Author's Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing! For those of you who have been asking about ships, I'm trying to follow the show for the most part so I guess Captain Swan, but that will be secondary to Emma, Henry and Mia becoming a family. There will also be a lot of Regina thrown in for any Regina fans reading. I love her friendship with Emma and think she deserves to have a relationship with Henry.

Chapter 10

"I got you some stuff." Emma dropped a bulky shopping bag from Modern Fashions in Mia's lap.

Mia looked in the bag. It had several long-sleeve cotton shirts in various colors and designs, three thick sweaters, and two hooded sweatshirts in it. Surprisingly she liked everything the woman bought, but…

"You can't keep buying me things."

"You're welcome," Emma said a little sarcastically.

Mia blushed, not wanting to seem ungrateful. "Thank you."

Emma seemed to relax, nodding slightly in acknowledgement. "You like?"

Mia's fingers curled around a dark grey hoodie with a silver peace sign on it. It was soft and felt like it would be warm. "I love."

"Good, because I lost the receipt so you can't return it," Emma said with a smirk.

"Then it's a good thing you didn't buy anything pink. I had a placement when I was, like, seven or eight where the mom tried to force me into this horrible pink princess dress. I swear everything she ever bought me was some shade of pink. The room was the color of Pepto Bismol."

Emma let out a short laugh. "Had she ever met you?"

"She wasn't shopping for me," Mia said matter-of-factly. "She was shopping for the perfect daughter she dreamed up. It didn't take her long to realize that…wasn't me."

Emma put a hand on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. "Then that was her loss because you're a pretty awesome kid."

Mia felt silly for grinning like an idiot. Emma hadn't known her for that long…she shouldn't care what the woman thought, but she did…maybe a little too much. It was strange for her to get attached to anyone that fast…she'd learned not to get attached in the system and was generally good at keeping everyone at arm's length where they couldn't get close enough to hurt her.

Mia tried to shrug it off and Emma's hand dropped from her shoulder. "It's okay…she wasn't a perfect mom either."

"I don't know if anyone is," Emma muttered under her breath. Mia didn't think the woman wanted her to hear it, but she did and she couldn't ignore it…not when she'd seen a lot of moms who were way worse than Emma.

"Is this about Henry…because he's still upset about Walsh?"

Emma's eyes widened. "I don't know…is he?"

Mia bit her lower lip. "I don't know…maybe. Here's the thing…I'm not an expert on moms - my mom gave me up when I was born…and all of my foster moms have been examples of what not to do. But you - you're actually a pretty good mom." Her eyes widened in horror when she realized what she said – and how it might have sounded. She knew Emma wasn't her foster mom. "To Henry…obviously."

Mia kept her tone light as she talked about the foster mom that tried to get her into a pink princess dress. Emma had to laugh at the irony…technically she was a princess – did that make her daughter one, too? She didn't know. Princess or not, she couldn't imagine Mia in a pink princess dress any more than she could imagine herself growing up as a pampered princess in the Enchanted Forest.

Emma hoped the fact that the foster mom in question had bought Mia a dress and decorated a room for her, even if it was pink, meant that it had been a good home…that not all of the girl's foster homes had been bad…but it was almost worse to be sent back to the system from a good home.

"Then that was her loss because you're a pretty awesome kid."

Mia smiled. It was a bright smile that lit up the girl's entire face, but it disappeared in a flash and the girl looked like she felt awkward and uncomfortable. She abruptly shrugged Emma's hand off her shoulder. "It's okay…she wasn't a perfect mom either."

"I don't know if anyone is," Emma muttered under her breath. She wasn't…Regina wasn't…hell, even Mary Margaret wasn't.

"Is this about Henry…because he's still upset about Walsh?"

Henry was upset? "I don't know…is he?"

"I don't know…maybe." That was a yes…Henry was upset. Emma needed to talk to him. "Here's the thing…I'm not an expert on moms - my mom gave me up when I was born…and all of my foster moms have been examples of what not to do. But you - you're actually a pretty good mom."

Emma's chest felt tight. She wondered if Mia would still think that when the girl found out she was her mom – the same mom that gave her up when she was born.

"To Henry…obviously," Mia added hastily, looking embarrassed.

"Right…obviously," Emma said with a gnawing feeling in her stomach.

"Henry – he's lucky," Mia said with a tight, forced smile.

Mia let out a relieved sigh after Emma left to work on her case. "I thought she was going to leave us with Mary Margaret again."

"She likes us too much to let us die of boredom," Henry replied. "I don't think it was just the case that brought my mom to Storybrooke."

Mia glanced at him. "What, you think it was the tourist attractions?"

"I think she's hiding from Walsh. He was going to propose to her. She broke up with him and left town. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"She couldn't have hid somewhere more fun…like Disney World?"

Henry shot her a look. "You're missing the point."

Mia turned to him. "What is the point?"

"My mom wouldn't take a case in Queens if it meant I'd miss school, and now she's taking me out of school for a job in Maine."

"Maybe it paid really well."

"Or she's hiding from Walsh," Henry insisted.

Mia sighed. "Maybe you're right. But if she wanted to be with Walsh, she wouldn't be hiding in Storybrooke. I'm sorry, but their relationship kind of seems like it's more Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together than Beyonce's Put A Ring On it…"

Henry made a face. "We have to work on your music education."

Mia knew he didn't like what she said and wasn't surprised he chose to ignore it. She winced…he really wouldn't like what she said next. "I think maybe…your mom likes Killian."

Henry looked skeptical. "You said she threatened to punch him in the face."

"She did. And then she came here with him."

"He's a client."

"Does she always go on road trips with her clients?"

"No…never," Henry said with a sigh.

"But, hey, we got a trip to the world's smallest town." Mia tried to cheer him up.

"I don't think this is actually the world's smallest town. But it might be in the top ten - or bottom ten? Let's go explore." Henry was already handing her jacket to her.

Mia shrugged it on and followed him out the back of Granny's…they didn't want one of Emma's old friends to stop them. "You would think they'd have, like, a giant lobster or the biggest ball of yarn or something."

"The library in the clock tower is kind of cool."

They ended their self-guided tour of Storybrooke at a playground with an old wooden structure that looked like it was supposed to be a castle. They climbed up and sat down on the rickety wooden railing, hoping it would hold…well, Mia was hoping it would hold…Henry didn't seem to be worried.

"Henry!" Neither of them recognized the voice, but it was filled with relief. They looked down to see the mayor. "What are you doing out here alone?"

Henry and Mia exchanged a confused look before he turned to the mayor. "I'm not alone."

"And it's the middle of the day in Storybrooke, not midnight in New York," Mia added defensively.

The mayor glanced at Mia with an unreadable expression. "This town is bigger than you know…though I know it must seem quaint compared to the big city. I hope that hasn't given you a false sense of security. It is possible for bad things to happen here."

"That should be your campaign slogan," Mia muttered under her breath. Luckily the woman didn't catch it, but Henry snickered.

"I thought now would be a good time for the tour I promised you."

They had just walked around the entire town in under an hour, but they didn't have anything better to do and couldn't really say no to the mayor so they agreed. Henry waited for Mia to ease herself down and then lowered himself to the ground.

The mayor pointed out an arcade they had somehow missed and told them the drug store always had the latest comic books, asking questions – mostly about Henry's life in New York – as they walked down the main street of Storybrooke. She almost seemed to know Henry – or at least what he liked.

Mia was quiet. She was happy to let Henry play twenty questions with the mayor. The less the woman knew about her, the better. She didn't know what the mayor knew about her situation, but she did not want to say the wrong thing and end up in a group home in Storybrooke – and that was if the small town even had one. If not, she'd be on a bus to Boston…

"Do you have a son?" Henry asked.

"No," the mayor said softly, looking like it almost pained her to say it. "Now, I believe I promised you ice cream."

The mayor paid for Henry's Cherry Vanilla and Mia's Rocky Road. They both thanked her. They started walking back toward the park as they ate their ice cream cones.

"The ice cream good?" Regina asked.

"Delicious. My mom used to take me for gelato in Little Italy, but this is just as good," Henry answered.

"You'll find Storybrooke has its own charms."

"It's nice actually. New York's great, but there are so many people…it can make you feel…"

"Alone," Mia finished for Henry.

Henry gave her a small smile. "Yeah."

"That's the best part of a small town. Everybody knows everybody. It's like a big family," the mayor told them.

"That sounds nice. I've always thought it'd be nice to have more than two place settings during the holidays," Henry said.

"I think one day you'll have more family than you know what to do with."

"He was a flying monkey."

"I didn't know that," Emma said defensively.

Hook glanced at her. "Were you considering it…his proposal?"

"Does it matter?"

"Humor me."

"Yes, okay?" Emma said in an annoyed tone. "I was in love so of course I was considering it. As usual, he wasn't who he said he was and I got my heart broken. That enough humor for you?"

"Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm glad to hear that."

Emma stared at him. "You're glad to hear I had my heart broken?"

"If it can be broken, it means it still works…"

Emma had just broken up with a flying monkey. She did not want to have this conversation with Hook. She started to walk away even though she knew he would follow her…he always did.

"People keep staring at us and whispering," Henry said in a low voice from across the booth in Granny's. The mayor had just dropped them off.

"I know, it's like we're movie stars." Mia kept her tone light even though she was a little creeped out by it.

Henry just stared at her. "I don't think that's why they're doing it."

"Are you sure? Because I think the mayor's writing a book on you. She was kind of trying to get your life story back there."

"Maybe she was just trying to be nice?"

"Maybe," Mia said skeptically.

"You don't like anyone."

"Hey, I like you and your mom just fine," Mia said defensively.

"That's two people…"

Mia tried to think of anyone else in the town that she actually liked. "Zelena's okay, too."

Henry scrunched his face up in confusion. "Who's Zelena?"

"Mary Margaret's midwife," Mia reminded him. "Anyone who gets that woman to calm the hell down about cradle crap is okay by me."

"I think it's cradle cap."

"That makes it so much better," Mia said sarcastically.

"Nope, it's still a crusty rash and it's still gross."

"Ew. Eating here." Mia held up her grilled cheese. "Let's not talk about rashes until after lunch."

"You're the one who brought it up."

"How was it…spending time with Henry?" Swan asked.

"It was better than nothing," Regina said flatly.

"And Mia…was she, uh, okay?" Swan sounded a little nervous.

"Your daughter is fine," Regina said curtly. "Henry seems to enjoy her company."

"Well, they are twins…"

"Yes, about that…Gold procured Henry for me. I-"

Swan stared at her. "Procured? He's a kid."

"I am well-aware of that, Miss Swan. Do not forget who raised him. I was just wondering if Gold knew about the girl…and if he kept her from me – and from Henry - for a reason."

"It's not like we can ask him."

"No," Regina said with a sigh. "He took his secrets with him to the grave."

By the end of the day, Emma wasn't sure if Gold had taken his secrets to the grave - or if he was even dead. The old farmhouse that the Wicked Witch was hiding out in had a cage with a wheel in it in the storm cellar…and the only person they knew of that could spin straw into gold with a wheel was Rumplestiltskin.

Emma saw him disappear into nothingness. She didn't know how he could have possibly come back from that, but crazier things had happened. Hell, Neal was shot right in front of her and disappeared into a portal, only to show up in Neverland.

Regina insisted on having Henry and Mia over for a home-cooked meal while Emma searched the farmhouse and the land around it into the night with Hook and David.

"That was just as good as any of the Italian restaurants in New York," Henry said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "Where's your bathroom?"

"It's down the hall to the left." It was strange to give her son directions to the bathroom in the house he'd grown up in.

Without Henry in the room, Regina and the girl stared awkwardly at each other. Regina had kept the conversation flowing with her son easily enough because she knew his likes and dislikes. The girl had been quiet and unobtrusive.

"I hope you enjoyed your dinner." Regina tried to engage the girl for the first time that night.

"I did. It was really good. Thank you." Well, at least she was polite. "What's in it? Cayenne powder?"

Regina hid her surprise. "Red pepper flakes. I take it you cook?"

The girl shrugged, looking uncomfortable though Regina couldn't imagine why…it was a simple question. "Sometimes."

After that failed attempt to make small talk, they went back to sitting there in silence except for the girl's fork scraping on the plate. Regina was glad when her son returned to the table, but he was acting nervous…like he was up to something.

"The mayor lied…about not having a son – she lied," Henry blurted out.

"What? How do you know?"

"I didn't really have to go to the bathroom. I looked around-"

Mia glared at him. "You left me alone with her for that?"

Henry ignored her and continued. "She has a son. He has a room in her house. Why would she lie?"

"Was he, like, locked in his room?"

"No…I don't think he was there."

Mia furrowed her brow. "How do you know it was her son's room?"

"It was! It was blue and there were drawings and posters on the wall."

Mia blinked. "Okay…maybe she has a room for, like, a stepson or nephew."

Henry shook his head. "I don't think she's married. She wasn't wearing a ring."

Mia sighed and looked at him. "I had a room at my foster parents' house, but they weren't my parents. Just because she has a room for a kid…that doesn't mean she has a kid."