Emma came back in the middle of the night, roaring drunk and foul-mouthed, forcing her roommate out of bed to care for her. Mary Margaret took off Emma's shoes and put her to bed like a child, murmuring soothing words while trying to quiet her down. If she had paused to think about it, she would have been struck by the ridiculousness of the situation, but Mary Margaret was too focused on getting Emma back to sleep before she could go back to bed herself.
An hour later, Emma woke her up.
"Mary Margaret?"
"What is it?" she said; as she looked blearily at Emma, she noticed the tear stains on Emma's cheeks. "What's wrong?"
Emma's voice caught in her throat. "Graham's dead."
"Oh…Emma, you're drunk."
"No…I'm not. I mean, I am." The words tumbled too fast out of Emma's mouth and ran together. "He's really dead. That's why I'm back so late…I had to take him to the morgue and…" She suddenly dissolved into tears, leaving Mary Margaret with little else to do but rub her friend's back.
After Emma had calmed down a bit, Mary Margaret made her a mug of hot cocoa and put it on the table in front of her.
"Drink that, and talk when you're ready."
Emma obeyed; in between sips, she told Mary Margaret everything: about Graham and the wolf and the graveyard, about Regina punching her and her stupid threats, about the kiss and all the horrible, horrible memories afterward. She talked for what felt like hours until she finished her cocoa and fell asleep right there at the table. Mary Margaret stayed awake; until that moment, she hadn't realized it was possible to feel another person's pain so strongly.
In the weeks that followed, Emma didn't leave the apartment much. Every night, Mary Margaret silently made two mugs of cocoa, and every night, one cup was left untouched. She wasn't expecting bonding moments or hugs, but the need to be there for Emma was overwhelming at times.
Then one night, as Mary Margaret set down the cup of cocoa, Emma took it and held it between her hands.
"I saw Henry today."
And somehow, she knew everything was going to be OK.