A/N: Takes place between 1x12 and 1x13
The Rabbit Hole was a little racier than Granny's, racy for Storybrooke anyway, Emma thought. Ruby put her and Mary Margaret up to this. They'd insisted she come with them for another girls' night since she'd missed the Valentine's Day one...and then they'd insisted on a few drinks...and then Ruby insisted the two of them flip through the pages and pages of good songs to sing while buzzed for karaoke.
They had flipped through and narrowed down their choices and were now finally up next. From the corner of her eye, Emma had noticed Mary Margaret tended to silently mouth the words when reading to herself, just like she did. Henry would have a field day with that, she thought. Another similarity for his mental files.
Giving each other a nervous, tipsy smile, they climb the three steps to the stage, the lights brighter than she assumed they'd be. Squinting past the blinding spotlights, she could see only the blurry shadows of the people at the tables. Not even the bar was visible to her. Gaping, her head snapped, wide-eyed, when Mary Margaret's hand patted her shoulder and nodded at her. The first disjointed notes of the intro played. Here we go, she said to herself.
She's got a smile it seems to me
Reminds me of childhood memories
Where everything was as fresh as the bright blue sky
Now and then when I see her face
She takes me away to that special place
And if I stare too long
I'd probably break down and cry
Oh, oh, oh
Sweet child o'mine
Beads of sweat kissed her hairline. Bending her knees and swaying just a little, she mirrored Mary Margaret's movements. Laughing
The lights adjusted, allowing her to see Ruby's large grin, gleaming white teeth. And farther back, no, yes, that's David. He's got to be getting a kick out of this, Emma thought with a split second eye roll. But he waved. Not just to Mary Margaret, but to her, too. She and Mary Margaret grinned at each other, sharing the "what am I doing here" look. The respectable top-button school teacher and the sheriff, buzzed and trying so hard to loosen up.
Then, for a moment, Emma felt everything in front of her in slow motion, muted. She had a friend, a child, and this whole town full of people she was having to get to know. Not usually one for more retrospection than required, she realized she had let herself be eased into caring, being a part of something. Family, in its own way. Maybe it wouldn't be much for anyone else, but for Emma Swan, it was quite the achievement to say to herself, "I am happy."