Trigger Warning: This chapter does contain brief description of child abuse.
Present Day
Storybrooke, Maine
Regina Mills sat at her desk in the mayor's office, struggling to read a financial report on Storybrooke's school budget while also fighting off a headache and the exhaustion that had resulted from her rather sleepless night. She was trying to distract herself from the fact that just a mile and a half from her office her son's biological mother was sitting in a jail cell. But, with any luck, Graham would file the paperwork quickly and Ms. Swan would have one DUI on her record making her unable to petition any court for custody of Henry and would flee back to the safety of the big city. Then, Regina thought, she could continue her efforts to convince Henry she was not some apple-poisoning villain without the cheerful blonde distracting him.
"Good morning, sweetheart," Cora's voice rang out from the doorway of the office. Regina looked up and offered her mother a weak smile. "I just visited Emma Swan. I posted her bail and encouraged her to stay for a few days."
"What?" Regina growled. "Why on Earth would you do that, Mother?"
"My dear, you need to gain some perspective on this," Cora told her daughter condescendingly. "Your efforts to scare Ms. Swan away will only drive her closer to your son. She's the suspicious type and you and I both know that you don't need her looking too closely at your past. Storybrooke can withstand her presence for a few days without falling to pieces."
"Mother, I don't want her around Henry," Regina sighed, rubbing her temples. "He already sees me as some evil witch, I don't need him solidifying this woman as his savior."
"You need to get better control of that boy, he treats you with such disrespect." Cora moved through the office to take a seat in the chair across the desk from Regina. "Find some way of forcing him to respect you… or at least listen to you. No wonder though, you look awful, Regina. No one is going to take you seriously if you look this exhausted."
"You'll excuse me if I don't take parenting advice from you," Regina snapped. "You know we have very different opinions about how children's behavior should be reinforced."
Many Years Ago
Enchanted Forest, Mills Family Estate
"No, no, no, you're doing it wrong!" a balding dancing instructor snapped at a 14 year-old Regina Mills as she made a wrong step in the waltz she was currently learning. "You are off the rhythm, girl, it should not be so hard. You are a woman, your partner leads you. All you have to do is follow."
"I'm sorry," Regina apologized softly.
They had been practicing for hours and with seemingly minimal improvement. Although, Regina privately thought that her mistakes were invisible to anyone who had not been trained by the finest dancing academies in Misthaven. Certainly, her waltz was sufficient for the birthday ball they were attending for Queen Ava. Although, Mother kept reminding her that this ball would be the perfect time to meet eligible suitors and that Regina must show them that she was graceful and refined… the qualities of a future queen. Reigna found this line of thinking silly considering the only suitors who would be present at the ball would be young dukes and princes… who were looking for future duchesses and princesses.
"Shall we try again?" The dancing instructor asked, glaring at Regina. "Or will the stupid girl give up?"
At this, Regina felt tears welling up in her eyes and she ran from the ballroom. But despite the overwhelming urge, Regina forced herself not to cry. Crying was for children and she was practically a woman. She threw open the doors of the house and ran towards the stables. She would hide with Rocinante, maybe brush his coat or sneak him carrots.
Regina burst into the stable and slowed to a walk. There was no chance the instructor would follow her. No, he would go find Cora and report on Regina's insolence. Then, it would take Cora at least an hour to find Regina here. Somehow, despite it being Regina's favorite place on the entire estate, Cora always seemed to forget to check the stables when she was searching for Regina.
No, Regina thought, Mother won't find me… Daddy will but he won't hide me when he does. He never hides me.
"Regina is that you?" Daniel's voice broke Regina from her thoughts. The stable master's apprentice stood holding two buckets of water, clearly on his way to replenish the trough in some of the stalls. "You don't have riding lessons this week. What are you doing here?"
"I just came to visit Rocinante," Regina said dismissively. "Is there anything wrong with that?"
"No, not at all," Daniel said, bowing his head when he spoke to her. Regina cringed inwardly at the gesture. She knew it was meant in respect but Daniel was nearly the same age as her and it felt wrong.
"What are you doing?" Regina asked, glancing at the buckets.
"The horses need new water," Daniel explained.
"Do you need any help?" Regina asked, she loved the horses and would be happy to help take care of them.
"No, I couldn't ask that of you."
"You didn't ask. I offered," Regina pointed out. Then noticing more buckets on a shelf nearby, she walked over and grabbed two of her own.
Together, the pair set off filling the buckets and emptying them in the troughs in each horse's stall. As they worked, they talked about the different horses in the Mills' stable and which were better suited for riding or for carriage work. After the watering was finished, they repeated the process with grain. The pair continued to talk and laugh together as they worked. Regina found that Daniel's father had worked with horses before he had died and had taught Daniel nearly everything he knew. As the pair talked, Regina completely lost track of time or the fact that her mother was likely scouring the mansion for her at that very moment.
"Regina," her father's voice pulled Regina back to reality. He was standing in the doorway of the stables, his face neutral but Regina recognized the seeds of anxiety and fear in his eyes and the slight tremble of his voice. "Your mother is looking for you. You need to come, now."
Regina put down the buckets of grain she had been carrying and followed her father out of the stables with a farewell wave to Daniel. The boy stood watching Regina leave with an unreadable expression on his face.
"Is she terribly angry, Daddy?" Regina asked, twisting her fingers as they walked towards the house.
Regina's question was answered not by her father but by the appearance of Cora in the doorway to the manor. Her eyes were dark, her lips were slightly pursed, and her hands were squeezed into such tight fists that Regina could see her knuckles were white from twenty paces away. Regina took a deep breath and reminded herself that whatever happened next, it would only be worse if she cried. Future queens didn't cry…. that was a clear weakness and a sign of ill breeding.
"Regina, your dancing instructor has informed me that you left the lesson without being dismissed. Is this true?" Cora asked, her tone monotonous.
"Yes, Mother."
"He also told me that before you left your lesson you were dancing very poorly despite his many corrections. Is this true?"
"Ye—" Regina began to respond once more but was cut off by Cora.
"Because when that man told me that my daughter had behaved so poorly and with such clear disrespect for my wishes, I assumed the man was lying because there was no way that any child of mine would ever behave so beneath her station," Cora's neutral tone was gone, replaced by clear anger and disappointment. Her eyes flashed as she continued. "Regina, I told you how important this ball is to your future. How important it is to our family's future. And yet, you see fit to disobey me. I can't stand for that, Regina."
"Yes, Mother," Regina responded in barely more than a whisper. Beside her, her father slunk away into the mansion, his shoulders hunched in defeat, just like he always did when Cora was angry with Regina.
"Come here," Cora growled. Regina walked forward, keeping her eyes focused on Cora's shoulder, too afraid to make eye contact. "Look. At. Me."
Just as Regina lifted her eyes to meet her mothers, Cora slapped her daughter hard across the face. The suddenness of this strike caught Regina off guard and a small noise of shock escaped her lips before she could bite it back down. And just as quickly, Cora's hand came back across Regina's face, backhanding her. Regina felt one of her mother's many rings cut into the skin right above her lip and tasted her own blood as a cut was opened.
"How dare you disobey me like that," Cora snarled at her daughter, grabbing her chin and forcing Regina to maintain eye contact. "You will do as I say because I know what is best for you. You are a stupid, ignorant girl who knows nothing of the world. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, Mother," Regina said, trying to control her breathing and blink back tears that were rushing forward from her. "I'll be good."
"I know you will," Cora said, releasing Regina's face. "Because until the ball is over, I will be making sure you do exactly as I ask."
Without warning, Cora shoved her hand into Regina's chest. Regina felt immense pressure and pain as her mother's hand wrapped around her rapidly beating heart and pulled it from her chest. Cora gave her daughter one more look of contempt and disgust before turning and walking away with Regina's pure red heart still clasped in her hand.
Present Day
Storybrooke, Maine
Cora had left Regina's office shortly after their discussion and Regina had resumed struggling through the financial report in front of her. But, she had barely made any headway when she received a phone call from the Storybrooke Elementary School nurse informing her that Henry had not arrived for school this morning and inquiring if he had been kept home with some illness. Regina had lied to the woman, unwilling to allow anyone to know that for the second time in two days she had no clue where her son had disappeared to. However, this time, she had a good idea who Henry was with. She dialed Graham's number as she walked out of the Mayor's office.
"Storybrooke Sheriff's department," Graham answered.
"Graham, it's Regina. Has Henry come to visit Ms. Swan? He didn't go to school this morning and I have no clue where else he would have gone."
"Well, er, Henry hasn't come to the station. But, Ms. Swan is no longer here either," Graham informed Regina and she could hear him waiting for her reaction.
"And why is she no longer in police custody?" Regina asked, trying to remain calm. If Ms. Swan wasn't at the sheriff's office, she could be anywhere in this town with her son… or perhaps she had taken Henry and skipped town. "That woman drunkenly destroyed town property, surely even you can handle a simple, clear cut misdemeanor properly. You've certainly had plenty of practice with the different vagrants in this town."
"Regina, her blood work showed she wasn't drunk. I think you knew that already, even your cider doesn't pack that much of a punch," Graham replied, not thrown off by Regina's shortness. "I think I know where she went though. She was headed towards Granny's when she left."
"Well, at least you're not completely incompetent," Regina snapped, then took a deep breath before adding. "Thank you, Graham."
She hung up the phone and changed course to head towards Granny's Diner.