Athors note: Hello everyone, i guess my story is some you heard from many aiuthors before... there was just this idea after to many read stories which would not leave me alone and i just had to start writting it ;)

This is actually my first Ouat story and will feature Swanqueen... just as a warning so if thats not your cup of tea.

All mistakes you find are mine as my first language is not english and I dont have a Beta Reader *yet* (if someone would like to help me keep this story clean from that, just pm me :3 )

Enough talk...Have fun and R & R!^^ (dont forgot the reviews help to keep the author motivated too :9 )

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Once Upon A Time.

Chapter 1: How it started

Character: Regina / Rumpelstilskin / Cora

Up in the highest grey stone tower of the residence of the house Mill two people seemed to fill the area with their presence alone. None of them did cast a glance to the view of the rising sun in the distance, neither did they let the feeling of the first warm breath of spring wind warm their soul.

"What have you done? You stupid, ungrateful child!" A woman in her near forty sieved, she was angry the pulse vein on her neck pulsing showing. The line had been crossed and that was just unacceptable for Cora of the house Mills, as she let no one go against her not even her own blood, which had dared to rise in a rebelling fashion in front of her.

"What I did mother?" The young girl of mere 18, countered, equally angry, her fear for the woman in front of her for the first time in years kept in control and well hidden. She carried almost identical features of the other woman. The girl spoke with a new found confidence; her chin held up, her eyes held a dark and cold purple glimmer in them. "I am finally taking my life in my own hands." She declared and with the force of her new found power, she sends the older woman, her own mother, flying backwards, an act she never would have thought herself being able to do.

The gust of wind ripped the cloak of fabric from the hidden mirror away, behind Cora. A cursed mirror called 'the looking glass', a portal into another realm, far, far away from here and this realm.

As the older woman hit the mirror, no cracks or noise of shattering glass sounded, instead her body was easily gliding into the surface as if it was water, just a weak resistance against clothes and skin welcoming her. Half her body was already behind the surface not seen on the other side between mirror and wall in the tower, not in this realm anymore at least.

The woman finally registered what was happening, her hands grabbed the borders of the mirror trying to stop her travel, with all her strength she tried to pull herself free. Her eyes starred angry at her daughter, her mind darkening at the knowledge what her only child was trying to archive with her action. Once she was free she thought, there would be a dire consequence for this insolence of disrespect.

She tried to gather her magic, call her magic to free herself but whenever she gathered some it seemed to slip from her. "Stop this." Cora said, her voice taking a pleading tone, a look of fear crossing her features. Was it real the fear of what would happen to her? Or was it just another one of her tricks? The child would have usually wondered. But now the daughter wasn't listening, wasn't even caring.

Dark silver claws reached out of the mirrors surface, moving forth before grabbing the already caged woman. The claws pulled and ripped on her arms, shoulders, everywhere they could get hold on, its sharp claws sinking through flesh and fabric. The mother did not scream as her skin was torn, her eyes never leaving her daughter, her knuckles were white from the fight to keep herself from being fully pulled away.

With steady steps the daughter who had watched her mother's struggle came forth, but not close enough for her mother to reach her. "Goodbye, Mother. " She whispered, a sad look marking her features.

More claws extracted from the mirror. She could not effort to risk her mother to escape. Too many claws were pulling for the woman to fight of, her strength lessened from exhaustion and the effect the silver mirror claw had on her and they claimed their prey merciless, pulling into their realm. With her last breath in this land the mother whispered her child's name in an attempt to reach her child.

"Regina."

Regina stayed a moment longer in front of the mirror, seeing her own waving reflection slowly fading into a stand still as the mirror calmed and the portal closed again.

Finally taking the last steps forth, her hand was about to reach forth, ready to close the looking glass portal. Before her fingers could reach the surface the glass suddenly cracked.

In her shocked state she reacted too late as one of the claws once again whipped out. The echo of the harsh slap sounded in deserted room. Regina heard for a moment nothing in her right ear besides a continuously beep sound. A burning pain flew through her system as the skin of her cheek was marked with the impact; a copper metal taste filled her mouth but she did not dare to swallow it down. There was an unmistaken feeling of a raising swelling of her split lip. With the impact she had stepped away from the mirror, her shaking hand going up towards her bruised cheek. Blood slowly dripped down to front of her light blue dress. Anger was a fleeing emotion and fear seemed to eat her away, swallowing the confidence she had before. Her eyes starred back towards the mirror. Her body freezing with what she saw.

Regina felt helpless under these cold eyes; she only wanted it to stop, wanting to stop this feeling which made her body quiver in fear. 'Destroy the mirror.' The whisper of his words came back to her, seducing her, his words so easily spoken and so easily trusted.

She would not allow herself to be weak like this again; would not stop now while only half of the deed was done. With force she willed her feet to move, back in front of the mirror starring into what seemed to be her mother's eyes. Her hand reached once again to the surface. She ignored the claw hand which wrapped around her throat squeezing the air pipe of her shut.

"I won't be weak." She whispered blood dripped from her scarred upper lip, the iris of her eyes surrounded by a string purple glow. In one moment to the next the glass shattered under her palm.

The deed was finally done.

It all took no more than a few seconds… everything which had accrued and yet for her it had seemed like an eternity in a slow tracking motion. Finally she was free, free from the chains of her mother… free to life… free to follow her own path…but for what a price? She lifted her hand, her eyes looking on her palms, cuts of the shatters glass marking her skin, deep enough to fill her palm with her blood. A sudden exhaustion creeped up, and for a moment she felt her focus sway.

The sun finally was high enough to peek more into the room through the closed windows, the light reflected by the glass shards, reminder of her mother's mirror, which lay peacefully and harmless to Regina's feet making a light play on the woman and the walls around her. The young woman's eyes were closed as she breathed, calming herself into a peaceful state of mind, her hands had dropped back to her side, not caring for the drops of crimson which fell.

The clapping of hands broke the silence of the moment and out of the shadow another presence stepped. "Well done dearie, well done." With a mischief chuckle the man stepped forth. He was from thin stature and his hair already marked by some grey strands, crow feet's decorating his eyes.

Regina had her back to him, his cheerfulness was out of place for the moment in her mind. "Rumpelstilskin." A name said, not in a kind but cautions way. Was the imp known in the land for his deals.

"Tell me dearie how did it feel?" There was something cruel and sinister in his voice, an unmistaken knowledge to towards the answer of what she would give.

As she opened her eyes she starred blank towards the empty mirror without a glass. "I loved it." She said turning around and facing him. He had heard her call. He, who had come out of the shadows in a dark night to her, offering a solution to her situation she never seemed to be able to escape no matter what she tried, she had been tired and broken. "And that's why I can't ever use it again." She could still feel how it had felt, to use this power he had given her; it was toxic in an addiction way, one she did not want to delude herself into.

"Ah." The little man said, his finger waving from right to left and back, as if he was shoeing a child which answered a question wrong. "I am not sure that's still possible."

"What do you mean?" She asked confused. The deal had been nothing more than a simple trade with the imp in front of her, a little borrowed power to help her to free herself from her mother in return of a favor. Or so he had told her.

"I am afraid that it's not that simple. You can't give it back." There was nothing unfortunate in his voice. "Hmm you don't look well dear." His sinister smile spreading wider as the young woman in front of him suddenly started clenching her torso, her expression turned into one of discomfort, her skin seeming to lose its color.

"What did you do?!" she snarled, tears escaping out of the corners of her eyes-

"I gave you what you asked for." He crouched next to her, in a caring gesture wiping away the strands of hair which half covered her eyes. "Strength to stand for yourself." He told her.

He had been surprised by the slowness, the time it took for the change to finally happen. As it seemed, this young woman, who had unknowingly called him in a desperate moment without her own knowledge, had more strength and will in herself than she believed. Rumpelstilzkin hummed happily, perhaps he should keep an eye on her a bit longer. It had been quit some time that he had found someone that was so amusing and entertaining at the same time. And for such a small price even, he wondered if given the choice if she would repeat it again. Paying the price that would curse her for a lifetime, long lived.

The last she heard was Rumpel telling her that he would offer his service to guide her and learn. Her body felt cold and hot at the same time, her heart hammering in a fast rhythm, while the blood in her veins seemed to burn. She shivered, her breath coming in short gasps, and she felt as if she could not get enough air into her lungs it only heightened her panic, she did could not stop herself from losing control to her panic and her fear.

It was a blessing for Regina as she felt the darkness come over her out of the corner of her eyes and her mind finally gave under the onslaught of pain and stress out and she fell unconscious.

TBC...