CHAPTER 26

When Emma got to work she wasn't surprised to see her parents sitting close together whispering. They'd had a tendency to do that ever since Gigi.

After Gigi came, Snow took over the position of Mayor. When things began to go wrong David dropped down to part time so that he could help her out in the Mayor's office. That had been months ago. Things still hadn't improved. In fact, they were getting worse.

Storybrooke used to look like a little town out of an old Norman Rockwell painting. Now it was littered with trash and graffiti everywhere, the town had a funky smell to it, nothing was ever attended to, there seemed to be no order or leadership whatsoever, and everyone was miserable.

Emma spent the majority of her time at work nowadays fielding complaints that should've gone to the Mayor's office. The people were too scared to face up to their King and Queen even though this was no longer the Enchanted Forest and they no longer lived in a kingdom. Unfortunately for Emma they seemed to think she had a chance of getting through to her thick-headed parents. This meant Emma's job had turned from keeping peace and order in the town and making sure things flowed correctly to having to play mediator and sometimes therapist between the residents and her parents.

The twin frowns on their faces told her today wasn't going to be a good day. Emma's shoulders slumped as she made her way to her desk and began to go through the morning routine of getting her station set up.

"Emma," Snow's voice made Emma cringe, "we need to talk."

Emma grimaced and then turned slowly to where her parents sat. "What about?"

They looked at one another. Then David spoke up, "There're problems in the town that are getting out of hand. Since Regina left the town high and dry a lot of issues have come to light."

Emma didn't bother to point out that the town was running just fine up until Regina had been transformed by a spell. It was only since her parents had stepped in as Mayors that things had gone downhill. She knew they wouldn't listen anyway. "Uh huh," Emma chewed on the end of her pen and waited for the other shoe to drop.

"There're problems," Snow and David exchanged a loaded glance, "with the budget and various other things. Some of the workers aren't satisfied. They want raises and are talking about striking and walking off the job."

Emma had been hearing all of that for months now. She was the first call from the residents. She knew there was more to the conversation though so she calmly waited.

"Your Mother and I, well, this seems to be a bigger problem than either one of us. We've already offered for Regina to assume some of her prior duties but she refused. She'd rather see the town go down in flames," David shook his head as if he couldn't believe such a generous offer could be met with a refusal.

Emma could just imagine how that conversation went down. She would've loved to have been a fly on the wall during that one. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. I'm not a Mayor or anything."

"Yes but Emma leading is your birthright. Being a leader is who you were born to be. If Regina hadn't stolen you from us," Snow practically spit out while glaring at Emma as if she was the one in the wrong, "three times over now."

Emma threw her pen down. She had been trying to keep conversations between her and her parents as cordial as possible. She'd bent over backwards allowing them to putter about and do as they pleased taking over as Mayor and traipsing around as if they were still on their thrones in their castle.

This entire time they hadn't even asked her about her or Henry. Nor how either one of them were coping with the crazy way things had been. They needed to understand this wasn't the Enchanted Kingdom. And they were no longer Queen Snow and her Prince Charming.

"Look, I don't know what to tell you. I spend almost all of my day fielding calls that you two should be getting about the way that you've let things go since you took over. From the litter, to the graffiti, to the fights, to the funky smell," her parents were staring at her as if she was off her rocker but Emma was fed up and she had things she needed to get off her chest. "Things weren't like this when Regina was Mayor and you both know it. Now she employs half of this town. Without her, this economy would've folded a long time ago. Now you two wanted to be Mayor, it's time for you to do your jobs and stop trying to put it off on other people."

"We had no choice!" Snow scoffed. "She was just up and gone and who knew when she was going to be back."

"Well your little suggestion of abandoning her across the town line when she was a helpless child sure wouldn't have helped." Emma held up her hand to silence them before they continued. She didn't want to fight with them anymore. "I'm still confused as to what you want from me."

"You need to talk sense into her! She listens to you."

Emma stood with her arms akimbo and smirked over at her parents, "What Regina are you talking about? Because the Regina Mills I've always known listens to no one but herself."

"Precisely," David nodded. "She needs to see reason. The town is desperate. Emma," David lowered his voice conspiratorially even though they were the only ones in the building, "I don't know if you know this or not but, things aren't going too well. This is serious. Our entire town's future is at risk here."

Emma was tired of the running around in circles they insisted on doing. She turned and walked to the door, "I'm going out on patrol," she threw over her shoulder on her way out.

Thankfully she missed Snow and Charming both sitting with their mouths ajar.