"There are a couple of things I want you to keep in mind if you are going to be staying."

Emma was seated at the kitchen table her eyes fixed on the Mayor's every move. After Mayor Mills had assured her that it was perfectly okay for Emma to stay the Mayor had sat Emma down at the table and began whipping up breakfast.

"First, you need to understand that you are an adult, and I am not your mother. Therefore you had better be responsible because I will not bail you out of any trouble you find yourself in. Second, I don't particularly care what you do with your time so long as you continue your schooling and nothing like the City Hall debacle happens again. Third, I am not accustomed to sharing my personal space with anyone so it will be an adjustment for me. I would appreciate it if you would at the very least pick up after yourself. Lastly, I want you to feel comfortable here so feel free to invite a friend or two over just try and keep what I just told you in mind and respect my private space."

The Mayor barely looked at her as she spoke her attention more focused on the scrambled eggs she was making. When she finished with her speech she had also finished breakfast and the food smelled amazing. Emma felt like she was in a trance and was willing to agree to anything the Mayor said.

"Sounds reasonable."

"Good, how are your eggs?"

"Delicious. You are an amazing cook."

Mayor Mills smiled at the praise and Emma felt slightly lightheaded though she assumed it was due to the events in the last couple of hours.

"Thank you dear."

They fell into a companionable silence and finished their breakfast. Regina collected the dirty dishes and placed them in the sink. She would have preferred to wash them right then but she had more important things to do. Sighing she turned away from the skink and back to the youth still seated at her kitchen table.

"I have four guest bedrooms, you may decide on whichever room you please. You can take a look at them later for now I think it would be best if we went and picked up some of your thinks from your mother's house."

The girl looked like she wanted to flee at the thought of returning to her mother's house. It took the girl less than a minute before the fear disappeared from the girl's eyes and was replaced with steely resolve.

Emma glanced at the Mayor and her stomach seemed to knot itself. They were standing outside the apartment building Emma had spent her entire life in. She knew everything about the building from the neighbors, to which stairs creaked.

For the most part she could not be happier about leaving the building and never returning. The last few years of living here had been hell. Ever since her father wound up in a coma, she felt like the place was less of a house and more of a prison. Mary Margret sure ruled over her domain like it was a prison.

Still there were good memories here, memories that now hurt her to think about.

A hand rested gently on her shoulder. Emma looked over to see concerned dark eyes studying her. It wasn't embarrassing to Emma that the Regina noticed her hesitance to re-enter Mary Margret's domain. It actually made her feel like a real person. Someone who's feelings mattered. It was something she had never felt living with her mother.

"We do not have to do this now if you do not want to. I can come back tomorrow and get anything you need," Regina offered.

"No. Thank you but no," Emma said with a firm shake of her head. This was something she had to do.

Squaring her shoulder's she left the relative safety of the sidewalk and approached the building. Regina was her silent and supportive companion, as she trudged once more up the stairs to the top floor were Mary Margret presided.

Emma and Regina had just reached the landing when the door to the apartment was thrown open and Mary Margret launched herself at her daughter.

"Oh, Emma I was so worried! What do you think you were doing running off like that? Do you know what could have happened to you? Right after it left it started raining, you know better than to just take off without a jacket!" Mary Margret

Emma pulled away from her mother and willed her face to remain impassive. She was here for one thing only: to collect her things. She wanted nothing to do with Mary Margret.

"I am here to get my things. I'm moving out," Emma informed her. With that said she darted past her mother and into the apartment.

"Wha-moving out? Emma!"

Emma raced up to her room and went straight to her closest, pulling out the garbage bag she had taken from Regina's house. Careless to exactly what she was grabbing she just scooped everything in sight into the bag. She wanted to get everything and leave as soon as possible.

"Emma what is this nonsense about moving out? You're still in school and –"

"And nothing as of today I am eighteen and legally an adult," Emma snapped interrupting Mary Margret. "That means I can move out and you can do nothing to stop me!"

"Where exactly do you think you will live?" Mary Margret asked in that commanding but still hysterical tone she did so well. "You have no money to afford your own place. How long do you think you will manage to stay at Granny's?"

"I don't plan on staying at Granny's," Emma said as she ripped open her dresser draw and started dumping all her socks into the garbage bag that was beginning to fill up.

"So where do you plan on living?"

"It is none of your business," Emma snapped at Mary Marget looking away from her task of unloading her dresser.

"Of course it is. It doesn't matter how old you are I am still your mother!" Mary Margret argued.

"No you're not. You haven't been a mother in a very long time Mary Margret," Emma said her voice as cold as ice. Across the room Mary Margret seemed frozen due to shock. Emma didn't care her limit had been reached and everything she had kept inside began bubbling out of her mouth.

"You were always smothering but after Dad's accident you became unbearable. I was no longer your daughter but your subject, your majesty," Emma sneered out. "You forgot that I was a person with my own thoughts and wishes. You never stopped to think or listen to what I wanted and it didn't matter to you, after all you are the Queen and whatever you want you get. I'm sick of it. I am not your subject and you most certainly are not a Queen. How long do you think I would stand aside and let you control me and my life? Well I am through. Through with this house, through with living this way, through with this farce of a family, and most of all I am through with you Mary Margret Nolan!"

Emma slammed her dresser draw closed and grabbed her bag of things and stalked right past Mary Margret.

The haunting sobs of her mother followed her down the stairs to where Emma found Regina waiting for her. The Mayor stood in the middle of the living room looking as though she had stopped in for tea and that she hadn't just heard Emma lay into her mother. Seeing Regina's complete lack of concern for Mary Margret despite the sobs they could both hear from upstairs eased the small ball of guilt in Emma's stomach.

Mary Margret was a horrible mother, and Emma was a horrible daughter but Regina's reaction, or lack of reaction, let Emma know that even if she was a horrible daughter she at least was not a horrible person.

"Have everything you want?" Regina asked her voice even and cool.

"Yes," Emma answered more than ready to leave and never return.

"As long as you are sure this is what you want Emma," Regina said. "Then after you."

Emma stopped for a moment and turned to take in the apartment she grew up in. There were some happy memories that had happened here but now after years of unhappiness those memories had turned bitter. All the negatives of her life stood out so much clearer as though they were warning signs of what was to come.

The sounds of her mother wallowing in her own sorrow likely focusing on how much Emma hurt her and not even realizing that it was her who had hurt Emma first was the driving force. Nothing would ever change if Emma stayed here and the definition of insanity was to do the same thing over and over and continue to expect different results.

Emma was ready for things to change, to have the opportunity to be herself and the chance at happiness. She would never get that here living in Mary Margret's shadow. It was time for her to leave and grow on her own far away from Mary Margret.

"I'm sure," Emma said with a pained smile at the Mayor.

Her shoulders squared and her head held High Emma exited the apartment, leaving behind everything that was there and everything that it represented. Regina was right behind her and for the first time in her entire life things felt right for once.

"Time to go home," Regina said as they stepped out of the apartment building.