A/N: This is way too short, took way to long, and also unbeta'ed as I spent so much time on it, my beta ended up being busier with far more important things. And I am so sorry. There are only two chapters left in part 1, and I am sorry this has taken me over two years to get here. So I am gonna ask. I'm gonna try to 20,000 words of this fic series for NaNoWriMo, but would you want me to wait until I have atleast 10+ chapters of the sequel before starting to post it, or would you rather have this stupid ass update whenever i have time schedule?
Emma had a terrible feeling in her stomach. She had it all day, and the fact that Fiona has been avoiding her hadn't helped it much. She could tell that something was wrong. Emma did pride herself on having a great gut.
She walked towards the little outdoor area that the school had, where Fiona texted her, asking her to meet. It was a little out of the way, and seeing as it was December and cold, it would probably be abandoned.
Emma loved winter, she especially loved the snow. As she was looking around for Fiona, she couldn't help but be amazed by the snow covered trees and the snow on the ground. Emma had always loved winter, because it covered the flaws and left everything blank. She loved the cold, she loved everything about winter.
"Hi…" Emma heard Fiona's voice behind her, she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts and the beauty around her that she hadn't heard the footsteps.
"Hi." Emma answered nervously. There was no way this conversation would have a happy ending.
"We need to talk." Fiona said, and every worry Emma had felt confirmed. Fiona was breaking up with her. She just knew.
"You are breaking up with me, aren't you?" Emma said, trying to keep her voice strong, but she fell slightly short.
"It's complicated." Fiona said, and Emma could tell the girl was somewhat conflicted, and Emma realized what this was about. Maybe she should have known all along, yet somehow she didn't. But the look on Fiona's told her everything. This was about Katie. She should have known.
"It's Katie, isn't it?" Fiona asked, hoping she was wrong. Everyone had warned her about it. But she hadn't cared, because she really liked Fiona. And she just wanted someone. She wanted to feel like what she was, what she wanted, was normal. She didn't want to be alone.
"Yes." Fiona confirmed barely above a whisper.
"So, this is it then? You are dumping me for your ex-girlfriend?" Emma said the anger viable in her voice. She felt betrayed.
"It's complicated," Fiona said again. "It's always complicated with her. I love her, Emma. I have loved her for such a long time. I owe it to us, to her, to whatever we have to give it one more chance."
"I won't say that it's okay, or that I understand. But I won't argue with you. I can tell that your mind is made up." Emma said, resigned now. She knew she couldn't compete with Katie. She never could. Maybe she wasn't supposed to. It didn't really matter now anyway.
"I really do care about you, Emma." Fiona says.
"Just not enough, right?" Emma said, and her heart broke. Because she had heard that so many times. From foster parents who had to send her away, from social workers, from so many people, so many times.
"I'm so sorry, Emma. I never intended for any of this to happen." Fiona said, and Emma could tell that she meant it. But it didn't matter. Nothing mattered right now.
"That doesn't make it hurt any less now, does it?" Emma said, the tears treating to fall from her eyes.
"I guess not." Fiona said leaned in and kissed Emma's cheek.
"Goodbye, Emma." Fiona said, before leaving Emma standing there alone.
She was crying. Emma Swan-Blanchard was hiding in a classroom crying, because of a stupid girl. Emma didn't think she was that girl, turns out that she was exactly that girl. Emma didn't know if that made her angrier than the fact that Fiona broke up with her the day before the dance.
No, no. She was absolutely more pissed at the fact that Fiona had broken up with he, despite the fact that she had actually really wanted to go to that dance. She had pretended that she didn't care, but she did. She had wanted to go to that dance, she had worked hard. Sure, she had originally joined to be closer to Regina, but she soon realized she actually like everything. She liked working with Ruby, Graham and Regina. It felt good to be a part of something.
Why did Fiona have to break up with her today? Sure she would have preferred if Fiona hadn't broken up with her at all, but she could at least have waited until Monday. She was so wrapped up in her own sadness that she didn't hear someone entering.
"Hi…" She heard the voice she didn't know she wanted to hear.
"Hi, Graham," Emma said and wiped her eyes, "What are you doing here?"
"I came looking for you of course." He said brightly, "You know how news travels at this school."
Emma did know that. She was pretty sure everyone knew that she and Fiona had broken up. After all, it hadn't been that many months since she and Ruby had been gossiping about the breakup of Fiona and Katie. Actually it wasn't that many months since Graham had last found her, crying over a girl. Emma assumed some things would always stay the same.
"How is it you always seem to be here when my heart breaks?" Emma said, trying to joke, but knowing the joke fell flat.
"Are you okay?" Graham asks, and pulls up a chair and sits next to Emma.
"I feel stupid, and kind of heartbroken." Emma said honestly, "I mean everyone warned me about her. That she would leave. That she and Katie would find their way back. But I didn't listen, and I really liked her, you know?"
"I know." Graham said earnestly, "I know. But none of this is your fault."
"Then why do I feel like this?"
"Because you're sad. And you feel like you should have known, but you couldn't. Fiona gave up no reason not to trust her." Graham said, and Emma could tell he was talking from experience, and she once again wondered what really happened between him and Regina.
"Also I really wanted to go to that dance…" Emma said, trying to change where the conversation was going. She wasn't sure she was ready to look back on her relationship with Fiona to determine whether or not Fiona actually gave her a reason not to believe.
"You should come with me…" Graham said with a massive smile, "Come on, Em. We'll have so much fun."
"Seriously? You want to take me? Don't you want to take a girl you actually have a chance with?"
"You know very well that I am only interested in one girl, and no one else seem to matter right now. I don't want to take a girl, and get her hopes up. You're perfect." Graham said, still grinning.
"I'm sorry my sister is such an asshat, Gray." Emma said and squeezed Graham's hand, "And yeah. I'll go with you. We will rule that dance won't we?"
"Totally. There is no doubt we'll be the hottest people there."
"I am beginning to think I have a bad influence on you." Emma joked.
"Tell me about it." Graham laughed, "Regina has been saying that since the beginning."
"I'm hurt." Emma said grumpily, before breaking out a grin. And she realized just how happy she was that Graham found her. He had found a way of cheering her up that never failed, and they had a connection that made her heart swell.
"Come on." Graham said, and dragged Emma towards the door.
"Where are we going?" Emma asked.
"We're going to get ice cream, maybe even go to that great place you love which takes forever to get to." He paused, and smiled. "You should wallow, and I could wallow with you."
"Thank you." Emma said, and hugged him.
"What are friends for?" Graham said, and as the two of them left, Emma felt happy and at place for the first time that day.
Emma was lying sprayed out on her bed, listening to every sad song she had ever downloaded as that is after all the only way to deal with a break up. The ice cream and talk with Graham had helped, but she was allowed to wallow. She was staring up in the ceiling when she heard the phone ring. She looked at the display and saw that it was Regina.
"Hi..." Emma answered the phone, glad that Regina had called.
"Hi. I heard what happened…" Regina said carefully, and Emma could tell that Regina was sorry. Which surprised her, Regina had been cold in regards to her relationship with Fiona at best.
"I assume you didn't call just to tell me 'I told you so', because I am feeling stupid enough as it is." Emma said sadly. Everyone had told her that Fiona would get back together with Katie, but for some reason she hadn't believed it. She wanted it so badly not to be true.
"I wouldn't do that. I am sorry that I was right. I called to make sure you were okay."
"I just feel so stupid." Emma said, while talking to Graham earlier had helped, she still felt so stupid, "Everyone told me this would happen, but I started to care about her anyway. I really liked her, Regina."
"You are not stupid."
"Really?" Emma said sarcastically.
"Really. You liked her. She liked you. You dated. She broke up with you." Regina said, "Most high school relationships go like that. Some last, but most don't."
"Somehow that makes me feel both better and worse."
"I seem to have that effect on you." Regina laughed, and Emma had to admit that that sound was still the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.
"But really, Emma. You did nothing wrong here, and if anyone should feel bad it should be Fiona. If she believed that she would get back together with Katie, she shouldn't have let you on."
"I get that. But she was my first real girlfriend; I should be allowed to mope." Emma said, "And who breaks up with someone the day before a big dance?"
"I know you were looking forward to going, if you still want to, you can be my date?" Regina asked, and Emma's heart stopped. What was going on? Why did Regina ask her that? Her mind worked a million miles a minute, before she realized that Regina was probably just being nice.
Regina was a senior and therefore she was allowed to bring a date from any of the classes if she wanted to. She asked for the same reason Graham did. Because she knew that Emma had looked forward to this dance, despite pretending not to care.
But still Regina asked her, Regina asked her out. Regina had never asked her out before. Not even as friends, it was always Emma that asked her, or Graham, or Ruby or even Mary Margaret. Regina had never taken the first move before. Had something changed?
She didn't want to deal with her conflicting feelings about Regina right now; her head was too busy dealing with getting dumped.
"Graham already asked." She said instead, there was no reason to make this awkward. While she would love to go with Regina, going with Graham was easier. She didn't like Graham.
"Oh, so you are still going then?" Regina said, and Emma could almost swear that she sounded disappointed, but she just pushed to the back of her mind. She really didn't want to deal with this now. No, she was too tired and sad, and messed up inside right now.
"Yeah. I really wanted to go, and Graham realized that so he asked. Especially since the girl he really wants to go with, is going with her asshat of her boyfriend."
"He is going to wait for her, you know?" Regina asked, "That's the kind of guy he is."
"I am starting to realize that." Emma said, "I just wish my sister would realize it. She should be with someone like him. Someone good."
"Graham deserves happiness..." Regina said sadly, and Emma wondered again what had happened between them. The little both of them had told her didn't really tell her much. Regina didn't want to talk about it, and Emma could tell the entire thing was still a little bit of a sore suspect for Graham.
"We all do." Emma said, and smiled sadly. "Don't we?"
"Probably. Doesn't mean it's going to happen though, does it?" Regina said, and Emma's heart broke for her. She didn't know what was going on inside Regina's head, but she was starting to realize that whatever it was went deeper than anyone could see from the outside.
"Let's talk about something else, please?" Emma said instead of trying to analyze the problems that Regina might or might not have. Today had been heavy enough as it was.
"Of course." Regina said, and as Emma settled underneath her covers talking with Regina, she couldn't help to think that this is how it should be. And that scared her endlessly.