"Have you lost your mind?" Mary Margaret's voice cut through the diner's usual low level lunch time volume.

Emma glanced up from her plate and picked up her soda to take a long sip as she watched the petite brunette storm her way across the small room. Voices lowered and eyes turned to watch the encounter everyone had been wondering about since the paper had come out that morning. Instead of saying anything at all, the Sheriff remained quietly seated at her booth and waited for the impending fight.

Finally reaching the booth, Mary Margaret threw the paper down on an open spot on the table. "What is this?"

The blonde calmly looked from the paper back up to the standing woman. "The paper?"

"Don't play games with me, Emma," the older woman shot back. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I can't believe you'd even suggest putting that woman back in power. She's corrupt. She's manipulative. She's self-serving. She's…"

"Just like every politician in the United States, expect she looks better in a power suit than most of them do," Emma interrupted, not really caring how rude nor how impetuous she sounded.

"Are you really trying to make a joke right now? This is not a laughing matter." Mary Margaret gave a frustrated huff as she sat down across from her daughter. "We're not doing this. We're not letting that woman take back the mayor's office so she can control and manipulate this town. Don't you think she's done enough damage already?"

Emma winced. It was hard to argue the point. "If you read it, then you know what I think, and, as the acting Sheriff, I have to say that it's been a lot harder to deal with situations in this town due to lack of leadership since she's been removed from the mayor's office." There was an audible gasp from the patrons of the diner at the implied insult of her statement. She ignored it. "You're a grade school teacher, and David is," she paused for a moment and then shrugged. "Actually, I don't know what he is, but he's definitely not a politician, and both of you may have ruled a kingdom, but that's a lot different than running a small town in Maine."

"So we'll learn." Her mother's eyes roared with her anger. "If Regina can do it, so can we. But I want to make one thing perfectly clear. We are not allowing that woman to be mayor again."

"By 'we', do you mean the entire town or just you and David?" The blonde knew she was pressing her luck, but she felt she needed to make her point. The town infrastructure was honestly having problems running because no one really knew what to do about it.

Mary Margaret came up short, caught off guard by the question. "Well, the town, of course."

"Okay, then," Emma said slowly so she carefully picked out her words. "If the entire town hates the idea, then let them shoot it down in the town hall meeting in two days. No harm, no foul."

"This is ridiculous." Her mother threw her hands up in the air. "I just don't understand you, Emma. Why are you taking her side? Since when have you decided that she deserves the kind of credit you're giving her? She doesn't deserve it."

"Maybe not," the sheriff replied with a shrug, "but I'm going to give it to her anyway."

"But why?" The brunette practically hissed the question.

"Look, we need to start mending bridges and extending olive branches. We're all stuck here together, and this push/pull thing we all have going on is going to get old really quick. I already told you what's wrong with Regina, and it's not that she's evil." Emma glanced around at their audience as she considered how much she really wanted to reveal about a person who wasn't there to defend themselves. "She's broken, but she's on the mend, and Henry and I want to encourage her. How many times do I have to ask you this question? Don't you think it's better to have a healed and somewhat happy Regina on our side than a broken and despairing Regina who still wants to destroy us all?"

Much to her delight, several of the people in the diner inclined their heads as if to say she had a very valid point. "It's not that I'm taking a side," she added almost as an afterthought. "I'm trying to do my job, which is to do what's in the best interests of the citizens of Storybrooke."

"Your job is protecting the town. You're our Savoir, not Regina's. You're our daughter, not her White Knight. You can't save the unsavable, and some people are more worthy of being disposed of than saved," Mary Margaret shot back. As soon as the words left her mouth, she snapped it shut. Her eyes showed surprise, and her face showed the horror she felt at what she'd just said. "I don't mean to imply," she started to backpedal, "I mean, I know how you feel about comparing someone to something that's disposable…"

"Save it," Emma shot back. "Regina has to have something in her worth trying to save. She raised Henry, and look how he turned out. That didn't happen on accident. He's a good kid. How did he get that way? It wasn't because Regina was a horrible parent." She stood, tossing money down on the table. "People are not things to be disposed of, Mary Margaret. People are people. No one deserves to be thought of as worth only enough to be tossed away when they're no longer needed or wanted." She practically snarled. "Henry and I are having dinner with Regina tonight. Don't wait up."

With that, Emma turned and stormed out of the diner, not bothering to care at the scene they had just made. Instead, she made a beeline for the apartment she shared with her parents. She packed a bag for her and Henry with a few days' worth of clothes and things to keep Henry occupied, and she took everything down to her car. She really didn't know what her final plans were for that night, but she knew that she and Henry were going to spend it somewhere other than her parents' place.

She just couldn't take it anymore. She needed a break.


I do hope everyone is still enjoying this. Thank you so much for taking time to read it! Reviews are much appreciated.