Chapter 5

Regina opened the door to her daughter's bedroom without knocking and almost tripped over the girl's backpack as soon as she walked in. She glared at the offending item, shaking her head slightly at the state of the ten year old's bedroom. It was an absolute pigsty.

She took a deep breath, swallowing her annoyance. It was the first day of Mia's suspension from school, and it would be a long day if they started out fighting over something as trivial as the girl's cleaning habits – or lack thereof.

Mia needed to be punished for fighting at school, but Regina was considering going easier on her than she had originally planned as a reward for good behavior. She was pleasantly surprised that the girl had stayed at home like she was supposed to while Henry was off gallivanting around town with Ms. Swan.

Regina approached the bed and sat down next to her daughter's sleeping form. The girl made a noise that was half-whimper, half-groan when she felt the weight of the bed shift and rolled over, squeezing her eyes shut and burying her head in her pillows.

Regina smiled, knowing the girl was awake. "Mia, sweetie, it's time to wake up," she said as she brushed a stray hair out of the girl's face. She continued to stroke the girl's hair as she waited for her to open her eyes.

Mia's eyes fluttered open and she blinked, looking up at Regina with bleary hazel eyes. "What- what time is it?" She asked, bringing her right hand to cover her mouth as she yawned.

"Time to wake up," Regina said simply.

Mia glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand, groaning at the actual time. "Why so early?" The girl asked with a slight whine in her voice. Already? Regina hadn't even had her coffee yet. "I don't have to go to school today."

Regina stared. "This is not a vacation. You're suspended. You're coming to work with me. Now get up."

Mia sat up in bed, but didn't actually get out of bed.

Regina walked over to her daughter's dresser.

"What are you doing?" Mia asked in a confused tone.

"Laying your clothes out for you," Regina told her. "Go get in the shower."

"I can pick out my own clothes," Mia said forlornly.

Regina didn't even spare her a glance. "Not from your bed, you can't."

Regina carefully laid a nice black and white striped sweater and a pair of black skinny jeans out on the side of the bed that the girl didn't sleep on.

She did not want her daughter running around her office in blue jeans or sweatpants, but she was not going to fight with her about wearing a dress or skirt. She remembered her own mother forcing her into hated corset dresses and vowed never to do that to Mia. She thought the outfit she picked out was a more than fair compromise between what she thought was appropriate attire for City Hall and what the ten year old liked to wear when she wasn't in her school uniform.

Regina glanced at her daughter, who was still sitting with her back against the headboard with her knees drawn to her chest. "Well? Do you approve?"

Mia giggled a little. "Yes," she admitted grudgingly.

"Good," Regina said. "Now go take a shower. I was going to take you to Granny's for the cocoa you love so much, but if you're not dressed and downstairs in exactly forty-five minutes, I'm afraid we won't have time before my first meeting."

Well, that certainly got her daughter's attention. Regina watched in amusement as the girl pulled back the covers and scrambled out of bed.

"Don't forget your homework. And bring a book to read or your art kit," Regina added. She did not need a bored ten year old distracting her from her own work. "You'll need something to do."

Regina timed their arrival to Granny's perfectly. The school bus had just left and most of the breakfast rush had cleared out. She immediately saw the woman she was looking for when they walked in. Ms. Swan was sitting at a large table to the right of the door with the newspaper open in front of her and a cup of cocoa.

It was clear Henry would not listen to her about anything to do with the woman, but he did listen to Mia. She just needed to make sure Mia knew everything she wanted Henry to know. Starting now.

There were numerous red flags the came up in the background check she had Sidney run on Emma Swan – and Regina knew exactly which of those red flags would concern her daughter the most.

"How was your walk with Henry?" Regina asked casually, getting Ms. Swan's attention. And it got her daughter's attention at the same time. The little girl was staring at her with wide eyes. Regina could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she tried to figure out a way to warn Henry.

Now that she had their undivided attention, Regina sat down across from the blonde woman, crossing her legs primly. "That's right. I know everything. But relax. I don't mind."

"You don't?" Emma said calmly, looking like she didn't believe her for one second.

"No. Because you no longer worry me, Ms. Swan," Regina said, keeping her tone casual.

Mia's wide eyes narrowed slightly. "Since when?"

Regina struggled to keep her smile in place. She was enjoying drawing this out, but knew she needed to get to the point. Patience was not a virtue her ten year old daughter possessed. "It's good you're here, sweetie. You should hear this. You see, I did a little digging into who this woman is."

"How was your walk with Henry?"

Emma looked up from her cocoa in surprise, sizing the mayor up. She wished she could say she was surprised to see Mia with Regina, but she wasn't - it wasn't the first time the other woman had brought the kids into this…well, whatever the hell it was that was going on between them.

Regina sat down across from Emma, leaving Mia standing awkwardly behind them, looking unsure of what to do.

"That's right. I know everything," Regina said smugly. "But relax. I don't mind."

"You don't?" Emma said with heavy skepticism, waiting for the punch line.

"No. Because you no longer worry me, Ms. Swan."

Mia was staring at Regina complete and utter disbelief. "Since when?"

Emma saw the way the corners of Regina's mouth tightened with annoyance. Regina glanced over her shoulder at the girl. "It's good you're here, sweetie," she said in almost sickeningly sweet tone that didn't match the tight lines in her facial expression. "You should hear this. You see, I did a little digging into who this woman is."

Emma clasped her hands in front of her on the table to stop herself from wringing them or fidgeting. She didn't want Regina to know she was making her nervous. She glanced at Mia out of the corner of her eye. Whatever Regina found on her, she knew it wasn't going to be good and she didn't want the kid to have to hear it.

Regina turned back to Emma with a flourish. "And what I found was quite soothing. It all comes down to the number seven."

"Seven?" Emma questioned, staring blankly.

"It's the number of addresses you've had in the last decade. Your longest in anywhere was two years. Really, what did you enjoy so much about Tallahassee?" Regina looked like she was enjoying this immensely, but Mia looked almost…disappointed.

Crap. That was what the girl was afraid of…that Emma would leave and it would hurt Henry. Emma thought maybe it wasn't just Henry that Mia was worried about…maybe she was worried about how she would feel, too…and Regina was playing expertly on the girl's fears.

Emma picked the newspaper up and set it down again, needing something to do with her hands. She forced herself to meet the mayor's gaze, keeping her expression carefully blank. "If you were wondering, I did find a place here in town."

"Y-you did?" Mia asked in a small voice.

"Yes," Regina answered for her. "With Ms. Blanchard."

"You're…living with our teacher?" Mia made a face. "That's so weird!"

"Don't worry, sweetie," Regina told the girl. "Ms. Swan doesn't have a lease. Her stay with Ms. Blanchard is only temporary."

"What does that mean?" Mia asked in a confused tone.

"It means," Regina said slowly and deliberately, "that this woman can leave here at any time. She doesn't have a house. She doesn't have a job. You see, Mia, there's nothing keeping Ms. Swan here."

"Yes, there is," Emma said fiercely with a pointed glance at Mia. "Two things actually. Henry and Mia. They're all that matters to me right now."

"But for how long?" Regina said in a soft, dangerous voice. "Your longest in anywhere was two years. Let's see…that would make Henry and Mia twelve when you leave them behind – and that's if you enjoy your time with my children as much as you enjoyed whatever it is you were doing in Tallahassee. People don't change. They only fool themselves into believing they can."

Emma glared. "You don't know me."

"No, I think I do." Regina leaned forward almost conspiratorially. "All I ask is as you carry on your transient life, you think of Henry and Mia, and what's best for them. Perhaps consider a clean break. It's going to happen anyway. Enjoy your cocoa."

Mia sat Indian style on the couch in her mom's office, trying to do her math homework. It wasn't working. How could Regina expect her to focus on homework with the whole birth mother situation going on?

She felt Regina's watchful eyes on her and forced herself to copy the first math problem from the assigned homework in her spiral notebook.

Mia didn't understand why Emma was still there if it wasn't for her and Henry like she said. The woman had been in jail twice since she'd been there, and at least one of the times she hadn't done anything to deserve it…Regina and Dr. Hopper had set her up. Regina was making the woman's stay in Storybrooke as miserable as possible. But if Emma was really staying for them, why had she said she wouldn't stay when Henry begged her to stay? Why hadn't she just said yes then? Why now? Mia didn't understand it at all.

If Emma was staying for them…well, was that enough for her to stay? The woman didn't want them when they were born and didn't want to stay here with them at first. Mia knew she should be happy the woman stayed…for Henry, if not for her. But she wasn't happy…she was just confused.

Mia didn't want to get to know their birth mother if she was just going to leave any day now. She didn't want to like Emma and be left behind when she moved on. And if she started to like Emma - not that she did - was that like betraying Regina? Regina was their mom…and Emma was the woman that gave them away like they didn't matter to her.

A brisk knock on the doorframe startled Mia out of her thoughts. She looked up and saw Jake Spencer's dad standing in the doorway, waiting for Regina to acknowledge him. What did he want?

Regina glanced up from her computer and rose from her desk chair gracefully. "Mr. Spencer. Please, come in."

"Madam Mayor." Mr. Spencer inclined his head slightly. He walked over to Regina's desk and stood facing her with his back to Mia. "I assume your girl told you what my boy did to cause their little scuffle?"

Mia gasped, staring at the two adults with wide eyes and a worried expression. She hadn't told Regina anything.

Regina glanced at Mia. "It's almost time for lunch. Be a dear and go get us something from Granny's."

Mia bit her bottom lip. She didn't want to leave…she wanted to know what Mr. Spencer was going to say.

Regina's eyes narrowed slightly when Mia didn't move. "Now, Mia. The grown-ups need to talk."

Mia set her notebook down and unfolded her legs. She walked over to her mom's desk to take the credit card Regina had pulled out of her purse.

"Shut the door behind you," Regina called pointedly as Mia left.

Mia tried to listen from the other side of the door, but she realized pretty quickly that she couldn't hear anything. With a frustrated sigh, she gave up and went to Granny's.

Emma was still in the diner…at the same table she'd been at that morning, but now she was eating lunch. Mia pretended not to see her. She ordered a grilled cheese with onion rings for herself and a chicken salad for Regina and sat down on a barstool at the counter to wait for the to-go order.

Emma watched Mia walk right past her without looking back. She sighed and walked over to the counter, sitting down on the barstool next to the girl. "Hey, kid."

Mia glanced at her, looking uncomfortable. "Oh…hi," she said, trying to sound surprised…like she hadn't seen her when she walked in. Emma knew she had.

"About what happened between me and your mom this morning?" Emma started awkwardly. "I'm sorry you had to see that. And, um…as far as what your mom said…you know, about me leaving?"

Mia's expression hardened. "What about it?"

"I've done my share of moving around," Emma said honestly. "But I've always been on my own. It was just me. There was no one to miss me when I left."

"Henry will miss you when you leave!" Mia burst out. Her voice came out higher than normal, making the girl sound almost hysterical. It was just like Emma thought…it wasn't just Henry that the girl was worried about…she was worried about how she would feel, too. The girl was clearly upset.

"But that's the thing," Emma said quickly. "I'm not alone anymore. I have you and Henry in my life now. It's not just about me. And I know that – I do. I'm staying for you guys. And, you know…it's not just for you guys…it's for me, too."

Mia eyed her uncertainly. "So you're staying? You're really staying?"

Emma nodded. "Your mom will be thrilled," she said sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Mia's lips twitched, but she turned around so she was facing the counter again, almost like she was trying to hide the fact that Emma made her smile.

"Where is your mom?" Emma asked curiously. She was surprised to see the kid in Granny's by herself when she was grounded.

Mia made a face, wincing slightly. "With the district attorney."

"And that's a bad thing?" Emma questioned.

"It wouldn't be, but I kind of punched his son."

Emma shrugged slightly. She knew Mary Margaret didn't exactly approve of her pride in the girl, but she was proud. "Sounds like the kid deserved a punch in the face if you ask me."

Mia glanced at her with a guarded expression. "What would you know about it?"

"Oh, um…Henry told me," Emma answered hesitantly, hoping the girl wouldn't get mad at her twin.

Mia raised her eyebrows, looking surprised. "He told you? Unbelievable!"

"Just that the kid was picking on him." Emma tried to downplay it. "You know, because of the whole fairy tale thing."

"Jake's not the first person to call Henry crazy," Mia said with a pointed glare.

Emma inhaled sharply. "You know, that's not exactly what I said," she tried to defend herself, giving the girl a pointed look of her own. "I said the curse is crazy, and it is."

Mia blew out a breath and nodded slightly, knowing the curse was crazy. Emma could almost see the fight and anger go out of her.

Emma offered the girl a tentative smile. "Henry's lucky to have you in his corner."

"He's my brother," Mia said matter-of-factly.

Ruby set a to-go bag down in front of Mia. "Here you go, Mia. Grilled cheese with a side of onion rings and chicken salad. Utensils in the bag."

"Thanks, Ruby," Mia saw with a smile. She picked up the bag and hopped down from the stool, glancing back at Emma. "I've got to go. See you?"

"See you, kid."

DA Spencer was already gone by the time her daughter returned. Regina moved over to the couch to eat with Mia. She waited until the girl had opened her to-go box and was picking at her onion rings.

"Do you have any idea how it feels to find out from another child's parent what really happened between that child and my daughter?" Regina asked, studying the girl intently.

Mia bit her bottom lip. "Not good?"

Regina made a small sound that was half-scoff, half-humorless laugh. "No."

"What did Mr. Spencer tell you?" Mia asked nervously.

Regina suppressed a smile at the obvious attempt to find out what she knew. The fine art of subtlety was lost on her daughter. "His son's side of the story. Now I'd like to hear yours."

"You already know I punched him."

Regina met her daughter's gaze. "Yes. And now I want to know why."

Mia lowered her gaze, shrugging halfheartedly. "He was being mean to Henry," she said softly.

Regina was losing her patience with the non-answers. "How was he being mean to Henry?" Of course she already knew, but she wanted to hear it from Mia.

"He was making fun of him because of his book of fairy tales, okay? He's been making fun of him for a month now!" Mia almost yelled in frustration. "Ever since he got that stupid book."

Regina frowned. "If this has been going on for a month, why am I only hearing about it now?"

"Like you care," Mia muttered.

"I do care. He's my son."

"Please," Mia said, rolling her eyes disrespectfully. "He thinks you're evil because of that book. You're probably happy everyone's making fun of him because of it."

Regina's frown deepened. "Of course I'm not. And it hurts me that you would think that. I suppose you think I'm some sort of evil queen, too, now?"

Mia snorted. "No. Of course not."

Regina relaxed slightly. "Well, then, what have I done that is so horrible you think I wouldn't care that your brother's being bullied in school?"

Mia shook her head. "It's not that I don't think you'd care if he was being bullied for being a comic book nerd or- or sucking at dodge ball," she said, laughing a little. She sobered up quickly, adding, "It's why he's being bullied."

"The book."

"Well, yeah?"

Regina sighed. "I don't like what this book's doing to him. Do you?"

"No," Mia admitted softly. "Before he got the book, we played MarioKart and Minecraft. Now it's like all he cares about is that stupid book."

Regina looked at the child that didn't think she was evil sadly. She was so worried about Henry and the birth mother and her curse that she didn't realize what all of this was doing to Mia. "I'm sorry, sweetie. I didn't realize how this was affecting you."

Mia sat back a little on the couch and rested her head on Regina's shoulder. "It's not your fault. You didn't give him the book."

Regina wrapped an arm around the girl's shoulders and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "I still should have noticed."

Mia hesitated for a moment. "Jake said something…he said he felt sorry for you…that you'd give us back if you could. It's stupid – since we're adopted." Regina felt the girl shrug half-heartedly against her, trying to act like it wasn't bothering her as much as it clearly was.

Regina swallowed her fury. It was Jake she was furious with, not her daughter. "I love you and Henry. You are my children, and you will always be my children…even when you're off at college and think you're an adult."

Mia giggled a little and snuggled into her arm, glancing up at her slyly. "So am I still grounded?"

Regina looked at her daughter with an amused expression. "Yes, you're still grounded. I would have handled it had you told me what was going on. Instead, you got into a brawl in the hospital. That was not the best way to handle it. Was it now?" She arched an expectant eyebrow at the girl.

Mia let out a small, disappointed sigh, but didn't look particularly surprised. "No," she admitted reluctantly.

"However," Regina started, causing the girl to perk up again, "you're no longer grounded through the weekend. You're only grounded until you go back to school on Thursday. Consider it a reward for good behavior. I'll warn you now that I won't be so lenient if you get in any more trouble at school." She tapped the girl's nose.

The week dragged on for Mia. Regina wasn't completely terrible, but she enforced her punishment. Mia was bored out of her mind in her mom's office with only homework, the book she was reading, and her art kit to keep her busy for the entire three days she was suspended. When she went back to school, she had a ton of work to catch up on. She was happy when Saturday finally rolled around.

Regina had a City Council meeting and wouldn't be back until five so she left them home alone. Mia thought maybe they could play video games or ride their bikes to the drugstore to get candy, but Henry wanted to spend time with Emma. Mia had decided that maybe the blonde woman wasn't so bad, but she still wasn't sure about her and wasn't as gung-ho as her brother.

The blonde woman wasn't in Granny's so Henry wanted to go to their teacher's apartment. Mia stared at him like he'd lost his mind. "You want to go to Ms. Blanchard's apartment?"

That just seemed like forbidden territory to Mia.

"Yes," Henry insisted, trying to pull her toward the apartment building.

"No! That's just – it's weird."

Henry glanced at her with an amused expression. "Our mom's living there, too, you know."

"I hate you," Mia said as she followed him.

"No, you don't. You love me," Henry said knowingly with a cocky grin.

Emma reluctantly agreed to find Ashley for Gold. She knew a little too well what it was like to be young, pregnant and alone. She didn't want another baby to be born in jail, not if she could help it. She knew her kids were lucky to avoid the system, even if they ended up with someone like Regina.

Emma made it pretty clear she was doing it to help Ashley, not Gold. She was just finishing up with him when the door to the apartment burst open.

"You have to knock first! You can't just walk in."

Emma recognized Mia's voice a second before Henry waltzed in, ignoring his sister completely. "Hey, Emma! I was thinking we-" The boy stopped talking suddenly when he saw Gold.

Mia came through after Henry, looking hesitant and unsure.

After exchanging awkward greetings with the kids, Gold turned to leave. "Good luck, Ms. Swan," he said as he left.

Mia tilted her head to look at Emma curiously. "What do you need luck with?"

Emma shifted uncomfortably. "Nothing."

Mia rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in front of her. "Fine, don't tell us."

"Do you know who that is?" Henry asked, looking from Emma to the closed front door.

Emma had gone back to unpacking, but glanced up at him. "Yeah, of course I do."

"So do we," Mia said, shaking her head slightly. She shot Henry a look. "You know he's going to tell Mom we were here."

"Who?" Henry asked, ignoring Mia again. "'Cause I'm still trying to figure it out."

It only took Emma a second to realize the kid wanted to know what fairy tale character Gold was. All roads seemed to lead to the curse with Henry. "Oh. I meant in reality."

Mia let out a short laugh.

They both came over to see what she was doing, and they weren't too impressed with her stuff. It wasn't what she had that they had a problem with…it was more that they thought she should have more of it.

Emma wasn't used to having anyone in her business. She stopped unpacking and turned to the kids. "What are you guys doing here?"

Regina was at some meeting until five…on a Saturday. That was strange. But with her gone, Henry wanted to hang out.

"Ah, I wish I could, but there's something I've got to do," Emma said apologetically.

Mia's face fell and her expression turned stony. Emma immediately felt bad and internally cursed the timing, but the kids would still be there another time and she wasn't sure Ashley would.

Unlike his twin, Henry wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. He followed Emma, asking questions about what she was doing and begging her to let them help. Mia was trailing a little behind them, waiting impatiently for her brother to give up.

"Come on, Henry," Mia finally said with annoyance and frustration in her voice. "She doesn't want our help."

Emma could hear the catch in her daughter's voice. Crap. Mia wasn't really angry…she was hurt. Emma realized how this kind of rejection would feel to a girl who felt unwanted, at least by her…the birth mother who had given them up.

"It's not that," Emma protested. "It's dangerous."

Mia scoffed, crossing her arms in front of her. "Ashley's not dangerous. She's nice."

Emma's eyes widened slightly. "You know her?"

Mia shrugged slightly. "Small town."

"Well, did you know she assaulted Mr. Gold?" Emma challenged.

"Cool!" Henry cried excitedly.

Mia shrugged again. "He probably deserved it, knowing him."

Emma looked from Henry to Mia and sighed. "This isn't a game. She's desperate."

"How do you know?" Henry questioned innocently.

"Because I know," Emma said flatly, hoping he would just drop it.

Emma could almost see realization wash over Mia. The girl looked at her with a knowing expression. There was something different in the girl's eyes that Emma didn't recognize – understanding maybe? Was it even possible for a ten year old to understand something like this? Emma didn't think so.

"It's because you were desperate when you were pregnant with us," the girl blurted out. "Isn't it? Were you – were you the same age as Ashley?"

Emma sighed. "She's nineteen. I was eighteen." She shook her head slightly. "I have to find her."

Henry still seemed to think they were going with her for some reason. The kid ignored her completely when she told him 'no' – and she had told him 'no,' several times, in fact, but it was falling on deaf ears…it was like the kid only heard what he wanted to.

Their little battle of wills came to a head when Henry threatened to look for Ashley by himself if Emma didn't let him go with her. Actually, he threatened for him and his sister to look for her, but Mia didn't look too excited about the idea. Emma had a feeling the girl would rather be playing video games or watching TV or something.

Emma was shocked. She didn't know what to do with a defiant kid. She studied Henry carefully, almost sizing him up. He looked pretty damn determined to her. How was she losing an argument with a ten year old? She almost couldn't believe this was happening.

"I'm just trying to be responsible here." Emma hated that her tone was almost pleading. She hoped the kid couldn't hear the desperation in her voice.

"And we're just trying to spend time with you," Henry said, climbing into the back of her car undeterred.

The boy left the passenger-side door open for Mia to get in the front, but Mia just stood on the sidewalk awkwardly, eyeing Emma warily.

"Oh, that is really not fair." Emma looked at Mia and sighed, nodding toward the car pointedly. "Come on, get in."

After talking to Ruby about Ashley, Henry thought the pregnant maid was Cinderella because she had a stepmom and stepsisters. Emma did not think the whole fairy tale thing was going to help them right now. It wasn't like Ashley had left a glass slipper behind.

Their next stop was the boyfriend's house. Five minutes with the boyfriend's dad made it pretty clear why Ashley was running away with the baby. Ashley had sold the baby to Gold. The baby was what he wanted returned to him. This whole thing was really messed up. And it was making Emma second-guess the decision she made when she was in the same situation.

Would she have been capable of taking good care of the twins if she'd kept them? She knew she wouldn't have been able to give them everything Regina had. But the big house, the nice clothes…all the stuff they had wasn't making them happy. Henry, at least, was miserable…so miserable that he ran away to find her. And Mia didn't seem all that happy to Emma either.

The more Emma thought about how things had played out for her kids, the more she wanted to make sure Ashley could keep her baby if she wanted to. After she convinced Ruby that she really was trying to help, the waitress told her Ashley was leaving town for Boston. They found Ruby's borrowed car in a ditch near the town line, and Ashley in labor on the side of the road.

Mia looked like she was scarred for life. "I'm never having kids," the girl said with big, round eyes and a horrified expression.

Emma chuckled softly, knowing the kid could change her mind – just hopefully not for another fifteen to twenty years. She turned back to Ashley and assured her that she wouldn't let Gold take the baby if the younger woman really wanted to keep it.

"If you want to give this kid its best chance, it's going to be with someone who's ready so know what that means – your whole life is going to chance, and once you decide that it's yours, this running away can't happen. You have to grow up, and you can't ever leave. Understand?" Emma said bluntly.

Emma knew her kids were listening to every word she said, but she needed to say it. She knew how Ashley felt, but she also knew what it was like to grow up in the system. She didn't want this baby to end up in the system because Ashley wasn't ready to be a parent.

Later, after making a deal with Gold so Ashley could keep the baby and dropping Henry and Mia off, Emma thought about what she said to Ashley…she told her that she couldn't leave, and she knew she couldn't leave either. Her kids needed her there – or at least wanted her there. With that in mind, she called Graham and told him she'd take the deputy job if it was still open.

She had a roommate for the first time since she was eighteen, a new job with regular hours and none of the freedom she was used to as a bail bondsperson, and twins that were…well, not really her kids, but kind of were. She wasn't their mom, but she was something to Henry and Mia. She still wasn't sure exactly what that was, but she knew she was going to be whatever they needed her to be for them.