Enchanted Forest- Mills' Stables- past "You said she'd be here. Where is she?" Rumpelstiltskin asked, patience waning. "Right here." A woman stepped out of the shadows wearing strange garb with her silver hair tied in a knot on her head. "What is your progress?" "I have destroyed the only thing holding her back. She is ready," Cora confirmed. "She's already come to me wishing for her death. She just hasn't admitted it yet," Rumplestiltskin added. "Good. I did not expect you to make such progress so quickly but the sooner we turn her to darkness, the better and more welcoming she'll be to the idea," the woman said. Rumple couldn't help but ask, "How about your side of the bargain?" "It is not yet her time. When the time comes, she will be handled. You're not worried are you?" Rumple was about to say something when Cora cut him off. "Of course not. Thank you for sparing Regina." "She is important and is a strength that should not be wasted. Besides, she will help decide which side of the balance the world falls to. And the world has lived in light long enough." Enchanted Forest- Mills' Stables- Present "Lutessa, why don't you explain?" A woman circles Regina and Tess, moving to Rumpelstiltskin and Cora's side, standing in the middle. "Granny Goodness," Tess whispers. "Excuse me, what higher power?" Regina calls attention back to the thing that was clearly the most important. "Darkseid feeds on evil and doubt. He can control whoever isn't entirely pure." Tess turns, meeting Regina's eyes gravely. "Very few people are pure." Tess turned to the other three standing in front of Oliver. "My question is, why don't you just control us? Why ask for our help when we could turn on you at any second?" "Because, Lutessa," Granny stepped closer to Tess, touching the side of her face, "you can be saved without our help. And you're so much more use to us that way." "Sorry, but I don't buy it," Regina cut in, "I know you," she said, looking pointedly at Cora, "you never give someone the option of turning on you." "Regina, I'm not the person you knew. I have a heart now," Cora attempted to reconcile. Something wasn't right. Something was off. Regina was right none of the people standing before them ever took unnecessary chances. What were they missing? Something was staring them in the face, some missing piece of the puzzle that they just couldn't place. Cora stepped closer to Regina. Tess immediately whipped out a sword and put it to the witch's neck. "I respect distance and you should too." Anger flared in Cora's eyes. Flames erupted in her upturned palm. "Cora!" Granny Goodness' voice cut through her rage. Cora stepped back, still seething, but trying desperately to hide it. Most wouldn't have been able to see it but the women in front of her were experts at masking their feelings at this point. "My apologies, my dears," Granny apologized for her colleague. "She's a little short tempered," Rumple pointed out the obvious. Tess popped an amused eyebrow at Cora. But this got Regina's mind reeling. She had never, in her entire life heard Rumplestiltskin apologize, or even come that close, even if it was to mock someone. And her mother never, ever listened to anyone. Who was this woman? Tess knew her, but didn't seem to be afraid of her, if so why was her mother? As good as Tess was at masking her fears, she wasn't that good that even Regina didn't notice anything, especially if she was as powerful as she thought. "What do you want from us?" Regina finally asked. "Your help, darling, your sister has already been very helpful," Cora explained. "What sister?" "The witch of the west," Cora answered as though it was obvious. Regina looked like she was in shock or denial but her face clearly displayed the disgust she was feeling. "Why would we help you with anything?" Tess asked. "You see what I forgot last time was motivation," Granny started, touching Oliver's head. He yelled against his newly formed gag. "Now I have that." "Leave him out of this. He doesn't deserve any of this," Tess yelled. Granny and Cora exchanged looks. Cora waved her hand, making Oliver disappear. "Maybe this will better suit you." She waved her hand again and Hook appeared. "What do you want from me?" "To help us," Granny reemphasized. "Just leave them out of this," Tess near begged. Granny walked up to Tess, her eyes glued to Tess', whose panic was beginning to set in. She reached up and touched her face. "I can promise you that no harm will come to them as long as you fulfill your destiny that was set out for you so long ago." She stepped back, looking at both Tess and Regina. "Both of you just needed a little encouragement." She smiled with a fake warmth that made the pair sick. "Don't listen to her, love. You're stronger than that," Hook yelled. Rumple happily slapped him across the face, making him spit out blood. Cora conjured a gag and Rumple promptly shoved it in his mouth. "Don't touch him." Tess' strength and confidence was beginning to rise. She had to resist this. She couldn't give in, not after everything she had given up, not after all she had put in to change. "You keep asking for our help but won't tell us with what. Tell me what you want!" Regina interjected. "We want to make the world a better place, Regina," Cora explained. "No, they want to destroy it. Whatever the witch has been doing, she hasn't been pulling the strings." Enchanted Forest- Mills' Stables-past "If I may, what makes these two so...special?" Rumple asked. In his mind, it didn't make any sense. Why couldn't they use his son, so he could live? "The prophecy spoke of the ones who were born to darkness and yearn for light," Granny Goodness answered. There was more at work to the prophecy but these two didn't need to know anything more. "Doesn't that make them dangerous?" Cora asked. The other two in the room couldn't help but wonder, was she really willing to kill Regina? Was she really willing to go that far? Rumple blamed it on her absentee heart but Granny thought it was something more. It was either passion, which could be used, or she was willing to fake Regina's death. "Little ambitious, aren't we?" Rumple prodded with a disgustingly yellow smile. "They will waver, and darkness will call and eventually consume them," Granny reassured. "How can you be sure?" Rumple wasn't too sure about this plan. There were too many loopholes, too many ways for this to go wrong. Almost all of this depended on these two imperfections. "Because I trust you two will do whatever it takes to turn them to darkness. They are The Uncertainties, but I trust that you will make them certain." Granny nodded to Cora and Rumple and then disappeared. "The Uncertainties," Cora mused, "my daughter will fall to darkness, I can see it now. But this other one...she is the question." "Agreed. But the old woman made it clear that she will handle it," Rumple said, still unsure, himself. "If they truly have the power that she speaks of then you don't think she'll have any problems?" Cora challenged. "They may be dormant," Rumple pointed out with a shrug. "Regina's aren't." "Who knows, they may be. And she'll just get more powerful." Enchanted Forest-Mills' Stables-Present "Lutessa how can we help you if you keep pulling away?" Granny admonished. "I don't want your help." "No, we, want yours," Rumple clarified. "Is that why you brought me here? To help you?" Tess asked. "Of course," Rumple answered calmly. "Why bring me back? What can I do that someone else couldn't of?" Tess asked, her temper rising as she moved forward, hand moving to the hilt of her sword. "No, dearie," he grabbed Killian's neck,digging his grimy nails in, drawing blood, "let's not do that." She stopped, narrowing her eyes at him anger rolling off of "Rumplestiltskin!" Granny snapped. "That's no way to treat our guest," she sent a smile toward Regina and Tess. "Because you've been so hospitable up until this point," Regina replied sarcastically. "Why don't you just tell us what you want so we can go on our merry way because soon someone will come for us and you don't want that, do you?" Regina mockingly asked, hoping to gain some form of upper hand. "Darling, no one will come for you. They have no way of knowing you're here." Tess shot her a venomously scrutinizing glare. "You used magic?" Cora seemed slightly perplexed by this question, as well as the woman's outright confidence around the three most powerful entities in the realm. She expected Regina to feign it, but this other woman came as a surprise. "Yes." Regina looked at Tess with question. Tess held back a sigh of relief. Magic is traceable.