MARY MARGARET'S POV

Emma had left the apartment a little bit before noon. Everything was organised for tonight's party: Regina's campaign launch party. So, everyone that worked with the aspiring-to-be-mayor had the day off to get ready for the big event. Emma had decided to keep Regina from getting nervous and take her out for lunch. Something romantic that Belle and I had to help her plan because, let's be honest, Emma was not the best romantic person on Storybrooke. Today was a big day for both of them, that was why she had asked for our help and why we had agreed to help. Belle and I had arranged for them to have a small picnic on the beach, we put a small vintage tent and decorated as if it was the inside of a genie's lamp. It looked lovely.

Naturally, I was not waiting her to come home early so her sudden arrive had me confused.

"You are home," I pointed out and switched positions from laying down to sitting on the sofa. She closed the door violently, I jolted at the sound "And angry... What's wrong?"

"I told her," Emma replied walking towards me. She sat next to me, I faced her. "I told her I loved her,"

"Then, what's wrong?" I asked confused.

"She didn't say it back," the blonde girl replied and I swear I saw tears in her eyes. I squished her hand to show support.

"Maybe she was not ready to say it," I suggested.

"Please," Emma pulled her hand away from mine and hugged herself "I've used that card millions of times. I should know better, she doesn't love me back,"

I stared at her, she looked like a little lost puppy, and I started to wonder if David had been right all this time. Emma always wore a mask, showing everyone she was a careless and rebel girl, but deep inside she was not as strong as she pretended to be. She was just a girl who had been somewhat abandoned by her parents and had trouble letting people in.

For the first time in our lives, I didn't know what to do or say. I knew Emma cared about Regina, more than any other person she had ever dated. I could dare to say this was Emma's first real heart-break. Pursing my lips into a thin line, I wrapped my arms around Emma's shoulders and brought her towards me, hugging her tightly.

"Can we go to Granny's?" I heard her asking against my collarbone. "I'm hungry," she added pulling away from me.

"Didn't you just eat?"

"Like two hours ago!" she replied, cleaning the only tear that had escaped her eyes. "It is time for a snack!"

If Emma wanted to eat, it only meant that she was being herself again. And I didn't know whether to be worried because she was holding back, or relieved that she was taking this so good. Anyway, I decided to go to Granny's, I hadn't have lunch and it was almost five in the afternoon. I didn't text David to tell him about this whole episode, the last thing Emma needed to hear was 'I told you so,' or something along those lines.

By the time we entered to Granny's diner, Emma had already a smile on her face. I knew it was not because Regina's apparent rejection didn't bother her anymore as she claimed, but because being with Ruby always made Emma forget painful stuff. That was something good about Ruby, she was a wonderful pain absorbent. Suddenly, the smile on her face disappeared, it had been changed by a frown and a thigh jaw - she was upset. I followed her gaze to see what had triggered this reaction. Then I saw Regina sitting at a table, talking to someone.

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked in an angry tone. Angry enough to make me understand that she hadn't ask Regina that, she had asked it to the blonde girl who was sitting next to Regina.

"Emma," the blonde said with a smile "Why don't you sit with us?"

"Why don't you leave town?" Emma replied with another question, using her best fake polite tone. Her voice tone even took Regina by surprise, who raised and eyebrow and looked at the blonde.

"Emma, why don't you calm down and let her explain why she's here," Regina said stoically. Something told me that Regina knew why Emma was so angry at the other woman.

So, blondie was a mutual friend of Emma and Regina. But why was Emma acting like that? She had never been the jealous type of girlfriend. I had never seen this woman before, so Emma and Regina must have met her through David while he was at college. Either way, something didn't add up, my stomach was telling me that, and I started to hate that feeling.

"Lovely as always," the blondie replied. "I've heard you moved out from David's house, growing up, are we?"

"And I've heard you got herpes from the last guy you fuck, hustling up, are we?" Emma snapped back in her best you-don't-want-to-mess-with-me-sister tone.

My jaw then dropped, finally understanding the missing piece of the puzzle. The blondie's name was Kathryn, I knew she had cheated on David - David had told me that few days ago when I asked him why he had ended things with her after they had been together for almost three years. He also told me that she had contracted some disease from one of the her affairs.

"Emma, why don't we go and say hi to Ruby?" I asked grabbing Emma by the am and dragging her away. It was not like I didn't want her to have a catfight with David's ex, but I was starting to feel a little bit unconfident standing next to the girl. Just like Regina, Kathryn radiated superiority; something I definitely didn't beam. It was as if they had some regal aura that surrounded them, that made them untouchable.

Ruby was cleaning a table and smiled when she saw us. The brunette pointed a booth and screamed to her grandmother that she would have her break now.

"What's up?" She asked, understanding that something was off with both of us.

"Nothing," Emma muttered, staring at Kathryn. I just kept quiet.

"Yeah, right," Ruby snorted and looked at me. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong with her?"

Where to start from?

"She's having problems with Regina," I simplified the problem.

Ruby nodded and followed Emma's gaze "So, that's why you want to kill that blonde?" Ruby asked, not making the situation better "Oh, does Regina has a thing for blondes? that's why she never made a move on me,"

I should had told Ruby to stop with the funny comments, they were not doing good. I was sure Emma was not upset about Regina anymore, she was upset about Kathryn. Emma was very protective of the people that she loved, and David was of course one of those people. And if there was something Emma couldn't forgive, was cheating.

"Regina is not interested in Kathryn," Emma rolled her eyes at Ruby.

"So, what is going on?" Ruby questioned her friend. "I've never seen that Kathleen-chick around,"

"Kathryn," the blonde corrected Ruby, "Was my brother's girlfriend,"

Ruby's sight went from Emma, to Kathryn, to me. I knew she was wondering what was I thinking, but I was not going to give her the satisfaction by letting her now how insecure Kathryn made me feel. Being in the same room as David's ex-girlfriend made me feel like I was a pigeon next to a peacock.

"Ok," Ruby stood up "Since you too have a lot going on and don't want to share it, I'll go back to my job," she added, not angry at us but concerned about our behaviour. "Hamburgers and 'shakes?"

Emma was still killing her brother's ex-girlfriend with her sight, so I turned to Ruby and nodded at her. "Please, Ru - " I was interrupted by Emma's sudden movement: she had hit the table with her fist, making the pepper and salt to fall. Her act of violence had startled me. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" I asked her when my heart rate had calmed down.

"I think I shouldn't tell you," Emma looked at me. I understood her look, it has sorrow on her eyes "Don't turn,"

And of course I turned.

At first I didn't understand what had Emma meant with her last sentence because all I could see was Regina walking towards us wearing a serious face, I hadn't seen her that serious since we got arrested. But as she came closer, her body stopped covering the rest of diner - the table at which she had sat, to be more specific. Kathryn was still sitting there, but she was not alone. She was with David. Her hand over his. He was not holding her hand, but he hadn't move it away either.

Quickly, I turned around and fixed my gaze on the table. Repeating to myself 'Don't cry, don't cry,'. I trusted David, I knew he wouldn't cheat on me, but I also knew that if he still cared for Kathryn, that if he could see past the cheating thing, he would leave me and get together with her.

"Look, don't worry about it," I heard Regina's voice say as she sat next to me "I've seen the way he looks at you - I'm sure David is in love with you,"

"And what do you know about love," Emma spat. Auch, too soon, Regina, too soon.

Regina looked at the blonde with resent. Their conversation was too fresh and their emotions were too unstable to touch the topic right now.

"Is everything alright ?" I asked, shifting my eyes from Emma to Regina.

"Peachy," - "Couldn't be better," they both replied at the same time as they stared at each other. I could feel knives flowing from one woman to the other one.

"Ok," I let out trying to figure out who was the worst liar.

"We can just leave, M," Emma said after she broke eye contact with Regina "There's so many people I want to slap in this diner that I lost my appetite," she added piercing Regina with her eyes.

Regina looked down, and I felt sorry for her. Maybe there was more to it than what Emma had told her. Maybe I was right and Regina was not ready to tell Emma how she felt. "Fine, let's go," I nodded at Emma, but before I stood up and squished Regina's knee in trying to comfort her, to let her know that everything will be eventually fine.

Since our orders were already done, Ruby packed them to go and told us she would pass by our apartment later. I nodded at her and followed Emma towards the diner's exit door. It was only then when David noticed our presence in the restaurant, he quickly pulled his hand away from Kathryn.

"Mary Margaret," he said standing up.

Emma replied on my behalf, "I can't believe you are so stupid to choose her over M," the her sounded filled with venom.

"Wait, what?" he asked confused, his eyes shifting from me to Emma and then back to me "I'm -,"

"Save it, David," I said. I didn't know what was happening, but I was sure I didn't want to start a scene on Granny's diner, I didn't want to start a scene in any public place. "We'll talk later,"

I started walking without giving him time to reply, but before the diner's door closed behind me, I swear I heard Kathryn ask "Really? is that your girlfriend?" and David replying, "Yes, and I don't see why is that of your concern,". The way he had said it made me feel at easy. The only way the whole situation would have turned out more romantic would have been if David left the diner, ran after me and kiss me out of my senses.

But that only happened on romantic movies. And as Emma loved to tell me, real life is not a fairy tale.