Author's Note: Props go out to Marphisa who was kind and awesome enough to Beta this chapter for me. Of course me being a rebel and all...I might have messed up some of her lovely work. Hopefully not!

Cora stopped dead in her tracks at the question.

Out of everything she could or would have expected, she had never thought that question would be asked of her.

When she turned around, her face was scrunched in confusion.

"I'm sorry?"

David's expression was a mixture of curiosity and anxiety as he looked at Cora.

On one side, he didn't want her to confirm that she was his mother; and on the other, something in him - something so small he didn't know it could have existed - wanted it to be true.

"Are you my mother?"

Cora stared at David with shocked confusion as he repeated his question.

"Why would you ask me that question?"

David moved towards her slightly out of frustration, a frown marring his face for a second, trying to control himself.

"Sarah-she-she told us a story. One about you and King George." David began, staring at Cora pointedly.

Cora stiffened and glared at David almost accusingly.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about. I don't appreciate people talking about -"

"Do you have a sister named Ruth?" David asked quickly, disregarding what she had said because he had seen her physical reaction to his words.

Cora said nothing as she stared straight back at him.

Her eyes shifted then, and looked to the ground, not able to hold his stare.

"What would that prove to you?" With that Cora's eyes shifted up once more to stare back at light blue eyes.

David swallowed.

It took him a few seconds to find his voice and to find his answer.

"Everything."

Cora looked away suddenly, looking at anything but the man in front of her.

"Everything - I don't think that could prove everything."

David moved forward as Cora moved to sit down on the steps in front of the house, he knelt down and looked up at Cora's face.

"I don't know you." David shook his head as he looked up into Cora's eyes. "I only know what I've seen, and that hasn't really been a good thing. So I'm asking you. I'm asking to know the truth. Despite what it could be, what it all could even mean. So please - please - just let me know where I came from. Let me know if I do have a sister."

Cora stared down at the imploring blue eyes, knowing in that moment that things were about to change forever. There was no going back from telling the truth.

Revealing the truth wasn't going to be the hardest thing. It was going to be the after effects that she knew would devastate her. And her entire family.

What had she expected, though? If Sarah had not saved her, she would be dead at that moment. If Sarah had not been there, neither Regina nor the Prince would have ever known. Neither of them would have been the wiser. Neither of them would know why she had done the things she had. Maybe they would have been better off never knowing.

Cora placed her hand slowly on David's cheek, still trying to come to grips with the surge of feelings her heart provided her, the emotions in the gesture blowing even her away.

"I didn't love him. I only used him."

David was confused for a few seconds at the words until he realized who she was talking about: King George.

"I only ever loved one man. And he's the reason I became," she hesitated, "what I am."

David said nothing, feeling more than knowing that for whatever reason she needed to let him know certain things before answering his questions.

"My mother died when I was very young, which made my father a blubbering drunk. Leaving me, the eldest daughter, to raise and take care of everything." Cora shook her head as a blaze of hatred entered her eyes as she remembered all of those years of scraping by.

"I despised him for it. I grew to hate him and the life that fate had seemed to give me."

Cora couldn't help but caress David's face as her mind spanned back to the moment the King had embarrassed her in front of everyone.

"My father had been drunk and hadn't taken the flour to the castle. I knew it was supposed to be there early in the morning; and if not delivered, we wouldn't be able to eat for days. By then it was only me and my father. Ruth had married a farmer, moving as far away from us as she could." Cora laughed then. "I really didn't blame her, but I still hated how she had so easily left me."

David's heart pounded in his chest at the confirmation that the woman that had raised him was Cora's sister; but he said nothing, wanting to know all of it.

"That's the day my hatred for Princess Eva began. Tripping me - in front of everyone. The flour spilled all over the floor. To say the least, the King sided with the Princess. I had never felt so much hatred in my life as when King Xavier forced me to bow down to her. I think that's when I truly knew hatred. That moment… I vowed to make them all pay for what they had done."

David didn't know what to think as Cora continued to caress his face. The words sounded so softly in the air, but the evilness of the words made David shiver.

The smile that bloomed on her face scared David, making him think that this woman was as evil with a heart as without; but her next words suddenly had him reconsidering.

"I lied to the King, saying he didn't know what I was capable of, that I could spin straw to gold. So he locked me in a tower, saying that if I wanted to live I would do just that." Cora laughed then as tears began to moisten her eyes.

Suddenly David's memories of before the curse broke flashed before him. The fairy tale of who exactly Cora was hit him in full.

"That's when you met Rumpelstiltskin," David said softly.

Cora smiled and nodded as tears fell down from her face and hit the ground.

"He - he gave me something that no one else had. He saved my life and gave me power that could help me lead my own life. After - after all the years of poverty. Of having to kneel down to those who looked at us like muck. He gave me the ability to change my fate. I - I fell in love with him."

David was too shocked to speak, let alone try to comfort her as she began to cry. In all the scenarios he had envisioned, he had never thought he would hear anyone say those words about Rumpelstiltskin.

Somehow, from being certain that she was evil, he had transitioned to being sympathetic.

"But the King - he found out. He knew about us," Cora said in a whisper as her mind went back to the decision she had made, the path (road maybe) she had taken.

"So I choose to stay - to become Prince Henry's wife."

David knew she was keeping something from him. Something wasn't making sense. How could she have married Prince Henry but had children with King George?

"But I had made an initial deal for Rumple to help me: that I was to give him my first born child, our first born child. He thought I'd leave with him for sure. I knew the second I decided to stay that I wouldn't be able to with my heart intact. I knew I would crumble. So I took it out. I removed my weakness."

David had lived his entire life trying to be a good person, learning from those that had raised him right from wrong. The woman in front of him, though, was neither right or wrong to do the things she had. As evil as he thought her to be, what she was telling him was not evil. It was a woman trying to make a better life for herself.

"He was so angry that I had won our deal, that I would be able to walk away from him so easily."

David felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise up at those words.

Not once had he ever heard of Rumple losing on a deal. The idea made his skin crawl at just how angry it had made the imp.

Cora moved her hand from David's cheek to right behind his ear. A small smile formed on her face.

"You still have it."

David reached up in confusion and placed his fingers where hers touched him. He felt the small indention that he had never paid attention to as Cora finally told him a huge part of the truth.

"I didn't know there were two of you."

Cora smiled as she continued to cry.

"You have no idea what it was like to know I was able to create a life again. After what he had done to me. After what I had to do to have Regina."

Something in the young man's mind finally clicked.

"He found a way to keep you from having children."

Cora nodded and sniffled, trying to rein back her emotions. It was hard to do since she had not felt something so strong and pure for so many years.

Smiling, she whispered the truth of what had happened all those years ago.

"I seduced him. I made him fall in love with me, made him think I loved him; but I did it all for power." Her forehead scrunched up as if she were in pain.

She was. She remembered how truly alike they had been.

If things had been different, she would have married George and she would have done it for love.

She knew that now.

As she remembered back to those moments, her heart wrenched painfully as the emotion of love struck her in full as she thought of him.

"When he became King he took me as his wife."

Out of everything that had been said to him, it was this statement that made him interrupt her.

"Wait. How's that possible?"

Cora took a deep breath and looked him straight in the eye with the answer.

"I used a glamour. If he passed in front of me now, he wouldn't recognize me."

David's mouth hung open at the words.

"You mean to tell me - he doesn't know."

Cora nodded. "He doesn't know."

Not knowing what to say after that, David slowly closed his parted mouth and nodded for her to continue.

Cora knew how horrible the next part would sound; so she finally stood and moved away from David, touching the wall as she spoke.

"When Rumple found out what my plans were, he cursed me with infertility, with a potion. He knew it was the one thing I knew would secure my future. A child that would be heir to the throne. So I learned to search every bit of magic I could. And I found something. A month later I was pregnant. I had to make sure that my first child was to inherit King Xavier's throne. But I knew when she was born that she was George's. My cycle wasn't right. I knew and said nothing. But when George told me I needed to bare an heir for him, or we couldn't stay together. I knew I had to conceive again, and for that I needed Rumple's help."

That's when Cora turned pained eyes to David.

"The pendant my mother gave me let me know that it was a boy. Even without a heart, when you and your brother were born I felt a horror that you can't imagine. I knew Rumple had tricked me again."

Staring down at the ground angrily, he clenched his jaw as he immediately knew why.

"Twins would divide the kingdom. Rumple knew the King would kill one of us." The words left David's mouth with contempt.

Cora nodded. "Even without a heart, you were mine. I couldn't let him know about either of you. I may have killed, but I could never have killed my children. Despite what anyone else thinks. You were born innocent. But I knew George wouldn't think of it that way. I was willing to give up the possibility of having another of my children as the King or Queen of a kingdom. I just wanted you alive then. So I went to Ruth. I gave both you and your brother away. I forced myself to forget about both of you."

Despite what he had said about just wanting to know the truth, those last words hurt him more than he thought they could.

"I didn't know Rumple knew where I took both of you. I found out about James after a few years had passed. By then, I could do nothing but keep quiet."

Cora remained quiet after that as she fought back tears, knowing that one of her boys had died.

"You three would have been enough for me."

His head jerked up from staring at the ground. David had not expected the words.

Cora's eyes sparkled with tears as she spoke with her heart then.

"Without a crown, without power or magic, you three would have been enough for me."

David tried to keep from crying, but a tear still streamed down his face as he heaved in a deep breath. He had his truth now… but could he deal with it?

Sarah had almost immediately placed Henry down, claiming that her back was protesting from carrying a man on her shoulder's instead of a boy. Henry of course had laughed, and Sarah had looked over at her mother and niece and then back at Henry.

"Race yah back to Mom's house!" With that Sarah took off running, leaving Henry with a shocked look for a second before he ran after her.

Sarah knew that answering her mother's question about how Emma and Bae met would lead to a really in depth conversation that wasn't really appropriate to have around Henry.

"No fair! You cheated!" Henry yelled as he tried to catch up with her.

Sarah turned and smiled widely.

"Fair! You must be talking about my sister Snow! And believe me, she's not the fairest of them all!" With that Sarah again spun and ran laughing.

Henry just kept running after, laughing at Sarah's joke.

Of course that left Emma and Regina alone. Emma was fidgeting with her hands, not quite sure what to say or do at that moment. Regina though, knew exactly what to do.

"Why exactly did you think it was alright to take Henry to New York without letting me know?"

The small smile that had been on Emma's face morphed immediately into her classic incredulous look.

"I seem to remember you being missing at the time."

"Yes. Missing because I was accused of killing the cricket, and you threatened to take Henry away from me."

Regina turned and crossed her arms in anger at the situation that Emma had put her in, anger that yet again people were able to take what was most precious to her away. She was tired of fighting for the right to love Henry. After over ten years of loving Henry, of laughter, tears, tantrums, and sickness, Regina knew that she was Henry's mother, that she deserved his love for what she had done for him.

Snow watched as both Emma and Regina took defensive stances towards the other. For her, it was odd to see her daughter face off against her mother. One thing she automatically noticed was that both of them looked ready to fight.

Quickly making her way over, she linked her arm through her mother's, almost dislocating Regina's arm as she did so.

"I'm kind of curious to know why mom was raising Henry. No one's really told me why."

Emma's mouth opened and closed a few times, not really expecting Snow to side with Regina. Regina couldn't hide her smirk at Emma's obvious loss for words.

"MOMMOMMOMMOM!" Sarah yelled as she came running back looking extremely scared.

"SARAH IT'S OK!" Henry screamed, chasing Sarah.

Despite everything, Regina and Snow immediately jerked towards Sarah. Seconds later, Sarah was hiding behind her mother, pointing around her body.

"It's some sort of monster! It growled at me!" Sarah exclaimed.

Snow stood in front of her mother and sister, taking a wide stance ready for battle; but both Regina and Emma realized what the monster was.

"Sarah..." Regina began with a wide smile stretching her red lips, but Emma had already moved to step out in front of her mother - or her other mother. Well, she wasn't going to let any version of her mother get hurt.

The screeching tires made the three women behind Emma yell out a warning.

Emma titled her head and glared at the man behind the "monster's" wheel.

"Leroy! Why are you chasing down Sarah? You could have hurt Henry!" Emma exclaimed as Henry finally made it over to Sarah, who was still hiding behind her mother.

"It's ok, Sarah. It's just Leroy!" Henry tried to calm Sarah down.

"Who's Leroy?" Sarah asked, finally coming out from behind her mother.

Snow looked around Emma and smiled as she saw who it was.

"DREAMY! Sarah, it's Dreamy!"

Sarah looked around her mother to confirm who it was.

"Oh-well-what-what is he-," Sarah began, not quiet knowing what to ask.

"It's called a car sweetheart. It's this world's version of a chariot," Regina explained to Sarah, the endearment rolling off her tongue without thought.

"Why is it making that sound?" Sarah asked as she finally moved from behind her mother to in front of her, still staying close to her.

Regina smile widened enough to show her teeth and placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder, the stiff posture her daughter had melting the second her mother touched her.

Emma turned her head and smirked at Sarah; then turning back she yelled at Leroy.

"Leroy, pop the hood."

Leroy was still staring at Sarah when he did as asked. When Snow and Sarah saw the metal contraption under the hood of the car, both moved towards the vehicle.

"What is it?" Snow asked with a scrunched brow.

"It's called a motor. It's used to move the tires on the car. You can travel great distances in hours instead of days," Leroy explained to Snow, still trying to grasp the idea that there were two Snows.

Mary Margaret had stayed on the side walk, trying to reason with herself that it was normal to feel jealous. There absolutely was a reason why any person would feel jealous seeing Regina walk up behind Snow and Sarah and place her hands in the middle of their backs as she smiled.

Out of every thought that entered Snow's brain, she couldn't understand why Regina was ok with touching and being maternal towards this other Snow than she had ever been with her. Why did Regina treat Snow differently than her?

Shaking her head, Mary Margaret slowly made her way to the group.

"So, you mean I could drive this…car…in the town?" Sarah asked as she stared at the motor with a new fascination.

"Um." Emma turned to look at Mary Margaret, Snow, and Regina.

"Maybe that's not such a good idea," Snow said looking at her mother with the corner of her eyes, trying to make her not panic at the very thought.

"It's not as easy as it looks, Sarah. I don't think it's a good idea. At-at least until someone teaches you!"

Mary Margaret said the last sentence quickly as Sarah looked at her with wounded eyes. Of course as soon as Mary Margaret said that last sentence, Sarah gave her a huge smile.

"You'll teach me to drive it?" Sarah with childish enthusiasm.

The death glare Mary Margaret received from Regina and Snow made her mouth open and close like a guppy as she now found herself stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Of-of course."

Sarah rushed to Mary Margaret and enveloped her in a huge hug.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Sarah chanted against Mary Margaret's shoulder as she rocked them side to side in happiness.

Mary Margaret couldn't have stopped her smile from emerging if she had wanted to.

"Don't thank me yet! I have the distinct impression that there will be lots of yelling involved with the teaching!"

Pulling back from Mary Margaret Sarah smiled and laughed.

"So it's going to be like every other day!"

Mary Margaret slapped Sarah's arm with an opened mouthed gasp. Sarah again laughed and linked her arm with Mary Margaret.

"So you own one of those cars?"

"Hah! I own a car, but it's not a truck!"

"What's a truck?"

Mary Margaret groaned tilting her head back as they both began to walk towards Mary Margaret's apartment.

Henry looked from his mothers to Sarah and Mary Margaret and back towards his mothers. Without a second look, Henry ran to catch up with the two sisters.

Snow couldn't help but smile. She felt no jealousy over Mary Margaret and was more than just happy that Mary Margaret wasn't treating Sarah differently or like a stranger. It was a relief that Mary Margaret had not said a word about Sarah's parentage.

Regina's eyes followed the three as Snow once again linked their arms together.

"Is Sarah always this trusting?" Regina asked Snow, not once taking her eyes from Sarah and Mary Margaret.

Both Emma and Snow turned and stared at Regina with scrunched foreheads.

"Why shouldn't she trust Mary Margaret?" Snow asked with a small edge to her voice.

"There is no reason she can't trust her." Emma quickly tried to soothe Snow's rising alarm by the sound of her voice, looking to Regina with an expression that said, "Stop it."

Regina just let out a huge sigh with a look of contempt on her face.

"The only reason why I became what I did was because I trusted her. And how wrong I was for doing so."

Snow slowly pulled back in slight shock from her mother's arm that had been solidly linked with her own. Feeling the movement, Regina looked over to Snow.

"You…you really do hate me," Snow whispered as she stared at the face of the woman that had loved her and cared for her since childhood.

"No," Regina quickly said and turned to grab hold of Snow's retreating arms.

"No, I don't hate you."

Both Snow and Emma didn't know what to say to the certainty in Regina's voice.

Leroy said nothing as he watched on in a stupefied state.

Regina couldn't explain it. All she knew was when she looked at Mary Margaret she felt all the contempt and hate in the world for her. But when she looked at Snow, she felt trepidation but nothing else. She just couldn't explain it.

Snow shook her head slowly. "That doesn't make any sense."

Even Emma agreed with Snow. She saw the way Regina was looking at Snow. It was a look that Emma had only ever seen Regina give Henry.

Regina looked down at the hand that held Snow and slowly brushed her hands down Snow's arms to hold her hands. Regina looked from their hands back up to Snow, who was staring at her - waiting to hear an explanation - a look of confusion and sadness on her face.

"I can't explain why or how it's even possible… but when I look at you, I don't feel that hatred, that burning anger, that I do when I look at Mary Margaret."

The calmness with which Regina said the words made Emma believe her, and it made her curious as to how that was possible. Emma watched in shock as Snow slowly wrapped her arms around Regina and hugged her.

"I don't understand, Mom! Why do you hate her so much but still feel love for me?" Snow tucked her head under her mother's chin like she had done so many times in her life.

Regina looked like she was trying to keep back tears with confusion clearly written all over her face as she tried to find the words.

"I-I don't know. I don't."

That's when Emma's head tilted as she watched the scene. Something caught her attention: Regina didn't deny loving Snow. How was that possible? Was it even possible?

If it was some sort of a scheme to kill Mary Margaret or Snow, Emma was certain that Regina had had the opportunity while she had been in New York.

Emma's gut was telling her that this was important. Somehow, despite how strange the situation that they all found themselves in, Regina feeling love towards her mother went against everything and anything that she had seen or heard from the past. What was keeping Regina from having those feelings towards her mother if she was showing them to this Snow White?

Emma didn't know it at the moment, but this question held a key to something far greater than she could imagine.

And with the answer, everything would change.

Author's Notes: OK...I didn't make my quota for the last chapter as far as reviews go...so let's at least try for 4 Reviews this time. Ok. 4 Reviews! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!