The Love I Crave

Chapter Seven

Since Emma's questionable promise to Regina that she'd try and pull herself together, things were oddly calm. In fact everything in Emma's life was calm at the moment. School seemed to fly by, people in her year group spoke to her and even her teachers were happy with Emma's progressive change of behavior. The strangest thing was her foster home, Ingrid hadn't really done anything since the absence of her psychotic boyfriend, in fact all Ingrid did was lay in bed giving the kids free range of the house and most importantly the food cupboards.

Emma knew there was always calm before a storm. She just didn't know when the storm would come.

It was the last week of term, and school was positively buzzing and filled with excitement about the upcoming winter break. However a beautiful long haired blond was the exception to this buzzing excitement, Emma hated the holidays, beside from Ingrid not celebrating it with them, lack of money to just buy a simple tree and the obvious anger that holidays were meant for families, something neither of the foster children had, yes it was certain that Emma despised Christmas.

Emma was sat in the library, a newly discovered place that, as a result of the holidays, was completely empty apart from the occasional book worm who would come to browse a book then leave. The library was Emma's new escape from the world, specifically from people. Ruby and Belle had been dating for two weeks now and Emma was happy for her friends they were a cute couple and deserved one another but she couldn't help but feel like a constant third wheel. Ruby now constantly conversed about one topic, Belle and it was sweet but completely unnecessary.  Belle awkwardly avoided being alone with Emma and she had to admit that one stung a little bit. So yes she was at the library, avoiding them all.

A chair pulled out beside Emma and she huffed, couldn't people just leave her alone?

"May I sit here?" 

Emma cringed inside, she knew that voice, it was the voice she couldn't help but think of when she was falling asleep. 

"Sure." Emma smiled.

Regina sat next to Emma, and the tension thickened. Emma's pulse rapidly thumped and she took a large breath in a futile attempt to slow her breathing.

"Any plans for the holiday's dear?" Regina asked, breaking the long silence.

"Nope." 

"Holidays are nonsense anyways." Regina said as she gently nudged Emma with her elbow.

"Do you have any plans?" Emma asked in an attempt to steer the conversation from herself.

"No, unless you count my Mother demanding I return home for the holidays." Regina laughed, but Emma spotted that it was clearly forced.

"So not a fan of your Mother then?" Emma questioned.

"No not really."

Silence again. Both women had a thousand of words ready to spill from their lips but held back, waiting for the other to speak first.

"I actually came over here, so I could thank you." Regina admitted.

"For what?" Emma tilted her head, confused at the 

"For trying, even if I did annoy you in the process. Your grades have improved and I do truly believe by the end of this year your going to have so many prospects and opportunities in front of you. May I ask, do you have any plans about what your going to do after school?"

"I don't really know, maybe a bounty hunter?" Emma confided, trying to sound sure of her self.

"A bounty hunter?" Regina remarked, Emma noticed the hint of disappointment laced in her teachers words.