"Told ya," Shrek raised his eyebrows at his wife, nudging her.

Fiona dragged her eyes away from her daughter's closed bedroom door to her husband, she shushed him.

"Told ya that boy was nothing but trouble," he had his arms folded, watching the door too, "If ye'd just agreed with me before-"

"No," Fiona nudged him back, "And not allowed her to date anyone?"

"Well we'd have avoided this," he gestured to her door, brow furrowed.

Fiona sighed. They listened to their teenage daughter's muffled sobbing for a moment. They had been relegated to the other side of the closed door. Neither parent could have predicted how their day had gone. Things had been normal that morning, seeing the triplets off to school; Fiona had to wake Felicia up three times, Fergus had almost forgotten one of his school books, Farkle left late. However, them returning from school had been especially abnormal. They were late home, later than usual. Late enough that Fiona had begun to get a little concerned. Fergus and Felicia had eventually come home together, their son's arm around their distraught daughter. After a short while of hysterics, Farkle returned claiming to have hit the boy responsible for the disruption, this throwing Felicia into further distress. Farkle had been cast out, having left again in a sulk, Fergus being the person of comfort who was currently talking to her in a hushed voice. He'd told them that they'd best stay out of it, he'd got it.

Fiona shook her head, "She'd just have dated him in secret and we'd only be finding out about the whole relationship now."

Shrek slipped an arm around her, giving a bemused snort. She looked at him strangely.

"Ye say that like we don't know everything she gets up to behind our backs," a smirk grew on his face.

"I hope we know everything she gets up to behind our backs," Fiona smiled despite herself.

Her smile soon faded.

"Hey, we'd have avoided all of this if they never went t'school in the fir-oof."

Fiona elbowed him hard, rolling her eyes, "Shrek." He brought up his once passionate argument about their children's education every time something negative happened to them when they were in school. So much so that it had become an inside joke to the couple. Even though it wasn't something ogres did, it wasn't a human school either. The kids weren't lonely, they each had friends as well as each other, that's all that truly mattered to Fiona after all.

"She'll be fine," Shrek reassured her, bringing their attention back to the closed door, "She'll forget all about him." She nodded. He was right, but it didn't make it any less painful listening to her cries.

The door opened, Fergus meekly appearing. He closed her door behind him, meeting their concerned gazes.

"She wants me to talk to Farkle, so…" he gestured towards the door.

"Are you okay?" Fiona asked him as he approached them, placing a comforting hand on his arm. Finally outside of the childish sibling rivalry stage, they often sought more comfort from each other than they did her. But the mother knew too well how draining it was to console an inconsolable Felicia.

He nodded, glancing back at where his sister was shut away, "She's not though." His brow was furrowed, eyes betraying the worry he had for her.

The parents nodded their understanding of the situation. "Okay, be back for dinner," she patted his shoulder.

"Both of ye," Shrek gave him a knowing look.

Fergus gave them a half-hearted smile before slowly leaving. The couple met each other's gazes, then looked back at the closed door. There was silence, Felicia had gone quiet with no one tending to her. Shrek gestured to the door in question, silently suggesting Fiona take their son's place.

"Do you want to come?" Fiona offered, voice low.

Shrek hesitated, "Ah, she won't want me," he scratched the back of his head.

Fiona gave him a knowing smile. He often shied away from any of the kids' intense emotional reactions to things. Besides, he was right. She wasn't even sure what she could say to help her daughter, but she could imagine she would be the preferable parent for comforting boy issues.

She hesitantly approached the door, and knocked lightly before slowly opening it. Felicia was laying on her bed, knees tucked up, fiddling with the edge of her pillow. She didn't acknowledge Fiona's entrance, sniffing.

"Hey honey," Fiona spoke softly to her.

"Hey."

Felicia glanced at her, sighing, giving a dry sob.

Fiona gently sat on the edge of her bed, "Are you okay?"

Her daughter's lips curled downwards, face creasing up once again, she shook her head. The mother rubbed her shoulder affectionately. Felicia slowly sat up, taking to Fiona's embrace as a new set of tears started rolling down her cheeks.

She rested her forehead on her mother's shoulder, "This hurts so much," Felicia sobbed.

"I know, baby, I know," Fiona cooed at her daughter, holding onto her, stroking her long tangle of hair. Though, Fiona couldn't help but realise she didn't really know. Sure, she'd experienced some hurt over her relationship with her husband over the years, some mild and some not so mild. But there was never finality to it. There was always a solution. She had taken solace in that. Still, she knew enough. She also knew her daughter, despite being a little emotionally unhinged sometimes, she was strong.

"He-he said he doesn't even want to try. It's over, it's over over. But it can't be. It can't-"

"Shh."

"And then Farkle, he he…"

"I know. He shouldn't have."

"Now he'll never want to try again. He'll never want me back. He'll never-" she broke down into unintelligible sobs once again.

Fiona rocked her back and forth a little, holding onto her tightly. There had been many moments over the years where she'd comforted her crying daughter, it was comforting in herself that she continued to be able to do so. But it had been a long while since she'd seen Felicia so upset, it almost brought tears to her own eyes as she held her trembling child, unable to save her from the sadness she felt.

After a while, Felicia wiped her face on her sleeve, taking a deep breath through her nose and sighed, "I- I don't understand. I love him, mom - I thought that when you fall in love it lasts forever."

Fiona's grip on her daughter loosened a little as she suddenly found herself speechless. She was glad that Felicia couldn't see the momentary panic that flashed across her face. As silly as it sounded coming from her heartbroken teenage daughter, she was right. It's what Fiona had always told her children. It's what Shrek had told them too, maybe less directly. In every fairy tale, every story – love was true, and true love lasted forever. Just like their parents.

It never crossed her mind that this was something that would affect them. Fiona knew this boyfriend - or rather ex boyfriend - of her daughter's wasn't her first kiss, nor her second. This had been something the mother had previously struggled with, finally coming to realise it was normal for children who were not locked away in towers. As much as Fiona could figure out, the stories they told their children were just that; stories. If Felicia had no trouble kissing people then she always thought dating would be the same. Clearly, much against Fiona's own belief system, you didn't need to be in love to kiss someone. Fiona was definitely not in touch with what was considered normal; thirteen years in a tower did that to a person, go figure.

Still, Fiona knew the answer to her daughter's unspoken question. "You're young. It'll work like that when you get older, honey."

Felicia lifted her head from where she was leant against her shoulder. Fiona watched her brow crease again, though this time not in sadness. It clearly wasn't the answer her daughter was seeking. "So I can't do anything until I'm old enough?" her emotions took a turn, "Grandma was eighteen when she got married, so I just have to wait until then? And then things will magically matter?"

Fiona sighed, "No. That's not what I mean."

"Then how do I know?" her daughter looked to her desperately, fresh tears filling her eyes.

Fiona silently searched her face, she didn't know what answers to give her daughter. She reached out to wipe her tears, but Felicia dodged the gesture.

"I don't have a big magical sign like you did," her words were sharp and accusatory as she shifted away.

Fiona watched her in silence, mouth sewn in a firm line, her brain unable to grasp an answer.

"How do I know that he wasn't my true love? How do I know this isn't going to happen every time?" she let out a small whimper, tears falling over her cheeks again, "I feel like I can't breathe, I don't want this to ever happen again." Felicia shrugged off her mother's arm and collapsed back onto her bed, rolling onto her side, facing the wall. "Being alone forever is better than this," she mumbled, taking a shuddery breath, "No one else will want me anyway."

"Felicia," Fiona sighed. Felicia was done with talking, she kept her back to her mother. Fiona watched her daughter reach under the pillow, pulling the small ragged toy ogre from beneath, the squeaker long gone. She picked at its frayed edges, sniffing.

Fiona gently placed her hand on Felicia's head, stroking her hair once again, "It'll be okay," she spoke quietly.

"How would you know?" she mumbled, staring intently at what she held in her hands, "You got everything you wanted."

Fiona paused her stroking. She watched the ground. It wasn't the first time her daughter had said something spiteful towards her and she was sure it wasn't going to be the last. She struggled with herself. She felt the urge to explain, to pour her heart out to her emotional daughter to help her - or even make her - understand, but she didn't. It wasn't the time. It never seemed to be the time. Fiona wondered if she'd ever talk to her children about her own struggles. Happily ever after was what they heard, it's all they knew of their parents, despite knowing some of the other details too.

"In the end," she settled for, stroking her daughter's hair again, "Just like in the end, things will work out for you," she spoke gently, "Maybe that's not today, but it'll happen eventually, I promise. If I could wait years, you can do this." She heard her daughter sniff, she looked to her, a tear tracing its way down her cheek again.

The door opened slowly. Fiona looked up to see her husband hesitantly standing in the doorway. "Hey," he caught Felicia's attention, she turned her head to look at him. "He's not worth all'a this."

Felicia didn't respond, turning back to the wall. "I know you never liked him, but I did," she spoke as evenly as she was able, "Leave me alone."

As much as Fiona wanted to stay to comfort her daughter more, there was nothing more to say. Frustrations were high and she didn't want to push her luck any longer. Fiona gently patted her shoulder before slowly standing and leaving the room.

"I think we messed up," Fiona spoke quietly, after dragging her husband into their bedroom, throwing the curtain closed behind them. Shrek looked at her, brow furrowed. "Love lasts forever," she repeated their daughter's words, "She's heartbroken because we taught her that."

"What were we supposed t'do? Tell 'em bedtime stories about unhappy marriages and people who never got t'find love?" he chuckled, though his humour faded as his wife didn't share in his mirth. He paused for a moment before he shook his head, "She'd be heartbroken anyway," he waved off the weight of her statement. "Yanno… ye can't fix this, or even prevent it f'her…" he ventured.

"I know," Fiona's tone was sharper than perhaps intended. He was right after all.

He shrugged at her, gesturing in the vague direction of their daughter's room, "It's all stuff she's gotta learn, best now than when it's the real thing," he nudged her playfully.

She suppressed the slight smile he brought out of her, "What do you mean? Nothing like that happened to us?"

"Well, it could have," his own small smile was hesitant.

Fiona met his gaze and watched him for a moment, she nodded, "True love lasts forever," though her eyes trailed to the ground, she sighed, sinking onto the bed, "I just thought what happened for us would happen for them."

"Ye really thought she'd end up marrying that loser?" Shrek's insecure smile expanded into a grin, "Our daughter - Princess Felicia of Far Far Away - an' that kid."

The ogress's mouth curved into a smile, almost against her will. "I know," she put her head into her hands, grinning wryly, "I know," she waved him off. She sat up straighter, meeting his gaze, "I guess their fairy tales will look a little different to ours."

Shrek only shrugged at her, "Yah well, maybe they won't even have fairy tales. Probably fer the best, the amount of trouble ours has given us."

Fiona's gaze dropped down to the bed she sat upon, she didn't react to her husband's chuckle. She'd spent a lot of time imagining how things would go for her children, even as far back as in the tower. Her hopes for them had changed a lot over the years, but she'd always imagined something special for each of them. Of course she knew the boyfriend of her daughter's wasn't going to work out; it wasn't special enough. She was sure there was something bigger for her.

"I just want things to be special for them," she spoke her hopes out loud.

"It will be… t'them," Shrek countered. A sly smirk crossed his face, "Ah, I guess we missed the opportunity t'put Felicia somewhere guarded by a dragon, but something tells me she wouldn't wait around for fer some boy t'save her."

Fiona shook her head at him, smiling despite herself, "No, probably not." She sighed airily, "It's as if we don't really know what we're doing, Sir Shrek."

"Ah, Princess, we never have," he chuckled quietly.

"They turned out okay though, right?" she asked him, the humour in her tone being slightly contrasted by the crease in her brow.

"Aye, I think so."

. . .

This is a teeny tiny concept, that I ran with even though it's not massively relevant. I've explored the continued impact of Fiona's upbringing and situation before, but there's so much to it!

Thanks again to rawshark for encouragement and endless theorising!