Cora's Scrapbook, Chapter Nine: What Friends Are For
Cora reveals her past with Ursula. Mother Superior gives Cora her first proper lesson in light magic. Marco's conflict with Regina threatens to dampen his relationship with Cora. Cora has an unexpected encounter with an old friend.
Author's Note: This chapter takes place during the events of "Unforgiven." We're headed for some interesting drama in the back half of Season Five. Thank you for reading, and please enjoy!
Characters:
Cora Mills
Regina Mills
Ursula
Mother Superior
Marco
Emma Swan
Regina Mills awoke to a deep, male voice declaring, "Delicious," so emphatically that it was almost unsettling. She sat up in bed to see Cora sitting in the armchair in the corner of her bedroom swiping on her cell phone.
"Good morning, Mother," she said groggily.
Cora looked up from her game. "Good morning, Regina. Henry downloaded this candy game onto my phone. It's quite enthralling."
Regina rolled her eyes. "I hear it's even better when you turn the sound off. Or did you want to wake me up?"
Cora smiled deviously and locked her phone, putting it in the pocket of her pajama pants. "I find that tapping a sleeping person on the shoulder is both tedious and unsubtle. Anyway, now that you're awake, I thought we could have a chat. I did not like how we left things last night."
Regina folded her arms. "Am I in for a lecture on how I should regulate Storybrooke's borders?"
"No. I thought I would explain about Ursula," Cora responded.
"Wow," Regina raised her eyebrows. "That didn't take long."
Cora matched her daughter's bemused expression. "I have no interest in being secretive. Would you prefer that I keep everything I know to myself out of pride and let it all come out when it's too late so that you're annoyed that I didn't share relevant information beforehand?"
"I mean, that is the way we normally do things around here," Regina said.
"I know," Cora said, "But I am choosing to be direct so that you know there is nothing sinister afoot."
"So there's nothing sinister about your past with Ursula?" Regina narrowed her eyes. "Mother, we were both pretty terrible for a very long time. Do you really expect me to believe that there's nothing unpleasant at all?"
"Our parting was unpleasant, that's all," Cora said. "Ursula was my friend for a long time, and then she wasn't. It had more to do with me than it did with her. I first met her not long after Zelena was born. She saved my life. It was before I met Rumplestiltskin, so I did not have magic yet. Later, when I did have magic, it was nice to have someone on my level to confide in."
"I had a similar friendship with Maleficent for a time," Regina said. "I ruined it when I took the Dark Curse from her and trapped her under the library in dragon-form. So what did you do to mess things up with Ursula?"
Cora looked away darkly.
THE ENCHANTED FOREST, MANY YEARS AGO
Cora stood on the beach with an air of dark triumph, darker even than the midnight sky. No stars shone, but the moonlight illuminated her in a ghostly glow. The cold sea-breeze ruffled the folds of her black cloak. She reached into her left pocket and drew out a weathered sand dollar, tapping it three times.
The waves intensified, but Cora ignored them. She walked ten feet back and waved her gloved hand, conjuring a tasteful table for two with tea and tarts.
The largest wave yet crashed upon the shore, and from its foam, Ursula emerged, stepping onto land in her traditional green gown.
"I know it's late," Cora said. "But I need to celebrate, and you know how dull Henry is."
"What are friends for?" Ursula laughed, embracing her old friend and kissing her on both cheeks. Taking a seat, she asked, "What are we celebrating?"
"My ultimate victory," Cora giggled evilly, pouring a steaming cup of tea for Ursula.
"I thought that your ultimate victory would be your revenge on that dreadful Eva," Ursula said. "You already accomplished that."
"I killed her, yes." Cora nonchalantly bit into one of the apple tarts from the silver platter in the middle of the table. "But now, I'm going to overwrite her completely."
Ursula was intrigued. "Are you going to marry Leopold?"
Cora laughed. "No, there isn't much point to that now. I wanted to be queen for a long time, but it doesn't allow me the flexibility that I need for all of my studies and works. No, Regina will be queen."
"Does Regina want to be queen?" Ursula asked.
"Regina has no idea what she wants. She will thank me later. The king has already proposed to her."
Ursula laughed. "You really are remarkable, Cora. I won't even ask how you managed that."
"Oh, it's like always, my dear. Right place, right time." Cora sipped her tea. "It may shock you to learn that the wedding was almost in jeopardy, but I've seen to that."
"Did she try to run away?" Ursula asked.
"Oh, she tried to do more than that," Cora said darkly. "She tried to elope."
"Your Regina?!"
"With the stable boy, no less. She claimed that she loved him, and that she would not choose Leopold over him."
Ursula gave a grim smile. "Let me guess- memory potion like that time with Zelena? Since you have that convenient spring near your estate."
"Not this time," Cora's eyes glittered coldly. "No, I couldn't risk him being a threat later on."
"You killed him?!" Ursula asked.
"Don't act so shocked, Ursula. You weren't shocked when I killed Eva."
"Eva had it coming to her," Ursula said. "A stable boy is not a threat. Not to you, Cora. When Regina finds out, she's going to rebel against you even more. How do you plan to tell her?"
"Regina was there when I crushed his heart," Cora said calmly. "I told her that love is weakness and that power should be her goal."
Ursula put down her teacup. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
Cora put down her cup as well. "I have ensured my family's place in history. I have ensured that my daughter will have a better life than I could have ever imagined for myself. I have done what every good parent does."
"You took away her greatest joy in life," Ursula said. "Exactly like my father did to me. I can't believe that you would be just like him."
Cora scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. Your father wanted to keep you down. I am making my daughter the queen."
"And who will be the power behind the throne?" Ursula asked. "She'll still be under your thumb, won't she?"
Cora barely concealed an ambitious smile.
Ursula stood up. "When she overpowers you and shuts you out, you'll know I was right."
"Regina would never shut me out. She relies on me for everything."
"You're a fool, Cora!" Ursula spat. "Regina may become queen, but you will never have what you want. I've been wrong to be your friend for all of this time."
"Love is weakness, Ursula," Cora said, also rising from her seat. "I don't need you."
Ursula gave Cora the most disappointed look she had ever received. "Don't call me again." Lightning crackled on the horizon as she walked back into the sea.
"So I wasn't the only one who lost someone the night you killed Daniel."
"I wouldn't compare my loss to what I did to you," Cora said slowly. "I blustered at the time, but I did miss her. I had no one I could really talk to after that. You hated me, and things were never warm between your father and I."
"Ursula wasn't wicked though?" Regina asked.
Cora smiled sadly. "Not like us. Not by a long shot. She was hurt throughout her life, and she was not one of the heroes. She could be dangerous. And at the same time, I always felt that she needed someone to care for."
Regina nodded. "That seems to have become Cruella."
"She is unknown to me," Cora said. "What do you know of her?"
"Not a lot," Regina said. "I only met her a few times in the Enchanted Forest, and she was a nuisance more than anything else. Her magic only extends to controlling animals. I don't know much about who she is or where she came from."
"One thing we know for certain," Cora said, rising from her chair. "They didn't just show up for no reason. They must have some kind of agenda here in Storybrooke. Ursula isn't destructive herself, but she has a tendency to enable bad behavior, like she did when I killed Eva."
"Let's have breakfast, and then we'll see what we can find out," Regina said.
"I'm impressed by your honesty," Mother Superior said. "I don't mind saying it Cora. I don't know that I could have brought myself to be transparent."
Cora waved the comment away. "It really isn't that serious."
The two were strolling the grounds of the Storybrooke Convent. The building itself was always bustling with busy fairies, but it was always quiet and peaceful outside.
"Now can we get back to light magic?"
Mother Superior drew her wand from the right pocket of her blue coat. "Be very careful with this."
Cora admired the lightweight wand. "Different from the one I own for sure."
"Concentrate on that thistle," Mother Superior said, pointing to a thistle in a nearby petunia bed. "Concentrate your calm and goodness and love, then point the wand towards the thistle. I want you to turn it into a rose."
Cora closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She thought of her redemption. She thought of the kindness of all of her friends in Storybrooke. She thought of her love of Regina and Henry. She pointed the wand, and it began to glow.
Other images came unbidden into her mind. Breaking Rumplestiltskin's heart outside of King Xavier's castle. Crushing Daniel's heart. Tearing Will Scarlett and Anastasia apart. Ursula walking away on the beach. Zelena's body crumbling into dust in that lonely prison cell.
"Stop!" Mother Superior shouted.
The thistle had grown to five times its original size, and the bristles had grown visibly sharper.
"I'm sorry," Cora said, handing the wand to the fairy. "I can see the good. I can feel it. My heart still has a lot of baggage from all of the things I've done."
"You have done a lot," Mother Superior quipped, before continuing solemnly. "This isn't something that happens overnight. And trust me, you don't want to use fairy magic until you are completely ready. Bad things have happened with that before. You have to forgive yourself before it will work as intended."
"That will take time," Cora said glumly. "As you put it, I have done a lot. At least I'm not completely helpless." She waved her hand, engulfing the thistle in a cloud of purple smoke. It returned to its original size.
"Mother Superior!" exclaimed a voice from across the lawn.
Cora and Mother Superior spun around to see Marco hurrying across the lawn.
"Marco!" Mother Superior replied. "What's the matter?"
"I need to know if there's any way to restore Pinocchio's memories from when he was August."
Mother Superior frowned. "I'm sorry, but Pinocchio isn't that man anymore. My spell should have wiped those memories."
Marco turned to Cora. "Then tell your daughter to stay away from my son. She has nothing to gain from him." He started to walk away.
Out of habit, Cora dematerialized into a cloud of purple smoke and reappeared in front of Marco, startling the already furious handyman.
"Get out of my way, Cora!" He pushed past her.
"Marco, wait!" Cora instantly regretted her use of magic. "At least tell me what happened!"
Marco turned around. "Your daughter all but threatened my son, trying to get him to talk about the story book and her happy ending. If that's what she really thinks she deserves, she wouldn't treat an innocent child like that."
Cora's nostrils flared. "What she thinks she deserves? If that's what you think of my daughter, then what must you think of me?!"
Marco turned a violent shade of red. He raised a finger in the air to say something, but clearly thought better of it and stormed off.
Mother Superior hurried to Cora's side. "It's a misunderstanding, I'm sure," she said.
"Oh, no." Cora said. "I understood perfectly."
Cora rubbed her temples at her desk in the police office. She had retreated there to find some peace and quiet. With David and Mary Margaret purportedly chasing after Ursula and Cruella, she knew that she could go without risking a "hope speech," as she and Regina often called Mary Margaret's advice sessions. She couldn't believe that things had exploded so rapidly with Marco, and she knew that she couldn't speak with Regina right away or risk another blow up.
The sound of booted footsteps interrupted her reverie.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"Hello, Emma."
The sheriff sat down at a chair across from Cora's desk.
"I'm guessing you heard what happened with Pinocchio."
"In no uncertain terms," Cora muttered darkly. "I don't think Marco and I will be speaking much for a while."
"If it's any consolation, I know Regina wanted to go and apologize to him," Emma offered.
Cora smiled weakly. "Hopefully that will prevent any further discord. Anyway, hoping for any kind of ending is ridiculous."
Emma frowned. "Why do you say that?"
"Look at our family," Cora said. "When I was a young woman, Eva stole Leopold from me and ruined my life. That's where my story truly began, but the fact that I'm sitting and talking to Leopold's granddaughter whose mother became my own daughter's stepdaughter shows that none of it ever ends. There are new beginnings along the way, as well as some stories that end. It seems like whatever story I had with Marco will end because of today. If he thinks that Regina doesn't deserve happiness after what she's done, what must he think of me?"
"Do you love him?" Emma asked.
Cora pondered the question. "I don't know yet. We have had a few pleasant times together. He has been kind and considerate. He can make me smile. I think you can relate to that situation."
Emma visibly clammed up. Cora chuckled. "Do you love Hook?"
"I guess it's like you said," Emma said. "I don't know yet. Maybe. But I do know that Hook and I have battled before. You and Marco had words. Hook and I had swords."
"I remember," Cora said. "I was there."
Emma grimaced as she remembered the day that Cora tried to rip out her heart in the Enchanted Forest. "I guess, in both cases, if it's meant to be, it will be. Anyway, don't be too rough on Regina."
"I'll try not to be."
It was late, and the sickle moon shone high in the night sky. Cora sat on a bench in Storybrooke Central Park, looking out over the pond in the center of the park. After her conversation with Emma, she had gone to have a quiet dinner at the convent with Mother Superior. She would discuss Marco with Regina, but she still needed time on her own. She would not soon forget the fiery rage in Marco's eyes outside of the convent.
I have not been lucky in love, Cora thought.
Jonathan had left her for dead.
Leopold escaped her grasp.
Her marriage to Henry had been a politically motivated sham.
And she had broken Rumplestiltskin's heart.
Whatever the situation was to be with Marco, it seemed destined for a similar crash and burn.
"Fancy running into you here, dearie."
The hairs on the back of Cora's neck stood straight up. "Impossible. You can't be here."
"And yet," said Mr. Gold, sitting on the bench next to her, "here I am."
Cora reached into her coat pocket to snatch up her cell phone, but Gold magically immobilized her arm.
"Don't speak. Just listen. I need your help, Cora. You understand hearts better than any sorceress in all the realms. And I have a problem with mine."
The Dark One reached into his chest and magically withdrew his black, luminescent heart.
"The darkness is consuming the last of who I am. Soon, Rumplestiltskin will be gone. I need to stop it from taking me over."
"What about True Love's Kiss?" Cora asked.
"Belle doesn't love me right now," Gold responded. "That option isn't open to me. I told Ursula and Cruella that we could find the Author in Storybrooke and that he could give us our happy endings."
Cora scoffed. "Don't tell me that you're chasing a happy ending as well."
Gold chuckled. "It can be a powerful motivator for some people. People always hope that they will finally be out of the woods."
"You and I are more realistic than that," Cora said. "As for your heart, there is nothing I can do. Removing darkness from a heart is beyond my skill. Even if I could, you betrayed my trust and the trust of everyone in Storybrooke. Why should I help you? And what makes you think I won't go straight to Belle and have her command you to leave?"
Mr. Gold gave one of his trademark, sinister smiles. Cora knew better than anyone what that meant. He has leverage.
"How much do you value your offspring?"
Cora scowled. "You wouldn't dare threaten your grandson's mother."
Gold smiled even more broadly. "Oh, I wasn't talking about Regina."
"Zelena is dead, most likely by your hand," Cora spat. "You can't hurt her anymore."
The Dark One laughed. "You're right. I did try to kill Zelena, but once again, she proved more powerful than any of us anticipated."
"My daughter is alive?" The dark presence that Cora had felt during the Spell of Shattered Sight seemed clear.
"Alive and well. Lucky for her, after the Snow Queen's spell. She would have frozen to death if not for Regina's intervention. It's no wonder that Robin couldn't break the curse."
Cora gasped. "Zelena was Marian the whole time?"
Gold nodded. "She and I have reached a truce with each other. She has Robin Hood in New York, which should keep Regina from interfering with my plans."
"If you and Zelena have called a truce with each other, threatening her for my silence will neutralize your leverage on Regina."
Mr. Gold reached into the breast pocket of his jacket and withdrew a vial that glittered with white light. "A remnant of Ingrid's curse. All I have to do is mix this with your blood to curse you and your relatives. You, Regina, and Zelena will all fight to the death, which would be a very interesting contest to watch. Is that really the kind of family reunion you want?"
A frustrated tear rolled down Cora's cheek. "I thought you had changed, Rumple, but I see you are as dark as ever."
"Don't give me that, Cora. You have always known who I am. Better than anyone. That is why I need your help. These other witches? Third rate. I would trade a hundred of each of them to have your power at my disposal."
"I refuse to be at anyone's disposal, as you may recall," Cora said coldly. "I acknowledge that you have the upper hand this time, and I will not hinder you. However, I will not join your coven. Not unless you want to raise the suspicions of the Charmings and my daughter. I am sure that you don't want to face the Savior."
Mr. Gold contemplated this. "You may have a point. But you will keep my secrets, and you will keep your daughter (and the Charmings) out of my way. No harm will come to anyone who stays out of my way."
"When all of this is over, I want Zelena to return to Storybrooke," Cora said. "If she's still alive, there is still hope that we can be a family."
Gold smiled a small, genuine smile this time. "As someone who has been through a similar situation with a child, I agree to help you if I can." He stood from the bench and strode towards the woods. "After all," he said emphatically, "What are old friends for?"
Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this latest chapter of Cora's Scrapbook. If so, please follow, favorite, and review! Thank you for reading!