Blood feud

Dot asked for a oneshot of Snow waking up in the pit in season 2 to see Cora choking Emma. She jumps in to protect her.

Snow winced and rubbed the back of her head. She could already tell there was going to be an egg-like lump there soon. She frowned. Where was she? She pieced together her last memories. The curse was broken. Emma. She'd jumped through a portal. Emma. They'd been kidnapped by the princess and the warrior. Emma. Snow had told them to run, and then she'd been hit. Now she was here. The cold feeling of stone and straw against her hand. Emma. Snow sat bolt upright. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dark of the pit they were being held in. She heard a strange sound. Like someone struggling for breath. She squinted, trying to locate the source. As soon as she did, her eyes nearly popped out her skull.

"Emma!" Snow yelled. She scrambled to her feet and over. Someone was using magic to hold Emma against the wall in a choke hold. Snow didn't even see who was attacking her daughter. She just launched herself at them, throwing them to the ground. As soon as Snow had them pinned, their hold on Emma was released. She fell awkwardly to her feet, spluttering for breath. Snow would check on her in a moment. First, she had to see who they were dealing with. She roughly turned the person over so they were face to face. Snow snarled as soon as she saw who it was. She would never forget that face.

"You." Snow growled. The older woman smiled. A cold, merciless smile.

"Well it's nice to see you too dear." Cora said, and her voice sent shivers down Snow's spine.

"You two know each other?" Emma said, still gasping for breath. "How?"

"Oh your mother and I have known each other for a long time." Cora answered.

"Don't you talk to her." Snow snapped. "Don't even look at her."

"Who is she?" Emma demanded. Snow sighed.

"Regina's mother." Snow answered her.

"What?" Emma said, shocked. How could that be? Cora smiled.

"From what I've heard, you have become quite the pest to my daughter. If I get rid of you, Regina will come crawling back to me…"

"You lay one more finger on my daughter and it'll be the last thing you ever do." Snow warned her. "This has nothing to do with Emma. This fight is between you, me and Regina. Emma is innocent in all of this and that is how it shall remain."

"What fight? What are you talking about?" Emma asked, rubbing her now throbbing throat.

"I'll explain everything later." Snow promised Emma, not taking her eyes off Cora. "You just have to trust me. As bad as you think Regina is, this woman is worse. We can't trust her."

"Enough." Came a voice from up above. A rope was released down. "The two from the portal are to come up immediately." they announced. Snow kept Cora pinned. "Go first, Emma." Snow instructed her daughter. Still too stunned to argue, Emma did as she was told. Only once Emma had reached halfway did Snow release Cora. She didn't want Emma out of the pit alone for very long either. She didn't trust their captors.

"You come near my daughter again and I'll skin you alive." Snow hissed. She wasn't normally aggressive, but since the curse had broken not so long ago, she had found her maternal instinct. Cora just smirked.

"You don't scare me, Snow White." She responded. "Run along now, Emma needs her mommy." Snow shot her another warning glare before beginning to hike up the rope behind Emma. They would both get home to Charming and Henry. Not even Cora was going to be able to stop them.