Participated in the following meme on tumblr:

"send me "Librarian!" and a page number and I'll grab the closest book, flip to that page number, and write a ficlet based on a random line of text from said page."

Prompt: Librarian! + 56 – lessawildmoon

"It wasn't as if there was anyone waiting for him at home." Dust to Dust (The Prophecy: Book 1), Heather Graham

A/N: So, I kinda sorta cheated. Originally, when I picked out the prompt, I got
"He immediately fills the small room with his strong masculine energy." The Bride Wore Size 12, Meg Cabot
But it was weeks. And I had nothing. I changed which AU verse I was in like five times. So, under my theory that Meg Cabot is my fave and I was terrified of using her words as a prompt, I changed books. And I found this new sentence that makes me have so many Graham feels I cannot. So, here we go. AU: Graham doesn't die in 1x07. But, fearing that Emma would not want him if she knew the truth, and certain that it would be wrong to be with her under false pretense, he backs off, starting to isolate himself from not just her, but the town, even resigning as Sheriff. (Post-curse, but Gold has not yet unleashed magic)

He spends most of his time in the forest, now, but some nights he stays in his apartment in order to maintain appearances as best he can. Tonight is going to be one of those nights, he decides. It's been nearly two weeks; people are probably starting to wonder and he'd rather not face uncomfortable questions. Most people wouldn't even care, but at the very least there'd be Red- Ruby here- And Granny who would decide that he was acting strange.

He sighs as he turns the key in the lock, turning the lights on as he heads into the kitchen to see what he has in stock. He'd rather not make a grocery run if he doesn't have to.

Behind him, there is a loud clatter – he swears he hears a hushed "dammit" in Emma's voice and he spins to see what has happened. Sure enough, the princess is there, looking ashamed to be caught. But why?

"Sorry."

"Emma- What are you doing here?"

"Hiding from Mary Margaret and David," she shrugs, still a bit sheepish and obviously uncomfortable. He really doesn't understand why she's hiding from her parents, though – Snow- Mary Margaret is her friend. And the prince? He doesn't know the cursed David very well, only met the prince briefly in their own world, but he has heard nothing unkind about the man. Then, he has been avoiding people lately. "I didn't think you'd be here… With the curse being broken, I thought- You'd have your happy ending to get back."

He feels his breath catch when she says that the curse is broken. Of course he wouldn't have noticed – he'd had his memories back already.

"I don't think the one I care for would welcome me with open arms." He means her, of course. He knows that pushing her away when he did would have meant the end of any chance he might have had. But it was the right thing to do – she deserves better.

"Why's that?" She looks interested, head cocked to the side, shoulders relaxing a bit more now that they're talking. He'd rather be done with the conversation than potentially face her rejection if she figures out that he means her, but if things are so awkward with her parents she's not likely to leave quite yet.

"I am nothing, she is a princess. I once was meant to kill her mother, and would have without remorse if not for- Well, that doesn't matter now. But perhaps worst… I pushed her away right when she started to open up to me."

"Graham." Emma is closing the gap between them, and soon she is so close she has to tilt her head upward to look him in the eyes. "Are you talking about me?"

He knows he didn't hide it well enough to even try and lie- And to combine that with her ability to detect lies, he knows that he's caught, and nods slowly.

"I care about you and Henry more than I've ever cared about another human," he admits. "But- I remembered, that night. I knew that I couldn't be with you based on a lie. I knew- I'd never be good enough to fit in your family. So I pushed you away, and I will always be sorry for that."

"That is the most stupidly noble thing I've ever heard." She lets out a small laugh, a smile gracing her features – and then he is caught off guard as she wraps her arms around him and meets his lips in a kiss. He hadn't even dreamed that she would forgive him, let alone kiss him again. He had resigned himself to not being a part of her life. This… This is entirely unexpected.

"I trust you, okay?" she breathes as they part, though she still holds him as close as she can. There is sadness in her voice and he wonders how much pain he may have unintentionally put her through, vows that if she gives him the chance he will never do so again. "So no more of this making decisions about us without me."

"Of course." He utters the words without hesitation, and then Emma is kissing him once more. And perhaps the curse breaking was supposed to bring everyone their "happy endings" – but this doesn't feel like an ending at all. It feels more like a new start.