Okay, so I combined two chapters so you guys would have more to read like you keep asking for. Thanks to those who wished me well on my vacation. I'm back early because we were only staying, like, half an hour from where I live and I had work today anyhow. Plus, you can only take so much family time before retching becomes the soundtrack of your days.

To Nicole, who asked nicely.

Ch. 12

The next morning I woke up to see Olivia standing before me, clutching onto her one-eyed, ratty teddy bear as if her life depended on it. A clear indication of how much she's grown to love and trust me.

"Hey," I said gently. She can't be trying to slumber me if she knows I'm awake, right?

"Daddy says you're taking us to the zoo today. Is that true?"

I glanced over to the doorway to Michael's room; he was standing there nodding vehemently at me.

"Sure, honey. Would you like that?"

"I like the zoo," she said, shuffling the teddy from hand to hand. "Daddy takes me to the Central Park zoo all the time."

Something we have in common, possibly?

No wait, let me rephrase that: SOMETHING WE HAVE IN COMMON!

"Really? I used to like the Central Park zoo. My favorites were the polar bears and the penguins."

"I love the penguins!" she exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of her little feet. "Do you think they'll be penguins at this zoo?"

"You know what," I said, sitting up on the couch. "I'm actually friends with one of the zoo keepers; maybe, if you're lucky, you'll be able to hold a penguin."

"Really?" she squeaked, sounding exactly like me, but looking instead like her father with that bight smile on her face. I never noticed that she had Michael's smile until now. Probably because she hasn't exactly been offering up many smiles around me since the first time I met her.

"I'll see what I can do," I told her. "Would you like that?"

She nodded, still grinning. Then she seemed to remember that she's supposed to hate me and frowned. "But it doesn't mean I want you to be my mommy," she whispered, before running off.

Hey, I can't win 'em all.

- - -

Michael and I walked side by side into the zoo a few hours later. Olivia was skipping a few feet ahead of us. She still carried the teddy in her little hand.

"It sounded like you'd made some progress this morning," Michael said, a small smile creeping onto his lips.

"Yeah, I think I did...Thank you."

"For what?" he asked, trying his best to sound as if he hadn't had anything to do with my break through.

"You know what for," I said, playfully poking him in the ribs. "You knew the one thing we had in common was the zoo, and you helped me out. I appreciate it."

"It's not the only thing you have in common, you know," he said, kicking a fallen candy wrapper with the toe of his mandal.

"Yeah," I agreed. "I did notice she inherited my stubbornness."

"Not just that," Michael said, smiling again. "But I guess you'll find out what all in due time. So are you really friends with the zoo keeper here?"

"No," I admitted. "But I'm Princess Amelia, I can pull some strings. Being a princess isn't ALWAYS a burden."

He scoffed, as if he didn't believe me.

And why should he?

- - -

I watched the smile on Olivia's face grow as Harry, the zoo keeper I'd talked into giving us VIP treatment, handed her the baby penguin.

"Look at him, daddy!" she said, unable to control her delight. "He's so tiny!"

"Yeah, you be careful with him."

"I will," she replied seriously, clutching the little animal to her chest carefully.

"Thank you," I said to Harry when he stepped away from Olivia. "This means the world to her. And to me. So thank you."

"Your Highness, it is my pleasure. Really. You are more than welcome."

"Please," I told him. "Call me Mia."

He nodded and walked away to find the next penguin for Olivia to hold.

"You don't like your people being formal around you?" Michael asked, one of his eyebrows cocked.

"At a time like this, of course not. I prefer to be treated like a normal person."

"Ah," he said knowingly. "But that's a double edged sword, isn't it? Because a normal person wouldn't be allowed to hold the animals, would they?"

He had me there.

"Well...no. But..." Why does he have to DO this? Can't we spend at least five minutes in each other's company without hurting feelings or bringing up the past? It's like that movie Blast from the Past, except Michael and I have been the ones in the bomb shelter.

Other people would be able to move on. Other people could just look fondly back on the GOOD parts of the relationship and forget about the meaningless crap that can't really be changed now.

But like Michael said, I'm not normal. And I so wouldn't characterize him like that either.

"But...?"

"But nothing," I snapped. "My life isn't all peaches and cream, Michael. I've had to make sacrifices for my crown. And did I like doing them? No. But I did them. I had to. So don't stand there and tell me I can't have a normal life as well as my royal one. You have no right anymore."

"No right to point things out to you?" he said, looking rather bemused. "That's not a right, Mia. It's a fact of life. And all I'm saying is that you chose the royal life first and foremost, and you can't just chop and change the circumstances to suit you." He started to walk away, grumbling under his breath as he did so. "Oh!" he said, turning on his heel to glare at me again. "and the tide doesn't come in when you want it to, and life doesn't run around your schedule."

Um, hello, tired cliché.

I lowered my voice, taking a nervous glance over at Olivia. "Why can't you just drop this? I'm fully aware that we're over, Michael. I know why we're over. Stop beating a dead horse."

He turned sharply and left through the pen door. I was left alone with Olivia, who was looking up at me strangely.

"Did you upset my dad?" she asked accusingly.

"Maybe," I sniffed. But he upset me too.

She looked down at the penguin, probably trying to decide where her loyalties lied. To follow her father and ignore the Ice Queen who hurt his feelings, or stay and play with the penguin said Ice Queen provided.

After a minute of what was painful decision making time, she held the penguin up and said, "I think I'm going to go find Daddy."

"But Harry was going to show you the monkey's next!" I said, pulling the bribery card out. The last one I have, it seems.

She looked torn again. "I want my daddy," she finally said, setting the penguin down and running for the door.

Damn. Just when I thought I was making real progress. I just had to go and open my mouth and stuff it all up, didn't I?

Note to self: Take foot out of mouth before talking to either Michael or Olivia next time.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

I met up with Michael and Olivia by the car. "I think we're ready to go," I said coolly to Lars, though he could tell by my expression that things were not cool.

Okay, I try. Lord knows I try. And yet, Michael and I always end up bickering like children whenever any sort of progress is made towards me actually getting along with my daughter.

Of course, it's all his fault. Anyone can see that I'm putting in all the effort. Every now and then, Michael deigns me worthy of his kindness, but it's almost immediately replaced by some bitchy comment or an underhanded trick to pull Olivia away from me.

I just know if it weren't for Michael's little grudge, Olivia and I would be bonding within seconds. We're too much alike not to get along—without a third-party interference.

The car ride home was by no means enjoyable, especially since Michael's stony silence had infected the whole group.

My fingers drummed idly across the seat as I mulled over the current disaster I'd roped myself into. None of this would've ever happened if…well, I can't just prevent cancer…and it's not my fault that the stupid condom didn't work…AHA!

I should have just never succumbed to the wiles of Mr. Michael Moscovitz!

Which is actually a great deal easier said than done.

Except nowadays. If I were dating present-day-Michael, I could totally become a nun like that. He's gone into full-on-Daddy mode, in a non-porno sort of way. And I'm telling you, if Ward Cleaver over there laid a finger on me, I would not be turned on…at all. I don't even think about ripping off that stupid polo of his and reclaiming the glory days on the beach cottage couch.

Lack of hotness or not, the fact remains that Michael and I need some sort of stability in our relationship if I'm ever going to succeed in winning over Olivia. How will she ever become princess and live in the palace in Genovia if she can't summon up some sort of kind feeling for me?

The limo pulled up in front of the beach cottage. The second the engine shut off, Olivia scrambled out the door to where Dani was blowing bubbles with the kids on her front porch.

Just fantastic. She wants to hang out with someone else's mom.

Instead of dwelling on this most recent disappointment, I followed Michael into the house. "Can we talk?" I asked once we reached the kitchen, finally letting the desperation seep into my tone.

"Mmm," was Michael's response.

I took this to be affirmative and plunged ahead. "I…I wanna apologize."

"Oh?" he said airily. "What for?"

Okay, like I really had time for his mind games. Grandmere totally expects some sort of progress on this trip. I can't just return to the castle in the same position I was before I cancelled all my appointments and wasted everybody's time. "Michael, you hate me. And…and I think I know why. And I know I can't change what I did. I don't see how I could have done differently even. But can't we just move on? I'm sorry I hurt your feelings and I'm sorry I wasn't there and I'm sorry things had to go that way. Could you just forgive me? If not for the sake of moving on, then think about Olivia."

I know I had preached to him before about the importance of us getting along for our child's sake, but this was my first apology. And really, I did mean every bit of it. It's not like Michael didn't hurt me, though.

He turned his head toward me slightly. "You really mean that?"

"I do," I nodded meekly, "We can't just go on bitching at one another for all time. It'd be stupid not to establish some sort of friendship."

"Friends?" echoed Michael, looking a bit skeptical. "I dunno…"

I held out my hand to him, pleading with my eyes. "Just…just sort-of friends. You don't even have to like me. Just try and get along with me. For now. You can feel however you want about me on your own time."

He drew back the hand that had been inching towards mine. "Oh, so I'm just some sort of inconvenience?"

"I didn't say—"

But he stuck his hand in mine, shaking it firmly. "I'm okay with being a bother. I'm not the one who matters here."

"Of course not," I said quickly, tearing my eyes away from his. I didn't even notice I'd been staring into them. "It's Olivia."

"Olivia!" said Michael cheerfully as the girl herself bounded into the room.

"Daddy!" she said gleefully. "I blew this bubble, but there were, like, three of them, and they were all joined as one and it was HUGE. You should've seen it! Come on and blow bubbles with us!"

"I smell like baboon," he groaned, tousling her messy ponytail. "I'm gonna go shower. Why doesn't Mia join you? She knows how to blow."

"Some cool bubbles," I finished, glaring at Michael's smirk.

"Exactly what I meant," said Michael, walking out of the room.

So maybe he's still a bit sadistic when he's on my side. But it's better than nothing.

I've noticed that the number of readers surpasses the number of reviewers by a great deal. If you're reading this--REVIEW! I'm still editing this story and if I know what you want, I'lldo my best to give that to you(besides, like, gold or Brian Bell or Jenny Lewis' voice--I'm working on those for myself.)