A/N: Oh my gosh y'all! I was not expecting this many followers so soon. I greatly appreciate it and hope I don't disappoint. Also thank you for the reviews! Please keep them coming!
Disclaimer: This chapter includes lyrics from "Make It Without You" by Andrew Belle which belong to him and not me. As always I also do not own these characters, they belong to the creators of Once Upon A Time.
I'm all packed up getting out of here
Then you call and tell me not to go
that I'm the one who put the rock and roll in your life
Emma finished taping the last box in the kitchen and stood up, surveying the day's work. She let out a long sigh and thought about the last week. She was surprised at how easy it had been to put a plan in place and how sure she felt. Well mostly sure. There were moments, brief moments when she wondered if she was missing a way to make this work. There was also Killian who would jump from being supportive to begging her to stay. She thought back to one such session of begging that occurred that morning.
"I'm not sure I can do this without you Emma." said Killian as he grabbed her wrist.
Emma pulled her wrist from his grasp and sighed "Killian these last couple of years prove you may not be able to make it with me either. " She looked at him and truly considered staying but shook her head stating, "I'm done with trying and if you were honest with yourself, you'd know you were done trying too."
Killian stared at her with tears in his eyes. "You make it sound so easy to leave. After everything we've been through, all the fun and our family, you'll just go? I gave up so much for you Swan and this is how you repay me?"
Emma turned around and exclaimed furiously "You gave up so much for ME?! How about everything I gave up for you? I had a home for once in my life and you asked me to leave it because it's too suffocating for you! Family is all I've ever wanted and I gave up being close to them for you, because I thought we could build something together but you lied! You lied about so much! You didn't even want a family with me and now you plead with me to stay with you because of it!" Emma stopped to take a breath and lower her volume. Maggie mentioned their fighting a couple of times in the last few days and she'd promised to be mindful. She started again softly "Killian I won't keep you from our daughter but I also will not live a life miserably trying to hold together something that broke so long ago."
She spared him one last look, shook her head and walked out. He stormed out of their home a couple hours later.
Emma's frustration provided the energy she needed to finish the last of her packing. She turned toward the living room and found Maggie asleep on the couch with a book left open that had fallen to her lap. Emma sat down gently next to her, removed Maggie's glasses and picked up the book. Basic Party Etiquette for Young Children. Emma let out a small laugh at the book and picked up her phone dialing an all too familiar number.
"Regina, why exactly have you given my 7 year old an etiquette book?" she asked though she could already hear the answer before the brunette spoke.
"Well dear I thought I'd help counteract some of the atrocious manners I've seen you and that pirate display" she replied.
"Seriously? She's 7 and I don't hear you complaining much about the son I helped in raising." Emma said.
"That's because he had me in his more formative years" Regina said with her perfected pretentious air. She paused and then continued with a softer tone "When are you coming home?"
"I was going to wait a couple more days but I think I should come sooner rather than later" replied Emma.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" asked Regina with the same softness.
Emma smiled before saying "Yeah, I promise".
"Good. You know you can both stay here if you'd like."
"Thanks Regina I'll let you know. I should probably spend at least a couple of nights with my parents." Emma said. She wished she could just give the affirmative answer right away but she knew how her mother would react.
Although Regina and Snow had a tentative friendship it had taken these last few years to build, Snow was always sensitive about Regina spending too much quality time with her daughter and granddaughter. Regina took it in stride most of the time understanding Snow's urge to make up for lost time.
"Is Margaret there? I assume that's how you know about the book" asked Regina.
"She is but she's asleep" just as Emma replied, Maggie opened her eyes.
"Is that Aunt Regina?" she asked, her small voice raspy with sleep.
Emma shook her head and said "Yes" handing Maggie the phone without even bothering to ask if Maggie would like to speak with Regina.
Emma was always amazed with their relationship. Maggie didn't talk much when Emma first got her and though she was affectionate toward Emma, she seemed so reserved which Emma found odd for a toddler. Then Regina came for a visit and it was like Maggie was a different person. She would bounce around excitedly at Regina's legs and cling to her like a lifeline. Regina reveled in the attention and it was clear the feeling was mutual. Emma often wondered if Regina put a spell on Maggie because she always knew when Regina was physically near or when she was calling most of the time. Regina was the only one Maggie let call her Margaret. When Emma asked once why this was, Maggie explained that she liked the way Regina said her name, as if she were really special. Emma couldn't argue with that. In the few times Regina addressed her by her first name, she felt the same way.
Emma moved off the couch and went to leave a note for Killian in the kitchen. She was pretty sure she'd like to get on the road tonight.
….
"Did you enjoy your book? Your mother mentioned it when she called me" asked Regina as she settled against her headboard. She missed when Henry was Margaret's age, figuring out what he liked and having so many interests around how the world worked. She excitedly anticipated any and every opportunity to talk to her goddaughter.
"Yes Aunt Regina. Will you help me practice when we get to Storybrooke?" asked the young girl hopefully.
Regina chuckled lightly and said "Of course dear, you know I will." Then she continued with a tentative and serious tone, "Margaret, can I ask you something?".
"Yes" said Maggie sitting up straighter. She figured if her aunt needed to ask it must be important.
"How are you feeling about your Mom and Dad?" she asked lightly. She knew Emma probably asked the same question multiple times but she also knew Maggie worried about bothering her mother too much. A side effect she was sure came from seeing how stressed Emma was lately.
Maggie looked to make sure her mother was out of earshot before replying "Sometimes I'm sad. I like my friends here and my school and Daddy is fun some of the time" she let out a little sigh before continuing "But then I'm happy because Mommy smiles when she talks about going to Storybrooke and she didn't smile like that in a long time."
Regina let out a small breath before replying "Thank you for telling me sweetheart. Is there anything else?"
"No" she said then added "Thank you for listening Aunt Regina" said Maggie.
Emma shared this technique of thanking with Regina after Maggie had seen a therapist a few times when her fighting with Killian was especially bad and Maggie identified Regina as someone she could trust and talk to. Regina was more than willing to support Maggie's need to express her feelings and was touched that she trusted her.
"Mommy would like to talk to you again. I love you." said Maggie as she handed the phone to Emma.
"I love you too" said Regina.
"Wow Regina I think you're moving kind of fast I'm not even divorced yet." teased Emma.
Regina gave a pointed stare though she knew Emma couldn't see it. "I was obviously speaking to your daughter Miss Swan."
"Yeah sure. Hey listen we're gonna leave tonight. How bout we meet you at Granny's tomorrow night?"
"Are you sure you should get on the road this late?" asked Regina worriedly.
"Careful Your Majesty or I may think you're concerned about me." replied Emma.
"Nonsense" came Regina's haughty reply.
"Yeah well I'll call you when we get there all the same." replied Emma as she hung up the phone.
This is the starting of a brand new day
I never liked this town much anyway
I need the city like I need the rain
I know that somewhere there's a northbound train
Emma smiled as the sun started to rise in the sky. She'd gotten a little bit of a late start with Killian coming home as she and Maggie were leaving. Thankfully he'd just hugged their daughter and promised to let her know when the movers arrived in the morning.
Normally she wouldn't have driven through the night but she was so eager to be as far from the city that had been once a happy respite with Henry but turned into an odd exile a couple of years later with Killian.
She crossed the state line into Maine and inhaled. It smells like home she thought.
