Author's note: I started writing this while I was trying to write something completely different. I thought this would be a one-shot but it seems that the story has other plans. And I'd hate to argue with it and keep it from developing. I hope you'll enjoy reading this and that you'll come back here to read the next chapter (or chapters).

Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon a Time or its characters. I am only doing this for fun.

Through the Looking Glass

I

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"

I remember when you first asked me that question. Well, you weren't asking me, really. You should have seen the look on your face when you realized I was there. You got on your feet and knocked some things off the desk. For a second I thought you would throw your hairbrush at me – you were still holding it in your hand – but you didn't. You would frequently throw various objects at me later on, vases, hairpins, your tiara, and they couldn't hurt me but I didn't know back then. I closed my eyes and waited to be broken into a thousand and one pieces. Don't you know breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck? I thought.

When I dared to look outside again, you were standing a few steps away from me and I could see you whole. You ran your fingers through your hair, it was still tangled from when you were asleep. Later I learned it was one of those little things that you did when you felt that things were beginning to get out of control. You were dressed in black, of course, the king was dead. For a long time I was convinced that you wore black because you wanted everyone to believe you were truly bereft but it just happened to be your favorite color. I don't know why you insist on wearing it all the time but I stopped trying to convince you to wear something else a long time ago. You know what you want, you say. You're just one of those people who think that they're the only ones who know what's good for them.

You crossed your arms on your chest and smiled, slightly tilting your head to the side. Then you started walking in my direction rocking your hips. As a cobra senses its prey's warmth, you had sensed my fear and although I was completely still, it was too late for me to save myself. You had poisoned me when I first saw you at the feast and the venom had been in my blood for too long now. I don't even think my heart remembered what blood was like anymore, it seemed to me that for as long as I could remember, it was you who filled my body with life. You used me and I should have known better but a part of me didn't mind at all. You'd find it hard to hate someone for using you if you'd been a genie of the lamp for as long as I had.

You see, all my life I would grant other people's wishes. There was always somebody who made all the decisions for me. I wasn't used to questioning people's choices. I wouldn't have been a very good genie if I had. I like to think that the reason why we get along so well (although you'd never admit it) is that, unlike you, I don't mind it when someone knows better. Even if they're terribly wrong.

You came really close to me and all I could see was your face. You were smiling but there was something disturbing about your smile. You touched the glass surface with your fingers and after a while you leaned even closer because you wanted to see what was on the other side. I stepped aside to let you look, although I wasn't sure whether you'd be able to see anything at all. I never asked you but I think you could only see yourself. I think mirrors are the same as magic lamps and you can't see what's inside unless you're in there.

"Forgive me for scaring you," I said when you moved away from the mirror and sat down.

"Scaring me? Please, you can't possibly think that a pathetic little thing such as yourself would frighten me? You might have done some silly wish granting in the past but the magic I possess is much more powerful than you can imagine. A childish magic trick such as this doesn't frighten me."

"You seemed pretty frightened to me a moment ago."

"I was merely surprised. I don't usually expect visitors this early in the morning, especially not in my private chambers."

"I didn't think you could see me," I confessed. "I couldn't help myself..."

"Spying on me in my own bedroom? My, my, are all genies this rude or is it just you?"

Before I had the chance to say something, you snapped your fingers and suddenly everything was dark. At first I thought that the darkness came from a spell you used to break the mirror and for the second time that morning I hid behind the frame, closed my eyes and prepared myself to be shattered.

When I didn't hear the sound of broken glass, I carefully looked outside again, this time making sure that I was safely covered by the frame. I could see the ceiling. I heard your footsteps and then the images before my eyes turned into a shapeless smear as my prison shook and moved up really quickly, making me fall on the ground. I remembered experiencing the exact same sensation every time someone would pick my lamp up.

I slowly got up and saw your face again. It was taking up the whole of my vision and I concluded that I must be in a smaller mirror now. You were trying to brush your hair again but it wasn't easy with just one hand. You moved the mirror away from your face because you wanted to see yourself from a different angle and that allowed me to look around a little bit. I still wasn't able to see much but I did spot the mirror hanging at the opposite wall of the room, covered with a black sheet. I wanted to see something more and I made the mistake of leaning from behind the frame a little too much…

"How dare you!" you exclaimed and tossed the mirror on the desk face down. That one did actually break but I was already somewhere else by then. Apparently, I could move freely between any mirror in the palace and, as I later discovered, in the land. Clearly, you must have realized that as well because I didn't see you for quite some time afterwards.

I knew it wouldn't take you long to feel the need to look at yourself again. Over time I learned to appreciate your vanity because it gave me the chance to look at you. I know you believe that the only person worth loving and the only person who can ever love you is yourself but sometimes I like to think that it would upset you if one day you didn't see me in the mirror. You would never admit it, of course, but I think you'd miss me.