I WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR THE KIND WORDS AND SUPPORT. I HONESTLY CAN'T ARTICULATE HOW AMAZING YOU ARE. I HOPE THIS CHAPTER DOES THE FIRST JUSTICE.
DON'T OWN IT.
Mary Margaret laid in her bed, across the hall from Emma. A soft, but heart-wrenching noise brought her to the edge of sleep. Just as she was going back into deep slumber, she heard the noise again. She flung the blankets and sat up. It took her a moment to realize there was wetness on her cheeks. Then she noticed the burning in her eyes. That's weird. I thought I heard a baby crying, she thought. Then she heard more whimpering. This time, she was able to locate it coming from Emma's room. Carefully, she padded into her roommate's room, and called out to her softly. This made Emma stifle another sob into her pillow.
"What's wrong?" She asked.
"More of the same." Emma mumbled, her back still to Mary Margaret.
"I'm having a rough night, too. Tomorrow's Saturday. Why don't we have some hot chocolate with cinnamon, and talk about it?" She suggested. Emma rolled over.
"You had me at the hot chocolate."
Once the two were situated, Mary Margaret decided to start.
"You know how, uh, Henry thinks I'm your mom?"
"Yeah."
"This is going to sound crazy, but… When I saw your baby blanket, I felt something. I'm not sure what it was. And then when I woke up, it was to the sound of a baby crying, and I felt like there's the void in my life." She said hesitantly.
"You don't believe Henry, do you?"
"Of course not. I just can't help but wonder. Ever since you came here, Emma, things have changed." Mary Margaret said.
"There's a perfectly rational explanation for what happened tonight." Emma said.
"I'm all ears."
"The feeling you felt when you saw my baby blanket was probably pity. You woke up to me crying. And your lack of a healthy love life is that void. There, it's simple." She said.
"You're right. I just… It's so weird. But that would be something, though. If Henry was right."
"If Henry's right, Regina better watch out. She's the first one I'd be coming for."
"You'd be fine with her if she wasn't such a horrible mother, right?" Mary Margaret asked.
"Does it matter?"
"Not at all." The brunette's eyes widened, wishing she could take back the words. "I was just curious. I mean, I wondered if you have a general dislike for people, or if it's just of evil mayors."
"Funny." Emma faked a smile. She really was amused, but it was all she could manage.
"Hey." Mary Margaret put a hand on top of Emma's and squeezed it. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Nothing, everything." Emma shrugged, giving a watery laugh as more tears pooled in her eyes.
"It's obviously not nothing."
"Sometimes it feels like nothing's wrong. I feel this way, but there is no reason I should."
"When everything's wrong, it's hard to pinpoint one exact problem. That might be why it feels like nothing."
"Yeah. Maybe cause my whole life's screwed up." Emma took a sip of her hot chocolate, wishing there was alcohol in it. Mary Margaret felt an unexplainable pang of guilt.
"How screwed up is your life, really? You have a son, whether you're ready to acknowledge it or not, that loves you. You have people who care about you. The only person who doesn't is Regina, and you don't care about her, so why does it matter?"
"Right. The only thing between me and my son is the Mayor of Storybrooke, who everyone's scared of. And then Graham died. You know, I let down my wall, and I get hurt. I'm just so done with it. Henry thinks I'm some savior, but I'm not." Emma said with sarcasm.
"But don't you see? Emma, simply by being you, you're changing things. Ava and Nicholas didn't end up separated and in the system because you wouldn't let them. Henry has someone who truly loves him because of you. You became Sheriff, probably making our lives a lot better, because you're you. You even irritate Regina to no end, just by being you. There might be some truth to Henry's fantasies. You are saving us." Mary Margaret said.
"You really believe that?" Emma asked hopefully.
"If I believe it, I know Henry does."
"I hate to say it, but you're really good at the whole 'pep-talk thing'." This time, Emma's smile was genuine.
"Eh, 4th grade drama can teach you a few things."
AS AN ENDNOTE, I WAS GOING TO READ 'AFTERSHOCKS', BY FICTIONISTA48 IN THE NCIS:LA FANDOM. IT REALLY IS AN AMAZING STORY, AND IS THE SEQUEL TO 'HUMAN SACRIFICE'. I'M ONLY TELLING YOU GUYS IN CASE YOU WANT TO READ A REALLY AWESOME STORY. THAT, AND I'M WRITING THIS CHAPTER INSTEAD OF READING THAT FOR YOU GUYS! LOL.