Chapter 11 is now up everyone :)
Hope you all enjoy this!
I decided to take this story in an interesting direction, hopefully you will like it.
Please review, they are always welcome and they are so nice to read.
"Mom!" Emma called as she hopped from Ruby's back, clutching the red cloak in her hands and throwing it over the wolf.
"Emma!" Snow called rushing to her daughter, her eyes filled with unanswered questions as she rushed from her spot near the steps of Granny's Diner.
James took note of his daughters appearance, as well as the other townspeople, all of them rushing towards Emma.
"Did you-" Snow began to ask but her daughter cut her off.
"Yes I got to Regina. You were right, it was Cora all along and she is definitely here, and with Hook no less." Emma said, her words rushing from her mouth.
"Where's Regina?" Snow asked, concern in her voice as she looked behind Emma.
"She went to Cora."
"What?!" The group behind Snow all questioned.
"She's going to play her." Emma explained.
"How do we know we aren't the ones being played?" Grumpy spoke up from the group.
"Because I know Regina, she won't. She knows how dangerous Cora is. We just need to trust Regina." Emma finished.
"What do we do?" Snow asked.
"As of right now, nothing. We just need to make sure we have the fairy dust ready. That's it. Regina will come back with Cora's plan. After that we can plan accordingly." Emma finished, worry tinting her voice.
"I'm worried about her too Emma." Snow replied softly, making Emma's eyes lock with her own. "Cora is a horrible... horrible woman."
"I noticed." Emma muttered.
"Well, let's all take this inside." Granny spoke up looking at the group, "It isn't safe to be standing out here."
The group quickly entered the diner, leaving Snow and Emma standing in the middle of the street still.
"She can do this Emma." Snow said firmly, trying to sound convincing but failing.
"You don't think she can." Emma stated, looking to her mother.
"I believe she can... but it isn't going to be easy Emma. Regina... any time I have ever seen her interact with the woman, no matter how strong Regina is, she reverts into the young scared girl she used to be." Snow said solemnly.
"I just hope this works." Emma whispered, her arms wrapping around her midsection.
"Nice of you to join us darling." Cora said sweetly as the last remnants of Regina's purple tinted black cloud dissipated.
"Always a pleasure mother." Regina said, her voice cold and unwavering, "Did you take care of your business?"
"My crocodile seems to have disappeared." Hook said, voice tinted with anger as he polished his hook.
"Pity." Regina commented, her voice indifferent and uncaring to the situation. Her attention turned back to her mother.
"I am so happy to see you." Cora said, the unusual warmth in her voice startling Regina.
"Oh?"
"Yes darling." Cora said with a light laugh, "It's been far too long."
"Yes... I imagine so when you believe the other to be dead. That and the fact you framed me for murder." Regina commented dryly, her eyes flashing to Hook with a glare.
"I would've called sooner, but... you did leave to another world. And relax dear, the bug isn't dead." Cora replied.
Regina quirked an eyebrow at her mother's behavior.
"What do you mean 'the bug isn't dead'?" Regina asked in confusion. Cora merely waved her over to the side of the ship. Lifting one of the doors she peered in, her eyes widening and heart soaring in relief.
Archie sat tied up, tape over his mouth as he looked up with frightened eyes at Regina.
Regina quickly flashed him a look of reassurance before dismissing it, looking back to her mother.
"They found a body though... who did you kill?" Regina inquired, her voice void of emotion.
"Why must everyone ask me that? I don't know the people in this town, how should I know?" Cora answered, as if it was obvious.
"You spared him though... why?" Regina asked.
"Couldn't take away a friend of yours could I?" Cora replied, her voice warming.
Regina quirked her eyebrow.
"Is everything alright?" Regina asked skeptically, waiting for the real Cora to make an appearance.
"Just fine darling." Cora said in response, her eyes growing cold.
Ah, there it is. Regina thought to herself. Cora's oddly warm behavior was confusing to her.
"So mother, what is your plan of attack?" Regina asked, her eyes roaming over the room aboard the ship as they shut the door on Archie and walked away.
"I would like to transport everyone from this world back to the Enchanted Forest." Cora said, "To do that you and I need to open a portal back to the world."
"How do you propose we do that?" Regina asked, she already knew a way to get back there, and just the person for the job... the trick was finding said person and having them willingly help.
"Come dear, you must know of someway." Cora pried.
"Finding a way back here from the Enchanted Forest was difficult enough." Regina said vaguely, her eyes coldly staring into her mothers.
"Well I know of someone." Cora said happily. "I believe you are familiar with Jefferson?"
Regina quirked an eyebrow.
"Indeed I am. But he won't willingly help us." Regina commented.
"Well then dear, it's lucky for us that he will need some convincing." Cora said with a twisted smile.
Regina felt an overwhelming sense of sorrow as she looked at her mother, desperately wishing that the woman could've been the mother she had always desired, instead of this twisted person.
She suddenly felt a wave of sickness wash over her as she realized that she was just like that woman, until Henry came along. Henry began to change her, make her less evil, having no magic helped as well. But Emma... her Emma, her savior, was the one that had administered the final blow to the steel walls that surrounded her heart. Shattering everything she had built and replacing the darkness with love.
She wondered if it was possible to save her mother.
"Something on your mind?" Cora asked irritably, she noticed her daughter's far off face.
"Yes." Regina said simply, her attention back on her mother, "How did you get like this?"
Cora seemed taken aback.
"That is an excellent question." Hook commented, wanting to hear this story as well.
Cora glared daggers at the man, making him gulp and leave the room, suddenly not so keen to hear the story.
"What do you mean?" Cora asked with a sneer, her attention on her daughter.
"How did you become so evil? What made you like this? It was Rumple correct? He was generous enough to get the Miller's daughter out of poverty?" Regina scoffed.
"You know he never makes a deal without a price." Cora commented dryly.
Regina raised her eyebrow in suspicion.
"What was the deal mother? What did he ask for in return?" Regina asked, her voice becoming shaky with anxiety.
Cora paused, eyeing her daughter with a look Regina couldn't distinguish.
"You."
Regina felt her heart drop into her stomach.
"What?" She asked quietly.
Cora eyed her sadly, which took Regina by surprise once again.
"In exchange for power and a way out of poverty... he wanted my first born... that first born was you." Cora answered.
Regina eyes widened and she felt the electricity of her magic dance at her fingertips. She knew it was engulfing her body and her mother eyed her wearily, almost afraid.
"You." Regina seethed, "You traded me in a deal?!" Regina was furious. How she could ever believe the woman loved her was beyond her, even in Cora's own sick twisted way.
"Regina." Cora started but was thrown against the wall of the ship.
"You witch." Regina spit out, her eyes glowing with the purple of her magic. "You traded me for power, like an item you had in your possession." Regina caused binds to appear around Cora's wrists.
"It was a price I had to pay." Cora hissed out.
Regina let out a cold laugh, surprising even herself for a moment.
"You had to pay it?" She asked, her tone light and high, "Oh no dear mother. You could have lived simply, but instead you chose to give away your own flesh and blood for power."
Cora winced as the binds grew tighter, she had tried to break free the second Regina had set them, but surprisingly her daughter was just a tad stronger than her.
"The power and wealth came first, before you would. I thought that if I had all of that I would be able to stop him from taking you." Cora explained in that sickeningly sweet voice that made Regina's stomach lurch.
"You're nothing but a cold hearted bitch." Regina said, anger still evident in her voice, "To think that you could have ever actually loved me."
"I do." Cora stated, her eyes conveying truthfulness, Regina ignored it, "Everything I did from that point on was to put you in a better standing, to be more than I ever could have been."
"I belong to Rumple. Do you have any idea what that means?" Regina demanded.
"We are powerful enough to stop him together Regina." Cora replied.
"I don't need your help. I never needed or wanted your help. Your idea of help was to murder the person your daughter loved and sell her off, for the second time apparently, to a man that was twice her age. Forced to lay there while he had his way with her, helpless, unable to do anything about it. To be a mother, to look upon the face of a child that had betrayed her trust and taken everything away from her." Regina lashed out, swiping her hand through the air and cutting across Cora's face. Blood dripping from the new wound.
"I wanted you to be powerful!" Cora yelled, ignoring the sting on her face.
"Well you succeeded in that aspect." Regina said, her voice cold and desperately calm.
"You are truly powerful Regina, we could defeat him!" Cora pleaded.
Regina's eyes flashed angrily, tightening the binds so tightly they began to draw blood.
"You will leave Storybrooke. You will not return." Regina commanded, her voice every bit the Queen. "If you do so help me." She stepped in closely to Cora's face.
"I will destroy you, if it is the last thing I do." Regina seethed, an evil grin on her face.
She waved her arms and in an instant was engulfed in the purple tinted black smoke, disappearing from her mother's eyes. And of course, taking Archie with her.
"How long is she going to be?" Emma demanded, more to herself than anyone, as she angrily paced back and forth in the diner.
"Emma try to calm down." Snow said slowly, watching her daughter wear holes in the floor.
Their whole group was there. Snow, James, Kathryn, Frederick, the dwarves, Granny, Red, the blue fairy, Pongo, Marco, Henry, and a few of Snow and Charmings former subjects.
Emma was about to protest but a cloud of smoke appeared in front of her eyes, causing everyone to jump up in defensive positions.
Emma felt familiar arms wrap around her from inside the smoke, welcoming the embrace she sunk in to. She felt the familiar face press into the crook of her neck and couldn't help but let out a sigh, her heart thumping happily upon being reunited with its mate.
"Emma." Regina said brokenly, her face firmly pressed in the crook of the blonde's neck, her arms wrapped around her hanging on for dear life.
"Regina!" Snow exclaimed, happy to see the woman was okay, causing everyone in the diner to look at her with shock.
"Archie!" James exclaimed as he spotted the doctor, finally appearing from out of the smoke, a dazed look on his face.
Quickly half the diner rushed to his side, sitting him down at the counter and causing a fuss.
Emma and Regina paid them no mind, content to stand in the middle of the room holding each other.
"I was so worried." Emma whispered first. Regina tightened her embrace.
"Don't ever leave me again." Regina said in response. Emma felt wetness hit her neck and squeezed Regina.
"Never." She reassured.
"Archie where were you?" James asked as he looked over the therapist.
"Cora kidnapped me." Archie started, patting his long time pal Pongo on the head, "She disguised someone else as me and held me captive."
"But how did you?" James asked, already knowing the answer but refusing to believe it.
Archie smiled, his eyes flickering to the couple still wrapped in each others arms.
"Regina saved me." Archie finished, causing everyone to finally take notice of the couple.
Snow smiled at the women but coughed, attempting to grab their attention.
Emma looked to her mother and the group and began to pull from Regina's embrace.
"No." Regina said firmly, pulling Emma back to her and turning them so they could still hold each other but look at the group.
Snow gave an amused smile in response. James just huffed in agitation, while the rest of the diner took in Regina's obvious Evil Queen outfit.
"Damn Regina, you look hot." Red piped up, eyeing the woman up and down.
"Hey." Emma growled.
"Sorry but I couldn't comment on the outfit earlier." Red defended.
"Why are you dressed in your former clothes?" James asked, distrust evident in his voice.
"Well I couldn't convince my mother if I wasn't now could I?" Regina spoke loudly, her face still in Emma's neck.
This was her safe haven, she couldn't bear to leave it yet.
"Regina." Snow started softly, her voice was soft enough to cause Regina to look over to her, earning a gasp from everyone.
"What?" Emma asked as she pulled back to look at Regina.
Her eyes were still purple.
"Your eyes." Emma commented. Regina closed them in response, willing it to go away, but her still burning fury wouldn't allow it.
"I can't make it stop." Regina said softly.
"What happened?" Snow asked, everyone in the diner nodding their heads in agreement, wanting to know what transpired as well.
"I'm afraid that I need to speak with Emma alone on this matter." Regina replied, her purple eyes looking at Snow.
She earned a hurt look from the brunette.
"Regina whatever it is, especially if it deals with Cora, we need to know." Snow responded.
"Snow-" Regina started but her voice cracked, she winced at the sound of her own weakness, "Please." She managed to get out.
Snow eyed her worriedly before nodding.
"Emma can we go speak in private please?" Regina asked wearily.
"Sure baby." Emma replied softly, taking Regina's hand and leading her to the back room.
"Seriously Snow?!" James yelled, causing the shorter brunette to glare at him.
"Yes really! Whatever it is, Regina will tell us when she sorts it out with Emma first!" Snow yelled back, huffing and grabbing a beer from the counter.
"What happened?" Emma asked when they came into the back room.
"I-" Regina tried to start but tears sprung to her eyes instead. The purple slowly vanishing.
"Baby?" Now Emma was worried.
"Rumple owns me." Regina choked out.
"What?" Emma gasped. Her eyes searching Regina's questionably.
"My mother... she made a deal with Rumple to escape poverty. In exchange for wealth and power..." Regina trailed off, Emma's eyes widening.
"She sold you in the deal. He wanted her first born." Emma finished for her in disbelief.
Regina nodded, biting her lip in order to keep from crying.
"What does this mean?" Emma asked, swallowing thickly.
"I don't know... but it isn't good Emma. He owns me." Regina gasped out, her breaths coming out in short spurts.
Emma pulled Regina to her, holding her tightly as Regina road out her panic attack that started to take hold.
"What else happened?" Emma asked softly once Regina's breathing slowed.
"I confronted her about it. I threw her into the wall, bound her there, screamed at her. I was every bit the Evil Queen."
"She didn't fight back?" Emma asked confused.
"I was stronger." Regina said simply.
"All the spells you absorbed." Emma stated, realization dawning.
"Yes." Regina sighed and placed her face in Emma's neck, giving the flesh a soft kiss. "She couldn't break free of my spells. It would've been so easy to kill her."
"But you didn't." Emma commented.
"No." Regina felt hot tears welling up again, "I might need her to figure out this hold Rumple has on me."
Emma nodded in agreement.
"Where is she?"
"On the ship still, as far as I know. I told her to leave Storybrooke and never come back or else I'd kill her."
"How can she help if she leaves?"
"She won't." Regina stated simply, "My mother won't leave."
Emma hummed in agreement, she just realized that they had started swaying, a light rocking Emma initiated in order to calm the brunette down.
"So what do we do?" Emma asked softly, one of her hands weaving into the the long hair down Regina's back, lightly scratching her scalp.
Regina visibly relaxed into Emma's arms and let out a contented sigh.
"About Cora or Rumple?" Regina asked softly.
"Both."
"If my mother comes near you or Henry before I deal with Rumple I will kill her." Regina replied, her voice hollow with the declaration.
Emma internally cringed at how hollow Regina's voice sounded.
"Rumple... Well, I will just have to deal with him. I'll be needing a good bit of fairydust." Regina continued.
"We'll get some off of the dwarves, they have a pretty big supply now." Emma added.
They stood in silence for a few minutes, just holding each other. Emma glanced at the clock in the back room, it was already one in the morning and she just now realized how tired she was.
"You feel any better from telling me?" Emma asked the brunette in her arms.
"Yes. You always make everything better." Regina answered honestly, pulling back from Emma's neck to look her in the eyes.
"I love you so much Emma Swan." Regina said softly.
"I love you Regina Mills." Emma replied, leaning in and capturing Regina's lips in a soft loving kiss.
They broke apart after a minute and stared at the door, with a sigh Regina took Emma's hand and led them back into the diner.
Everyone turned and looked at the women, Henry peaking through the crowd before rushing to Regina and hugging her tightly.
Regina's heart swelled at the affection and rubbed his head lovingly.
"Okay here's the deal," Emma started drawing everyone's attention, "Cora is gonna be hanging around a bit. And based on a recent development we may actually need her."
As everyone was about to protest Emma raised her voice and adopted the most commanding voice she could.
"Listen I know you don't like it. But Regina and I need her for this. We will handle Cora if it becomes an issue. Our main priority is Rumplestiltskin now."
"Why him?" Snow asked, her eyes trailing over the women.
"Because he's more of a threat to all of us than her."
"How so?" James asked, "He hasn't been this much of a threat before. He just makes deals."
"Its the outcome of those deals that is the problem." Emma replied.
"What're you talking about? What is Rumple's role in all this?" James asked with irritation.
"Me." Regina spoke up, causing everyone to look at her with confusion, "One deal Rumple made, affects me directly and in turn will affect all of you, I can't let that happen."
"What deal did you make with him?" James growled out, coming to stand nose to nose with Regina.
Regina's eyes flashed dangerously and shoved him away.
Just as a few patrons were going to James defense Regina threw up a barrier around him, keeping anyone but her from it.
"Regina!" Emma warned.
"No Emma." Regina said calmly, her eyes baring into James.
James pressed against the barrier, watching Regina slowly move towards him.
"Now you listen here you stubborn, pig headed, irrational bastard." Regina ground out, "I am sick, and tired of listening to you growl and seethe at me. I have done nothing of harm to you. If I really wanted to hurt you I would have by now. So you are going to stand there and listen to everything I say very carefully."
James eyed her suspiciously but held his tongue, while everyone else held a collective breath.
"I love your daughter." Regina stated, her gaze softening drastically, "And I love Henry. And damnit I even care about Snow. I will not allow any harm to come to any of them and I will gladly give my life to make sure that doesn't happen. I am on your side James. I have no wish to quarrel with you. I just want to protect my loved ones. And I didn't make any deal with Rumple. My mother did." Regina finished, her eyes pleading with the man.
James' shoulders slumped in defeat, his eyes finally holding an understanding he had yet to grasp all this time.
"Okay." He said simply, stepping from the barrier when Regina made it disappear.
Regina nodded in approval before turning around and walking to Emma, who was eyeing her approvingly.
"My mother made a deal with Rumplestiltskin years ago, before I was even born. She wanted wealth and power, and he gave it to her. In exchange for one thing." Regina started, "Me."
Everyone grew silent.
"You?" Snow spoke up softly.
"Yes. He wanted her first born. Which was me. He owns me." Regina said.
"But-" Snow tried but had no other words.
"I don't what that all means exactly but, I need to find out. Which is why he is a priority for us. We are going to need a good bit of fairydust." Regina finished.
"We'll give you as much as you need." Grumpy spoke up, the other dwarves nodding in agreement.
"Thank you." Emma replied sincerely.
"When are we going to face all of this?" Snow asked.
"Tomorrow. The sooner the better." Regina said quietly, her tired eyes looking to Emma.
They were back at the mansion.
Henry, Emma, Regina, Snow and James.
Regina insisted that they spend the night there, they already had enchantments from Cora over it and when they returned Regina created one against Rumplestiltskin as well. They would all be safest there.
Regina offered up her guest room to the couple, which they accepted graciously. Henry seemed to be happy back in his room, and Emma was beyond relieved to have Regina in her arms again.
"I like your hair long." Emma commented as they entered their bedroom.
"I don't particularly care for it." Regina replied, "Reminds me too much of my past."
"I understand." Emma said with a smile, stripping down to her tank top and underwear.
"Of course I can change my hairstyle back and forth at will. So if you ever wanted to play Evil Queen and her prisoner." Regina said seductively, "I'm sure I could indulge you."
Emma's eyes glazed over at the thought before shaking herself out of it and beaming at Regina.
Regina waved her hand and became engulfed in the familiar purple tinted black smoke, after dissipating it revealed Regina as she was before, her hair short with soft flips, and dressed in a black nighty.
She crawled into the bed, grateful for the comfort of the sheets and her savior's warmth.
"I missed you." Emma spoke first. The two women laid on their sides, inches apart, hands intertwined and eyes locked on one another.
"And I missed you." Regina replied softly, reaching out to tuck an arrant strand of blonde hair behind the younger woman's ear.
"I won't let anything happen to you."
Regina eyed Emma wearily, she knew Emma possessed magic, they had worked on it a little bit when they had returned and Regina gained control of her powers.
But that wasn't going to be enough to help.
The shear fact Emma's heart couldn't be ripped out was comfort enough for now.
"Emma." Regina started slowly, "I know you want to protect me, and for that I am grateful, but it is I who will be protecting you."
"Regina-"
"No Emma," Regina began, "I need you to listen to whatever I tell you to do. I need to do some of this on my own. But, when I take on Rumple. I will need you by my side."
Emma looked into Regina's brown eyes, shining with worry, love, and determination.
Emma smiled tenderly at the woman and leaned in to give her a soft kiss.
"Okay." Emma mumbled against the woman's lips.
"Okay." Regina agreed, enjoying the lazy kisses as they drifted off to sleep.
Cora sat inside the ship, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Carefully analyzing each and every one of the lines on her face. Memories flashing before her eyes of the things she had done that earned her those lines.
She vividly remembered the look of pure hatred on her daughter's face when she learned about Rumple's deal. Luckily Regina didn't know the whole story, which would just spell even more rage towards the older woman.
"Reflecting on moments past dearie?"
Cora looked at the man, who had just appeared, through the reflection in the mirror.
"What do you want?" Cora spit out.
"Oh come now dearie, you can't be a little nicer to me?" Rumple asked with a glint in his eyes.
"I am growing weary of this." Cora commented, standing and facing the man.
"Aw what a shame. The real fun is just about to begin."
Cora stiffened.
"I couldn't help but eavesdrop on your little fight with your daughter." Rumple said, his voice growing cold.
"She deserved to know."
"No, dearie, that's where you're wrong." Rumple replied, his eyes filled with anger.
'What did you come here for?"
"A chat. First, you bring that blasted Hook here with you, which was not part of the arrangement. And now you've gone and told Regina our little secret. That I simply cannot allow."
Cora flinched internally, refusing to allow it to show on her face.
"You see dearie, I believe you forgot just what I have of yours, that would be so... easy, to destroy." Rumple said in a low voice, approaching Cora slowly.
"Things tend to get messy when you go against my orders."
"She had a right to know." Cora defended again.
"No. See I told you that Regina and her beloved Emma were in the Enchanted Forest, I gave you strict instructions of how to go about it all, which you followed to a T. If it weren't for me dearie you wouldn't be here in Storybrooke, you wouldn't be anywhere for that matter. You're forgetting your place."
Cora sucked in a breath.
"If I have to remind you, of how you need to proceed with this plan again... I will kill your daughter." Rumple said with a smile, "I will rip her heart out of her chest and crush it to dust in front of you. Just like you did to her first love Daniel."
"It wasn't my choice to kill him" Cora spat out.
"Oh no dearie. But it was necessary, and if the threat of taking your daughter's life is what will keep you in line then so be it."
Cora hung her head slightly, willing the burning in her eyes to flee.
"Now don't forget out arrangement Cora. I have two things precious to you, wouldn't want either to turn to dust now would we?"
Rumple smirked and let out a gleeful laugh before disappearing in a haze of red smoke, leaving Cora standing in the room alone.
"What have I done."
A/N: Hopefully you guys all liked the chapter. I'll probably have chapter 12 up by tomorrow. I'm taking Cora's character in a different direction which I hope you will like. Some of you probably won't but some of you probably will. So hopefully you enjoyed it and well...
Let me know what you think!
