A/N: Well, reviews have been down, I have one. So thank you so much to that person. Anyway, here is the next chapter!


"Mallie! I want to go for a walk!" A 3 year old Lauretta called out as she ran towards her carer, Malina.

Malina was the nurse that had helped Cora give birth to the little girl. She had been raising Lauretta as her own for the past 3 years. Although she loved the girl as much as she would any child she had, she also lived in the fear that if one thing were to go wrong, her whole family and her life would be on the line.

"We can't today, my dear. Your mother is coming to visit today, remember?" Malina said softly, holding out her arms for Lauretta, who instantly ran into them, holding onto her tightly.

"Why doesn't momma come every day?" She asked softly, still holding onto Malina tightly.

"Your momma is a very busy woman. She has a lot of things to do and another family to see." She replied, one thing Malina had always been was truthful, no matter what the cost was.

"But… doesn't she love me as much as her other family?" Lauretta asked, pulling away and looking up at Malina with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, your momma loves you just as much as she does them, believe me!" she replied, hugging the little girl once more. "Now go get dressed, put on that pretty little red gown your momma brought you last time, alright?"

"Yes, Mallie!" she said with a small bow before walking off down to her room.

Almost as soon as she left Cora appeared in front of Malina, a small smile upon her face.

"It's lovely to see how you act with her… she really likes you!" Cora said, smiling too sweetly at her.

"I'm only telling her the truth, ma'am. I swear." Malina whispered, taking a step back from Cora and hanging her head.

They remained in complete silence, Cora staring at the woman in front of her and Malina not looking up from the ground, feeling Cora's gaze still upon her. It took Lauretta no more than five minutes to waltz back into the room.

"Mallie! I got my…" she trailed off and stop dead in her tracks when she saw her mother, she quickly smiled, "Hello momma!"

"Good afternoon, Lauretta. How are you?" Cora said, still unsure of how to approach the child.

"I'm very very well, thank you very much. And how are you, momma?" she said back, a smile on her face and her voice rather confident for her young age.

"I'm excellent, sweetheart. Thank you for asking" Cora replied, a small smile appearing on her face. "Your very polite!"

"I was only taught by the best!" Lauretta said, smiling widely at Malina who just bowed her head and promptly left the room.

Cora watched her leave and carefully bent down to Lauretta's level, holding out her arms. Lauretta smiled and walked slowly to her mother and wrapped her little arms around her.

"I've missed you, momma!" she whispered, holding onto her tightly.

"I've missed you too, darling!" Cora said, she was actually touched by the sincerity of her daughters words.

"Why don't you come and see me a lot? Do you love your other family more than me?" she asked, looking up at Cora sadly.

"My other.. who told you I had another family?" Cora asked, her eyes turning cold.

"No… No one… I promise… I just thought…" she said, her eyes wide with fear. Thinking for sure that she had got Malina in trouble, but Cora had seen the same look many times. From Regina whenever she saw her father in danger, she was determined not to inflict the same thing on her second daughter.

"Don't worry. Nothing is going to happen. But the answer to your question, I don't love them more, never think that. I just get very busy." Cora said with a smile, one she was getting quite sick of putting on.

Lauretta smiled and nodded, "Alright, momma… I believe you" she said strongly.

"Good girl, now how about we go for a little walk?" Cora said, standing up and brushing her dress off.

"Oh, yes please! I would love to!" Lauretta said excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Run along and get your coat then, I just need to talk to Malina for a moment." She stated firmly and Malina appeared quickly in the door way. Lauretta nodded and quickly ran off to get her coat from her room.

"Now, Malina. Have you been filling my daughters head with nonsense?"

"No, ma'am. I have not, I told her the exact same thing you did." She whispered shakily.

"I want you to know, if she doubts me. That's another thing that you will pay for, believe me."

"Yes, ma'am. I know, I promise she will not bring it up again."

"Good" she nodded once and saw her daughter head back in their direction, "I'm taking her out for a moment, just around the woods."

"Very well, ma'am." Malina said and nodded before smiling at Lauretta and heading out into the house.

"Ready to go, my girl?" Cora asked, holding out her hand.

"Yes, I am." Lauretta said firmly, trying to copy her mother's voice.

Without another word, Cora took her hand and headed out the door. She didn't plan on taking the girl very far at all. She couldn't risk someone catching them together. Lauretta was evidently her daughter, sharing the same dark brown hair and fair skin. They could definitely be seen as being related, although Lauretta did have her father in her. She had Killian's blue eyes and his dashing smile, even at her age.

Cora walked out into the woods, her daughter skipping lightly beside her, just happy to be in the presence of her mother. Not saying anything Cora magicked up a little book for Lauretta, appearing in her small hands. Her eyes widened slightly at the sight of the book and she looked up at her mother.

"How did that get there?" she asked timidly, staring at the book in shock.

"Magic." Cora said simply and with another wave of her hand she made another appear. Lauretta gasped softly at the next books sudden appearance and smiled brightly at her mother.

"Will you help me do that?" She asked, excitement already in her voice.

"Of course. But not for a little while. Magic is very powerful and you need to be a little older before you can control it. But when that time comes, my dear. I will teach you everything my master taught me." Cora said, a real smile playing on her lips at the memory of learning from Rumplestitskin.

"Aw. Well okay, only a little while though?" she asked, now sadder but still terribly excited to learn.

"Yes, sweetheart, only a little while." Cora replied as they turned and walked back to the house. "Now you get Malina to read that book to you tonight, okay?"

"Yes, momma" she smiled and held the little book close, still clinging to her mother's hand tightly.

As they arrived back at the house Cora stopped at the door and bent down to give her daughter a kiss on the head. "I'll be back very soon. I promise."

Lauretta nodded and smiled, "I love you, momma!"

Cora paused for a moment, love wasn't something she was too fond of. Not anymore at least. She took a moment and smiled, "I love you too." With that she turned and disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke. Lauretta took a moment to take in where her mother just disappeared to, realising and grinning. She already liked the idea of magic and what you could do with it. She quickly ran back inside, "Mallie! Mallie! Momma has magic and she magicked up this book for you to read tonight!" Lauretta called, running through the house and finding her carer in the living area.

"Oh? She did… well I guess I'll have to do that…" Malina said, her voice tired and worn, Cora's threat had really affected her but she was determined to let the little girl be happy.

Lauretta smiled widely and skipped down to her room, it was already dark out and now with the excuse of the story she got ready for bed quickly. Malina came in shortly after, now holding the book, she sat down on the bed next to Lauretta and started reading the story. A typical fairy tale, of a girl, the miller's daughter and her forbidden love for another man. Malina realized that this story was in fact Cora's; this was her way of letting her daughter know about her life without actually telling her.

Before the story ended, she looked over at Lauretta and smiled softly. She looked to peaceful and innocent as she slept, as she always did. Malina gently leant down and kissed her on the forehead before walking out of the room. She went to the kitchen, making herself a tea, and thought about the words she read Cora's daughter.