As Regina and Emma were turning into Mifflin Street, Emma's phone began to buzz.
"It's David" Emma shot the other woman a puzzled look. "Can't leave you alone for five minutes" Regina mumbled turning her eyes back to the road.
Emma tutted and pressed the green button, bringing the phone to her ear.
"David? Woah...slow down. What the hell are you- she's what?! We will be right there. Right, I'll tell her. Yes I'll be careful dad. Bye."
"What in gods name is happening?!" Regina demanded, pulling into her driveway.
"It's your mother. She got out. She's gone. We don't know how"
"That's not possible, she had the cuff. When I was wearing it..I tried everything I could to get that off, I did everything I could-" Memories started to flood back but she shook them off. "I don't know how she did it, but she managed to bring herself back from the dead, I should have known anything was possible."
"She's dangerous, Regina. You can't convince me to let you go this alone now so don't even try. We are strongest when we are together." She put her hand on Regina's thigh.
"I know, we need to-" She stopped when she noticed a sudden movement of the curtains hanging in the front window of her house. "Did you see that?" She lifted her arm to point to the area of disturbance. "There's someone in my house"
Emma pulled her gun and clicked off the safety. "Let's go greet our uninvited guest shall we."
Getting out of the car, the two walked up to the path but Regina stopped at the door. "Now if this is Cora, you can't shoot her. You have to promise me Emma."
Emma tilted her head to the side. "Regina, you know she is dangerous. She even managed to get out of the cuff. Somehow, being resurrected has only amplified her powers"
"I know, but I just got her back. I need to give her a chance to chose what's best for me"
"Okay, I still think this is a bad idea. But I promise. Let's go" She lifted her gun as Regina put her keys in the lock.
"Go" she mouthed to Emma, pulling her palm out flat, ready should she need to conjure a fire ball.
The two women made their way up the few steps before they hard a smash from the kitchen. They looked at each other before making a dash towards the noise.
The remains of three plates lay scattered on the floor. Regina gazed up at the person stood on the step stool, reaching into the cupboard where she kept her plates. "Oops"
"Henry? Wha-what are you doing here?"
"Yeah, Kid. Why aren't you at school?" Emma followed Regina's gaze to meet the eyes of her son. She waved her hand to clear up the shattered remainders of the plates.
"Oh I, one of the teachers had the flu. Apparently it's contagious so they sent us all home" Henry smiled. "I went to granny's and got us some lunch" He climbed down the step stool and walked towards the counter, which bared three brown paper bags. "Mom I got you a kale salad, Mom-" he motioned to Emma. "I got you a grilled cheese, and I got a slice of lasagne" Regina's eyes narrowed. "Oh Thankyou Henry, but I only just finished breakfast, I had some..business to attend to"
"Okay, I'll just put yours in the fridge and you can have it later" the boy picked up the bag and headed for the fridge.
"Emma-" Regina started. "Thanks Henry, I had breakfast while your mom was out so I'll take the grilled cheese" She winked at her son and took the bag.
"So why are you two back here so early, didn't you have something to do to day? Don't you have work?"
The women eyed each other "oh well we.." Emma stopped digging through her takeout bag.
"It's okay mom, I'm just messing. I know you two are together." He laughed.
"And you are okay with it?" The blonde asked taking a large bite out of her sandwich" Regina kept her eyes trained on her son, watching him scoop large forkfuls of takeout lasagne into his mouth.
"Sure I am, I saw it when you first came to Storybrooke."
"Okay.." She licked her fingers after finishing the first half of her sandwich.
Regina opened her mouth and then closed it again, trying to formulate the right words. "Emma, would you mind helping me with something for a second?" She didn't take her eyes off Henry.
"Sure" she wiped her mouth with kitchen roll and stood up. "Thankyou again Henry"
"No problem Mom"
Regina led Emma out of the kitchen and into her at-home-office. "I have a bad feeling." She whispered, her voice wavering slightly. "About what?" Emma closed the door. Regina steadied herself before her next sentence. "Henry."
"Henry?" Emma was confused.
"Henry doesn't like lasagne, unless it's one I've made." Emma's face dropped. "So that's.."
"My mother? well it wouldn't be the first time she has impersonated our son" she brought her fingers to her temples. "What would she gain by bringing us take out in the middle of the day?"
"Maybe she just wanted to see if we would say anything about her, you know to see what angle to play us at? Work out how to use what we know as an advantage?"
"Maybe that is it." The two women jumped as the door flew open behind them. "Why else would I be here?" Cora smiled in a way that would send chills down anyone's spine.
"Mother, how did you get out of that cuff." Regina stepped forward and pushed Emma behind her.
"Oh Regina, that Snow has a heavy conscience, that's why assume it didn't take much for me to convince her to let me out, so I could 'find you and try to right some of the times I have wronged you' Those two idiots are more gullible than your father ever was"
Regina's hands balled into fists "you don't get to talk about daddy"
"It was easy to convince that Charming to call you, and tell you that I was gone, but to give me time to get here and prepare this little lunch."
"What are you gaining from being here, why are you doing this?" Regina questioned, fighting to keep Emma behind her.
"You. You have so much potential, so much power. Yet you let it go to waste here, in this pathetic town. Come with me, we can rule. People will tremble at the very mention of our names. You've had power before, don't you remember how marvellous it felt to rule a kingdom? Together we can have power greater than the dark one himself."
"No. I will never. You will not make me go back there again. I have been evil once, and look where it got me. What people thought of me. It has taken so long to get here, to finally start to gain back people's respect. I won't let you come here and rip that away from me again. You have no control over me anymore mother. I am not a child, I will not let you use me, I will no longer be your pawn. I should have known you could never change." She felt her eyes begin to tear up. "Now I suggest you leave before I do something I regret."
"Very well then. I shall leave you two to your happy, happy life together. You really do love each other." She moved towards Regina and stroked her cheek gently. "It'll never last." She ripped her hand away. "I hope you enjoyed your grilled cheese saviour, those things are rather...magic" she raised her eyebrows and disappeared in another cloud of black smoke.
"She backed off pretty eas-" there was a soft thud as Emma's legs gave way and she fell to the floor, unconscious.
Regina's mouth dropped open before she dove to the floor and began shaking the unmoving blonde. "Emma! Emma! What happened? Emma can you hear me?"
She became aware that she was screaming "EMMA! HELP. Emma! what did she do to you?" She began to sob, cradling her girlfriend in her arms "Don't leave me please"