imagined in her mind. They hated doing in-class work. Well, at least Emma did. But, hey, it was better than nearly falling asleep while watching words fade in and out on the smartboard.

"I have a study guide for you to fill out from this chapter's notes. The test will be on Friday. Tomorrow we shall go over the study guide as a class. That does not mean that you do not do the work because I will be checking them before we continue. If you feel so inclined as to not do it, you will sit in the hallway and work on it until we are finished." And so she started to pass the papers out to each row. After she had finished, she collected the papers from the class's previous assignment and headed towards her desk. More than likely to check them, Emma thought in the most obvious way.

Emma collected her paper and stared at the questions. There just seemed to be so many. She loved Ms. Mills as a teacher dearly, but she could just be a bit of a pain (a loveable one, mind you) when it came to homework.

Abiding like a good citizen and student, Emma began answering the questions with ease, trying her best to ignore the talking boys next to her. They were 'whispering', if you could call barely hushed voices whispering. She didn't care about that, it was disinteresting anyhow.

And then, in the corner of her eye, she saw Ms. Mills look up at the talking students and cleared her throat as a warning. They hushed immediately. Content, the teacher went back to reading the first story on the stack.

Then they began to talk again not five minutes later. Emma rolled her eyes, completely used to not being able to work in silence. There was always at least some group that talked during work time in every class. But in this one, it was quite rare since Ms. Mills had made it clear that she didn't like the disturbance. She wanted everyone to get their work done.

And so she stood. Emma parted her gaze from the paper and watched as the brunette made her way over to the two students, an eyebrow quirked and hands planted firmly on one of the desks. This immediately caught the boys' attention and they looked up just as the teacher spoke in one of her most threatening (and might Emma add her most sexiest) voice.

"If I need to remind you to stay quiet during work time one more time, I will write the both of you up an office referral. I recommend that you remain quiet and get to work. I know that you cannot afford another zero."

"We will." One of the boys said.

"Thank you." She narrowed her eyes at the two of them before heading back over to her desk, leaving a trail of her spicy perfume in her wake. And oh, did she smell good, Emma thought.

As soon as Ms. Mills was out of what they thought was earshot, the second boy mumbled to his friend.

"She's such a fucking cunt. No wonder why no one likes her."

It took Emma a moment to register what he had said, but as soon as she knew figured out just what he was saying, she was about to go into full-on Donkey Kong mode and bring out a can of whoop ass on them.

But, she had to remain still. She couldn't come to Ms. Mills' defenses without question from, well, any of them. It wasn't in her place to do such a thing, but god, what he said just made her blood boil. She could easily imagine mutilating his sorry ass, ripping each limb off ever so slowly...

"I know," the other readily agreed and Emma kept her ears open.

If they did continue to insult the teacher, she didn't know how long she could keep calm before she really did break.

And the boy continued. "I don't understand why they had to move us to her class. It's just a guaranteed failure."

That wasn't so bad…

"She shouldn't even be a teacher. They don't call her a bitch for nothing. I bet she likes to fail all her students on purpose just to fuck them up and laugh as their parents whoop their asses for getting an F."

"Fucking probably. They should have fired her worthless ass instead of giving her another fucking class. What the hell were they thinking? 'Yes. Let's set up an entire class that's doomed to failure.'"

Emma grit her teeth, seething with anger now. Oh, god, they were about to unleash the Motherfucking Swan Beast.

"Like I said. She's just a fucking cunt and she doesn't deserve this job. Clearly she doesn't know what the fuck she's doing. Bitch needs to get laid or something."

That was it. That was the last straw. Emma just couldn't take it anymore. Normally she wouldn't get involved in other people's conversations, but when they constantly insulted a great teacher that was really trying her best, they were just done fucked.

"That's it!" Emma nearly screamed, her fist meeting the desk. "Would you just fucking stop?! Shut the fuck up about her! She's the best goddamn teacher in this fucking school. It's not my fucking fault that you're just so goddamn stupid! Maybe the problem isn't her, but you!" She was standing now, her face inches from the boy's that had been closest to her. "You can just crawl back under that fucking rock that you live under with your pathetic asswipe of a friend and stop insulting somebody that is clearly better than you. Both of you can go fuck yourselves, because with a mouth like that, I highly doubt that you'd get anything else better than your own hand, you fucking… fucking twats!"

"Emma Swan!" The blonde winced at the husky, but firm, voice behind her. Ms. Mills had now stood from her desk, chocolate brown eyes staring sharply at her student. The shell-shocked boys had now begun to snicker quietly at the reprimanding.

"I thought you were better than to pick a fight during class. I would like to see you after the period ends." Then she moved to stand in front of the two boys once again, a pad of paper in her hand. "And you two should start getting packed up. You're heading to the office."

"That's not fair!" One of them whined, pointing a finger to Emma. "How come she doesn't get sent down there, too? She verbally abused us for no reason!"

Emma scoffed at him and scowled.

"No arguments or I will see to it that you get detention as well." Ms. Mills ripped the papers from their pad and handed them to the boys. "Now, get going."

"You really are a fucking cunt." The second spat, ripping the paper from his teacher's grasp.

And something in Emma just broke.

"You fucking know what, you rude prick?! Fuck yo mama!... Fuck yo sista!... Fuck yo grandma!... And most of all… FUCK YOU!" The next thing she knew, she was throwing her fist in the air, knocking it against the teenage boy's jaw with a loud crack!

Ms. Mills now had a grip around Emma, her arms encircling the blonde, trapping her arms.

"Emma!"

"You fucking psycho bitch! Fuck you and your bitch girlfriend!" The boy cried, holding his jaw as his friend grabbed their things.

"Go to office. Now!" The teacher demanded, shooting them daggers as she struggled to hold the squirming Emma.

Despite being in Ms. Mills' arms (like she had dreamed upon first seeing her), Emma continued to struggle. She really wanted to just strangle that asshole for saying that about their teacher. All sense about everything just left. She didn't think after that. She just couldn't. The woman was insecure enough about what other's thought of her, and when they so directly had to state those things, she just could not.

After the two boys left, did Ms. Mills finally release Emma from her grip. All things moral came flooding back into Emma's adrenaline-filled brain. She wanted to cry. Perhaps not literally, but she felt the need. She broke. She let it show how much she really did care about Ms. Mills.

Hopefully the teacher wouldn't say anything about that. Maybe she would take if from their sort of bond that they had formed during their lunches. Fuck. Hopefully she would still want to have lunch with Emma after that little scene.

"Meet me in the hall, please." She said quietly to Emma before smoothing out her dress, heading towards the front of the room.

Emma obliged and headed to the hall as Ms. Mills had told the class to continue working and that they would have time tomorrow to work on the study guide since the disturbance had left most of the class watching the scene.

The blonde leaned against one of the lockers next to the classroom, her head pounding and her hand throbbing. She probably needs ice on that. She'd probably be heading to the office anyways, so it didn't matter.

The sound of the door opening told Emma that Ms. Mills had joined her. If that weren't enough, the sound of her heels clicking on the floor gave her away. The blonde pushed herself away from the lockers and readied herself.

"I don't want to send you to the office, Emma, you know that. But I have to." She looked at the blonde, her eyes were slightly shimmering and Emma swore she saw something in there. It was something rare for her to see, but not exactly foreign.

"I know. I understand. It's my fault, anyways." Emma shrugged, wincing slightly as she held onto her bruised hand. That had caused the brunette to look down and frown.

"You should get ice for that."

"Yeah."

"Go to the office, okay?" Her voice was soft. She had taken the usual authoritative tone out. It was so weird how she spoke so differently to Emma. Of course, the blonde wasn't complaining.

"Yeah, I will. Do I need to grab my stuff?"

"You'll be in there for the rest of the period, I'm sure. There isn't much time left." Ms. Mills slightly tilted her head. "You can leave your items in the room. I'll see you for lunch."
Emma nodded, trying to hide the smile that threatened to appear on her lips. "Alright."

Then she headed down the hall towards the office. She could feel those whisky eyes on her, as if they were boring through her skin. It gave her goosebumps.

She was able to leave the office after the bell rang for lunch. Emma had gotten detention after school for the rest of the week and then some. But it was totally worth it, she thought. She was able to defend Ms. Mills' dignity when she knew other people wouldn't. She was rather proud of herself and she talked her way out of suspension.

Despite Mr. Gold's affinity to be creepy as fuck, he seemed to have a soft spot for Ms. Mills, and upon realizing why Emma had exactly punched that boy and screamed several profanities, she had him wrapped. It was a good day, she thought, despite having gotten up late and being tired as hell. She felt fucking pumped. She felt like she could take down Godzilla.

And soon she was in Ms. Mills' classroom again. Her bag and papers still where she had left them. The brunette teacher was typing furiously at her keyboard, and what a sight. Emma stared at her for a moment, and she really soaked her up.

Ms. Mills had her plum lips pursed, the lower one slightly tucked into her mouth as she nibbled at it, her fingers clacking at the keys on the keyboard. Her sharp, brown eyes were focused on the flat, computer screen. And, oh, she was wearing those glasses again. They were slid halfway down her nose and the face she pulled just looked so adorable.

Adorable?

Emma flushed slightly at her thoughts and pulled her chair over to Ms. Mills' desk once again. The teacher seemed to have not taken notice, or at least she didn't show it if she had, and continued to type away. Then, as if on cue, she stopped and turned to face Emma. The glasses were now in her hand, which had then been placed on the desk next to a stack of papers.

"Ms. Swan," she addressed, her voice firm and Emma nearly shit herself. Maybe she really did fuck up after all.

Then, suddenly, a smile broke across the teacher's face. "Thank you."

"Wh-what?" Emma blinked, confused for a moment. She had not been expecting that. But, then again, she had always expected the worst outcome for each situation.

"Thank you. I heard what… they said." Now she began to nibble on her lower lip, eating away the lipstick there. "And… thank you for standing up for me. Really, Emma, I am forever grateful. I… I can try to talk with Mr. Gold about alleviating some of your punishment."

"No, it's fine. I got what I deserved. Anyways, it's not as bad as you think." Emma shrugged, a grin of her own had found its way upon her pale lips. "But thank you for trying."

Ms. Mills stared at her for a moment, and Emma swore she was going to cry, but she didn't. She straightened herself, a watery smile on her plump lips. "No one has ever done that for me. I've heard these students throw insults at me, both directly and indirectly, and no one ever stood up… for me. I can't do it myself because they're students. My students and I have to act professionally. But the way you stood up for me today. It really…" she trailed off and Emma didn't need for her to continue. What she said was enough to make Emma's entire school year. Her heart just expanded in her chest as pride ripped through her.

She was pretty sure she was glowing.

"Of course, Ms. Mills… I mean, those students are assholes. They don't know spit. Half the time they don't think about what they say and how it could affect someone." Emma said quietly. "And since you can't retaliate, they just think that you don't care, so they can get away with it. I know I probably shouldn't have gone as far as I did, I must admit, but, hey… I'd probably do it again in a heartbeat. Someone needed to speak on your behalf and stand up to those bullies."

And then she's almost choking on that spicy scent of Ms. Mills' perfume when she's engulfed in her arms. It took Emma a moment to register what was happening, and even longer to respond. Soon enough, her own arms wrapped around the brunette and she felt at home.
She was soft. And warm. And her hair smelled like apples.

Emma marveled in the hug, hoping that it wouldn't end any time soon. It was so very nice and so much better than the restrain embrace from earlier. And it was so funny how Emma felt when being in her arms. She felt all warm and fuzzy, like she was sitting in front of the fireplace during winter with a fluffy blanket and a cup of cinnamon cocoa. It was her version of home. And that was slightly terrifying. Or really terrifying. The blonde couldn't decide and right now, she didn't care.

But the embrace had to end. Ms. Mills pulled away to be met with a stupid beaming grin from Emma. She was quite sure she looked like an idiot, but that was fine. She didn't care. She just got hugged by Regina Mills. And it was nice. It smelled like apple pie. And she was the fluffy panther kitten.

"How about lunch?" Ms. Mills murmured, eyeing Emma's bag.

"Oh, right! Lunch. I'm hungry. You must be hungry." the blonde flustered slightly and reached down to open up her bag once again to pull out the paper sack.

But she was met with nothing but her calculator and a small reading book.

Where was lunch?

"Lunch?" she whined, pointing to her bag helplessly. "I got up late and totally forgot to pick up lunch! Shit. I'm stupid."

"Hey, Emma." Ms. Mills frowned. "No, you aren't. You're not stupid, dear. Everyone makes mistakes."

"But now we're both out a lunch."

"We don't have to be." The teacher rolled her chair back and leaned forward to grab her purse from underneath the desk. After a minute of rummaging through it, she pulled out her wallet. "Lunch can be on me. After all, you're something like my White Knight." she offered Emma a smile before standing. "I can head to the school store and pick us up something there. What would you like?"

"Can't I just come with you?" Emma murmured, standing as well. She felt her stomach grumble, which had ultimately caused her to blush.

"If you feel so inclined to. But, do just give me the items after picking them out." She gestured towards the door before heading across the class, Emma trailing behind her.

"Want me to, like, point at things? I don't know if it's appropriate for teachers to buy their students a lunch." she said, trying to keep up with Ms. Mills' long strides.

"I do not mind what they think. You did something for me today, and it's something that I am forever grateful for…" she tried to find the right words, and Emma had a flutter of hope in her stomach that maybe, just maybe, it had something to do with more than just gratitude.

"Okay." Emma nodded and smiled softly, following Ms. Mills into the school store. She looked around the small room, her green eyes eating up the different food products on the makeshift shelves and aisles, and god, everything looked good. She didn't know what to get, but she also didn't want to get too much or something too expensive. The blonde would feel too selfish for that since her brunette teacher was willing to buy her the meal.

"Anything look good to you?" A deep voice sounded beside her.

"Everything," she replied, looking up into brown eyes. "But I don't want to spend a lot of your money… so, like… string cheese would be enough. They're, like, fifty cents."

"Emma," she heard the woman sigh softly and shake her head. A smirk was on her lips.

"You need to pick something more than that or I will get you a five dollar lunchable." She pointed to one of the refrigerators.

"No, thanks… Uh," the blonde bit her lip and chose a bag of potato chips. "Done."

"Is that all?" Ms. Mills quirked an eyebrow at the item in her hand. "That's hardly a healthy meal, Emma. Why not get an apple? There are sandwiches as well." And to emphasize her point, she grabbed a small sub sandwich from the refrigerator as well as an apple from the basket by the checkout counter. Then, suddenly, she grabbed another sandwich and another apple before pointing to a bag of baked chips. "Mind grabbing that for me?"

"Um…" Emma nodded and grabbed the desired bag, watching as the teacher sauntered over to the drinks.

"Would you like something from here?" Emma was about to shake her head, but the teacher gave her a wry look. "Grab two waters and bring them to the counter."

Then she left Emma to her own, grabbing the bottles before following behind Ms. Mills again. She dropped the items onto the counter and blinked.

"Are you sure we've got enough time to eat all of this?" she asked, pointing to the now-bagged items that the volunteer cashier handed to the brunette.

But the woman didn't say anything as she merely walked out of the store, leaving Emma to follow her once more.

It wasn't until they had arrived back into the classroom and unpacked their lunches did Ms. Mills finally speak.
"Depends on how fast you eat."

And the words just seemed so random to Emma because, yup, she forgot the question that she had asked not five minutes prior.

"Excuse me?"

"You asked if we had enough time to eat all of this. It depends on how fast you eat, or what you do eat." she eyed Emma's meal skeptically, her eyes focused on the fruit.

"Are you worried that I won't eat the apple?" Emma giggled softly and picked up the honeycrisp apple, then polished it on her shirt before taking a large bite out of it. "Mmm is good." she spoke through the mouthful of food.

Ms. Mills gave her a disapproving look before cleaning her own apple to eat. "They usually are, dear."

"Do you like apples? I mean, really like them?" Emma tilted her head. Belle had said something about the teacher's always having an apple on her desk. Typical cliche.

"More than you know." The brunette grinned, taking another bite out of her apple. And, holy shit, the twinkle in her eyes told Emma that she was talking about more than just apples. But… what the hell type of innuendo would that be? And would Ms. Mills intentionally say something like that? Or offer that look in her eyes? Maybe Emma had just been seeing things. Perhaps she was a little too hopeful.

"I enjoy all different types. I enjoy the Red Delicious ones the most. They're sweet." Ms. Mills grinned innocently enough, but that little pink tongue of hers darted out to lick the apple's juices from her lips.

Emma watched her every movement, a blush crawling its way onto her cheeks. "Y-yeah. I like them, too."

The brunette teacher looked over to Emma and smiled widely. "Good. I have a tree of them in my backyard. I could bring some for you, if you wish. There are so many, I hardly know what to do with them all. I try to make as many pies, tarts, turnovers, or try to incorporate them into every meal as I can, but it gets tiring after a while."

It took Emma a moment before her brain had processed what the teacher was telling her. She was more tired than, she thought, and the distraction of Ms. Mills' lips didn't help any towards her concentration.

"Emma?" Ms. Mills looked at her with a frown, concern creasing the barely visible lines in her face.

"Oh, yeah, pie sounds good." she mumbled, looking to the hand that had found its way onto her knee.

"Are you sure you are alright, dear? You seem… out of it."

"Yeah. I mean, I didn't get much sleep. I'm just tired, is all." Emma shrugged as if it were nothing. Her forest green gaze slid up to meet her teacher's. "What were you saying before about pie?"

"Apples, dear. I was speaking about apples. I wanted to know if you were interested in my bringing some for you, since I have so many." She giggled for a moment before taking a bite of her sandwich which she had unwrapped some time during Emma's little adventure into outer space.

The blonde watched her once again. She took such dainty and delicate bites from the sub like she feared it would attack her if she were to dare take a larger nibble. Her jaw worked not as regally, although she made it look so goddamn rich with her lips pressing together as she chewed. That woman was all kinds of perfect and she was beautiful, even as she ate the meat-filled sandwich.

"Oh. Yeah. I mean, that would be nice." Emma grinned, shaking her head slightly to clear her mind. Really, she needed to stop staring at the teacher. She was quite sure Ms. Mills could feel her just… staring. It was probably uncomfortable. "I like apples and my parents like 'em, too."

"Then I shall bring some for you tomorrow. I have bowls just lying around the house." she shook her head and took another bite.

Then Emma felt her stomach growl, demanding it be fed. She nearly forgot about eating for a moment there. She really was out of it. Holy hell. Quickly, she opened her bag of potato chips and popped one into her mouth.

"How is your hand, dear?" Ms. Mills' eyes lowered to the blonde's hand, which was now wrapped up. She had ice on it for about five minutes before growing tired of holding the damn pack to her hand. She was already out one hand, she didn't need to lose the other for the rest of the day.

"It still hurts, but I'll live." She shrugged. "I've had it happen before."

"You have?" There was a frown on that pretty face of hers and it made Emma's heart sink, causing her to frown in return.

"Yeah. It can be a fight for survival sometimes in those homes." Emma avoided her teacher's stare and, instead, took interest in the wrap around her knuckles. She was clamming up again and she knew it. It was hard sometimes to just spill out things from her past. The first time was hell enough. She wanted to avoid revisiting those memories at all cost.

"Oh, Emma," she heard the brunette's voice, which had been nothing but a mere whisper.

"Don't feel sorry for me or anything. It's in the past and I'd really rather not talk about it." And that's all that Ms. Mills was going to get out of her. At least for now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate anything."
"It's okay." Emma shrugged, her eyes glancing at the clock. Five minutes. So she started to pack up her uneaten food. She knew she should have eaten something, but her mind was elsewhere, and right now, she didn't feel so hungry anymore.

Ms. Mills watched her with a curious gaze, her eyes sparkling with a hilt of sadness. "I suppose this is until tomorrow?"

"Yeah." Emma gave her her best smile, making it wide and beaming. "Thank you for the lunch. I really appreciate it."

"It's no problem at all, especially after what you had done for me." She shot Emma a grin before pausing and bending down to reach underneath her desk. "I really shouldn't give you these, but…" she placed two, small white tablets into the palm of Emma's hand. "These are for your hand. It's the least that I can do, dear."

"Thanks," the blonde popped the pills into her mouth, swallowing them dry. This woman was truly a sweetheart. She had no idea why people would treat her so badly when she really didn't have a single evil bone in her body. She was just doing her job. Too bad the others didn't take the time to get to know her like Emma did. Perhaps, then, they would change their view on her.

Emma stood up now, but remained with her gaze locked on Ms. Mills'. She debated whether or not to take that step forward and give her an appreciative hug. The blonde wasn't quite sure how she would react, and it was quite risky. And not to mention, weird. Even though they had embraced earlier. It felt different, and honestly, Emma wasn't used to showing such affection. So she took a step back and bowed her head.
"Thank you, once again, for lunch. Uh.." she gestured her head towards the door as the bell finally rang. "I appreciate everything."

"Of course, Emma…" she watched the blonde cross the room. "Are you sure you're going to be okay, though?"

"Yeah, these pills should help."

"Alright… If you're sure. I wish you a good day, dear."

"Thanks." Emma grinned shyly and pushed the door open. "You have a good day as well, and don't let anyone get you down. No matter what they say, you are a nice person. An incredible woman. They just don't see that because they don't want to open their eyes. They just accept lies that they're fed. And call me in if they start talking smack about you because I still have another can of whoop-ass ready."

"Emma…" Ms. Mills' complexion had completely softened now. She looked so different and so very much younger, if that were possible. Her chocolate orbs twinkled in the light as her plump lips parted slightly.

"I-I have to go." And so Emma did, quickly rushing out of the room. Whatever that look was just scared the shit out of the teenager and she didn't know if she could handle what would have come if she stayed. Maybe it would have been nothing. Maybe something. She didn't know and she wouldn't soon find out. She did what she did best and fled.