It's Always Sunny in Storybrooke!

CHAPTER 4

Saturday night was not supposed to be this miserable.

Two days ago, Hook and Neal had stormed out of Granny's, leaving her to stew in her (admittedly childish) misery. Later that night, Emma had tried to call both of them, but neither picked up.

Neal was angrier with her than he'd been in a long time, which really shook her. Neal never got angry, at least not with her. It was one of the things she loved and hated most about him. He had a total of three emotions: hungry, tired, and bored. Every time she brought up anything remotely emotional, he would either joke his way out of it or stare at her indifferently until she'd finished talking. It was frustrating, but refreshing: her parents always wanted to drag out every emotional conflict they encountered, talking about it until it left them all feeling drained and exhausted and out of breath. Neal was content to let things slide, and go on relaxing through life.

So to see him actually....feeling was kind of terrifying.

But Hook's behavior was even more unsettling. She knew that no matter how angry or upset he was, he would never pass up the opportunity to talk to her. Any chance he got to tell her he loved her, to try to convince her to love him back, to tell her that he would do anything for her, blah blah blah...he would take it. So, if he was no longer hanging on her every word, her every move, that could only mean one thing. He was over her.

And that pissed her off more than anything.

Neal was one thing; she could never really get a straight answer out of him. She knew he loved her and all, but he never said it, never talked about it. It was just an unspoken understanding between the two of them. Hook smothered her in love and romance, making grand speeches and even breaking out the man-tears, if he felt the situation called for it. Normally, it drove her crazy and she felt suffocated just being in the same room as him. But now that he had stopped...she kind of missed it.

Especially now as she sat alone at her table in Granny's, glowering across the room at Hook and Ruby on what looked suspiciously like a date.

"Oh, would you just shut up," she muttered disgustedly. watching Ruby giggle, playfully smacking his arm. Hook grinned over the top of his glass, raising an eyebrow. Emma felt her jaw drop in indignation. She knew that look. That was her look! Why was Ruby seeing that look? That wasn't for her! That bitch was stealing her look!

"You seem upset."

Emma raised her eyes to see Regina standing over her, frowning curiously. Emma looked at her for a second before taking another swig from her glass. "I'm fine."

Regina looked around awkwardly. "Er..." She carefully tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "May, uh—" she gestured toward the chair—"may I sit?"

Emma blinked in surprise. "Uh...yeah. Sure."

Regina took her seat, still looking uncomfortable. Their relationship was a confusing one. It wasn't quite a friendship, but there was a mutual respect and concern for the other's well-being. Sharing a son had brought them closer, but it hadn't done much to endear them to each other.

"Um..." Regina tapped the table, not meeting Emma's eyes. "Look, normally I wouldn't bother...I mean, I honestly couldn't care less about your personal life—"

"Thanks, Regina. I'm really touched."

Regina gave her an annoyed look. "I couldn't care less about your personal life," she repeated. "But I respect you too much to allow you to upset yourself over—" she waved her hand dismissively—"him."

"I'm not upset—"

"Emma, I'm trying to be supportive right now, could you please not talk?"

Emma raised her eyebrows. "...Okay."