Unexpected Love

The next day Mary Margaret had met up with Emma at the park in the middle of the town. Mobs of the civilians populated the area. Some had their stands up and running as they displayed their items to sell or activities to participate in, while others were beginning to set up theirs. She hadn't baked for this event. Her mind was elsewhere after the incident with Mr. Gold about the basement. Guilt had consumed her. A simple task – do not enter the basement and yet, she had. He let her stay with him and she disobeyed to his request. Though, in the end, she did gain a new furry friend. 'Kitty' was what she called him, since she didn't know his name and he would always be by her side. He even slept on the bed with her last night. She wondered if the cat accidentally wound up in the basement or he was Mr. Gold's pet. Emma snapped the brunette out of her thoughts. "Hey, are you alright?" Mary nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." The blonde could tell she was lying, so she eyed her friend and the brunette turned her gaze to spot Henry. "Henry's waving to us." Emma looked to her biological son and waved. Regina wasn't too far from him with a disgruntled look upon her face. The two young women headed over to Ruby's stand.

Emma read the sign, "Moola for a smoocha?" Her eyebrow rose to a what-the-hell-are-you-thinking? look. Ruby only chuckled. "Yes, yes, I know. Lame! But Granny wants to fix up the diner and to do so; I am having a kissing booth." She tapped at the empty glass by her side. "Only a dollar for a kiss." Emma and Mary both shake their heads with amusement. "Karaoke was already taken by Archie and Ashley and her fiancé are having the pool dunk. So if you want to take out anger, go whip some balls at a target." I'd like to whip some balls at a certain Madame Mayor, Emma thought to herself. Henry had found his way over to them and he gave a hug to Emma. "Your selling goodies this year?" He looked up at Mary. "No, sorry. But perhaps next year." She smiled at the boy. Taking out a handful of dollar bills, he placed one in the glass jar. "Thank you." Ruby smiled as she planted a kiss upon his cheek. "Have you been saving up?" Emma asked. "Yes, I give a dollar to every table so I can help out with the community." The blonde ran her fingers through his hair. He was such a great kid. "Well, I'm off to the next one." He gave another hug and ran to another stand. As a customer approached Ruby's table, the girls strolled the park.

Hours had passed. Night was beginning to fall as the sky darkened. "Only a few more hours until the fireworks." Mary said cheerily; she loved to watch the bright lights in the sky. "Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?" Emma asked as she ate her ice cream that she had purchased at one of the stands. Mary averted her eyes to her shoes. "It's just that I violated a rule. I wasn't allowed in the basement but my curiosity got the better of me. And Mr. Gold is upset about it." Mary knew that upset was just a softer way of saying angry. "That's what you're disappointed about? It's not worth being down because of him. He'll get over it and if not, then screw him. And I don't mean literally." The brunette chuckled to the blonde's rant. But it did bother her. Emma threw away the empty cup and brought them in front of Archie's karaoke affair. "You are going to sing." Mary shook her head. "What? No, no, no." The sheriff's face turned into a defiant one. "You are going to get out of your comfort zone, and sing to forget." The blonde placed her hands upon her hips. "If you don't I will escort you back home and you won't be able to leave or watch the fireworks." Mary knew that her friend would go through with the threat. "Okay, so you pay a dollar to sing and if others like you, they will place a dollar into the jar." Archie held the form to sign up. She placed her name upon the list to sing and put a dollar in the glass jar. Archie handed her a book full of songs to choose from. Once she chose, she told the red haired man. As her name was announced, she shakily walked upon the stage, holding the microphone. People weren't paying much attention to her. She closed her eyes and began to sing.

"You only see what your eyes want to see
How can life be what you want it to be?
You're frozen….
When your heart's not open.

You're so consumed with how much you get
You waste your time with hate and regret
You're broken…
When your heart's not open."

Mary Margaret opened her eyes. Her voice hadn't been shaking. Crowds of people were watching her intently. Her attention laid on Mr. Gold.
"Mmmmmm-mmmmm, if I could melt your heart
Mmmmmm-mmmmm, we'd never be apart
Mmmmmm-mmmmm, give yourself to me
Mmmmmm-mmmmm, you….. hold….. the key."

She closed her eyes once more, to pretend the citizens weren't there as her nervousness was overwhelming.

"Now there's no point in placing the blame
And you should know I suffer the same
If I lose you
My heart will be broken

Love is a bird, she needs to fly
Let all the hurt inside of you die
You're frozen
When your heart's not open."

The brunette continued with the choruses and finished the song. She walked off stage, hearing the claps and cheers from others. Emma grabbed her arm. "I didn't know you could sing. You were great." She said excitingly. Mary smiled. "Thank you." Archie brought the glass bowl over to the girls. "Thank you for this." The glass bowl was filled with dollar bills. Except for a one hundred dollar bill that lay atop. Someone thought she was worth more than one dollar.

Sory this took so long, but I can't get on the computer more than I would like and writer's block is evil!

Last night episode was good. Though, what was with Rumpel sniffing James' coat? O.o