"Watch out!"

Regina spun, aiming and firing on reflex. Yet another monkey dropped out of the sky only to be replaced with two more. Shifting so they were back to back, Regina's head worked on a swivel, tracking the circling pests. "This is starting to get annoying."

They had been called out with a sudden report of a monkey attack on one of the few eastern settlements that remained outside the barrier. When they had arrived though, the settlement had emptied of any survivors. What was waiting for them instead was an ambush the sprung almost as soon as they had appeared on the edge of the small village. Surrounded and clearly outnumbered, this had not been how Regina had wanted to spend her morning.

"Yeah, not exactly the word I'd choose." Emma tensed closely followed by the howl of injured creatures.

She took a potshot at one that looked like it was working itself up to a dive. "Time to end this," she declared. Emma tensed again but didn't object. "Ready?"

"One," Emma started the practiced countdown.

"Two," Regina rejoined discouraging another low-flyer with a well-timed fireball.

"Three," they said together. At the same time, Regina released her magic reserves in a torrent of purple clouds. As purple mixed with white in an ever-growing haze, the monkeys screamed. Several loud thuds marked some of their demise as the opposing magical forces tore through them. Other screeches marked a hasty retreat from the rest over the tree line. Less than a minute and the forest was quiet. Releasing her hold on her half of the spell, the haze brightened. Taking her cue, Emma's magic withdrew a moment later. The sight wasn't one she was likely to forget.

"What—?" Emma started in horror, eyes wide. Bodies littered the forest floor, some distorted by magic, others partially dematerialized, all twisted in unnatural positions even for death.

Regina surveyed the remains grimly. "We knew the effect would be unpredictable," she reminded her student. "It's not as if dark and light magic have worked together before." Even so, the odor of charred flesh and singed fur made her stomach churn. If Emma wasn't here, she'd probably be getting sick in a bush right now. As it was, weakness would have to wait.

"If this is the result, then no wonder," Emma breathed.

She frowned but couldn't disagree. Dark magic could accomplish this, but the personal price for that type of body manipulation was prohibitive. With light magic added to the mix, this had been almost too easy. "You have to admit, though, it's effective," she said, "and exactly what we need to fight Cora. We just need more practice."

"No." The tone caught her attention. It was the same one Emma had so often used in the other Storybrooke when drawing her line in the sand. "This is wrong, Regina. It's one thing to defend ourselves, but this? We're heroes, and heroes don't do this."

She gave the Savior an arch look. "Then how do you propose to deal with my mother? Because the last time I checked even the Dark One was out of ideas."

Emma's expression cooled. "I don't know, but there has to be another way and I'm going to find it."

"You want to find another way, fine. But do it on your own time. This works, and frankly we need a win."

The Savior's gaze drifted to the mangled bodies sprawled across the forest floor. "This isn't a win," she said quietly.

Regina absently rubbed her forehead, trying to fend off the migraine that was already starting. "Well, it isn't a loss, and that's something."

Emma was shaking her head again. "My parents were right. Learning magic from you was a bad idea."

She straightened instinctively, jaw hardening. "What did you think magical warfare would look like? Rainbows and cookies? The real question, Miss Swan, is how far you're willing to go to protect Henry, because that's what we're doing here. These things—" she paused, pointing to the nearest corpse for emphasis, "—don't hesitate to take people—"

"That's just it, Regina," Emma interrupted, "they take people, which means they must be alive somewhere or else why not just kill them?" It was more a statement than a question, but she must have seen something on Regina's face because her expression shifted to one of stunned disbelief. "You know. You've known all along that the flying monkeys would kidnap people."

She frowned at the Savior's moment of revelation. "I suspected," she ceded, "though I hoped I was wrong."

The Savior complex reared its self-righteous head. "Do you know where they are?"

"No," she responded, ignoring the accusation in the tone.

"You're lying," she said decisively.

Regina glared back. "I'm not," she repeated her denial.

Emma studied her a moment longer before switching tact, "Maybe not their location, but there's something you're not saying."

"Of course there is," she snapped. "There's a thousand things I'm not telling you or anyone else because so far events have been blessedly different and that, Miss Swan, is my endgame. If a few winged pests have to die for that, then so be it."

Emma tensed at the reminder of Regina's special future status, but it shifted her resolve just enough to make her pliable. Taking a half-step forward, "It had better be worth it." With those parting words, the Savior turned and stalked back towards the horses. Casting a final side glance at the magic-distorted bodies, Regina tried not to think that they had once been human. They're creatures. They don't even have a chance of being human until Cora is killed. Just collateral damage. Forcing some semblance of belief into that last thought, Regina readjusted her gloves and stalked after Emma.

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.

.

The next morning a heartless patrol arrived at the castle to deliver a message: "Meet me where it all began. Witches only, darling." Then they collapsed, dead. It was an eerie reminder that Cora could be controlling agents everywhere, and one that was aptly timed with Emma and Regina having just succeeded in their first great experiment yesterday. The Charmings immediately called a meeting to discuss their options, but there was really only one choice to be made. The message had clearly been directed at Regina, and Regina would have to respond.

Unsurprisingly, Graham immediately suspected a plot. "Save the Dark One, Cora and Regina are the two most powerful sorceresses of dark magic in all the realms. All of this could easily be a ploy to trick you into willingly sending in Regina to speak with her mother so that they can move against us."

Regina balked. "Enough," Regina enunciated each syllable with exasperated precision. "We all understand: I was evil, and I ruined your life. Can we move past this to the problem at hand?"

The only hint that he was ruffled was the cold spark of hatred in his eyes. "You're part of the problem," he replied soft yet intense. "You tell us only what suits you and damn the consequences. From what you've said your family died in the other timeline. If that's true, then tell me now that this isn't a plot to join forces with your mother and take out the only real family Henry has." The words hung heavy between them, bringing up buried hurts of when Regina had tried to do exactly that in the other Storybrooke. Driving his point home, "Who are you to determine what we do and don't need to know about our future?"

And there was the heart of the issue. Why he would raise this issue now of all times seemed out of place, but Regina noticed that none of the others pointed this out. "The one who's trying to save it."

"Frankly, your majesty, any future you want is one that the rest of us should be trying to avoid."

Regina sat back, stunned at the stupidity. "You don't trust me, fine. Don't trust me, but I'm nothing if not consistent in my motivations," she addressed the group, "and that means making the realms safe. For Henry." Guilty flickers at that. "Now, if you're done accusing me of conspiring with the enemy, shall we continue?"

"If you're determined to meet with her, then I offer myself as escort," Robin asserted in tentative support.

"Don't' be absurd," Regina reflexively scathed. "You'd be useless at best and dead at worst. If it comes to killing Cora, it won't be done with sticks. Besides, if you died then where would Roland be? If anyone's coming with then it needs to be someone with magic."

The Savior hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Me." Regina offered a grim smile. Their little stunt yesterday had been noticed. Now it was time to see just how worried they had made her mother.

David and Snow exchanged a look, neither liking this turn of events. "Fine," David finally agreed. "Regina and Emma will leave to meet Cora tomorrow. I assume you know where this 'place where it all began' is?"

Snow glanced at Regina, both of them knowing the answer. It was, after all, the same place where their own rivalry had started. "My childhood home," she answered. "It's within a day's ride of the northern border. You needn't spare the horses though. Once outside the barrier, Emma and I can manage on our own." Again, David looked uneasy with Regina's flippant use of magical transport, but he nodded his assent.

"And how do you plan to deal with her?" Neal interjected calmly. "She isn't going to stop just because you say please."

"Of course not." Regina straightened in her seat, taking command. "You should contact your father immediately. With Emma and I gone the castle will need magical protection, and if these talks don't go according to plan we may need an expedient rescue." The gravity of that statement was not lost on the group. They knew of the success of Regina and Emma's magical experiments even if they didn't know all of the details, and Regina still thought Cora could best them. She didn't like to consider it a possibility, but Cora had knowledge of magic from branches Regina had never bothered to study because they either hadn't seemed relevant or useful in her single-minded quest to make Snow White suffer. Cora had more knowledge of dark magic, and in this instance knowledge was power.

The solemn spell cast over the King's Council was broken by Emma's tentative, "There might be another way." Like everyone else, the notion caught Regina by surprise. Emma turned to Regina, clearly apprehensive about her reaction to whatever plan the Savior had come up with. "What if we call a truce in exchange for prearranged family visits."

Regina smiled blandly. "Over my dead body, or all of yours more accurately."

"Just think about it, Regina," Emma cut her off, leaning in with that same focus she always had when in Savior-mode. "The attacks along the borders would stop, Henry could get to know his step-great—"

"That snake will never come near my son."

Her vehemence only seemed to fuel Emma's resolve. Speaking over Regina, Emma continued, "—and you could start to patch things up with your—"

"The only way you'll get Cora to stop trying to find a way to stab you in the back is to kill her," Regina flared. "Even when banished to another realm she managed to—"

"Enough!" David bellowed. Standing in verdict, David didn't immediately rebuke Emma which didn't bode well. Thankfully, for once the Huntsman and her shared the same sentiment.

"You can't seriously be considering this," Graham scoffed. Emma shot him a look that he pointedly ignored. "What you're suggesting is suicide. You want to give license to not only Regina but to Cora to freely visit each other across kingdoms."

"They wouldn't be alone," Emma said.

Graham gave her a disbelieving look. "And who among us is powerful enough to stop them if they decide to take over the kingdom during one of these visits? You? The Dark One?"

"We can trust Regina," Emma stressed.

He scoffed but tilted his head as if considering that unlikely possibility. "Even so, you'd be letting Cora close to Henry and he is both of your weakness. If she took him, can you truly say that you would not betray every oath you've made if it meant protecting him?"

"Yes," Emma immediately promised.

Regina said nothing.

David and Snow exchanged another look, an entire conversation passing in an instant. Taking charge of the debate, Snow spoke, "Three years ago, if someone had told me I would one day trust the Evil Queen with my grandson's well-being, I wouldn't have believed it. But I would have been wrong." She paused, offering Regina a small smile as a peace offering. "Sometimes, those who we think are the most undeserving of a second chance are the ones who need it the most. If there's even a possibility that Cora might change, then I say we should give her that chance."

The King's Council sat in stunned silence at the pronouncement, each processing the statement. Regina was the first to recover from the initial shock. Meeting Snow's sweet smile, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard you say." The group bristled at the phrasing, but no one jumped to Snow's defense. Pressing her advantage, "Cora doesn't have a heart to change. Any chance she had at redemption died when she locked it in a box."

"Then we make that a condition." Regina turned her ire on the Savior. Emma stared stubbornly back. "If Cora is serious about having a relationship with you, then that could be a condition. A proof of intent, if you will," Emma shifted restlessly, clearly warming to her idea. "You said it yourself that Cora couldn't change without a heart, so we get her to put it back in."

"She'll never agree to that."

"We can try," Emma countered firmly.

Regina scowled, trying to squash the hope that immediately flared. In the other timeline, Cora had used Regina's love for Henry against her and almost become the Dark One. With all that dark magic at her fingertips, Cora would be a more terrifying Dark One than Rumpelstiltskin had ever been. Then again, her mother's final words echoed treacherously in her memory: "This would have been enough." Steeling herself, Regina allowed a clear, "Fine. We'll make the offer."

Emma nodded, content enough with the agreement however grudgingly given. The others on the King's Council didn't look nearly comfortable with this resolution, but they consented through silence all the same. "The meeting isn't until tomorrow morning," David reminded them. "Until then, recall the patrols from outside the barrier. Graham, you have a sense for people who have had their hearts removed. I want you to check everyone in the castle starting this morning. Robin, Leroy, keep a closer eye on the barrier's edge. Make sure no one goes out and that anyone coming in reports to Graham at the castle." He paused in what the others clearly took as a meaningful way. "We'll be cautious, but we can't let Cora shake us. Let's get to work."

.

.

.

"Where is everyone?"

Regina's frown deepened. "This is a private meeting. Besides, we're witches. Soldiers are for intimidating normal people, not us." Emma remained silent. Clearly, the empty-castle-scenario was getting to her. If Regina hadn't already made peace with Daniel in the other timeline, it'd probably be getting to her too. As it was, this was just an empty castle that she had once grown up in.

Liar. Every step held a familiar timbre, every glance a different memory. She'd learned to walk in this hallway, been tutored in that room, listened in on the servants' conversations at that corner. Without people there was nothing to distract from the onslaught of memories. Just as Cora planned.

Regina had hoped that Cora would choose to meet them in the throne room as a show of power or even in the stables to prey on Regina's childhood joys and terrors. Instead, Cora was right where Regina didn't want to be: the drawing room. It had been the backdrop for the few fond memories she had of her mother brushing her hair or telling her stories. Of course, she realized when she was older that they hadn't been stories, rather they were Cora's plans for her daughter's life. Still, those rare moments were what Regina had once clung to convince herself that her mother loved her. Moments that Cora was no doubt planning on using to manipulate Regina now.

The drawing room was just as she remembered it, untouched by time. There, standing in all of her regal glory, Cora somehow managed the balance between commanding and matronly. "Regina," she smiled only to have the expression flatten as Emma walked through the door behind her. "I don't remember extending the invitation to Snow White's daughter."

"Witches only. I got the memo," Emma cut her off.

Cora's eyebrows shot up. "You're a witch?" she laughed lightly. "I'm sure your parents are thrilled to have you. And how is the Charming couple? I hear pregnancy is agreeing with your mother again."

Emma hid her reaction behind the bails-bondsman stare, but a slight tensing of the shoulders betrayed that the barb had hit home. Before Cora could throw her any more off-balance, Regina interrupted, "Enough small talk. These attacks on our borders have to stop. If you can agree to that then things don't have to get ugly."

Again with the light laugh, but her eyes remained calculating. "I have no intention of fighting you, darling," Regina didn't acknowledge the endearment, "and I certainly haven't ordered any attacks on your kingdom."

"So the flying monkeys are just kidnapping people and bringing them all here at random?" Emma quipped.

"They're such misunderstood creatures," Cora agreed pleasantly, then returned her attention to Regina. "Your sister had no taste when it came to henchmen." When that failed in eliciting a response, Cora continued, "I had hoped we might speak alone, but I can see that's too much to hope for."

Regina shook her head ever so slightly. "Aside from you stopping these attacks, we have nothing to talk about."

"Well, that's just not true. First there's this business of my grandson." She paused to smile in a way that was meant to convey joy but only reminded Regina of a predator showing too many teeth. "You didn't mention him the last time I saw you, though I can certainly understand why given his parentage." She gave Emma a cool look, probably already deciding how to dispose of the body.

"Leave Henry out of this—"

"And then there's your appalling taste in men," she continued breezily. Regina stiffened, quickly schooling her expression into the scathing mask she normally wore. Unfortunately, Emma wasn't so quick. Directing her attention to the Savior, Cora went on, "You didn't know? Well, a mother knows infatuation when she sees it and, Regina, you deserve so much better than a stray wolf."

"Because you picked my men so much better?" she lashed out to hide her relief.

Cora offered a pained expression. "I admit, I misjudged you. I thought you'd be able to control him."

Regina shook her head. "Unbelievable. You kill the man I love in front of me and then have the gall to stand there and blame me for not controlling the husband you forced on me?"

"I forced on you?" she cut in icily. "As I recall, darling, you had already pushed me through the looking-glass at that point. You could have left, but you married the king on your own."

"Leopold would have killed father. You know that."

"The same father you later killed to achieve your happiness. A plan that has clearly backfired since you are now sharing your son with not only one but two other parents." She shifted her gaze to Emma, fully conveying all of the disdain an outraged grandmother might at a glance, then turning compassionate eyes on her own daughter. "You must know how they conspire against you. They don't trust you. They can't trust you. All they see is the Evil Queen and a dark spot to the Charming family's happily ever after."

"That's not true," Emma said with a conviction that gave Cora pause. "Regina is as much a part of this family as I am. More so since she raised Henry."

Cora's smile widened at that tidbit. "And a fine young man he is," she agreed, "so what part exactly do you play in his life since you didn't raise him?"

"Back off," Regina stepped in, cutting off that line of questioning. "Our terms are simple: return the people Zelena has kidnapped and leave the Enchanted Forest alone."

"I already told you, Zelena is dead."

"Fine, the people you've kidnapped."

"And in return?"

"I won't kill you."

Pride and approval struggled for dominance on Cora's face. This was after all how both of them had always expressed the depth of their feelings for each other. Perhaps that was why Cora had never truly tried to kill Regina: because they both felt the need to validate their existence to the other through scheming and betrayal. In that moment, Regina knew she had lost this exchange. Cora had what she wanted. "My dear, you are welcome to try."

"There is a third option," Emma interjected before either one could summon magic. "Visitation rights."

Regina suppressed a wince. She should have insisted on coming alone whatever the repercussions of the Charmings' growing trust issues. Cora's eyes practically lighted at the opportunity, focusing fully on Emma for the first time. "I'm not familiar with this term," she prompted, almost cordial.

Shifting to a more open stance, Emma continued, "We call a truce between our kingdoms and in return you can visit Regina, with supervision."

Cora's face broke into a smile that was almost pleasant. "Are you suggesting that I need permission to see my child? My own flesh and blood?"

"And you can't use magic during these visits," Emma added matter-of-factly.

Cora's smile faded into a thoughtful pose. "You're serious."

"Yes," Regina grudgingly answered the almost-question. Cora looked between them, trying to ferret out the trap. "There is another condition," Regina supplied before Cora could ask, "you have to keep your heart in your chest. Starting now."

Tinkling laughter filled the room ending with a breathy chuckle. "Darling, that's the last place a witch should keep her heart. I thought I taught you that."

Against her better instincts, Regina allowed a shallow nod but her words contradicted the agreement. "I've learned better." Cora frowned at the affront, but Regina reached out, grabbing Cora's hand to prevent a full retreat. The action was enough to command her mother's attention if only for the moment. Taking advantage, with all the sincerity and affection she could muster Regina took the hand more firmly and pressed, "You said when I returned to this land that you wanted to be a family. We can have that. Just do this and come home with me."

Cora squeezed her hand in return, expression softening as Regina had seen only once before without a heart: right before she had plunged her hand into Daniel's chest. Steeling herself, Cora took a half-step closer, aiming for a familiarity that she had faked for so long that she perhaps believed it existed. "They will never be your family, Regina. And that is certainly not your home."

Regina dropped her hand along with the last sliver of hope she'd dared entertain for redeeming Cora. "We've nothing more to say then." Schooling her features into The Queen mask, Regina took a deliberate step backwards, placing herself firmly next to Snow White's daughter in her mother's eyes. Parting barbs nettled in her mind but never made it past her tongue. Flicking her wrist, Cora's empty eyes faded in a cloud of purple smoke.

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.

.

They reappeared just outside the barrier. Drawing in a steadying breath, Regina allowed her confident mask to drop. War had been declared and Regina didn't know if they could win.

"That exit was a tad dramatic," Emma spoke just to say something.

"Would you rather have stayed for afternoon tea?" she quipped, glad enough of a convenient target for her ire. "Everything that needed to be said had been. Anything further would have just given information away."

"Information we could use," Emma frowned.

Regina chuckled darkly. "Trust me, Emma. She would have come out on top from that exchange."

Emma remained silent for a moment, pensive. "Are you okay?"

She automatically stiffened at the inane question. "This is an old dance between my mother and I," she said directly, "One that I should have ended long ago." Her meaning could hardly be missed and Regina made a show of placidly straightening her gloves as she wrestled the last of her emotions on the matter into a grim resolve. Making eye contact again, "I know how far I'll go to protect my son, Emma, and I know how far you once went. The real question is if you are willing to do what's necessary to protect Henry now."

"There has to be another way," Emma dodged, eyes pleading with Regina for another answer.

Foolish Savior. Always looking for a reconciliation where none is to be had. Regina was suddenly tired, all the weariness of juggling current and future events weighing on her in the face of such blind ignorance. Something of that strain must have shown because Emma's expression shifted as it often did when confronted with a truth she didn't want to hear. To drive the point home, Regina vocalized the negative, "Not this time." Not waiting for Emma to wrestle with that nugget of unpleasantness, Regina left the Savior to struggle with her conscious and walked back through the barrier.