Henry is already asleep in his room and so are the Charmings by the living room. Regina came downstairs to make herself a glass of milk to help her sleep but instead, she picked up a bottle of red wine and poured that in her glass. She is still confused about what's happening to her but she's trying her best not to think about it for now. The most important thing to her at the moment is that Henry is back with her and everyone knows the truth that she didn't kill Archie. She should be happy.
"It's late. You should be resting", Cora said.
"I can't sleep. I was supposed to get a glass of milk but I think this one would be a great idea. Care to join me?" she said and showed her mother the bottle of red wine. Cora nodded.
"Sure", she accepted.
Regina took another glass and poured her mother a drink.
"Thank you", Cora said and put the glass on the table. "How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Like crap…Mother, what is going on with me? Ever since that Cricket situation happened, my magic became uncontrollable. I know magic in this land is different and tricky but not to this extent. I have never experienced anything like this even when I was still an apprentice", Regina answered and asked her mother back.
"Magic is tied up to our emotions, dear. It's been a stressful week for you, being accused of a crime you did not do and losing the trust of the people around you and your son's. It's only natural for your magic to go crazy", Cora answered.
She looked at her mother curiously like she's trying to read her but she can't.
"I know that look. You're not telling me something. What is it?" Regina asked trying to get to the truth.
"I don't know what you're talking about", Cora denied.
"Mother, if you want us to have a good relationship here in Storybrooke we need to start with honesty. What do you know?" Regina insisted.
"Maybe this is not the time, Regina. You need to rest first so your magic can rest then we can talk tomorrow. I promise I will tell you everything tomorrow", Cora evaded the question.
It is making Regina lose her temper again. This is her mother's style. She never reveals the truth to her. Her tactic is to delay until the question is already forgotten. Everything is a need-to-know basis for her mother.
"Regina, you should calm down", Cora muttered.
"I am calm", Regina lied.
Cora pointed out at her hand. Regina looked down and saw her wine boiling. She put the glass down and stared at her hand.
"Are you sure you really want to wait for tomorrow to tell me the whole truth, Mother?" Regina nervously asked her.
Rumple came into the kitchen to intervene with their discussion.
"In my opinion, the sooner the better", he said and it made the final decision to the subject.
Rumple and Cora took Regina to the cemetery right in front of the mausoleum where they can be alone away from the town.
"What is the big mystery that you have to bring me out here?" Regina asked being anxious about the fuss.
"You really don't remember, do you?" he asked her back and it only made her brain hurts.
Regina shook her head.
"Back in the Enchanted Forest before you casted the curse, you kicked me out of your castle after you drink that potion", Cora started.
Regina went silent. She remembered that potion. It was the potion she made to stop herself from being pregnant because she thought her mother is planning on taking the throne.
"I was about to return to Wonderland when I realized that I shouldn't give up on you that easily. After all, I have lots to make up to you as a mother so I came back to the castle to apologize and make amends but I didn't find you there. I asked the mirror of your whereabouts and he told me that you were in the Dark Forest. You were in Dreadstone Shrine to be exact", Cora added.
Regina frowned.
"No. That is not possible. I never step foot in that place. I will never step into that place", she muttered.
"Hear your mother", Rumple said and Regina obeyed.
"I followed you there and I saw you performing a ritual. I never knew what it was but I was sure that I have to stop you before it was too late so I used my magic to stop you. It worked and you passed out. All these years, I thought you never completed the ritual but now I think you completed it", Cora continued.
Regina looked at her and to Rumple.
"What ritual are you talking about?" she asked.
"Your mother was referring to the Dark Offering Ritual", Rumple answered for Cora.
Regina stiffened. She knows that ritual. She just doesn't remember having done it. She shook her head.
"No. I will never do that. I am not yet insane to go that far into the darkness", Regina dismisses the idea.
"I asked you long time ago. Vengeance is never easy. How far are you willing to go?" Rumple reminded her.
She looked at his eyes as the memory of that question came back to her. "…as far as it takes", she echoed.
Emma opened her eyes and saw the sunlight piercing through Regina's expensive curtains. She remembered why they're sleeping in Regina's couch and that is to make sure nothing dark magic related will happen.
She woke up Snow and David. After a few minutes, Henry came downstairs in panic.
"What's wrong, Henry? Where is Regina?" Emma asked her son.
"I couldn't find my mom. She's not in her room", he answered.
They all looked at each other realizing what just happened when they were asleep.
"They took her", Snow muttered.
Inside Regina's vault, Cora browsed through her daughter's spell books, some she recognized from before and some that are new to her. Rumple stared in awe at her Cabinet of Hearts from the people where she ripped them from. He taught her well, he thought.
"Why now? It should've happened a long time ago", Regina asked them.
"It is possible because you forgot about it. The spell you did to yourself became dormant. You casted the curse and you got your revenge. You spent years happy and contented. Then, Henry came into your life. Things were going your way until Emma Swan, of course", Rumple answered.
"Things start going the direction you don't want to and it made your emotions go unstable. Therefore, your magic started became unstable. Slowly, the spell is being awakened in you", Cora added.
Regina looked on the floor contemplating everything she discovered. She worked her ass off trying to turn herself around so she can be worthy of Henry. Now, because of her own doing in the past, all those efforts will be gone and she can lose her son.
"Did Facilier know?" she suddenly asked.
Cora looked at her daughter.
"He might. Why else would he want to set you up to sway you back to the darkness?" she answered.
"…and you're not? You taught me to chase after power and that love is weakness. How should I know you're not here to continue your work on me?" Regina asked again.
"Oh Regina, if I wanted that I will not save you from that voodoo doctor and let you drown in darkness right then and there. I came here to be your mother and that is the truth", Cora answered and that strike a pain in Regina's heart.
Tears fell from her eyes which surprised Rumple. He hasn't seen his student cry for a long time.
"I thought you wanted me to be the Evil Queen. You wanted me to become powerful and I did", Regina muttered.
"I was wrong to push my ambition to you. I never listened. That was my problem. I never listen. By the time I realized that it was too late but I still tried. I even tried to help you with your revenge thinking that once that's over, you will be okay. It was too late. I wanted you to be strong, yes. I wanted you to be powerful, yes, but I never wanted you to be evil", Cora explained.
Rumple leaned against the wall and watched the family drama in front of him.
"I learned about the curse and I wanted to stop you but I can't hurt you so I stayed away and waited", Cora added.
Regina looked at her mother.
"Do you know how I casted that curse? I killed my father", she said and that surprised Cora. She hasn't had the time to learn the cost of the curse on her daughter. "Yes, that's right. I ripped Daddy's heart out of his body and sacrificed it to the curse for all this. I became what you and what he wanted me to be. I became the perfect monster", she continued.
Rumple noticed something in her. Her hands are shaking without her noticing it. She's losing control once again.
"I think we should stop with this for now", he interrupted but it only got him Regina's attention.
"Oh stop now? Why would you want to? This is all what you have wanted, right? I could've gotten my revenge on Snow a long time ago but each time you saved her so you can leave me with no choice but cast your curse because you're so desperate to find your son in this world that you don't care what will happen to me. In fact, I wouldn't have thought about revenge at all if it wasn't for you. All I wanted back then was to be free from my mother. It's so simple. You wanted me to be the Evil Queen and now you got it, you wanted to stop? A little too late for that, don't you think?" Regina exclaimed.
Her tone is cold which sent shivers to everyone including the Dark One himself. Cora noticed the same thing about Regina too. Emma and the others came down the vault. They all saw Regina losing control once again with her magic. Her eyes turned purple.
"Do it", Cora said to Rumple.
"It will hurt", he said.
"I don't care. I can't lose my daughter again", she said and he nodded.
Cora used her magic to hold her steady. Rumple took out his dagger and used his magic on Regina. She screamed in pain as the two try to save her from herself.
"What are you doing to her?" Snow asked.
"Hold on", Rumple muttered.
Regina fell on her knees still suffering from too much pain of the magic burning in and on her. Blood started coming out of her nose.
"You're killing her, Gold", Emma muttered.
"I am trying to save her", Rumple said.
"It doesn't look that way", David muttered as he hold on to his wife and daughter.
Then the screaming stopped. Regina fell unconscious on the floor. Cora immediately attended to her daughter's side and checked her pulse. She breathes out a sigh of relief when she felt it.
"She'll be alright", she muttered.
"What the hell just happened here? What did you with Regina?" Emma asked the Dark One.
"I put a little spell in her to prevent her from destroying herself and everything around her", he answered.
"What are you talking about?" Snow asked.
"I think we all should sit down and talk about this in someplace else", Rumple suggested.
"Yeah, but not in Regina's house", David replied.