Mary Margaret was punctual, just as she expected. Emma ducked into the booth, thankful that Granny was in the kitchen and Ruby was waitressing that night.

The brunette's face lit up when she realized that Emma had arrived.

"Hi Emma! How was your day?"

Emma paused.

"Long."

Mary Margaret looked at her in confusion.

Emma sighed.

"A lot has happened today. I don't reall-"

"Is this about the article?"

Emma snapped to attention.

"You read it?"

Mary Margaret looked at her sympathetically.

"I think everyone in this town has."

Emma groaned.

That meant that Henry had to have seen it. For some reason, it hurt her to think that he might be disappointed in her about this.

"He hasn't read it."

Emma snapped out of her cloud of self-pity.

Mary Margaret sipped on her glass of water and continued. "Henry doesn't know. I would have known if he did."

Relief washed over Emma. Somehow she knew that she had Killian to thank for that.

Mary Margaret grabbed her hand.

"Hey, even if he did, he wouldn't think any less of you. He thinks the world of you."

Emma smiled sadly.

"He's putting an awful lot of faith in me."

Mary Margaret returned her smile.

"He's always looked for the best in people."

Emma smiled sadly, and Mary Margaret returned it.

"He hasn't had the easiest life, you know." Mary Margaret remarked.

Emma squeezed her eyes shut and inhaled sharply. She only reopened them when Mary Margaret squeezed her hand reassuringly and let go.

"What happened?" asked Emma in a broken whisper.

Mary Margaret's face was grim.

"Milah and Killian Jones were going to adopt a child. Then two weeks before they were supposed to get their child, they got into a bad car crash. Milah died and Killian lost his left hand."

She paused to take a sip of water, giving Emma time to digest her words. Killian didn't have a hand? She hadn't noticed at all. She mentally slapped herself. Of course, it's not like he couldn't be wearing a prosthetic, but she hadn't noticed because she had been too busy starting at his eyes.

Before Mary Margaret could continue her tale, Ruby was by their table, asking about their order.

Mary Margaret decided on a Cobb salad and Emma went with a grilled cheese with a side of onion rings.

Once Ruby was out of earshot, Mary Margaret started again.

"So when little Henry arrived, Killian was devastated. He was in a really bad place, and was not in the right mind to care for a baby. So Regina stepped in."

Emma choked on her water. So that's what Regina meant.

"How long did she look after him for?"

"Three years."

Emma looked at Mary Margaret in shock.

Mary Margaret shrugged helplessly.

"It's not like he never saw his dad, but Killian was really…well, he took her death really hard."

Emma nodded. Killian seemed to be a very intense man, and her heart went out to him in that instant. She knew how devastating loss could be, and understood the loneliness he must have felt. He reminded her of her own decision to give Henry up. She then frowned internally. Why did she seem to understand this man?

'Maybe because he's more like you than you would like.' The little voice in her head was being annoying again, and Emma pushed that thought away.

"So…" Emma started, trying to understand Henry's current plight, "he's trying to figure out who his family is?"

Mary Margaret beamed at him.

"Exactly! He's been acting out for months, trying to run away from home, being rude to both Killian and Regina. Killian eventually decided to send him to Dr. Hopper. He's the town psychiatrist." Mary Margaret explained, noticing Emma's furrowed brow.

Emma nodded, her heart going out to Henry. She remembered how angry she was at his age, lashing out at anyone she came into contact with, wishing she knew why her parents abandoned her.

"Excuse me, ladies."

They turned their heads to find Graham standing beside their table.

"Could I have a word with Ms. Swan?"

He shot Emma a tight smile. Emma didn't like where this was going.

Mary Margaret smiled.

"No problem, sheriff!"

Graham jerked his head towards the door, and with a sigh, Emma followed him.

As soon as they were outside, Emma decided to break the silence first.

"Listen, if Regina sent you-"

"She didn't."

Emma stared at him, and crossed her hands across her chest.

"Then why are you here?"

"Is the article right?"

Emma's cheeks coloured. How dare he? How was this any of his business?

"Are you asking if I was arrested for stealing? Yeah, I was." she said, angrily hoping that he would take the hint.

Graham raised an eyebrow at her.

"Actually I was referring to the part where it said you were a bail bonds-person."

Emma flushed again, but this time it was out of embarrassment, not anger. She couldn't meet his eyes now, but she could tell he was smirking in amusement.

"Oh. Yeah."

"Great!"

Her eyes shot up to meet his. He was smiling seriously this time.

"I'd like to offer you a job."

Emma wasn't shocked easily. In her line of work, she dealt with many nasty surprises that perps threw her way. In the last week however, she had been shocked so much that she wished that she was back at her job.

"You don't have to give me an answer right away."

Graham looked concerned, no doubt worrying that he had spooked her.

She nodded silently, processing what he had offered her.

He reached into his pocket, and pressed a business card into her hand.

"Just call me if you want to talk about it."

With that, he sauntered off into the night.

Emma slipped the card into her jacket pocket and did not move. She observed the town from her vantage spot. There were a row of shops interspersed between small houses. Small. Sleepy. Yet…there was something about this place that getting under her skin. There were secrets here that were trying to escape. She shivered, and she wasn't sure if that was an early autumn breeze, or her growing trepidation about this place.

"Emma?"

Emma jerked, and looked over her shoulder.

Mary Margaret stood in the doorway of Granny's, looking upset. Before Emma could say anything, Mary Margaret rushed over to her and pulled her into a tight hug. Emma froze, not sure how to respond. Mary Margaret pulled away, and grabbed her arms.

"Emma, Ruby just told me what happened to you! I'm so sorry! Do you have a place to stay?"

Emma looked into Mary Margaret's face and saw the concern there. Somehow telling her that she planned to sleep in her bug (and thus break into an auto repair shop) was not going to cut it.

"Well, I…" Emma tried to think of suitable answer, but her growing silence prompted Mary Margaret into action.

"You can stay with me."

Emma was shocked for the second time that night.

Mary Margaret's apartment was as adorable as she was. It was a lovely spacious industrial loft, a studio with an attic space.

Mary Margaret apologized for the mess (which was non-existent) and the fact that she could only offer her couch.

"Mary Margaret, it's more than I could have asked for. Thank you." Emma said honestly, a small lump forming in her throat. Is this why people loved small towns? She would have never invited a stranger to stay with her, only if it was for a night.

Mary Margaret smiled at her.

"It's no problem at all, Emma. I would do it for anyone."

Emma believed her.

She sank down on the sofa, pulling her duffel bag close to her. Mary Margaret eyed the bag.

"Is that all you have?"

"I travel light." Emma said wryly.

Mary Margaret sat down next to her.

"I guess you weren't expecting to stay too long."

Emma nodded.

"Have you considered staying longer?

Emma paused.

"Well, maybe. Graham did offer me a job…"

Mary Margaret looked surprised.

"Sheriff Graham? Really?"

"Yup. As his deputy."

"Huh." Mary Margaret scratched her cheek thoughtfully. "Will you take him up on it?"

Emma considered it. She was curious about this town, about Henry and Killian. She wouldn't mind staying for longer. All she had in Boston was a demanding job and a lonely apartment. A job would really help pay the bills. And….taking this job would really piss off Regina.

"You know what? I think I just might."