This time everyone wanted to lock the new sorceress in town up. Which really made Emma think she needed to hold remedial lessons on the rule of law and due process for the entire town. But in the end it hadn't been an argument settled by either Emma's appeals to the law or this time by her shot gun, but by a simple fact that overshadowed her own mother's freedom of movement.
They had no way to hold Cora Mills against her will.
Regina pulled Emma aside by the arm, almost desperately. "I need you to promise you will be careful around my mother. Especially with Henry. She's here for a reason and she's more dangerous than you can imagine."
"She sounds a lot like you, mom."
Regina flinched, but continued. "I mean it Emma. I... might have been bad. But all mother is interested in is power and her family has always been the chief way she knew to achieve it. Once she figures out that you are the Savior she'll immediately try to find some way to use that."
"Is this the time we finally have a conversation about what you thought you were doing with me?"
Regina glanced over at her mother and back at her. "If you want we can talk about it but not here."
Emma folded her arms.
"Please just listen to me Emma, just this once." Regina's voice was desperate now and Emma's eyes fixed on her realizing for the first time just how frightened her mother was.
She'd never seen her mother frightened. Not even when the mob came for her. "Alright. Come on, I think we could both use a drink."
Emma put her hand on her mother's back and glanced back noticing that Cora was watching them as they left together.
The drive home was quiet, "Where is Henry," Regina asked somewhat concerned, "Granny's with Red. I told her I'd pick him up. I'm sure if anyone threatens them there will be crossbows involved or depending on the moon werewolves."
Regina shook her head, "New Moon. No wolves."
"Well that's something." Emma Mills wanted to laugh at the fact that 'no werewolves' was something to celebrate in her life these days. She made them both drinks, resisting the temptation to mix them stronger than she should and handed one of the heavy crystal tumblers to her mother. "Do we start with baby snatching or do we start with why you are terrified of your mother?"
Her mother gave her a look. "My mother is dangerous."
"You said. And people have been telling me that about you for weeks."
She managed a humorless chuckle and a smile. "True. But that doesn't change that it's also true about Cora."
"You've never mentioned her before." Emma said sitting down.
"I have... conflicting feelings about her. I love her. She's my mother. I hate her. She ruined my life. And she'll do it again. And ruin you and Henry in order to ruin me."
"Your mother hates you?"
"I wish it was that simple," Regina said quietly. "It's the way she shows love."
"She hurt you? I've... known for a while you showed a lot of the signs. When I was working in that first year on child abuse cases I learned a lot. I never wanted to ask." Emma said quietly.
Regina shook her head. "It was ... more who she hurt in order to teach me lessons. She ... I was in love with a man, his name was Daniel. He was strong and kind and he taught me what real true love was. He was stable boy though, and my mother was a miller's daughter and she would not have her family slip back into what she viewed as humiliating poverty. It was... well... has Snow told you anything about our past?"
Emma sat down, "Only that you saved her life when she was a little girl."
Regina nodded. "Her horse had gone wild and I heard her scream. I rode after her and was able to pull her from the horse. Her father the king was so grateful that he proposed marriage. But I didn't know that mother hand arranged it. Had known the king's party was traveling through. Had spooked her horse. Had known that he was looking for a wife..."
"But you were in love with someone already..." The horror was starting to dawn on Emma.
She nodded. "I was going to ... we were going to run away. Snow overheard us and told my mother. She'd promised," what had been a quiet sad tone turned into something bitter and angry and near inhuman for a moment, but calmed again, "My mother ripped his heart out and crushed it in front of me. Pulled me up from his body and told me I'd mourned enough and it was time to be a queen."
"Well that will fuck you up." Emma said a little numbly.
"Indeed," her mother replied with a raised eyebrow.
"Eventually I was able... with some help... to banish my mother through a looking glass to Wonderland."
"As in... rabbits... and Alice... and off with her head?"
"That would be my mother."
"Wait, my grandmother is the Queen of Hearts... like..." She made a chopping motion with her hand.
"She wasn't one for subtly."
"Says the woman they called the Evil Queen."
"Well, I never said I was either," Regina granted. "I know I promised to talk about you tonight... but can I get a night's rest and a chance to deal with the idea of my mother in town before we talk about the night of the curse?"
Emma was tempted to say no. To demand what she could while her mother was in a talking mood. But she saw one of her hands shaking and something told her not to push.
"We will have that conversation, mom."
"I know we will." Regina said with a small smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Emma Mills leaned down and kissed her mother on the forehead. "Try to get some sleep."
"That hasn't been likely in a while, and less tonight, but I'll try."