Grey Areas - A Once Upon A Time Fanfiction

Chapter Nineteen: Family Lesson

"Before we go any further, you need to tell us more about Mim!" Regina demands of Snow.

"What do you want to know?"

"How you two met would be a good start." Robin states.

Snow raced through the forest. She had no idea where she was going, but she needed to get as far away from the huntsman as possible before he had a chance to change his mind. She stumbled a couple of times, tripping over the edge of her dress. She tried to avoid the obvious man-made paths, but did follow the ones made by animals. She frightened some deer when she arrived at a stream. Rushing to it, she tripped and fell on her face, hitting a rock...

"What's a dainty little thing like you doing in these woods?"

Snow looked around to find herself in a small room lit by a fire. Whoever was speaking was blocked from view by a table. Snow groaned as she sat up, hand on the bump on her forehead. To her right was the fireplace. On the mantelpiece were small paintings of smiling faces.

"Don't move around too much, my dear." –Snow looked toward the voice to find a woman sitting on a couch and between them a circular table covered in food– "And eat SLOWLY."

The woman looked exhausted. Like she hadn't slept in ages to be told later she had been sleeping for nearly a century. The only reason why she awoke was to save Snow, despite her children's' insistence she return to bed and let them save her.

"Where are your children?" Snow asks, plate empty hours ago.

"We are residing in one." Mim answered, then laughed at Snow's expression. "After years of magical energy flowing through this house, it absorbed enough of it to come alive."

"That... AAH!"

Snow jumped to the other end of the couch when the teapot rose from the table. It turned to face Snow for a couple of seconds before pouring into her empty teacup and returning to place.

"Thank you, Alex."

"What was that?" Snow cried, looking around frantically.

"The house." Mim answered, placing her own tea cup on the table. "Alex." –she leans back– "One of my children." –Snow eased back into her spot on the couch– "And Alex and my other child, Mirror, shall be training you."

"I saw that coming." –Snow jumped– "Oh, don't worry. I won't hurt you."

"Either you and your sibling train her, or I will." Mim concluded.

"We know," said two voices.

"Train me?"

"Did you honestly think I would send you on your own way with nothing?" Mim asked, dumbfounded. "With no way of defending yourself?"

"But why? You don't even know me!"

"Why not?" Alex laughed.

"It's also," –Mim leaned forward– "the right thing to do."

"She taught me how to survive." Snow finishes, everyone gaping at her by the end of it. "Made sure I was ready to leave if I ever wanted to."

"What, she didn't force you out?" Killian asks.

"No!" Snow exclaims. "She told me that if I could stay with them as long as I wanted to and could come and go as I pleased. The only reason I left," –she looks at Regina– "was because I had unfinished business."

"So, the family she's disappointed in..." Regina begins.

"Me." Snow confirms.

"What are we doing here?" Zelena probes as they faze through the walls of the police station.

"You need to be reintroduced to someone."

"And us?" Lily chimes in.

"There's someone I'd like you to meet."

Isaac jumps when his cell door is opened. He throws the blanket off and slowly rises as a woman walks into view. He eases his way through the door, highly suspicious.

"And you are?" he inquires and she tilts his head to the side and the door closes behind him.

"The one who created your previous form of employment."

"What did she mean by 'a trail of second chances'?" Robin brings up. "And what was Will doing with her, he's supposed to be watching Rolin!"

"Mim believes that if someone is shown the right path, even the most lost souls can find themselves." Snow starts as she begins to pace in the asylum hallway. "She's speaking to me, now."

"What, she's trying to teach you a lesson?"

"No just me, Regina. Everyone." –Snow looks at everyone in the eye– "She never has one reason for doing something. She never puts all of her eggs into one basket and she ALWAYS has a backup plan." –Regina sighs as he puts her hands on her hips– "And a backup plan for the backup plan."

"Well, right now our only lead on how to get the wand to work was set free by the woman who sent us on this errand to begin with!" Killian sneers. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Follow the trail." Snow answers, taking the pendant from Regina.