Chapter 17

Emma was torn between wanting to hug her daughter and wanting to shake her. If the glare Mia was leveling at her from across Granny's was any indication, the girl wouldn't let her give her a hug. And she wasn't actually going to shake her.

Emma took a deep breath and approached the booth her daughter was sitting in. The girl had walked right past the booth Henry and now Killian were sitting in and was sitting by herself – or at least she was until Emma sat down across from her.

"What just happened - that can't happen again. Mia, I'm your mother, and it's my job to protect you. And in order to do that, I need you to listen to me, okay?"

Mia stared almost incredulously. "You don't need to protect me from the midwife. I think I can handle her," she said, smirking slightly.

"Well, you can't. You know how I told you people have been disappearing? We think Zelena may have been involved. She could be dangerous." Zelena was dangerous. The witch could have turned her daughter into a flying monkey…or killed her.

"I was just alone with her…in an alleyway. If she's really a kidnapper, then why didn't she…I don't know - kidnap me?" Mia said skeptically.

"She could have. Do you understand that?" Emma could tell Mia didn't understand. She wondered what she could say to make her understand.

"She didn't." Mia was looking at her like she was crazy.

Emma sighed, not knowing what to say to get through to her. "Not this time. Stay away from her. I mean it, Mia."

"Whatever you say," Mia muttered with a little bit of attitude…enough for Emma to question whether she had any intention of doing what she said.

Emma thought Mia's defiance had to be about more than the girl's strange desire to talk to Zelena again - and she thought she knew what it was about. "You think you don't have to listen to me because I've only been your mom for a day, right? I know you're not used to having a parent, and it'll take time for you to see me as, well…your mom. But this is really not the time for you to rebel against me. Maybe you can do that later…by…I don't know - staying up past your bedtime or going out with a boy I don't like. This time you do have to listen to me, okay? I want your word that you'll stay away from Zelena."

"Okay, fine." It wasn't the promise Emma wanted. It was a reluctant agreement, but it was all she was going to get from Mia – and she knew she was lucky to get that.

Emma decided to move on. "What were you even doing out there?"

"I just went out to get some air. I was only out there for, like, five minutes. I didn't think you'd even notice I was gone."

Emma frowned. The girl couldn't fathom anyone caring where she was after years of foster parents that didn't care where she was as long as they got their government check. She cared…couldn't Mia see that?

"You thought wrong."

Mia fiddled with the zipper on her leather jacket – or more accurately Emma's leather jacket. "I wasn't running."

Emma gave her a thin smile. "I know…you didn't take your backpack."

Mia eyed her warily. "Are you mad at me?"

"I'm not happy you left Granny's, but I'm not mad. I was more worried than anything." Emma studied her daughter for a moment, eventually deciding to show a little bit more of her own feelings than she normally would. "Actually, I was terrified. When I saw you with Zelena, it really scared me."

"We were just talking," Mia said defensively. Emma could tell the girl was starting to feel at least a little bit guilty.

"About what?"

Mia shrugged. "I don't know. Nothing much."

Emma didn't buy that. "You're lying. Whatever she said, she got in your head."

"She said she was sorry…about Neal. I told her I didn't really know him. She didn't know her parents either."

How dare Zelena say anything to Mia about Neal? Emma swallowed her fury…she was angry with Zelena, not Mia. It made sense that the girl would connect with the redheaded woman over not knowing her parents, at least not until now. At one point Mia had connected with her over that. Now…well, now her kid didn't want to talk to her, but felt like she could talk to the wicked witch. That was hard for Emma to swallow.

"I know you said you don't want to talk to me," Emma said carefully. "But you talked to me back in New York, and I'm still that same person. Zelena's not the only one that understands how you feel, you know? I know what it's like to be alone. You're not alone anymore. If you're looking for someone to talk to, you can always talk to me."

"No, I can't. And if you really understood, you would know that." Mia stood up.

"Hey." Emma grabbed the girl's arm before she could walk away. "Where are you going?"

Mia let out a short breath, making a harsh sound and pulled her arm out of Emma's grasp. "Back to the room. You want me to trust you, Emma? Maybe you should try trusting me."

Emma watched as the girl disappeared down the hallway, wondering if she was making a mistake letting her go.

"It looks like that went well," David said wryly. He gave her a sympathetic smile as he took Mia's spot in the booth. Mary Margaret slid in next to him, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"She won't talk to me, but she'll talk to Zelena," Emma muttered.

"You're her mother," David pointed out gently, sounding just a little bit amused.

Emma stared at him incredulously. "Zelena's the wicked witch. And she doesn't see me that way. You know what she said to me today? She said we could go back to how things were when she didn't know she was my daughter…she said I didn't have to keep trying to be her mom."

David and Mary Margaret exchanged a look.

"What?" Emma asked with a little bit of annoyance.

"Sounds familiar," David told her.

"It was different with us," Emma protested.

"No, it wasn't," Mary Margaret said firmly. "You're our daughter, Emma. And when you broke Regina's curse and we were finally all together, you didn't want to talk to us."

"But someone wouldn't take no for an answer," David said with a pointed look at Mary Margaret.

"I wouldn't take no for an answer," Mary Margaret acknowledged. "And neither should you. I don't care what she does or says. Mia is your daughter."

"And from what you've told us, I think she has enough of her mother in her that there is no one who knows what she needs better than you," David added with confidence.

"I…needed time. I know I need to give her time-"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "No. You wanted time," she corrected. "There's a difference. You went through that portal…"

"And you came through after me."

Mary Margaret nodded. "That's right. To be with you, even if you wanted space."

"Yeah, well, somehow I don't think going through a portal to fairy tale land with Mia would fix things with us."

"I don't think that's what Mary Margaret's saying," David said carefully.

"It's not. When we were in our land, I told you not to talk to Cora," Mary Margaret reminded her. "And what did you do?"

"Let me guess…she didn't listen?" David said with a knowing expression.

Mary Margaret laughed. "Of course not." She turned to Emma. "Remember the ogre?"

"What ogre?" David asked, looking a little concerned.

"Oh, the ogre that almost killed Emma," Mary Margaret answered nonchalantly.

Emma stifled a groan. "It didn't almost kill me."

Mary Margaret gave her a look of complete disbelief. "It would have if I hadn't shot it in the eye."

"Great, so I didn't listen to you back then, and now Mia won't listen to me." Emma shot Mary Margaret an annoyed look when the other woman smiled like she thought it was funny to watch her try to parent a kid that acted just like she had. "I'm glad you're enjoying this."

David gave her an apologetic smile. "We're not…enjoying this. It's just…well, she's acting a lot like you did back then."

"So what do I do?" Emma asked.

Mary Margaret smiled. "You do exactly what we did. You don't have to take no for an answer. You said she's afraid to let you in because she thinks you'll let her down again. Well, you were afraid to let us in, too, but we didn't let that stop us."

"Just stay strong," David told her. "She'll figure out that you're not going to give up."

"I'm not going to give up. I know she thinks if she pushes hard enough, I will, but I won't. She has me now, and I'm not going anywhere. It's just…with everything with Zelena, I don't know how much time she has to realize that. If she doesn't listen to me when it comes to this…" Emma's voice broke off as she imagined what the woman responsible for Neal's death could do to her daughter.

"We won't let that happen," David assured her, knowing she was thinking of the worst possible scenario.

"She said if I want her to trust me, I have to trust her. But how can I when I know what I would do if I were her?" Emma asked.

"You could start by telling her the truth about Storybrooke and who we really are," Mary Margaret suggested.

"She doesn't believe in me. She's not going to believe in magic or fairy tales."

"I don't know. Her brother is the truest believer, and her mother is the savior. She might surprise you," Mary Margaret said with characteristic optimism.

"Or she might think I've lost my mind." Emma thought that scenario was more realistic. "It took Henry almost dying for me to believe. Before that, I thought the curse was crazy. Mia not really accepting me as her mother is already hard enough, but it will be even harder if she thinks I'm a crazy person."

"You have magic," David started tentatively. "If she sees it with her own eyes…"

"Yeah, if she sticks around long enough for me to put on a magic show."

Mary Margaret blinked in surprise. "You still think she would run away?"

"I spent a lot of time running before Henry brought me to Storybrooke. For someone who grew up the way Mia did…the way I did, it's like a survival instinct. It's just what we've always done when things get tough." Emma tried to explain.

"That have anything to do with why you're thinking of going back to New York after we break the curse?" David inquired.

Mary Margaret stared hard. "You're thinking of going back to New York?"

Emma shrugged, not wanting to get into that. "I don't know. But to answer your original question, I don't just think Mia will run if this all becomes more than she can handle. I know she will."

Mary Margaret frowned. "But her family is here. Our family is here. We can finally all be together."

Emma glanced at Mary Margaret's stomach, knowing her mother would have the baby she really wanted soon enough…knowing what they had wasn't what her mother wanted. "Henry was really happy in New York. And I don't know if moving Mia on top of all the other changes in her life right now is what's best for her. I have to do what's best for them, and I'm going to."

"Mom!" Emma heard Henry's voice and looked over, grateful for the excuse to end a conversation she did not want to have with Mary Margaret in the first place. Her son had swiveled around in the booth behind them and was looking at her expectantly. "Killian said he knew my dad. He said they were friends?" Emma heard the question in her son's tone and glanced at Hook uncertainly.

"I- yes," Emma answered. "They were…friends."

"Can I go out on his boat with him? He said he'd tell me about my dad."

Emma gave Hook a questioning look. He inclined his head slightly. "Does that invitation extend to Mia? I, uh, may have to help Regina with the case."

"Aye, of course."

Mia looked up when the door opened and rolled her eyes when she saw Emma. "Wow, a whole ten minutes before you checked up on me. I can really feel the trust."

"Actually, I'm not checking up on you. Killian is going to take Henry out on his boat. Do you, uh, want to go?"

Mia did not want to spend time with Emma's boyfriend…or whatever the hell Killian was. "Pass."

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I have to work on the case and you can't stay here alone…"

"Trey and Dawn left me home alone all the time."

Emma stared. "You mean the foster father that tried to rape you and the foster mother that left you alone in that house for a week? Because they're examples of what not to do…"

Mia stared right back with a clenched jaw. "You left me alone in your apartment when we were in New York."

"Well, we're not in New York."

Mia shook her head in disbelief. "So you're pawning me off on your boyfriend?"

"He's…not my boyfriend. And I'm not pawning you off on anyone. Killian knew Neal, and he offered to tell you guys about him. I thought you'd want to go. Come on, it'll be fun."

"Yeah, as much fun as math homework or going to the dentist," Mia muttered under her breath. "Can't Mary Margaret babysit me instead?"

Emma gave her an apologetic smile. "Not today."

Killian was harder to get away from than Mia thought he would be. She had a lot of practice faking sick to get out of gym class when she had bruises that she couldn't hide in the locker room…bruises that would raise uncomfortable questions. She thought faking seasick would be a no-brainer on a ship. She moaned and clutched her stomach. She tried to look pathetic. To her annoyance, Killian just said her father was queasy his first time on the ship, too, and that it would pass.

It wasn't until she told him she was going to throw up on the ship that Killian had some random guy named after a character in Peter Pan walk her back to Granny's. Mr. Smee – if that was even his real name and not some strange nickname - made sure Granny knew she was there. The diner was busy, and the older woman didn't question her when she said she was going to lie down in the room. She didn't go back to the room though. Instead, she slipped out the back, hoping to find Zelena.

It was weird to go from foster care where none of her foster parents gave a damn where she was or what she was doing to…well, her current situation…whatever it was. Mia hadn't had a babysitter the entire time she lived with Trey and Dawn. Trey treated her like an adult, not a kid. She didn't appreciate being treated like some little kid that couldn't take care of herself. And she really didn't appreciate being pawned off on Killian.

Mia wandered through the small town, carefully avoiding the main street so none of Emma's friends would see her. She didn't know how long she'd been walking before the redheaded woman appeared seemingly out of nowhere, but it didn't feel like it had been that long.

"Zelena! Hi."

"Hello, dear."

"I was looking for you," Mia started awkwardly. "You, um, said there's a lot Emma's not telling me."

"There is. Did you ask your mother about it?"

"I'm asking you."

"You don't trust her." Zelena seemed almost…amused.

"She wasn't even going to tell me I was her daughter until after her stupid case – if she was even really going to tell me then. No, I don't trust her." And Emma had made it crystal clear that she didn't trust her either.

Zelena arched her eyebrows. "And yet you trust me. I'm flattered."

"I don't trust anyone. But Emma telling me to stay away from you? That only made me want to hear you out more."

Zelena handed the savior's daughter a cup of tea. The girl was either very foolish or very brave. She wasn't sure which yet, but Mia had no qualms about going back to her house – or more accurately the farmhouse that was her temporary home…just until she could cast her spell. Luckily for the savior, Zelena thought the little girl would be more useful in her current form than as a monkey.

"Thank you," Mia said politely, but she smelled the tea and then set the cup aside without taking one sip. Perhaps she wasn't as foolish as Zelena may have thought. The tea was just that - tea, but one could never be too careful.

"Just what has your mother told you about her family?" Zelena queried gently.

"That she doesn't have one."

Zelena smiled. "Mary Margaret and David are not your mother's friends. They are much more than that."

"Henry and I knew she was lying about how she and Mary Margaret met! She said they met in jail. Who gets arrested for banditry?"

"Oh, I don't know. Snow White?" Zelena watched the girl carefully to gauge her reaction.

Mia scrunched her face up. "That's…not exactly the way I remember the story."

Zelena blinked. "Well, what version of the story do you know?"

Mia gave her a strange look. "Um…the normal one. You know, she eats a poisoned apple and the prince saves her with a kiss?"

"I think whoever told you the story may have left a few key parts out."

Mia snorted. "It's not like it's a true story."

"Oh, but it is." Zelena produced the thick leather-bound storybook that had once belonged to her sister's adopted son out of thin air and slid it across the kitchen table to the little girl.

The girl glanced at the cover without any interest. "I'm a little old for fairy tales."

"Even if your mother's story begins in that book?"

"Oh yeah? Which princess is she?" Mia said with heavy skepticism. "Because in all the Disney movies I've seen, I don't remember a Princess Emma."

"Emma is Snow White and Prince Charming's daughter." Zelena focused on the book, and it opened to the part of the story she wanted the girl to read. Mia looked startled when the pages started flipping on their own. "Go ahead, have a look."

The girl eyed the open page a little warily. "A daughter named Emma. That's…" She looked up at her like she thought she was crazy. "You don't actually think my mom is Snow White's daughter, do you?"

"Look very closely. Does Snow White look like anyone you know?" Zelena asked instead of answering.

Mia barely spared a glance at the glossy illustration on the open page. "Not really."

Zelena pushed her impatience aside…the girl was refusing to see what was right in front of her. "Not even Mary Margaret?"

"Right…black hair and skin as white as snow or whatever? It's March. There hasn't been a whole lot of sun in the last five or six months. Snooki would be pale if she lived here."

"Who is Snooki?"

"She's - never mind. So other than this whole…fairy tale thing," Mia said in a tone of complete disbelief, "is there anything Emma's not telling me?"

"She has magic."

Mia stared. "Magic? Like in Harry Potter?"

Zelena frowned, unable to make sense of half of what the girl said. "Who is Harry Potter?"

"Seriously? What rock have you been living under?"

That Zelena understood perfectly. She narrowed her eyes, trying to remember that a little girl this close to the savior could be very useful. "Oh, I don't know…the same rock you've been living under to not see what's right in front of you."

"Maybe Emma was right," the girl muttered under her breath. She stood up. "Thank you for…the tea. I have to go now."

Oh, no, that would simply not do…the savior's daughter was supposed to leave angry – or rather angrier – with the savior for lying, not with a newfound trust in her. This was not going at all the way Zelena had planned.

"You can't go yet." Zelena stopped the girl from moving, sticking her feet to the floor with magic. "You wanted to know everything your mother isn't telling you? Well, we're just getting started, dear."

Mia realized she couldn't move. Her eyes widened in horror. "What- what did you do to me?"

"Why, magic of course."

Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing.

I originally wrote this with Emma telling Mia about magic. The way it played out would have been very different, but Mia would have ultimately reacted the same way. I'm basing her reaction a little bit off of how Emma acted in the beginning of season one when Henry first told her everyone was a fairy tale character and a little bit off of how Emma acted in S4E11 when Ingrid tried to tell her she had powers.

For those who want to see Mia and Zelena bonding, don't worry…this scene and the one to come in the next chapter will not be the end of that. They have an awful lot in common and they will connect over it. I have a whole storyline planned for them. Please let me know if there is anything you really want to see with them and I'll do my best to include it if it makes sense with the story.

Also, when David said Mia's behavior sounded familiar, I was thinking of two scenes in particular. I was originally going to include them as memories, but I didn't want to write verbatim what we've all seen in the show...I try not to do that. The scenes I'm thinking of are from S2E10 when Emma, Mary Margaret and David are talking as they wait for Henry's bus and from S3E01 when Mary Margaret first tried to talk to Emma on the Jolly Roger. How was the scene with Emma, David and Mary Margaret? Mary Margaret is harder for me to write for some reason.