"Hey, Belle," Emma said softly, standing beside the girl as she pulled an armful of books from her locker.

"Hey! How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

Belle could hear from her tone that she knew something was wrong, she she sighed heavily and shut her locker with a loud bang that resonated throughout the hallway, causing a few heads to turn.

"She told you, didn't she?"

"No. I asked how she ended up talking to you. She said you met at the cafe and that you'd been upset and that you'd told her things she couldn't tell me herself and that you'd tell me when you were ready. So what's up?"

"My parents put my shit by the curb the other day and basically told me to come get it or they were going to throw it out."

"Shit, man," the blonde said. "That sucks."

"Tell me about it. I mean, I knew they wanted me gone. They already kicked me out. It just didn't feel real until now. It just felt like a really great vacation from their bullshit. Now, it's like... I don't know. Now, I have to imagine myself at my graduation alone."

"You won't be alone. I'll be there."

"Why? You're graduating this year."

"Because I wouldn't miss it for the world. I've also got no doubts that you'll be valedictorian."

"Oh, come on. I'm-"

"Look, I'm really sorry about what your parents did. That's really shitty, and I know it's scary to imagine your life without them when they've been your whole life for so long, but I promise you it'll be okay and that you won't be alone. I'll always be here to back you up, okay? No matter what."

Books clutched to her chest with one arm, Belle used the other to embrace her friend tightly, kissing her cheek before pulling away.

"Love you," she said, smiling slightly as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.

"Popcorn and movies tonight?"

"No way. You've gotta study."

"UGH," Emma groaned loudly. "But mooooom."

Laughing, Belle shoved her shoulder and replied, "Let's get to class. I'll see you later."

That night was spent exactly as planned, until - after studying for an extensive amount of time - they fell asleep beside each other in the middle of Sleeping Beauty.

Given that the next day was Saturday, they both were more than happy to sleep in, which they did, only rolling out of bed around one in the afternoon.

"So," Emma said slowly over breakfast.

"So?"

"Regina wants me to see a therapist."

"That's probably a good idea. Are you hesitant?"

"Of course I'm hesitant! It makes me feel crazy. I don't want to have to go to a shrink. I want to be fine on my own."

"I think you know that you're not, though... Please don't take that the wrong way. I just mean... I think you know that this is more than you should handle on your own."

"I handle it just fine! Why do you guys insist on-"

"I'm not insisting on anything. I'm just saying that you don't have to do this yourself. You have a lover and a best friend who care about you, but we're not in a position to help you with the things you don't feel comfortable talking about. You need someone professional who knows how to help you the way that you need and we can't."

"I guess you're right," Emma sighed. "I told her I'd go to one session, so she said if I went and hated it, she'd get off my ass about it."

"That sounds fair. Then again, not every therapist knows what they're doing. If you get a bad therapist, it doesn't mean that someone who's actually good at their job couldn't help you."

"Yeah, yeah. Stop sounding so smart."

Emma's small smile told Belle that she was alright and that she wasn't angry, so she leaned in for a hug. When the girl returned it, she smiled and squeezed tighter.

"I love you."

"I love you too, buddy. You're the best."

"I'm proud of you for doing this, Em."

"Well, don't get too excited. I haven't done it yet."

"But I know you. You won't back out after giving your word. It's a good first step."

"Bleh. Anyway, what do you want to do today? Movies?"

"I think you should study more, hun. You were pretty unfocused last night."

"And you think I'll be more focused on the weekend?"

Belle laughed and shook her head, saying, "I think you should at least give it a try."

"Alright, alright. Fine. What's with you guys and wanting what's best for me? It's ridiculous."

"Aw, shut up, punk. Don't be such a whiner."

With a wink, Belle pulled the girl out of the kitchen and back up the stairs into their bedroom. Luckily for Belle, Emma actually was more focused that day, and they were able to go over the same material in almost half the time. This meant, of course, that they had more time for movies, which they dove right into after eating lunch.

Once again, they fell asleep in the middle of a Disney movie (Hercules) and spent the entire night sleeping soundly.

By the time the sun came up in the morning, Emma was surprisingly rested enough to open her eyes. Once she'd texted her lover and made plans for the evening, she woke Belle and relayed them to her. After Belle had given her a sleepy hug goodbye with only one eye barely open, she went downstairs to wait for the woman to pick her up, happy to have spent the time with her best friend, but anxious to see her lover again.