Chapter Twenty—"The Price of Victory"

The morning after the elections found Emma with a screaming headache. She should have known that staying out and celebrating that much would be a bad idea, but she'd been so happy. It wasn't just that she'd stuck one to Cora and won the damn election that the overbearing mayor had been determined to see her lose; it was that she'd been able to show Henry that good could win sometimes. He'd been so down about Graham's accident, but the double whammy of finding the asylum and Emma's election had cheered him right up. Watching Henry celebrate—even before he got sent home and to bed—had made Emma's night, and she'd stayed up late at Granny's, teasing Mary Margaret into enjoying herself, too. She'd decided the price was worth paying the next morning, and Emma didn't quite disagree with herself now that the day had arrived.

So, she pushed through the miserable morning and made it into the afternoon. Even more importantly, Emma had made sure to have the sheriff's station open on time; she wasn't going to give Cora any excuses to complain about her conduct. Hungover or not, Emma was behind her desk fifteen minutes early, sorting through the mess of paperwork that had only grown since the last time she'd been here. Keith, on the other hand, was predictably late…and even more hungover than Emma.

She thought about sending her deputy home (and what an odd thought that was; Keith worked for her now). Emma wasn't entirely sure that Keith wasn't actually still drunk, but she resisted the urge to kick him out, instead telling him to take a walk before he did something stupid. She also took his car keys, which made Keith downright furious, but the idiot was well known in town for driving under the influence, and Emma was not about to let that happen on her watch. Graham had struggled to control Keith because he'd been too nice, but Emma had no problems embracing her inner bitch when the situation called for it. Her actions prompted a vicious tirade of insults from Keith, during which he told Emma she shouldn't get so comfortable in her new job, lest vaguely terrible things happen. But that just made Emma laugh. She'd been threatened by far more frightening people in her life, and Keith just wasn't that scary.

Keith stormed out, which left her with an hour or so of blissful quiet to try to make sense out of Graham's nonexistent filing system. Then Mary Margaret dropped by for an early lunch, followed none too subtly by Jefferson, who peeled off when the new sheriff gave him a hard look. By then, Emma had mostly beaten her headache into submission with coffee, water, and some painkillers, so she was happy for the company—provided her roommate left the stalker outside. So, they had a pleasant lunch before Mary Margaret headed back to school, and Emma settled in to dig further into the mess. She didn't get far, however, before then the stream of well-wishers began. Ten or fifteen people dropped by to congratulate her in the next few hours, from Ruby to David Nolan to Ashley Boyd (with baby Alexandra in tow). Emma was grateful for the attention even if it left her a little worn out; it was nice to know that this odd little town really had embraced her. She was starting to feel at home for the first time ever, and that was surprisingly…nice.

By the time Henry showed up after school, though, she was kind of glad that he wasn't another well-meaning friend.

"Everyone at school is so excited," he told her happily. "Things are changing! You won!"

His enthusiasm was hard not to catch, even with the dull roar still echoing between her ears, and Emma smiled. "I've still got a lot of work to do, kid. Graham left a lot of paperwork half-finished, and Keith didn't do any of it. I think this place is in worse shape than it was when I got fired."

"You'll fix it," he replied sunnily. "I know you will. And I know that my grandmother can't bully you into arresting people for no reason, either."

"No, she can't," Emma grimaced. Unlike Graham, apparently. She had known things in Storybrooke were weird, but that last bit had come as a very unwelcome surprise.

It had started, of course, with the Daily Mirror. Sidney had gotten himself another blockbuster headline: an exclusive interview with Michael Tillman, who told a harrowing story of having been arrested without any charges ever being filed, and then locked away for years. Frighteningly enough, Graham had been the one who brought Tillman to the asylum, but since the old sheriff was still in a coma, he couldn't tell anyone who had put him up to that. But everyone knew that it had to have been Cora, even if Sidney had been extremely careful not to even imply that within the article.

"You're bringing back the happy endings," Henry told her more seriously. "Ava and Nicholas are going to move in with their dad next week, right after he finds an apartment."

Skeptical about the curse or not, Emma had to smile. "That's great news."

"Yes, it is wonderful to hear that two innocent children are being given to an unstable former prisoner," a new voice said acidly, making Emma's head snap around.

"Madam Mayor," she said icily, rising.

Emma hadn't heard Cora come in, and judging from his expression, Henry hadn't, either. But she met the mayor's eyes levelly; Emma was not about to let Cora intimidate her. This woman had far more power than any small town mayor should, and now Emma was the sheriff. Protecting the people of Storybrooke was her job, and Emma was starting to think that they needed protecting from Cora Mills far more than they needed saving from some curse Henry had found in a book. Cora, however, was smiling.

"You should investigate that, Sheriff," she said sweetly. "It would be terrible if something happened to those poor children."

Henry bristled at her right, but Emma got in before the kid could say something they'd both regret.

"Yeah, it would, wouldn't it?" She gave the mayor a hard look.

Cora's smug expression never wavered. "I know the new job is a little overwhelming, Miss Swan, but I'm here to help. I'll be glad to give you a list of the priorities that I want you to focus on."

"I bet you would," Emma snorted, and then smiled back nastily. "I'll take it under advisement."

"You'll do more than that, Sheriff," Cora snapped, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You'll do as I say."

"She doesn't work for you," Henry got in before Emma could answer, and Cora turned her glare on her grandson.

"Stay out of adult conversations, Henry," the mayor said imperiously, and Emma watched the boy's hackles go up. "This concerns matters that you are too young to understand."

"I'm not too young to see what you're doing," Henry objected angrily. "You're trying to manipulate Emma like you manipulated Graham, but it's not going to happen. She won't let you control her."

"Henry—" Emma tried to get a word in to stop the idealistic ten year old from saying anything more, but Cora overrode her.

"Go home to your mother," she ordered. "I think our new sheriff is a bad influence on you."

"Nothing like you are," the boy retorted bitterly, reaching for his bag. He clearly knew better than to cross his adopted grandmother too far, though, because he started shoving his schoolwork into the bag with angry motions, glaring mutinously at Cora while he did so.

"That's quite enough out of you, young man," Cora snapped. "Go home. Now."

"I'm going," Henry muttered, and then stormed out, slamming the door behind himself. Emma watched him go with surprise—she'd never seen the kid like this—and waited for the inevitable explosion to come.

Cora, however, turned to her very coldly and calmly. "Stay away from my grandson, Miss Swan. I won't tell you that again."

The hell I will.

"That's not up to you," was what Emma replied, and it was a lot nicer than what she wanted to say. After all, it wasn't like a restraining order would work this time around. Henry's parents would have to sign off on that, and Emma was sure they wouldn't.

"You'll see that it is," Cora retorted, her eyes flashing as she strode out.

Emma watched her leave, too, shaking her head and sighing to herself. Hadn't Cora figured her out at all yet? The more the mayor tried to order Emma to stay away from Henry, the more Emma wanted to stick around. Regina and David were good parents, but David was a doormat and Cora had some hold over Regina that made her daughter back down when Cora pushed just right. Emma didn't know how Cora managed that, but it worried her. It worried her most for the kid who'd steadily been creeping his way into her heart, but Emma was concerned for Regina, too. Regina had somehow become a friend, and Emma knew something was going on here.

One way or another, she'd get to the bottom of this.

5 Years Before the Curse

They'd ridden hard for hours, but horses could only last so long before taking a break. Regina supposed that there was some spell that would extend their stamina, but she didn't know it and figured such magic would come at a price she might not be willing to pay. At any rate, although Snow and James were almost as expert riders as she was (Regina had taught Snow herself, years earlier), all three of them were as ready to slow down as their horses were after several hours on the run. Regina was something of an expert on running from her mother at this point, and she knew that distance was everything. The further away from Cora they got, the harder it would be for Cora to use magic to track them. Regina would compound matters soon by going back to the palace so that Cora didn't know she'd been involved, but first she had to make sure Snow and James were safe.

Dismounting, Regina turned to look at her sister and her sister's prince. Whatever change of personality Prince James had experienced, it had clearly worked out well for him; the prince helped Snow down from her horse with a smile, and Regina recognized the look in his eyes. It's the way I used to look at Daniel. Pain tightened like a fist around Regina's heart; it was the way she would still look at Daniel if only she could see him. She'd wanted so badly to sneak down and warn him that she was going to do something her mother would hate, but Regina hadn't dared. Cora monitored Daniel's cell far more closely than she did Snow's, and she would have noticed Regina whispering secrets. So, Regina had to embark on this rescue mission without so much as seeing her True Love, and that made watching Snow and James together burn.

She didn't begrudge Snow her love. Falling in love was absolutely magical, and her baby sister deserved that, particularly after how rough the last few years of her life had been. But it did make Regina miss Daniel more than ever before. Just watching the pair smile with glowing eyes and trade secret glances was…wonderfully painful.

"You really are rather charming, aren't you?" Snow laughed.

"I try," he replied, smiling back.

"Why did you come?" Snow asked suddenly. "I know why Regina came, but why did you? If Cora finds out, she'll threaten war against your kingdom."

"You know why I came," the prince answered softly, and Regina had to turn away.

"I'm going to go look for some water for the horses," she declared, unable to watch the pair falling in love like that. Regina didn't begrudge Snow her love, but that didn't mean she wanted to stick around to watch. Not right now.

She'd barely made it three steps before Snow ran to catch up with her, calling: "Regina, wait!"

"For what? I don't think you two need a chaperone," she smiled, turning to look at her little sister.

Snow actually blushed. "Well, no, but can't I say thank you?"

"You'd never have to," Regina replied seriously, wrapping her free arm around Snow's shoulders. "You'd do the same for me."

"In a heartbeat," Snow confirmed, and the sisters hugged.

"Now, go romance your prince," Regina said in a teasing tone. "This one seems to be worth the work, and besides, you deserve some happiness after everything that's happened."

"So do you." Snow's eyes went sad, and Regina had to swallow back her pain.

"Well, some of us get there faster than others, I guess," she said around the lump in her throat.

Snow squeezed her around the waist one last time. "Things will work out for you. I know it."

"You're such an optimist," Regina grumbled good-naturedly. "You drive me insane, you know that?"

"Of course I do."

Regina shoved her away playfully. "Go to your prince. I'll go find water for the horses and use magic to cover our trail."

"Do you think Queen Cora can track us?" James asked as Regina and Snow both turned back towards him. "I know you said that teleporting away would give us a head start, but if she can follow us, anyway…"

"I won't lie to you," Regina said bluntly. "My mother is powerful and knowledgeable. If anyone can track us, it's her, but I'll do everything I can to keep her from finding you. I'll even see if I can't teleport you further towards your kingdom before I go home."

"You're going back?" James echoed in surprise, but Snow only looked resigned. Snow knew Regina, and they both knew what she had to.

"It's the best way to distract her."

"Will you be safe doing that?" the prince asked next, making Regina blink. Where did George's arrogant and self-centered son go? He's completely different now, she thought to herself. This was hardly the time to ask what had made James change so much, but she was still curious. Being concerned for others hadn't seemed to be Prince James' strong suit the first few times Regina and Snow had met him, although he appeared perfectly sincere today.

Regina shrugged as casually as she could. "I'll be fine. But…speaking of things happening, if you do need help when I can't be here, call on Rumplestiltskin."

"The Dark One?" James asked immediately, and Regina felt her eyebrows go up in surprise. She hadn't expected George's son to know of him at all.

"Yes," she replied. "He's…well, something of a friend. But he enjoys tweaking Mother's tail, and he's the only person I know who doesn't fear her at all. He'll make you pay a price for it, but if you need help, he can do it."

"Right." Snow nodded decisively. "Okay. You do what you have to, Regina, so we can keep moving."

Nodding, Regina led her borrowed horse deeper into the woods. She didn't dislike the black gelding that they'd rented from a post house, but he wasn't her horse and she missed her own Lightning. But it had been easier to have horses waiting in the predetermined location than to try to teleport herself, James, Snow and three horses, so she had to make do. Besides, it didn't matter. She'd be leaving this horse with Snow and James as a spare when she teleported herself back to the palace, so not getting attached was probably a good idea.

A flick of her hand and a moment's concentration sent a spell racing out a head of her; Regina wasn't an expert at using magic to find things, by any means, but locating water should be fairly simple. The gelding jerked up short a step, staring at her with wide brown eyes, and Regina had to stop to soothe him. The poor horse obviously wasn't used to magic, and she supposed she couldn't blame him. Post horses didn't usually carry sorceresses around, after all, and Regina took a few moments to calm the spooked gelding down. After doing so, she continued leading him through the trees, following the slight glowing trail that her spell left behind. I used to hate magic, she reflected as she walked. And now look at me. I even think of myself as a sorceress. The world was full of ironies, she supposed, but after watching her mother use magic to hurt people for so many years, Regina was growing even more determined to use it to help people. People like Snow, who had suffered because her mother hated Snow's mother for some reason that hadn't mattered in decades.

"There you are, darling," that hated voice purred, making Regina stumble and then whirl in surprise. "I was getting so worried."

"Mother?" she yelped without meaning to, and the black gelding jerked his head away from her as magic filled the area around them, boxing Regina in and keeping her from teleporting away.

"Of course. Were you expecting someone else?"

"I wasn't expecting anyone," she tried to say without showing her worry. Was Snow okay? Had her mother already sent people after her? Regina had no way to know, but if she could keep Cora busy, maybe Snow and James could escape. "I was just out for a ride—"

"Don't lie to me, Regina," Cora cut her off, sounding far less angry than Regina had expected. In fact, her tone was almost conversational. "You know what a terrible idea that is."

"I wasn't," she tried to object, but it sounded weak even to Regina's ears.

Cora gave her a hard look, and Regina could read the danger in her mother's dark eyes. "I would be heartbroken if you tried to leave, sweetheart. After all, I'm not the only one waiting at home for you."

"No one's waiting for me. You've seen to that," Regina snapped before she could stop herself.

"Is that so?" Cora cocked her head, but it was her slight smile that sent an ominous chill down Regina's spine. Before she could say a word—before she could contemplate apologizing, groveling, or starting a fight—Cora waved her right hand, and Daniel appeared in a swirl of purple smoke.

Squinting in the sunlight, Daniel staggered slightly, looking shocked to be outside his cell for the first time in ten years. But his eyes found Regina almost immediately, and they were barely ten feet apart. For the first time in a decade, there was nothing between them: no bars, no chains, and nothing to hold them apart. Regina wasn't sure if she moved first or Daniel did, but two steps later, they threw themselves into the others' arms. Every envious thought Regina had for her younger sister and James vanished; she was holding onto Daniel, and for that one short moment, everything was perfect. Daniel was there, he was real, and she was never going to let go of him again. Their kiss was as inevitable as it was powerful, and for the first time, Regina felt power rushing through her bones.

True Love is the most powerful magic of all, Rumplestiltskin had taught her, and Regina could feel it now. Magic reared to life within her, glowing and powerful and perfect. Its power made a wonderful chill run through her, and for one short moment, everything was perfect and Regina could believe that everything might just turn out all right. She had never been powerful enough, never enough in tune with magic, to feel this sheer love sweeping through her, but the longer she held onto Daniel, the stronger it got.

"I love you," she whispered, cradling Daniel's face in her hands and smiling so hard that her face hurt.

She could hear joy in his laugh, the first joy she had heard from her True Love since Cora had locked him away. His eyes were shining. "I love you, too."

Daniel leaned in to rest his forehead against hers, and Regina had forgotten how wonderful this was. The world seemed unimportant; even her mother's presence could not dim her happiness. Regina didn't know why Cora had chosen to free Daniel like this, but at the moment she couldn't care. She had missed him so much, missed him like a lost limb, like the other half of her heart. Their stolen moments were not enough, but this, this was real. This was everything she had ever dreamed of, this was the life that Cora had torn away from her ten years earlier. This was what she needed, what Regina had told herself she could no longer have…and yet here she was, wrapped in Daniel's arms and feeling whole for the first time in forever.

"That's quite enough," Cora said sharply, but Regina ignored her mother.

"You look terrible," she whispered, finally focusing on how pale and thin Daniel's face was. It was always hard to make out the finer points of his features while down in the dungeons, and he truly looked awful. Not that she cared. Regina felt herself go red as Daniel let out a short laugh. "I mean—not in a bad way. Just that you look, um, pale and—"

"You look beautiful," Daniel cut her off, and they kissed again.

Power sizzled through Regina's veins, until suddenly her lips met air. Off balance, Regina stumbled, almost toppling forward until she caught herself, whirling to face her mother as the swirl of purple magic dissipated. Daniel had been swept away from her and deposited on his knees a few feet behind her mother.

"Mother!" Regina cried, her hands still grasping at empty air.

Cora cocked her head at her, her lips pursed primly. "Yes, dear?"

"Why are you doing this?" Regina demanded, starting forward, only to run into an invisible wall.

She struggled pointlessly for several seconds before remembering her training, and Regina forced herself to stop and take a deep breath. You could be more powerful than your mother, if only you would let yourself, Rumplestiltskin had told her more than once. Overall, Regina preferred using brute force to subtlety, but she did know how to unravel spells. And this one wasn't particularly hard; a moment's concentration showed Regina that it was hastily put together, the product of a spell book instead of a sorcerer's own mind. Cora often used such spells because the price was less, her daughter knew, but the book was a crutch. A shortcut. Just like her mother, Regina had been taught to do better than that—so she focused, reached out with her hands, and pulled the appropriate threads of magic.

The holding spell fell apart around her, and Regina rushed to Daniel's side, shoving past her mother as Cora let out a soft exclamation of surprise. Dropping to her knees at Daniel's side, Regina reached out to touch his face with one hand and grabbed his left hand with the other. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," her love replied, sounding a little breathless.

"Rumple is teaching you well, isn't he?" Cora purred, turning to face them. It was amazing how her mother could look like everything was going her way, even when her spell had just been deconstructed by her daughter. But Cora still looked the perfect part of the queen, and the crowd on her head was not even slightly askew.

Regina glared. "You have no idea."

"Oh, darling, I'm so proud of you. You're turning into quite the sorceress," was the too-sweet reply. Then Cora's voice dropped dangerously. "Although it seems as if I will have to impart a few lessons of my own."

Magic raced out, brilliant black and purple twisting together, a pair of dark spells that tore the lovers apart and smashed Regina into the ground on her side. Crying out, she wasted precious moments pushing the magic aside, only to realize that most of the hurtful, hateful magic had not been aimed at her. Even as she struggled to her feet, with her head spinning and her heart pounding, she realized that Daniel had been yanked six feet into the air. She reached for his ankle—it was all she could get to—but a second explosion of power shoved her backwards, and Regina barely stayed on her feet.

Daniel screamed in pain.

"Mother!" Regina howled. "Stop this! Please!"

Cora waved a hand to silence Daniel, but the pain was still evident on his drawn and pale face. "Stop what, dear? Teaching you a lesson?"

"I know you're angry with me, but please," she begged. "Don't hurt Daniel. It's not his fault."

"No, it's your fault," her mother replied coldly. "And it is time you learned the price of defying me."

"Mother—"

A second scream from Daniel cut her off, and then Cora stepped close to Regina. Revulsion twisted up in her stomach, making her feel sick—she couldn't keep her eyes off of Daniel—but she didn't back away. Instinct told Regina that doing so would only make things worse. Another flick of Cora's fingers silenced the former stable boy, while her other hand reached out to take Regina by the chin, forcing her head around so that she faced her mother.

"Now, you are welcome to go join your beloved stepsister and her foolish prince. I will destroy them at my leisure." Cora shrugged. "But if you are foolish enough to choose Snow over your true family, Daniel will die for it."

"You can't," Regina whispered.

"I can, and I will. Don't test me, darling."

Her fingers twitched, and Daniel screamed a third time.

"There's a phone call for you, Captain," his assistant said as he walked through the door, and Killian smiled. His staff at the Magical Marina were used to his foibles, and Cyril O'Malley had demanded that they call him Captain for as long as he'd own the place—which, of course, was as long as any of them could remember. Killian actually did act as captain for the tall ship that served as Storybrooke's premier dinner cruise and nautical tour ship, so the title wasn't undeserved. Besides, it's not like I would have let anyone else sail the Jolly Roger, even if it is just catering to tourists and couples looking for romance, he thought behind an affable smile. Cora had told him more than once to be grateful that she'd let his beloved ship come through at all, but Killian still wished she'd allowed the Jolly Roger a more noble purpose.

No pirates here in Storybrooke, he thought wryly, and smiled at his assistant. She was a handsome woman, the daughter of some minor noble back home, and 'Cyril' had slept with her more than once. She was adventurous and daring, just his type, and they always had fun together. "Do I?"

"It's the mayor. She called five minutes ago, but she said she'd wait."

"Well, that's uncommonly kind of her," Killian said with a wink, and then ducked into his private office, keeping the smile in place until he was alone.

Sighing, Killian sat down behind his desk and took a moment to compose himself. Whatever Cora wanted, he doubted it was just to chat. She always had a motive, the queen did, and sometimes he regretted having tied himself to her so thoroughly. But he'd wanted to win, and Cora was clearly the victor here, so Killian latched himself onto her rising star and rode it to the top with her. Steeling himself, he picked up the phone and tried to sound properly subservient. It was not a tone he wore well.

"What can I do for you, Madam Mayor?" he asked congenially.

"No good morning for me, Cyril?" He could hear her laughing on the other end. "How terribly rude of you."

"Ah, you just caught me at a bad moment, love," Killian replied, hating the way she used his false first name.

"Of course I did."

He hated her mocking voice. Killian hated her, though, so he supposed that should not be a surprise. Cora never called unless she wanted something, and he rather suspected that this call was not designed simply to check on his progress with the lovely sheriff.

"Anyway, to what do I owe the pleasure of your call? I do have a business to run, you realize."

"Put your affairs on hold," Cora commanded. "I have a job for you."

5 Years Before the Curse

"I can't fight her!"

The words were a wail; Regina had appeared, strode across the great hall, and then exploded with pain. Rumplestiltskin had been there to greet her, of course, because he always greeted his student when she arrived. But he had not expected this. He didn't exactly keep tabs on Cora or the various miseries that she'd doled out, but he did know that his former lover had forced her stepdaughter to kill her second husband. He'd even known that before Regina came to him, full of a fiery desire to save her beloved stepsister, the one person in the world—aside from her already doomed True Love—who had shown her love and affection since her father's death. Regina had, predictably, saved Snow, and not too long ago if Rumplestiltskin's instincts were correct.

That did not, however, explain her presence here. Or now. So, the Dark One blinked at his student, fidgeting slightly as pain and magic rolled off of Regina in waves. He wasn't sure what to say, or even what she was so upset about. Oh, he could probably guess, knowing Cora as he did, but…

"Can't fight who, dearie?" he asked, even though he knew what the answer had to be.

"My mother," Regina sobbed, turning to face him, her arms wrapped tightly around her body and tears rolling down her face. "She hurt Daniel to make me go back with her."

"Did you expect she'd do something else?" The question came out before Rumplestiltskin could stop himself, and Regina flinched.

"I didn't—I didn't—" she stuttered, and the words cut off in a sob. Her head dropped and Regina let go of all pretense of self-control, just breaking down and crying.

Tentatively, Rumplestiltskin stepped forward and placed a hand on her arm, finally realizing that she didn't want someone to tell her that Cora was a terrible person or that she could have done anything differently. Regina had just come to him because she had nowhere else to go and no one else to turn to. That realization hit him about the same time she suddenly turned to him and buried her head in his shoulder, sobbing wildly. And what was he supposed to do with a heartbroken princess who wanted to cry her heart out on his shoulder? He was the Dark One, not her father or… Her friend. Yes, Rumplestiltskin supposed that he was Regina's friend.

Awkwardly, Rumplestiltskin reached up to pat Regina on the back, listening to her sobs and wishing he knew how to offer the right kind of comfort. But it had been years since he'd been close to anyone—the last person had been Cora—and Rumplestiltskin was so very terrible at this. He didn't know what to say or do, so he just patted her on the back and let her cry.

Cora hung up the phone, smiling. Hook would wiggle and moan, but he would do her bidding in the end, and a plan was already forming in her mind. The boy was a nuisance, and his birth mother even more so. Cora prided herself on not making decisions in anger, but this one had been stewing for weeks now, ever since Miss Swan had first stood up to her and refused to leave town. Cora was accustomed to power, and she didn't like it when people in her town disobeyed her. But she could have dealt with that had Emma Swan not decided to make herself sheriff.

The election hadn't even been close. Keith Law was well known for his brutish tendencies, for stalking women—Lacey French had even accused him of attempted rape once, although Cora had made sure those charges didn't stick—for bending the law, and for being a general public menace when driving drunk. Keith would make a terrible sheriff for Storybrooke, but that shouldn't have mattered. Cora's desires should have been enough to make it so, which she'd counted on ever since using Graham's heart to cause that accident. She'd contemplated killing the former sheriff, but in the end was rather pleased to find that her Huntsman had survived. Cora always disliked admitting, even to herself, that she had allowed her anger to get the better of her, but the Huntsman's budding relationship with the Savior had spurred her into action.

The Savior. Cora felt her lips twisting up into a snarl, but could do nothing to stop them. Snow's little daughter had survived her supposed death before the curse after all. Eva's granddaughter. The thought was a snarl in her mind. Eva's bloodline had somehow escaped her ultimate vengeance, had escaped to put its spawn inside Cora's family. Out of all the children that Regina could have adopted, Gold had found Eva's great-grandson, and Cora could have killed him for that. Save that revenge for later, she told herself. She had ways to make Gold pay, plenty of them. But Gold must have done it unknowingly; there was no other explanation. He'd been under the curse when Cora had tasked him with finding Regina a child, and Cora knew the difference. No, Gold wasn't the problem. Cora's daughter was.

And so was Cora's so-called grandson. Henry had found the book. He must have been sharing that knowledge with his birth mother, and egging her on towards breaking the curse. And Regina. Regina has been helping them. Cora snarled out loud.

It wasn't the first time her daughter had chosen the wrong side, not the first time that Regina had chosen Snow over her mother. Ungrateful girl. She should know better by now. But Cora would have to deal with that later. First, she needed to get rid of Emma Swan, and she knew far too well that she could not kill someone who was meant to break the curse, not without breaking her own power over Storybrooke. That, of course, was something Cora had no intention of doing, which meant she had to encourage Emma Swan to leave Storybrooke. The first step to that, of course, had been the threats she had thrown at the brash young sheriff the day before. She knew well enough that demanding that Emma stay away from Henry was tantamount to ensuring that Snow's daughter would stick to the boy like glue, and that was exactly what Cora wanted.

Taking Henry out of the equation would get rid of the problem. He was the anchor holding Emma Swan to Storybrooke. All Cora had to do was cut that loose…and Emma Swan would no longer want to stay. There was only one way to do that, of course. She had to kill him.

A/N: Cora has a plan, she just slid the last piece into place, and poor Hook is her pawn to execute it. After all, who needs a mine explosion when you can have a fire?

Stay tuned for Chapter Twenty-One: "Players and Pawns," in which Hook does Cora's dirty work, Henry visits the library, Regina runs into Errol again, and disaster strikes. Back in the past, Hook falls in with the Evil Queen.

I've also updated a character cheat sheet under my other stories for all those characters who have cursed names that are hard to keep track of. If anyone is interested in me adding a timeline of all the events shown in flashbacks, I can also do that.