I have no idea why I'm doing this. I guess I'm using this as some kind of therapy. If you actually read this, English is not my first language so please don't get too angry if this is filled with errors lol.

TW for some dark shit. I guess it's going to touch some kind of eating disorder and depression. I know it's not exactly in character for these ladies, but again it's just my form for therapy.

"Will you please shut up?!", Emma was in the middle of an argument with her parents. It had become more regular with these fights lately, and she already knew how it would end.

"Emma, will you please try to listen to us? You need to spend more time with us, we're your parents and we need our little-", Mary Margaret didn't get any further than that before Emma walked as calm as she could out the door and slammed it shut after her.

She had to get out and clear her head. Tears were burning in her eyes and threatening to stream down her cheeks. Not because she was feeling very sad, more because she was angry and tired. She was tired of nobody listening to her and understanding what she was going through. The pressure she had on her shoulders was something she wasn't used to. Being Henry's mother was one thing, but also Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter, the Saviour, a princess and the Sherriff was all too much. It was way too much responsibility and now she was getting yelled at because she once again couldn't handle it.

Somehow her parents always made her feel like a disappointment. She knew they didn't mean it like that, but that's how they always left her feeling about herself. Emma walked outside and started running to clear her mind. This always worked. Running had a calming effect on her. As she ran down the street and towards the woods, she saw Regina leaving Granny's with a coffee in her hand. The older woman stopped for a second and watched as Emma made her way further down the street and finally disappeared out of sight.

3 weeks later

Henry had noticed a change in his birth mother the last couple of months. It started off as small signs. Emma chose to spend less time with him and his grandparents and more time working. She was always working or running in the forest. It was like she was avoiding spending time home at the loft with his grandparents. Henry couldn't help but feel slightly rejected by his own mother, but on the other hand he had Regina, who had always been there since his birth. He knew how much she loved him and was finally starting to return her love. Despite this, he couldn't help questioning Emma's recent activities and even wondering if he was the one there was something wrong with.

And of course Regina noticed the difference in her not so little boy anymore. She didn't say anything, and waited until he was ready to come to her. As they were eating dinner a Thursday night, he finally said something.

"There is something wrong with Emma", he simply stated as he picked at his meal.

"What do you mean, dear?" Regina stopped eating and looked at her son. He looked up at her and shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't exactly know what is wrong with her, but she's not acting as she usually is", he answered before he continued his meal.

Regina knew he was right. She had also noticed the slightly changed attitude of the blonde woman who used to challenge her on a daily level. The woman seemed to have retreated from her aggressive front and close to never tried to return the accusations Regina threw her way. It made Regina wonder a bit, but she figured it was none of her business and continued on with her life as usual. Even though she had to admit she kind of missed the blonde being her usual self and actually stand up to her as no one else had before. She couldn't even recall having seen the blonde after she had spotted her running off towards the forest, and that was about three weeks ago.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Regina asked Henry as they loaded the dishes into the dishwasher when they were finished with the meal.

Henry shrugged again and looked hesitantly at her, "I don't know. You might make it worse. I have already tried to ask her if anything's wrong, but she keeps saying no, so maybe you can try? She might actually listen to you".

Regina highly doubted that, but if her son asked her to she would try.

"I will talk to her tomorrow, okay?"

Henry nodded with a smile and quickly gave her a hug before running off to finish his homework.

Regina walked towards the station with the usual coffee in her hand. She opened the door and slowly made her way to the desk where Emma sat. Regina stopped for a second and took in the sight in front of her. The woman who usually glowed with confidence and self esteem now seemed to be gone, and replaced with a ridiculous version of the Emma Swan she knew. The blonde woman had her head rested in her hands, slowly rubbing her temples like she had a headache. She didn't even react to the sound of Regina's heels clicking down the hall towards her. Something was off with her, and Regina instantly knew it.

"Miss Swan," Regina said in a stern tone and watched as Emma slowly turned around and stood up. She watched Emma when her eyes flickered around the room, trying to focus. The woman in front of her blinked a few times and steadied herself to the desk, trying to make it unnoticeable, but of course Regina noticed.

"What are you doing here, Regina?"

"Emma, you honestly look sick"

"Gee, thanks, Regina." The lack of sarcasm in her voice had Regina wondering what was going on. That, and the look of her. Emma avoided Regina's gaze as the woman was taking in the looks of her. She wasn't kidding when she had said Emma looked sick. Her hair lacked the usual shine, she had dark rings under her eyes, her lips were dry and chipped, and her cheeks had sunken in like she had lost weight.

"My… Your… Our son is worried about you, Miss Swan".

"Can you please just call me Emma?"

"You're changing the topic". Emma sighed and finally looked her in the eyes.

"Look, I've not been sleeping well, that's all. I'm tired and I want to get back to work. Please tell Henry not to worry. I'm fine."

"Take my coffee then", Regina offered and held out her cup like it was the most normal thing to do.

"What's in it?" Emma asked as Regina lifted her eyebrow. This was definitely not the woman she thought she knew.

"My usual. Black coffee with fat-free milk."

"I prefer mine just black, so no thanks". Emma watched as Regina sat the coffee down at her desk.

"Henry wants you to join us for dinner tonight. Be there at 6 sharp", Regina said before she turned around and left the station.

Emma finally sat down in her chair and let out a deep breath. It had taken her a lot more than she would like to admit to stand for that long and pretend everything was just fine. She looked at the coffee and debated with herself if she should drink it. Then she remembered the dinner she was supposed to attend later that day and threw her coffee in the trash. She could feel the dizziness take her by surprise when she stood up to reach the trashcan, but chose to ignore it before she finally returned to her chair. Her stomach growled from the never-ending hunger she was feeling lately, and Emma couldn't help but smile. This was going to be an interesting day.