Title: A Broken Will

Pairing: Sort of SwanQueen

Rating: T

Summary: What could happen in Storybrooke with Emma, Henry and Rumpelstiltskin gone and Cora there to whisper doubts and promises in her daughters ear? Well, this is one possibility.

AN: So I'm not sure if this is a One Shot or not since it works as a stand alone, but could just as easily be continued. I'll have to wait and see where my muse leads me.


"Something is wrong," Henry states as they come to a halt and look at the empty streets.

Emma acknowledges his words with a nod as she takes in their surroundings. Something has been feeling off ever since they crossed back over the town line, and the knot of warning in her stomach has only been growing for each minute that's gone by.

She has no doubt Gold has known something is up as soon as they crossed the invisible line too, his face a mixture of thoughtfulness and curiosity as they make their way into town.

They haven't seen a single person on their way and the streets look deserted, an eerie calm filling the air around them.

"What's going on?" Emma asks the limping man and he adapts a look of offence.

"I have no more idea than you dearie."

The blonde raises her brow in challenge at him, but he seems unperturbed.

"Where is everyone?" Henry asks before his birth mom can question Rumpelstiltskin any further.

"I don't know young Henry," the man replies before he starts limping forwards. "Only one way to find out."

It's disconcerting to see no one and hear nothing as they make their way down the streets, the buildings they pass all looking dark and lifeless.

When they reach the diner, Emma sees there are barely any lights on inside and she half expects the door to be locked when Henry jogs over and turns the handle.

It swings inward with a creak and the blonde takes a few quick steps to keep up with her son as he walks inside and calls out.

There's some rustling in the kitchen before Granny appears, looking wary. Her face lights up as she sees who it is.

"Emma, Henry," she greets as she lets the boy hug her.

"Where is everyone?" the kid asks as he looks up at her innocently before his brows contract in bewilderment as a cloud of darkness passes over her features.

"What's happened," Emma asks, frowning at the other woman's look as she lays a hand protectively on her son's shoulder.

"Cora," Granny states gravely and Henry gasps slightly while the blonde's hand tightens a little more against his shoulder.

"How bad?" she asks, ignoring her son's confused look at her question.

"Bad."

"What's bad?" Henry asks impatiently, not liking being kept in the dark.

"Follow me," the older woman says, motioning for them to follow, and Emma glances behind her for the first time since they entered the diner, surprised to not find Gold there. She doesn't have time to worry about him right now though. First she needs to know everyone is okay.

Granny leads them into the kitchen and to the blonde's astonishment reveals a hidden door that goes downwards somewhere underground.

"What's going on?" Henry asks, but the woman hushes him and motions for them to follow.

They silently walk along a narrow corridor and it doesn't take long before they can hear hushed voices and see brighter lights up ahead. Soon enough the corridor pans outward, revealing a small room with some familiar faces.

"August?" Emma exclaims surprised as she looks around the room that's grown quiet with their appearance.

"Where have you been?" she asks him confused as he gets up and hugs her.

"Hiding," he tells her when he releases her and sits back down.

"Where's Snow and Charming?" Henry asks confused as he looks around at the group of people huddled close together.

"We don't know," Granny answers him as she sits down on an available chair and motions for the two newcomers to do the same.

"What the hell is going on?" the sheriff demands once she's seated.

"Cora and Regina took over the town when you left. They control everything now," August explains sadly.

"What about my parents?"

"We think they're still alive, being held captive somewhere," Granny states gravely.

"You gotta be kidding me. How could this happen?" she asks angrily to the room.

"Cora killed the Blue Fairy," Nova pipes in then and Emma notices her for the first time. The woman looks heartbroken and lost.

"Jesus, how many have died?" the blonde asks, feeling how her heart is beating rapidly in fear. It makes no sense to her that Regina would suddenly go on a killing spree and use all the magic it would no doubt require to do so, when she was trying so hard to gain their son's trust back and show him she had changed before they were forced to depart with Gold.

"Not many that we know of," Granny replies, and unconsciously Emma feels her body relax as she releases a relieved sigh.

"But they've made many people disappear. The ones who could pose a threat by putting together an opposition or family members to keep everyone in check."

"Why would Regina let this happen?" the sheriff muses out loud, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that apparently the woman has returned to her former fairy tale self.

"Because she's evil," August throws in, murmurs of assent sounding all around the room.

"But she was changing for Henry, it makes no sense," she replies with a hint of despair, looking to her son for support.

"Maybe Cora did something to her or forced her?" the kid asks hopefully and even though most of the room snickers at the idea, Emma can't help but think it's the only thing that makes sense.

There's really only one thing she can do to try and figure this out.

"I have to go talk to her," Emma states resolutely, ignoring the scared looks and quiet murmuring between the people present at her words.

"She'll kill you," Granny states.

"No she won't. Not as long as she doesn't know where Henry is." Or so I hope.


"Miss Swan, how very nice of you to drop by," Regina says with a smirk when she opens the door.

The sheriff can't help but notice that there have been some changes on the other woman. The hair the other woman has been letting grow since she brought Snow and 'the Savior' back from fairy tale land has grown even longer, almost too fast to be natural. And even though her lips are still painted with a deep red, there's a lot more dark make-up around her eyes, giving her a somewhat intimidating and threatening look.

There's also a very tight-fitting dark red long dress hugging her body and showing off more cleavage and breast than she's ever seen from the other woman; something Emma feels isn't quite appropriate for a woman as proud and tightly wound as the Regina she's gotten used to.

The sight is strangely frightening, but also highly annoying.

"We need to talk," the blonde finally replies with a scowl, barely restraining herself from pushing past the other woman and invite herself inside.

"Of course." The former mayor gestures for the woman to follow her.

Emma quickly walks inside and almost jumps as the door closes itself behind her. Okay, that's creepy.

"A drink Miss Swan?" the brunette asks, obviously playing the role of perfect hostess as she pours two glasses and hands one to a skeptic Emma.

"Don't worry, it's not poisoned," Regina states as if she's reading the other woman's mind before she takes a sip from her own glass, smacking her lips slightly after she's swallowed the liquid. "Besides, if I wanted you dead, you'd be so already."

"Right," the sheriff says, still scowling, as she settles down on the sofa the other woman has indicated for her to use.

"So how was your trip?" the brunette asks conversationally and Emma can't help but feel she's being slowly lured into a trap.

"I'm back so I survived obviously," she says briskly, not missing the other woman's fake smile and emotionless face.

"Obviously," the woman replies sarcastically.

"And I trust you returned my son safely?" Regina continues, taking another sip from her glass, her eyes never leaving the other woman's.

"Our son," the blonde counters immediately, watching as a look of disdain crosses the other woman's features for a brief moment before she reattaches her mask of indifference.

"Where is he? I'd like to see him," Regina says softly, sweetly, but the blonde knows it's just a ruse. The woman sitting in front of her is not her son's adoptive mom, but rather what must have been the Evil Queen. Something big has happened since she and Henry went away with Rumpelstiltskin, because this is nothing like the woman she left behind who was trying to redeem herself to their son.

"Where's Cora?" Emma asks instead of answering the woman's request and there's no mistaking the flinch from the other woman at her mother's name.

"Out and about playing somewhere I'm sure," the former mayor replies after a short pause, her voice and gesticulations showing indifference and boredom.

"I want my son," the woman continues, her voice suddenly steely and cold, threatening.

The sheriff almost slaps herself at her minds apparent death wish as she again chooses to ignore the other woman's words.

"What happened?"

The question is asked softly with concern and it catches the Evil Queen off guard.

Sparring with her son's birth mom has always been easy. Frustrating, but entertaining and exciting in its own way. But having the blonde actually worrying about her has always been disconcerting and confusing.

In all the time Emma has stayed in Storybrooke even though the brunette has tried her best to run her away, the woman has never once deceived the former mayor. Sure, the woman can be brash or rude or annoyingly persistent. But she's always been honest about her thoughts and intentions.

And so, Regina doesn't know how to respond to what she knows is a genuine question and not a plot or trick.

"You left with my son," she spits out harshly before she can stop herself and if the current situation she finds herself in wasn't so grave, Emma would have smirked at the almost comical widening of brown eyes at what the other woman obviously unintentionally blurted out.

"He wanted to come and Gold was forcing me to go immediately, what could I have done?" the blonde questions exasperated.

"You could have told me. I'm his mother," Regina grits out and it's clear she can barely contain the anger simmering just under the surface of her carefully constructed mask.

"Instead I had to find out from Snow and Charming who were less than polite."

"I'm sorry," Emma replies simply, not knowing what else she can offer the hurt and angry woman sitting opposite her.

"Apology not accepted," the brunette replies briskly as she stands and walks over to set her empty glass on a table by the wall, trying to take a calming breath as she has her back turned to the other woman.

"I want my son," she seethes when she turns back around to pierce green eyes with brown.

"That's not happening when you're like this," the blonde counters quickly as she too stands up, taking on a defensive stance.

"Like what?" Regina spits out, her voice dangerously low as her hands clenches tightly into fists.

"Look at yourself Regina. You're out of control."

In hindsight, raising her voice to the Evil Queen might not have been her greatest moment. She barely has time to notice the flickering of a wrist before she's pushed backwards, colliding hard with the wall behind her, the mirror hanging there digging painfully into her back for a second before it falls to the ground with her. She can hear and feel as it shatters behind her, glass landing all around her, but miraculously not hitting her, as if something prevents it from piercing her skin.

"I assure you dear, I am fully in control," the brunette hisses as she walks over to the kneeling woman and closes one hand around her throat. Emma feels herself being lifted upwards against the wall by the hand closing tightly around her throat and a silly part of her marvels at how Regina can manage it before she remembers that magic is real.

She tries unsuccessfully to wrap her own fingers around the ones choking her, finding to her horror that her whole lower body seems to be glued in place as she tries to kick out at the other woman.

The brunette's smile is wicked and her eyes are glowing purple as she watches with fascination as Henry's birth mom desperately tries to draw oxygen into her lungs.

It would be so very easy to end her.

"Regina, please," Emma gasps out as she realizes the woman holding her against the wall has her completely at her mercy and will most likely watch her choke to death.

The blonde's brain barely manages to register that the hold on her throat loosens somewhat, but then her lungs seem to realize her airways are clear and she heaves, gulping down as much air as she can manage, coughing painfully.

When her body finally calms down enough for her to breathe close to normal, even if it's with heavy pants, she notices that the Evil Queen has her head cocked to one side, looking at her almost thoughtfully.

She tries to move away from the wall, but her lower parts are still bound in place and the other woman's hand still around her throat squeezes slightly in warning.

Before the blonde can try to say anything, Regina has closed in on her, their bodies flush against each other and their breaths mingling.

"It's kind of ironic don't you think?" the brunette asks, their eyes locking. Emma doesn't say anything, figuring it's a rhetoric question and that the other woman will explain soon enough.

"Things could have ended so differently if you hadn't just taken Henry and left."

The sheriff wants to ask what the hell the other woman is talking about, but before she can get any words out, lips press harshly against her own.

Then Regina is stepping away from her and whatever held her up disappears as she crumples to the ground.

"I want my son Miss Swan," the former mayor states as she looks on with satisfaction as the other woman struggles to get to her feet.

"I will get him one way or another. I suggest you don't make it any harder than it has to be."

Emma wants to say something, to scream, to ask what has happened, what the hell is going on. But her mind feels sluggish and her mouth is uncooperative.

"Now, get out of my house before I change my mind about killing you."

As she stumbles towards the door, the blonde is vaguely aware of Regina flicking her wrist once more, making the mirror repair itself, leaving the room looking as if nothing out of the ordinary has just happened.