Chapter 16.

Rose walked on towards her home, cutting through the forest as she always did to get there. The night air was brisk; she could see her own breath in front of her as she went along. As she walked Rose dropped her head, turning it ever so slightly to one side, she could hear someone trailing her.

"I know you're there." Rose said as she came to a stop and slowly turned around. "So why don't you stop skulking in the shadows and face me Cora, you were never one to hide away." Rose called out, waiting for the witch to appear.

"You are a clever one Rose Red, I'll give you that. There are not many who can sense when I am following them, not even my daughter it would seem." Cora said as she stepped out from behind a tree.

"Well perhaps Regina has forgotten the stench your lingering conjures." Rose bated the older woman. Cora's lips twitched with slight anger at Rose's words.

"You have the mouth of your mother Rose Red." Cora retorted. "Snide and uncouth." Rose threw her hand to her chest as if wounded, mocking Cora.

"You wound me Cora, with such terrible words about my mother." Rose smirked, she knew she was playing with fire when baiting this woman, but it had been a while since she had had a good fight. Rose stood straight and regal in front of the Queen of Hearts. "What do you want Cora, why have you come here?"

"I thought that much would be obvious Rose, although considering your family I suppose the obvious does pass you by quite easily." Cora taunted as she paced slowly in front of Rose. Rose was unimpressed, as she simply folded her arms across her chest watching the woman in front of her. Cora then stopped, standing directly in front of Rose. "I want my daughter, I want to give her everything she wants. Her happiness, her son, everything your sister and all of the other buffoons in this pathetic town have taken away from her. I want to see my daughter where she belongs, ruling this town, this place as she should be as queen!" Cora said sternly, almost shouting.

There was silence between the two women. Neither one moving or speaking until Rose began to laugh. Softly at first at the back of her throat, then louder as the laugh became more present. Cora stood watching un-amused, clenching her fists to the side of her.

"You honestly believe that that is what Regina wants?!" Rose asked motioning towards Cora. "You truly believe that Regina wants you to come here and start causing upset and war to make her queen of this town?" Rose scoffed. "You are a fool Cora, you were a fool before and you are a fool now to believe that is what your daughter wants or needs from you." Rose said as she looked to Cora with disdain. "Regina wants to be loved, trusted, she wants to be good!" Rose shouted at Cora. "She wants her son to be proud of her, consider her a hero, not a villain. In other words Cora, Regina doesn't want to become you." Rose said stepping in closer to Cora.

"I cannot decide whether you are brave or stupid Rose Red." Cora said as a wicked grin began to form across her mouth. "Here we stand in the middle of nowhere. You have no one to aid you, no one come to your need."

"And why would I need any of that Cora?" Rose asked.

"Because now, dear Queen Rose, I am going to kill you, and revel in every single moment of it." Cora thrust her hand out to Rose using her magic to throw the red headed queen back through the clearing ahead of them both, through the branches and brush of the forest. Rose came to the ground with a thud, followed by tumbling across the ground until being stopped by a tree trunk. Stunned by the force of the attack, Rose pushed herself up shaking off the dizziness as she pulled her sword from where she magically concealed it within her coat.

"Finally a little action." Rose smirked as she stalked back towards Cora.

In her house Regina was beginning her preparations to settle for the night, checking all was locked before setting things ready for the morning. Taking a glass down from the cabinet, Regina went to the sink to fill it with water. Suddenly Regina dropped the glass in to the sink, as it smashed Regina grabbed onto the side to steady her.

"What the hell was that?" Regina wondered aloud as she stood straight again. Regina had felt the effects of a power surge resonate through her. The power felt strangely familiar. "But it can't be." Regina said aloud to herself as she walked through to her entrance hall, taking her coat from where she had hung it up. Putting it on she then quickly lifted her arms in front of her, purple plumes of smoked billowed around her as Regina disappeared.

Rose deflected Cora's magic again as she stalked ever closer to her, sword positioned in front of her as her defence against Cora's magic.

"You can keep throwing your magic at me Cora, and I will continue to deflect it, up until the moment you feel this blade run you through." Rose called over the barrage of magic Cora continuously hurled at her. Rose flicked her sword at one of Cora's attacks sending the magic back to her, clipping Cora's shoulder knocking her to one side. Cora reacted to the pain of her own magic being deflected back at her, Rose took her opportunity rushing and raising her sword to attack when Regina appeared in between the battling queens.

"What the hell is going on out here?" Regina called out just as Rose's attack was about to fall on her.

"Regina?!" Rose called out stopping herself mid attack. "Leave here, no…" Before she could finish her words Rose was thrown back across the opening they all stood in, crashing her into a tree.

"Rose!" Regina called out, rushing to her friend's side. Rose was dazed, but conscious, barely.

"Step away from her dear, let me finish her." Cora called to Regina as she walked out into the moonlight. Regina stood slowly as her mother's voice settled within her.

"Mother." Regina simply stated as she slowly turned to face.

"Of course dear. Who else?" Cora smiled to her daughter. "Pleasantries later first let me finish what I came here to do." Cora said trying to move around Regina. Regina stopped her mother.

"Came here to do? Mother what, why are you trying to kill Rose, my friend!" Regina demanded.

"Your friend? What is the matter with you Regina, you don't have friends, you don't need them, they are a weakness, and the last thing you need is a friend like this!" Cora angrily said pointing down to Rose, who had begun to come back to her senses trying to pick herself up again, looking for her sword. "Looking for this?" Cora asked holding up Rose's sword. Both Regina and Rose looked to Cora surprised.

"Mother stop." Regina ordered. Cora stared angrily at her daughter.

"Stop? Stop trying to help you get everything you want and deserve?"

"By killing Rose? That is how you intend to help me?" Regina scoffed.

"It's a start daughter." Cora answered in an eerily level tone. "Now either help your mother, or step aside." Cora said looking to her daughter with a slight smile.

"Step aside Regina." Rose told her friend. Regina turned to look at Rose, battered and bruised as she was, Regina could see that Rose was far from finished fighting her mother. Regina had never seen such anger and hatred in Roses eyes before.

"Rose, no. Let's just leave, right now." Regina said holding her hand out Rose.

"I don't think your mother is really in the mood to let anyone walk away from here freely." Rose said as she straightened herself ready for the next attack. Regina looked between the two women, knowing what Rose has said was true. "Regina, please leave here you shouldn't be caught in the crossfire of this fight." Rose pleaded with her.

"Rose, I already am caught in the crossfire, stop please. Leave with me now."

"You know I won't and can't do that."

"Exactly dear, Rose Red can't. She has a score to settle as do I." Cora said as she advanced on Rose, Regina stepping in her way.

"You have a score, what has Rose ever done to you but try to stop you from killing innocent people?" Regina asked.

"She is in my way to get to you of course dear. She is stopping me from being able to be with, and help you and Henry." Cora gently said with the sweet sickening smile Regina has seen so many times.

"You stay the hell away from my nephew!" Rose called out.

"You mean my grandson!" Cora yelled back as she pushed Regina aside and threw Rose's sword at her. With the guidance of her magic the sword didn't miss it's target, slashing Rose's side as the red headed queen did her best to jump out of it's path.

"Rose!" Regina called out seeing the blood glisten in the moonlight.

"Stay back!" Cora hissed to her daughter. Regina recoiled from her mother's tone. Rose looked to her, her expression telling Regina the same thing, to stay away. "I've waited long enough to end you Rose Red, ever since the day I stormed your lands and killed your beloved captain of the guard." Cora taunted as Rose stood, her hand to her fresh wound. Rose's jaw clenched at the witches mention of Robert. "Did I hit a nerve your Majesty?" Cora teased, pushing every button she could think of to bait Rose, she knew it work eventually. "It's a dangerous thing to be the love of a warrior queen, especially one of your bloodline. Such poor luck seems to befall your family line, especially the women in your family. Look at your mother and then of course your sister."

"Leave them out of this witch." Rose warned.

"If only I could, but you see they play such a big part in all of this don't they?" Cora continued to taunt. Regina watched from the sidelines, trying to figure out a way she could help her friend and stop her mother, without any further injury. "Forever interfering in our lives, causing pain wherever they go."

"Wherever they go?!" Rose laughed loudly. "Cora you are the most evil being I have ever had the displeasure to battle, but I will gladly kill you." Rose said as she advanced on the Queen of Hearts. Rose grabbed Cora by the throat as she rushed them both to the tree behind Cora, crashing her back into it. Cora said and did nothing but watched with an amused smirk as Rose tried to choke the life from Cora's body.

"Here, let me try." Cora said as she brought her hands up and thrust her left hand into Rose's chest.

"No!" Regina screamed as she ran towards the two women. Cora ignored her daughter as she pushed and forced Rose to walk backwards until Cora was no longer against the tree, she turned Rose quickly, causing her to cry in pain and then slammed Rose against the tree. "Mother stop this, please. Let Rose go!" Regina pleaded.

"Such weakness Regina, have you learned nothing? You are meant to be the all powerful and Evil Queen and yet here you stand beside me a snivelling coward, pleading to have this hero saved!" Cora sniped at her daughter.

"Mother please, this is not the way for you to get me what I and you want." Regina said. "If you kill Rose, the entire town will be out to hunt you down, headed by the Charmings, including their daughter, the Saviour. With that much exposure upon us mother, how can we hope to take what we want?" Regina explained to Cora. Cora listened to her daughter, looking her in the eyes. As Regina spoke to Cora, Rose took the distraction to take the dagger she kept at the small of her back. "We must be smart about this mother, more covert. If we bring that amount of attention to us, we will never be able to conquer all and destroy Snow White and the others." Regina continued to explain, Rose admired her friend's courage, to betray her own mother took real courage, especially knowing how badly Cora had treated Regina when she was a young woman.

Cora had stopped applying pressure to Rose's heart or trying to pull it out. Rose saw her chance to attack and took it. Quickly Rose lifted her arm, her hand holding the dagger she swiftly brought it down, intent on driving the blade into Cora's back.

"Mother, no!" Regina called out. Using her own powers Regina pulled her mother away from Rose, causing Rose to fall to the ground gasping for air and grabbing at her chest, her heart still where it should be within her chest. Regina took the dagger from Rose throwing it to one side. "You cannot kill my mother." Regina said to Rose who was still trying to catch a breath. Regina knelt down in front of Rose, masking her from Cora. Regina checked Rose over, looking to the wound at her side. Before Regina could do anything to help she was pushed to one side by her mother's powers, Rose was then lifted and thrown across the clearing landing with a hard thud to the ground on her back.

"This ends now." Cora said as she stalked across to Rose. Rose had begun to prop herself up on to her side as Cora came towards her, her magic swirling around her hands as she got closer to Rose. Having pulled herself up enough to be able to use both of her hands, Rose used her own magic to shield herself and again, as in the past, push Cora back and away from here.

"Finally you bring out your weak magic." Cora said as she picked herself up the short distance to which Rose had thrown her.

"Enough to push you back witch." Rose retorted.

"But not enough to save you." Cora countered as she again stalked towards Rose. Regina beat her mother to it however, using her magic to teleport herself in front of Rose.

"Forgive me." Regina whispered to Rose. Rose looked to her friend confused until Regina plunged her hand into Rose's chest and grabbed her heart. Rose gasped in shock and pain as Regina pulled Rose's heart from her chest.

"Yes!" Cora exclaimed. "Well don't pause Regina, crush her heart." Cora ordered.

"No mother." Regina said looking down to a pained Rose and then to her mother. "We're not in the Enchanted Forest now mother, now you're in Storybrooke and I am in control here. We will do this my way." Regina told her mother, in her best Evil Queen manner. Cora looked at her daughter, a proud smile crossing her lips.

"As you wish daughter, as you wish." Cora smiled. "So what will you do with this one? You hold a strong bargaining tool over your foes with this one. Or perhaps an insider for us, someone to be our eyes and ears, do our bidding." Cora suggested.

"No, Rose is strong and honourable. She'll die before she betrays her family, even if we do hold her heart. No I have just the thing for this one, my so called friend." Regina sneered down to Rose.

"Regina, what are you doing?" Rose asked breathlessly.

"Exactly what I should have done ages ago. Taking what is mine. And no one will stand in the way of me getting what I want, not even you." Regina said as she knelt down beside Rose again.

"Regina, I'm your friend, your closest ally, I would never have betrayed you."

"But you would happily murder my own mother? I think you'll find dear that that is as big a betrayal as you can get. You're as bad as your little sister. You promise something, but you can never keep your word." With that Regina harshly thrust Rose's heart back in to her chest. "You may not die here tonight Rose, but you won't be walking away to tell everyone what is going on here either." Regina said smirking evilly. Circling her hand across Rose's chest Regina cast a spell, Rose cried out in pain as the curse took hold. Rose scrambled, trying to get up to her feet, trying to use her magic to push Regina away. Regina only laughed at her efforts. "Do you really think your pathetic magic will work on me? Please, you're pathetic." Regina said with a flick of her hand, which again sent Rose flying across the clearing, straight through to the side of the road. Regina stood and looked to where Rose had landed, not moving. "Come on mother, let's get out of here before others begin to arrive." Regina said as she lifted her arms, purple plumes swirling around her, Cora followed suit as grey plumes surrounded her, both queens disappearing from sight.