Chapter 14: Mom?

Regina honestly didn't know what to expect when she walked in the room. It felt as if her entire body just shut down. She stopped walking, stopped breathing, and didn't even blink. The numbness returned and it didn't go unnoticed this time.

"Regina?" Snow whispered. It occurred to Regina that Snow didn't exactly have the best memories of Cora either. Regina kept staring at the old woman when she felt Snow reach down and grab her hand.

I knew I was going to see her again, we were visiting the queen to get information on her, but I didn't know she WAS the queen.

"Sweetheart, you look a bit pale.." Cora faked concern and strolled over to her daughter. Her words caused everyone to give Regina a look of pure shock with their mouths hanging open and their brows furrowed and their head tilted just a bit.

"Don't. Call me. That." She stated in the strongest voice she could muster. This just made Cora laugh.

"Oh dear, I can call you whatever I want." She went back over to her couch and took a seat. "So, what's the reason for my daughter and granddaughter miraculously showing up on my front step with three other men?" She knew the reason but was curious to see if they would actually tell her.

"Not yet."

So she doesn't trust me.

"Not until you tell me how you became queen."

Cora smiled and motioned around the room.

"You may want to take a seat."

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Is she really doing this? Cora couldn't help but think as soon as she saw Regina try to push her. Now the younger woman stood across from Cora, glaring at her as the older woman held her back with magic. Cora was staring at her intently, trying to figure out where this rage came from. For a split-second, Regina's eyes flickered back to the mirror behind Cora. Before Cora could process it, Regina broke her magical bonds and lunged at her mother. Cora quickly grabbed the sides of the mirror, trying to prevent the invisible hands from pulling her in but she knew she wouldn't be able to. She flashed Regina a look of hurt before the hands tugged at her violently and she lost her grip. How could she do this to me? All her life all I ever did was help her. After all the deals I made, after all the years I watched over her, how could she do this to ME?

It felt as if she was falling forever. Blue lights danced before her eyes as she continued to plummet down the vortex. She closed her eyes and let the looking glass do its job. Before she knew it, she hit the ground with a solid thud. Her entire body ached from the fall but she tried to get up to look around. The only things in sight were tall stalks of grass, a yellow brick road, a few giant mushrooms, and a blue, shelled creature that was curled up on one of the mushrooms. The creature shifted and spun its body around to get a good look at Cora. It took a puff of its pipe and adjusted his glasses before asking: "Who are you?" She took a good look at him before starting off down the road.

"Welcome to Wonderland!" She heard the creature say behind her. She rolled her eyes and carried on.

Eventually she found herself walking into a small little town. She went to the best dressed person and asked one simple question.

"How do I leave this place?"

The man looked at her like she had two heads and pulled the cigar, that was drooping in his mouth, out.

"No one leaves Wonderland without the king's permission. That's if ye have a way out. Usually people come here by a looking glass, magic bean, or even glass slippers. Your best bet is a looking glass." He put the cigar back in his mouth and carried on with his business. Cora still had questions but she went to a man near the roads instead.

"How do I get to the King's palace?"

He looked up at her and nodded his head to the road that forked left. She silently thanked him and went on down the road.

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Once she got to the palace, she stormed through the halls to get to the throne room. Any guard that got in her way was immediately thrown to the side with her magic. The huge, red and gold double doors flew open and Cora burst in. The king quickly stood and ordered his guards to seize her but she just immobilized them.

"What is you want?" He half shouted.

"I need to get back to the Enchanted Forest. I don't want to miss my daughter's big day." She said gravely.

"I can't help you with that. Please! People who come to wonderland use one-way transportation. There are no beans here, the glass slippers are in another world and the the last looking glass was shattered years ago. The only one who can travel freely is the hatter."

Cora closed the distance between them and leaned her face in so it was only inches away from the king's.

"Then you are of no use to me." She whispered and plunged her hand into the kings chest. She pulled out his still beating heart and faced the guards. She flicked the wrist of her free hand and the necks of the men broke instantly. As their lifeless bodies fell, she turned back to the king who watched in horror. Cora smiled as she squeezed the life out of the king.

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The group sat in silence as Cora finished her story. She could see the effect she had on them just by looking at their eyes. It was Regina who finally spoke up.

"So, you haven't changed at all..."

Cora looked at her daughter and saw all the damage she had cause her over the years, clearly expressed on her face.

"I'm trying to." She said quietly.

Silence washed over the group again until it was Snow's turn to break it.

"A great evil is coming to the Enchanted Forest and Rumpelstiltskin prophesied you would be among the people that stopped it."

"When is this evil coming?"

"Ten and a half months." Regina answered.

"Well we have plenty of time!" Cora exclaimed and stood up. She decided to explain when she saw the confused look on her guests' faces.

"We you guys aren't exactly the best fighters in the world. While you're here you might as well get a little training in."

"You think we could get some sleep first?" David asked and added a yawn.

"Very well." Cora said with a sigh. She clapped her hands and two guards appeared. "Show the guests to their rooms."

The guards nodded and motioned for the group to follow them. Jefferson stayed back for a second.

"So where's our mutual friend?"

"Out retrieving something for me." She said with a mischievous smile.

"How are you going to tell Regina?"

"I'm not." She thought for a bit then added. "I'll let them find each other first."

Jefferson smiled as if he had just heard the latest gossip. He bowed to Cora and left the room to rejoin the group.

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The maid immediately started screaming as soon as she walked in the throne room to see all the dead bodies. All the servants started piling in and once they soaked in what happened they all bowed to Cora. Much to Cora's delight she found out that the king had no next of kin and since she had killed him, the job went over to her.

After Cora got settled in, she went over to her mirror to try and spy on Regina. The young girl was getting out of her wedding dress and into her nightgown; she was also shaking badly. She completely froze when she heard a knock on her door.

"Who is it?"

"The only person allowed to come here at this time." Leopold answered from behind the door.

It seemed as if Regina stopped breathing and her body went white like a ghost. That was when it hit Cora; Leopold came to consolidate the marriage. As soon as Regina opened the door Cora wiped the image away from the mirror and went over to the balcony to look over her new kingdom. She felt a twinge of guilt in her stomach that she couldn't push away no matter how hard she tried.

Regina was stuck in that castle, a habitat she was nowhere near familiar with, being the wife of a man old enough to be her grandfather and the mother of a child only a few years younger than herself. She at least had her father there but Cora had no one to help her with her new adjustments; no one she could trust. Maybe if she contacted his hatter, she could swipe someone from the Enchanted Forest, someone who would die to please her, someone who had something to lose, someone who had a fire in their eyes.

Just then, as if the answer her dilemma, the mirror changed the image it was reflecting. It was now showing Regina walking down a long staircase leading to a secluded room. She opened the double doors to reveal none other than the dead stable boy in a glass coffin. She started talking to the body, telling it everything that had recently happened. One thing that caught Cora's attention was the mentioning of Rumpelstiltskin, who apparently her daughter was going to apprentice.

That night showed Cora the future full of darkness for her daughter and lead her back to someone who just may be Cora's best apprentice yet with a little help from the doctor that Cora had heard about. The one servant who was incredibly loyal and who had stood up to Cora when it came down to Regina's happiness. With the way her daughter was heading, it would be easy to break the stable boy.

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Regina awoke with a start. Being near her mother had caused her to dream about that fateful day in the stables again. She looked down at the young princess who was curled up beside her. Regina felt like she could strangle the princess right now but she also felt sorry for her. She hated getting these mixed feelings all the time because she knew they would lead her down one of two completely different paths that Regina still couldn't decide what was the better one. She knew she couldn't forgive Snow but she also couldn't bring herself to kill her and get revenge on something that was an accident. Regina pushed the thoughts out of her head and got up. There was only one person who could keep her mind off of the troubled princess.

She open the door to Robin's room to find that he was still awake.

"Couldn't sleep?" She pulled him from his thoughts.

"Can't help but think about Marian."

"Well I guess our lost loved ones are on both of our minds tonight."

Robin stopped staring at the fire in front of him to turn his gaze to Regina.

"Maybe I can help take him off your mind." She said and patted the space next to him.

After she took a seat he continued. "I don't know why but ever since I met you I've had a certain attraction to you."

"I may be able to help you understand that." She replied quietly.

"Oh?"

"One night, a fairy came to me and told me she'd help me find my true love. At first I thought she was crazy because my true love had died but she told me that there was always someone else. She lead me to this tavern and showed me the man. I never saw his face but I did she his tattoo." She reached down and grabbed Robin's wrist and lifted his sleeve to reveal the lion tattoo.

"Me?"

"I was supposed to go in and talk to you but I lost my nerve and ran. Because of that you moved on and married Marian who was your second choice."

After a few seconds, Robin replied by kissing her on the cheek.

"I'd love to give us a try but we should take it slowly. Marian won't be easy to get over."

"They never are." After a bit she spoke up again. "Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?"

"Not at all." As soon as he wrapped his arm around her, She knew she wouldn't be having anymore nightmares.

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The woman walked straight through the tavern owned by the caterpillar. Once she entered the back room, she was shocked to see the creature right in front of her; she didn't show it of course.

"Why hello." The creature said in a slow, deep voice.

"I'm looking for my cousin you may know him."

"Name?" He said and released a puff of smoke.

"Will Scarlet."

"Ah, young Will. I know exactly where he is." After another puff he spoke again. "There's just one thing, who are you?"

"My name is Jack."