The Potion

Mother

Regina

I groaned and rolled over when I heard the loud banging on my door. I slowly got up and walked down the stairs, cringing when I saw that it was still dark outside. My heartbeat started to increase rapidly when I heard Beth wailing outside and Roland whining.

"REGINA!" Snow called, I swung the door open and saw Snow rocking my screaming daughter and Roland whining as he clung to her arm with a sleepy look on his face.

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" I asked extremely worried, she pushed me inside and Bethany reached out for me and started to calm down once she was in my arms.

"Your-." She started but then the door swung open and my mother stalked into the room, it felt like my heart stopped and I scooped up my children and backed away from her.

"ROBIN!" I yelled, I heard him rush down the stairs and grab his bow and arrow that he kept under the stairs just in case.

"Regina." My mother said in a breathy voice, her words catching in her throat when she looked at me. "Mother." I sneered, keeping Roland behind me and Beth securely in my arms. Robin rushed to my side and angled himself in front of me so Beth was blocked.

"I'm not here to hurt you, I have my heart now. Please listen." She begged, taking a step closer to us, her eyes looked genuine and she nodded at me. I sighed and handed Beth to Robin and moved Roland so he was behind him.

"Fine. But I want to know that you can't use your magic, I can't so you shouldn't be able to use yours." I said holding the black cuff up, she looked hurt but complied, rolling her sleeve up to the jacket that she had died in, the cut in the material still there. I clasped it on her wrist and raised my eyebrows at her.

"Speak." I demanded, she nodded and looked down. "How and why are you here? Oh and I have plenty more questions." I said grinding my teeth together, she sighed and looked up at me.

"I'm back from the underworld. I'm here to warn you, more are coming, there is a villain who is far worse than anyone you have ever encountered, even the Dark One. His name is Hades and he is unleashing his army, the army of the dead to come and obliterate you all, you all must stop him." She said with panic in her voice, I bit my lip and nodded, I would simply have to destroy the man which would get rid of the army.

"Fine, I will stop them." I said sighing, my mother nodded but still looked worried. "Just please be careful, you have your baby to think about, and your family." She said peering over my shoulder to where Beth and Roland were. I nodded and stepped aside, my defense coming down a bit.

"Can I meet them? I won't hurt them I promise, I have the cuff on." She asked, I looked at Robin who was clearly giving me the choice, I sighed and nodded, taking Beth into my arms, and leading Roland towards her.

"This is our daughter Bethany Valentina Locksley and our son Roland Locksley." I said keeping them a safe distance away from her, her eyes welled up with tears and she bent over to Roland's height and rubbed his head, then stood up straighter and took Beth's hand.

"Hello, I'm grandma." She cooed in a sweet voice that she never used with me, Beth laughed and held her arms out to her and my mother immediately took her into her arms.

"You look just like your mother when she was a baby." She cooed, I couldn't help but smile when I saw my mother interacting with my children, it was like she was a different person with her heart, she was able to love.

"I'm going to go and get the kids, Violet should be discharged today or tomorrow." I said grabbing my purse, Robin nodded and gently bounced a screaming Bethany who was extremely upset that I had to leave her. "I can take her." I said hoisting her on my hip, she immediately stopped crying and sniffled when she laid her head on my chest, just a soft murmur coming from her mouth.

"I'd like to find out the discharge date on Violet Larson." I said to the receptionist, she scrolled through her computer and handed me a stack of paperwork. "Today, she looks good so the doctor gave her the okay to go home and so I will be in to give you the rest of your things in a second." She said smiling, I nodded as I walked into the room with Beth, both Henry and Violet had woken up and seemed a bit better than before.

"VIOLET! HENEEE!" Beth yelled when she saw her brother and his girlfriend, they both chuckled and Violet reached her arms out for her, Beth sat down on her lap and she winced slightly, but she didn't want to upset Beth so she clamped her mouth shut.

"Sweetie let's move you over, we have to be gentle with Violet." I said setting her on her thigh, she nuzzled herself onto Violet and fell asleep in the sheets.

"They said you are good to go home! All you have to do is change then they will come and take your IV's and monitors off!" I said helping her up, surrounding Beth with pillows while she slowly walked to the bathroom to change into the clothes that Henry had packed.

She came back out right as the nurse from the front desk came in with a bunch of baby items in a box.

"Oh no-."

"Here are just a few things that the hospital provides for you for your first couple days as a new mommy! We have a few diapers, a blanket, another hat so you an keep her first one!" The two just looked on awkwardly and then dropped their eyes to the ground.

"We also have their picture that we took-."

"We gave up our baby for adoption, I'm sure you can contact her family that adopted her, they'd love to have all of this." Henry said abruptly, we both looked over quite shocked at his reaction.

The nurse turned bright red and nearly dropped the box in embarrassment. "Oh my- I am so sorry, here, let me go check on something-." She said in horror, I nodded and watched her hurry out, sending a new nurse in.

"I am so sorry about Tanya, she's new. Now, let's take these pesky needles out." The nurse said with a warm smile, Violet nodded and held her arms out while she removed the tape and syringes, placing bandages over them. "Alrighty, we are going to have you sign these and then we are going to wheel you out." She said taking off her gloves, Violet sat up a bit straighter and held out her hand.

"Can I bother you for that picture of my daughter? I'd like to remember what she looked like." She asked, the nurse smiled and nodded before she left to get the picture and wheelchair.

"Okay, thank you for choosing Storybrooke Medical Center." The man grumbled as he pushed Violet out with her pillow, she nodded awkwardly and held her hand out to Henry to help her up.

"Okay then... let's go home." I said remarking at the grumpy nurse, I hauled Beth on my hip and then buckled her in, then helped Henry put Violet in the front seat.

Cora

I gasped and looked down at the tender scar that was neatly sliced on my chest where Rumple had been stabbed and grumbled, my days were numbered here and he would be calling me back to that fiery inferno sooner or later. He was punishing me, for ruining his life, their lives, he would sit and watch in fury and rage as they lived out their new lives, the life I took from him.

This escape was tricky, and my punishment would not be minimal when I return, but my daughter needed to defeat him, she would need to get rid of him once and for all, so their world could be safe, for my child, and her children.

I pulled my jacket around me slightly and continued walking down the street when I stopped dead in my tracks, crashing into the young woman in front of me.

"I'm so sorry! I should be watching where I-. You." She growled, she had red curly hair that was neatly pulled back into a clip. She had her father's eyes, those piercing blue eyes that tricked me into my biggest regret. My heart started racing when I saw the furious look in her eyes, the look her and her sister shared.

"Cora Mills, I swear until the day I die, I will kill you." My daughter growled between her teeth before taking us away in a cloud of mint smoke.