Cora knew from an early age that she didn't have it in her to be a mother. She knew that she would rise in her way to power. She aimed for it; she ate, slept, and dreamed being better than what she was. She knew she couldn't be a mother. That's what handmaidens were for, that's what governesses were for. She didn't expect to do more than birth the heirs and rule like was her place as she knew from childhood.

But things had a way of turning out not like she expected. She didn't marry a king. But she was the most powerful woman in the world. She had children, but she had no governess. She had no nanny. Her husband believed that they took care of the children; they should take care of the children. Both girls needed a mother and a father, not someone substituting for both while they did whatever they wanted.

Problem was that Cora was reminded every day that she wasn't a mother. Not in the way that everyone else was. Sure, she carried, birthed, fed, and cared for them but she wasn't able to love her children the way many mothers loved their own. The way that her mother loved her.

That made her miserable the older her children got. Her husband was a vicious dark man. He murdered, bartered and stole if he had to. He manipulated everyone around him like puppets on a string. He even manipulated her for a while at first. Not that she'd minded. It aroused her actually. She'd just manipulated him right back and they'd fallen in love. However, what did that mean when he was more capable of showing her daughters he loved them than she was? She was supposed to be their mother.

There'd always been something wrong with her….in her head that kept her from showing affection the way everyone else did. For a while she thought it was a weakness. Her mother always told her she was a quiet baby. Barely cried. When she was eight, her mother died and Cora didn't cry then either. Her father broke down….and Cora just stood there staring at the bound of dirt over the shell that used to be her mother. Her father was never the same after that and the cold way he treated her afterwards made her think that if a trade could be made, he'd make it in a heartbeat. He'd never understood her. She was a pair of hands that could work, that was all she was. He didn't understand her, he thought she was too emotionless and she thought he was too emotional.

Later in her life, she abandoned the notion that things were wrong with her and just accepted that this was who she was. That maybe emotions were written out of her so that she could focus more on taking her rightful place in power.

And it had. She'd bartered and dealt and manipulated and loved her way here….in her own special way. But the love she could have for the Dark One wasn't anywhere remotely near the sort of love she could have for children. Theirs was a unique love that couldn't be labelled or classified into anything that anyone would understand. That wasn't what her girls needed.

So what they needed and what they would get wasn't something that would be similar.

And that upset her more than anything. For all that she was, she did want a good life for them where they would be safe and secure. Maybe she would be bad at showing love but surely that counted?

She was trying to soothe her two year old to sleep while she looked down into the yard from Regina's window. Jefferson and Zelena were playing if it could be called that. Though playing should be applied loosely. Jefferson had it in his mind now that since Zelena shoved him down; his best bet was to torment her as much as possible. If it was truly bad, then she'd put a stop to it but she was half amused at the innocent attempts at him showing he liked her.

Zelena had picked a spot in the garden to dig in. She seemed to be making space for her own little garden. Jefferson had joined her an hour ago. They seemed to be getting on well. At least he wasn't tugging her hair like he was yesterday. Zelena kept showing him plants and rocks that she found hidden in the dirt. Jefferson gleefully disgusted her by showing her bugs that he found.

Was he eating one?

Zelena got up and ran away, Jefferson gleefully followed after her with another in his hand.

She heard a movement behind her. She looked over her shoulder and smiled at her husband, "Short trip."

"Business is quick," he kissed her cheek and kissed Regina's hair.

"So you were successful then?"

"Yes," he wrapped his arms around her from behind, "Sped up the curse by….a couple of years at least."

"That's wonderful," she squeezed his hand.

"Everything alright here?"

"Regina won't eat her peas if anyone else gives them to her but you."

"Always need an important spot in her life, I suppose," he stroked her hair affectionately, "And Zelena?"

"Falling in love," she looked back to the window where Stephen was now. He had Jefferson in his arms in a tight embrace. Zelena watched and hung back.

"I should say hello," he kissed her cheek, "Get the children to bed and retire early tonight?"

She smirked, "I'll look forward to it."

He buried his face in her neck, "Can't keep my hands off you."

Cora smirked again and then looked back as he went to leave, "I need you, you know that, right?"

He smiled, crossed the room and kissed her, "Just as I need you. We compliment the other quite well I think."

She rubbed Regina's back and looked at him and then at her daughters, "We certainly do."