Conflicting emotions

Emma was walking down the corridors of the school in her hands fireballs shifting colors from red to blue to black and back to red. Everyone was jumping aside in terror; no one had ever seen the young rebel this angry. She had no intention of stopping for anyone, not until she had found the mother of all witches.

Aurora and Mulan were running like they had hell on their heels to the room in the teacher's corridor where it said David James and Snow White Charming. They both were knocking frantically on the door. Snow opened looking at them asking, "What is going on?"

"Emma, she's…she's," Aurora panted, trying to catch her breath.

"Going to… going to…" Mulan said, also trying to catch her breath.

Charming that in the meantime had joined his wife at the door, looked at Emma's two best friends wondering what his daughter was going to do this time. It couldn't be good considering they were there in the first place. Normally the students supported Emma and her pranks so this had to be serious.

"Kill Cora!" Both spat out at the same time.

"Sorry what?" Snow's jaw dropped as her eyes widened in shock. This could surely not be a fact.

"Please take this from the start," said Charming calmly, this could not be so. He knew for a fact that very few students liked the deputy headmistress but still this was taking it too far.

"We can't, because when we came back from the…library Emma was running out. Red said to get you," said Aurora, blushing.

"Where is Red now?" asked Charming still calm.

"I think she was going to get the mediwitch then come back, not sure why as she seemed fine," said Mulan with a shrug.

"Snow you follow the girls back to the dormitory, I will go and fetch Rumple and go to Cora, if our daughter is like they say on her way to kill her we need help," he said. She nodded and followed them, while he went to the headmaster's office. He didn't bother knocking before entering, making Rumple looked at him, saying, "Charming, I thought you had a name due to manners, what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I thought you that could predict the future would know," said Charming, looking at him frowning.

"Let me guess Emma has done something stupid?" he said, seeming bored.

"Not yet, but rumors has it she will Cora, any idea why?" he asked.

"I have some, but I wouldn't be too worried, Cora can handle her I have no doubt," he said with a shrug. Even if Emma was young and a good with, it would take her years still before she would be able to defeat his mistress.

"You are saying Cora cannot be killed, now that is reassuring," said Charming.

"Of course she can, everyone can, all I am saying is Emma has yet not the skill it takes for that to happen," he seemed calm still.

"So you will do nothing?" Charming said.

"Charming, your daughter has been out of control for a long time, clearly you and Snow cannot handle her, let someone that can do it. Cora will not be able to harm her I can assure you," he said.

"Why because Regina is protecting her, what if your precious daughter is already dead?" Charming snapped at him, he was glaring at him with angry eyes.

"She can't be, and Emma is protected due to the love you and your wife gave creating her," said Rumpelstiltskin with a heavy sigh. In his mind he hope he was right that Regina was still alive.

"So you are saying I shall not try to stop her?" Charming said still mighty frustrated.

"At this point she is most likely with Cora by closed doors it would be pretty pointless," said Rumple.

"Fine, I'll go and tell my wife the good news," he said and shook his head, leaving, as Rumpelstiltskin hoped he was right in his words. That Emma wouldn't be harmed and that Cora would not die.

In Emma's room Snow gasped when she saw the condition her stepmother was in. She saw how the healer was helping her as far as she could, clenching her wound's and everything else she would need to heal faster. The wounds however seemed to be going deeper than Snow thought at first look.

"What did this?" she asked the mediwitch.

"Dark magic," she answered plain and simple.

"Will she heal?" Snow asked.

"In time with the right care, however she is cursed so if she steps over the lines it will happen again," said the mediwitch.

"And if the curse gets broken?" asked Snow.

"She will be free, she will need her rest so I will come back tomorrow," said the mediwitch, leaving Snow to watch over her mother. Or what she had learn to look upon as her mother after hers died.

Emma blasted open Cora's door with a black fireball, making the old lady gasp using a spell to contain it. She slowly let it burn out, as she looked at Emma saying, "Have you completely lost your wits that door cost a fortune to replace."

"That door should be the last of your concern, because I am here to finish you off," said Emma.

"And here I thought you were here for the shape shifting spell," said Cora, turning herself into her daughter, smiling at her. Her hand reaching out towards Emma, making the younger woman swallow hard. How could she do and so fast, she was sure that if she spoke their voices would be the same. Cora knowing she had managed to throw the angry teenager of track, changed back.

"I would have needed that, I mean I do need that, but right now I am more interested in killing you," said Emma truthfully. She could still feel her anger boiling inside her.

"What you need to remember when you like to kill someone, never let yourself get throw off-track by any distractions they throw your way," she said, giving her an evil grin.

"So you would like me to battle you is that what you are saying," she asked confused.

"Yes, it would be good exercise for you to duel me," said Cora.

"Wait is this a trick?" said Emma, she was letting her do this no questions asked, that seemed too easy.

"No trick no rules, show me what you got, Princess," said Cora, smiling at her. She was truly enjoying herself.

Emma nodded again trying to toss some fireballs against her, but Cora bushed them off and made them to water falling to the ground. She turned to become Snow which told Emma to focus to listen and use magic, which of course would enrage Emma going at her with all she had, yelling how she hated her, that she wouldn't and so on. In the end the young blonde would feel exhausted by trying standing there shivering, making Cora turn back saying, "Easy, young one, easy."

Emma sank down on the floor in front of her whispering, "I hate it, I hate magic, and it can never be used for good."

"You are wrong, magic was used to create you, that were magic of love," Cora said, placing a hand on her head.

"Did you….did you create Regina the same way, but love?" she wondered, clearly she must have hit Cora's weak spot by asking, as the old lady removed her hand saying, "That is enough for today."

"Do you love her?" Emma asked boldly.

"Do you?" Cora quickly retorted.

"Yes," said Emma without thinking, wondering where the answer came from and so fast.

Cora turned within less than seconds, kneeling down, taking Emma's hand in her own, holding them for some time, and making Emma feel something she had not felt before or at least not in such a strong way. Love, so strong it took her breath away, as she opened her eyes she realized Cora was gone. Slowly she got up and left the room. As the door closed the old witch was to return, whispering, "Yes, I love her with all that I have and all that I am."

Thank you so much for reading, I would like to hear your thoughts :o)