Cora Is Still Company, Chapter Nine: Black and Blue
Author's Note: I plan for this to be the next-to-last chapter of "Cora Is Still Company." Takes place during "Second Star to the Right."
Characters:
Cora Mills
Regina Mills
Mother Superior
Killian Jones
Henry Mills
Emma Swan
Neal Cassidy
Mr. Gold
Belle (Lacey)
Mary Margaret Blanchard
David Nolan
Greg Mendell
Tamara
It was 9:00 PM and Mr. Gold's Pawn Shop was closed. Lacey sat on the class case, going through a box of jewelry and choosing what she wanted to keep. Gold merely leaned against the door to the back room, lost in thought.
Look at her! His consciousness seemed to say. Belle would never act that way. This is not the woman you fell in love with. Cora is trying to drive you two apart!
His reverie was interrupted when the door was flung open.
"Does anyone in this town understand the meaning of 'Closed?!'" Gold complained to himself.
Regina Mills and Mother Superior came running into the shop.
The Evil Queen and the Blue Fairy? Rumple thought. This has got to be good.
"What a duo we have here!" the imp quipped.
"We don't have time for your nonsense, Gold," Regina snapped.
Gold looked at his lover. "Lacey, could you leave us?"
Lacey rolled her eyes and went upstairs.
"What seems to be the problem?" the irate pawnbroker asked.
"Mother Superior would love to tell you," Regina spat with venom, pushing the fairy forward.
The Blue Fairy stuttered a bit before speaking. "I've made a huge mistake."
"Would you care to elaborate?" the Dark One pressed impatiently.
"I was concerned about Regina and Cora working together to hurt Storybrooke, so I trusted Greg and Tamara to take care of them. They double-crossed me and now they plan to destroy Storybrooke."
"They have the trigger?" Gold asked Regina.
"Yes. Blue helped them get it from the mines. And they captured my mother and will kill her if we try to stop them."
At that moment, Emma came rushing in. "Regina! Gold! Tamara and Greg are planning to destroy Storybrooke! They're camped out in a warehouse at the docks!"
"Emma! How do you know this?" Mother Superior asked.
Emma looked at the Blue Fairy, confused as to why she was visiting Gold's shop with Regina. "Well, Cora warned me that they might be up to something and that they were blackmailing Hook."
"My mother?!" Regina exclaimed. "She never said anything to me! Why would she tell you?"
"Because she knew that I was wary of Tamara. I told her that if I saw or heard anything, I'd tell her. Where is she, by the way? I tried that Queen of Hearts card trick and she didn't appear."
"Greg and Tamara took her," Mother Superior said, nonchalant.
Emma's eyes went wide. She never liked Cora, but she knew that if Greg and Tamara could capture her, then they must be more dangerous than she imagined.
"Why haven't you rescued her?" Emma asked Regina.
"Because they put these on Blue and me," the Evil Queen answered, gesturing to her cuff.
"It blocks my magic."
Gold stepped forward, looking intently at the cuff. "Emma, if we both concentrate our power on the cuffs, we might be able to free them."
Emma looked like a deer in headlights, still very new to the world of magic. "Umm… okay…"
Gold put his hand over Regina's cuff, and Emma did likewise. At first, nothing happened. Regina scoffed at the amateur attempt. Suddenly, she felt the cuff begin to loosen, and before long, she pulled it off of her arm.
Regina took a deep breath, feeling the magic flow through her again. "Let's get to work."
"Aren't you forgetting something?" the Blue Fairy said in an uppity tone.
Rumplestiltskin chuckled as Regina glared at the nun.
"You caused this," Regina growled. "Give me a reason why I should help you."
"Because if you don't, you'll show everyone that you really are an Evil Queen. And I'll make sure they know."
"You're going to blackmail me?"
"It's your word against mine, Regina. Who are the people going to believe?"
"Whoa!" Emma cut in. "Isn't this a bit dark for you, Blue?"
The Blue Fairy crossed towards Emma. "Aren't you sick and tired of letting her win? I am! I'm not bowing to her anymore."
"If we remove your cuff, you are going to help us," Regina barked.
"Why should I do that? Heart or no heart, the world is better off without Cora."
"Because that's the sacrifice you have to make if you want your precious fairy powers back."
"Ooh!" Rumplestiltskin laughed. "Now that's what I call a deal."
Mother Superior gave Regina a look of deepest loathing. "Fine, I agree."
Regina and Gold concentrated their magic on the cuff, which Blue removed from her ankle.
"Alright," Emma began. "Regina, we're going to get my parents and Neal and we're stopping Greg and Tamara."
"And saving my mother," Regina interjected.
"We will save Cora," Emma acquiesced. "Mother Superior, look after Henry."
"Right," Blue agreed. "And Rumplestiltskin," the fairy added, approaching the imp. "This is a memory potion that I've been working on. It should restore Belle to her normal self." She handed him a bottle from her coat pocket.
"Ah, yes, I'm glad you mentioned Lacey," Gold said. "How exactly did that happen?"
Regina knew that Cora had cursed Belle, but wasn't going to let her mother be vilified anymore by the Blue Fairy. "I cursed her. You stole my mother's life energy. Now we're even."
Gold didn't show it outwardly, but felt relieved. Thank God it was only that.
"There's no time to lose!" Regina snapped. "Let's go!"
Hook awoke, still in the library lobby, with a roaring headache. He became aware of someone standing over him.
"I've removed the listening device, Hook," the Blue Fairy said. "And I'm going to wipe your memory of my involvement." She waved her wand over his head.
"The Blue Fairy?" Hook asked in surprise. "Why are you here?"
"To help stop Greg and Tamara," she responded. "They've captured Regina's mother, and you have to help Regina save her. Give Regina this fairy dust and have her sprinkle it over her, Emma and Cora. It'll keep Greg and Tamara from trying to take their magic."
"Thank you," Hook said, getting to his feet and leaving the library.
Cora awoke strapped to a table with Greg Mendell and Tamara standing over her.
She instinctively concentrated on her rage to create a blast of magic that would reduce them to dust, but to no avail.
"Having a hard time using your magic powers?" the girl sneered at her.
"That won't work on us," Greg laughed. "You're cut off!"
"Then congratulations," Cora growled. "You've captured a helpless old lady. What a triumph!"
"You're not just any old lady," Greg snapped. "The Home Office knows all about your deeds in Wonderland. You're just as bad as your daughter. And, since she took my father from me-" he indicated a dirty orange vest on a chair in the corner "-I'll take Regina's mother from her."
Tamara gasped from a computer monitor. "Greg! The Evil Queen is coming! She has Emma and her parents with her."
"What about your fiancé?" Greg asked calmly.
"Him and the pirate too. We need to advance our plans! Take the trigger to the mines! I'll deal with them."
"And what about me?" Cora asked, jokingly.
Greg smiled nastily. "I'm going to turn on the machine. Just pray that Regina gets here fast enough to save you."
He flipped a switch, and Cora knew nothing but excruciating pain.
Regina looked over her shoulder at her rescue party, and was impressed that so many people had agreed to help her. They were hesitant to save Cora, but Snow White had spoken up, stating that she owed it to Regina and Cora for trying to kill Cora. Hook had even turned up, giving Emma and Regina magic powder that stopped Greg and Tamara's magic-blocking effects. Regina couldn't help but feel like she had forgotten something important, but she focused on the mission at hand.
When they located the cannery at the docks that Snow White had tracked their quarry to, Regina heard screaming.
"Mother!" She shouted. "Hook! Give me the powder!" Regina bolted towards the noise.
"Mary Margaret and David! Go with her!" Emma ordered. David nodded and led Snow after her stepmother.
Emma, Neal and Hook remained at the main entrance to the building.
"Hook, stay here and stop Greg and Tamara from escaping!"
"As you wish," the pirate responded. Neal and Emma ran into the cannery.
Regina found Cora strapped to an operating table, screaming at the machine that was electrocuting her, defenseless. She attempted to break her mother's bonds with magic, but Cora screamed louder.
David and Mary Margaret entered the room, shocked at the scene that lay before them.
At that moment, Charming pulled his gun and shot the power that the machine was hooked up to.
Cora stopped screaming, but moved no more.
To be concluded in the next and final chapter. Please review!
