Note: this is in the same continuity as The Storybrooke Dodger. See that fic for more info on how Emma and Killian came to adopt the Artful Dodger.

Emma was helping Zelena make dinner while Killian played with Robin. He had laid his hook aside, on an end table.

"I never used to cook much before Hook moved in with me" Emma said, while chopping carrots for the soup "I'm more the Ramen noodles and canned ravioli type. I'm not sure why you'd want my help with this".

"To be honest, I mostly just wanted some company" Zelena admitted.

Emma gave her a warm, friendly smile.

"Well next time, all you have to do is ask" Emma said.

Zelena gave a grateful smile.

Killian made funny faces while Robin ran around him in circles.

"I see her physical education is going well" Emma observed.

"Yes" Zelena said. Then Zelena hesitated, unsure if she should confide in Emma about her parental woes.

"What is it?" Emma asked "I can see there's something you want to get off your chest. Lay it on me".

"Frederic thinks I'm a bad influence on her" Zelena moaned "and he's probably right. Thanks to Henry's book, at least she has her father's influence too, but what does she have as a living role-model? The Wicked Witch Of The West! I'm one of pop-culture's most infamous villains!"

"Well" Emma said calmly "while I'm not an infamous movie villain, I had similar fears when I first met Henry. I was a flake with a criminal past, I was terrified I was a terrible influence on him. But I turned my life around and now here we are".

"How quaint and perfect" Zelena sneered.

Emma stopped what she was doing and glared at Zelena, waiting for an apology.

"There see?" Zelena said "I can't control my meanness".

"Yes you can" Emma said, trying hard to stay patient, while putting the chopped potatoes into the soup "It's like I always tell my son, the more you practice resisting those bad impulses, the less power they have over you".

"Henry?" Zelena asked, confused because as far as she knew Henry was a well-behaved boy, apart from frequently sneaking away from his Moms to go on some quest.

"My other son" Emma clarified. Zelena was visibly confused.

"I think we forgot to tell her" Killian said "it all happened so fast".

"Right" Emma said "Zelena, we weren't quite on speaking terms when it happened. The Artful Dodger and his gang tried to take over Storybrooke. We found homes for them. Killian and I adopted Dodger. He's seventeen but he didn't have much of a childhood so I think he'll be with us for a while".

"Oh yes" Zelena said "Frederic mentioned having a son from the realm Dickens wrote about".

"Ashley and Thomas adopted one too" Emma said "And Aurora and Phillip, and Jefferson, and Oliver Twist was adopted by Marco and August".

"And you trust all the boys to behave themselves?" Zelena asked.

"I've got them under contract to" said Emma "plus their leader lives in my house".

"Where is the Dodger right now?" Zelena asked.

"On a first date with Gretel" Killian said with a grin "sure took some coaxing to get that boy to make a move".

"They're gone to see Newsies on stage" Emma said.

"I'd like to meet this Dodger" Zelena said "how is he with kids?"

"Excellent" Emma said.

"You two should bring him here for dinner some time" said Zelena.

Suddenly, they realized nobody was watching Robin closely enough when she grabbed Killian's hook that had been laying on the end table.

"I'll take that, lass" said Killian, taking the hook from Robin and taking it out of her reach.

Unfortunately, Robin was determined. The hook began to levitate out of Killian's hand and slowly back down to Robin.

"Zelena, don't freak out" Emma said "but I think your kid is starting to learn magic".