Regina's anxiety wasn't getting any better and she was finding it difficult to concentrate on even routine tasks even as she sat there listening to reports from various advisors.

She knew it was irrational, but she couldn't help but feel like she was surrounded by danger and she was helpless to do anything about it.

She had asked Anita the day before if she could bring her one of her sleep remedies when they met tonight. She hoped it would allow her to sleep in peace without the dreams that seemed to be plaguing her.

She was so grateful for Anita because in the past when she felt uncontrollable anxiety it would often result in unintentional bouts of magic. But now she felt more secure with her magic and was able to avoid using it unintentionally. Still, she did worry that if this anxiety continued that it would happen again.

No, she thought, she had so much more control now than she ever dreamt possible and that was due to Anita.

With each lesson, she felt her magic she felt her confidence grow.

"Your majesty?"

Regina realized she had been so unfocused she hadn't heard what was just said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You were saying?"

"Just that the farmers have reported a good yield."

"Make sure we keep track of the harvests so we can make comparisons year after year," Regina said. "I want not just the farmers, but information on the various crops and their yields. As the years go by we need to know when land goes fallow. And also track weather so we can see what if any effects it has year over year."

"Yes, your majesty," the advisor replied.

One of the guards came into the room and came up to her and handed her a note. She opened it and had to read it twice.

"We're going to have to call this meeting short," Regina said. "I have something else to attend to."

She stood up and motioned to the guard to follow her out of the room.

"How far out is my mother's party?" she asked.

"Not far out," the guard said. "The messenger came ahead to let us know since we weren't expecting the queen to arrive. All of them riding horseback, no carriage so they should be here quickly."

"My mother never rides horseback," Regina said more to herself than to the guard. "Get back down to the gate, escort them up as soon as they get here. I will be in the library, bring them there."

"Yes, your majesty," the guard said running off.

She stopped the first handmaiden she found and ordered her to get Emma to meet her in the library.

Once she got there, she found her nerves were now on fire. What was her mother coming here for? And why was she in a hurry to get there?

It made no sense.

She was standing by the window waiting when the door opened, she turned to see Emma coming in.

"What is the emergency?"

"My mom," Regina said. "She's on her way here. I don't know why, but a guard came up with a message saying she was nearing the castle."

"Ok," Emma said. "Whatever it is, we will deal with it. Are you sure she didn't say anything in her last letter?"

"Nothing about coming here," Regina said. "Something is going on. She is riding here on a horse. My mom doesn't ride, she takes carriages."

Emma came over and took her hands in hers. "Whatever it is, I'm right here."

They had to wait for nearly 15 minutes when there was a knock on the door and Cora entered along with a smaller woman who Regina didn't recognize. The other woman turned to the door and Regina could tell she was performing magic, although she didn't know what specifically.

"Are you ok?" Cora asked her immediately.

"Am I ok?" Regina asked. "Yes. I was about to ask the same of you. What are you doing here?"

"Has anything happened recently? Any strangers about or anything unusual happen?"

"What is going on mother?" Regina asked. "Who is this?"

"This is Flora," Cora said. "She is one of the five who helped defeat Maleficent and that is why we are here; she has escaped her prison."

"Escaped? How?" Emma asked.

"We don't know for sure," Flora said stepping forward. "I have put a spell on the room to ensure we can speak in private." She quickly told them what she had experienced. Regina and Emma were silent as they listened to her tell about how she went to check on Maleficent and found she was no longer frozen in her dragon form and how she rushed to get to Cora.

"So why did you come here?" Regina asked, looking at her mother.

"For the same reason Flora came to me and not anyone else. Maleficent will surely target me for what I did," Cora said. "And I know her, she won't come at me directly, not at first. She will want me to suffer as she suffered and the only way for her to do that would be to go after you."

Emma took an unconscious step forward almost as if she was putting herself between Regina and any danger.

"What about father?" Regina asked.

"He's fine. We spoke before I left, he is taking precautions at home," Cora said. "And we sent a message to your parents Emma, so they know to be on the alert as well. But since it was here that someone with magic targeted us on your anniversary, I'm not taking any chances."

"Thank you," Emma said. "But what do we do now?"

"Has there been anything out of the ordinary around here?" Cora asked. "Anything since I left?"

"No," Regina said. "Everything has been as it should be."

Cora looked to Flora, "We're going to have to see if we can detect any magic here in the castle. We'll start here and then slowly go outward."

"That is a tall task for someone who just started using magic again," Flora said.

Regina looked from Flora to her mom.

"Let me help," Regina said.

"No," Cora said. "That kind of magic is above your level. Besides, the idea is to keep you out of Maleficent's path. I don't want you left alone until we can assess the situation."

"I won't leave her alone," Emma said.

"I want to help," Regina said.

"I know you do," Cora said, coming closer and taking her hand. "But I can't risk Maleficent getting close to you. Until we know where she is, what she is planning, I'm not leaving. And the situation means we're going to have to accelerate your learning a bit, for your own protection."

Regina didn't look her in the eyes, but she nodded her head yes.

"How worried should we be?" Emma asked.

"It took five of us last time to get her under control," Flora said. "One of the others, Fauna has gone to seek out Merryweather. They will meet us here once they are together. It still leaves us one short."

"Who did you not contact?" Regina asked.

"Rumpelstiltskin," Cora said. "I will not have him involved."

"Why not? If she is as serious of a threat as you say she is, then maybe you should reach out to him," Regina said.

Emma clenched her jaw at the mere mention of that monster, but she held her tongue.

"He's not to be trusted," Cora said. "Let's leave it at that."

Regina thought about protesting or at least asking for more of an explanation but Flora spoke first.

"We should get started," Flora said. "Wherever she is, and whatever she is planning, she has a head start on us."

Cora nodded to her but looked at Regina. "We will begin searching for any signs of magic here in the castle. You stay with Emma and we will meet up again to discuss this. But if you or Emma notice anything unusual – anything out of place, no matter how inconsequential you need to let me know. Maleficent is cunning above all else. And the timing of all of this worries me. The magic you felt that night at the end of the celebration, Maleficent had already escaped by that time. If I hadn't given up my magic I would have known it was her in an instant. But I can't change the past and that decision, all I can do is hope my magic is up to the task now."

"I will keep her safe," Emma said.

Cora gave them both a small smile before exiting the room with Flora.

Regina, who had been on her feet this entire time, went and took a seat, feeling a mixture of disbelief over this happening and anger she realized.

Emma took a seat next to her.

"Are you ok?"

"I should be the fifth," Regina said.

"What?"

"It took five of them last time to defeat her. If they aren't going to involve Rumpelstiltskin then I should be the fifth magic-user," Regina said.

"No, you shouldn't," Emma said. "You are the one who needs protecting. You heard your mom, Maleficent won't strike at her directly, she will come after you to get to her. I won't let that happen."

"But don't you see," Regina said. "This is what I've been working so hard for – so that my magic could be used to keep us safe. I've learned so much from Anita. I get better with every lesson. In fact, with Anita's help, there would be six of us."

From the moment Cora came in and told them Maleficent had escaped, Emma felt like her mind had been going non-stop, but she took the time now to think.

"Anita," Emma said. "She showed up here after our celebration."

"So."

"The timing of it," Emma said. "A magic-user shows up here right after Maleficent escapes. Right after someone used magic that night."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know," Emma said. "Something about all of this is just not sitting right with me all of a sudden. Her showing up here like that, showing you that she has magic, it's just … too coincidental."

Regina stood up, forcing Emma to do the same.

"She didn't show me she had magic. She never intended for me or anyone else to find out," Regina said. "Anita is a good person. She's not just my teacher, she's a friend. And I'm sure she would help in this situation."

"Are you going to tell your mom about her?"

"Not yet," Regina said. "I want to speak to Anita about all of this first."

"Do you think your mom and Flora will detect her magic here in the castle though?" Emma asked. "I mean if they do, they'll going to know something is up."

"I don't think so," Regina said. "The magic you feel doesn't last forever or at least I don't think it does. And Anita hasn't been here since last night. It is possible though, so I should go speak to her now. Obviously, she and I can't meet tonight as planned."

"You aren't leaving the castle," Emma said. "Not until we have a better handle on this. We can send her a message by courier. But I think we're going to have to come clean to your mom about this sooner rather than later."

Regina stepped away from her and Emma could see how tense her wife was – and had been lately.

"It's not fair," Regina said. "I should be prepared for all of this. If I had just been able to learn magic from the very beginning, I could be out there right now with my mom putting an end to this. This … this anxiousness I've been feeling, this is what it has been all about. I can't do anything to protect us."

"Hey, hey," Emma said, approaching her again and embracing her. "We can't change the past. All we can do is concentrate on the now. I know this is frustrating for you but now more than ever we need to be careful. We need to follow your mom's lead. We'll get through this together."

Normally Regina felt comfort by Emma's reassurances but not now. She pulled away once more. She felt like things were out of control and the stability she always strived for – the stability she thought she found with her and Emma was slipping away.

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"It's ok to be scared," Emma said.

"No, it's not. I'm so sick and tired of being scared all the time," Regina said. "I want to put an end to this feeling once and for all."

…

Maleficent was pacing in her store, which she had closed for the day. Cora and Flora being here could only mean one thing – they were looking for her. She wasn't worried in that she knew her magic was more than a match for the two of them, especially with Cora having given up on her magic for years.

But still, their presence meant that her cover here as Anita would no longer be safe.

She cursed Flora for putting the spell upon the library. Maleficent wouldn't be able to break through it to hear what was said without revealing herself.

She should have killed Flora when she had the chance, but she hadn't wanted to. She had wanted her to be trapped like she was trapped. She wanted her revenge – and she swore she would still have it.

This may have accelerated things, but Maleficent wasn't going to back down and run away – she would not leave here without taking her prize with her.

…

Cora felt like her heart hadn't stopped beating at a high rate since Flora had shown up. She had stupidly thought she had put her past behind her the moment they locked Maleficent away. She had thought she was safe, that she could have a life away from magic, away from the things she had experienced.

Now she felt like it could all be falling apart.

All she knew was that she would do absolutely anything she had to in order to ensure Regina's safety. It didn't matter if Maleficent came after her, as long as Regina was safe.

"Mom."

Cora turned to see Regina and Emma coming up to her. "I want to help," she said. "I need to help."

"Regina," Cora said. "I know you want to help but like I said this is above your ability. Tonight, we can sit down and talk about what you can do to help, but right now I need to get this done."

Cora turned from her to continue what she was doing.

"I can help," Regina said. "My magic … it's gotten better. I have been learning since you left. I um … I have a teacher."

Cora spun around. "What teacher?"

"Her name is Anita," Regina said. "She owns an apothecary shop here. She arrived here after our celebration, so she wasn't even in town when that happened. And finding out she had magic was purely accidental."

"Did you know about this?" Cora asked Emma.

Emma nodded.

"Back to the library," Cora said. "Now."

Once they got there Cora shut the door. "How could you be so reckless?" she asked. "After all, I have warned you about, how could you do this?"

"How could I do this?" Regina said. "I did this because of you and your insistence on denying me this legacy. I did this because I need to be able to face the Maleficents of the world and I can't do that without magic. I can't protect what we have here without magic."

"Who is this Anita?" Cora asked. "Tell me everything."

"Anita is my friend," Regina said. "She can help us with finding Maleficent. She is skilled and I'm sure she will help."

"I want to know who this woman is. Now."

"She's a talented magic user and she can help us," Regina said.

"Regina!" Cora said. "I'm not going to take a chance with your life with someone I don't know. I don't care if you think she is a friend or not. Maleficent would use any means to get to you and until I meet this woman and learn who she is, I will not have you around her."

"She can be trusted," Regina shot back. "If she meant me any harm she could have had any number of chances."

Cora backed up a step – she didn't want this to end up being another meltdown between her and Regina.

"You're right," Cora said, even though she was thinking the complete opposite of that. "I'm just being overly cautious because I have to. How soon can I meet with this Anita?"

"I can send a messenger to her now asking her to come up after her shop closes," Regina said.

"Yes, please have it done," Cora said.

Regina left the room to tend to that and Cora immediately spun around on Emma once the door was closed.

"Explain."

Emma exhaled and then launched into how Regina had met Anita and learned of her magic. She went on to tell her how they invited her up and began broaching the subject of her magic and how Regina decided that she wanted Anita to teach her.

"So this is the same woman that she met that day I was still here," Cora said, thoughtfully.

"Yes," Emma said. "She's done nothing to expose Regina's magic and has by Regina's account been nothing but helpful to her."

"How could you allow this to happen after being told about the prophecy?"

"Regina wanted to learn to control her magic, you know this. She was frustrated when you left because of the lack of progress," Emma said. "If I hadn't supported her she would want to know why. And frankly, now that I know Maleficent is on the loose, I'm glad she at least is learning something."

"What do you think of this Anita?"

Emma didn't answer right away. "I can't quite get a grasp on her," Emma said. "On the surface there doesn't appear to be anything untoward, but I don't know, there is something there that I can't put my finger on that bothers me. Again, she's done nothing. Regina likes her, considers her a friend and she has been nothing but patient with Regina. She takes the time to answer all her questions and goes at a learning pace dictated by Regina."

"That certainly doesn't sound like Maleficent but that doesn't mean this woman isn't working with her," Cora said. "I just have to ensure that Regina is safe."

"Look, I've been meaning to send you a message but I hadn't because … well I wasn't sure how to tell you something and I was also concerned about putting it in writing," Emma said.

"What is it?"

"Regina's been on edge as of late. She's increased her lesson time with Anita because of fear or paranoia that has crept up," Emma said. "That's not all. She's been dreaming lately, dreaming of being a child in a castle where a man with a dagger is hurting her and you are there and there is another girl who she thinks is me yelling for him to stop hurting her. She doesn't get all the details from the dream but that is enough to know she is dreaming of what happened at Midas' castle."

"That shouldn't be possible," Cora said. "That memory is locked away from her mind with magic. There is no way she would know about it without the intervention of magic, just as I did with you."

Before Emma could ask anything else, Regina returned to the room to tell them that the message had been sent to Anita and she was sure she would come as asked.

"Ok, in the meantime, I will continue my work," Cora said. "Regina, if you want to help them come with me. I will do my best to explain what I am doing even if you aren't ready to actively help."

Emma could tell Regina was happy that her mother had decided to include her and as they left the room Emma wondered if Maleficent was indeed targeting her wife – and if whatever she had planned had already begun.

…

Regina watched everything her mom did as they went throughout the castle. Her mom explained what she was doing and because of her training with Anita, she understood it all better.

This is how it should be, Regina thought. This was how it should have been all along. She should have been taught magic from the beginning and shared this experience with her mother.

"You're being silent," her mother said as they continued to walk through one of the corridors. They had been doing this as discreetly as possible and from the outside it looked like mother and daughter were merely taking a stroll.

"I thought you would be pleased by that," Regina said.

Her mom stopped suddenly. "I'm not pleased that you sought outside help," Cora said. "But I understand why you did it, I do. I was just like you once. I had this uncertainty about my magic, about who I was, about all of it. I know none of this has been easy for you. When Maleficent started to teach me, I mean really started to teach me I felt such gratitude toward her. It wasn't just about learning magic it, I felt like I was learning who I was for the first time in my life. Coming to that sort of understanding is intoxicating. I imagine you have begun to feel that way about yourself under Anita's tutelage. She may be everything you say she is, and maybe she is one to teach you going forward – if she is, I will not oppose it, but I beg you be careful. Don't make the same mistake I did with misplaced trust. Again, I hope she is all you say she is, but don't go in blind."

"I trust her," Regina said without hesitation.

Cora gave her a forced smile. "I can't wait to meet her then."

…

Maleficent received the message from Regina about coming up tonight and that her mother was there and wished to meet her.

This was not what she was expecting.

She thought she would have more time, but it seems as if that was now over.

It was time for her to make a decision.

The smart thing would probably be to leave now quickly and quietly and regroup.

But she had waited so long to confront Cora.

She wanted to see the expression on Cora's face when she realized that Maleficent had been this close to her daughter.

Her hesitation came because of Regina. The girl was not ready yet and she needed her to be ready. She would see this world burn but she needed Regina to do it. The curse was not something she could cast.

After all, there was nothing she could sacrifice because she didn't love anything.