"Are you sure that you're alright, Emma?" Belle asked quietly.

Emma looked up from her current project in the art room. She hadn't said much to her friend last period, and for most of this one, since the class was nearing its end.

"Yeah," she finally answered. "I'm just thinking, I guess. I have a lot on my mind."

"It seems like it." Belle didn't pry. Instead, she gestured toward Emma's wrapped knuckles. "I've been wondering about that, but every time I asked you, you just grunted at me."

"Oh. Sorry." Emma self-consciously hid her hand.

"What happened?"

"Got into a fight," she murmured vaguely. She wasn't about to tell Belle the reason why and the other teenager seemed to have known that, because she only nodded.

"Did you win?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"You guess?"

"Well, since they ran out after I punched 'em." Emma only shrugged, playing with a strand of her hair. "I'm a badass, you know?"

"Yeah, I know. You're tough, Emma." Belle gave her a friendly smile and lightly nudged the blonde with her shoulder. "I'm proud of you."

"You don't even know why I did it."

"Yeah, but you won. That's something to be proud of," she said. "And even if you didn't, I'd still be proud of you because you were brave enough to fight whoever that was. You wouldn't risk anything for no good reason. You stood up for something that you believe in."

Emma gave Belle a watery smile.

"Thanks, Belle," Emma said quietly. "You really are a great friend. I don't deserve you as one, honestly."

"Oh, don't think that, Em!" Belle frowned. "Now, look, your thoughts are dragging you down again. Why don't you go to the library after school? I know how much reading helps you. You need it."

Emma tilted her head. She hadn't thought of that. Well, not recently, anyhow. She loved going to the library to forget about reality for a little while.

"Yeah, I need that. Thanks, Belle," Emma gratefully whispered, offering her a small smile.

"That's what friends are for, Em," Bella chuckled softly. "Now, go. I'll clean your things up for you."

"You don't have to do that." Emma frowned, her fingers fumbling with a pencil on the table. "I can stay the extra five minutes."

"Emma," she sternly said.

Emma could only oblige because her friend had done so much for her already and she couldn't sit here and argue when she had offered to do something so kind.

"Fine… But I owe you." The blonde popped up from her seat, grabbing her bag as she stood. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Okay." Belle chuckled softly and nodded.

"Alright…" And then Emma left the room, one foot in front of the other, as fast as she could. Instead of the thoughts that plagued her mind all day, she had been thinking about which book that she should read first. There were so many that she hadn't read yet that sounded quite appealing, but there were also a few favorites that she wanted to reread.

Emma had arrived at the library, which had already started to relax her. The silence was welcoming, and, from that, she knew that this was a brilliant idea. It didn't take long for her to select a few books and find an empty table. There weren't many people here, which made Emma frown. That was quite unfortunate. Books were fascinating and they could take you into a whole different world. But, then again, Emma always loved to escape reality while others lived their lives. She didn't mind. Less noise and more books for her to stuff her nose into.

Once her eyes scanned over the first sentence, she was entranced. Time had seemed to fade away as she read page after page. She always did enjoy a good book, and this one was one of her favorites.

Being so enthralled by the book, after reading a great chunk of it, she hadn't noticed the pair of black pumps that soon appeared in front of her table. It wasn't until a voice had pulled Emma from her alternate world did she look up.

"That's one of my favorites."

Wide, green eyes met warm, brown ones.

"Yeah, it's mine, too. I read it whenever it's in the library."

"You have excellent taste in literature," the other party commented, a soft smile forming on full lips. "Mind if I join you?"

"Uh, sure." Emma shrugged and gestured to the wooden chair across from her. "Take a seat."

"Thank you, dear."

"Of course, Ms. Mills." The blonde offered her a smile in return, anxiously plucking at her sweatshirt as all the troublesome thoughts had started to return. Perhaps she should leave before she did something stupid. She could feel her stomach start to knot in its sporadic churns.

"Do you come here often?" Ms. Mills politely asked, looking for a conversation no doubt. The brunette had placed a book in front of her, a title that was foreign to Emma.

"Yeah." She nodded. "It helps me get my mind off things."

"Reading is a marvelous escape, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Emma fumbled with the pages of her book, eyes drifting across the line that she had left off on.

"Oh! I am terribly sorry. This was quite rude of me, intruding on you like this." Ms. Mills frowned, pulling her book closer. "I should leave you to your reading."

"It's alright. I-I was just leaving," she fibbed, scooting her chair back so she could stand.

She just couldn't do it. She needed to leave before the tension behind her eyes broke.

"I understand, dear." The brunette smiled warmly at the blonde, her head inclined to look at her. But Emma didn't miss the look in her eyes. "I suppose until tomorrow?"

"Yeah." She nodded tightly before quickly turning to leave so she wouldn't have to feel the guilt of rejecting her.

"Have a good night, Emma." She heard behind her, as well as the movement of the chair against the floor.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her collected books against her chest. She couldn't stop seeing that look; the one she knew the brunette attempted to mask; the one that looked as if she had gotten swept under the rug. Her heart fell into the damning pits of her stomach as she faltered.

Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.

She got halfway toward the door before she spun around to head back. It was only a few strides to find the table once again. The look of surprise on the brunette's face and the smile that soon replaced it caused Emma's heart to flutter.

Then begin to pound as blood rushed to her head, filling it with her earlier fears.

"Are you alright, honey?"

Emma heard the voice break, familiar and soft. Oh, Gods, what was she going to do? Should she just tell the woman about these thoughts? She did say she was willing to listen, but would Emma be willing to let her walls down?

"Emma?"

"Y-yeah…" Then she shook her head, slumping back down into her chair, feeling as if she were parting with her brain as she answered honestly, "No."

"No?" Ms. Mills frowned, soon slipping into the spot beside Emma. "What's wrong, honey?"

Emma's only response was a soft grunt that she wasn't sure if Ms. Mills had heard. Her mind was elsewhere by now. She was too conflicted upon whether she should tell her. Should she confide her fears into the woman that she had grown so close to over the past few months? How would she even begin?

"You're right. Books are a nice escape," she started, turning her body to face her teacher. "I've never… told this to anyone. I don't really like… reliving things…"

Ms. Mills nodded with furrowed brows. She was listening, and by the sharpness in her eyes, she was carefully analyzing every word that Emma had said. Part of her shrunk underneath this scrutinizing gaze.

"Uh…" Emma looked to her hands. There seemed to be a mental block placed in the forefront of her mind, but she attempted to shove it away as she thought how to make sense of her scattered brain.

"When I was a kid, I discovered a book. It was at one of my, uh… foster parents' house. I was probably ten or eleven by then. But, uh… Well, I was really bored that day. This family wasn't as bad as others, but there were a couple other kids living there as well that they sided with more often than me. The others never let me play with them, so one day I decided to explore the house and came across this bookshelf.

"There was this book sitting all by itself and that really caught my attention. It was a copy of the one I was reading earlier. I went to the room that I shared with one of the family's daughters and hid under my blankets to read. I got really interested in it and, for the life of me, could not put that thing down. I never got to finish it because the daughter told her parents that I stole it from them, and they took it away.

"I knew of a library that was only a few blocks away from the house and went there every day after school for a few hours. I found some mediocre kid books to read until the librarian eventually helped me pick out ones that were more advanced, and then did I really enjoy reading.

"My foster parents got really angry, though, that I went to the library every day. They accused me of lying and assumed that I had been staying out with some friends or something. I suppose I had a bad reputation of taking off, though usually by myself…

"But, uh, e-eventually, they had someone come and take me back to the group home when things turned sour, and I ended up hiding in the library."

Emma bit her lower lip, avoiding the myriad of emotions flashing across Ms. Mills' face. She played with the book on her lap for a moment before continuing, "Ever since then, though, I kept books with me and used them to escape. I usually visited local libraries for hours. Most of the foster families didn't really care where the hell I was half the time, so I usually stayed until the library closed. I could forget where I was and how chaotic my life was, you know? I started to get used to it, though, because I knew they never loved me in the first place. I never understood why they would take a kid in when they wouldn't unconditionally care for them."

Emma closed her eyes, swallowing thickly.

"The kids always told me that I was unworthy and that I could never be loved, because the proof was in being sent back to that damned place - to the group homes. Eventually, I believed them. No one ever loved me. The only ones that I had thought did… They sent me back. Every time I tried to find hope for myself in searching for something, it only lead to heartache, because I realized that I'm not with them. I am here. I'm where I'm not loved." She then paused, backtracked, and corrected herself, "I mean, back then. Now, I have people that… that changed all that.

"It took me a while," Emma whispered anyways. "It took me a while to believe that they were… genuine. I get so… terrified and all I know is to escape, to run. I carry the name Swan as a reminder to never trust anyone and to doubt their love or kindness because the ones who had given me that name ripped it all away from me, and I guess I just can't let myself get rid of it."

And there she said it. The words had finally left Emma Swan's mouth. Thinking back, she had never said those very words aloud. She had thought of them many, many times, but she never admitted them, and now that she had – and to someone else – she felt… lighter. A new weight, though, was holding her down; the reaction from Ms. Mills would be the turning point, she knew for sure.

"Emma, I…" Ms. Mills was at a loss for words and Emma could see the way she carefully worked over her words. "I honestly do not know what to say…"

"Yeah…" Emma felt her shoulders slump, but the added weight to her right one made her blink. Her eyes flicked over to spot Ms. Mills' hand on black then to her face and the grim line of her lips.

"I cannot say that I know what you have been through," she finally said, her voice soft. "But I know the desire to escape, the distrust of others, wanting to leave reality in books."

She met the older woman's gaze and her heart melted. There was a dark and distant emotion that must have been result of memories there, but what overcame them was what made Emma's mind whirl back to the end of lunch. It was that look that had triggered Emma's need to run, though it grounded her, now, keeping her still in her seat.

"I know words mean nothing, but I do hold my own trust in you, Emma. I suppose we wouldn't be having this conversation if I didn't," she chuckled softly, offering a weak smile. "And I will not force you to trust me, or to talk, unless you are willing and ready. It can be difficult to open up, especially to someone you might not know very well."

"I do…" Emma admitted hoarsely. "I probably wouldn't have told you this if I didn't. I… It sounds probably stupid, but I was afraid of you earlier. Or, well, at least right before I left, because I saw something in your eyes... and I just couldn't… handle it and that just fucked me up."

"I'm sorry that I had made you feel like that, Emma." The smile she had once donned sunk, her hand moving up to cup Emma's cheek. "I promise you that I never intended to hurt you."

"I know. It was my own fault. I let my fears get the better of me and I really shouldn't have." Emma closed her eyes, the warmth of the older woman's hand igniting a fire underneath her skin. All negative emotion left her in that moment. "Thank you for listening to me."

"You don't need to thank me, dear." Ms. Mills smiled softly, her thumb lightly caressing Emma's cheek before she realized what she had been doing and quickly pulled away. "I'm willing to listen to whatever you have to say."

"Thank-... Okay." Emma licked her lips subconsciously before pressing her back against the chair. "What time is it?" she asked after a few moments of silence.

"About six, dear." Ms. Mills looked away from her watch to glance at the blonde. "Do you need to be somewhere?"

"No. I planned on staying until the library closed." Emma shrugged. "Do you have to be somewhere?"

"Not exactly, dear." The brunette chuckled. "I had only planned on reading at home. But, seeing as to how it's quiet here and I have company, I can stay. If that is alright with you, of course?"

"That's perfectly fine. I'd enjoy the company." Emma's grin was wide, reaching her eyes with ease. "What are you reading?"

"Well, to be perfectly honest…" Emma swore she could see Ms. Mills blush as she held up the book in her hand. The titled read The Rogue Hunter. Emma blinked. Romance novel? She hadn't noticed the couple on the cover the first time. "It's a guilty pleasure."

"You like… romance novels?"

"Paranormal romance. Vampires and… and such." Ms. Mills was quick to correct, although the darkening blush on her cheeks was evident to her mortification. "These have an interesting story-line that doesn't just revolve around, well, romance and sex. I decided to humor myself and read a book but ended up becoming hooked."

Emma smirked. "I've read a series like that before, actually. They have these… shifters in 'em. I'm not going to judge you, y'know. You're allowed to read what you want."

"I… know." But she coughed awkwardly and set the book down. "You've read them before?"

"Yeah. I actually like them, believe it or not. They can be pretty funny, and they aren't really sappy like some romance novels. They have a plot, you know? More meaning to them than, just as you said, sex." It was Emma's turn to blush, but she hid it well, almost enough to pass it off as rouged cheeks. "What's your series like?"

"Oh, well… The vampires in this aren't exactly… They're genetically engineered and had originated from the lost city of Atlantis…" And that had Emma intrigued. She leaned forward and listened in on how Ms. Mills had explained the series without giving too much away.

"Wow…"

"Now you can see why I like them."

"I do. Now I have to spend more time at the library, huh?" Emma chuckled softly and reached over to grab the book that Ms. Mills had checked out.

"I suppose you could." The teacher shrugged and Emma could tell she was hiding something. So, the blonde stared at her expectantly.

"Or…" she prompted.

"I do own the entire series." Ms. Mills shamefully admitted. "But I don't have this book and it was my next one, so I decided to check if the library had a copy."

Emma shook her head, biting her lip to keep from laughing at the expression that Ms. Mills wore. It looked as if her head were about to pop.

"You can borrow them if you wish. But I do expect to receive them back how I had given them to you."

"You can trust me. I handle books carefully." Emma smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry."

"I'll bring the first couple with me tomorrow."

"Thanks." She handed the book back to Ms. Mills. "What other genres do you like?"

That question had sparked an entire conversation that had left them with no time to read their books. Emma wasn't sure how it was possible to find someone that had the same fascination with books as she did, but the proof was right there in front of her. She knew that if they were to get into another discussion about books, there was no stopping them.

And they probably would have gone on for plenty hours more if it weren't for the librarian. She had politely told them that it was closing time, and to their astonishment, they had been talking for three hours straight.

Both obliged the librarian's wishes and left the building with their books in tow. Emma had her own stuffed into her backpack by the time they were outside and standing by the curb.

"I guess I should really be getting home," Emma mumbled, backing a distance away from the library to catch a peek at the time on the clock tower above.

"I should, as well," the teacher concurred, her hand rummaging around inside of the purse slung onto her shoulder. She soon pulled out a set of car keys and smiled. "It's quite chilly out here, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Emma readily agreed. As if on cue, she felt a shiver course down her spine from the cool night's air. "The only reason why I hate nighttime. It gets colder."

"It does, indeed." Ms. Mills chuckled. She looked around them before gesturing toward her Mercedes. "Why don't I take you home? It's too cold and late for you to walk alone, don't you think?"

"It's a small town." Emma shrugged and about hit herself for that. Here Ms. Mills was, being polite and offering her a ride home – which would no doubt be much warmer – and she was passing it off like an idiot. "I mean I wouldn't want to intrude."

"I insist." And then she flashed that brilliant smile of hers, which made Emma give in with a soft huff at herself.

"Thank you." Emma followed behind the brunette as they headed toward the readily awaiting car. She bit her lip, waiting as the teacher had unlocked the doors, and got in. Quickly, she put her seat belt on and waited. "I don't live far from here. It's just a few blocks down. It's that old apartment building."

Ms. Mills nodded and pulled away from the curb to head to their destination. The only words spoken were Emma's, during the drive, as she gave directions. It wasn't long before they had arrived, and the brunette put the car into park outside of the building.

"We're here, dear." She turned to look at Emma and the blonde blushed.

Why the hell was she blushing? Perhaps it was for the fact that the brunette had just driven her home and that they were just sitting there outside her apartment like they were supposed to do something.

"Yeah…" she lamely muttered, unbuckling her belt. "Thank you for the ride. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome, Emma." Ms. Mills offered her a warm smile. They locked on and held each other's gazes for a few seconds, and then Emma found herself leaning forward.

She didn't know what was possessing her to do so, but there she went. The proximity of the two was closing and the warmth only grew. She swore she saw the brunette teacher lean in closer as well, and soon enough, they weren't far apart.

Emma's breath caught in her throat at the closing distance, eyes locked on the older woman's tempting lips and that little pink tongue that came out to wet them. The world slowed around them; each heartbeat felt as if it had taken a minute, but she knew that little organ was hammering away in her chest. It almost hurt, but then again, that might have been her burning lungs as she became too afraid to breathe.

But through the thundering in her ears, she heard the faintest of noises escape Ms. Mills' parted lips. Emma wasn't quite sure what that was, and she didn't care, because that had led to what happened next, and what happened next was something that she would never forget.

She had leaned in to close the space between them. Emma nearly groaned as she felt the older woman's soft lips brush tentatively against her own. Her entire body was buzzing as she transcended into the stars, and she was sure no kiss had ever felt like this before.

She heard another noise rumble from deep within the brunette's throat once again, and that had made Emma turn into putty. Dear Gods, the sound shot straight to her core. It was wrong, yes, but did she really care? No.

The feeling of fingers delving between each golden lock forced more electricity to course down her spine, pebbling her skin. Her own hand had found purchase on the older woman's hip as she leaned in closer, enjoying the proximity to the fullest it could get in a cramped little car.

She felt a tongue slide across her lips before the two had finally pulled away and suddenly she wanted to taste her more, but she resigned to what she had and smiled. Both stayed a close distance, lips parted.

It was Emma who was first to speak, muttering, "sorry…" because she hadn't known what else to say and didn't exactly trust her mouth in that moment. Her head had felt like it was literally in the clouds.

"Don't be," was the English teacher's breathy response.

Emma's pale lips curled into a helpless smile at those two simple words. She didn't mind at all that they had just kissed. She certainly hoped that this didn't come as a problem in the future, but then at the same time, she hoped that it wouldn't be forgotten, either. She knew that she would never be able to forget it.

She tasted like apples and caramel coffee.

It wasn't until the brunette had cleared her throat did Emma break from her mused thoughts. She pulled her hand from the other woman's hip and reached for the door handle.

"Thank you… for giving me a ride," Emma whispered, pulling the handle to pop the door open. "Goodnight, I hope you have a good one."

"Any time, dear." The words were much lighter and airier than they had been all night, and they had made the blonde smile. "Thank you, Emma, and have a wonderful night."

That smile hadn't left her lips, even as she reached her bedroom after a few questions from Mary Margaret regarding her trip to the library. The woman never protested her hanging out there for hours on end. It had become something of her thing when she had a busy mind. Her mother didn't want to keep her from it and had learned that it was better to let her go rather than keep her unhappy and locked up.

"Goodnight, Emma!" She heard both voices chime from downstairs.

"'Night!" she replied, flopping onto her bed.

If there had been any other night that she had dubbed the best, this would easily surpass it. Because this night – and that very moment – had been the best in her entire life. Despite the way the day had started, she would do it all over again.

And with a smile spread wide across her face, she closed her eyes and let the darkness take over. Tomorrow was going to be a good day, she was sure. She would float on a cloud the entire time. She couldn't wait to see the English teacher once again. Hopefully slumber would approach quickly.