Passing the Torch

Confronted with Hades' wrath, Cora must find a suitable successor as Mayor of Underbrooke.

Author's Note: This story takes place during "Souls of the Departed." In reality, it's simply an excuse to get some of my favorite characters to interact. Please enjoy and review!

Characters:

Cora Mills

Hades

Cruella de Vil

In the mayoral office, Cora Mills watched through her magic mirror as her husband, Henry, ascended to Mount Olympus. Hades will not be pleased, she thought. Still, she was proud of Regina for making the right decision.

As if on cue, the telephone on Cora's desk rang. It'll be worse if I ignore it, she reminded herself, picking up the phone.

"Hello," she said cautiously into the receiver.

"Cora! Hi!" came Hades' sarcastic voice.

"Hello, Lord Hades," Cora said. "To what do I owe this honor?"

"Well, as it happens, I was wondering if you could pay me a little visit. I'd like to have a chat." Hades' voice dropped until it barely registered above a whisper. "It's kind of important," he chortled sinisterly.

Cora chuckled. "If you're contacting me, I'm sure it is."

"My place. ASAP." Hades hung up the phone.

Cora looked pensively around the office. She instinctively knew that it would not be her office for much longer. If Regina is going to make it out of here alive, I need to choose a new mayor wisely. She began drawing up a mental shortlist of candidates.

Nimue had recently disappeared, and Cora would not have trusted her not to make trouble for Regina and her friends. Besides, her frequent escape attempts raised Hades' ire.

Merlin's elusive, long-suffering Apprentice would also be a poor choice. He would try too hard to assist the delegation from Storybrooke, which would cause Hades to make things worse for them.

Prince James was a handsome option, but his strongly-held hatred for his brother would likely lead him towards colluding with Hades.

Then, it hit her. Oh, she would be perfect! She's too self-absorbed to go out of her way to cause Regina much trouble, but she's a sadistic opportunist, so Hades would definitely approve.

Cora reached for an elegant-looking, black Rolodex and began flipping through tabs until she reached, "de Vil, Cruella." She quickly dialed the number into the phone.

Cruella answered almost instantaneously. "Cora, darling! I already have an answer to your question, and it's yes! A fur stole would be the perfect complement to your pantsuit!"

Cora couldn't help but smile a bit. "Thank you, but I'm not looking for fashion advice, Cruella. I have a very important favor to ask of you."

"What is it, darling? I'm rather busy. I'm trying to run children down in the street. It's the new Angry Birds! That pesky crossing guard keeps interfering. I mean, they're already dead, so what's the harm?"

"This is a request that demands to be made in person," Cora said with a note of urgency. She heard Cruella slam on the brakes.

"Oh, alright. I'm on my way." Cruella ended the call.

Cora sat down, steeling herself for her coming confrontation with the Lord of the Underworld. She knew that the longer she made him wait, the worse he would punish her. Luckily, Cruella was the Underworld's most aggressive driver, and it wasn't long before Cora heard the telltale squealing of tires outside of the office.

With the clicking of stiletto heels and a noticeable blast of old perfume, Cruella de Vil barged into the office.

"Here I am, darling. Now what is it you want?"

Cora stood, meeting Cruella in the center of the office. "Cruella, I may be gone for awhile."

Cruella grinned knowingly. "Sounds like someone is in trouble with the boss."

"You might say that," Cora assented. "In my absence, I would like you to take on the responsibilities of being the mayor."

Smirking, Cruella walked past the older woman and sat down at the desk. "Understandable that you would ask me, darling. There's no one down here more qualified than me. With me in charge down here, we'll make the afterlife great again!"

"I only have one request," Cora continued. "If Regina comes to you, please give her any information that she may need."

"Naturally, darling," Cruella sang as she carelessly rifled through the drawers of the desk. "I'm a veritable fountain of information. I mean, without me, we wouldn't have our town blog, The Daily Headstone."

"I know you'll do well as mayor," Cora said sincerely. "Keep an eye out for my daughter."

"I saw them all this morning," Cruella said. "Walking down the center of Main Street like a bunch of fools. You should have seen how pale the Savior went when she saw me. Perhaps Jimmy and I can find a way to keep her down here with us."

Cora froze, knowing that Regina wouldn't stand for that. She countered cleverly: "Really, my dear, you're smarter than that. Try to think past your bloodlust for a moment and consider the possibilities. You know that my grandson is here too."

A dastardly grin spread across Cruella's face. "The Author! Now, I hadn't considered that."

Cora nodded, knowing she had lit a spark in Cruella's mind. "You know more about the powers granted to the Author than anyone. Perhaps it would benefit you to collaborate. However, I don't think that kidnapping him a second time would be in your best interests."

"Oh, darling," Cruella chortled. "You forget how creative I can be. Now, if you're finished, you can get out of my new office. Good luck with Hades."

"Good luck being mayor," Cora replied. Taking one last look around the premises, she squared her shoulders towards the door and bravely marched towards her fate.

As she left the town hall, she heard Cruella saying to herself, "This wallpaper has to go. I'm thinking… spots."

Author's Note: Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed how I wrote Cruella, I have written a few others with her, which are accessible through my profile. Please review!