Crocodile's Daughter - Never Lose Hope

7 - The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

I sat at the bar in Granny's, sipping hot cocoa when Sidney bet Graham that he couldn't hit the deer taped onto the dartboard again. Graham hit the deer when Emma walked by. She was leaving when Graham threw a dart into the wood near the door. "What the hell? You could have hit me," She yelled at Graham. "I never miss. You've been avoiding me...since last night when you saw me," Graham said, walking up to her.

 "' leaving the mayor?' And, yes, that is a euphemism. I'm not avoiding you, Graham. I just have no interest in having this conversation. It's your life, and I really don't care," Emma said, leaving. I put a 5 down on the counter, finished my cocoa, and left to go back to the shop. "If you don't care, then why are you so upset?" Graham asked Emma as I set foot outside Granny's. "I'm not upset!" Emma lied. "If that were true, you'd be at the bar with me having a drink and not running away," Graham said, stopping her.

"It's none of my business, really," Emma said, walking past him. "Can we please talk about this? I need you to understand," Graham said. "Why?" She asked. "I don't know. Uh, maybe so I can understand," He said. "You need analysis, go talk to Archie," She told him.

 "I want to talk to you," He insisted. "Well, your bad judgment is your problem, not mine," Emma said, walking away. "You don't know what it's like with her. I don't feel anything. Can you understand that?" He begged. "A bad relationship? Yeah. I understand a bad relationship. I just don't want to talk about yours," She said. "Look, I know you and Regina have your own issues, and I should have told you that before you took the job," He admitted.

"Yeah, why the secrecy? We're all adults, besides Reagen. You can do whatever you want. Besides, does Reagen even know about this?" Emma said. "'Cause I-I didn't want you to look at me the way you are now," Graham said. "Why do you care how I look at you?" Emma asked. "Because..." He said. "What?" She asked.

I didn't hear what happened next because I had gotten back to the shop. I locked the door, then went to sleep, wondering what they were talking about. That morning, I was wiping down some of the cases, when I found a strange dagger in a case. It had vines cared into it, with a songbird surrounded by thorny vines. On the other side, I found a name carved into it.

 It was Rempalenski. What a funny name, I thought, as my father walked in. "What's this?" I asked, handing it to him. "Must be some old family heirloom," He said, handing it back. I put the dagger back into its case.

"I saw your sheriff in the woods. He said he was searching for a wolf," He said, going behind the counter. "But there's never been wolves in Storybrooke," I said. "That's what I told him," He replied. "Well, I'm going to go see if there are any cases down at the station," I said, walking out the door. When I arrived, Emma was throwing darts at the board hanging on the corkboard.

I ducked as it flew past my head, and she sighed as it fell the floor. "Our tax dollars hard at work, I see," Regina said, walking here. "Graham isn't here. I assumed he took a sick day...with you," Emma told her. "So you're aware of us. Good. That's why I'm here. Because I'm also aware of your relationship with him," She said. "I don't have a relationship with him," Emma said, going to her desk as I sat down at mine.

"Oh? So nothing's ever happened between the two of you? You forget Ms. Swan. I have eyes everywhere," Regina said. "Nothing that meant anything," She told her. "Well, of course not, because you're incapable of feeling anything for anyone. There's a reason you're alone, isn't there?" Regina asked. "All due respect, the way I live my life is my business," Emma said. "It is until it infringes on my life. Stay away from Graham. You may think you're doing nothing, but you're putting thoughts in his head--thoughts that are not in his best interests. You are leading him on a path to self-destruction. Stay away," Regina said.

 "Ms. Mills, if you're looking for Graham, my father said that he ran into him in the woods. Told me that he was looking for a wolf," I said as she left. "What the heck was Regina talking about 'us?'" I asked. Emma gave me a weird look. "You know what? I don't want to know," I said, grabbing a dart. I tossed it at the board, nailing the center.

"How are you so good at that?" Emma asked. "What do you think I spend all my free time doing?" I asked, throwing another dart. "You must have a lot of free time," Emma said. "You could say that," I said, hitting the center again. "Remind me not to challenge you to a game of darts," Emma said, walking out.

"Noted," I said. I was still throwing darts when Graham and Emma got back. "What happened to you?" I asked because Emma had a bruise on her face. "She got into a scuffle with Regina," Graham told me as Emma sat on my desk. "I'm sorry," Graham told her.

 He gave her an ice pack, which she held to a cut on her head. "I don't know what came over me, how I lost my mind," He said. "It's okay. You were tired and feverish...and heartbroken," Emma said. "I don't know why I let myself get caught up with her," Graham admitted. "Because it was easy and safe. Not feeling anything's an attractive option when what you feel sucks," Emma said.

Graham took the ice pack back, then leaned in. He dabbed at the wound on her head, making her wince. "Felt that," Emma said, making him chuckle. "All better," He said, pulling the tissue away. "Yeah," Emma said softly.

"What?" Graham asked Emma. Emma stood up and walked over to him. I heard them kiss. "Ugh, get a room you two," I groaned, turning away. I heard Graham fall back.

 "Graham?" Emma and I asked. "You okay?" I asked, walking over. "I remember," He said, smiling. "Graham?" Emma asked. "I remember," He whispered.

"You remember what?" She asked. Tears slid down his cheeks as he took her face in his hands. "Thank you," He said. They moved to kiss again when Graham grunted and fell to the floor. "Graham? Graham! Graham? Graham! Graham! Graham!" Emma said, falling to her knees and shaking him.

 "Graham! Graham, come on, Graham!" Emma said. She held her ear next to his mouth. "Graham," She sobbed, and tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at his body. I was so shaken, I couldn't do anything except let the tears roll down my cheeks. "No, Graham," I muttered.

a/n Thank you so much for over 100 reads on this story! I never thought I would get this far with this book.