A/N: So, this chapter is a little shorter than normal, but it's really a set-up chapter for last few chapters. Not sure how many are left (not many), but I would be guesstimating it at about 2-4 chapters left.
Henry's eyes blinked open, as a groan escaped his lips. The last thing he remembered was walking to Regina's house to try to forge a truce between his two families. It killed him to see them always fighting, always at each other's throats. He always felt like he had to choose a side, and that was hard for him. As much as he loves Emma and his grandparents, he also still loves Regina. No matter what she had done to him and his family in the past, he still thinks of her as his mother also. Though, sometimes he feels bad about it, knowing all the pain and hurt that Regina caused Emma and Snow, he can't help it.
He made a move to sit up, and took in his surroundings. His nose wrinkled as he realized that he wasn't in the big, white mansion on the hill. It appeared to be a dark, dank room of some sort. Henry's brow furrowed, as he tried to think of a place that looked similar to this, when it hit him. He was in Regina's tomb under the graveyard. Not many people knew about it, but he couldn't figure out why Regina would take him to the tomb. Not when he came to her on his own free will.
As Henry wracked his brain with possible answers, a bone-chilling laugh filtered into the room. It wasn't like anything he had ever heard before. The sound was pure evil. Slowly, an image arose from the darkness and smiled at him.
"Hello, Henry. I'm so glad to finally meet you."
Henry squirmed where he sat, only then realizing that his hands were bound in front of him. He had no way to escape. Though staring at the person in front of him, he was pretty sure that any escape plan would quickly be thwarted. Henry wasn't completely certain on the identity of the woman in front of him, but he took a shot anyway. "I'm guessing that you're Cora."
The smile that squirmed its way around her mouth, caused Henry's insides to shiver. He had to know that the mother of the supposed Evil Queen would be worse than her own daughter. "But of course, Henry. Now that I'm here, we can all be a family. You, me, and my daughter."
Henry stared at Cora, a bit of defiance on his face as he spoke, "Not without my other family. I won't chose sides."
Cora laughed heartily at Henry's attempt to defy her. "We shall see about that." In a puff of purple smoke, Cora disappeared.
Henry stared at the wall she had been standing in front of. He had seen Regina use magic before, but he had never seen her just disappear. In fact, the only time that he had ever seen Regina use magic was when she had tried to strangle his grandmother, right after Emma had been pulled into the portal. It was weird, almost life-altering, to watch someone literally turn into a purple puff of smoke and disappear.
Graham stared at Snow for a moment. The look on his face would have made Snow laugh, if the circumstances were different, instead she just sat back and waited, as the question she posed to him settled in.
"Do you think it's possible that she could actually still be alive?" Graham finally asked.
Snow sighed. She hadn't known Cora well, just briefly as a child, but what she had seen and later learned about Regina's mother left no doubt in her mind what the older woman was capable of. "Here's the thing Graham. The story you told me, while extremely brave, of all of you, sounds far too easy. Cora is crafty, and she had many tricks up her sleeve. So, to answer your question, yes, I believe it's highly possible that she's alive. I also believe that she could have found a way over to this realm as well."
Graham's brow furrowed, "I don't understand how that's possible. The portal closed when the three of us went through it. My father told us that Cora explain to him that Lake Nostros was the only sustainable portal left in the Enchanted Forest."
Snow shook her head, "That may very well have been the truth. However, I don't believe that using your parents against you and Nikolai was her actual plan. I think she wanted you to believe that was her original plan." Snow paused, tapping her index finger against her chin for a moment, before her eyes lit up in a very dangerous way. "I believe that she wanted you three to think she was dead, so that you would never expect her to be in Storybrooke. I don't know how but she's here, and whatever she wants isn't good."
Graham swallowed thickly, as he thought on Snow's words. None of what she said was good news. If anything, the fact that Cora could still be alive was bad news. Very, very bad news. Not only for himself, considering that she would most likely want revenge for him squeezing her heart into dust, but for every single person involved. Which begged the question of who, if anyone, was helping her, and why? Was it someone that had magical powers like herself, or was it someone who had a vendetta that she promised to help them achieve. If so, who could they want revenge on and why? Would it help or hurt those that Graham cared about? All Graham knew was that whatever Cora had planned wouldn't end well for anyone, in fact, it would most likely end in death and destruction.
"Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me that you lost my son?"
Emma glared daggers at Regina. The gun twitching, as her hand quivered with rage. Emma had nearly forgotten her anger at Regina the moment that she realized that Henry was in fact missing, but having the horrible witch practically accuse her of doing something to Henry infuriated her further.
"I didn't lose him. He took off."
Regina laughed mirthlessly. "Were you not watching him, Sheriff Swan? You know what Henry's like. You watched how often he'd disappear from my house to go gallivant off with you."
Emma just stared at Regina, "I was taking care of something. My – Mary and David were watching him for me until I got home."
Regina rolled her eyes, "You might have well as left him with someone who is deaf and blind, if you're going to trust him with the two idiots."
Emma growled at Regina, "You have no right to speak about them like that..."
"Emma, can we focus? We need to find Henry." Nikolai finally spoke up, as he took a step forward and placed a calming hand on Emma's shoulder.
She spared him a glance over her shoulder, before visibly relaxing.
"Who the hell are you?" Regina spat at Nikolai.
Suddenly it dawned on Emma, there was no way that they were getting out of the mansion without Regina finding out that Graham was alive. Worse, it was only a matter of time before she realized that Graham had killed her mother.
"Nikolai Humbert."
Regina's face flashed red at his name. Her eyes roamed over his face and body, almost greedily, as she took in his appearance. Though Nikolai no longer wore the same tattered clothing that he had wore in the Enchanted Forest, now wearing a snug fitting t-shirt and low waisted jeans, one look at him practically screamed Enchanted Forest. His hair was still long, framing his face just above his jawline, and the curls that set in at the ends looked identical to the unruly locks that framed Graham's chiseled face. Though his eyes were a deep, almost soulful brown, the scruff that littered his cheeks and jawline would cause anyone to mistake him for Graham. The eerie similarities between the brother's almost took Emma for a loop sometimes.
"It can't be." Regina finally breathed out.
Emma took a breath, not willing to allow another member of the Humbert family to lose their heart, she stepped in front of him. Visually blocking his chest from Regina's grasp.
"It's true. He's Graham's brother."
"How?" Regina asked, as she blinked slowly.
"Can we talk about Graham's heritage later. Right now, I need to find my son."
Regina snapped out of her stupor at the word son, and stared at Emma. "You said that Ruby saw me let him into the mansion, right?" Regina asked. A realization forming as the words left her mouth.
"Yes," Ruby called from behind Nikolai.
"There is only one way that could happen, especially considering that I was asleep at the time." Emma's eyebrow raised, as she waited for Regina to continue. "I believe my mother followed you into this realm. I believe she has Henry."
Emma shook her head, "No, no, no no no no no." It was like her own mantra, to keep herself sane. It wasn't possible, it couldn't be. "It isn't possible, there is no way it's Cora." Emma answered.
"Of course there is. She is much more powerful than you think, if you think that she couldn't follow you into the portal."
Emma's eyes snapped up to Regina's at that. "You don't understand. It's impossible! A dead woman can't follow you into a portal."
"Dead? How do you know that she is dead?" Regina asked, wondering if the woman before her had found a way to kill her mother.
"Because I watched Graham crush her heart!"