When twenty-eight year old Alexandra Margarita Russo decided to go shopping for the day, there were numerous things that she wasn't expecting. For one thing, she didn't think that she would ever run her truck into a light post. Secondly, she certainly didn't expect to forget her wand at home, which caused her to actually have to deal with the problem and not just fix it with a few magic words. And most of all, Alex did not expect to run into an eleven year old girl that looked exactly like her – and know exactly who she was.

Alex got a latte and was going to go sit at a table but ran smack into a girl that did indeed look just as Alex had in her teens.

"Whoops. Sorry about that honey," she said.

"Whatever," the girl said and attempted to step past her.

"Didn't your parents teach you manners?" Alex asked, slightly short-tempered without her caffeine.

"I only have a mom," the girl said and looked away.

"Oh. Where is she?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. She wanted to go shop. She said I could just wait for her here."

"Well, why don't I wait with you?" Alex proposed.

"Okay," the girl shrugged.

"Want me to get you something to drink?"

"Oo! Can I get a strawberry smoothie?" the mini-Alex asked, excited at the prospect of a free drink.

"Sure thing." Alex ordered the smoothie and both girls sat down with their drinks.

"So what's your name?" Alex asked, making conversation and trying to stifle her curiosity.

"Margarita Torres," she answered. Alex promptly choked on her latte.

"Wait. Are you eleven years old?" Alex asked, slightly baffled.

"Ummm, yeah?" the girl answered hesitantly.

"Are you Mitchie Torres' daughter?" Alex asked, her eyes bugging out of her head.

"Yup. She's my mom."

"Who's your father?"

"I don't know. I used to ask, but I gave up after she just started crying every time I asked."

"Oh. I'm sorry I asked," Alex apologized without really meaning it.

"Nah, it's fine," the girl said.

"What's your middle name?"Alex inquired warily.

"Alex." The grown Alex gulped visibly.

"Holy shit," Alex muttered.

"Mom doesn't like it when people swear around me," Margarita said.

"She never liked it when anyone swore," Alex said before smirking and muttering under her breath, "Unless it was me."

"What?" the girl asked.

"Nothing. So you really don't know where your mom is?"

"No. Last I saw, she was-"

"Margarita Alexandra Torres, you know you aren't supposed to talk to-" came a voice from behind Alex. "Oh my god," Mitchie said as Alex turned around towards the familiar voice. Once Mitchie recognized her, she fainted. Thankfully, Alex caught her before she hit the tile floor.

"Same as always," Alex smirked.

"MOM!" Margarita exclaimed. Alex knelt down and placed Mitchie's head in her lap.

"Sweetheart, she's going to be fine," Alex said. She briefly thought of casting a spell so that it would be as though she and Mitchie had never seen each other again. She could have easily erased the moment – but the more she thought about it, the more she didn't want that. She wanted Mitchie to be in her life again. Desperately. Plus, she didn't have her wand.

As if on cue, Mitchie groaned and put a hand to her forehead.

"What the hell-" she started. Then, seeming to remember, she looked up and met Alex's upside-down eyes. "Lex?" She asked, a tear running down her cheek.

"Yeah, Mitch. It's me," Alex said with an abashed smile.

"I never thought I'd see you again," Mitchie said with more tears cascading down her cheeks. For the two of them, it was like they were seventeen again. Until a tell-tale throat was cleared.

"Mom?"

"Oh, my. Rita, are you alright? I probably scared you. Come here," Mitchie said, sitting up from her position on Alex's lap. Margarita climbed right into Mitchie's lap and sat down, clinging to her mother's neck.

By now, there was quite a crowd staring at them. After all, there were three girls in tears huddled together on the floor – in the middle of the mall.

"Ma'am? Are you girls alright?" A mall cop asked. "Do you need any medical help?"

"No, we're fine," Mitchie answered. "We had better be going home." Alex felt like her heart was breaking all over again. She didn't want Mitchie to walk right back out of her life again.

"Alex, would you like to get some coffee? I think we have a lot of catching up to do," Mitchie asked after the officer had left. Alex just looked warily towards Margarita.

"Rita? Would you like to go to Auntie Caitlyn's for a sleepover tonight?" Mitchie asked her daughter.

"YES!" she answered, letting out an excited squeal.

"Okay. Why don't you stay here with Alex – don't worry, she won't bite...well, she won't bite you, at least – while I go make a quick phone call," Mitchie said, already digging in her purse for her phone.

"C'mon kiddo. Let me tell you a story while we wait."

So that's chapter one! What do you think? Please review! Also, I updated my profile so go take a look!